It’s like an episode of Chopped. Why would you transform a perfectly delicious and prepared food into an ingredient of another dish? More importantly, how would you do it? Obviously, because you can and it makes the other dish THAT much more enjoyable. Halfpops are a delicious snack that are far more provocative to eat than popcorn with that additional textural crunch. What’s even better is that these little bites (which remind me of a Peruvian choclo corn) have more flavor than your standard popcorn, but don’t achieve that by sacrificing your health or your waistline. 

So now, we look at macaroni and cheese, arguably the greatest food ever. While most enjoy it out of the box with a flavor packet (and there is nothing wrong with that), it is becoming elevated more often and served in fine restaurants for the same price as a steak. A prime example would be a lobster mac. We all know that the key component has always been a rich and creamy cheese sauce, but more attention is slowly being given to the baked breadcrumb or panko crust. 

Well, let’s just blow this whole textural concept out of the water and take it to another level. Enter the already mentioned Halfpops. While making your famous mac n’ cheese recipe, toast some half pops on low heat and make sure they don’t burn. You can use the aged cheddar, chipotle, or sea salt. I’d recommend saving the caramel ones for dessert. As soon as you’ve finished your mac, serve with a bowl of toasted Halfpops and allow each diner to choose how much crunch they want. I’ve gotten to the point where I want at least two bits of crunchy delight in each mouthful, but I’ll leave that part up to you because making decisions on how to eat your mac n’ cheese might make the different in you staying hungry and fit!