Food + Libations
St. Patrick's Day Food: Last-Minute Green Dishes
Filed under: Holiday How-To, Food + Libations
Irish Colcannon. Photo: TheCulinaryGeek, Flickr
How often do you hope to do something special for a holiday, but the busy whirlwind that is life takes over, and next thing you know, the holiday has come, or passed, and you're none the wiser?
Today might already be the original green day -- St. Patrick's Day -- but that doesn't mean you can't perform a last-minute green-up if you haven't already. The clothes, of course, are easy. Throw on something green. Done; piece of cake! But what about the food?
You could go to a bar, but if there's going to be an overflowing madhouse at the pub on any day of the year, this would be the one. That leaves celebrating in the comfort of your own home, or at a friend's place. Luckily, it's a piece of cake to turn things green for the holiday.
Daisy Martinez Is Putting Latin Flavor Back into the Party
Filed under: Entertaining, Food + Libations
Daisy Martinez is on a mission to add Latin flavor to your party. Credit: Frances Janisch
The host of the Food Network's "Viva Daisy" says when the average American thinks of throwing a party with Latin flair, they plunk a bowl of nachos on the table and pull out the salsa. But in a new book that's one part cookbook, one part travel log, "Daisy: Morning, Noon and Night," Martinez is flavoring American entertaining with the real tastes of Latin America.
While prepping for a dinner party at her home in Brooklyn, Martinez told Holidash how to put a Latin flavor on your next party.
We were excited to hear at Holidash that there's a holiday story behind your new book. Can you tell us about it?
Santa Claus stopped visiting my home when my youngest daughter, Angela, turned 8. I sat the kids down, and I said to them, "Up until now, Dad and I have spent a ridiculous amount of money on stuff that in two weeks is under the bed, in the back of the closet or never to be seen again. We're going to stop doing that." Of course, I was met with eyes that just were full of pure mortification, like what does that even mean?
How did you talk them down?
What I said to them was, "From now on, Daddy and I are going to take you on a trip; from now on we're going to travel somewhere we've never been and spend that entire week as a family." The premise for the book was, we were traveling as a family, and I would take pictures of everything we ate, and takes notes on those pictures so that I could recreate those memories for my family when we came back home.
How did that translate to a book?
I would make the recipe and tweak it and tweak it and tweak it until I got it the way we remembered it. By serving the meal, the meal would inspire the family to talk about the memories, about the things that happened on the trip. It was just such a wonderful coming together, that kept those memories alive. I'm very fond of saying "my children can't tell you what they got for Christmas of 2003, but they can very definitely tell you what they were eating Christmas Day of 2006."
What about Latin food has really spoken to you?
This is my mission in life! My mission is to bring to the mainstream the extreme diversity within the Latin kitchen. Here in the United States, when the mainstream thinks of Latin food, it's not even real Latin food. It's really TexMex. Most people when they think of Latin food they think of spicy. I don't like to think of Latin food as spicy. I like to think of Latin food as sassy, because the food of Latin America isn't all spicy. We love heat in Puerto Rico, but Cuba and the Dominican Republic don't really care for hot food. In Mexico, the different regions, some food is very spicy where some food is very citrusy. The other thing I'd like to dispel is that adding black beans, chorizo or chipotle to a dish does not make it Latin! We eat the same stuff that everyone else eats, we just prepare it a little differently!
Richard Blais Presents The 'Corned Beef Collins' Cocktail
Filed under: Holiday How-To, Food + Libations, Weird
There's nothing like a refreshing sip of corned beef to top off your St. Patrick's Day. Credit: Sidney Frank Importing Co
When a famous chef mixes beef, cabbage and whiskey in a glass and calls it a cocktail, it raises some eyebrows -- and elicits its fair share of "ewwws." Is this cocktail a legitimate culinary breakthrough, or the unfortunate byproduct of a late night creative session involving too much alcohol, an overactive imagination, and a blender?
Holidash recently got the chance to chew the fat about meat-infused cocktails with Blais himself. Here's what we learned:
What in the world possessed you to develop the world's premiere corned beef and cabbage cocktail?
The world's premiere and the world's first (chuckles). Michael Collins came to me to develop a drink that works with Collins Irish whiskey, so I started thinking about what kind of ingredients would enhance the whiskey's flavor and background. Obviously, corned beef and cabbage fits in with the whiskey's Irish heritage.
Think about what's happening with bacon right now. Bacon is being tried in everything because of its flavor profile: salty and smokey. In some ways, corned beef has a similar profile that works well with lots of things.
