So because another one of mine has done just that, I get the opportunity to meet fun people.
Like Sue from PoppedCorn Gourmet Treats in Minnetonka Minnesota.
Let me warn you now that this post will probably be filled with corny puns because I just can't resist!
There is a party in a bag fixing to happen around here.
September is rapidly approaching along with the wedding of #2 Daughter, but more things than just the question have been getting popped.
First there was the 🎵hallelujahs🎵and corks popping in celebration that she picked a nice guy.
We tried to warn him she wears the title here of Princess, but she had already informed him of that fact.
The apple didn't fall far from the tree, (or maybe I should say the corn didn't pop far from the cob?) with that royalty title thing.
Groom-to-be has had three years to get used to the princess fact - but there are two crowns really - his future bride as princess and mine as queen of course. I hope he understands both.
But crowns aside, coming at the end of September there will be some tasty stuff popping in at the ranch, and one of those yummm-ibles is from PoppedCorn.
Right off the bat or *corny pun warning* - fresh outta the popper - I want you to be able to put a face with the maker of the fudge and popcorn flavors that you're about to have popping in and out of your head, so I'd like you to meet Sue from PoppedCorn, the owner and popcornista extraordinaire.
I have to point out the obvious..... Sue is a petite thing, which is just the way I'd look if I worked around fudge and popped snacks all day long.
Not.
Please don't anyone try to make me feel better by saying anything ridiculous in comments about not wanting to eat the stuff when you work around it all day, because that would be the stupidest thing any of you ever said.
Of course I'd still want to eat fudge. I want to bath in it.
It could be that Sue is so busy melting fudge ingredients and eliminating old maids of the un-popped variety, that as she is popping in and out of the corporate businesses she delivers to she literally runs off any calories she consumes.
Yes there are fun companies to work for that have popcorn delivered for their employees. You want to work for one of those, and if you don't you should suggest it to the one you do work at.
She makes all the popcorn as well as the fudge right in her store. The fudge is made in a stainless steel double jacketed fudge kettle. I think I should install one in my kitchen.
The fudge pictured above would make an excellent wedding gift for daughter #2, since peanut anything is her favorite, but the fellow about to
Sue told me about a bride who didn't like cake so Sue came up with a recipe of Fudge Krispies to replace the cake at the wedding.
Not like cake?
I don't know what the heck was the matter with that bride because I can't relate to that thought, but I sure like what she was thinking by having fudge-y snap crackle and pop goodness in place of her wedding cake.
At the shindig here at the ranch we are having cake.....and snack size bags of popped awesomeness.
Not that the fudge is chopped liver, but let me get cracking my corn here to the other star at Sue's shop.... her popped corn.
There are over 70 flavors, and I am here to tell 'ya it's impossible to sample them all in one sitting, not that I wasn't willing to appoint myself the captain of that tasting team.
PoppedCorn opened with 50 flavors, and many of those taste like a dessert. Could you sample that many desserts? I know ... just like me you'd be willing to try.
Sue left the corporate world and she and her daughter Anna were trained by family friends in Las Vegas with three popcorn shops of their own.
Inquiring minds needed to know, so I asked; Sue's first favorite flavor is Peanut Butter Chocolate - peanut butter and white chocolate over caramel corn.
You want that flavor in your mouth right now? Yeah, me too. I kid you not, it was AMAZING!
But unless we want to send the groom searching for his epi-pen the unfortunate truth was that this flavor could not come to the wedding. If that peanut allergy thing didn't exist, hands down this would have been on the list.
Then there was the tasty morsel below.......
A new flavor with almonds and coconut that tastes exactly like the famous candy bar, only better. This one was probably my favorite sweet taste, just like an Almond Joy.
Crispy crunchy and sooooo soooooo yummy.
But almonds are nuts, and I'm starting to think my daughter is nuts marrying this nut allergic guy.
As long as there isn't nuts added his life will be spared since Sue doesn't pop in peanut oil. So lets see, that leaves most of the gourmet treats groom safe and if daughter and I want to get a nutty fix, we both know where the store is.
