Popcorn Campagna

Readers of this blog may be familiar with Sister Mabels Caramel Corn, the recipe the late, great Orville Redenbacher gave me when we met at a food fair in Dallas, TX, in the 1980’s. Although Hunt-Wesson, Inc. now owns the brand, I remain loyal to Orville’s popcorn.

Although Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn Book is long out of print, used copies are still available online. You’ll also find plenty of recipes online at popcorn.org

I have no idea where this Popcorn Campagna recipe originated, but it’s tasty and unusual. We often sprinkle powdered Parmesan cheese over fresh, hot popcorn while we’re glued to a movie on TV, but this recipe goes several delicious steps further! PS: For more popping fun, you may also want to try World Series Popcorn. 

PPS: Do yourself a flavor and buy a popcorn maker - the quickest and most reliable way to pop corn. 

Popcorn Campagna:

8 c. popped corn (1/4 c. or 60 mL unpopped kernels) 

1 tbsp. (15 mL) olive oil

1 tsp. (15 mL) balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. (15 mL) powdered Parmesan cheese

Black olives, capers, canned or bottled anchovies (as desired; coarsely chopped, well drained, blotted dry)

Set aside 1/3 c. (80 mL) popped corn, quickly tossing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Parmesan, and olives, capers, and anchovies. Add remaining popped corn, tossing well. 

One Click: Meat Loaf

Hands up for meat loaf! At our house, we love it. I often double the recipe, making extra and freezing it for those days I don’t feel like cooking. I made two today - no recipe - just ground beef, ground pork, and a center layer of chopped onion fried with a chopped apple and four slices of chopped bacon. To make that layer stand out, I ladled it with a little salsa. 

Into the oven one’s about to go, while the other - labeled and wrapped - went into the deep freeze. With inflation raging and meat expensive, I make many meatless meals, and buy meat and fish only when they’re on sale. Even if high food prices aren’t a concern for you, please change your shopping habits to support others, and please donate to your local food bank.

I saw a cauliflower for $9 the other day, and a small bunch of green onions for $5! If you say no to such prices, prices will come down. Some of these meat loaves are penny-pinchers - tasty ones, too! The first two meat loaves use only ground beef; the next two use ground beef and pork; the Greek Pie meat loaf uses ground beef, pork, and veal. One Click is all you need to find each: 

Best-Ever Meat Loaf

George’s Meat Loaf

Greek Meat Pie

Onion Meat Loaf

Rice Meat Loaf

If you prefer, search Meat Loaf: see One Click.