Happy Opening Day!
This afternoon and evening, after ballplayers spent the past month and a half coaxing their muscles into shape at Spring Training, MLB stadiums unlock their gates for Game 1 of 162. Jade green grass, stark white bases, and plenty of peanuts and hot dogs wait for the fans to arrive.
And for the first time in my life, I get to be one of them!
At the same time that I proclaimed to my dad as an 11-year-old that I wanted to visit all 30 ballparks with him, I also added watching an Opening Day game to my baseball bucket list. Although we’ve crossed off 22 stadiums since then, we still haven’t sat through the first game of a season.
We nearly did it in 2002. That year, my family had driven all the way from Northern California to Arizona to meet my grandparents in Phoenix for our Spring Break vacation, which happened to fall on the same dates that the MLB season began.
However, because of an important work meeting the very next morning, Dad scheduled his flight home for the same afternoon as Opening Day. We managed to snag two standing room only tickets for the Diamondbacks’ game at the box office, but we could only walk around the stadium for a couple of innings before Dad caught a taxi to the airport.
So I didn’t quite count that.
Then we nearly did it last year in 2014. My parents purchased a half-season ticket package to the Oakland A’s (our favorite team) for the first time, which included Opening Night. I planned out the details for weeks: when to drive home, what to wear, what snacks to pack…
And then I caught a nasty cold that I couldn’t shake for the entire week and weekend before. With rain in the forecast, Dad convinced me it was better to stay home and get healthy, so I spent Opening Night on the couch cheering on my team with hot tea and a blankie instead.
But this year is different. This is our year! (As long as the weather cooperates… Pray for no rain!) And in honor of my first Opening Night, I combined two of my favorite ballpark snacks into one healthier recipe: Skinny Churro Kettle Corn!
I know, I know… Most people think of hot dogs, peanuts, and cracker jacks before kettle corn and churros. Yet the families in the rows behind our seats almost always order a round or two of sweet, buttery kettle corn from the vendors walking up and down the aisles, and my mom never leaves a game without a cinnamony churro. Gotta stick with tradition!
This recipe is really easy. You just need 5 ingredients, most of which should already be in your pantry! We’ve already talked about how to make homemade kettle corn before, but let’s go over a few of my tips as a quick refresher.
1) Use a really large pot. Not your biggest Dutch oven, but not the teensy tiny sauce pot either. It should hold about 6-8 cups. And no, the melted coconut oil or butter will not cover the bottom—but that’s okay! We mainly need heat and pressure to pop the kernels, and both of those are created once you cover the top with the lid.
2) Test the heat with 3 kernels. Once they pop, enough heat and pressure have built up, so it’s time to add the rest. But make sure you remove those 3 pieces before pouring in the other kernels!
3) Shake, shake, shake! This is REALLY important. You must shake the pan every 2-3 seconds to prevent the popcorn and the sugar from burning. Be patient; it may take a while for the kernels to pop. And keep shaking even after they start to burst!
As soon as you pour the freshly popped kettle corn into a bowl, sprinkle the cinnamon on top, and toss with tongs or two spoons until all of the pieces are fully coated. The cinnamon sticks better when the kernels are still hot. However, you’ll want to wait a little longer before eating any so you don’t burn your tongue. I know it’s pure torture, but it’s worth it!
Just a few hours left until I can dig into mine at the ballpark tonight!
| Skinny Churro Kettle Corn | | Print |
- ½ cup (70g) popcorn kernels
- 3 tbsp (36g) granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Set aside 3 popcorn kernels. Combine the remaining popcorn kernels, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.
- Add the butter to a medium pot, and melt over medium-low heat. Once melted, add 3 popcorn kernels and cover. While holding the lid, shake the pot back and forth every 3-5 seconds until the kernels have popped. Take the pot off of the heat, and carefully remove the popped kernels.
- Add the remaining popcorn kernels, and stir with a spatula until they’re evenly coated with the sugar and salt. Return the pot to the heat, cover, and continue shaking it every 2-3 seconds until you can count 5 full seconds between pops. Immediately pour the popcorn into a large bowl, and sprinkle the cinnamon on top. Toss the popcorn until it’s completely coated. Let the popcorn cool for 5 minutes before breaking apart any large clumps.
If using butter, it’s especially important to shake the pan while waiting for the first 3 kernels to pop to avoiding burning or overly browning the butter.
{vegan, gluten-free, low fat, low calorie}
More fun popcorn recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Samoas Popcorn by Something Swanky
♥ Peanut Butter Cup Popcorn by Mom On Timeout
♥ Birthday Cake Popcorn by Bake at 350
♥ Banana Split Popcorn by Inside BruCrew Life
I love churros, so this popcorn sounds just lovely! And it’s very pretty! I imagine it’s a great party snack! Pinned!
Thank you so much for your sweet words and pin Mandie! 🙂
This sounds so good I will have to try it. I am not the biggest baseball fan but I LOVE Fenway Park. There is nothing better than a frank and family watching the game. I hope you and your Dad have a great Opening Day.
Sorry, but GO Boston Red Sox!!!!!
My parents actually went to grad school in Boston, and they loved Fenway too! We visited that stadium for my 16th birthday, and it was so fun. 🙂
I can testify… This stuff is BOMB! I didn’t know you were going to an opening game this weekend!! Or if I did, I didn’t know the significance of it to you! So exciting!! Hope it’s wondeful!!
Ps- good news! My issues with your website loading on my iPad was apparently due to me being technologically challenged… Chris updated my iPad for me and now it works perfectly!! 😉
Thanks Andrea! 🙂 I’m glad your hubby could fix your iPad — it’s always frustrating when technology doesn’t work the way we want it to!
I can’t believe it’s already time for baseball again. Crazy!! Love this kettle corn, I’d eat it ALL.
Thanks Dorothy! I’d gladly share! 🙂
I am definitely not a baseball fan, but I am in LOVE with this popcorn for sure!!
Thanks Heather! I’ll bring some along on our trip next month for you! 😉
I love mixups on traditional snacks like popcorn. This churro inspired popcorn looks delicious!
Thanks Shelby!
This looks so good! I love kettle corn and churros so much (and baseball games too!) and I can’t wait to try this popcorn. I mean, yum!
Thanks Aimee! It sounds like we’re two peas in a pod. 🙂 Do you have a favorite baseball team?
I am so crazy about this recipe.. never seen a churro flavoured popcorn before. What a delicious snack!
Thanks Thalia!