Bake For the Quake!

The Green Girls raised over $1,000 for Haiti with our Bake for the Quake Sales!

As you may recall, last we left off, I was going to try my first bake sale to raise money for Haiti, while my sister Brittney and her Journalism friends were planning their own sale in Wisconsin.   The Cap Times, Wisconsin's newspaper even wrote an article about them!

 This is a photo of Brittney and her friends at their sale...

They raised over $775 dollars and my friends and I were able to raise $225 in about 30 minutes after school last Wednesday! 

The Student council at my school has been having an on-going fundraiser to raise money for Haiti so I figured why not put all my baking to a good cause.  My mom and I baked for about a week and made all of the usual things teenagers (well everyone in their right mind) would LOVE.

We had:

Magic Smore's Bars

 

 

Cake Balls

Chocolate Chip cookies (look they are mini!!)

 

 

Hostess Cupcakes

Sugar Cookies

Peanut Butter Brownies (Another take on the chocolate chip brownies, just use peanut butter cookie dough and add some chocolate chips, and add to brownie batter as instructed)

And my friend Amanda made some brownies (no picture to show but they sure did taste yummy!)

My teachers reaction when he saw all the food was hilarious, I think he thought I was crazy!! Well most people do whenever I am left to bring food somewhere considering my mom and I always "overdue" it.

At most I was planning on raising about 100 dollars for Haiti, however, we raised over 200 dollars!!

People were so generous and they kept coming back for more...especially for the Cake Balls and S'mores Bars.  I had 42 cake balls and 1 1/2  batches of the Smore's Bars and they all went in minutes!! Everything sold out except for some of the cookies.  At the end, the chocolate chip cookies went before the sugar cookies.  And let's face it,  when deciding between a cream filled chocolate cupcake or a plain ole' chocolate chip cookie which one would you pick?

There was a half hour window of selling during car-pool pick up, so pictures during the actually bake sale were not possible but my friend did snap one of me before school let out

Me with the signs I made to hang up around the building.

Mr. P---my teacher who "sponsered" the sale said that it was the most he recalls raising at a single bake sale! I was so happy and we already scheduled ANOTHER one for some time in March. 

A special thanks to Lauren, Leslie, Amanda and Victoria, you guys made this possible and I couldn't have done it without you!

Well I'm off to finish writing my history research paper..... only one more week until break!

Question of the moment:  What's your favorite thing to bring, buy or make for a bake sale?

Stay tuned for an awesome Valentines Day recipe, A Rustic Chocolate Pretzel Tart that is sooo melt in your mouth delicious!!

With love and cupcakes,
CookTeen

Bake Sale - Magic Smores Bars

It's hard to imagine how the people of Haiti are coping.  When I watch the news or talk about it in history class, all I can think of is what more can I do to help?

My sister, Brittney is back in Wisconsin at College and she called me over the weekend to get some recipes because she and her journalism school friends are organizing a bake sale for tomorrow to raise money to send to Haiti.  They are planning the sale for a Thursday night because that's the night everyone goes out and they are hoping for the "late night" crowd to come home hungry and hand off some cash!

...Well, I thought, I can do that too but it would have to be someplace where I can sell a lot, like School.  I got the OK from my Mom, (she has to do all the shopping...78 days to my drivers license!) my History teacher and tomorrow I have to get permission from the assistant principal.  Hopefully he will say yes too.  It makes sense, I am always bringing in baked goods to lunch for my friends, hopefully, they will be willing to pay for a treat for a good cause.

Since this sale is all about making money for Haiti, the recipes I choose have to be able to make money, so I need to make things that have a lot of servings per recipe...Cookies, Bars, Cake Balls and Cupcakes seem like the best bang for the buck...

Which brings me to yet another S'mores receipe...I know, I seem to be making a lot of smore's lately but when I came across the recipe for Magic S'mores Bars on the Sophistimom blog  I had to test the recipe to see if they should be included in my upcoming sale because everyone likes S'mores...

...and look how delicious these look!

