Ah, the Christmas festivities have begun! Thankfully, the house didn't burn down in the process of cooking and decorating this afternoon but it turns out neither my husband nor I know how to use a fire extinguisher off the top of our heads. But, also thankfully, quick-thinking Austin thought to bring the flaming pot of oil outside BEFORE any damage was done. The baby's nap was not even disturbed by two screaming smoke alarms and smoke smell so bad we had to leave the doors and windows open, at about 30 degrees and really windy.So, I was multi-tasking. I was popping popcorn on the stove (why have a popcorn maker when you can just use a bit of oil and a pan you already have?), working on some peppermint bark (GREAT recipe... think I'm getting the hang of it--thanks Helen!), when Austin needs some help with the tree, because it happens to be 8 feet tall, which I think I mentioned before. :)
I leave the oil on the stove, on high (I'm not a patient cook) and become a living prop to hold the tree up while we maneuver it into a stand that is almost too small (do you know how many stores have been sold out of tree stands this year in our area?). I hear the test kernels pop in the kitchen, my cue to put the rest of the popcorn in, turn down the heat and start shaking. But, I think, the tree is about up and I can rush in to save the popcorn, no harm done.
Unfortunately, I missed a teensy-tiny consideration: "in seconds, the oil can ignite, burst into flames and cause a house fire." Turns out this is not government safety propaganda, but the truth! We left the tree to its own devices once the smoke detectors started to go off. I ran to the kitchen and opened the lid to the pot, which promptly caused the flames to shoot up out of the pot. Thankfully, Austin whisked it outside, and no harm was done besides a pot that is going to be HARD to clean.
I even succeeded (eventually) in making popcorn and stringing enough for (almost) our whole tree. Thankfully, my mom arrives tomorrow and I have just enough left over popcorn to put her to work putting the finishing touches on the tree on Tuesday. The one problem is that both the baby and the dog REALLY like popcorn, so the bottom most strand of popcorn is in dire jeopardy. I fully expect it to get munched on by one or both parties several times this holiday season.
