Pop it and top it: Popcorn treats great for Halloween

If you're trying to put your Halloween on a budget, look to the ghost of holidays past. Remember when homemade popcorn balls were the quintessential trick-or-treat goodies? Cupcakes and homemade doughnuts ran a close second, but it was nearly impossible to get them home without them getting smashed in a trick-or-treat bag.

Those were the carefree days before fears of treat-tampering. Now, store-bought handouts are standard for trick-or-treating. But don't overlook the old-fashioned touch of popcorn if you're hosting a gathering or leaving goodies on someone's doorstep, phantom-style. Caramel corn and popcorn balls are still fun treats to give and receive.

And you can always make those spooky witch-hand decorations by stuffing clear gloves with popcorn. Put a few pieces of candy corn in the tip of each finger for the fingernails.

Costs and calories

Popcorn is a healthy snack compared with many goodies passed around during Halloween. Especially if you air-pop it and go light on the butter and toppings. According to the "Nutrition Bible," (William & Morrow) one cup of air-popped, unbuttered popcorn has around 31 calories, no fat and 1 gram of fiber; 1 cup of oil-popped, unbuttered popcorn has 55 calories. If drizzled lightly with butter, it's 90 to 120 calories per cup. Popcorn is also a whole grain, so it's very filling. Your little goblins can snack on it before they go out trick-or-treating to avoid sugar overload.

Popcorn is a low-cost munchie that can feed a crowd.

It's most economical if you buy the regular type instead of microwave-style. A 2-pound bag of regular popcorn, which sells for about $2, makes about 130-135 cups of popcorn — costing you about 1.5 cents per cup. Spend that same $2 on a three-bag box of microwave popcorn and you'll get about 31-35 cups, or 6.4 cents per cup.

As a bonus, if you pop it in an air-popper, you don't have to worry about artificial colors and flavorings, and you can control the amount of butter and salt you want to put on it.

No popper? No problem

Kids raised on microwave popcorn may be surprised to find out you don't need a microwave or even a popcorn popper. You can pop plain popcorn on the stovetop in a big, heavy-duty pan with a lid. Heat about 2-3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Put a kernel in to test the heat, when it pops, pour in about ½ cup of popcorn and put the lid on. Shake the pan a little to keep the kernels from burning. Remove from the heat when the corn slows down its popping.