Monday, March 30, 2009

Filler Up

Buckets of RR1 popcornAlthough it's better to give than to receive, the Easter basket I remember most was one my Godmother gave me almost 20 years ago. It was made of solid James J. mint chocolate and filled with chocolate and Easter candy. I love it when things that are made of chocolate are filled with more chocolate.
If you're thinking that I'm the one you want to make your Easter basket, on most days perhaps, but today I was taken by the notion of cinnamon popcorn and Hot Tamales in Easter grass; here's what I came up with (notice the Hubba Bubba Glop, the Hot Tamales are underneath).

Cinnamon pocorn and m&ms and suckers and gumBut I love shopping for sweets, sweets and electronics. I'd already filled an Easter basket with scrumptious Tarjé treats (their baskets are also amusing, I got this one for my cousin) that were a lot more traditional than what I have in store for my nephews.

✔Cocktail Weanies and Meatball bubble gum
✔Gummy Maggots
✔A Box of Boogers
✔Rock, Paper, Scissors Candy
✔Pooping Bunnies
Chocka Ca-Ca
✔Zit Poppers
✔Bacon Flavored Toothpicks
As for me, I'm eating cinnamon popcorn and Hot Tamales right now, and although my basket will be filled with popcorn, theirs will contain Ratz-Riffic.

Which leads me to the Q:
What Would I Like In My Easter Basket?
And the A:
Rural Route 1 Popcorn (and Hot Tamales)

Rural Route 1 counterHere is *Cindy from the RR1 retail store in Montfort filling up one of the buckets I'm gorging myself on now.

Montfort,WI signThat refill bucket (refills are .70 and .50 cents off) once held the ambrosial Cherry Cheesecake popcorn. Not to fear, I got an even larger bucket this time.
Cherry Cheesecake popcorn is cheesecake flavored white fudge popcorn with cherry Jelly Belly beans—see previous post. It is truly one of the best flavors I have ever had and I could NOT stop eating it to the point I had to leave it with my cousin (also on a diet) when I became the bloated tick that I now am.

Rural Route 1 popcornI have loved candy in my popcorn for many years. My favorites are the standard Milk Duds and buttered corn, and Jujy Fruits with salty white. From this day on I vow to put jelly beans in my popcorn too.
Rural Route 1 rivals two of my favorite popcorn outlets (neither of which exist today, so the winner is...) and makes my all time favorite popping corn.
If you live in the Madison area, just hop on hwy 18 headed for Verona and keep going west until you hit Montfort, home of many windmills.

WindmillsThe first thing you'll notice in the RR1 retail store is, of course, the popcorn. Then you'll notice all the samples of popcorn, which are generous and inviting.
I accepted the invitation. When I left I was already planning what I'll get next time, a variety of cheese popcorns starting with White Cheddar (it's got a bit of peppercorn in it and is quite delicious).
RR1 has been in business since 1983, they love to give out samples, and their most popular flavors are the cheeses of which I speak—there are always five or six. They had Cheddar, White Cheddar, Cheesy Sour Cream, Cheesy Ranch, Cheesy Jalapeno, and Crazy Corn when I was there.

Cheese corn rackWhen I first arrived, a few people were chittering away in the parking lot about Cheesy Jalapeno popcorn. Yes, this is what we talk about in parking lots in Wisconsin. The dog is from out of town.

Stir Crazy dogThere are seasonal corns too. Black Walnut comes in just before Thanksgiving, peppermint comes in around Christmas (still available), they have a barbeque cheese throughout the summer, and a Packer season corn I'd like to see during the summer months (watermelon and pineapple—yum).

CC Winkle and K'Nuckle popcornCC Winkle (pictured above with K'Nuckle) is another one of my favorites (caramel corn, cashews, and fudge). Eat some of this and send your diet running for the caves of Afghanistan.

