June » 2011 » Living Lou

Spicy Popcorn

Ah popcorn, the ultimate movie watching snack. Did you know that I love film? I’ve only mentioned it once, or twice, or three times, or four times, so yeah, guess what? I love it. Today I saw Midnight In Paris, Woody Allen’s latest flick, and whew, was it ever good. Did you know that I also love Paris? Although, I feel like everyone loves Paris, or they say they love it, but me, well I really love it. I visited last year during Spring Break, I spent the entire week walking around the city, trying every eclair and macaron I could get my hands on. Spending hours investigating the shops and walking the streets where Julia Child fell in love with food. I was hit with inspiration knowing that I was in the city where Louis Lumiere showed his first film, and just by gazing at the paintings in the Louvre, or my favourite, the Musee D’Orsay made me wish that I could actually paint. A girl can dream, right?

Well this movie, Midnight In Paris has to be one of the best movies of the summer. No, it’s not your typical action, summer blockbuster, but a story of romance and the pursuit of a dream. Definitely a film after my heart. And obviously, popcorn and movies go hand-in-hand, so today, I’m sharing a recipe for a yummy, spicy popcorn. Since I watch an unusual amount of movies, I’m always trying to find different flavorings for my popcorn. This one hit me one day when I was about to sit down and watch The Royal Tennenbaums, a favourite Wes Anderson film of mine.

Spicy Popcorn (makes about 16 cups of popcorn)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions

To pop popcorn, place kernels in a paper bag and roll over the top to seal. Place in the microwave for 2-4 minutes. Popcorn is ready when there are a couple of seconds between pops.

Melt the butter in the microwave for 20 seconds or until completely melted. In a small bowl, mix the seasonings together. Pour the butter over the popcorn and sprinkle with seasonings. Tossing to coat.

What movies are you going to be watching this summer?

- Lou

Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

Well, this is weird. I guess I’m a high school graduate? I’ll tell ya, it’s a funny feeling walking down those halls for the last time,

I guess there can be a lot of different feelings about graduating high school, some people are excited, some are scared, some are ready to get the hell out of there, but for me, it’s definitely bitter sweet. On one side, I’m ready to move on to the next chapter of my life, but on the other hand, I’ve loved high school. Yes, I’ll say it; I’m one of those. The ones who loved high school with all of their being. All of the ups and downs, the crazy nights out, the long nights spent cramming for exams, the soccer games, the barbecues, the laughs, the tears – they’ve made me who I am today.

The first day of 9th grade seems like yesterday. It was a warm morning in September, the sun was pouring through the clouds, I was walking to school with a couple of my friends, we were nervous and excited – it was hard to believe that we were starting high school! While walking to school, I stepped on the back of my friend’s flip flop, and somehow managed to break it in half. So, we had to run home and grab a new pair of shoes, thus making us late for our very first day. Ah, 9th grade was so much fun, although, those seniors were very intimidating. We got up to a lot of stuff we probably shouldn’t have, and from freshman year on, each year kept getting better and better.

Flash forward to senior year, the days when you feel as though you rule the school. Instead of being late on the first day, you’re sitting outside the front entrance with all of your friends looking at all the new, tiny, scared freshmen. These are the days of free periods, teachers who talk to you like adults, and the time when decision making has suddenly become so important. There’s chatter of college and university, gap years, entering averages, acceptances and rejections, and you know what? We’re all scared, terrified in fact, but no one says it. We band tightly together, groups that were separated come together, being closer with everyone means that there’s no time to feel scared and alone.

Senior year was also the year that I realized that I really do love chicken wings. So today, in commemoration of my new found love, I’m sharing a recipe of buffalo chicken wings. Yum.

Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings (serves 3-4)
Recipe Adapted from: Jeanne on Tip32

Ingredients for wings

2 lbs chicken wings
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Ingredients for sauce

3 1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup ranch dressing
2 tbsp soya sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 400, and line a baking sheet with tin foil.

Toss wings in a bowl with the dry rub. Place wings on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then flip wings over and cook for another 15 minutes.

While wings are cooking, make the sauce. Heat all the ingredients over medium heat in a small-medium sized pot. Stir the sauce until the ingredients are all incorporated.

Once wings are done cooking, place in a bowl and cover with the buffalo sauce. Toss to coat. Once coated, place the wings back on the baking sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes on one side, then flip and bake for another 5-7 minutes on the other.

These buffalo wings aren’t too spicy, but you can always up the hot sauce ration in the buffalo sauce for a little extra kick.

Enjoy!

