The Oscars

This Sunday is the presentation of the 80th Academy Awards. If you love everything Hollywood, it is a great time to invite friends over for an Oscar night party. You can glam it up or keep things low key. Here are some easy tips for either.

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And who are you wearing tonight? Depending on your style, you could ask your guests to glam it up and wear those great dresses and suits we all have in our closets that we are waiting for an excuse to wear. Or you could have your guests dress the part of their favorite nominee. Have fun with it or just come as you are.
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Give your place the red carpet treatment. Go to the fabric store and buy a couple of yards of red fabric or buy a few dozen red rose petals and give your front entrance the red carpet treatment. If you have a strobe light, adding it to the front yard would emulate paparazzi snapping your guests’ photos. Or you could ask a friend to snap photos of your guests as they arrive and either print the photos at home that night or send them photos later as a keepsake of the evening. Some photo finishers are able to print text on the photos so you could add the event name and date.
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Eat like the stars. Depending on your budget and your time constraints, there are several options for food. If you prefer the casual route, offer typical theater foods like popcorn, nachos (of course using the cheese from the soup can), hot pretzels and bowls of your favorite candies (junior mints, juju fruits). Or for a more glamorous offering, make small bite-sized appetizers like shrimp wrapped in prosciutto, cucumber slices topped with salmon cream cheese or chive cream cheese, bake a frittata and cut into bite-sized squares, top scoop-style tortilla chips with your favorite chicken salad recipe or many of the restaurant-supply stores (like GFS Marketplace) offer a descent selection of frozen, heat-and-serve items. Using a star shaped cookie cutter, you cut items like cookies, bread slices or puff pastry for a base for appetizers and meats and cheeses to add some fun to your selections.

If you are feeling really creative you can create a menu based on the movies being nominated. Since I have not actually seen any of the movies that were nominated, I can not offer any scene specific ideas, but some ideas based on the period and location of the film include Austrian delights like Spaetzle, Goulash or beef, paprika stew and wiener schnitzel or breaded and fried veal cutlet (Sweeney Todd); Southwestern US dishes like Chicken in Salsa Verde or green salsa made with tomatillos, cheese enchiladas, guacamole (In the Valley of Elah); or make several international dishes from Israel, Poland or Russia to honor the films nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. Do some research to find out some of the actor’s favorite culinary delights are and add those to your menu.

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Drink and be merry. Just as important as the food are the drinks. Whether you are offering alcoholic libations or not, do not forget to think about your beverage selections. An inexpensive sparkling wine or juice adds a glamorous touch for your guests. Creating a signature drink for the night, really makes it memorable. Whether it is a Tom Collins or fruited non-alcoholic punch, the in thing is to have a signature drink. For some drink recipe ideas visit http://www.eDrinkGuide.com or for a bombshell actress inspired drink visit http://www.bombshells.com/lounge/cocktails.php. Non-alcoholic creations are easy to make by substituting tonic water, club soda or ginger ale for many liquors.

Remember to relax and have fun and just enjoy yourself!

Panko-Crusted Pork Chops with a Wasabi-Ginger Sauce

Let me start this post by saying when I posted Post-Holiday Quick Meals several weeks ago, it never occurred to me to remind readers of the link I have on the right side for The Pantry Chef. This is a great resource where you can find recipes by checking off what type of pantry items you have on hand.

The reason I mention this link is that last night, when I was trying to decide what to do with the pork chops I had on hand, I used this site to find an idea for dinner. Unfortunately when you have a well stocked pantry, it provided me recipes for bean soup and fettuccini alfredo, but nothing exciting for pork chops. However from this site, I found a recipe for Wasabi and Panko-Crusted Pork Chops (followed several links on the top right corner) that sounded very interesting and ended up tasting even better!

These chops are light and flaky with a panko crust. Panko [pronounced PAHN-koh] or Japanese for “bread crumbs” translates as pan the Japanese word for “bread” and ko meaning “child of”. They are coarser, more flake-like than traditional bread crumbs giving them more surface area thus making for a lighter, crispier coating. Usually white in color because the bread crusts have been removed, they can be occasionally found in a darker, tanner color if the crusts were left on. I now use panko for my crab and salmon cakes. About 5 years ago, it was only available in Asian markets, but now I find it in the international aisle of all the larger markets. It usually comes in bags. If you do not have any available, you may substitute cracker crumbs or crushed melba toast.