: Jodi asked whether or not the fudge flavors such as CC Winkle, Ivory Almond K'Nuckle, and RC Snakle are made with pieces of fudge. They are not.
The fudge corns are "smothered" in fudge for a creamy fudge coating. When you bite into them, they're thick and smooth.
The CC Winkle for example, starts out as caramel corn which is dipped in fudge. The Cherry Cheesecake is cherry coated popcorn blended with white cheesecake fudge. The popcorn doesn't contain chunks of fudge, but is rather coated with it.
There are cashews in the Winkle, almonds in the K'Nukle, and cranberry bits in the Snakle, which is flavored with raspberry.
I'll try to be more descriptive with my next haul from Rural Route 1 which will hopefully include:
Cheddar, White Cheddar, and BBQ Cheese, RC Snakle, and Natural Corn. If the store's a poppin', I'll come a knockin'.

*I originally thought her last name was Olson, sorry Cindy

45 comments:

  1. That's a lot of things for easter, :-)! Popcorn is usually only eaten in the movie theatres or in front of the TV ! I like them salty and not sweet.
    No, in Italy they don't give gifts either on Easter. It's just like everywhere in Europe colored eggs and easter bunnies !

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  2. My goodness!!! I don't think I could survive the day with all those yummies. Except for the boogers. LOLOLOL

    Loved your challenge this week, thanks for hosting.

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  3. Wow I think my grand children would love all those goodies.

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  4. I've gotta admit I am not that crazy about candy and popcorn together! But you just might be able to sway me!

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  5. Oh my gosh! I got a belly ache just reading this post! I think I would have gone for that chocolate basket filled with chocolate though.... I'm not much on any other kind of candy. LOL! I am playing this week -- I don't know where the link-up is/was... but my post is up!

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  6. I think my favorite would STILL be caramel popcorn. However, if I ever find my way to the RR1 Store, you can bet I'll be sampling more than that!

    Your nephews are gonna LOVE their baskets. How can you go wrong with Gooey Maggots?

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  7. Gattina - You wouldn't believe what our Easter baskets look like and that is with everyone now over 18. That's the only way I eat movie popcorn anymore.
    Hootin' - I haven't tried the boogers, but I intend to. The problem is, I eat like that all the time.
    ChrisB - I love the stuff on Stupid.com, just looking is a lot of fun.
    Tracey - You have to try it, Tracey. Start out with Milk Duds, it's like the best caramel corn you've ever had.
    Melli - I kept adding from last Monday until today. You're on today's updated list. The chocolate baskets are made locally and are incredible. Actually I should check up on them to see what they're doing this year.
    Sayre - We'll see, they are 19 yrs. and up, but I still think of them as little boys. My cousin only wanted the caramel
    I don't think you can go wrong with Gooey Maggots.

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  8. I had to stop at the bacon-flavored toothpicks and think about it. Bacon flavored toothpicks? Might be good. Gooey maggots? Might also be good.

    Uhm, the corn looks good. Is it pieces of fudge in with the corn, or fudge covered popcorn?

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  9. This was a great FM topic. Thanks for hosting. BTW, I'll take one of everything you got in my basket!

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  10. Good point, Jodi, it's fudge covered popcorn which gives it a whole 'nother consistency. Pieces of fudge would just be cheating.
    I'd put this corn into two categories, hard and smooth.
    The hard would be the caramel corn you're familiar with, and the cinnamon that I've stuffed myself with to the point of indecency.
    The soft would be the ones made with chocolate, white, or cheesecake flavored fudge. These have something else then added to them such as nuts, cranberries (the Snarkle), or my fav, red jelly beans.
    If you get a chance follow that stupid.com candy link.

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  11. Popcorn for your Easter Basket? Well it does sound like they have any flavor you'd want. Don't think I've ever had their popcorn even though I've been to Monfort too many times to count.

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  12. Holy cow! I'm headed to Wisconsin. I'm a popcorn nut, and those all sound delish. I think I'll start with the cheesy jalapeno.

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  13. Church Lady - I don't think you'd like the Hubba Bubba Glop.
    Hulagirl - People seemed to be waiting for that Jalapeno. A little too spicy for me, but I'm going back for cheddar and white cheddar and sour cream and...