- Lou

Banana Pancakes

When I think of Banana Pancakes I think of the Jack Johnson song. You know, the one that goes “I’ll make you banana pancakes. Pretend like it’s the weekend now.” If you don’t know it, search it up and listen, if you do know it, listen to it too. Let’s start a Banana Pancakes movement. Now, when I think of regular pancakes, I think of my Dad. When I was little he was always making me pancakes for breakfast. His pancakes were thin, slightly thicker than crepes but thin none the less, and he would roll them up in maple syrup and cut them into slices for my sister and I. To us, there was nothing better than waking up to Dad’s pancakes. I can still picture him rolling the pancakes in the morning and licking the sticky syrup off his fingers. My Dad also loves his bananas, he eats one every morning for breakfast and my mom’s banana bread is one of his favourite treats. So, with a little inspiration from Mr. Jack Johnson, I decided to combine bananas and pancakes for the perfect Father’s Day breakfast.

I consider myself pretty lucky with a Dad like mine. After all, who else would wake up at 7am every Saturday morning for years and drive me an hour to skating practice? Or, coach my soccer team for 5 years? Or, make chilli with me when I’m sick? Or, email me and point out the typos in my blog posts? Or, sing along to David Bowie and Cake with me in the car? My Dad is a pretty special guy, and despite his love for red meat and sometimes terrible and cringe worthy jokes, I’m his biggest fan and he’s my biggest fan. We make a pretty good team.

Banana Pancakes (serves 6 to 7)
Recipe adapted from: Whole Foods

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup white flour
1/4 ground flax meal
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
(1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas, peeled and smashed
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup low fat yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Canola oil

Directions

In a medium sized bowl, combine flours, flax meal, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a team, beating well in between each egg. Then, beat in the bananas, milk, yogurt and vanilla extract.

Fold in the dry ingredients in one addition.

In a frying pan, or a griddle, heat 1/2-1 tbsp of canola oil over medium heat. Turn heat down to low and using a ladle, scoop 1 ladle full of a batter onto the hot surface. Use the bottom of the ladle to spread out the batter. Cook until bubbles form in the center of the pancake, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side or until fully cooked.

Serve with extra banana slices and maple syrup.

Happy Father’s Day!

-Lou

Ranch Dressing

Ranch dressing is one of those condiments that has hundreds of uses and can be found in fridges of homes all around the world. Kids love it, adults love it – ranch is pretty universal. It’s easy to buy it, but if there’s one thing we can all agree upon it’s that bottled, store-bought versions of a food usually contain nasty and unpronounceable ingredients. Phosphoric acid, disodium phosphate, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate anyone? What is disodium and why is it everywhere? I think that unless you’re a food scientist, ingredient labels can seem like another language. It reminds me of when I used to take chemistry – so glad that I dropped sciences two years ago. I don’t know about all of you, but I’d much rather make my own dressing and know all of the ingredients I’m putting in. Plus it usually tastes better and is better for you – double bonus.

I mentioned that ranch dressing has tons of uses; you can use it on a salad, for dipping veggies, or treats like french fries and pizza. I for one enjoy a little ranch dip with my chicken fingers and chicken wings. You can even throw some ranch dressing into mashed potatoes to give them a little kick. When something as simple as ranch dressing has so many uses, why not enjoy a healthier version, one where you don’t have to worry about MSG and high-fructose corn syrup. This is a dressing you’ll be proud to use and serve to your family.

Ranch Dressing (makes 1 cup)
Recipe Inspired by: Confections of a Foodie Bride, originally from The Gourmet Cookbook, 2004

Ingredients
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp 5% sour cream
1/3 cup +1 tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 small clove garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp dried parsley

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process for 10 seconds or until combined and dressing has the desired consistency. I like my dressing to be slightly runny but just thick enough for dipping as well.

This ranch dressing makes the perfect summer main course, a chicken ranch salad that kids and adults alike will enjoy.

- Lou

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

I love red peppers, especially when they’re roasted. As the colour becomes a deep, gorgeous and enticing red, the flavor becomes rich, and slightly sweet. Roasted red peppers make for great appetizers, pasta sauces and my most favourite of all – dips. For about four years now, along with hummus, roasted red pepper dip has been my absolute favourite dip. I know that a lot of people are often searching for healthy snacks, because well, I’m one of them and from one healthy-snack-searcher to another, this dip makes for a great, healthy snack, pairing well with crackers or vegetables, my favourites are celery, broccoli or sugar snap peas.

If you have roasted red peppers on hand (either the jarred variety or homemade) this dip takes a few minutes to whip up and can be eaten right away. I like to pack mine and bring it to school for lunch, or like yesterday, munch on some veggies and dip whilst I spend the majority of the afternoon vegging out in front of the TV watching All About Eve. Have you ever seen All About Eve? It’s a stellar movie that’s extremely entertaining and all I can say is that Bette Davis and Anne Baxter both give performances of a lifetime. Such a shame neither of them won an Oscar.

As for tonight, I still have some dip left so I’ll eat it while I watch the season 6 premiere of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Also known as, the polar opposite of the cinematic beauty and genius that is All About Eve.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip (makes 1 cup)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients
2 roasted red peppers
1 small clove garlic
1/2 cup white beans
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp hot sauce (more to taste)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are combined and dip is your desired consistency.

Well, I’m off to get some studying done. Finals are killing me.

- Lou