Microwave Popcorn!
I like watching Good Eats on TV though I get annoyed by the silly skits and wish he would spend that time sharing more of his wisdom instead. But now I love Alton Brown for writing about making popcorn in the microwave. I love microwave popcorn but then I read an article in the New Yorker several years ago that basically said everything I ate was bad for me since I was a big believer in the convenience of pre-packaged foods. But it turned out that almost everything had partially hydrogenated fats including my beloved microwave popcorn. So for a while I gave them up and just occasionally indulged guiltily. Then Alton Brown came to the rescue with a solution that was healthy and dirt cheap.

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- Pour 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels into a paper lunchbag.
- Fold the edge over twice about a quarter-inch each time. Staple shut. One staple is sufficient. I know...lots of scary warnings about metal in the microwave. But this is small. Read Alton's book for his explanation of why your microwave won't explode if you do this. I think I read it in "I'm just here for the food"
- Pop it in the microwave on high for about 2.5 minutes. (listen to the popping since it might take a little more or less time depending on your microwave)
- Rip bag open and enjoy. (or open carefully and you can reuse the bag) I like to spray butter on mine (I know...whatever's in those cans is probably unhealthy too) and sprinkle salt and sugar on mine. Michael likes to sprinkle lemon juice and a little cayenne pepper on his.
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