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  14. You're kidding me Lisa, what other reason is there to go to Montfort, ride the tank at the VFW? At least pop in (get it) and try their samples. Have you gone to the drive in across the street?

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  15. Jeanna--gummy steak? And edible dentures? I followed that link and loved it. You're a genius to get your nephew ratz raffic. "I'm" gonna get my nephew the ratz candy. And my brother will hate me, but it's so cool. :)

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  16. They look good, esp those cherry cheesecake!

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  17. Your nephew is probably younger than any of mine, Jodi. I have to make sure the little slugs will actually show up on Easter, and I have a feeling they'd be happier with a sixer and a basket of cheese curds.
    I love the stuff at Stupid.com though, it's the kind of stuff I should stock up on anyway.
    Added a little more description for you.

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  18. They are good, Dora, and I love how you can sample anything. After all the candy I've been eating lately I'm in more of a salty mood.

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  19. Oh my, oh my. That popcorn looks awesome! And that's such a great idea over Easter grass!

    Fudge coated popcorn? I know what I'm going to try making this weekend.

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  20. Thats a whole lot of candy coated popcorn! Some of the flavours you showed cased there look intriguing, but I am sorry nothing beats butter salted popcorn!

    Jim

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  21. I love it when things that are made of chocolate are filled with more chocolate.

    Hoo-BABY, talk dirty to me.

    I loved this post! I monkey-bark-laughed all the way through! Hot Tamale popcorn, cocktail weanies and meatball bubble gum (oh, gross! but I love, love, love the idea, and this HAS to be good stuff), and you are on a DIET and deliberately going face-to-face with it?

    And then the dog who was out an out of towner! Oh, Great Googly Moogly.

    I still think you're gross for liking the tamale popcorn, you weirdo.

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  22. Hi Erika, I never thought of coating caramel corn with fudge, but I've come up with some interesting caramel corn by accident. I'm surprised I didn't think of mixing in anything but nuts as much as I like candy in my corn.

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  23. They have that too, Jim, and when they get that popper going you've got people crossing state lines to get some. They have the best unpopped corn.

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  24. OMG, Andi, I'm still eating that concoction because I forgot to give a tub of the dbl cinnamon (cinnamon caramel corn and Hot Tamales) to my dad the other day. Urp. I was also eating Hot Tamales with Butter Snap pretzels although they are unarguably best with apples.
    No, I am not a stoner and way too old and ornery to be pregnant.
    How about you record and post that monkey bark of yours, hon'?
    That dog was hilarious, I think he lost a bundle gambling over Iowee way on the Belle.

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  25. I love, love, love fudge eggs and spoon candy...no mention of either, how come...prob. not around any longer.

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  26. okay, blinking here--what's spoon candy? (it just caught my eye. Spoon candy? hmmm, I've gotta google that)

    That has got to be some of the most out-there popcorn...er, out there. I had some cheese curds the other day--the name put me off, but I remembered you talking about them and gave them a try.

    Wow, like cheese sticks, except gooeyer (I can't spell) and with a way different taste. Some drive in out in stickville, or was it hickville? Nah, it was probably Fife. It had a much saltier kick.

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  27. Hi Janice, not sure what spoon candy is, and no fudge eggs because this was a post about popcorn.

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  28. LOL, Jodi, exactly what I thought.
    You'd never had cheese curds? C'mon, really?
    There's a town of Fife waaayy up north here, there's one in Wash State?
    Cheese stix...just longer curds, huh? That's a lot of something dipped in bread crumbs and deep fried.
    You've got to get good ones, like anything else. They need to be just from the fryer with something hot and juicy when you bite into them. Gooey is good. I think you need WI cheese to do them right. And a pitcher of beer.

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  29. Nah, I'd never had cheese curds because c'mon, Jeanna--the "word" cheese curds isn't sexy. Cheese sticks are sticks, but curds? All I could see was cottage cheese. But they were hot alright, and almost good enough to make that drive again. Definitely good enough to stop the next time I'm out that way.

    Fife is a suburb of Tacoma, although they think they're a city.

