Funnel Cakes and Big Fish

With all the visual treats at the carnivals, fairs, and circuses around the world, is it wrong I look forward to the food more than anything? Among all the culinary options, funnel cakes are far and away my favorite. Fried until golden brown then dusted with a generous amount of powdered sugar, their really is no resisting a hot funnel cake. In Tim Burton's 2003 film, the main character Edward Bloom spends a few months of his life working at a Circus in order to find out the name of the love of his life. That portion of the movie always makes me crave being at a carnival or a circus and eating a funnel cake. Since we can't just hit pause and run down to the big top and pick up an order of funnel cakes, we'll make them at home! It's a simple recipe that anyone can make and it's sure to impress your friends and family. This recipe will yield about 5 to 6 large funnel cakes

2 Eggs
1/4 cup of Sugar
2 cups of Milk
1/2 teaspoon of Pure Vanilla
3 cups of Flour
1 tablespoon of Baking Powder
A pinch of Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
Peanut or Vegetable Oil for frying (Peanut recommended)
Powdered Sugar (For dusting)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk two eggs together until slightly beaten together. Add the sugar to the eggs and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until the sugar had dissolved. Once beaten, add the milk and the vanilla to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl - sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt together. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the milk and eggs while whisking together, add about a cup at a time. Whisk everything together just until the batter forms and it's very smooth and there aren't any lumps of flour.

To fry the funnel cakes, add about 2 to 3 inches of oil to a cast iron skillet, dutch oven, a deep fryer, or a heavy duty pot. Peanut oil is the best oil to use here because it tends to not absorb into the funnel cakes as much as the vegetable oil. Heat the oil to around 375 degrees. Once heated, test the oil by dropping just a small spoonful into the hot oil. The batter should sink for just a moment and rise bake to the surface and start bubbling. Before you start frying the funnel cakes, have a plate with a few paper towels nearby to set the cakes on once we remove them from the oil.

If you don't have a funnel to pour the batter into the oil, pouring from a liquid measuring cup will do just fine. Fill the funnel with batter using a ladle and keeping a finger underneath the spout so the batter doesn't leak out. Bring the funnel over the batter and carefully remove your finger from the bottom and pour the batter into the oil. Move the funnel in a circular and criss cross motion to form the cakes.

Fry the funnel cakes for about 2 to 3 minutes. Much like a pancake, you should see air bubbles at the top of the batter and the sides around the bottom start to turn golden brown. Carefully flip the funnel cakes and allow them to fry for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

Carefully remove the funnel cake from the hot oil and place them onto the paper towels to drain any excess oil. Immediately dust the hot funnel cakes with a generous amount of powdered sugar.

Serve the funnel cakes while they are still hot. If you're making a large quantity, you can store the funnel cakes in an oven that's been preheated to 275 degrees. After you're finished frying, let the oil cool completely and you can strain the oil and store in an air tight container to use again at a later date.

Once you've fried your funnel cakes, it's time to start our movie of the week. This weeks film is the larger than life story of Edward Bloom and is extraordinary adventures in Tim Burton's 2003 film Big Fish.

When the fascinating life of Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) seems close to it's final chapter, his family gathers by his bed side to spend what time they have with him left. For Edwards son William (Billy Crudup), it's the final chance he has to really understand his father. All his life, Edward lived a fascinating and eventful life and chose to share his experiences with people through him telling his over the top stories that played out more like fairy tales.

While young William saw the allure in his father's tales, he quickly out grew hearing the same stories over and over and no longer saw the charm in what he know saw as lies. Trying the understand what were true events and what were fabrications, William sorts through his fathers past in hopes to understand him and makes sense of his stories.

In the flashback portions of the film, Edward's younger self is portrayed by Ewan McGregor. Edward's life was never filled with a dull moment and met some interesting people along the way including a witch, a giant, a werewolf, and plenty of other folks that became apart of his stories. Through the recreation and the retelling of his father's stories, William may finally learn about both his fathers greatest achievements and his failures. Marion Cotillard, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, and Danny Deveto co-star in this fairy-tale fantasy of a film.

