Spiced Chilli Popcorn...

This time last year we had no idea where we would be living or what we would be doing...it's amazing how much has changed in the space of 12 months. We now live in a really pretty town and feel so blessed by the wonderful friendships we have already made. I haven't been working since we moved back in September and my husband is officially a full time student again...so life has been pretty different to the usual routine of the last couple of years.

It's been amazing to have had the last few months to settle in but I'm looking forward to working again soon. I've been waiting to hear about a job for a while now and today I finally got a start date....and it's only a couple of weeks away! I'm actually really excited about starting back at work, I love what I do (I'm an occupational therapist) and I think it's going to help me use my time so much more productively. I don't know about you guys but I seem to get more productive when I have less time to do things!

One thing I have loved though is the extra time in my kitchen. Really, I just love being around food! I hate cooking and shopping when it's squeezed into a tight schedule and for ages I have been wanting to plan our weekly meals but it would always end up being a 1 minute think while checking the cupboards. But now I have the time to have a cuppa while browsing my cookbooks and the internet for inspiration. Then I trot off down to the supermarket (at a time when most people are working, thank you) and actually enjoy mooching around the aisles!

One of the down sides of having so much time in the kitchen has been my close proximity to food throughout the day. I'll graze on anything that's in the cupboards so I've been trying to find some healthy snacks to keep me going. I thought I'd share this delicious savoury popcorn I tried and loved and am in fact eating as I type!

I've never been convinced by savoury popcorn, mainly because I love sweet popcorn. but making up a load of sweet popcorn would kind of defeat my aim of a healthy snack (but melting golden syrup over a bowl of popcorn is seriously amazing). But this recipe has converted me....so here it is:

Spiced Chilli Popcorn
Source: Good Food

Ingredients:
100g popcorn kernels
1tsp chilli flakes
1tsp cracked black pepper
2tsp mixed spice
A pinch of salt

(For snacks just for 1 person I'd suggest quartering the amount of each ingredient!)

1) To make the popcorn, simply heat up 1tbsp of oil over a medium heat. once the oil is hot, add the kernels and the pan's lid. Shake well to cover the kernels in the oil. Continue to occasionally shake once the popping begins and remove from heat once the popping stops.

2) Mix together the chilli flakes, mixed spice, pepper and salt. Add to the popcorn and mix well.

3) Tip the popcorn onto a large baking tray and pop into the oven for 5 mins until the popcorn is crisp.

I would love to try some more savoury ideas...what are your favourite popcorn flavours?