 Start with 10 ounces of graham crackers (18 whole crackers or 2 cellophane stacks) or if you are like me, you may have one of those graham cracker crusts in your pantry that broke and you don't know what to do with it...

 

 

and if you do this, add some additional grahams to reach 10 ounces.

I had these on hand.

add grahams to mini chopper and turn into crumbs.

 

add crumbs to a bowl and set aside

Melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter in microwave (20-30 seconds)

 

 

add melted butter to crushed grahams

 

mix butter and grahams (add additional crushed grahams if mixture is too loose)

 

add mixture to a 13 x 9 un-greased non-stick pan, press down until crust forms.

and looks like this'ish

 

Bake for 5 minutes in a 350 degree pre-heated oven.

 

NOW THE RECIPE WASN'T CLEAR AND I ADDED THE CHIPS ONTO THE HOT CRUST BEFORE THE CONDENSED MILK, I RECOMMEND REVERSING THAT AND ADDING THE 14 OZ CAN OF SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK NOW, BEFORE ADDING THE CHOCOLATE...

So this is how I did it the first time, add the 1 1/2 cups of semi-sweets chocolate chips onto the grahams

Pour entire can over chips (or grahams if you choose to reverse the steps, which I will do for bake sale)

 

 

cover entire pan with a layer of mini-marshmallows, about 2 cups

Bake for 20 minutes more until marshmallows are lightly browned and cool comleately.

I was able to remove the entire pan and placed onto a cutting board and cut into squares with my handy dandy pizza cutter.

add to cupcake liners for easy serving.

or just plop a couple on a plate and eat...which is what I did, yum..these were so good and will definitely be included for the bake sale.

If you have any bake sale recipe ideas or tips, I would love to hear from you!

With love & cupcakes,

Cookteen

End of midterms and SAT's (Recipe: "Healthy" Pudding Parfaits)

Yes, I am still alive.  I have been taking midterms for the past three days and prior to that I spent a majority of my day in my dining room surrounded by a sea of books.  I really wish I took a picture to show you, you would have thought I was slightly insane.

Oh yeah and this morning I took the SATs!! It's been a looong two weeks...

But, the best thing about midterms is that school starts at 9:30 rather than 7:30!! I love sleeping late.  I am SOO not a morning person, I'm not the most gregarious (sat vocab!) kid before my morning tea.

Normally my breakfast consists of tea and an apple, if I am feeling hungry when I wake up in the morning.  However, my mom said that I needed a more substantial breakfast for the tests.

My "brain food" breakfast consisted of a toasted slice of cinnamon toast (omg so yum!).  It made the entire house smell of delicious cinnamon-y goodness.  I also had half an apple with a sprinkle of cinnamon on it.

My mom ALSO bought me new teas.  She got Cinnamon Stick by Bigelow because she knows I love cinnamon! I am in love! It is so yummy! Think I have enough cinnamon in the morning? Apparently it's healthy for ya! Double yay!

I only had the math midterm yesterday so after dinner I decided to make a pudding parfait.  This time I made it with white chocolate (sugar-free/fat-free) pudding.  But the night before I had it with chocolate pudding and loved it just as much.  So the moral of that tidbit: it tastes good with almost any type of pudding so feel free to experiment.

I'm slightly hesitant to call these healthy because they do have about 160-180 calories depending on the add-ins.  But they are basically sugar-free and delicious so I am going to call them healthy to make me happy.

Ingredients: 1 (4 serving) package sugar-free/fat-free pudding, 1/2 tub Cool Whip Free (my mom prefers sugar free but I prefer just straight up free) and 1 1/2 cup skim milk.
Add-Ins: 1 Oreo, 1 graham cracker and/or mini chocolate chips

 

Pour the packet of instant pudding into a bowl.

 

 

 

Then add 1 and a half to three-quarters of a cup of skim milk.  My tummy doesn't like real milk.

 

Mix with a whisk until thickened.

Occasionally use a spoon to scrap the bottom of the bowl of any pudding mix that gets stuck in side.

 

Once it gets to the right "pudding" consistency, scoop 1 spoonful into each of the cups.  I use these from the set of Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee! How pretty?

