Cheese | A TZIMMES REVIVED

I hate football. Thus, I hate Super-bowl Sunday. I know many of you out there feel the same way, so here are some ideas to make the day a better one. At the end of list, I will give you details of the suggestions that have *s after them.

1. Have an Anti-Super Bowl Party. Gather together your friends who have been deserted all football season and have an Anti Super Bowl Party. While the football fans are having beer and pizza, serve your friends more sophisticated fare like pretty drinks and appetizers.*

2. Go through the digital photographs on your computer and rename them something besides DM004102.

3. Play World of Warcraft or other favorite MMORPG for hours of uninterrupted enjoyment and munch on snacks and pizza. Have a soft drink or a beer, whatever is your pleasure.*

4. See a movie or go to a popular restaurant (not a sports’ bar though). Since everyone else will be glued to their TV sets, it will be easier to get in and I bet the service will be better!

5. Invite some friends over for a Popcorn Throw Down Challenge and Movies.*

6. Invite some friends over for a Chex Mix Throw Down Challenge and Board Games Party.*

7. Throw a Star-Trek or Star-Wars Marathon Party or even a Dr. Who Marathon Party.*

8. Take a tour of your City and stop in places that you have never been to before. End your tour with a dinner at a new restaurant.

9. Have a mani/pedi party complete with lotions, nail polish and stick-on decals. Order take-out from your favorite gourmet shop for you and your friends.

10, Take your favorite snacks and a good book to bed with you. Call for Chinese take-out for dinner.*

11. Write that novel you always wanted to begin.

12. Cuddle with that special someone. Make dinner together and make it special.*

Most importantly, put the emphasis on enjoying yourself and doing what you really want to do.

ANTI-SUPER-BOWL PARTY

Relegate the Super-bowlers to the basement or den and choose another room for the Anti-Super-bowlers Set up the dining room for your part of the party and the kitchen for the Super-bowlers Set the Super-bowlers’ table with paper stuff, yours with linens. Also have a comfortable sitting area for your end of the party so you can sit and chat or play games, or watch a movie. Make sure that you discuss all plans with your Super-bowler so that he/she understands the game rules. Make sure you both respect the other’s party and that noise is kept to a minimum unless really necessary like when a touch-down is made. Also make it clear that the food for one party does not get shared with the guests from the opposing party. Fair is fair.

Ok, the important thing is good friends and food. For our Anti-Super-bowl Party we are going to serve wonderful stuff.

Set up a wine bar. Include some of each type of wine: a sweet white, a dry white, a sweet red and a dry red. Of course you must include a bubbly wine too. A blush would also be a nice touch. Set out some seltzer water so people can make spritzers if they wish and a variety of juices such as cranberry, orange and grapefruit juice so guests can get creative. Also, some may not wish to drink alcohol.

Set up a cheese, fruit and cracker platter. I would include the following:

a nice wheel of brie made with fruit or the Parmesan-Coated Brie (recipe follows)

slices of apples and green grapes and fresh raspberries

a good-sized wedge of Jarlsberg cheese

a good-sized wedge of Sharp Cheddar

a nice smoked cheese

a small pile of cocoa-dusted nuts

a small pile of dried apricots

a small pile of Craisins

Place a small basket of crackers (I would use three different kinds of crackers) and some slices of a small Baguette.

I would also set out a bowl of trail mix (recipe follows), a bowl of butter mints and a bowl of cashew nuts. Use silver or crystal bowls, if possible.

After about a half an hour, bring out some fancy bite-site tidbits such as:

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp (recipe follows)

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus (recipe follows)

Mini Egg Rolls (cheat and buy the frozen ones!)

Place these appetizers on doilies placed on your fanciest serving platters.

For the dinner menu I would serve something elegant but simple and not too heavy as people are probably full from noshing.

I would begin the meal with a nice fresh fruit cup. Instead of a salad, I would put out a platter of fresh baby vegetables such as carrots, grape tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers and whatever else you think you want to add. Serve with a dip instead of dressing. Don’t do a vinaigrette though, do something creamy and rich. For the main course I would Almond Orange Crusted Chicken (recipe to follow) with couscous mixed with sauteed red peppers and peas for color. For desert something ultra decadent like Mint Chocolate Chip Mousse Cake (recipe to follow).

