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Movies

Monsters University’s Got Milk!

Monsters University's Got Milk!

There’s a new movie theater being built near us and I can’t wait for it to open so I can enjoy some of the new summer releases like Monsters University. (Monsters Inc. is one of my favorite Pixar movies.) That’s why I had to share this fun “got milk?” movie tie in.

At Monsters University, it takes a lot to fuel a day of scaring and nothing scares up successful days more than a breakfast with milk. A glass of milk – with 8 grams of high-quality protein in each 8 oz serving – can help power your monster days!

You can connect with the Milk Mustache community for tips, tools and activities including tasty morning recipes for all the big and little “monsters” in your family. You can also connect with them on:

And while you’re online, don’t forget to “like” Monsters University on Facebook and follow Disney/Pixar on Twitter for the latest news on the movie. Monsters University releases in theaters on June 21st!

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Posted on May 17, 2013 in Movies and tagged as

Practical Magic Midnight Peach and Cherry Beer Margaritas #glutenfree

Practical MagicFood‘nFlix

April’s Food ‘N Flix movie is Practical Magic (affiliate link), hosted by Glennis at Can't Believe We Ate. (Read her announcement here.) It’s a late-90s romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and a red-haired Nicole Kidman as the Owens sisters, Sally and Gillian, raised by two aunts played by Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest. They’re all witches living under a curse. You see, the men they fall in love with are doomed to an early death. The serious and somewhat nerdy Sally and wild woman Gillian must their witchy powers to fight the family curse and a swarm of supernatural forces after the accidental death of Gillian’s bad-boy boyfriend, played by Goran Visnjic of ER fame. Aidan Quinn plays an Arizonan policeman who investigates the sisters and ultimately falls in love with Sally.

This month’s Food ‘N Flix film is a cute as far as romcoms go, and I was super envious of Nicole Kidman’s amazing red hair. (Sandra Bullock is gorgeous, as usual, and both male leads were not hard on the eyes.) I especially liked the ending when the Owens witches go from pariahs to the most popular and beloved family in town.

All the actors and actresses are wonderful – and wonderfully directed by y Griffin Dunne – but the story's a bit silly at times. Still, it’s a fun movie to watch with your family (it’s PG-13 for some violence, intense thematic elements, mild profanity, and sensuality) and if you have Amazon Prime, it’s a free rental.

Bewitched? You can read the full plot on Wikipedia.

Practical Magic Midnight Peach and Cherry Beer Margaritas #glutenfree

Making Midnight Margaritas

In the movie, one night the entire house of witches (except for the little girls, of course) get lit up on magical Midnight Margaritas and dance around to the song, “Coconut” by Harry Nilsson. Inspired by Practical Magic, a friend telling me about beer margaritas, and this video, I decided to brew up my own healthed up and gluten free version of a beer margarita.

First, I replaced the frozen limeade concentrate with Welch’s 100% Juice White Grape Peach concentrate. (Have you ever read the label on a can of limeade? It’s pure high fructose corn syrup and some lime flavorings – blarg!) Instead of a cherry soda, I used Hansen’s Diet Black Cherry. And I used a gluten free sorghum beer homebrewed by my husband. (You can use your favorite gluten free beer or a light beer if you’re not gluten free.)

Call on your inner witch to brew up variations of my Practical Magic Midnight Margarita recipe using different 100% juice concentrates and Diet Hansen's sodas. This would make a wonderful party drink or serve it at a Sunday or Mother’s Day brunch!

Practical Magic Midnight Peach and Cherry Beer Margaritas #glutenfree

Practical Magic Midnight Peach and Cherry Beer Margaritas

Makes 4 to 6 margaritas

Ingredients:

  • 1 12-ounce can Welch’s 100% Juice White Grape Peach concentrate
  • 1 12-ounce can Diet Hansen’s Diet Black Cherry soda
  • 12 ounces gluten free beer
  • 12 ounces tequila
  • 3 concentrate cans of ice

Directions:

  1. Pre-chill your margarita glasses.(Chilling makes a big difference, believe me!)
  2. Combine all ingredients in a large blender.
  3. Place blender lid on firmly and hold it down with your hand. (There’s a lot of liquid in this recipe, and your margarita may threaten to overflow a bit!)
  4. Blend the margaritas using the blender’s pulse setting to prevent a spillover.
  5. Immediately pour into chilled glasses and serve.
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Posted on April 27, 2013 in Boozing It Up!,Featured,Gluten Free,Movies,Recipes and tagged as , ,

Cooking The Hunger Games: Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Brown Rice

Cooking The Hunger Games: Slow Cooker Meat Stew with Brown Rice

One of my blogging goals for 2013 was to join another online foodie event like Secret Recipe Club. Somehow I stumbled on to Cook the Books. Well, this month, Cook the Books is teaming up with Food 'n Flix to bring us dishes based on both the movie and the book, The Hunger Games . Heather from Girl Chef is hosting the event – see her announcement post. Heather is definitely a blogger after my own heart as she’s as passionate about movies and reading as she is about food, since she’s part of the team that runs Cook the Books and Food ‘n Flix.

