Lara and I got a sneaky preview of a new children's cookbook - Peter Popple's Popcorn Cookbook which is released next month. Peter Popples is a young scientist who’s loves everything that goes pop, and the science behind it too. The cookbook is a small selection of 27 recipes that children can make with popcorn.
Popcorn is a great snack for cooking with children as it is a wholegrain with a low GI that keeps energetic children full between meals. If you use a hot-air popcorn machine to pop the kernels, it is incredibly quick and safe to cook with children and can be an awful lot of fun. This was the first time that Lara had ever experienced popcorn - in the video below, I think she thought that singing might make the kernels pop more quickly!
Most of the recipes in the Peter Popples Popcorn Cookbook are for sweet and sticky popcorn recipes (the more sweet and sticky you add, the less healthy the snack!). Towards the end there are some interesting ideas for savoury snacks - I chose Marmite Popcorn to cook with Lara because (a) she is a Marmite monster (b) it is dead simple to make and (c) the ingredients list came to a whopping 28p for enough popcorn to feed the mellow household all afternoon!
To make the recipe you need 50g of popcorn kernels (you can buy these from most supermarkets in the aisle where you would find seeds and nuts). You will also ideally own a popcorn machine to pop the kernels; you can pop corn on the stove in a big pan (the cookbook explains how to do this) but it is definitely an adult job as it involves hot oil.
Once the kernels are popped, melt a tablespoon of butter with a teaspoon of Marmite and stir the mixture into the corn, making sure the corn is lightly and evenly coated. Lara found the whole experience fascinating from start, to sticky finish and I even enjoyed the Marmite taste... I blame the pregnancy hormones!
The next recipe Lara and I plan to cook from the cookbook is Blueberry Oat Popcorn Bars.
Popcorn is a great snack for cooking with children as it is a wholegrain with a low GI that keeps energetic children full between meals. If you use a hot-air popcorn machine to pop the kernels, it is incredibly quick and safe to cook with children and can be an awful lot of fun. This was the first time that Lara had ever experienced popcorn - in the video below, I think she thought that singing might make the kernels pop more quickly!
Most of the recipes in the Peter Popples Popcorn Cookbook are for sweet and sticky popcorn recipes (the more sweet and sticky you add, the less healthy the snack!). Towards the end there are some interesting ideas for savoury snacks - I chose Marmite Popcorn to cook with Lara because (a) she is a Marmite monster (b) it is dead simple to make and (c) the ingredients list came to a whopping 28p for enough popcorn to feed the mellow household all afternoon!
To make the recipe you need 50g of popcorn kernels (you can buy these from most supermarkets in the aisle where you would find seeds and nuts). You will also ideally own a popcorn machine to pop the kernels; you can pop corn on the stove in a big pan (the cookbook explains how to do this) but it is definitely an adult job as it involves hot oil.
Once the kernels are popped, melt a tablespoon of butter with a teaspoon of Marmite and stir the mixture into the corn, making sure the corn is lightly and evenly coated. Lara found the whole experience fascinating from start, to sticky finish and I even enjoyed the Marmite taste... I blame the pregnancy hormones!
The next recipe Lara and I plan to cook from the cookbook is Blueberry Oat Popcorn Bars.
