Scandal is back!  Oh, how I love this show!  Hubby and I have been watching since Season 1, and we are hooked.  We record the show, but we always watch it on Thursdays, no matter how late it is.  No matter how many times we have to hit pause to tend to a teething Munchkin.  If you haven’t yet checked it out, you really should.  (BET runs marathons all the time!)  There really is something for everyone in this show.

Now, all you Gladiators know that to set the mood for a Scandal viewing, you need two things:  Red Wine and Popcorn!  I do love movie theater popcorn, but who really enjoys having greasy butter all over your fingers long after the bowl is empty?  At home, I prefer to use other ingredients for flavor.  We received a stovetop popper as a wedding gift, and it makes the best popcorn!  Seriously, if you’re still microwaving a certain blue bag, you’re missing out.  (You can also pop kernels in the microwave using a brown lunch bag.  Yes, seriously!) It really doesn’t take any more time, and the extra effort is minimal.  Here are the recipes I used for the popcorn we munched while watching Olivia make her on-screen return:

The BEST Popcorn

1/2 cup corn kernels

2 TBS Butter

2 TBS canola oil

This provides your popcorn base.  Heat the butter and canola oil in your stovetop popper over medium heat.  Throw in a few kernels as the oil is heating.  When they pop, add in the 1/2 cup of kernels.  Cook until all (or most) of the kernels have popped.  (My popper has a crank that you turn while the corn is popping to ensure the kernels don’t burn.)

I made two flavors out of this one batch of popcorn.

Rosemary Popcorn

Salt

1 TBS chopped fresh Rosemary

Add a couple handfuls of popcorn to your serving bowl and sprinkle with salt and Rosemary.  Continue to layer until your bowl is filled.  I find this coats the popcorn better than filling the bowl with popcorn, THEN sprinkling with toppings.

Cinnamon Popcorn

1 TBS sugar

1 TBS cinnamon

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Layer the popcorn into a serving bowl, sprinkling a little of the cinnamon sugar as you go.

Enjoy with a glass of red wine!

We enjoyed ours with a glass of Grifone.  This is one of our favorite Trader Joe’s picks.  At $4.99 a bottle, it’s a bargain!  Grifone actually has several varietals that I purchase on a regular basis – all under $5.  (Don’t tell Olivia Pope it’s not a Chateauneuf!)