Reading The Hunger Games

I had read The Hunger Games Trilogy last spring in the hopes of getting my kids to read it. (Lucie did and enjoyed it somewhat. Nathan never got past the first book.) Instead, I was the one who got hooked on the series, which wasn’t a surprise as it’s well written and I’m a sucker for a good dystopian novel. 

Rereading the book for this project, I realized how fixated Katniss Everdeen was on food. People who wonder where their next meal will come from – if it comes at all – usually are. However, one of the ways the movie, The Hunger Games, fell short was that it wasn’t fixated on food as much as Katniss’s character was. It’s a shame, because you never get the feeling that Katniss or any of the kids from the poorer districts were starving. They all looked too healthy!

Cooking The Hunger Games

To help me decide what to make for Cook the Books/Food ‘n Flix, I took notes on the various dishes and foods that are mentioned in the book, such as Katniss’s favorite lamb stew. But there are other dishes that sounded intriguing such as fish stew with greens, goat cheese, “chicken and chunks of oranges cooked in a creamy sauce laid on a bed of pearly white grain,” bread with raisins, tiny green peas and onions, or mushroom soup – and that doesn’t even touch on the desserts, such as “pudding the color of honey.”

One dish that appeared twice when Katniss was under some stress was described as “hot grain smothered in beef stew” or just hot grain and stew. Being the middle of winter, who wouldn’t want to have a bowl of beef stew on rice? I decided to modify Real Simple’s Slow Cooker Classic Beef Stew by making it gluten free, adding more root vegetables and peas, and serving it on brown rice.

hunger-games-stew

Healthy modification: the original recipe called for dredging the beef chunks in all-purpose flour. I substituted gluten free teff flour, but feel free to use your favorite GF (or non-GF) flour. While the flour thickens the stew, it does add a lot of calories, which is fine if you're Katniss and need some fattening up. If you’re watching your calorie intake, here’s another way to thicken the stew.

  1. Omit the flour, and season the beef with salt and pepper to taste.
  2. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat. Brown the meat as directed. Follow the rest of the recipe.
  3. About 30 minutes before serving, mix 3 tablespoons corn or rice starch with 3 tablespoons broth from the slow cooker.
  4. Add the mixture to the stew and stir.
  5. Put the lid back on the crock pot and turn up the heat to the High setting.
  6. After 30 minutes, stir and serve stew over rice. 

Also, while I’ve served this with brown rice (cooked with the leftover beef broth I had on hand) you can use white rice, quinoa, or wild rice. For those who aren’t gluten free, try it with couscous or farro.

Cooking The Hunger Games: Slow Cooker Meat Stew with Brown Rice

Cooking The Hunger Games: Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Brown Rice

Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Brown Rice

Based on Slow Cooker Classic Beef Stew by Jane Kirby in the March 2004 issue of Real Simple. Note all nutritional information for stew only.

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds bottom round, trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 1 cup gluten free flour
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced (2 cups)
  • 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
  • 1 pound baby potatoes, washed (not peeled)
  • 1/2 pound baby carrots
  • 4 parsnips, roughly diced
  • 2 stalks celery, roughly diced
  • 2 cups gluten free beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 16 ounce package frozen peas
  • cooked brown rice (enough for 6 to 8 people)

Directions

  1. Coat the beef in the flour. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meat, a few pieces at a time, adding more oil as necessary. Throw out any unused flour.
  2. Transfer browned beef to a large capacity (4 to 6 quart) slow cooker.
  3. Add the diced onions to the skillet. Cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and coat the onions. Transfer the onion and tomato mixture to the slow cooker.
  4. Pour the wine into the skillet and scrape up any browned bits. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker.
  5. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, parsnips, celery, beef broth, salt, thyme, and bay leaf.
  6. Cover and cook on low heat for 7 1/2 hours, or on high for 4 hours.
  7. About 15 minutes before serving, add the peas and cook until heated through.
  8. Serve on top of brown rice
Prep Time: 35 - 45 Minutes
Cook Time: 4 - 7 Hours 30 Minutes
Total Time: 4:35 - 8 Hours 15 Minutes
Nutrition Grade N/A from CalorieCount

