I had a hankering for some homemade popcorn – my fave – and some good wine and cheese. And that was dinner! 
Usually I do this when it’s just me for dinner, but the hubs was on board, as long as I added some charcuterie. Any guy who knows the word “charcuterie,” instead of just saying “as long as there’s meat,” is a keeper!
I laid out plenty of charcuterie (pepperoni and a wine-infused salami) along side some cheese I picked up from the bites basket at Whole Foods. This is one edge Whole Foods’ cheese department has over Wegmans – they have little bite baskets of cheese ends and small cuts that are tiny and less expensive than the usual cuts so it’s great for sampling! My favorite on the plate was the Bellavitano Rum Runner by Sartori.
I also cut up some dates, a few candied pecans, and put out a couple of condiments. I feel like I always need some kind of nuts, dried fruit, and spread to go out with a cheese plate. For this one, I put out a toasted shallot and dark beer mustard by Olivier to go with the meats and a delicious blueberry bourbon jam by Beekman. I love fruity spreads on cheese.
And I love Beekman’s jams. They had a black coffee one I tried not long ago and it was really cool! Now for the popcorn. For some reason, it took me forever to replenish my popping corn stock and when I ended up in Williams Sonoma yesterday on some kind of a spending spree at the mall, I just bought the only thing they had: a giant array of twelve different kinds of popping corn!!
So my plan is to go through and taste test, and then tell you about all of them! Last night, I started with the “purple.” 
I liked that it had antioxidants since this is flu season. And it was really good, but of course I tricked it out truffle style. Even started out popping it in truffle oil!!! How decadent.
A little oil in the pan just to coat the bottom, then add kernels enough to make one heavy layer. 
Fire it up on high, covered, and shake a bit. It’ll start popping pretty soon and then when you only hear sporadic pops, it’s done. I think stovetop popcorn is just the best and it really doesn’t take more than about five minutes. 
I sprinkled on some truffle salt and a little sugar and then drizzled just a little more truffle oil on top and tossed around. Ahhh, this is the best!!!!! We cracked open a great Bourbon Barrel Aged Merlot from Urban Winery to pair with our movie night munchie dinner.
This is a very smooth, drinkable, light merlot with just a hint of that sweet bourbon flavor. Such a nice evening in with the hubs, the pooch, the fireplace going, and a great spread!
Eat, Drink, and Go! 