Wasabi [pronounced WAH-sah-bee] is often called Japanese horseradish. Wasabi is a paste made from grating the root of an Asian plant. It is most often seen served with sushi. It has a sharp, pungent flavor much like horseradish. It is available in both a paste form and a powder form, again in the international aisle of most markets. If you do not have wasabi on hand, which I did not last night, you can combine horseradish and dry mustard to make a paste. It is great addition to mashed potatoes or added to sauces for a great, unexpected bite.

In about 35 minutes, dinner was ready. The menu consisted of Panko-Crusted Pork Chops with a Wasabi-Ginger Sauce, Sesame Orzo and Buttered Carrots. I started by gathering all of the spices and condiments I would need for this recipe: panko, sake, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, cooking oil, sugar, dry mustard and orzo. From the refrigerator, I pulled out an egg, the pork chops, carrots, ginger, horseradish, green onions and chicken broth. When cooking, I like to make sure I have all the ingredients close at hand to speed up the process and I am not wasting time looking for ingredients later on. It does not help that I store many of my ingredients in the basement since my kitchen does not have adequate space.

I began by turning my oven to 200°F so it would be warm when the pork was finished. I then started a pot of water boiling for the orzo (rice-shaped pasta) and began peeling and chopping my carrots. I placed the carrots on the stove in a steamer basket so that I could turn on the heat when I was almost finished cooking so they were not overcooked. I added oil to a skillet set over medium heat and while the oil was heating I added an egg and panko to 2 separate, shallow dishes. I quickly whisked the egg and dipped each pork chop into first the egg, then the panko and added to the hot oil.

While the chops were browning, I added all of my liquid ingredients and horseradish and mustard to a small bowl setting it next to my skillet. I then peeled and grated the ginger and quickly sliced a few green onions. About the time I turned the pork chops, my water was boiling so I added a large pinch of salt and orzo to the water, then turned the heat on high for my steamed carrots. When the pork chops were nicely browned on each side and had reached an internal temperature of 155°F, I removed them from the pan and kept them warm in the oven. I added the ginger to the pan, stirring continuously and before it started to brown, I added my liquid mixture to the pan, stirring vigorously scraping the pieces that had stuck to the bottom. I drained the orzo and added a splash of sesame oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds; drained the carrots and added a slab of butter; and removed the pork from the oven, spooned the sauce on top and sprinkled with green onions. Presto! dinner was ready.

I modified the original recipe slightly and this is my creation:

PANKO-CRUSTED PORK CHOPS WITH A WASABI-GINGER SAUCE
Serves 4

1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 cup panko

1 large egg white

4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger
2/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup sake or dry sherry

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons wasabi paste

1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 200°F.

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add egg white to a shallow dish and beat until frothy. Add panko to another dish. Dip pork in egg white; dredge in panko. Place chops in skillet in a single layer, making sure to not over crowd. Make in two batches if need be.

While the pork is cooking, add the broth, sake, soy sauce, sugar and wasabi to a small bowl, keeping near the stovetop.

Cook pork chops for 4 to 6 minutes per side or until golden brown, adding more oil to pan if it becomes dry and chops begin to stick. Once they reach an internal temperature of 155°F, remove the pork to a oven-safe dish, sprinkle with salt and keep warm in the oven.

Add ginger to pan, stirring constantly. Before the ginger begins to brown, add the broth-wasabi mixture to the pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Continue stirring and cooking until the sauce has slightly thickened and all the bits are free from the bottom of the pan.

Serve each pork chop with several generous spoonfuls of sauce and a sprinkling of green onions.
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Adapted from Melanie Barnard, Cooking Light, MARCH 2006

Post-Holiday Quick Meals

Sorry I just realized I have been absent and have not posted since Halloween. Where did the time go?!

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend, enjoyed themselves and ate a lot of good food. As the weekend closes, the holiday season officially begins. I know it is a busy time of the year and thought I would post some ideas on how to make it through, eating healthy and avoiding take-out as much as possible.

Making an extra large pot of soup is an excellent idea for getting through these cold winter nights. On the weekend, make a large pot, doubling or tripling the servings to either give you a few meals into the week or freeze one-serving portions to eat in the upcoming weeks. You could grab these single serving portions to take for lunches or a couple for a quick dinner. Keep in mind that potatoes do not freeze well, so if you are going to freeze soups omit the potatoes.

