Working Eater Series: Popcorn, Elevated

Like most people, my "go-to" snack is popcorn. If it is not smothered in butter or margarine, laden with salt, or coated in a hard candy shell, it is a healthy, ethereal, and satisfying alternative to greasy and sugary snacks. And it usually is a staple in everyone's pantry! I usually try to air-pop my popcorn with dried corn kernels and a brown bag. All you need to do is fill a small paper lunch bag with 1/2 a cup of dried corn kernels, tightly fold or crumple it shut, and microwave it on high for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your microwave settings and when the popping sound decreases (just like the directions on the processed kind). Follow those directions, and you will have instant microwaved popcorn. For popcorn, do not resort to the artificially-flavored and carcinogenic popcorn brands of the Orville Redenbacher, Pop Secret, or Act II-persuasion.

However, plain popcorn is monotonous and buttered popcorn quickly gets tedious without something extra special to elevate it into "spectacular" territory.


For me, I love furikake, a slightly sweet and very umami/savory Japanese spice blend made of dried bonito fish flakes, seaweed, and other flavorings. If you are not familiar with furikake, think anchovies or fish sauce, but less salty and in a dried form. For a Japanese or Hawaiian-inspired popcorn snack, just add (1) slivers of nori (dried seaweed), (2) a couple of tablespoons of dried furikake seasoning, (3) several drops of dark sesame oil (very intensely flavored, so act with a judicious hand), and (4) a pinch or two of wasabi powder for the perfect flavor profile. You could also add salted peanuts too!


For a N'Awlins-inspired popcorn, dissolve a teaspoon or so of creole seasoning and a few dashes of Tabasco with a melted tablespoon of butter and quickly toss the mixture in with the popcorn and feast away!

For a South American-inspired popcorn, I usually just add salt, chile powder, and the juice of 1/2 a lime. This combo works with corn on the cob too, and it is divine!

I have also heard of additions of dried oregano, cumin, and parmesan cheese, but I have yet to try those flavor combos. Do you have any "spectacular" popcorn ideas to share? I would love to hear your suggestions!

Tex-Mex Seven Layer Dip

Without a doubt, my favorite party food is seven layer dip. With one deft swoop of a wide-brimmed tortilla chip, you can shovel a delectable and flavor-packed bite of seven unique tastes and textures into your open mouth. Also, since there is guacamole and salsa inside, you save on repeated trips to the party table!


Every family has their own version of seven layer dip, so you will definitely see many variations. I have had seven layer dips with both black beans and refried beans, with ground beef or turkey, and with plain chopped tomatoes instead of a piquant salsa. Some people use cilantro instead of scallions as their seventh layer. Others use lettuce, canned green chiles, or Mexican corn as one of the seven ingredients. In addition, you can use whatever proportions of the ingredients that you'd like, as long as no one ingredient eclipses the others.


Although there is room for creativity, it is generally accepted that there are six necessary ingredients that must be included in a seven layer dip. These are: (1) beans, (2) cheese, (3) sour cream, (4) tomatoes, (5) avocado, and (6) olives. (The seventh ingredient can be almost anything you would like. Well, maybe not pasta or chocolate, but you get my drift.)


This is my family's recipe.

Seven Layer Dip (Salsa de Siete Capas)
1 16oz can of refried beans
1 4.25oz can of pre-sliced black olives
1 cup of pico de gallo salsa (or 1/4 cup of jarred salsa with 1 large tomato, chopped)
1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1 cup of sour cream (or nonfat Greek yogurt)
1 tbsp of cumin (or taco seasoning)
2 scallion sprigs, chopped and with the root end removed
2 large avocados, peeled, pitted, and roughly smashed
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
tabasco, to taste
1 large bag of corn tortilla chips


Layer a wide transparent bowl with the ingredients, starting with the refried beans (with the cumin and tabasco mixed inside). Follow the bean layer with a layer of sour cream, shredded cheese, smashed avocados and garlic, pico de gallo salsa, black olives, and finally, the chopped scallions. Use the back of a wide spoon or spatula to help you spread the creamy ingredients. Serve the dip with corn tortilla chips and voraciously enjoy the dip in front of the television and with friends.



Also, instead of serving the dip in a large bowl, you can use a plate, individual custard ramekins (if they are transparent glass or plastic), or lowball liquor glasses. If serving individual portions in ramekins or liquor glasses, garnish each portion with a white or blue corn tortilla chip. This way of serving seven layer dip will result in less mess (in the dip itself), but will require the washing of many more dishes! Either way, I hope you enjoy this dip, I know I do!

My Super Bowl XLIII Commentary

I think it is clear by this blog, that I love my husband. You know why? Because I watch football. For him. That's love.