Weight Watchers POINTS = N/A
Servings: Serves 8-10
  • Calories: 520
  • Calories from Fat: 177
  • Total Fat: 20 g
  • Saturated fat: 5 g
  • Unsaturated fat: 15 g
  • Sodium: 1061 mg
  • Total Carbohydrates: 31 g
  • Fiber: 4 g
  • Protein: 48 mg
  • Cholesterol: 127 mg
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Posted on January 24, 2013 in Books,Crock Pot and Slow Cooker,Featured,Gluten Free,Movies,Recipes and tagged as

Toast: a movie review and a recipe for lemon meringue pie

Toast

There hasn’t been a good foodie movie since Julie and Julia came out in 2009. (Well, that was half of a good foodie movie as the parts with the blogger Julie were annoying.) Now we have the movie, Toast: The Story of a Boy’s Hunger, based on food writer, Nigel Slater’s book of the same name. The movie just came out on DVD in the US – just in time to buy it with that Amazon gift card you got for Christmas or Hanukkah!

In Toast, we quickly learn that Nigel’s mum literally cannot cook – well just about everything but mince pies. Her idea of making dinner is taking canned food, placing the unopened cans in a pan of water, and boiling them until heated. Poor Nigel is starving for a decent meal (he doesn’t even like the milk at school), but at least has his mum’s love – and toast with butter – to sustain him.

Nigel’s mum passes away from severe asthma while he’s still young. Nigel and his distant, sad father bumble through trying to care of each other. Nigel attempts to fill the void by cooking dinner himself. Instead, he ends up with a very burnt dinner that his dad assures him is just fine. It’s rather touching.

Life changes for these two sad blokes when their new cleaner (housekeeper) Mrs. Potter, played by the wonderful Helena Bonham Carter, shows up. She’s dressed like a tart and has the amazing ability to make enticing and picture perfect tarts, cakes, pies, roasts, and British classics like Toad in the Hole. Her cooking goes straight to Nigel’s dad’s heart and he moves them all out to the country, so he can live in sin with Mrs. Potter and her fabulous cooking. There’s something to be said for the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!

Meanwhile, Nigel discovers the Domestic Science (home ec) class at his new school and his talent for cooking. Nigel soon starts a culinary rivalry over scones and lemon meringue pie with Mrs. Potter for his dad’s affections. Instead, Mrs. Potter turns up the kitchen heat a notch until she literally feeds Nigel’s dad to death. Fortunately, with his parents gone, cooking serves as a way for Nigel to leave all the madness behind him and start his adult life.

Toast is a lovely snapshot of England in the ‘60s and a sweet, funny story. However, I almost feel much of it is lost on American audiences as Toast’s appeal is nostalgia for a lost time in British life. Still, if  you’re a food aficionado, you’ll enjoy Toast’s classic vintage food presentations while rooting for Nigel – and marveling at Mrs. Potter’s wicked kitchen skills.

lemon meringue

And now for a dessert recipe from Toast’s food stylist, Katharine Tidy. Read an interview with her to find how she made all those amazing movie food dishes at Q & A With Katherine Tidy: Buttering Up the Food Stylist From BBC Films Toast from the LA Weekly blog.

Lemon meringue pie

Pastry ingredients:

  • 8 ounces flour
  • 4 ounces butter
  • a pinch of salt
  • cold water to mix

Pastry directions:

  1. Sieve flour into a bowl rub in the butter until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
  2. Gradually add the water approx 2 tablespoons mixing with a knife then your hands until the mixture comes together.
  3. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes then roll out the pastry and line a flan case and bake it blind for approx 10 minutes. Line with baking paper and fill with rice or dried beans and cook until golden brown.