Big Fish is among the most original films that's been created in recent memory. It's tag line "An adventure as big as life itself" perfectly describes what this movie is about. A heart warming, funny, and magical film that tells a story fit for all ages. At it's core, it's a father and son film that portrays the special bond between them. Tim Burton's eye for fantasy and stunning visuals is very apparent in Big Fish and I don't think any other director other than Burton would have done this story justice. If you've never seen this film, I can't urge you to do so as soon as possible. Click here to watch the trailer for Big Fish.

Caribbean Marinated Skewers and Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

One of my favorite ways to experiment with new flavor combinations is by making a marinade.When I started thinking of a meal to go with one of my favorite movies, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, I came up with my Caribbean marinade recipe. The idea of this food and flick parring was actually the first idea that came to me when I thought of starting this blog. Flavored with pineapple juice, rum, and a ton of spices this marinade will infuse everything it touches with the key flavors of the Caribbean islands. I used boneless chicken and shrimp for mine but this marinade would also be great with pork. Meant to be grilled over an open flame, its a perfect dinner for a warm summer night. A plate of freshly grilled skewers, a refreshing drink, and Pirates of the Caribbean is one movie night the whole family will love. Yo ho, Yo ho! A pirates life for me!

1 and 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless Chicken breast (Cut into cubes)
1 pound of raw peeled and deveined shrimp
1 large Red onion
1 Mango
Fresh Pineapple
Bell Peppers

For the Marinade
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
1/4 cup of dark rum
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of ginger
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper
Juice and zest of one lime
2 cloves of minced or grated garlic
3 chopped scallions

In a medium sized mixing bowl - whisk together the oil, rum, pineapple juice, and the lime juice. Separately combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and pepper, nutmeg, lime zest, and cayenne pepper together until the spices have been mixed together. Whisk into the liquids until the the combined and finally add the grated garlic and chopped scallions.

Place the chicken breast in a baking dish or a large Ziploc bag and pour just enough marinade over top to cover the meat. Toss together lightly to make sure the meat is mixed in with the marinade and allow the meat to soak up the flavors for at least 2 to 3 hours.

In a separate dish or Ziploc bag, pour the same amount of marinade over top of the shrimp. Again, cover and allow the shrimp to marinate for 2 to 3 hours.

Once the chicken and shrimp are soaking up our marinade, time to infuse our fruit and veggies as well. Peel the outer layer of the red onion and cut off both ends. To get nice big pieces for skewers - cut the onion in half, then into quarters, and then cut the quarters in halves.

You'll want to cut your bell pepper into pieces that are about the same size as your onion to help insure an even cooking time. Do the same with your Mango and pineapple. Once the tropical fruit and vegetables have been cut to size, allow them to soak up the Caribbean flavors using the remaining marinade.

Before we take a break and let our meat, fruit, and veggies marinate it's time to do one very quick but important step. If you're going to be grilling with bamboo skewers, we have to soak them in water so they don't burn on the grill. Lay the skewers in a flat dish and pour water over top for them to soak in. You really only have to let them soak for about 30 minutes but I find the longer they soak the better. Your bamboo skewers will burn on the grill if you forget this step so make sure you take the time to do so.

Once marinated, it's time to skewer the meat and veggies to get ready for the grill. The chicken, shrimp, and fruit and vegetables will all have slightly different cooking times so even though it looks nice for presentation, it's best to not mix the vegetables with the meat. Skewer the pineapple, mango, onions and peppers together, the shrimp on it's own, and skewer the chicken separately also.

Prepare either your gas or charcoal grill - if you're using gas turn your burners to about medium heat. The shrimp will only take a few minutes to cook so we'll place them on the grill last. Place the chicken and vegetable and fruit skewers on first. Cook the chicken and veggie skewers for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side until grill marks start to appear. Flip and cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes.

