Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Red-finger Popcorn #recipe


 LESLIE BUDEWITZ:  After all the rich food and sweet treats of the season, it’s nice to have a simple, savory snack that’s as easy to prepare as it is to eat! 

The crystal structure of kosher salt makes it ideal for topping popcorn. If you’re concerned about the heat, dial back the red pepper and paprika; you can always add more later if you’d like a little more. We found the red pepper almost disappeared and was not particularly hot, but your taste may vary! You can also add more popcorn after the spices are added – we liked the mix of some flavored kernels with some plain. 

Warning: This sweet and spicy treat is addictive. And you WILL get red fingers, so keep the napkins handy!

For another popcorn treat, try my Jewel Bay Critter Crunch, my version of the famous Harry & David Moose Munch!

Red-finger Popcorn

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2-3 cups popped corn

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon smoked paprika


Stir the melted butter and brown sugar together in a serving bowl. Add 2-3 cups popped corn. Toss to coat. Add the salt, red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika. Toss to mix in the spices. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. 

Serve with plenty of napkins!






From the cover of THE SOLACE OF BAY LEAVES, Spice Shop Mystery #5, out now in paperback, e-book and audio (Seventh St. Books and Tantor Audio) : 

Pepper Reece never expected to find solace in bay leaves. 

But when her life fell apart at forty and she bought the venerable-but-rundown Spice Shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, her days took a tasty turn. Now she’s savoring the prospect of a flavorful fall and a busy holiday cooking season, until danger bubbles to the surface ... 

Between managing her shop, worrying about her staff, and navigating a delicious new relationship, Pepper’s firing on all burners. But when her childhood friend Maddie is shot and gravely wounded, the incident is quickly tied to an unsolved murder that left another close friend a widow. 

Convinced that the secret to both crimes lies in the history of a once-beloved building, Pepper uses her local-girl contacts and her talent for asking questions to unearth startling links between the past and present—links that suggest her childhood friend may not have been the Golden Girl she appeared to be. Pepper is forced to face her own regrets and unsavory emotions, if she wants to save Maddie’s life—and her own. 

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries, and the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories. Death al Dente, the first Food Lovers' Village Mystery, won Best First Novel in 2013, following her 2011 win in Best Nonfiction. Her first historical short story, "All God's Sparrows," won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story. Watch for her first standalone suspense novel, Bitterroot Lake (written as Alicia Beckman) in April 2021 from Crooked Lane Books.

A past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by my website and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook where I announce lots of giveaways from my cozy writer friends.

9 comments:

  1. Sweet, hot, salty . . .what's not to like? Is this dog safe??
    ojcoldren[at]tm[dot]net

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  2. What a fun idea. Thanks

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  3. Popcorn has been one of our favorite treats this year. We've been buying Costco boxes of it and going through them at an alarming pace, so this seems like a fun, tasty twist.

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  4. That looks and sounds so good, and I just bought popcorn so I'll be trying this. Maybe a good snack for New Year's Eve.

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  5. This popcorn sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing! Happy New Year!

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