Lemon layer ingredients for a 9 inch pie pan:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup corn starch
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • the peel of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 4 eggs
  • 10 grams of gelatin powder
  • yellow food coloring (optional)

Lemon layer ingredients adjusted for very deep pie pan or flan pan:

  • 2 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup corn starch
  • pinch of salt
  • 3 3/4 cups warm water
  • the peel of 2 lemons
  • 1 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 10 eggs
  • 10 grams of gelatin powder
  • yellow food coloring (optional)

Lemon layer directions:

  1. Put all the ingredients except the eggs into a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil, mixing slowly to combine allowing the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and thicken.
  2. When it has reached boiling point continue mixing for about a minute.
  3. Separate the eggs and whisk the egg yolks and gradually add the thick lemon mix.
  4. Return to the heat but do not allow to boil.
  5. Sprinkle 10 grams of gelatin powder into a tablespoon of water leave for a few minutes until it looks spongy. Slowly heat until the gelatin has melted.
  6. Add to the lemon mixture along with yellow food coloring for that total Toast effect.
  7. Pour into the prebaked flan case and allow to cool.

Meringue ingredients:

  • 4 egg whites for the 9 inch pie pan

OR

  • 10 egg whites for the deep dish

Meringue directions:

  1. Whisk the egg whites until thick and you can hold the bowl upside down without the egg whites falling out.
  2. Gradually add the sugar.
  3. Spread the meringues onto the lemon mix making sure to cover right to the edge then pile the rest of the meringue on top or pipe in a decorative design.
  4. Bake in the oven at its highest heat for about 5-10 minutes until lightly colored.

________________
Disclosure: I received a movie screener (not the full DVD version) to facilitate this review.

Don't forget that you can save any of the recipes you see here at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet to an online recipe box by clicking the Save Recipe button below.

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Posted on December 27, 2011 in Desserts,Movies,Recipes

Dinner and a movie: Couscous and Cornish Game Hens and a chance to win an Adventures of Tintin prize pack

The Adventures of Tintin I first came across the Tintin comics at my uncle’s home in France. He brought in a few of the books to my room hoping that they’d keep me entertained. The problem was that they were all in French since they probably belonged to my older cousins. Even so, I did love gazing at the pictures, which is why I’m looking forward to the release of The Adventures of Tintin. You can watch trailers of the movie here.

Alouette joins in with Tintin’s adventure with their “What’s Your Culinary Adventure” Sweepstakes on Facebook. They’re giving away three culinary adventures: a wine weekend in Sonoma Valley, California, a visit to a wine and food festival in South Beach, Florida, and a fine dining restaurant tour in NYC. In addition, you can visit Alouette’s Adventures of Tintin website for a chance to win weekly prizes or a 10-day European trip.

In addition, I’m giving away an Adventures of Alouette Cheese Prize Pack which contains Alouette FREE product coupons, movie passes, and Tintin plush dolls for the kids. (Details below on how to win!)

But first, a wonderful holiday recipe from the Tintin Alouette Recipe Collection. This time of year you can easily find Cornish game hens in the freezer section at your grocery store. They’re a delicious holiday dinner alternative to the usual turkey, ham and roast beef.

cous_cous alouette

Alouette Garlic and Herbs Couscous and Cornish Game Hens

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups whole grain couscous
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Cornish game hens
  • 2 ounces vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup black olives, pitted and halved
  • 1/2 cup green olives, pitted and halved
  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup capers
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1/2 cup peas
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 package Alouette’s Light Garlic & Herbs Spreadable Cheese 

Directions:

  1. Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan and add the couscous. Bring back to a simmer, cover and remove from heat. After 10 minutes stir in olive oil with a fork and keep warm.
  2. Split and quarter each Cornish game hen and season with salt and pepper.
  3. In a large skillet heat vegetable oil over medium high heat. Sear all pieces of the Cornish game hen until golden brown.
  4. Drain oil and add olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, cherry tomatoes and heat thoroughly. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer for 8-10 minutes.
  5. Remove Cornish game hen and most of the vegetables from the sauce. Cover to keep warm.
  6. Stir Alouette Garlic and Herbs Spreadable Cheese into the liquid to make the sauce. Add the peas and chopped parsley.
  7. To serve, fill the bottom of a casserole dish with the cooked couscous, top with the Cornish game hen and vegetables. Spoon sauce over Cornish game hens and couscous. Enjoy!

Win a Adventures of Alouette Cheese Prize Pack

Alouette Tintin giveawayOne lucky winner will receive an Adventures of Alouette Cheese Prize Pack valued at $52 that contains:

  • Five Alouette full value coupons
  • Movie tickets for two from HollywoodMovieMoney.com
  • Two Adventures of Tintin plush toys – Tintin and his dog Snowy (my daughter loved these)

Here’s how to enter:

Giveaway closed. Congrats to Renee W.!