WORLD OF WARCRAFT MARATHON

For the pizza, order out! Go ahead and splurge on wings too! But save these goodies for dinner.

Have a good supply of your favorite beverage(s) on hand and nearby. Just remember, you need to see those wee monsters and your reflexes need to be quick enough to kill them before they kill you!

For your snacking pleasure here is a variety to keep you munching away:

Chex Popcorn Pretzel Party Mix (recipe to follow) for your sweet tooth

Smoked Paprika Popcorn (recipe to follow for your savory tooth

Pour yourself a big bowl of M&Ms and go to town! Let’s save Azeroth together!!! “For the Alliance!”

POPCORN THROW DOWN CHALLENGE AND MOVIE

Throw down the gauntlet and challenge your guests to come up with the best tasting unusual popcorn and ask them to bring it to the party or ask everyone to bring their popcorn makers and ingredients to make at your house. Before the party, ask them to come up with a name for their creation so you can make up the voting ballots. The ballot could look something like this:

NAME OF ENTRY	TASTE	AROMA	UNIQUENESS	PRESENTATION	TOTAL POINTS

I would give 1 point for taste, 1 for aroma, 2 for uniqueness and 2 for presentation. So highest point total per entry would be 6 points. In case of a tie, do a second vote on scraps of paper asking people to vote for their favorite of the tied entries.

Have plenty of beverages and choose a good light-hearted movie. Have some plain old fashioned popcorn to serve too! Here are some popcorn ideas for your entry:

Red Hot Popcorn

Pepperoni Popcorn

Hot Chocolate Popcorn

This post is longer than I expected it to be, so I will close it with recipe and continue tomorrow with the rest of the party details and recipes. Without further ado, the recipes:

MARILYN’S TRAIL MIX

1 cup Craisins

¼ cup Dried Apricots; snipped into sliver-sized pieces (cut with a scissors)

½ cup M&Ms

½ cup Cashews

1 cup Corn Chex cereal

¼ tsp. Cinnamon

Mix all together.

NOTE: These measurements are a guideline. I never measure when making my trail mix. This is really how I make it:

2 handfuls of Corn Chex, 1 handful Craisins, about 6-8 Dried Apricots (snipped into slivers), 1 handful of M&Ms and a few shakes of Cinnamon. In other words, measure by what you feel. You also have to take how many people you are making this recipe for. I figure 2 cups of mix per person but 1 cup is probably okay too, especially if you are serving with other things. If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container and it should last a while. However, Paul and I find this addicting, so it doesn’t last long in our house.

Home Cookin Chapter: APPETIZERS 2014

BACON-WRAPPED SHRIMP

====================

ACTIVE: 20 mins.

TOTAL: 40 mins.

SERVES: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

Juice of 1 Lemon

1 clove Garlic; GRATED

1 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. FRESH Thyme

3 tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

1 lb. (about 24) LARGE Shrimp; PEEELD AND DEVEINED, TAILS INTACT

12 slices Bacon; HALVED

DIRECTIONS:

POSITION A RACK 3-4″ FROM THE HEAT SOURCE AND PREHEAT THE BROILER.

Whisk the lemon juice, garlic, paprika, thyme, olive oil AND 1/2

tsp. kosher salt in a SHALLOW BAKING DISH. Add the shrimp AND

toss to coat; MARINATE IN THE REFRIGERATOR for 20 mins.

TURN THE SHRIMP IN THE MARINADE TO COAT WELL. ONE AT A TIME,

REMOVE EACH shrimp AND wrap with a piece of bacon; secure with a

TOOTHPICK, if desired.

Place SEAM-SIDE DOWN on a baking sheet. Spoon any remaining

marinade over the shrimp. (MSS NOTE: I would cover the entire

baking sheet with aluminum foil BEFORE I put the shrimp on it.)

