
Forget greasy potato chips, friends; today, it’s all about crispy and crave-worthy popcorn. In its simplest form, popcorn is a blank canvas that encourages us to get creative and enjoy it any way we want it. Some take things to the next level with sticky ‘n’ sweet popcorn balls or marshmallow popcorn bars, but if you’re looking for an even simpler snack hack, go for a sweet or savory seasoning blend. Cue up Netflix and grab a big blanket and a gargantuan sharing bowl, because your binge-watching is about to get a whole lot better with these 18 smashing popcorn blends.
1. Birthday Cake Popcorn: Even if it isn’t your birthday, it’ll certainly feel like it is when you chomp on a handful of this sweet and colorful treat. Plus, a quiet night in with your fave and a movie is always worth celebrating. (via A Beautiful Mess)
2. Maple Bacon Popcorn: Because everything is better with bacon — even already delicious popcorn. If you’re a sucker for all things sweet and salty, then this is a bowlful of your wildest dreams, complete with salty bacon bits and maple brown sugar. (via Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt)
3. 5-Minute Coconut Oil Sriracha Popcorn With Nori: If you want to really step outside the box, this healthy bowl of savory popcorn has it all. With a spicy Japanese twist, this blend offers incredible umami flavors in addition to lots of fiber, protein and other nutrients. Go ahead, have seconds; heck, have thirds! (via Root and Revel)
4. Snickerdoodle Caramel Corn: Nothing beats a fresh, warm Snickerdoodle straight outta the oven… except maybe Snickerdoodle popcorn. In all of its cinnamon-y simplicity, this crunchy snack is highly addictive. You’ve been warned. (via Smells Like Home)
5. Harissa-Spiced Popcorn: There are plenty of ways to spice things up on the couch, and tossing your popcorn in Harissa is one of them. You may never go back to your old buttery popcorn ways after enjoying the warm flavors of the cumin, paprika and pepper flakes. (via For Those Who Savor)
6. Churro Popcorn Recipe: Sometimes in life, we’re forced to make hard decisions. But why decide between the two snacks you love the most? Just blend them into one glorious masterpiece. In this case, churros and popcorn become one, and we definitely approve. (via Little Inspiration)
7. Spicy Honey Sesame Caramel Popcorn: Life’s too short to eat boring food, so take your regular ol’ caramel corn and fancy it up with some sesame seeds, honey and Sriracha. You’ll become an instant addict to this brilliant combo of spicy, salty and sweet. (via Warm Vanilla Sugar)
8. Buffalo Wing Popcorn: Frank’s Hot Sauce — some people literally put that stuff on everything! Popcorn included. And who could blame them? This popcorn has all the flavor of Buffalo sauce, but it’s mixed with a buttery caramel to avoid becoming soggy and maintain that crunch. (via Whole Bite Blog)
9. Vegan Nacho-Style Popcorn: All the flavors of nachos and none of the grease? Sounds pretty good to us! These popped kernels are tossed in an easy-to-make oregano-infused oil and shaken in a blend of Mexican spices. Ah, and since you can’t have nachos without cheese, nutritional yeast is used for that magical dairy-free cheesiness. (via The Green Life)
10. Coconut Chocolate Popcorn: Coconut and chocolate are a killer combination, and we’ve seen plenty of it in desserts; now it’s in popcorn, and we’re doing our happy dance. If you’re the type to opt for a hot cup of movie-time coffee rather than soda, this popcorn medley is ALL for you, babe. (via Mitzy at Home)
11. Blueberries and Cream Popcorn: This unique treat is *super* hard to resist. The best part is that you only need three ingredients: blueberries, white chocolate and, of course, popcorn. So if you’re craving sweet summer-y flavors but don’t want to delay movie time too much, whip up a batch of this. (via Rachel Cooks)
12. Apple Spice Popcorn: Seasonal flavors are always worth getting excited about, and it’s finally time to prepare for ciders, pumpkin-spiced everything and apples galore. This apple-y popcorn is here just in time. (via Erica’s Sweet Tooth)
13. Minions Popcorn Snack Mix: It can be a challenge to convince little ones to eat a healthy snack. And when you don’t give in, you’re made to feel downright despicable. But there’s hope! This Minion-themed popcorn is loaded with peanuts and pretzels and is totally kid-approved. (via The Suburban Soapbox)
14. Dark Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn: The combination of chocolate and peppermint just screams “winter holidays.” When you plan for your Christmas movie marathons this year, jot this recipe down. It will pair wonderfully with hot cocoa, coffee with Bailey’s and your fave Christmas classics. (via Inquiring Chef)
15. Rosemary Parmesan Popcorn: Herbs and cheese go together like peas and carrots — and this is way better than peas and carrots. The earthiness from the fresh rosemary combined with the nuttiness of the browned butter is to die for. Put down a large bowl of this for your next Superbowl or awards show party. (via Bijoux and Bits)
16. Truffle Parmesan Popcorn: The next time you host a book club meeting or Gilmore Girls marathon, impress your pals by throwing a dash of sophistication over your popcorn in the form of truffle salt. It plays off the Parmesan amazingly, and you won’t be able to stop yourself from shoving handfuls of it into your mouth. (via A Sip of Bliss)
17. Lemon Meringue Gourmet Popcorn: Lemon meringue pie, though incredibly delicious, can be a royal pain in the butt to make if you don’t bake often. If the craving hits, opt for this easy and crunchy popcorn variation that uses lemon curd and meringue, and is finished with a crumbled cookie top. WHUT! (via Flavours and Frosting)
18. Parmesan and Sea Salt Popcorn: Those of you who like to keep flavors clean and enjoy foods in all of their simplicity — we hear you. Sometimes sugar and spice just isn’t what you’re looking for, and if you’re not feelin’ it, this lightly flavored popcorn is perfection in a bowl. (via Rachael Adele)
For more incredible snacking ideas, pop on over to Pinterest!
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures