Instructions: This is strictly a puff piece, just in time for the perfect pairing of Super Bowl Sunday and the laziest couch potatoes.

Whether you like yours fluffy white or buttery yellow - no, not couch potatoes! - it takes a whole lotta hot air to pump up the 1.12 billion pounds of popcorn that Americans eat every year.

Feel like keeping track of the "old maids" (unpopped kernels) or need a recipe for cherry almond popcorn clusters? Just pop over to the Popcorn

Legend has it that Quadequina, brother of Wampanoag Chief Massasoit, brought a deerskin bag of the puffed stuff to the first Thanksgiving feast.

Call it intuition, but the Pilgrims figured theyd gussy up that plain popcorn. The next morning, they served it for breakfast with cream and sugar.

English colonists eventually popped their corn on a circular sheet-metal contraption that revolved on an axle in front of the fire.

Along the way came commercial movie-house poppers, then jet-set Jiffy Pop, health-conscious air-poppers and handy microwave pouches.

All do the same neat trick: when a popcorn kernel is heated, the drop of water inside expands, causing pressure equal to about 135 pounds per square inch to build. When the hull finally gives way, theres an explosion of steam.

Poof! The kernel is turned inside out. Lets just say that what you serve with your popcorn is up to you.

Gussying up to the kernel:
Mix popcorn with nuts, dried fruit or toasted coconut.

Sprinkle warm popcorn with grated Parmesan.

Mix 4 cups popcorn with grated cheddar cheese; place in the oven until the cheese melts.

Add 1 teaspoon curry powder to heated butter or oil and pour over popcorn.

Skip the croutons; sprinkle popcorn over soups or salads.

Dust popcorn with a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Add a dash of hot sauce to butter before pouring over popcorn.

Pour warm butterscotch or caramel sauce over popcorn; spread on waxed paper or roll into balls.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast over popcorn instead of salt and butter.

Popcorn equivalents: 1 ounce of unpopped popcorn kernels (2 tablespoons)

makes approximately 1 quart of popped popcorn

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