  1. Go to alouettecheese.com and tell me what your favorite Alouette product is for ONE entry.
  2. Enter the Alouette Tintin contest here for ONE additional entry.
  3. Sign up for This Mama Cooks! Review’s RSS feed for ONE additional entry.
  4. Sign up for my enewsletter for ONE additional entry.
  5. Spread the word about this giveaway by submitting a link to this post on Twitter for ONE additional entry. You must leave a link to your tweet in your comment so I can check.
  6. If you have done any of these additional activities you MUST come back here and leave a comment telling me what you did. I will be checking!
  7. Maximum amount of entries at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet is FIVE.
  8. You have until midnight MST on Thursday, December 22, 2011 to enter.

ONE winner will be chosen at random. You must be willing to send me your full name, mailing address and phone number so I pass your info on to Alouette’s PR agency so they can mail you your prize pack. I’ll announce the winner on this blog. I won't share your mailing info with the public, just your name. If you have a blog, I’ll link back to it when I announce the winner.

The giveaway is valued at $52 and is only open to legal residents of the United States, 18 years of age and older. No purchase required. Odds of winning based on number of entries. Up to FIVE entries per person. ONE Alouette Cheese Prize Pack will be given away. Void where prohibited by law.

By submitting your name and email address, you agree to receive relevant promotional emails and contest follow up communications from This Mama Cooks! On a Diet in compliance with my privacy policy and giveaway rules.

_________________
Disclosure: I received an Alouette Cheese Prize Pack and was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own.

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Posted on December 15, 2011 in Contests and Giveaways,Movies,Recipes

DVD review: Got the Facts on Milk?

cow I’m pro-dairy products like skim milk and Greek yogurt and have a ridiculous fondness for cheese. Unfortunately for me, I’m slightly lactose intolerant and have a whey sensitivity, so I have to avoid milk, yogurt and soft cheeses (like ricotta) though I can tolerate other forms of cheese pretty well. So when I sat down to watch the documentary, Got the Facts on Milk?, I really didn’t want to like it. However, I found it entertaining, funny and well done.

Stretching the truth?

Yet there were things about the documentary that bothered me. For example, Got the Facts on Milk? uses inflammatory statements about what’s in milk to, in my opinion, unnecessarily alarm audiences. For example, several of the experts interviewed explain that there are white (somatic) cells in milk, which they start calling “pus,” implying that milk is dirty or has infection in it.

All mammalian milk, including human breast milk, naturally contains white cells. They’re present in milk because the mom is passing them to the baby to build their immune systems to help them fight infection. Now, if you want to argue that people don’t need cow white cells, I’m fine with that. But don’t call it pus to upset viewers. After all, you wouldn’t tell a human mom who’s breast feeding that she’s giving her baby pus, would you?

Another example is the Vitamin D that is added to milk, which has pretty much eliminated conditions like rickets in this country. Got the Facts on Milk? points out that it comes from lanolin that is removed from sheep’s wool. An interesting fact, but who cares? After all, lanolin is what nursing (human) moms put on their cracked nipples when they’re breast feeding. And we put it on our babies’ bottoms when they have diaper rash. However, if you have a lanolin allergy, you should probably avoid drinking milk with Vitamin D in it.

Good stuff

Still, Got the Facts on Milk? does point out some facts about milk advertising (the “Got milk?” campaign) that you should pay attention to. The dairy industry is in the business of selling their products, and they do it whether they’re pressuring the schools to offered sugary flavored milk products or trying to convince you that milk helps with PMS. You should question all advertising whether it comes from a commodity board, a brand, the government, or here on my blog.

Face it, most people are lactose intolerant and can’t drink milk or consume dairy products without side affects like gastric distress. So to hear that schools are forcing milk on kids who come from populations that didn’t grow up with dairy products - Native Americans, Asians and African Americans – is very disturbing.

Also, I did like how Got the Facts on Milk? discussed the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone, which has many people concerned, myself included. The best way to avoid rBGH is to buy organic milk or from a dairy that doesn’t use it. However, the documentary never points this out as it seems to go against their “milk is bad, so you’re either with us or against us” philosophy.

Make an informed decision

It’s a biased film, but then I’m biased as well. So if you’re interested in viewing the film, check their facts, read what the dairy industry has to say, and what independent researchers have found about milk. Then make an educated decision on what’s best for you and your family.

You can learn more about Got the Facts on Milk? at www.milkdocumentary.com.