BROIL, TURNING THE SHRIMP ONCE, UNTIL the bacon is SLIGHTLY CRISP

AND the shrimp are cooked through, about 5 mins.

source: pg. 65, Food Network Magazine, Nov. 2014 issue, Volume 7,

No. 9.

Servings: 0

Exported from Home Cookin 8.59 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

Home Cookin Chapter: APPETIZERS 2014

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

============================

24 asparagus speaks (1-1 1/4. lbs.), trimmed to 6-inch lengths

24 VERY THIN slices provolone cheese (12-14 oz.)

12 VERY THINN slices prosciutto (8-10 oz.), halved lengthwise

Cracked Black Pepper

1-2 tbsp. Olive Oil

1-2 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

MSS NOTES: I’d use corned beef instead of prosciutto and I’d omit

vinegar.

1. Place a steamer basket in a LARGE skillet. Add enough water

to come just below bottom of basket. Bring to boiling. Place

asparagus in basket. Reduce heat to MEDIUM-LOW. Steam, COVERED,

for 4 mins. Remove asparagus from basket; immerse in ICE WATER to

cool quickly. DRAIN asparagus, PAT DRY with paper towels.

2. Wrap a slice of cheese and a half-slice of prosciutto around

each asparagus speak. Arrange wrapped asparagus on a serving

plate.

3. Before serving, sprinkle with cracked pepper. Drizzle with

oil and balsamic vinegar.

MSS NOTES: I’d omit step 3 all together.

MAKE AHEAD: Prepare as directed through Step 2. COVER and chill

up to 24 hrs. Serve as directed. (MSS NOTE: I’d serve as is but

at room temperature.)

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: PER SERVING:

268 cal, 20 g fat (8 g sat. fat), 29 mg. cholesterol, 876 mg.

sodium, 4 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 19 g protein.

SOURCE: p. 10, Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest,

“Celebrate the Season 2014” magazine.

Servings: 8

Exported from Home Cookin 8.59 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

Home Cookin Chapter: POULTRY

Almond Orange Crusted Chicken With Fennel Arugula Salad

=======================================================

source: Created by: Ellie Krieger, cookbook author, “So Easy:

Luscious Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week.” via The

Almond Board of California via

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Almond-Orange-Crusted-Chicken-with-Fe

nnel-Arugula-Salad/Detail.aspx?evt1

“Traditional chicken dinner gets a modern-day makeover with sliced

almonds and orange zest to perk up an old standby. Use the left

over orange slices for a refreshing side salad with arugula,

fennel and lemon juice.”

Ingredients:

1 orange

2 egg whites

3/4 cup sliced almonds, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

4 (4 ounce) pieces thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast

Cooking spray

1/2 small bulb of fennel, halved, cored and thinly sliced into

half-moons

4 cups arugula, lightly packed, coarsely chopped if leaves are

large

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Ten minutes before you are ready to cook the chicken, put a baking

sheet in the oven to pre-heat.

Finely zest the orange and set the zest aside. Cut the top and

bottom off of the orange, sit the orange on one end on a cutting

board and cut the entire peel and pith off by cutting downward

following the shape of the fruit. Then, using a paring knife,

remove each section of orange from the membrane. Set the orange

sections aside.

In a shallow bowl, whisk the egg whites until slightly frothy. In

a large shallow bowl or on a plate, combine the orange zest,

almonds, and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper.

Put the flour on a large plate.

Remove the pre-heated baking sheet from the oven and spray with

cooking spray.

Dip the chicken breasts, one at a time, first into the flour,

shaking off any excess, then into the egg white, and then coat

with the almond mixture and place on the baking sheet. Spray the

top of the chicken with cooking spray. Bake for 6 minutes, turn

and bake for 6 minutes more, until the chicken is cooked through

and the coating is golden.

While the chicken is cooking, combine the fennel, arugula and

orange sections in a large bowl. In a small bowl whisk together

the olive oil, lemon juice, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of

salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to

coat.

To serve, place one large or two small chicken cutlets on each

plate and top with a mound of the salad.