    I found spoon candy, and you're right. It just didn't click until I found a picture.

    OMG. I LOVED that stuff back in the seventies. It was like jello shaker pudding, one of those flash in the pan things that everyone loved and went away. I didn't remember the name, but the box brought it all back. Wow. I wonder if it's still available somewhere.

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  30. Who's that doggie in the window?

    word verif. punkesax

    Sounds like a good name for a bag of popcorn?

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  31. I thought I saw an ad for it sometime this year, Jodi. What I remembered had more than the two layers, could be wishful thinking.
    Easy enough to make, instant pudding, melt a shell, voilà.
    Also found a line of eat from the jar caramel called "Spoon Candy." See, stoners do grow up and start their own companies.
    Curds, gotta love 'em, gotta have 'em. Do grocery stores up, er, over? there—where's a map—have their own walk-in cheese coolers? That may explain the lack of curdage.

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  32. Doggie in the Window (hot dog flavored white corn), maybe, pukesac, no.

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  33. Favorite movie combination is a nestles crunch bar (softened a little by laying on top of the popcorn) and salty, buttery popcorn. One bite chocolate then two bites popcorn, repeat.... yummmm.

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  34. Very interesting combo, Shoalin Thinker. I think the hot corn and melting chocolate may be key.
    Love that movie (and your icon) btw.

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  35. A walk-in cheese cooler? Wow. Walk-in beer coolers sure, but not a walk-in cheese cooler (the mind boggles, what a lot of cheese!!) (uhm...guess that was a no. :)

    Hmmm....jarred caramel that's a little harder than the Mrs. Richardson's (my favorite ice cream topping) That might be good (if they come in small jars so you don't feel piggy eating a whole jar)

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  36. whoa--had to say this next word ver was undied. That's pretty cool. I wonder what kind of randomizer spits them out.

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  37. I'd go with Mrs. Richardson's under most circumstances, don't think I'd eat it out of the jar unless it was

    A. Warm
    B. That time of month
    C. I'd been out partying w/my cousin

    Sanders has an exceptional Cinnamon Pear Caramel. It actually got snatched from the tasters' table and packed away before I could do much with it. Like eat the entire jar.

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  38. "Undied" you say, cool. Undead or underwear... Yeah, too many real words. Gotta take that note down btw, you and Lisa won.
    Lazy weekend catching up on soaps and tinkering with the old Mac. I actually found an article I wrote in the 90s that was buried in the "scrapbook" cache of an old I.E. A feature I didn't even know I had, let alone that would work w/out a connection.

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  39. I LOVE flavored popcorn!--yummy! :)

    Hey, I have a hunch that you love the movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"--am I right? *smiles*

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  40. You are right, Miss HP. Not the Johnny Depp one though. Eek.
    There's a two story candy store in WI Dells that has it running all day long on a big screen TV. Bet it's some kind of nightmare if you work there.

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  41. i had no idea they had so many flavors! i lived near san diego (many years ago now) and they had a multi-flavor popcorn store i still occasionally long for. thanks for letting me know i have a considerably shorter drive now! :oD

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  42. i just got around to reading other's comments and i have to add...a cheese curd that's been chilled is a disappointment next to fresh "squeaky" curds. you can nuke a small amount of them in the microwave for ten seconds as a small consolation. chilled ones are good for deep frying!

    suddenly, i'm ready for lunch...

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  43. It's a nice drive from here, BB. Watch for the exit headed to Dodgeville on the right and keep heading west.
    I agree, once a deep fried curd cools it's dead to me. You mean re-fry the breaded or talking about deep frying the regular curds?
    I've had some surprisingly good ones from Pizza Extreme on Sherman Ave.

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  44. I have lost somewhere after you where the next Fun Monday is. I got it that it was you on March 30th but I couldn't find it anywhere on your blog who had it on April 6th so I can find out who is up and what the topic is for April 13th. Please email me privately.. thanks
    Lynn
    lovetolearn (at) bresnan (dot) net

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  45. abc, please read the previous post, Is It Monday Yet, with links to the next two Fun Mondays.

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