The Rumbly Tummy: Run Out to the PopCorn Fields

We're coming up on our two month anniversary of the new record being out, and it's been difficult to not feel the let down. Usually by this time, we've played enough shows to have these songs down to a comfortable performance. But with the pandemic stretching ever further, we've been waiting, still, and letting these brand new songs sit solely on the record.

The thing about music is, while we love to listen to those favorite records again and again, you can't replace a record for live stuff. It's a different animal, one that brings the musician and listener together on a little secret: that this will never happen again. We're lonesome for the stage days, the mayhem of whether we can pull it off, the comfort of singing that same songs night after night, but it feels different each time.

We got our first vaccine dose this week. So things are looking up. But we are still in the now-but-not-yet. These songs sit still, in our minds and in your car speakers and phones. And maybe that makes it a little less lonely-- like these recordings are traveling about in our stead.

I recently read a book called Burnout by Amelia & Emily Nagoski, who discuss the importance of completing the stress cycle for mental and physical health. One of the main ways to do that is to exercise-- burn that energy up to tell your body that you're going to be okay. We've been taking a lot of walks to stave off the stress of not having employment, of being cut off from the rest of the world, of worrying about sickness and vaccines and loved ones. So we've picked up extra workouts each week, and sometimes in our morning and evening walks, we make a run for it from the top of the hill to the bridge by the creek.

It's helping.

But all that running is also working us up an appetite. For this month's Rumbly Tummy, we're giving you a recipe for the crunchiest good popcorn (both sweet and savory) we've made, inspired by our song "You're Not Going Alone." It's a song all about the loneliness of being torn from what you know, and the hope that where you're going will be better still. It seemed fitting as we run ourselves in circles waiting for the next thing.

Hang tight, friends. The sweet and the savory of it is, our next steps may be weird, but we aren't going alone.

Run Out to the PopCorn Fields

Sweet Option:

10 c cooked popcorn (about ¾ c unpopped)

2 TBSP coconut oil or butter

¼ c peanut butter

¼ c honey or agave

1 TBSP cocoa powder

Dash of cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Melt together all ingredients except popcorn. Place in a lidded bowl. Add popcorn, shake. Spread on baking sheet covered with parchment. Bake for 5-7 minutes.

Savory Option:

10 c cooked popcorn (about ¾ c unpopped)

1 tsp garlic

1 ½ tsp dill

¼ tsp oregano

1 tsp parsley

½ tsp basil

Couple shakes of pepper

1 tsp sea salt + more to taste

1 TBSP nutritional yeast or parmesan

¼ c melted vegan butter, coconut oil, or butter

Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt together all ingredients except popcorn. Place in a lidded bowl. Add popcorn, shake. Spread on baking sheet covered with parchment. Bake for 5 minutes.