Usually, during the Super Bowl, I keep myself busy in the kitchen while my husband makes grunting noises and pumps (or shakes) his fists in the air (while simultaneously wielding a large chicken drumstick) at the Super Bowl broadcast on television. This time however, our Super Bowl experience was a little different because I was emotionally invested in the game. This year, I was hissing and scratching like a crazed cavewoman alongside him. Oh yeah, I also used two drumsticks in my hands like meat clubs, whacking inanimate objects just like how my husband does.

It is no secret that I am an Arizona supremacist. There are only two states with people that love their state more than their own firstborn child. The first is Texas. The second is Arizona. Therefore, anything affiliated with Arizona is solid gold in my opinion. If Arizona wanted to secede from the United States, I (like other Arizonans) would eagerly enlist in the Arizona militia and tattoo my arm with the Arizona flag... Well, maybe not, but I have always respected the Cardinals (even despite their record) and I have always loved the Suns. Plus, the Cardinals have systematically been treated terribly, like the awkward reject and laughingstock of the NFL. Therefore, when the Cardinals won the playoff game in which they were the underdogs, I already felt like Arizona won the Super Bowl. They were the Cinderella team, and the glass slipper (or the pigskin, whatever you want to call it) got returned to them. Then they won the second playoff game, as underdogs, again. It was like I won the lottery, and the tears flowed like Niagara Falls. And then they did it again, winning the West and making it to the Super Bowl, again as underdogs. With Barack Obama winning the Presidency, and the Arizona Cardinals making the Super Bowl, it felt like the second coming.

Finally, the Cardinals played the heck out of the Super Bowl, despite the worst officiating in the NFL, ever. They tried their hardest and overcame all expectations. Therefore, no matter what the score, I was so proud. It was amazing to watch their valiant efforts, which forced the commentators eat their words at how Arizona would never make it. Yes, it was a bittersweet game because they deserved the win and were robbed blind by corrupt referees, but being a Suns fan, I am used to skewed officiating that sucks major piehole. (And I am used to Steve Kerr's bumbling idiocy.) I am proud of the Cardinals because they are fighters who never gave up, and I am especially proud of Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald, two amazing people and fantastic players. For those reasons, it was the best Super Bowl, ever. To me at least.

But, bringing this story back to the theme of this blog, which is "food," I just wanted to post the pictures of our Super Bowl spread this year.

Thankfully, I learned from my previous mistakes, but we served the same old pedestrian fare, just plain pico de gallo, guacamole, tortilla chips, nacho cheese (heated in our old Asian grandmammy-style rice cooker), cheesy potato casserole, barbecued beef ribs, and honeyed chicken drumsticks. Nothing special, but some cool pictures to look at, I think.

Here are the ribs:


Chicken:


Ah yes, and the potatoes:


For recipes or picture-heavy posts on football-friendly foods or posts just on Arizona sports, check out these older entries:

• 2006 Super Bowl Sunday Spread
• Play-By-Play Pico de Gallo
• "Refined" Game Day Snacks
  
• Easy BBQ Ideas
• Depression Sets In (Phoenix Suns)
• The Only "Sun" In My Life Right Now (Phoenix Suns)
  
• De-fense!! De-fense!! De-fense!! (Phoenix Suns)
  

Hey, if I (a football illiterate person) can get into football and have a great time watching the Super Bowl, you can too!

Working Eater Series: 8 O'Clock Enchiladas

Today, I am going to revive a long ignored series, my old "working eater series" (which features recipes for quick dinners geared towards working people).

I absolutely adore enchiladas, and would love to share with you a bastardized version that I often make at home. These enchiladas make a very easy and relatively quick dinner, perfect for a working person. You can make them as late as 8 o'clock at night, they can be ready for dinner in less an hour, and they can be packed for lunch the next day. In fact, they taste even better the next day. (Oh, and as for the murky shadows on many of the pictures, "Darn you dark kitchen, darn you!"  Just ignore those.  Thanks.)

8 O'Clock Enchiladas

1 chicken thigh, cooked and shredded (can use leftover chicken or boil a fresh chicken thigh on high heat until cooked through--this won't take long)

1 tomato, diced

1 tsp of cumin

1 can (15 oz) of whole black beans, drained

1 can (15 oz) of whole kernel corn, drained

1 can (29 oz) of enchilada sauce

2 cups of monterey jack cheese, shredded

20 corn tortillas

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, diced tomato, cumin powder, black beans, and corn kernels. Combine the mixture thoroughly. Then add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, and enough enchilada sauce to moisten the mixture (~1/2 cup), but do not add all of the sauce in the can. With 1 tbsp of the sauce, coat the bottom of a large baking dish (13' X 9'). Reserve the remainder of the sauce for later.

Corn tortillas break easily, so you can coat them in warm oil (the traditional way to make enchiladas) or spray them with cooking spray and stick them in the oven for 5 minutes to get them pliable and soft. Or, you can do as I do, and just stick them in the microwave for 1 minute with a small dish of water or covered with a damp paper towel. If you use the microwave method, the tortillas may break after you have already rolled them, but it is a tad healthier. Albeit an infinitesimal "tad."