Now time for the first "add-in"  What are these add-in's I am speaking of? Well these are parfaits so the need some slight crunch.  I choose graham crackers this time but anything from cereal to chocolate chips would work, and remember a little goes a long way in these! 

Only one square between the four parfaits but holy yumm it makes it so much better!

These graham crackers are gluten-free, egg-free deliciousness.  When we make chocolate covered grahams...we use these! Nothing, and I mean nothing, is better! But there is a down side.  It is like playing the lottery when buying one of these boxes.  They don't come cheap and sometimes we get a box in which a lot of them are broken! While they taste the same, there not optimal for chocolate dipping. 

 

Then take half of the THAWED Cool Whip (1/4 of a box) and mix into the remaining pudding.  Why the emphasis on thawed? Well I made these a few nights ago as well and in my attempt to cut the Cool Whip in half I cut my finger.  Ouch! I know...mom was slightly nervous.

Anyways, mix really well until nice and fluffy and looks like that.

Then distribute between the four containers

Now time for another add-in...Mini Chocolate Chips!!

I used about a tablespoon between 4 (so thats 1/4 tablespoon each) 

 

Now take the remaining Cool Whip and place a dollop on each.

To finish it off, top with some strawberry slices.

Cover with seran wrap and refridgerate until cold and ready to eat

look at the pretty layers!!

 

 

I really loved it!! Especially with my glass of cinnamon tea :)

 With love and cupcakes,

CookTeen

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 tub Cool Whip Free (thawed) -divided
   
2. 1 4 serving package instant pudding
3. 1 1/2 cups milk
4. 1 Graham Cracker
5. 1 Tablespoon mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Prepare pudding with 1 1/2 cups milk.  Whisk until thickened.  Spoon 1 spoonful into each (4) cup.  Then crumble 1 graham cracker between the four cups.  Combine 1/4 tub of Cool Whip with the remaining pudding and then divide evenly among the cups.  Now top each with 1/4 tablespoon of mini chocolate chips.  Dollop with the remaining Cool Whip and refridgearate until cold and ready to serve.  Top with some strawberries of chocolate sauce.

Some more S'mores in Puffy Pastry

 

In my house, there is always a box of puff pastry sitting in the freezer.  So many of the recipes in the cooking show's that mom produced use it so often that she always has it on hand.  Even if you are not a cook, making something with puff pastry makes you look like one. 

We make everything with it, from savory to late night snacks like Katie Lee Joel's Caprese Flat Pie (check out mom's pilot with her here) or my personal favorite puff pastry dessert,  Martha Stewarts Apple-Cinnamon Strudel which is so quick and easy to make!  Even my sister keeps a box in her freezer at college for when she makes Paula Deen's Brie En Croute

 

 There are a few different types out there that I know of, Pepperidge Farm which is available at most supermarkets, is easy to work with and isn't too costly--but there isn't any real butter in it.

  

Trader Joes has an all butter puff pastry that is about $5.00 and really good. 

And the award winning Dufour Puff Pastry which is the easiest to work with and most delicious, but also, the most expensive at over $10 for a large sheet. 

(Mom saves this one for "company" so I am not allowed to use it) 

When Pepperidge Farm advertised  a contest using it's Puff Pastry in a recipe, I decided to take on the challenge and make a dessert with ingredients we had in the house--so here we go...

Defrost 1 sheet of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry 

Once defrosted unfold and roll out on a lightly floured surface until about 1/10 of an inch thick

 Using a pizza cutter, cut into four equal strips.  Then cut the four strips in half length-wise so you are left with 8 rectangles. (TIP: Use 2 graham crackers to measure the size before cutting.  Leave ½ inch around each cookie.) 

 

Place a graham cracker square on one side of each rectangle.

Break the chocolate bar into 8 equal pieces.  Place a piece on top of each graham cracker. 

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in microwave in a small bowl or cup.  

In a separate teacup place ½ cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Six marshmallows at a time, place into melted butter 

    and then toss into the sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Once fully coating place 6 marshmallows on top of chocolate and graham cracker.  Repeat with the all of the marshmallows.

Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon of the melted butter on top of the marshmallows and the top half of the pastry dough--sprinkle with some of the remaining sugar/cinnamon

 Here comes the messy part...to close: paint a little of the leftover butter on the edge and lift the side without chocolate/Marshmallow mixture on it over stretching as necessary.  To seal: Use a fork and press around the edges.

  Mix one egg with 1 tablespoon of water.  Brush on top to give a golden brown finish and sprinkle with some course decorating sugar (like the kind you you might use on cookies)

 Place on a greased cookie sheet and cook for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Transfer to cooling rack and dust with powdered sugar

These smores should be served warm (but not too hot, you don't want to burn your tongue...whoops I just couldn't wait!)

Look how delicious they are...

Here's a double take!  

TeenTip:  If you aren't going to eat them all at one sitting, you can wrap each in foil, store in fridge for 3 days and re-heat them on a low temp like 275 for a few minutes until warm, and serve.

They are also yummy with ice cream!

With love & cupcakes,

CookTeen

The Recipe: S'mores in Puff Pastry

Ingredients:

1 sheet Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry
4 Tablespoons sweet butter (melted)
8 Whole-Wheat Graham Cracker Squares
48 mini marshmallows
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Milk Chocolate Cadbury Bar
1 egg

Directions:

1. Defrost one Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheet.  Once defrosted unfold and roll out on a lightly floured surface until about 1/10 of an inch thick.  Using a pizza cutter, cut into four equal strips.  Then cut the four strips in half length-wise so you are left with 8 rectangles. (TIP: Use graham crackers to measure the size before cutting.  Leave ½ inch around each cookie.)
2. Place a graham cracker square on one side of each rectangle.  Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in microwave in a small bowl or cup.  In a separate teacup place ½ cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. 
3. Break the chocolate bar into 8 equal pieces.  Place a piece on top of each graham cracker.
4. Six marshmallows at a time, place into melted butter then into the sugar/cinnamon mixture.  Once fully coating place 6 marshmallows on top of chocolate and graham cracker.  Repeat with the all of the marshmallows.
5. Drizzle some of the remaining butter over the marshmallows and on the top half of the puff pastry--sprinkle      top half with some cinnamon sugar. 
6. To close: paint a little of the leftover butter on the edge and lift the side without chocolate/Marshmallow mixture on it over stretching as necessary.  
7. To seal: Use a fork and press around the edges.
8. Mix one egg with 1 tablespoon of water.  Brush on top to give a golden brown finish. Sprinkle with course sanding sugar.
9. Place on a greased cookie sheet and cook for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees.
10. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.  Best served when warm. 
11. To warm: heat in a 250 degree oven for 10-15 minutes

Going Banana's for Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes!

Who can honestly say that they were never in the position where they purchased too many bananas simply because they were on sale.

Well that's what happened at our house.  My dad did the food shopping last week and because bananas were "on sale" he bought a couple of bunches....the only problem was, we couldn't eat them fast enough before they  started to turn brown. 

 I learned from my mom that when bananas start to over ripen, you should peel them, place and seal them in a freezer bag and viola...you can bake a banana bread anytime you want.  The only issue was...we already had a bunch of frozen bananas in the freezer which meant it was time to do something with all those bananas!

My sister Brittney (aka Dumb Blondie) and her friend Lindsay are still home from college on break and they wanted to bake something with me for the blog...which was pretty funny because, well... every time I bake with my sister something usually goes wrong....so bare with us because these are the best banana cupcakes I have ever eaten! And believe me, I have eaten a lot of banana stuff over the years.

Cream 1 cup of sugar with 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of unsalted butter...

Until light and fluffy...

 

add 2 eggs...1 at a time beating well after each

In a small bowl, mash 3 ripe bananas...if you want some chunks of banana goodness in your cupcakes, then don't over mash.