Servings: 4

Exported from Home Cookin 8.59 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

Home Cookin Chapter: CAKES 2013-2014

Mint Chocolate Chip Mousse Cake

===============================

June 7, 2011 in Cooking | Tags: mint, mint chocolate chip, mousse

cake

Chocolate Cake

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granular sugar

6 Tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon sea salt

½ cup mini chocolate chips

¾ cup coffee

6 Tablespoons safflower oil

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

3 medium eggs

Mint Chocolate Chip Mousse

4 cups cream

¾ cup granular sugar

2 teaspoons peppermint extract

¼ teaspoon green food color paste

1/3 cup cold water

1 Tablespoon gelatin

½ cup hand chopped chocolate [these are the chips]

Peppermint Spread

1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted

1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons peppermint extract

Chocolate Glaze

2 tablespoons cream

2 tablespoons granular sugar

½ Tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon honey

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

When conceptualizing recipes, I tend to draft up a large list of

ideas that are possible creations. Mousse cakes are one such

recipe with endless possibilities and certainly a mint chocolate

chip is one of those have to make ideas. If you see the photo and

think mint chocolate chip ice cream, that’s exactly where I got

the idea. Growing up this was and still is my favorite flavor, not

to mention this minty green color is at the top of my favorite

paint colors list.

Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F

Prepare a 12”x8 ½” sheet pan by coating it with butter and lining

with parchment.

Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking

powder and salt.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the oil,

vanilla extract and eggs. Whisk until a smooth batter forms. Next,

whisk in coffee.

For this recipe I chopped a block of chocolate for the chips

needed, but mini chocolate chips will work just as well.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle with chocolate

chips and bake for twenty minutes. After baking, allow cake to

rest for a few minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack lined

with parchment. Why parchment? This cake is very moist and will

stick to just about anything it can and with a handful of

chocolate chips in this cake, it will be hard to resist eating any

broken cake pieces

As instructed in my Neapolitan mousse cake recipe, the size of

this cake is a little smaller. A cake board frame measuring twelve

inches by four inches was constructed. The left over cake can be

used to make trifles or saved for another mousse cake recipe later

on.

Mint Chocolate Chip Mousse

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cool water and allow to bloom.

Meanwhile, in a bowl combine the cream, sugar, colorant and mint

extract. Beat just before soft peaks form. The consistency will

still have soft peaks but they droop a little more. You want to

stop at this point because the folding in of the gelatin will work

the cream further. Heat the gelatin over simmering water. Remove

from heat and warm the remaining cream. The cream should be

slightly warmer than room temperature. Combine the gelatin and

warmed cream. Pour this mixture over the whipped cream and fold

in. Fold in the chocolate chips and fill the mold. Chill for

several hours to set the mousse.

“To make chocolate chips for the mousse, simply fine chop any

quality semi-sweet chocolate.”

Peppermint Spread

To make this high intensity flavor layer for the mousse cake, whip

together all ingredients in a bowl and frost the top of the

chilled mousse cake.

Chocolate Glaze

Melt cream, sugar, butter and honey in a saucepan on low heat just

until combined. Whisk in cocoa powder and vanilla. Once cool,

spread chocolate glaze over the peppermint spread and chill for

the last time.

If you plan on serving this the next day or so leave the cake

board frame on so the mousse does not dry out. When the moment

arrives, use a long knife and slide it down along the cake board

in one direction. This will keep the layers more intact. Mousse

cakes are best carved when they are cold.

This recipe serves ten if cut into slices and less for square

cutouts.

Servings: 0

Exported from Home Cookin 8.59 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

Home Cookin Chapter: SNACKS

Chex™ Popcorn-Pretzel Chunks Party Mix

======================================

“A favorite among the Chex™ team members, this crunchy super-snack

disappeared in no time. Don’t be surprised if the same thing

happens at your next party!”

GRAB THESE ITEMS…

4cups Vanilla Chex™ cereal

3cups popped popcorn

1cup fish-shaped pretzel crackers

2tablespoons butter or margarine

1jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme

1/2cup candy-coated milk chocolate pretzels

STEPS

1Spray very large microwavable bowl with cooking spray. Mix

cereal, popcorn and pretzel crackers in bowl.

