Super Bowl Thursday

I'm not a football fan, but I like the sound of a Super Bowl. Expecially, a Super Edible Bowl. So here are a few I've found around the net.

spun sugar bowl

cookie bowls

pastry crown

bacon bowls

chocolate bowls

National Popcorn Day!

Well, it's finally here, the day we've all been waiting for - National Popcorn Day! What? You didn't know? Well, someone isn't doing their job.  Good thing I'm here to help you celebrate this momentous occasion with some recipes to shake things up in the ol' popper.

Parmesan Chive Popcorn

4 cups popped popcorn
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup fresh chives
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Salt & pepper

Melt the butter. Grind pepper into the butter, chop the chives and sprinkle on the top of the popcorn along with the grated cheese. Drizzle the butter mixture over the popcorn, then salt.

Apple-Cinnamon Popcorn

2 cups chopped dried apples
10 cups popped popcorn
2 cups pecan halves
4 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 250 degrees F. Place apples in a large shallow baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and stir in popcorn and nuts.

In a small bowl combine remaining ingredients. Drizzle butter mixture over popcorn mixture, stirring well. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Pour onto wax paper to cool. Store in airtight container.

Candy Bar Popcorn
4 cups popped popcorn
1 king size candy bar (Snickers, Skor, Oh Henry, etc.)

Cut the candy bar into 1/2 inch pieces. Spread the popped corn onto a microwave-safe platter. Top with candy bar pieces. Heat on full power in the microwave at 30 second intervals, or until candy is melted.

Get Bent-O

Today's post is on bento boxes and jazzing up a packed lunch. 

 

"O-bento' is what the Japanese call a packed meal, usually lunch. Bento boxes have internal dividers, and sometimes several stacked layers, so different kinds of food sit in their own little compartments. The goal is to make the whole package as attractive as possible - from considering the colour combinations of the food and presenting and garnishing it as neatly and artfully as you can, to co-ordinating the box, chopsticks and wrapper, and any other items like paper napkins, knife and fork or spoon, drink flask or thermos." (http://www.airandangels.com)

Bentos are great for using up odds and ends of leftovers. They are meant to be visually appealing so as to encourage healthy eating. I've attempted making such lunches for my son, but it turns out looking sad and it gets all messed up when he dumps his backpack upside down. I read that if the container is packed full enough, it helps to keep it from mixing up. I've included some inspiration of relatively simple boxes and some resources for finding bento supplies and an interesting article on "Genders, Obentos and the State of Japan".

fish, bears, phineas, flower, simple, bunny, cow

You can start by using supplies you might have on hand; cookie cutters, cupcake/muffin liners, cocktail picks or paper scrapbook embellishments to add some interest. If you think bento might be your thing, here are some links to some great bento sites. Many have links to suppliers.

http://kidbentos.com

http://lunchinabox.net

http://aibento.net

http://justbento.com

"Genders, Obentos and the State of Japan"

If you make bentos or plan on trying it, send pictures to info(at)quintefamily(dot)com!!

Haute Chocolate!

Snow! And snow means hot chocolate and hot chocolate means awesome. 

image source

The Mayans were believed to have created first chocolate beverage around 2,000 years ago and today, hot chocolate is consumed throughout the world. Many people use the terms "hot chocolate" and "hot cocoa" interchangeably, but apparently the difference is that "hot cocoa" is made from powder that has had most of the rich cocoa butter from the ground cacao beans removed and "hot chocolate"is made directly from bar chocolate, which already contains cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter. Fascinating stuff. Let's get to the good part...

Toppings & Garnishes!

• Whipped cream
• Marshmallows or Fluff
• Crushed oreos, peppermint, malted milk balls, toffee bits, etc.
• Chocolate shavings
• Coloured sprinkles, small candies, mini chocolate chips
• Raw sugar
• Fudge or caramel sauce, raspberry coulis, maple syrup
• Candy canes
• Pirouette rolled wafer cookies
• Cookies

Secret Ingredients!

• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Ginger & cinnamon
• Instant coffee
• Flavour syrups; vanilla, hazelnut, maple, etc.
• Liqueurs (big people only!)

And now, I've saved the best for last. Check out this adorable garnish!

Instructions here!