Pajama Party!: Hot Cocoa Popcorn

Things are certainly not easy in Thathouse right now.  Due to the nature of my profession, work hasn't slowed down at all - it's increased as we are daily faced with new rules/regulations/health crises that need to be dealt with immediately, on top of my regular workload which hasn't slowed or adapted to the additional work, with the warning that when it does slow we'll be moved into hospitals and other clinical settings.

On top of that, like most every other kid in the country, mine are home.  But mine have no guidance or direction from the schools on what to do with them.  Which means on top of working 8+ hours a day, I also am in charge of keeping them occupied in a way that allows me to address the needs of millions of people, state regulatory boards, health care providers and agencies without the flexibility of doing it after the kids are asleep or before they wake up.

I admit to being resentful when friends have viral posts about taking this time to spend with your children who need you more than ever now, or who complain about having to work 4 hours a day and then post pictures of hikes and bike rides with their children, or write that they deserve an award for answering emails while helping their child with schoolwork.  My kids get no hikes, no bikes, no help with work, no parent time at all during the day.  Time off has been canceled, we had no spring break.  My entire week is me telling my kids "no" or "I can't."  Which is really hard for them to understand when I'm right there.  I was commiserating with a friend when we realized we spend less time with our kids now than before they were home 24/7. 

I'm trying to make it up to them on the weekend.  Going device free during their waking hours so I can actually spend time with them and give them the attention they crave so much.  When I heard Disney was releasing Onward on Disney+ I decided we would make a whole event of it - turning the living room into a giant pillow pit and having a slumber party while we watched it.

We went with a slumber party theme, which is their favorite.  They love wearing their pajamas all day.  And the movie was incredible.  Maybe moreso as I watched my two boys watching it together, since it's all about brothers.  If Frozen was about the love between two sisters, this is definitely the brothers' response.

As much as I'd have loved to turn the day into a movie marathon, my kids aren't great with sitting in front of a television, and having cushions all over the floor is basically just an invitation for them to wrestle until someone gets hurt.  So instead of movies all day, we threw in some other pajama party classics.  Like playing card games.

And eating pizza RIGHT ON THE FLOOR!

And most importantly, popcorn.  It doesn't hurt that popcorn is my all time favorite food, but it fits in well with a movie too, right?  I did a choose your own adventure with the popcorn, throwing together a couple different flavors so they could pick what they wanted.

The winner?  This Hot Cocoa popcorn.  I can't even remember why I bought the container of mallow-bits, but I always find a use for them.  And while regular marshmallows would add a gooey-ness to the popcorn, these little bits have the marshmallow flavor and a crunch that goes great with the snack.

Hot Cocoa Popcorn

1/4 cup popcorn kernels (if you use microwave popcorn, skip the first and second step)

1 Tbsp butter (melted)

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 Tbsp powdered sugar

1/4 cup Jet Puffed Mallow Bits

1.  Pop popcorn kernels in airpopper, or paper bag, or however you like to pop your popcorn.
2. Pour the melted butter over and toss.
3. Sift cocoa powder and powdered sugar over the popcorn.
4. Add Mallow Bits and toss.

Disney on Ice: Jalapeno Bacon Popcorn

Winter sport season has begun! Thatkid is doing baseball again (I know it's a spring sport everyone else, but here in San Diego we start it in January - and then don't play for weeks because YES IT RAINS HERE PEOPLE.)  We thought Thatbaby would want to follow in his brother's footsteps now that he's old enough to play, but he chose a very different path.

Ice skating!  He has really taken to ice skating in a way I never would have imagined.  Thatkid was very timid on the ice at first, but Thatbaby has no fear and jumps (literally) right on. 

In an attempt to try and embrace his newfound love, I got us all tickets to see Disney on Ice - Dare to Dream.  It's the newest Disney on Ice performance, featuring Moana, which both my kids love.

In an attempt to stave off overpriced souvenirs, I ordered some cheaper versions from Amazon that I gave them the morning before the show so they were still shiny and interesting.

The best part of these kind of shows are the light up souvenirs, so I those were the kind I ordered.  These light up Maui hooks cost me $20 from Amazon and they were being sold for $40 at the show.