The flavors are freezeable. I haven't decided if that is a good piece of information for me to know or not..... I can have my favorites at the ready whenever movie night happens, or just because..... as in just because I want to eat popcorn all day.
PoppedCorn ships all across the U.S.A., so you can have some Peanut Butter Chocolate PoppedCorn delivered right to your door wherever you are.
While you're at it, add a mini bag each of their best sellers, Windy City Mix (cheese & caramel), Dill Pickle and Southwest Hot Wing.
Of course anything with the basics of butter-y, cheese-y and caramel-y are always at the top of the most POPular list, but it's fun to taste the non-traditional flavors and you never know when you will discover a new favorite.
You will notice in that photo above that some of the sample cups are empty.
I am responsible for those. And I think I finished the others before we left.
There are score cards to mark your fav's. That is sort of like picking your favorite child, it really can't be done.
My favorite of the more traditional tastes was the Parmesan and Garlic. Dayamm, now I'm craving some of it, guess I have to be careful what I type. I believe that flavor was a finalist on the list of the bride and groom.
Sue's second favorite after Peanut Butter Chocolate, is Baseball Mix - a combo of plain white popcorn and caramel with peanuts. Please I beg you...... take me out to the ballgame!
My family eats a lot of the popped stuff, and when we travel we pick up bags from those tourist spots. None of those were anything like Sue's flavors. When she says "gourmet" she means it!
Everyone has had kettle corn from the traveling festival poppers, right? Well I warn you now - try the kettle corn from PoppedCorn and you might not be able to go back to eating the other stuff.
If I had to sum it up based on my personal experience with the flavors I tried at PoppedCorn, and just telling it to 'ya like it is ..... it was the best popcorn I have ever had. Period. And as usual on this blog I did not get paid to say that.
Working along with full time daughter Anna, are a couple other hands on folks. Anna's boyfriend Marcus and Sue's other daughter Amy. Sue says she could not have done this without all of them.
I hear tell Marcus nails it when he works on new flavors. As far as I'm concerned every flavor was spot on! And Amy is known to take time off from her job to help at events or around the busy holidays.
Sue also credits two sisters and a BFF with lending a helping hand to her part time staff of seven. Sounds perfect to me to work with the people you love, and hellooooooo... part time at a fudge and popcorn shop!!! where was that job when I was in high school?
There are two walls full of all sorts of tins and gift boxes so you can send teacher appreciation gifts, hostess gifts, welcome new neighbors, or rub it in that your team won, as well as for every holiday and ones you make up just so you can eat these gourmet treats.
Sue can put something together for you with a nice selection of gift add in's. As if you need more than fudge or popcorn to make your day right?
Know someone going to the hospital? They want fudge and popcorn when they come out. Pick the Cinnamon Toast flavor and they won't have to make themselves breakfast while they recover.
Sue reminded me that every month has a reason to gather, celebrate or buy a gift. Anytime you would buy a gift or bring a snack, popcorn is an option.
PoppedCorn received the 'Best Of' from Sun Sailor for 2017, and Mitzvah Magic in '16 and '17. Sue has also been nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year for the TwinWest Chamber. All this and she only started PoppedCorn Gourmet Treats in 2014.
I hope she wins because that's a celebration, and I celebrate by eating popcorn.
I know you are all curious what flavor of the over 70 that I came home with...... Southwest Hot wings.
As the bag rode shotgun on the passenger seat next to me I kept glancing over at it debating on opening it.
I could have snacked on it all the way home, but I wanted a beer to go with it so I toughed it out. Coinki-dink that Hungry Like the Wolf should play on the radio?
It's just a little spicy and I loved it. Mmmmmmm.....
I asked Sue if she dreams about popcorn or maybe George Clooney, you know like I dream about painting signs and furniture.
She told me she does not dream about popcorn although she isn't tired of it and eats some everyday.
It's important to note she did not deny dreaming of George.
If you are anywhere close to 5757 Sanibel Drive in Minnetonka, stop in - and if you're not, remember PoppedCorn ships nation wide. This stuff is gourmet, just like the name says.
