YumSugar

It's Popcorn Time!

YumSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:30:33 -0700

October is National Popcorn Month, and there are so many reasons to celebrate. Every October, the kernel harvest signals another year of the air-popped pleasure. Popcorn is indeed one of America's all-time favorite snacks, with over 16 billion quarts consumed each year. That's more than 54 quarts per person! Here, nine popcorn recipes worth munching on.

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Come Party With Me: Oscars Viewing - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:28:31 -0800

Instead of serving a sit down dinner at your Oscars viewing party, offer a smörgåsbord of snacks like Wolfgang Puck does at the Governors Ball. Provide a hearty mix of homemade and store bought appetizers. Have a cheese plate with several different types of cheese, crackers, flatbreads, crostini, and grapes. A platter of salumi - salami, proscuitto, chorizo, etc. - with olives compliments the assortment of cheeses. Order a couple of sushi platters from your favorite sushi restaurant.

Supplement these grocery store goodies with easy to make dishes: smoked salmon pizza, blue cheese popcorn, smoky chipotle hummus, and gingery chicken satay with peanut sauce. For the recipes, please read more.

Smoked Salmon Pizza
From Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

Two 12-inch store-bought partially baked pizza crusts
Extra-virgin olive oil
Pepper
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup drained capers
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 pound sliced smoked salmon

Preheat the oven to 450°.
Drizzle the crusts with olive oil, season with pepper and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, shallots, 2 tablespoons capers, 1 tablespoon dill and the lemon juice.
Spread the cream cheese mixture on the crusts. Top with the smoked salmon, remaining 2 tablespoons capers and 1 tablespoon dill. Cut into wedges.

Serves 6.

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Blue Cheese Popcorn
From Emeril Lagasse

3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1/3 cup white popping corn
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (1/3 pound) piece assertive blue cheese, frozen
1/2 cup coarsely chopped lightly toasted walnuts
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

In a large, partially covered saucepan, heat the oil and 1 kernel of popcorn until hot enough to make the corn pop. Add the remaining popcorn and cook, partially covered, shaking until all the corn is popped.
Transfer the popcorn to a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. While popcorn is hot, grate the blue cheese over the popcorn. Add the walnuts and chives and toss until evenly coated. Serve immediately.

Makes 10 cups.

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Smoky Chipotle Hummus
From Bon Appetit magazine

2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)*
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
21/2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies**
1 large garlic clove, minced
11/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 4-ounce jar sliced pimientos in oil, drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 6-ounce packages roasted-garlic bagel chips

Reserve 3 tablespoons garbanzo beans for garnish.
Blend remaining garbanzo beans and next 7 ingredients in processor until smooth.
Add pimientos; process, using on/off turns, until pimientos are coarsely chopped.
Transfer hummus to medium bowl. Stir in cilantro. Season hummus to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with reserved garbanzo beans. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.) Accompany with bagel chips.

Serves 20.

*Sold at Middle Eastern markets, natural foods stores and some supermarkets.
**Chipotle chilies canned in a spicy tomato sauce, sometimes called adobo, are available at Latin American markets, specialty foods stores and some supermarkets.

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Gingery Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
From Food and Wine magazine

4 large shallots
4 large garlic cloves
2 stalks of lemongrass, bottom 6 inches only, outer leaves peeled, inner stalk cut into 1-inch pieces
2 serrano or jalapeño chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise 1 inch thick
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Light a grill.
In a mini food processor, combine the shallots, garlic, lemongrass, chiles, ginger, soy sauce, coriander and ground pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce and process to a fine paste. Transfer half of the seasoning paste to a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
Thread the chicken strips onto skewers. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil and let stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan. Add the remaining seasoning paste and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil, stirring. Whisk in the peanut butter and the remaining 1 tablespoon each of brown sugar and fish sauce and bring to a simmer. Transfer the sauce to a blender, add the lime juice and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.
Grill the chicken skewers over a hot fire until lightly charred and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter or bowl and sprinkle with the cilantro. Serve with the peanut sauce.

Serves 6.

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Come Party With Me: Housewarming Party - Menu I

partysugar — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 09:01:38 -0700

While you may be tempted to bring out all of the stops for your housewarming party, I suggest that you take it easy in the kitchen. The house and decor should be the shining star - not the food. Still, delicious tasty bites are absolutely necessary. Start by purchasing a few of your favorite grocery store appetizers (I like marinated olives, nuts, and dips that can be jazzed up with fresh herbs) and throw in a few homemade appetizers. Small bites that can be eaten quickly and placed around the house are ideal. Blue cheese and chive celery canapes sound elegant, but are simple to prepare and popcorn shrimp with lemon aioli dipping sauce are irresistibly delicious. For these yummy recipes all you have to do is read more

Blue Cheese & Chive Celery Canapes
From Instyle magazine

1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
salt and pepper
6 stalks celery, trimmed, cut into 1 inch pieces
minced chives for garnish

In a bowl mash together blue cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, chives, salt and pepper.
Spoon into celery pieces; garnish with chives.

Serves 20.

Note: The image is the dip before it is placed inside the celery bowls.

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Popcorn Shrimp
From Instyle magazine

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
1½ cups milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
1½ cups unseasoned bread crumbs
2 cups vegetable oil (if frying)

In medium bowl combine first 8 ingredients.
Make a well in the center and gradually whisk in milk and eggs. Let stand 30 min.
Working in batches, stir shrimp into batter; remove with slotted spoon, letting excess batter drip back into bowl.
Coat shrimp with bread crumbs.
If you want to fry the shrimp: Heat oil to 350°F in deep saucepan. Working in batches, add shrimp to hot oil. Fry 2-3 min., or until golden. Remove with slotted spoon to baking sheet lined with paper towels. Repeat until done.
If you want to bake the shrimp: Heat oven to 450°F. Place wire rack on baking sheet; lightly spray with nonstick vegetable spray. Put shrimp on rack in single layer. Bake 12-15 min., or until golden.
Serve hot with lemon aioli dip: In small bowl combine 2 cups mayonnaise, 5 cloves minced garlic, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 12.

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