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Posted on October 2, 2011 in Movies

Healthy Family Movie Night snacks – Bacon Caramel Popcorn {gluten free, vegan}

Bacon Caramel PopcornAfter catching my kids watching Family Guy the other night while I was working upstairs, I’ve been searching for more family friendly TV and movie fare. That’s why I signed up to be Friday Night Ambassador to tell you about the latest Family Movie Night show, Who Is Simon Miller?, premiering Saturday, August 6th at 8/7c on NBC.

I had a chance to sit though a special pre-screening. Even though Who Is Simon Miller? is a spy action movie, it’s perfect for the kids. (Think Spy Kids without the special effects.) Dad goes missing and his family figures out that he’s a spy. His wife, Meredith and their two kids, Sarah and Kevin, figure out where he is and get mixed up in an international spy ring. It’s hard to tell who’s a good guy or a bad guy, and it’s interesting to watch the story unfold.

Frankly, the plot’s rather unbelievable at times. Mom’s too young, slim and pretty. Sarah, who’s only 18, speaks Spanish and French fluently. And Kevin, even though he’s a geeky genius, has the most clear skin I’ve seen on a 15-year-old. Also, I doubt an intelligence officer would bring the family along on his or her mission.

However, the iCarly crowd will love it, while their parents will be happy that they’re not exposed to gratuitous violence or adult sexual situations a la James Bond. There’s lots of touching family moments, too, along with discussions about trust and honesty.

Who is Simon Miller? is perfect viewing for a quiet Saturday night at home after a long summer day at the beach or amusement park. Learn more about Family Movie Night on Facebook or check out a preview below.

Healthy Family Movie Night snacks - Bacon Caramel Popcorn

Summer’s a great time of year for healthy snacks. There are fresh berries and cherries on sale at the grocery store or at the farmer’s market. You can make ice pops or other frozen treats. You could also do veggies and dip, hummus and pita chips, or apple slices and grapes. However, there’s nothing that says “movies” like popcorn.

I recently attended a party where everyone brought a bacon-themed dish. One couple brought a fabulous bacon and caramel popcorn dish that featured vegan bacon. Though their dish featured nuts, it was very similar a recipe from Vegan by Valerie.

Not only is this bacon flavored healthy snack vegan, but it’s gluten free. I’ve tweaked it to use products that fit with my food sensitivities like coconut palm sugar. However, feel free to make your own substitutions. You can also add nuts, dried fruit pieces or even chocolate chips to the popcorn. Bacon Caramel Popcorn is as healthy – or decadent – as you want it to be.

Bacon Caramel Popcorn

Based on a recipe from Vegan by Valerie

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Fry up your bacon until crispy. Let cool and crumble.
  2. Pop popcorn using Alton Brown’s microwave brown paper bag method or an air popper.
  3. Combine the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, agave nectar, and coconut palm sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat, and boil for another 5 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining caramel ingredients (salt, baking soda, bourbon, and vanilla).
  6. Pour the bacon bits over the popcorn and stir.
  7. Pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and gently stir to combine. 
  8. Spoon the popcorn onto two large baking sheets.
  9. Bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes, stopping every 15 minutes to stir.
  10. Let the popcorn sit for at least 30 minutes or until it cools to room temperature.

_______________________
Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate

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Posted on July 28, 2011 in Desserts,Featured,Gluten Free,Movies,Recipes and tagged as ,

Happy Fourth of July!

Winnie the Pooh Fourth of July A Happy Fourth of July to my American friends!

Remember, “A Pooh Bear takes care of his tummy by never forgetting to eat,” says Winnie the Pooh. So I hope you’re having some wonderful meals this holiday weekend, and that you’re keeping your tummy happy by eating healthy and staying away from anything that triggers your food sensitivities or allergies.

Winnie the Pooh

Thanks to the nice folks at Disney for supplying this picture to remind you that Winnie the Pooh comes out in theaters everywhere on July 15th. Featuring the timeless charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, movie audiences will be reunited with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo, and last but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail.

There’s also hunny, er, honey involved.

 Winnie the Pooh Rabbit Hunny

Inspired by three stories from A.A. Milne’s books in Disney’s classic, hand-drawn art style, I can’t wait to take the kids to see Winnie the Pooh. How about you?

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Posted on July 4, 2011 in Movies

Dinner and a movie with The Young Victoria

Young VictoriaAfter viewing The Young Victoria (recently released on DVD), I thought it would be a splendid movie to  watch with friends while enjoying a Victorian themed meal.