Thinking of sending me a gift? Any flavor on the menu is a winner, even the unusual dill pickle which of course I tried, and I eyed up some caramel apple fudge. And sea salt caramel popcorn, and wild berry cheesecake popcorn, and white chocolate oreo, and walnut cranberry, and, and, and....so many to pick from.
Pop over to the Facebook Page for PoppedCorn and give it a like so you remember you want to try some.
Thank you for the samples Sue, and sharing your popped corn story with me. You are a POPular gal and I appreciate the time you spent answering all my corny questions.
*To clarify.... there is no chopped liver flavor fudge.
This is popcorn heaven for me!! Are you having a popcorn bar at the wedding? This looks like more fun than a wedding cake tasting!
ReplyDeleteThat's my little sister, really, how does she stay so thin around all of that temptation??? My favorites are spicy cheese and kettle corn. SO YUMMY! Thanks for the great shout out about a great product!
ReplyDeleteWhat a FUN post---eye POPPING fudge and POPcorn. Loved the CORNy jokes, too. I don't KERNALNTLY have any popcorn in my pantry -even though we have a movie room popcorn maker. Bad me! xo Diana
ReplyDeleteAs you said...."Dayumn." My fave thing evah is popcorn. In fact, I have always wanted a shop like this. But I would eat all my profits and then have to install larger doorways in my home. Just saying. :)
ReplyDeleteI really like flavored pop corn and who doesn't? It's a great idea to have it at the wedding! What a fabulous idea! I sure could use some of that fudge! Looks amazing! Thanks for the fun article!
ReplyDeleteI have just gone to popcorn heaven! If I lived closer I would definitely pop over (hehe) for a visit. Love popcorn! It has always been my choice of snack when watching TV or just relaxing.
ReplyDeleteIt had to be worth the wait to have it with a cold beer! Yum....
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great place to go for popcorn, wish there was one close to me here in South Carolina. Maria
ReplyDeleteHow exciting! Congrats to your daughter on being engaged to be married! I love popcorn too. The crunchier and sweeter the better.
ReplyDeleteOH this looks awesome. I am a popcorn lover, too...my kind of shop! Liked her facebook page to keep in the loop! How fun to have this for the wedding! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteDill pickle. That's what I want. I'm currently eating way too much popcorn with lime and hot sauce. I love dill pickle chips so I think I'd love the popcorn. I won't even get started on the sweet versions. What a fun thing to have at the wedding!
ReplyDeleteFYI, my son also has a peanut allergy, and they are not nuts, but legumes ( bean family) so he is probably more likely to be allergic to soy, peas, beans, etc than almonds!
ReplyDeleteShall I feed him some almonds and find out? That might be too adventurous for me.
DeleteFun, fun. Cheddar popcorn is my favorite. I hope you are having a popcorn bar at the wedding. That would be too fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun and clever post! Enjoyed reading it, although I don't have a POPular pun!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite treats! We have a store like that around here in PA and I love it! Everything looks so yummy!
ReplyDeleteOh, man! I love popcorn and this was making me drool just reading... You HAD to go there! Lol! ;) I feel for your daughter and son-in-law-to-be. She can NEVER kiss him after eating peanut butter anything. She'll probably permanently give up peanut butter but she will out of love, so that's not a bad thing. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope they have a wonderful wedding and I'm guessing the guests will love their popcorn treats,
Barb :)
It all sounds awesome!
ReplyDeleteI can't eat popcorn anymore, but if I could it would be dark chocolate with sea salt!!
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ReplyDeleteOh yum! I have a version of white chocolate peanut butter popcorn and it's unbelievably addictive so I would certainly like to try that! I mix mine with toasted almonds and m&ms. I think a relationship without nuts is suspect. But I'll remain supportive. At least he's not batshitcrazy like my man who isn't allergic to any nut but hates peanut butter and chocolate together, and nuts in any treat. Crazy, right????
ReplyDeleteI'm a kettle corn fan. I love the sweet and salty mix, yet still light enough to eat a whole bowl;P But bring on the fudge. I'm willing to share!
ReplyDeletegreat job! I am living in Edina, MN. So, I will check it out soon. It's a great idea to have it at the wedding! What a fabulous idea! I sure could use some of that fudge! Looks amazing!
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