This concept of freezing entrées works well with other things besides soups. You could make extra servings of a casserole or your Sunday dinner and freeze portions for later. If you were going to roast a chicken, why not roast two instead. It is minimal extra work and then you could either freeze the roasted chicken or shred the meat for meals later in the week. With the meat, you could make chicken salad sandwiches for lunches; a chicken soup with some vegetables, stock and pasta added; add enchilada sauce and wrap in flour or corn tortillas, cover with cheese for wet burritos; the possibilities are endless. Instead of chicken, prepare an extra pork or beef roast.

Weight watchers has several ideas for cooking ahead:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=14381


Using 5 ingredients or less has become a popular item on several cooking websites, surf these sites for some quick ideas:
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/story.jsp?storyid=/templatedata/bhg/story/data/5IngredientMeals_03252002.xml

http://busycooks.about.com/library/recipes/blfiveingredentree.htm

http://food.ivillage.com/bestrecipes/0,,_9v38sk44,00.html


The slow cooker is also a way to make dinner easy. I suggest prepping all the ingredients the night before, then in the morning the slow cooker can be loaded and dinner will be waiting at the end of the day. Most manufacturers do not recommend taking the crock straight from the refrigerator to the heating element. If you would like to reduce the number of dishes, you could let the crock sit at room temperature for an hour or so before turning it on. Or simply transfer the contents from another dish.

Oh the possibilities are endless. I hope I have sparked some ideas.
Bon appétit!

Dog Days of Summer

With a forecasted temperature of 95° today, we are experiencing our hottest day this summer. When the temperature gets this hot, the last thing I want to do is turn on the stove, let alone the oven. I thought I would throw out some suggestions for some easy meals that don't require cooking.

Besides the obvious – going out to eat in a nice, cool restaurant – you could pick up some deli items and have a picnic in your dining room. The market’s deli section carries great easy items, from fried or rotisserie chicken to salads of all kinds. You could pick up cold cuts and cheeses and have a build-your-own-sandwich night.

You could make chicken salad and have it on a bed of greens, sub buns or even just with fruit and crackers. I would use either rotisserie chicken that has been shredded or canned chicken that has been drained. Chop a bit of celery, onion, bell pepper and toss with a scoop of mayonnaise, a dollop of Dijon mustard with salt and pepper to taste.

Buy some pre-cooked shrimp, crab legs or lobster. I found 3 easy, no-cook recipes that any of these seafood options would be tasty with.
Quick and Easy Coconut Shrimp Salad
No Cook Sweet Beet Lime Shrimp Salad
Easy No Cook Calypso Coconut Shrimp Salad
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/66544/three_no_cook_shrimp_salad_recipes.html

Or go nuts and have a build-your-own-ice-cream-sundae dinner. Buy several types of ice cream, chopped nuts, fudge sauce, fresh fruit like bananas and strawberries, and don’t forget the whipped cream and cherries and stay cool by eating a banana split or not-so-hot-fudge sundae. I don’t advocate eating like this all the time, but on days like today I think it is okay.

Whatever you do, stay cool and enjoy your day!

PS Can you fry an egg on the side walk? According to the Library of Congress, it is theoretically possible, but it does not actually work. “An egg needs a temperature of 158°F to become firm. In order to cook, proteins in the egg must denature (modify), then coagulate, and that won’t happen until the temperature rises enough to start and maintain the process.” Even on the hottest of days, the pavement temperature only reaches 145°F.

Holiday Hors D'oeuvres

While looking for some ideas for bring hors d'oeuvre to my own holiday party, I ran across some websites to share:

HGTV Easy Hor D'eouvre

Easy Dip Ideas

Appetizer/Hors D'oeuvre Index

Kraft Foods Ideas - search on left for 'Appetizers/Snacks'

Other easy ideas that people love:

Deviled Eggs - Always the first thing to go at any event. Whether they are traditional or have a non-traditional spin, like add fresh herbs or curry powder.

Toasted Mixed Nuts, I like to bake a variety of nuts in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes until just starting to brown. While they are roasting, I melt 1 stick of butter with about a 1/4 cup of brown sugar, a splash of hot sauce (or cayenne) and some chopped fresh herbs, like rosemary or thyme.

Boursin cheese goes great with some many things. I like the garlic and herb best. You can thin it with a bit of milk or cream and then pipe it onto crudité like cucumber rounds, cherry tomato cups and carrot and celery sticks.

Bon Appétit!