RSS

Tag Archives: punchbowl

National Chili Day

23 Feb

Serve with Hint of Lime or Hint of Jalapeno Chips

I never realized how many holidays there could be for food until I signed up to receive alerts from www.punchbowl.com! Their reason to celebrate app has become my reason to check emails in the morning.

I am always surprised by what they come up with. While they do list all of the well-known holidays, most recently Mardi Gras, there are some ”National Food Holidays” so obscure that I find myself laughing as I read about: National My Way Day, Gum Drop Day and Don’t Cry Over Spilt Milk Day!

On the other hand, I have to thank Punchbowl for giving us all an excuse to enjoy things like National Margarita Day and Chocolate Cake Day! Basically, if you are ever looking for a ridiculous excuse to party and all the fixin’s to get it done from invites to party ideas, Punchbowl is the place.

One holiday that I can definitely get behind is National Chili Day. I enjoy a good bowl of chili so much that I actually think it should be an official day off from work/school so that families can enjoy this wonderful comfort food together. (Obama, you will be getting my notes on this)

There are a million ways to make Chili, of which I will only be posting one. I hope you enjoy and feel free to list your favorite ways to make it your own…

  • 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
  • 2 Cups Diced Yellow Onion
  • 2 Diced Bell Peppers, Seeded
  • Pinch of Salt
  • Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
  • 2 lbs Ground Beef (or Ground Turkey)
  • 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
  • 2 tsp Ground Cumin
  • 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 2 tsp Oregano
  • 3 tsp Minced Garlic
  • 12 oz. Guinness (or similar Dark Beer) – optional
  • 28 oz. Chunky Tomatoes
  • 1/4 Cup Tomato Paste
  • 1 Cup Small Red Kidney Beans
  • 1 Cup Small Black Beans

Heat Oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add diced Onion and Peppers. Season with Salt and Cayenne Pepper and saute until soft. Carefully added Ground Beef or Turkey and crumble as it browns (about 3 minutes)

Season with Chili Powder, Cumin, Red Pepper Flakes, Oregano and Garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes before adding Beer and allowing to absorb for an additional minute (optional).

Stir in Tomatoes, Tomato Paste and Beans. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes*, stirring occasionally.

Chili's almost ready!

Optional Garnish: Sour Cream, Sliced Jalapenos and Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese

*The longer you simmer, the more depth of flavor you will achieve, but be sure to watch the chili as it can get thick. Add 1/4 of water or stock as needed to reach desired consistency.

Don’t feel like cooking? Here’s a little way to cheat and still have great chili!

 
1 Comment

Posted by on February 23, 2012 in Chicken & Turkey Recipes, Events, Lunch, Recipes, Seasonal Dishes, Steak & Beef Recipes

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Fun with Food: National Popcorn Day

19 Jan

Fancify Your Popcorn

I may have mentioned one or five times that I love to make unexpected recipes! Whether it is adding something sweet to a savory dish or featuring snack food in a major meal, that extra element makes food fun. I was reading up on Punchbowl’s Reason to Celebrate and discovered that today is National Popcorn Day. I decided to set out (sit at my desk) on an exhaustive search (Google) to find a way to do something savory with my favorite snack.

I didn’t want to go to my usual suspect recipe sites, so I went straight to the source – - Popcorn Brand Sites. I sifted through the top four and while the recipes were delicious on three of them, I found that they lacked originality. It wasn’t until I visited Jolly Time Popcorn – number four in the market, number one in my heart – that I found what I was looking for!

The delicious recipes actually came from The Popcorn Board which, I was surprised to learn, exists in the world. NOTE: All recipes below must be made with Jolly Time Popcorn because loyalty is important!

  • 2 cups popped popcorn
  • ½ cup dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 4 (1 ¼ lbs) tilapia filets
  • Lemon wedges, for serving

Here’s How: Place popcorn, mushrooms, onion powder, garlic powder and salt in a blender (or food processor) and blend until powdery and almost smooth; pour into a wide, shallow bowl.

Beat egg in a shallow bowl; set aside.

Heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Dip tilapia into egg and then into popcorn mixture, coating both sides. Cook tilapia about 3 minutes per side or until fish is golden and center is cooked. Serve with lemon wedges.

Variation: Substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts for tilapia and adjust cooking time as needed.

  • 2 cups popped popcorn
  • 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 4 (1 3/4 lbs.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Here’s How: For the Thai Peanut Sauce: Mix 3 tablespoons peanut butter, 3 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce in a small bowl until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350º F. Process popcorn in a blender or food processor until ground. Pour ground popcorn into a shallow dish; stir in peanuts and set aside.

In another shallow dish, whisk egg, soy sauce, garlic and hot pepper sauce until blended; set aside.

Heat oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Dip chicken breasts first in egg mixture and then in popcorn mixture until well coated. Place in skillet and brown on both sides; about 3 minutes per side. Place skillet in oven 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with Thai Peanut sauce.

 
1 Comment

Posted by on January 19, 2012 in Chicken & Turkey Recipes, Dinner, Events, Recipes, Seafood Recipes

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

 
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 2,370 other followers

%d bloggers like this: