Food TV

Tonight the stars will shine in Hollywood once again. With the writers strike over, we can look forward to the typical stars forgetting how to read the witty, and sometimes cheesy lines laid out for them on a teleprompter, and long winded acceptance speeches. Someday, instead of playing the music louder to drown them out, I think that they should actually come and drag them kicking and screaming off the stage. Especially the winners of “Best Special Effects in a Movie Filmed in a Foriegn Country with fewer than 25 Lines of Dialogue…” Nobody CARES!!! I do like to see the women’s dresses though, especially those that confuse sexy with slutty and come in wearing completely transparent clothing. It’s always fun to see them expose themselves in some embarrassing way or trip over the 25 foot train that was ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to complete the outfit. It makes me feel better about myself to know that they are indeed not perfect.

My favorite way to watch the Oscars is with a lot of booze, (hence the above opinions) and some really good food. The Food Network website has decided to give us a helping hand with this, providing a plethora of tasty fare for tonights festivities. Offering everythign from Wolfgang’s Post Award’s Party menu, full of fancy foods, much too sophisticated for my pedestrian palate, to cinema snacks including several sweet treats, a bunch of popcorn recipes, and severald variations on hotdogs. There are also several drink recommendations, which is always a good thing.

When it comes to hot dogs, well frankly, I can’t stand them. But I do have a huge love for Corn Dogs. I know, I know. They are the same thing. I understand that, but there’s something about them being wrapped in cornbread and then either baked or fried to crispy golden deliciousness that I cannot resist. And I am a mustard person, no ketchup please. Even on the rare occasion that I do use ketchup, it must be mixed with my mustard for my corn dogs.

Popcorn on the other hand is a must when watching anything movie related. And I’m not that particular about my popcorn. Cheesy corn, caramel, toffee, buttery, salty, it’s all yummy to me! So without further ado, I give you my Acadamy Award Winning Recipes…

Corn Dogs Recipe courtesy Scott Leibfried
Show: Party Starters
Episode: Movie Night

25 (2 packages) mini hot dogs (can be found in the hot dog section of the grocery store)
25 (8-inch) wooden skewers to accommodate the hot dogs
1 box corn muffin mix (mix according to the directions)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Skewer the hot dogs on the sticks. Make sure the sharp part of the skewers are not sticking out of the dogs. Prepare the corn batter according to the recipe on the box. Coat the dogs with the muffin mix and place on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan. Use a spatula to lift the corn dogs.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results

Cheddar Cheese Popcorn Recipe courtesy Gale Gand
Show: Sweet Dreams
Episode: Crunchtime Munchies

3 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup cheddar cheese powder, plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups popped popcorn
Salt and pepper

In a large bowl, combine the butter, cheddar cheese powder, mustard powder, cayenne pepper and the popcorn. Season with salt and pepper, to taste and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches Recipe adapted from Gourmet Magazine
Show: Sara’s Secrets
Episode: You Can Please Everyone

1/2 cup chopped English toffee candy bar (Recommended: Heath Bar)
1 pint vanilla ice cream, slightly softened in the microwave
16 chocolate chip cookies
Multi-colored candy sprinkles

Mix the candy into the ice cream.
Using an ice cream scoop, divide the ice cream among the flat sides of 8 of the cookies. Top the ice cream with the remaining cookies, flat sides down, and press down gently. Roll the edges of the sandwiches in the candy sprinkles. Freeze the ice-cream sandwiches, covered, for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Lava Flow Recipe courtesy Old Lahaina Luau
Show: Emeril Live
Episode: Emeril’s Hawaiian Luau

1 ounces light rum
2 ounces pineapple juice
6 ounces pina colada mix (coconut cream and pineapple juice)
1 ounce strawberry puree
1 small chunk pineapple, for garnish

Blend rum, pineapple juice, and pina colada mix with 1 cup of ice. Next, take a glass and coat the inside with strawberry puree. Pour in colada blend. Finally, use a spoon to drag the strawberry puree up through the colada drink, creating a pink stripe. Garnish with a pineapple chunk, and serve.

I hope y’all have as good as time as I will!!!

P.S. Did you hear? Universal Studios Orlando is Opening a Harry Potter Theme Park!!!!!