I notice that the word "cabbage" was left out of the drink's official title. Did you do that so as to not gross out folks who hate cabbage?
If I had to say, it's probably a marketing decision, but I think the name has a nice flow to it. No one wants a dish that reads like a list of ingredients, and the cabbage is sort of a back note.
Passover Traditions
Filed under: Family Time, Food + Libations
Matzoh, parsley and salt at a seder table. Credit: kevinphaines, Flickr
In 2010, Passover begins on Tuesday, March 30 and ends on Monday, April 5.
Passover or Pesach is a celebration of the Jews' escape from Egypt after serving as slaves under the Pharaoh's regime. According to the story in the Torah, God punished the Egyptians with ten plagues before Pharaoh finally gave in and let the Jews go. The last of these was the death of the firstborn sons. Jewish families were warned of the pending plague and covered their doorposts in lamb's blood, so that the angel of death would "pass over" their homes, giving the holiday its name. The Jews left in such a hurry that they did not have time for the bread to leaven, giving rise to the tradition of eating unleavened bread or matzoh on Passover.
Passover falls in March or April each year, depending on how the Hebrew calendar and Gregorian calendar coincide. Passover traditions include the seder, eating of specific foods, and avoidance of foods that are leavened or contain prohibited ingredients.
Oscars-Inspired Party Menu: Let the Nominees Be Your Culinary Guide
Filed under: Entertaining, Food + Libations
Toast the Oscar winners on March 7. Credit: Getty Images
If you're a movie buff -- or just looking for a reason to host a fabulous Oscars party -- an Academy Awards gathering is a great opportunity to get creative. But don't feel like you have to hire paparazzi to stalk your guests. The food you serve is a simple way to bring in some Hollywood inspiration without getting all James Cameron-ish about the production values.
Since most of your Oscars evening, including the dinner hour, will be spent in front of a TV screen, your drinks and snacks will be in the spotlight. You could go the general glamour route, following the lead of official Oscar after-party chef Wolfgang Puck. Or you could riff on the contending films themselves and put together a playful menu packed with movie references.
We've put together suggestions in three key categories: Drinks, hors d'oeuvres and desserts. Mix and match these options to suit your tastes, both culinary and cinematic.
Drinks
Moet & Chandon White Star Champagne and wines from Sterling Vineyards: These bottles got exclusive invites to the Academy's Governors Ball. You can drink like George Clooney all night long...
McClure's whiskey. In "Crazy Heart," country musician Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) sucks this down like it's oxygen. The brand is fictional, so make up a label and wrap it around a bottle of your own favorite hooch.
Blue martinis.To nod to the azure-skinned Na'vi of "Avatar," shake up a batch of martinis with a bit of blue Curaçao (about half a teaspoon per drink).
Cider. Raise a glass to the title character of "Fantastic Mr. Fox," who breaks into Mr. Bean's secret cider cellar.
Miniature bottles of booze. Look near the front counter of a liquor store for 50 ml bottles, the kind that Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) nabbed in airplanes and hotel minibars in "Up in the Air." Toss in some peanuts and mini-pretzels for the whole package.
Tea. For a caffeine hit, turn to the English national drink in honor of the gaggle of nominated films set in the U.K.: "An Education," "The Young Victoria," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "Bright Star," "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," "Sherlock Holmes," and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."
Go Green With Your St. Patrick's Day Menu
Filed under: Holiday How-To, Food + Libations, Traditions
Add a little green to your St. Patrick's Day menu. Credit: Getty Images
In Chicago, they dye an entire river green for St. Patrick's Day. But most of us would be happy with a plate of green food. Here's how to add that emerald hue to your entire St. Patrick's Day menu.
Breakfast
- Green Eggs - Scramble up some green eggs by simply adding a drop of green food coloring to the mix before cooking.
- Pancakes - As with eggs, just a drop of green food coloring is enough to add some color to this pancake recipe.
- Fruit Salad - Go green the natural way with a mix of Kiwi, honeydew melon and green grapes.
- Green Salad - Here's a recipe for a simple green salad with homemade dressing. Toss in a green avocado for even more flavor and color.
- Green Peanut Butter Sandwich - A little green food coloring stirred into your favorite peanut butter and spread on green bread is a St. Patrick's Day treat.
- Jello Mousse Bites - Use lime instead of strawberry Jello for these cool treats.