Lindsay and Brittney wanted to rush things and not wait for the bananas to completely thaw out...so it was pretty funny watching them try and mush them...

add 1 teaspoon of vanilla to banana mixture

and add 1 tablespoon of milk and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

mix well

 add this (the banana mixture) to the sugar/butter/egg mixture until well combined

 

In a separate bowl, mix 2 cups of flour

add 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon of powder to flour...

  and add 1 teaspoon of salt to dry ingredients as well

this is Brittney measuring salt with the salt shaker....

and this is me horrified!

Then add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and mix until the flour is all combined...do not over mix.

stir in a half cup of semi sweet chocolate chips!

place cupcake papers in pan and lightly spray them with pam...

fill each cupcake about 3/4 full

Bake in preheated oven at 325 for 15-18 minutes until golden brown

cool in cupcake tins for about 5 minutes or until easy to handle, I use a butter knife to flip them out of pan and move them to cooling rack..

time to eat them!

you can frost these with my life changing cream cheese frosting recipe or just do as we did, eat them all up as is!

 Hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

 I'm going to miss you B and I cannot believe you are gradutating this year, it is just so crazy!! Good luck with the gradschool apps!

With love and cupcakes,

CookTeen

Here are some of the out-takes--it was so much fun having you guys here and baking with ya! --they liked to pose for the food pictures hehe :)

 

Chocolate Covered Pretzels to the Extreme--Milk Chocolate Pretzel Tart!

If you haven't guessed it by now, I absolutely, positively, ridiculously adore pretzels and salty/sweet snacks and desserts.  Ever since I was a baby, I ate pretzels by the bag full...there had to be a stash of them in the car or I wouldn't even get in.  I think you are either a chip person (potato or tortilla) or a pretzel person and I am a pretzel person.

When I first came across this recipe in Food & Wine Magazine, it inspired me to make the pretzel muddie buddies a few weeks ago--remember those...

...if not, here's a quick reminder...

pretzels and chocolate and peanut butter coated in powdered sugar...yum.

Now back to the tart...on Sunday, my mom asked me to make something for her to bring to a holiday lunch with her "Mah-Jong" friends...(don't ask me how to play this game, but my mom is obsessed)

I still had another bag of pretzels in the cabinet and the whole day free without HW...woo hoo!

I know, this recipe takes a lot of time to make...it's not hard, or too many ingredients, just lots of fridge and cooling time, but trust me...it is worth the wait.  I recommend making it the day before you need to serve it! 

Let's get started on the Crust!

 

...you will need to chop 1 1/4 cups thin pretzels (3 1/2 ounces)

Add 3/4 cup of the crushed pretzels to a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, (set aside the remaining 1/2 cup of crushed pretzels)

add 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (TEENTIP:  I cube my butter to soften it quicker) and...

add 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar...

mix on low speed until creamy

Beat in 1 large egg and

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, mix until combined and then...

  Add the remaining 1/2 cup of pretzels, being sure to leave some pretzel pieces intact.

 

 

Flatten the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the tart pan; It's best to use one that has a removable bottom, the recipe calls for a 12 inch round, mine is about 4 x12 which worked fine (and we had enough left to make a second tart in a 4 inch round to eat ourselves)

spray pan

cut parchment to fit on bottom

 

press securely to pan and spray top of parchment....do you notice how many pictures have close-ups of my pink nail polish :-)

remove dough from fridge quickly roll it out to fit tart pan

 remove plastic wrap from top

flip the dough over the pan, press into tart pan

remove plastic wrap and press the dough into the corners and fill in any spaces that may be missing some dough...pretty right?

 

cover dough with parchment paper and add pie weights which I don't have...(TEENTIP:  Use ramekins instead of weights if you don't have any either) and put back into fridge for 30 minutes.

PREHEAT OVEN to 350 and when ready, bake tart for about 25-30 minutes, until nearly set. Remove the parchment and weights and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the tart shell is firm; cover the edge with foil if it darkens too much--which I did

.....time for the Chocolate!

 

 

coarsely chop 2 ounces of bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate...(I used semi-sweet) and set aside until crust is ready.

 

coarsely chop 12 ounces (3 bars) of good quality milk chocolate

when golden brown, remove crust from oven, take off foil is used and place on cooling rack, immediately sprinkle with chopped semi-sweet or dark chocolate

spread an even coating with a offset spatula, let chocolate and crust cool, can put in fridge for 10 minutes if you want.