It’s kind of a chick flick – lots of gorgeous settings, elaborate costumes, and a sigh inspiring, romantic love story between the teenage Queen Victoria (Emily Blunt) and the oh so handsome Prince Albert (Rupert Friend). You may want to leave the men folk at home for this dinner party. After all, asking your husband, “Why aren’t you romantic like Albert?” and him replying, “I would be if you were as rich as the Queen,” would spoil all the fun.

Visual History of CookeryAccording to A Visual History of Cookery (a book you must own if you love culinary history) the “notion of new elegant dinner parties held in the home was by the Victorians.” It was a way for the middle class to display their wealth while the gentlemen of the household discussed business and politics with guests. There was a lot of etiquette involved like white candles, fine table cloths and massive amounts of silverware.

Aren’t you glad that those days are over and we can invite our gal pals over with the only requirement that they dress comfortably and bring a bottle of their favorite adult libation?

A healthy Victorian menu

Dinners with Famous Women: From Cleopatra to Indira Gandhi by Eugenia Van Vliet is a culinary history cookbook. Each chapter provides a menu and recipes for a full course dinner inspired by these women of history. Since I was expecting heavy food with lots of creamy sauces, I was pleasantly surprised to see that parts of the menu Eugenia created were fairly healthy – the Sorrel Soup, the Salmon in Elderberry Sauce, the Duck Breasts with Cherries and Mint, and Cucumbers Braised with Onions

You can read the chapter at Google Books and see the recipes for yourself. My favorite was the duck recipe, which you could also make with leaner chicken breasts - just be careful not to overcook them!

Duck Breasts with Cherries and Mint

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

  1. The Young Victoria dining 4 duck breasts
  2. 2 cups red wine
  3. 1 cup chicken stock
  4. 2 tablespoons cherry jam
  5. 2 cups cherries, stems removed and pitted
  6. 1/8 cup shredded mint leaves
  7. Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper. Prick the skins all over with a fork.
  3. Place the duck breast on a rack, with a roasting pan underneath. Roast until brown on the top, about 15 minutes.
  4. Remove the roasting pan and pour off most of the fat. Place on oven burner, set at medium high heat.
  5. Add the wine and deglaze. Let the wine boil until thick. Add the chicken stock and boil, until reduced by half. Add the jam and the cherries. Simmer for a few
    minutes. Stir in the shredded mint.
  6. Carve the duck breasts into serving portions and place on dinner plates. Spoon the cherry sauce on top.

Approximate nutritional information from CalorieCount:

  • Calories 282
  • Calories from Fat 49
  • Total Fat 5.5g
  • Cholesterol 0mg
  • Sodium 134mg
  • Total Carbohydrates 13.2g
  • Dietary Fiber 1.0g
  • Sugars 9.0g
  • Protein 29.8g

Weight Watchers POINTS per serving (5 ounces of duck) = 6

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Disclosure: I was sent review copies of The Young Victoria and A Visual History of Cookery. I own a copy of Dinners with Famous Women. All opinions are my own.

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Posted on April 27, 2010 in Cookbooks,Movies,Recipes,Weight Watchers

Mario Batali cooks for the Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic Mr. Fox DVDWhen you present a child with a fancy meal, you know they’ll probably like it. However, the fine dining experience will most likely go over their head. That’s how I feel about the Fantastic Mr. Fox, a beautiful, family film based on the story by Roald Dahl that was recently released on DVD and Blu-ray.

At times the movie reminded me of Ocean’s 11 and the Usual Suspects with a little Sopranos and Glengarry Glen Ross thrown in, but without the bad language of course. (Mr. Fox says “cuss” instead of using a cuss word.)

The movie is rated PG and there is some violence when the farmers try to kill the animals and Mr. Fox gets his tail cut off. Also, Mrs. Fox is referred to as the town tart (before she got married) which may need some explaining to curious youngsters.

(BarnesandNobles.com has terrific DVD “What Parents Need to Know” guides thanks to Common Sense Media.)

My children enjoyed it, especially my 10-year-old son who didn’t move off the bed once while watching it in my room. However, only an adult could truly appreciate the wonderful stop action photography, the dialogue, and miniature sets. (George Clooney’s voice as Mr. Fox was very nice, too. Sigh.) It bears repeat watching to take in all the details.

