Since ancient times, deep, dark winter evenings have been a favorite time for families to gather together and tell stories. From Native Americans on the prairie to European troubadours, almost every culture the world over has some sort of storytelling tradition.

I like to think that our modern version of this ritual is the family movie night. Oh sure, “Frozen” might not feel like high storytelling, and the atmosphere on your living room couch might be quite different from a gathering around a campfire. But the soul of the event — spending time with loved ones, sharing culture, finding entertainment — is the same.

And, of course, if you want to up your family movie night ante, you should always start by popping a bowl of hot popcorn.

No need to resort to the microwave stuff — stovetop popcorn takes about the same amount of time and tastes much better. You don’t need any special equipment to make it either. I was gifted a retro gadget called an Atom Pop several years ago, so I use that when I remember. But about half the time I forget and use an ordinary saucepan with a lid — the results are the same either way.

Stovetop popcorn with mustard butter and dried rosemary

By popping popcorn on the stove you can also control exactly how much salt, butter and other toppings you add. Don’t limit yourself to the typical butter and salt, though. While popcorn is, of course, delicious that way, there’s a whole universe of other toppings to sample. Consider some of the following:

• Dried or fresh herbs

• Tabasco or Sriracha sauce

• Parmesan cheese

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Sesame seed oil and crumbled nori

• Drizzles of melted chocolate

• Maple syrup

• Lime juice and salt

While all of those are good, my family’s favorite topping is a riff on a Heidi Swanson recipe I discovered a few years ago: mustard butter. It sounds strange, I know, but it’s so good that my husband calls it “that crack popcorn.” Check out the directions to make it below and give it a try for your next family movie night.

Stovetop Popcorn with Mustard Butter

Ingredients

1/3 cup popcorn kernels

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard

3 tablespoons butter

Directions

Put the oil in the bottom of a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Turn the heat up to medium high, then place one popcorn kernel into the oil. That first kernel is like a timer; once it pops, you’ll know that the oil is hot enough to add the rest of the kernels.

Once the “timer kernel” pops and you’ve added the rest, quickly put the lid on the pot. Then, gently shake the pot back and forth over the heat to make sure the popcorn doesn’t scorch.

Within a minute or two you’ll be able to hear the popcorn popping. Continue moving the pot until the kernels start to push off the lid or until you hear about 3 seconds between pops. Then, remove the popcorn from the heat and carefully pour it into a big bowl for sharing.

As the popcorn is popping, use a smaller pan to melt 3 tablespoons of butter over low heat. When the popcorn is finished, whisk 1 tablespoon of stone-ground mustard into the butter. Pour the hot mustard butter over the popcorn and toss to coat.

— Meryl Carver-Allmond lives in Lawrence and writes about chickens, babies, knitting, gardening, food, photography, and whatever else tickles her fancy on any given day at mybitofearth.net.