It was a cold and windy fall night up at WWU. Earlier that day, my husband had invited me to come up and join him for a movie night up in his dorm room after class. I was so nervous and excited!--A cute collage boy had invited me up to his room!--Since he was providing the movie, I thought the least I could do was bring something to snack on. So I grabbed the only thing I had in my room: popcorn. Quickly, its buttery aroma filled my room causing my roommate to perk her head up from her book.
"Where are you off too with that?" she asked, nodding her head toward my comically large red bowl of popcorn.
"I'm off to Joe's room. We're gonna watch a movie." I tried hard to hide my blushing face behind the bowl.
"Oooooooh! I see." She winked at me.
Laughing, I stuck my tongue out at her and dashed out the door. But in my excited and nervous state, I forgot to grab a coat...and my dorm room key. There I was stuck out in the cold wind wearing nothing but my short-shorts, a large pj t-shirt, and my big fuzzy slippers as I clung desperately on to the bowl of popcorn. Luckily my husband's dorm room was right above mine. So as fast as I could, I sprinted up the steps.
It was amazing how quickly the chill of the fall wind drilled deep into my bones. Loudly I banged on my husband's door, desperate to get out of the cold. When he opened the door, the warm glow of his room surrounded him like an angelic painting. He looked down at me and did little to stifle his laugh. There I was, fuzzy slippers and all, shaking like mad as I gripped my huge bowl of popcorn. "Come in!" he said as he wrapped his arms around me. "Let's get you warmed up."
The rest of that evening, we sat snuggled up on his bed under a pile of blankets as we munched away on popcorn. To this day, popcorn is still our go-to snack. But I will never forget that first bowl of popcorn we shared on that cold, windy, fall night.
Although this recipe isn't your classic buttery bowl of popcorn, it is a creative and delicious new way to jazz your dinner menu. I hope you enjoy!
Popcorn Pork Chops
Ingredients
Vegetable oil
Four 8-ounce bone-in pork loin chops
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 green onion cut into thin rings
1 1/2 quarts freshly popped corn, slightly crushed
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Add enough oil to coat the bottom of a 10-inch saute pan. Heat over medium heat to the smoking point.
Season the pork chops with salt, pepper, cinnamon, and mustard seeds, rubbing the seasonings into the meat. Pan-sear both sides of the pork chops, 20 to 30 seconds on each side.
Brush the pork chops with the teriyaki sauce and place them on a wire rack in a baking pan. Roast to an internal temperature of 150 degrees, about 20 minutes. Flip the pork chop halfway through roasting and brush with teriyaki sauce at least twice. Remove from the oven and brush the pork chops a final time with teriyaki sauce. Sprinkle the green onions and popcorn over the pork chops. Place the baking pan back in the oven until the popcorn begins to brown slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.
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