My second save-some-money move was to get our tickets from Goldstar.   I use Goldstar a lot for tickets because they're usually at least half off.  These seats, right at the front of the section, which gave us an unobstructed view, were $22 a piece, but after I contacted them about the fact that it didn't seem cheaper than regular price, they knocked them down to $17.  Their customer service is fantastic. 

The performance started off with a guest appearance by Miguel and his guitar.  He strummed us "Remember me" before breaking into his acclaimed hit "Poco Loco."  My kids love Coco, so this was a really fun way to start the show.

Of course, Mickey and Minnie and our other costumed friends showed up next.

Disney princesses are a big part of Disney on Ice, and this show is no different.  It began with a condensed retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Next came Cinderella.

The part I was most looking forward to was Tangled.  Not that I love the movie, but because it promised an amazing aerial performance.  It did not disappoint.

While the boys liked the first act, they are, in general, less interested in the older Disney stories.  They didn't grow up with them and I'm not even positive they've seen Cinderella or Tangled.

Act II however, had them on the edge of their seats, with two of their beloved favorites.  First, Frozen.  Thatbaby since Let It Go on constant repeat.  To be more accurate, he sings the chorus of Let it Go on constant repeat.

And Olaf is one of his all time favorite Disney characters.  Enough that he even has an Olaf costume.

Then came Moana, which might be their current favorite Disney movie. 

They especially loved waving their glowing hooks at Maui.

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And Shiny was a discoball studded extravaganza.

The show ended with all the characters coming out and dancing together.

Since we saved money on souvenirs and seats, everyone got to pick a special snack for the show.  The fun thing about the snacks at Disney on Ice is that they come with their own souvenirs.  Thatbaby's cotton candy came with a Pua hat.

And Thatkid's snowcone came in a Mickey cup.

As for me, I got popcorn in a souvenir bag.  Because there's nothing like popcorn you get at events - movies, sporting events, Disney on Ice.  It's just so buttery and salty.  Really, there are very few popcorns I don't like.  It is my all time favorite food.  I love it so much that I even made it to eat during the Superbowl.  But rather than buttery saltiness, this one was bacony-jalapenoey.  Seems fitting for a sporting event right?  I actually removed all the seeds from this version, so I could share with the kids, and Thatkid was VERY thankful.  He called it the best popcorn he's ever had.

Honestly, cooking popcorn in bacon?  He's not so far off.

 Jalapeno Bacon Popcorn

5 strips applewood smoked bacon, diced

1 jalapeno sliced (with as many seeds removed as you'd like - remember, the more seeds, the spicier it'll be!)

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

grated parmesan cheese

salt

1. Cook bacon over medium heat in a large pot until crispy.
2. Add jalapeno slices and cook for 2 minutes until soft.  Remove jalapeno and bacon from the pot.
3. Add popcorn kernels and toss to coat.  Cover the pot.  When the popcorn starts popping, shake the pot back and forth until the popcorn is done popping.  Remove from heat.
4. Add the jalapeno and bacon back in to the popcorn.
5. Toss the popcorn with parmesan cheese and salt to taste.

The Play's the Thing: Pert Near Perfect Popcorn

One of my favorite parts of summer is summer theater.  I mean, sure, there's theater year-round, and we're lucky to live in an area with a theater just about every 15 miles, but summer theater is special.  Outside amphitheaters, watching a show with a cool summer breeze, picnics on the grass.

It's also ideal for little theater go-ers, because you can remove them easily.  This is the first year we've been able to take Thatbaby.  The past 2 years he would not have been able to sit for any of it.

There are two outdoor venues that have summer theater.  Usually they each do one family friendly show a year.  This year however, the boys requested to see almost all of the shows, which meant 5 musicals!

It all began at Easter.  Remember Jesus Christ Superstar Live?  Well we were staying in a hotel room when it aired and I could not get my children to sleep.  So like any good parent who wants to watch a live program, I told them they could stay up if they were in bed watching quietly.  And Thatkid fell in love.  For the first act.  He fell asleep during the second.  Thatbaby didn't even make it that long.  When he heard that it was going to be playing this summer, he begged to go see it.  And his little brother wanted to come too.  So our first family theater night was to see Jesus Christ Superstar.

