I love going to the movies. However what, when, and where my husband and I go see a movie has changed significantly over the years. In my ripe old age of 29 I now prefer to go see movies in the afternoon instead of at night. Two reasons for this. First is there are usually less people, which means better seats and that the only person I have to sit next to is my husband. The second is because I am cheap…I mean frugal. Movies are ridiculously overpriced! A month ago we went to see a movie and thought that a 4:00 PM movie was still considered a matinee. Turns out we were wrong, matinees end at 3:55….seriously?! Anyways, the tickets alone were $10.00 a piece and as if that wasn’t enough, we bought a water and box of candy, well there went another $8.00. By  the time it was all said and done this movie cost nearly $30.00! We could have bought a movie, a gallon of water, and 3 boxes of candy for that price! Anyways enough of my complaining about the cost of movies.

One of my favorite parts about watching movies whether it’s in the theater or at home is the popcorn. Popcorn has an intoxicating smell that makes my mouth water. I’m not sure if it’s the butter, the popcorn, or a combination of both, but when I smell it I have to grab a handful! While traditional popcorn with butter and salt is always amazing, I thought I would add a twist to it and make Lemon Thyme Popcorn.

I have a fresh thyme plant in my garden so I grabbed a few sprigs of it and chopped them up. Then I zested a lemon and used the juice from half of it. I melted a tablespoon of butter and then combined it with the zest, juice, and thyme. I drizzled this over the popcorn, added salt and freshly cracked black pepper and then gave it a toss.

The end result was incredible! It was slightly buttery, but also fresh and flavorful from the lemon and thyme. The salt and cracked black pepper balanced everything. This was my first time making popcorn using herbs and it will definitely not be my last! The Lemon Thyme Popcorn wouldn’t just make a great snack while watching a movie, but also a great appetizer or snack at your next dinner party. There is something almost sophisticated about it.

I hope you will give this popcorn a try. Don’t let the addition of the fresh herbs and lemon intimidate you. It may surprise you how pleasing this savory snack is!

Lemon Thyme Popcorn

Yield: 2 servings or 1 large serving

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
• 1 T. butter
• 1 t. lemon zest
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 t. fresh chopped thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Use an air popcorn popper and pop your kernels into a medium sized bowl.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the microwave.
3. Zest 1 teaspoon of lemon, chop up a teaspoon of fresh thyme and add it to the melted butter.
4. Juice half of the lemon into the butter.
5. Whisk the butter mixture together and drizzle over the popcorn.
6. Sprinkle the popcorn with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then toss.

Notes

I have not tried using dried herbs with this recipe only fresh. If you do use dried I would use less.