Mr. Fox gets foodie

So why am I reviewing Fantastic Mr. Fox on a food blog? After all, it’s not a food related kid’s movie like Ratatouille or even Princess and the Frog. And no, it’s not because Meryl Streep’s in it (she’s the voice of Mrs. Fox) though after seeing Julie & Julia, her name is always joined with Julia Child’s in my mind.

After doing a little research about the movie, thanks to Opening Ceremony I found out that Mario Batali does the voice of Rabbit and provides inspiration for the character down to his orange Crocs!

(Mario’s looking pretty good these days. I was worried about how large he was getting when I saw him cooking on Iron Chef last season. According to Diets In Review, he’s lost 45 pounds mostly from portion control. If you’ve read Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany, you know that the man can seriously put away the food and is known to drink wine by the case.)

Well, last Thanksgiving, Mario’s PR people sent out a cute little package of recipes to various bloggers. I didn’t get one but PR Mama, Stephanie Smirnov did and shares the PDF here. This classic Brussels sprouts recipe caught my eye.

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Recipe courtesy of the Babbo Cookbook

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Ingredients:

  • Kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
  • 1/2 pound pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt.
  2. Set up an ice bath nearby.
  3. Cook the whole Brussels sprouts in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then
    drain and plunge into the ice bath.
  4. Once they have cooled, drain the sprouts, trim off the tough ends, and cut in half lengthwise.
  5. In a 12- to 14-inch saute pan, heat the pancetta over low heat until most of the fat has been rendered and the cubes are crispy, 8-10 minutes.
  6. Remove the pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve.
  7. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan
    and cook over medium heat until tender, 6-7 minutes.
  8. Return the pancetta to the pan and add the thyme, parsley, and salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Tips:

  • If you cannot find pancetta, substitute with a lean bacon or ham.
  • To reduce calories and fat, reduce the amount of pancetta by half.
  • Cook up the sprouts in a little bit of bacon grease and olive oil to get the flavor of this recipe, but not the fat and calories.

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Disclosure: All links to Barnes & Nobles are affiliate links. A commission may be earned from a referred sale to their website.I received a review copy (not a retail copy) of the movie from Click Communications.

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Posted on April 6, 2010 in Cooking Shows,Movies,Recipes,Veggies

Cooking beignets with Princess and the Frog and a healthy Cajun recipe roundup

Tiana's Beignets from Princess & the FrogMy daughter, Lucie and I loved Princess and the Frog when it came out in movie theaters. Lucie loved Tiana, the princess story and funny characters like Louis the trumpet playing gator. I enjoyed the animation, Randy Newman’s music, and references to the culture and food of New Orleans.

Most of all I loved how Tiana’s dream was about cooking and opening up the restaurant her father and her had planned together. Not since Ratatouille has a Disney movie appealed to the cook in me. (Bet you foodies didn’t know that Emeril Lagasse voiced the part of Marlon the Gator!)

With the March 16th release of Disney’s Princess and the Frog on Blu-ray and DVD and the companion cookbook, The Princess and the Frog: Tiana’s Cookbook it’s time to get your kids cooking Cajun style!

Tiana’s Famous Beignets

We love having beignets at Lucille’s, a Cajun style restaurant chain here in Colorado. They’re an occasional special treat that you might want to try making at home. Put on some Louis Armstrong music and dance around with the kids to work off those calories!

Recipe from The Princess and The Frog - Tiana's Cookbook Recipes for Kids

Makes 14 to 16

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups flour clip_image001[2]
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine 2 3/4 cups of the flour with the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk everything together.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, water, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture from Step 1.
  3. Use some of the remaining flour to dust your work surface. Place the dough on it and pat it into a large 1/2 -inch-thick square. Dust the top with more flour if it gets sticky. Next, slice the dough into 2 1/2 -inch squares.
  4. Now it’s time to fry the beignets—be sure to ask an adult to help you! Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan on the stove top until the temperature reaches 325° on a deep-fat thermometer. Check the temperature every so often while cooking. If it gets too hot, temporarily turn the heat down, or off.
  5. Carefully drop 3 dough squares at a time into the hot oil. Fry them for 3 minutes, turn them over, and continue frying for 3 more minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beignets to a wire rack set atop paper towels to drain. Dust the beignets with confectioners’ sugar, and enjoy!

Healthier Cajun food

Traditionally Cajun food isn’t the healthiest, but I’ve found several recipes that do their best to lessen the culinary damage:

From Holly Clegg

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Disclosure: I received a review copy of the Princess and the Frog DVD.

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Posted on March 26, 2010 in Breakfast,Movies,Recipes