I used to take this theater workshop sort of thing, and there was a kid in my class who always used the word “ballin.” My theater teacher didn’t know what in the world this word meant, and actually, neither did I. That’s why I like Urban Dictionary.
But um, that’s not what this post is about.
Every single year around the holidays, my sister Rachel asks me to make popcorn balls, because I made some about five years ago (from a recipe in Martha Stewart Living) and she adored them. I never make them – partly because I’m lazy, and partly because I like to annoy Rachel – but this year I thought I’d suprise her by making some.
.
Martha Stewart’s recipe is decidely un-vegan, chock full of butter and marshmallows, so I used Kittee’s recipe instead, subbing coconut oil instead of Earth Balance and Agave in place of corn syrup. Also, I don’t have a candy thermometer, but (eye)ballin’ worked fine.
Verdict: These tasted more like caramel corn than the popcorn balls I remember, but I thought they were really nice, albeit super duper sweet. Rachel said she liked them, but so far I’ve eaten more than her, so who knows. And who cares, more for me, I say!
January 11, 2009 at 9:54 am
Ballin!
January 16, 2009 at 12:33 pm
That is really weird, because I have always used ballin’ in a very different context than Urban Dictionary. But, the popcorn balls look so great!!!
January 26, 2009 at 4:07 pm
When I was a kid, my parents used to make popcorn balls for Halloween–they were the treats for the trick-or-treaters. One year, though, my (perpetually cranky) uncle pointed out that it would be easy for someone to stick a needle in one and sue my parents, so after that, the popcorn balls were just for friends and family. (“After that” lasted about five years, and then they just got too busy to make them. It didn’t occur to us kids to make them instead. Silly, foolish us.)
January 29, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Ha, what a spoilsport! Although if someone had given me a popcorn ball as a Halloween treat when I was a kid my mom wouldn’t have let me eat it anyway. So sad, since no one should be deprived of popcorn balls.