Cook's Note: Reel NW's perfect Popcorn Pairing for American Collectors is like the sweet rush people feel when they find the things that make them happy.

makes 1 popcorn cake

Ingredients

• 2 quarts popped popcorn
• 2 cups crunchy sweetened cereal (such as Kellogg’s® Corn Pops®)
• 1 (10.5 ounce) bag of miniature marshmallows
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans

Preparation

Place popcorn and cereal in a large, lightly greased bowl, mixing slightly. Set aside. Grease a 10-inch tube pan (or bundt pan of similar size) and evenly distribute 1 cup of the marshmallows inside the bottom of the pan. Set aside. In a large glass bowl, add the remainder of the marshmallows and the butter, and microwave for 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Add the vanilla to the melted marshmallow-butter mixture and stir to combine. Scrape the hot marshmallow mixture into popcorn mixture, stirring quickly and gently to coat. Sprinkle the pecans into the sticky mixture, stirring until combined. Press the marshmallow-popcorn mixture into the prepared tube pan. When mixture is set, turn the cake onto a large plate, slice and serve.