Next, put about 2 tbsp of filling into the warm and pliable tortilla, and roll it up. Place the seam side of the rolled tortilla down on the baking dish, and continue to fill and roll the tortillas, until finished. Then, cover all of the rolled tortillas with remaining sauce, and sprinkle the remaining cheese down the middle region of the tortillas. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake the enchiladas for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Serve, and enjoy!

Play-By-Play Pico de Gallo

There are several unspoken, fundamental, and "sacred" rules in our home.

First, you must take off your shoes before entering the house.

Second, if you use up the last of the toilet paper, then you must replace the roll and make sure that the toilet paper dispenses from the top (frontwards), and not the bottom (backwards).

Third, during football season, the salsa bowl in the fridge must never be less than 2/3rds empty. Otherwise, any and every household member is responsible for replenishing the salsa, employing whatever means necessary.

I am an Arizona native, the beau is a football fanatic, and thankfully, we both resoundingly agree that pico de gallo is a critical refrigerator staple during the football season.

Although you most likely know how to make pico de gallo, I would like to share my family's recipe, play-by-play, and just in time for the football season.

Play-by-Play Pico de Gallo
4-5 large tomatoes
4-5 large cloves of garlic
1 small or medium lime
1/2 yellow onion
1/4 bunch of cilantro
1 tsp of salt (or more, to taste)
1 jalapeno, de-seeded (optional)

First, using a fine grater, gently zest the peel of the lime. You don't need a lot of zest, a little bit goes a long way. Juice the lime into a large bowl, using a spoon to scrape off the pulp from the peel. Reserve the juice, pulp, and zest in the bowl. Next, remove the papery skins from the onion and garlic, and chop the onion, garlic, and cilantro finely. If you can stand the heat, also de-seed finely chop one green jalapeno, removing the tissue-like membranes inside.


Then, core the tomatoes (removing the inedible naval-ish stem area) and dice the tomatoes into small 1/4 inch pieces. Place the tomatoes in the lime juice.


Combine all the ingredients, and serve with tortilla chips.


The last step, is to enjoy the salsa in front of a thrilling football game. Bon appetit!

I Give a Flying Freak for Juan's Flying Burrito

If you are in the mood for a crazy-good and authentic Mexican burrito in New Orleans, I hate to break it to you: There ain't none. But Juan's Flying Burrito on the trendy Magazine Street in New Orleans will provide a worthy and scrumptious run for your money. Don't be fooled by its "Creole taqueria" moniker, or its tattooed and pierced servers, Juan's serves up some good Mexican stuff.

The substance contained within Juan's burritos is terrifically satisfying. Within a regular burrito, you'll find (1) a gooey, melted layer of cheddar and Monterey jack cheese; (2) soft spoonfuls of long-grain rice; (3) tender-cooked black beans (not at all sandy or gritty); and (4) hearty pieces of diced and grilled chicken breast. The chicken is packed with flavor, and more towards the "juicier" end of the spectrum, and not the "stringy, dried, or tasteless" end. Best of all, the generous layer of cheese in the burrito transforms into elastic and stringy wisps of melted deliciousness with each burrito bite.

Unlike many authentically-inclined taquerias, at Juan's, you even have your choice of tortilla: be it spinach, tomato, or whole wheat.

Finally, the salsa is the real deal. I'm not sure whether I am reading more into their salsa than is there, but I discern the distinct flavor of charred chili peppers in their flavorful and fresh tomato blend.

If you are in New Orleans and are in the mood for a killer burrito, I would "fly" down to Juan's and try it out.

Leaving My ♥ in San Francisco #5: Taqueria Stalker-ia

One thing I will miss profoundly when I leave San Francisco, is "the San Francisco taqueria."

Everyone has their opinion on what they believe is the best taqueria in San Francisco. One of my close friends says she will live and die eating at only Gordo's Taqueria. On the other hand, three of my other male friends swear by El Farolito Taqueria. The beau likes La Taqueria. Personally, I am a devoted groupie of Pancho Villa Taqueria (the one in the Mission District, and not the Financial District). I am not kidding when I say that with one bite of a burrito from Pancho Villa, you will experience euphoria and be transported to the celestial throne above.

Despite one's personal taqueria preferences, I believe that almost every taqueria in the Mission District of San Francisco has something unique to offer, be it juicy chunks of immaculately seasoned, char-grilled carne asada; authentic slow-cooked pinto beans; hand-pulled tendrils of pork shoulder, or even a motley mariachi band--every taqueria has a distinctive specialty to draw repeat customers. If you are a tourist or a San Francisco native, you should try as many San Francisco taquerias as you can before you decide on the one that best suits your fancy. Although you can take recommendations from others, listen to your own tastebuds first.

Entertaining Ideas from the Google Holiday Party 2006

This past Friday, one of my friends invited me to the Google Holiday Party, an annual celebration of gargantuan proportions thrown for Google employees. (Due to his pity on me and in exchange for a gift worth over $100, I was able to negotiate my way into being his "plus one" to the party.)

Like Giada says on Food Network, "I (too) am your all-access pass, (but, this time) inside the (Google) bash!"

The ornate decorations and fanciful costumes at the party were awe-inspiring and the crazy blend of music was dance-worthy... But, I didn't really care about those things, because I was primarily focused on sampling the food. I wanted to investigate all the hype surrounding Google as being a pioneer in organic, local, and state-of-the-art cuisine.

Unfortunately, the night wasn't what I expected. First, there were so many people and so many things to do, that I didn't really get to "try everything." Plus, I learned that the regular Google chefs people didn't make any of the food that night, rather, the event was catered by an outside company, and that gave me more motivation to dance and less to gorge myself.

Like all party events, I love learning and getting a five-finger-discount ("stealing") entertaining ideas from the pros. I learned quite a few tips from the Google caterers.

As you can see from this picture below, these tamales were made out of a whole lotta husk, but I'll definitely shoplift the great serving idea of keeping steamed items warm throughout the evening with a bamboo steamer perched over a comfortable simmer (not skin-scalding boil).

I also like that the peeps at Google relied heavily on "simplicity"--they served regular ham and cheese sandwiches and green salad. Simple and artful can be great when done right. But, for my own parties, I don't think I would set sandwiches onto a platter standing on their side edges, because these sandwiches in the snapshot below fell apart in a discombobulated pile of toast triangles and individual slices of cold cuts.

For entertaining, I love the idea that sandwiches don't always have to be made out of sliced bread, but little Pacman-like rolls can do fine. Although, for my own future parties, I think I'll make sure to "overstuff" my bun sandwiches, since rolls present double the bread mass and a thick, chewy, and dry crust. Extra mayo and mustard are necessary for babies like these.

I also love the idea of using different-colored lighting as a garnish. Red-toned light can really accentuate the visual appearance of certain foods, including shrimp.

Also, the best entertaining food in the world is serving sushi. But "make-your-own-sushi" for guests? A sushi-making party or party with ready-to-eat foods with a sushi-making element would be so cool.

Finally, the great idea that I picked up from the Google party is not to pre-plate the dessert, but allow the guests to help themselves. Some people are full by the time dessert rolls around and some are still hungry. Let them decide!

I hope you learned as much as I did. The Google party definitely taught me, "Don't be evil... tasting."

2006 Super Bowl Sunday Spread

I am tired. I am really tired.

I just spent this last weekend planning, shopping, cooking, cleaning, and cleaning again! But, it was worth it in the end, even though I am not a football fan, and don't know the difference between a nickelback and the music group, Nickelback.

I just want to share the pictures of the food that my friend and I slaved over, and hopefully give you some ideas of what NOT to do for your own Super Bowl or sports playoff party.

Lesson #1: Football-watching-men do not like radishes and cauliflower.


I think that a total of one-half radish and three cauliflower florets were consumed. However, the guy who ate the florets later told me that he thought the cauliflower was popcorn. Well, that means more for me for lunch tomorrow.


Lesson #2: Even if you don't have enough bowls, don't mix salsa and guacamole together.



I am not the type who likes guacamole with tomatoes, but I like it pristine--just avocado, garlic, and chile peppers (cilantro optional, especially if you have cilantro-haters as your guests). If you serve multiple dips in the same serving dish at a Super Bowl party with preoccupied and inattentive men, it is going to inevitably get mixed around, and will start to look like . . . Puke/Vom/Grossness.


I don't care what the "7-Layer Bean Dip" advocates say, don't do it at a Super Bowl party.



Lesson #3: Don't follow the "Pool Table Meatballs" short-cut from Sandra Lee.



We made homemade meatballs and for the sauce, I decided to follow a tip I once watched on Semi-Homemade Cooking. Sandra Lee mixed an instant pack of powdered Swedish Meatball sauce with meatball drippings and sour cream. But when I did it, it looked like a curdled mess. Oh well, at least I learned for next time.


Lesson #4: Use Frank's Red Hot Sauce and drumsticks to make "Buffalo Chicken," don't prepare buffalo wings the hard way (cutting up the wings and deep-frying them). They taste the same as buffalo wings, and have more meat!



Lesson #5: Make any potato dish. Potatoes are cheap, and great filler!



Lesson #6: Do not use cheap lunch meat. When we were shopping, we left the items for the submarine sandwiches for last. Unfortunately, we were already past our budget (since we bought the beer first), so we bought bologna as the sandwich "meat." Bad idea. Bologna is not meat.