I Ask You, What do Alfred Hitchcock, My Grandmother, and Popcorn All Have To Do with Each Other?

Photo: Our Popcorn
Location: Believe it or not, my guest room

Hubby and I have been having date night for years now. In the early days we used to order cheap pizza and watch our favorite Friday night TV show. We were living in Boston. He was in school, I was working, and we were living paycheck to paycheck. Even though we were broke, those were some of the best dates we ever had.

Here we are years later, and our dates have improved with our income over time, but my health issues put the kibosh on our more elaborate and expensive dates, especially where eating is concerned. In recent weeks, however, Hubby started recording Alfred Hitchcock movies. He convinced me to start watching them with him, and this past weekend he had the genius idea of popping popcorn on the stove.

I had forgotten how delicious popcorn popped on the stove could be. It was shocking to us both to taste the difference in quality. I have been eating the chemically coated, sodium saturated, slightly burned microwave popcorn for almost 20 years now. When we were kids, my parents would pop huge batches of popcorn on the stove and take us to the movies and drive-in theatre with an oil and butter soaked brown grocery sack full of the stuff. Eventually we found it somewhat embarrassing, but poverty really got us the better popcorn. Had we only known, perhaps I would have avoided years of sub-par theatre and microwave popcorn.

So the romance of the early days of our relationship is alive again with Hitchcock on the weekends and stove popped popcorn. I must admit I am completely hooked. Hitchcock was a film noir genius.

We watched two of them this weekend, the first that starred a leading lady who looked so much like my grandmother when she was young. Her character was so optimistic, that I began to imagine that she might have embodied my young grandmother in many ways. I really enjoyed that aspect of the movie, although the overall film was excellent. I have included a picture of my grandmother and the movie trailer to let you be the judge.

Photo: My Grandmother in 1933

Shadow of A Doubt, Starring Theresa Wright

I encourage you all to watch a good movie and to pop some popcorn on the stove. It's much more delicious, healthy, and better for the environment (less packaging and processing). Did I mention how much cheaper it is than going to the movies?

And I must confess that even though date night is all romance around here, most other days are quite regular. We do not run around perpetually in love like a cheese ball Disney movie.

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Popcorn on the Stove

1/2 Cup of popcorn kernels
2-3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons of melted butter
Ground sea salt to taste

Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan on med-high heat. Put two kernels in the oil and cover with a lid. When the one, or both, of the kernels pop add the rest of the kernels. Cover and jigger the pot a little on the burner to keep the kernels from burning and sticking. When the kernels slow their popping to one-per second, pull off the burner and transfer to a nice big bowl. Add the sea salt and melted butter, mix well. Stuff your face silly in front of the boob tube.