Thatkid still says it's one of his favorite musicals ever.  Thatbaby loved it and for weeks sang "What's the Buzz" (which he took up again this weekend).  He put on shows with his microphone - "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Super Christ Super Star!"

The next show was the family friendly show I was counting on - Annie. Or as Thatbaby calls it, "Andy."  

The very next night, we packed up our show and went just a little farther out to see Newsies.

Newsies was at Moonlight Ampitheater, which is a step up from our community theater.   Nice seats, Broadway sets and costumes, and a lot more room.

For Newsies we got reserved lawn seats, which we like because you get lawn chairs, but also a nice grassy area to spread out a blanket.  The blanket is where the kids like to lie down and watch the show when they get tired.

They were selling Newsboy hats and it was one of those souvenirs that I just couldn't refuse.  Especially because ever since I have been treated to renditions of "King of New York" by these two little noggins.

We made a return to Moonlight when I saw that The Hunchback of Notre Dame was a Disney production.  But it was NOT like Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, or Little Mermaid.

The music was beautiful, and it was really well done, but it wasn't exactly kid friendly.  The boys got a little bored.  It didn't help that the reserve lawn seats were sold out so we were stuck in chairs.  No lying down for them.

This past weekend we saw our last show of the season - In the Heights.  This one wasn't high on my list, despite loving the show.  Thatkid and I saw it at the Moonlight last year.  But once again, claiming it was one of his favorites and asking to see it again, it was hard for me to say no. 

Given the later time of these shows, we didn't picnic as much as eat dinner before hand and just bring snacks with us.  Our snacks were very consistent though - popcorn.

Not just any popcorn, but homemade, stovetop popped popcorn.  I love popcorn, but stove-popped is a special treat for special occasions.  Like everything I make, if I want it done right, I always look to Alton Brown.  He has the best, most simple recipe with just 4 ingredients.  And while the butter is not a necessity, there's really nothing better than hot, fresh, buttery popcorn.

Pert-Near Perfect Popcorn  (By Alton Brown)

3 Tbsp peanut oil

3 oz popcorn kernels

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp butter, melted

1. Place oil, popcorn, and salt in a large metal bowl.  Cover with aluminum foil and poke several slits in the top with a knife.  Place the bowl over medium heat and shake.  You can make handles from the foil or use a tong.  When the popcorn stops popping, remove from heat.
2. Remove the foil and drizzle butter over the popcorn, tossing to coat evenly.

Grown Up Night: Popcorn Balls

On Saturday night, Thatboy and I headed out for a much needed date night.  We don't do those nearly enough and they always make me extremely giddy.  Partially because it is an amazing feeling to eat dinner at a "grown up" time and have uninterrupted grown up conversation!

We sat beside a large plate glass window overlooking fountains while we ate lobster bisque, brie, steak, pork, creme brulee, key lime pie, and a chocolate brownie.  We got to talk about our days, upcoming plans, and enjoy the company.  I love nights like that, they make me feel young again.

We got home to find our master manipulator had convinced his sitters to let him stay up, as he dived into the bed and pretended to be asleep as we walked in.  But honestly, I can't get worked up about him staying up late every now and again, especially when it means he doesn't scream, cry, or wail when we leave the house.

It helps that we spent the entire day with him, catering to what he wanted to do.  There's nothing quite like spending hours making dinosaurs out of clay!  And that I made his all time favorite dinner while we headed out-  macaroni and cheese.  He ate 2 bowls!

Macaroni and cheese is his favorite food, but he shares another favorite with me - popcorn.  We both love popcorn.  And while in general I'm not a huge fan of sweet popcorn like caramel corn (I make an exception for the salty sweetness of kettle corn), there's something very fun about popcorn balls.  They're fun to make, and fun to eat, they make me feel young again.

Popcorn Balls

12 cups airpopped pop corn
2 cups light corn syrup

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1. Combine the corn syrup, vinegar, and salt in a heavy pot.  Cook over medium heat, stirring until the syrup reaches 250 on a candy thermometer.
2. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
3. Place the popcorn in a large greased bowl and pour the syrup over, tossing with a greased fork until the syrup coats it all.
4. Let the popcorn cool until you can handle it, and then shape into 3 inch balls.  Place each ball on wax paper until they are completely cool.