Movie Night Snack

Friday night was chilly and slushy, with a snow/ice storm predicted.  (Seriously, winter, you had your chance, move on already!)  So the four of us cozied up and watched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which had just arrived on Blu-Ray.  I had planned a snack of popcorn and mnm's.  Brian had a better idea.

An hour later, we had our own homemade cracker jack, complete with peanuts and mnm's.  The boys weren't interested in it at all, but all that means was MORE FOR US!!  I didn't take any pictures, it was gone that fast.  Scooped by the handful, we mindlessly made short time of the bowl while we watched Newt Scamander introduce the Fantastic Beasts in his magic case.  Sweet and salty, with melty mnm's.....I'm ruined for commerical cracker jack forever!!!

Fridge-Cleanout Nachos

Snowy, lazy Saturday...and I want nachos.  I've actually wanted nachos for about a week but I've been really good lately about eating right.  And nachos aren't what one would call healthy. 

So I'm feeling snacky and I decide that nachos at home are better for you than ordering nachos at a restaurant, especially in the portion control dept.  I comb the fridge, picking out stuff on hand and start throwing away expired stuff as well. 

Nachos.  I used up a quarter bag of Tostitos Scoops and tossed out a bag of tostitos fragments.  Added minced shallot (from the fridge)  and some pickled pepperoncini slices.  A palmful of shredded cheddar and it's off to the toaster oven.  Afterwards, a couple spoonfuls of jarred mild salsa, topped with chunks of avocado.  Delicious and just the right amount to satisfy the craving.

And on the way I threw out the following:  a jar half-full of spicy chili paste.   Two-year-old maple barbecue sauce.  Kalamata olives.  Homemade pickled jalapeño and onion.  The oldest condiment was a jar of capers, and I have no idea how old they were.  And oops... the olives expired sometime in 2018.  Guess I should wear my glasses when I'm cleaning out the fridge!

"Under the Dome"

No, I'm not talking about Stephen King's novel or the lame TV show "loosely based" on the book last summer.  I'm talking about food in my kitchen.

For the last couple of weeks, we've been using a domed cake plate for goodies on the island.  One Saturday, I noticed that we had some bananas approaching the mushy stage and whipped up chocolate banana muffins.  They were a hit, especially as part of breakfast after Will's first sleepover.  The next week, I had asked Brian to get Rice Krispies at the grocery store and they only had the industrial-size box.  Rice Krispy treats, after cooling and getting cut into squares, went on the plate.  And on Wednesday night, when I got home from knitting I was greeted by the smell of fresh blueberry muffins because Brian discovered that we had a plethora of blueberries in the fridge.  You guessed it...under the dome!

Wonder what will put under the dome next....or will the streak end?

Caramel Corn

Snow day yesterday!  I don't know how many the kids have had so far this year but it feels like we're going to be doing school til the end of June for sure.

Snow days always make me feel like baking.  So there I was, going thru Pinterest for something new and exciting.  And that's when I saw it.  On my "Sweet" board, there was a recipe for homemade caramel sauce.  And the author shows it being poured over a bowl of popcorn.

Now, caramel popcorn is one of my favorite things on the planet! I never have it for a few reasons:  it's messy, it's labor-intensive and it's one of those trigger foods where I "may" just try to eat all of it.  I've loved it for years, ever since some popcorn company came out with a microwave popcorn recipe with caramel.    I'm more of a purist these days though, and don't do microwave popcorn.  (The stench of it being permeated into more than one microwave between a boyfriend whose father was addicted to the stuff, and every dorm I ever lived in reeking of burnt popcorn)

We do have an air popper machine but I leave it at work for when we host movies for the residents.  Sometimes, one less thing to drag to work and back is really a good thing!  Naturally, that's where it was yesterday.  Then I remembered that a friend of mine had posted her popcorn process on her blog recently.   And I was game!

First of all, I had no coconut oil, only vegetable oil.  Turned out just fine though.  I had never made popcorn on the stove before, and now I don't know why because it is ridiculously easy.  And smells incredible to boot!  The boys enjoyed it plain for a bit while I made the caramel sauce.  The caramel sauce was also easy, and allowed me to finally use up a bottle of corn syrup.  I did follow the suggestions of the comments and add a teaspoon of baking soda to the caramel, to have it harden a bit.

The end result was so insanely delicious, I brought a bowl and spoon out to Hubby, who was snowblowing the driveway.  Just couldn't wait, it was THAT good!  Will really liked it but Sean didn't care for it.  Will and I did like the recipe said and ate it with a spoon while watching yesterday's movie choice of "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving."  I'm proud that I didn't eat all of it, but it was quite challenging.  This is something we're going to have to make again for sure.

Candy Corn Oreos: The Verdict

These Candy Corn Oreos jumped out at me at Target last night.  I adore candy corn and I adore Oreos, so I thought, Why not?  I loved the Birthday Oreos that came out to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the oreo cookie.  Why not a different "Limited Edition" flavor?

Two or three cookies in (because you have to make sure, right?) and I can tell you why not:  they're gross.  Not only are the colors garish, they are also over-sweet.  And if that doesn't convince you, the aftertaste of these suckers will.