Meanwhile, make the filling: In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of cream to a simmer.

 

Turn off the heat, add the milk chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes.

Whisk until smooth. Transfer the filling to a bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

..more waiting ....

but you know what they say....good things come to those who wait:-)

 

Pour the filling into the shell and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.

You can garnish the top with sea salt and crushed pretzels--I opted for the pretzels.

Enjoy!  If you like chocolate covered pretzels...you will love this!!!

one more shot!

The only sad part was that my mom was taking this to her friends...

but I made a 4 inch tart too for me and dad...it went in 2 seconds flat!

With love and cupcakes,

Cookteen

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine Magazine

Milk-Chocolate Tart with Pretzel Crust

Recipe by Colleen Grapes

Ingredients

Crust:

1. 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2. 1 1/4 cups coarsely crushed thin pretzels (3 1/2 ounces)
3. 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
4. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5. 1 large egg
6. 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

Filling:

1. 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2. 3/4 pound milk chocolate, chopped
3. Maldon sea salt, crushed pretzels and crème fraîche, for serving

Directions

1. Make the crust: In a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with 3/4 cup of the pretzels and the confectioners’ sugar at low speed until creamy. Beat in the flour and egg. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of pretzels, being sure to leave some pretzel pieces intact. Flatten the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Roll out the dough between the sheets of plastic wrap to a 12-inch round. Peel off the top sheet and invert the dough over a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough into the corners and patch any tears. Trim the overhanging dough and refrigerate the shell for 30 minutes or until firm.
3. Line the shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for about 30 minutes, until nearly set. Remove the parchment and weights and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the tart shell is firm; cover the edge with foil if it darkens too much. Let the shell cool completely. Brush the melted chocolate over the bottom and up the side and refrigerate for 10 minutes, until set.
4. Meanwhile, make the filling: In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Off the heat, add the milk chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Transfer the filling to a bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
5. Pour the filling into the shell and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and crushed pretzels. Cut into wedges, top with crème fraîche; serve.

DIY: Microwave Popcorn

After making batch after batch of popcorn, I decided that there had to be an easier and faster way to make it.  When I first posted Kettle Corn, I received a comment saying I could make it in the microwave and a comment asking to use Splenda alone.  So I decided to try both of them together.  Actually at first I just made it plain with some butter and salt.  But below is modifications (my sister and I both created our own)

Start with 1/4 cup of popcorn.

Then spray with a few sprays of I Can't Believe it's Not Butter (or Pam & Splenda for kettle corn)

 

Stir a little then pour into a brown paper bag.  Fold the top over and seal with tape.

Microwave for 2 minutes.

Look how puffed the bag gets! (and my reflection)

The bag gets all greasy (ew)

but only on one side!

unseal and reveal the pretty white popped corn

Pour into a bowl

I dont think my sister (dumbblondie) could wait for me to finish pouring before she dove in!

And sprinkle with salt.

Recipe: adapted from Baking Bites

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 cup unpopped popping corn
2. I Can't Believe it's Not Butter or Pam
3. Paper lunch bag
4. Scotch tape
5. seasonings (Such as Splenda, Salt, Parm cheese, Paprika, Garlic Powder etc.)

Directions:
Spray the popcorn with the Pam and place in the paper bag. Fold the top of the bag over twice and seal with a strip of scotch tape. Place the bag in the microwave and microwave on high for 2 minutes to 3 minutes, or until there are about 5 seconds between pops.  Add salt or other seasonings  to bag and shake to coat before eating.

Kettle Corn:
Use Pam and add 2 packets of Splenda before cooking.  Microwave for 2 minutes, open bag and pour into a bowl or another bag and add a little more Splenda and Salt.  Toss to coat.

Cheese-y Popcorn:
After microwaving add 2 teaspoons of grated parm cheese and a dash of paprika

NOTE: You can just pop the popcorn plain (without any oil or grease) and add seasonings after if desired