- Steak with Green Sauce - Inexpensive Flat Iron steaks are spiced up with a delicious green sauce.
- Brussels Sprouts - Whether you prepare them simply steamed or roasted with a little olive oil and garlic, brussels sprouts are delicious and good for you.
- Mashed Potatoes - Add a drop or two of green food coloring to any of these delicious mashed potato recipes.
- Green Apple Slices - Dip apples into a cream cheese and marshmallow mixture tinted with a drop of green food coloring.
- Sugar Cookies- Take a basic sugar cookie recipe, tint it green and top with green icing.
- Key Lime Cupcakes - Finish these green cupcakes off with some lime jello frosting for a tasty treat.
- St. Patrick's Day Milkshake - No food coloring needed for this naturally green milkshake.
- Green Beer - It just wouldn't be St. Patrick's Day without a pint of green beer.
Get Free Pancakes On National Pancake Day
Filed under: Food + Libations
National Pancake Day comes with a free stack! Credit: D. Sharon Pruitt, Flickr
National Pancake Day is getting a boost from the biggest name in the business this year -- on Feb. 23 you can get a free short stack (that's three) of IHOP's buttermilk pancakes at any restaurant in the chain.
And here's some syrup on this holiday celebration: The freebie marks the fifth year of a fundraising campaign for the Children's Miracle Network. So while you're flipping for flapjacks on National Pancake Day, they're going to be coming around to ask if you'll slip the price you would have paid for those hotcakes into their hot little hands to help the non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children's hospitals.
IHOP seems to be the only source citing February as the month to celebrate one of our favorite breakfast treats, pancakes. The majority of the Web has National Pancake Day in late September. But with IHOP on the path to a $5 million fundraising goal for the CMN and a chance to try these blueberry ricotta pancakes, we're willing to celebrate now rather than later.
The best news? A survey IHOP did to kick off their festivities a few years back found 70 percent of American pancake eaters will eat them for dinner. So this is a holiday snack we can eat all holiday long.
How Much Chocolate is Eaten on Valentine's Day?
Filed under: Gifts + Shopping, Food + Libations
Keys like this one unlock our potential for Valentine's Day weight gain. Credit: Carole Brown, Flickr
Just how many chocolate-covered hearts do we shove down our pie-holes each Valentine's Day? According to Nielsen, Americans will purchase around 58 million pounds of chocolate during the days leading up to the 14th (a small fraction of the reported 3 billion pounds per year), and we shell out somewhere around $345 million to satisfy our Valentine's sweet tooth.
Of course, it's not like we buy all this chocolate by the pound or anything -- it's much more appropriate and romantic when it comes in a heart-shaped box, obviously. So obvious, in fact, that America's thoughtful shoppers buy 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates each Valentine's Day.
Once again, that 58 million pounds only includes chocolate candy. When it comes to the iconic "conversation hearts," 8 billion of the chatty little pastel candies are sold between February 1st and 14th. I don't know how much that weighs.
See's Candies Giveaway Winner!
Filed under: Food + Libations
Win this See's Candie's 4-lb Red Romantic Heart on Valentine's Day! Photo: Sees.com
To celebrate the holiday, we chose one lucky winner, Sharon, from GA, to receive an amazing and delicious See's Candies Red Romantic Heart: Four pounds -- over 95 pieces! -- of See's chocolates packaged up in a giant red satin heart.
Sharon shared her favorite romantic movies:
The Princess Bride,The Notebook and most recently, PS I love you. All confirm my own personal beliefs in love. True love does exist. True Love never fails. True love endures!
She has enough chocolate to last her through a marathon of all three! Congratulations to Sharon!
How Much Beer Is Consumed on Super Bowl Sunday?
Filed under: Food + Libations, Traditions, Weird
You don't need a fancy cooler to hold your beer. Credit: Santheo, Flickr
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I hope you've been practicing your keg etiquette, because the 8th biggest beer day of the year is now upon us! That's right, according to Nielsen, even though football is one of America's largest secular religions, Super Bowl Sunday fails to top the 4th of July, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Father's Day, Christmas/New Year's, Thanksgiving or even Easter (in that order) in terms of beer sales.
According to Slashfood, 51.7 million cases of beer are sold in the week surrounding the Super Bowl. For a comparison, 68.3 million cases are sold on Independence Day and 63 million for Father's Day (I don't know what's going on there). It's kind of a shocker, I know. Still, for a three-hour televised event/holiday, 51.7 million cases is quite a lot of beer.
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