Every once in a while, something comes along and messes with my purist "stick to the original" attitude.  We don't need fifteen flavors of Doritos, 9 flavors of Lays Potato chips (Chicken and Waffle?  Really?) or White Chocolate peppermint Pringles.  And today, we don't need Candy Corn oreos.  Eat Candy Corn.  Or Oreos.  Emerge happier that you did.

He Likes It, He Really Likes It!

A few weeks ago, Will spent April Vacation at his afterschool place.  They serve a hot lunch to the kids every day, but you can still bring lunch if you don't like what they're having.

Will is a picky eater.  I'm sure that if you've read this blog, you are not surprised.  Unless it's a dessert, it's difficult to get this kid to try new things.  So whenever he's going to spend a full day at this place, we review the menu together and see if he's going to eat that day's entree or take a soy-nut butter and jelly sandwich.  (Ewww...I know.  But no peanut butter allowed.  I got him to eat this simply by not telling him that it wasn't peanut butter.  By the time he realized he had been eating it for almost a whole summer and just let it go)

One day's meal was American Chop Suey.  He insisted on a sandwich, and the in-house lunch packer (aka Daddy) made his lunch.  That night when he came home, he said "Mom, the lunch today was American Chop Suey.  I tried some.  And I liked it!"  He then asked if we could have it for dinner some night.  So we did, a week later....and he ate a whole plate!

Later on that same weekend, we were in Ikea, looking at furniture.  On the way out, we stopped for a snack.  I got a frozen yogurt cone.  It was vanilla, which....eh.  Now, Will usually despises ice cream because it's "too cold."  He shocked me by asking if he could try my cone.  And then proceeded to devour most of it!

I'm thrilled, because I love chop suey and that's one more thing we can cook that everyone will eat.  That makes me the happiest of all.  :)

Zucchini Feast

What do you do when you have a bumper crop of zucchini?  Well for starters, you share it.  So far my daycare provider and coworkers have both benefitted from the tons of zucchini that I've managed to grow this year, as well as two of my neighbors!  After that, you start to cook with it.  A lot!  Although I love zucchini grilled or sauteed, we need some other ideas.

We had friends over for dinner the other night and I tried something I'd never done before:  fried zucchini.  It was, in a word, awesome!  I never realized how delectable fried zucchini is.  The recipe came from Joy of Cooking  and was very simple.  Flour, club soda, parsley and dill.  Dip the zucchini in the batter and fry for a few minutes.  We dotted it with a little cider vinegar and the four of us polished it off!

Chocolate zucchini bread.  This recipe yielded two delightful loaves of bread, and they smell heavenly!  Plus the boys have been fooled before....can Mama pull it off again?  Only time will tell...

Mark Bittman's Lemony Zucchini Risotto.  Fried eggs this time instead of poached, and it was every bit as good as the first time!  I seriously wanted to lick the bowl.  There's leftover risotto for lunch at work tomorrow, sans eggs.  If only it wasn't messy to bring an egg to fry!

Guess what?  Still have a ton of zucchini.  Some of it is shredded in the fridge, waiting to become Cheddar Zucchini Bread.  The rest?  Not so sure.  I'm still looking for new and exciting recipes.

How to make a Philadelphian Happy!

It's not hard....it just takes some wins against New York.   Philly has humiliated New York on three fronts in the past week so there's been some jubilation in this transplanted Philadelphian's house this week.  But nothing beat what came in the mail today


A Flyers Limited Edition Tin....

......Filled with a variety of Tastycakes!

Brian said that he would share them with me if I could name two of the four players on the lid.  I totally bombed the challenge.  Luckily, I'm not a woman scorned, because he goes to bed earlier than I do and I seriously considered a third photo of me raiding the tin.

Love you, honey!  :)

Snacks Should Taste Good

At last week's weight center meeting, we talked in depth about snacks. Why snacks are important in the weight loss calculation. (i.e. how they keep you from getting so hungry you'd gnaw off your own arm)  What consists as a snack, and what is just a meal masquerading as a snack.  How much protein/carb/fiber/calories should be in a snack.  Hmmmm....a lot to ponder.

They passed out free samples of these chips that I've seen in the grocery store, "Food Should Taste Good."  They come in several different flavors and have wholesome ingredients like quinoa and whole grains.  I took home two little bags.

The first one was cheddar.  It boasts itself as a chip AND a cracker.  It is certified gluten-free and consists of corn, quinoa, sunflower seeds and cheddar.  Nothing crazy.  I loved them!!!  Will enjoyed them.  And Brian thought they were pretty good too.  All right, something that makes all of us happy!  (and is still better for you than a greasy bag of potato chips.)

The second bag, I ate them while I was impatiently waiting for dinner.  And then immediately poured a glass of water.  No, two sips of milk.  Folks, they're Jalapeno and crushed pepper.  All the same wholesome ingredients, and a whole lotta spice!  I love spicy foods!  This one wasn't blaringly obvious as the chip makes contact with your taste buds.  Rather, the burn builds up so you go from being totally fine to "Holy Hell, what did I just eat!"

Can't wait to try some more different kinds.  This is a snack I could live with.