2In medium microwavable bowl, microwave marshmallow crème and

butter uncovered on High about 1 minute, stirring after 30

seconds, until crème and butter are melted and can be stirred

smooth.

3Stir, pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated.

Microwave uncovered on High 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute,

until mixture is glazed.

Cool 5 minutes; stir in candies. Spread on waxed paper to cool.

Break into chunks. Store covered.

TIPS Method Note: This sweet and salty snack is super-yummy and

easy to make, but the marshmallow creme makes the prep a bit

sticky. To minimize stickiness, spray bowls, spoons and spatulas

with cooking spray before using.

NUTRITION Serving Size:

Calories 80 (Calories from Fat 25); Total Fat 3g (Saturated Fat

1g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 125mg; Total

Carbohydrate 12g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 6g); Protein 1g % Daily

Value*: Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron 15%

Exchanges: 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1

Carbohydrate Choice MyPyramid Servings: 0 tsp Fats & Oils; 0 oz-eq

Grains; 0 oz-eq Meat & Beans *% Daily Values are based on a 2,000

calorie diet.

source:

http://www.chex.com/recipes/chex-popcorn-pretzel-chunks-party-mix/

16c419de-90d4-46d6-bf49-c22c39806004

Servings: 20

Exported from Home Cookin 8.59 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

Home Cookin Chapter: SNACKS

Smoked Paprika Popcorn

======================

{ ingredients }

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil

1/3 cup popcorn kernels

2 teaspoons walnut oil or olive oil

{ directions }

Mix the smoked paprika, salt and onion in a small bowl and set

aside.

In a medium pot, heat the oil and popcorn, covered, over medium

heat. As the popcorn pops, shake pan occasionally and immediately

remove from heat once the popping slows to 2-3 seconds between

pops. Pour popcorn into a large bowl, removing any unpopped or

partially popped kernels you see. Drizzle with walnut or olive oil

and toss with your hands to coat evenly. Scatter smoked paprika

mixture over popcorn and mix with your hands until kernels are

evenly coated.

Keeps for up to 2 days in an airtight container.

• I use two types of oil because I like the subtle flavor the

walnut (or olive) oil adds to the mixture, but feel free to use

grapeseed or canola for both cooking and coating the popcorn.

• Instead of cooking the popcorn on the stove, you can start with

unflavored, unsalted air-popped or microwave popcorn. I won’t be

mad.

source: http://www.eatyrgreens.com/smoked-paprika-popcorn/

Servings: 4

Exported from Home Cookin 8.59 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

DISCLAIMER: This photo does not belong to the recipe. I found photo in a Google search. ~MSS

Home Cookin Chapter: SNACKS

Red Hot Cinnamon Candy Popcorn

==============================

Makes 4 quarts

“A sweet and spicy popcorn treat that can be enjoyed all year

round.”

INGREDIENTS

16 cups popped JOLLY TIME® Butter or Crispy ‘n White Microwave Pop

Corn

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup red cinnamon candies

1/4 tsp baking soda

DIRECTIONS

Place popped popcorn in large bowl. Melt butter in medium

saucepan; stir in sugar, corn syrup and cinnamon candy. Heat to a

boil; continue boiling, stirring constantly, until candy is

dissolved completely. Boil without stirring for 3 minutes. Remove

from heat; stir in baking soda. Gradually pour over popcorn,

mixing well. Allow to cool completely on foil or buttered wax

paper. Break apart and store in tightly-covered container.

source: http://www.jollytime.com/recipe/red-hot-cinnamon-popcorn

Servings: 0

Exported from Home Cookin 8.59 (www.mountainsoftware.com)

Home Cookin Chapter: SNACKS

PEPPERONI PIZZA

===============

Pepperoni Pizza

Cook 1 cup chopped pepperoni in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large pot

until crisp; drain on paper towels, reserving the drippings. Pop 3/4 cup

popcorn kernels in the drippings; toss with the pepperoni, 1 cup shredded

mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon

each granulated garlic and dried oregano. Season with salt.

A TZIMMES REVIVED

A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That

Category Archives: Cheese

ANTI-SUPERBOWL FUN