Salted Chile Chocolate Popcorn

I love cooking and baking, and I LOVE watching the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. Yesterday I did a little experimenting because I had a hankering for something chocolaty and something salty so I decided to try making chocolate cover popcorn. 

The ingredients: 

1 bag of microwavable popcorn

1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1/4 tsp of cocoa chile blend 

a sprinkle of sea salt

The hardware:

baking sheet

parchment paper

small pot 

glass bowl 

spatula and/or spoon

Start by popping the popcorn. I used the microwaveable kind because it's easy and I already had it, but if you're concerned about the sodium level I would recommend stove-top popcorn because you can control the levels salt and oil more easily. 

While the popcorn is popping bring water to a boil. Once the water is boiling I switched the lid of the pot for a bowl that is large enough to sit nicely over the pot without touching the water. Add in the chocolate chips, again you can switch out the chocolate for any kind you like. When the chocolate melted I added in the chile blend. 

Spicy and chocolate seems to be a classic "unexpected" combination on all the food shows. The cocoa chile blend I used contains cocoa powder, chipotle pepper, and paprika. I think cayenne or even a little bit of hot sauce would be a good substitute. 

Once the chocolate and spice is all mixed together add in the popcorn in two batches. Since mine came in a bag I avoided shaking the bag to keep unpopped kernels and the salty oil at the bottom of the bag as much as possible as I scooped the top half of bag into the bowl. 

Gently mix the popcorn and chocolate together. Once everything is coated transfer it to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and add the second batch. 

Spread the popcorn out evenly and sprinkle on a little bit of salt. It might seem unconventional but it really isn't, salt helps bring out the sweet flavor of the chocolate and is another common mix. It'll take a while for the chocolate to set up and since it's pretty much summer where I live it was too warm to keep the popcorn out on the counter so I cooled it down in the refrigerator. 

Once the chocolate is set transfer to an airtight container. I only made this yesterday so I don't know how long it can keep I would guess 2-3 days, but knowing me it won't last that long...

This is a really yummy and easy snack that perfectly combines salty and sweet while the chile blend has a slow, subtle kick to it and if you're a little more adventurous just add more. Hope you enjoy!

The Daringest Duo

Karmin the Pop duo, and real life couple Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan have recently released their album Pulses and I was lucky enough to see them kick off the second leg of their Pulses tour in early April. 

The singers-songwriters’ style is a blend of pop, R&B, hip-hop, and rock; they have even described their own musical style as “‘swag pop’” in Rolling Stone magazine. When you compare their earlier work covering popular songs in their personal style, their EP albums Inside Out and Hello, and the new album/the concert Pulses there is a clear progression of their sound. Their cover album, Karmin Covers, is a collection of their popular covers from Youtube, ranging from Katy Perry and Taylor Swift to Chris Brown. The song choices no matter the origin of genre all tend lean towards a more pop sound but with Karmin’s stripped down instrumentation - piano, acoustic guitar, a wooden drum box, and the occasional trombone - with additional raps. Hello, their EP of original songs again features rap in a pop song, but also strong vocal anthems, heavier drum beats and also tends to be Amy dominate in the vocals. The Pulses album seems like the natural progression of their sound; a full length album that experiments with a variety of sounds but keeps to their origins. The music has clear influences of R&B and rap, but in concert with a live band they have an even stronger rock sound. I think this stronger sound is due to the electric guitar and drums that are much more prominent in a live concert due to the amps than in studio recordings; you can feel every beat. A live performance also allows them to change the phrasing or arrangement of a song, invoke audience participation, and use punch phrasing (inserting a different song briefly). 

At the concert the rock sound is very prominent with their intro “Geronimo” which starts with heavy electric guitar, bass and drums and then grooves into “I Want it All.” Starting purely with drums evoking clapping from the audience this song has a strong disco style with the “four-on-the-floor” beat, Nick plays trombone and from time to time, Amy adds in shouts,and mixing in the rock element there is even an guitar solo. Towards the end of the song Amy directed us to mimic her and sing it back. Before the start of their album title song “Pulses” the drums and piano played in the background while Amy directed the audience to sing the vocalizing part of the song in different sections of the audience. Then during the song she would point at each section to sing. A really cool moment was when the middle of the song breaks down to a quiet moment with just Nick on piano (and the audience singing), then the high energy is brought back up when all the other instruments join in at once. 

Throughout the show the duo moved around the stage with really high energy, punching the air, dancing, and even crawling at times. In the middle of one of the songs Amy even picks up a microphone that changes her voice into a male version. Both engage with the audience through their performances waving, pointing, directing the audience, and posing for pictures. At one point Nick jumps off stage (after shaking hands with security) and stands on the barricade and allows the audience to reach for him. What was also nice was when Amy introduced a song explaining how it was written and who helped them write and produce it. And at the end of their show they brought up an audience member to help perform their cover of “Look at Me Now” with them. (I would have died if they picked me, and I really wish they did :P).

 

I was really surprised at the range of the audience from people in their forties to children around ten and everything in between. Some of those older audience members were there with their children, but also seemed to be genuine fans of Karmin themselves. Due to their rise first initial of popularity through the Internet and Youtube I see how young-adult fans that are immersed in the Internet were attracted to the duo. That could also be said for the younger kids in the nine to twelve year-old age range since the Internet gives such easy access to their music. One of the older audience members near me said he was so surprised the first time he watched one of their Youtube videos when he heard Amy rapping and that’s what got him interested. It seems like it has become a family experience to listen to Karmin. Perhaps parents enjoy them because they provide clean rap lyrics that their young children can listen to. 

I believe the duo first gained popularity on their YouTube channel about three years ago that featured their covers and original songs. Their channel has over one million subscribers and their most popular video, a cover of Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” has over 89 million views. I became a fan of them when I saw them on The Ellen Degeneres Show perform “Look at Me Now” and proceeded to look them up on Youtube (and has inspired me to try to learn how to rap a little haha). I also saw them perform this past summer open for the Jonas Brothers tour. I really liked hearing them change the arrangement of songs from the studio version and use the perfect songs for punch phrasing. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the concert especially since there is always a new found appreciation for a band after seeing them perform live. 

Of course I'm no expert on music and I've probably missed a lot on their sound, but they are one of the few musicians that I actually know anything about so I thought I'd share that. Go check them out on Youtube (and their VEVO channel) and I believe they are still on tour so I really would encourage trying to see them if you are in the area. Even if you are a new fan you'll be glad you saw them because 1) you get be cool and go to a concert, 2)in the future their shows could be much bigger so you get a more up-close/intimate experience, and 3)you can brag to you're friends you saw them live! And of course check out their album Pulses! (also can be found here).