Once the chicken is just about done cooking and the vegetable and fruit has become tender, place the shrimp skewers onto the grill. They will cook very fast, about 3 minutes on each side until the shrimp turns pink. Once the shrimp is done, remove the skewers from the grill and serve. I like to serve these with just a side of white rice with some freshly chopped scallions mixed in at the end. Eat up me hearties, it's time to start our movie of the week.

The Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise has become one of the most popular movies series over the last decade. Originally created from the attraction by the same name at Disney World, we have now seen four Pirate movies since the 2003 release of first installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and a fifth movie set to start filming next year. It's safe to say the world simply can't get enough of the outrageous Captain Jack Sparrow.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl came out the gates with a bang. Being an instant hit with critics and fans, Johnny Depp brought the character of Jack Sparrow to life, earning an Oscar nomination for best actor in 2004 in the process. When the notorious pirate Captain Jack Sparrow arrives at the island town of Port Royal, it doesn't take him long to find his way into trouble. While trying to escape capture, Sparrow meets and duels with a young blacksmith named William Turner (Orlando Bloom) who hates all pirates. William is especially aggressive towards Jack when he learns that Jack threatened harm to his childhood friend and secret love Elisabeth Swan (Keira Knightly).

The same night that Sparrow arrives in town, a ghostly ship called The Black Pearl arrives off shore of Port royal and begins attacking. The crew of the Pearl have searched the entire Caribbean Sea for the final missing piece to their stolen treasure and their search finally comes to a conclusion. The last piece of Aztec gold they seek is in the hands of the governor's daughter, Elisabeth. Elisabeth is captured by the attacking pirates and soon comes face to face with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush).

Now desperate to rescue Elisabeth from Barbossa, William goes off on his own and turns to Jack for help. Though William's hatred towards pirates couldn't be greater, he knows his only chance to find Barbossa and rescue Elisabeth is with Jack Sparrow's help. Of course, Jack Sparrow isn't just along to help save the day as he has his own personal vendetta for Barbossa and his crew. The two will soon discover that rescuing Elisabeth and defeating Barbossa will be more difficult than they had expected.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is really just a fun movie to watch and can be enjoyed by movie fans of all ages. It's a solid film that's filled with action, humor, and romance from start to finish. While Johnny Depp and his larger than life character are the star of the film, I think Geoffrey Rush's performance was widely underrated. One of the most talented actors in the industry, he brings his A game in this movie. Playing the evil Captain Barbossa, he excels at the part and makes you believe you're actually seeing a real life pirate lord carrying out his plans. Though all of the films in the series are enjoyable, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is far and away to best of the bunch. If by some chance you overlooked this film, I can't urge you enough to get a hold of a copy as soon as possible. Click here to watch the trailer and catch a glimpse of the excitement.

Grilled Swordfish and JAWS

Last week I had the taste to try something new and broaden my culinary horizons. As a kid growing up I was never much of a fan of seafood. Over the past few years, my tastes have changed and I've begun to enjoy more and more of the types of seafood available. Along with wanting to come up with a meal to pair with one of my all time favorite films, Jaws, my new found taste for seafood brought me to the idea of making myself a swordfish steak out on the grill and I was more than pleased with the results.

Swordfish has a very mild flavor to it and holds up great out on the grill. With a very meaty texture and a slight fish taste to it, I can best describe swordfish as a cross between a steak and a boneless chicken breast. The downfall to swordfish is it's price, usually running around $20 per pound. The silver lining here is that the piece of swordfish pictured was just over 1/2 pound and easily fed two people. The price may turn some away but it's nice to splurge once in a while and a fresh swordfish steak is a great item to do so with.With a side of fresh cut french fries and a crisp summery salad, this is a perfect summertime dinner to enjoy with a classic summertime film, Steven Spielberg's iconic and timeless 1975 film Jaws.

1 Swordfish steak
The zest and the juice of 1 Lemon
1/8 cup of Vegetable oil
2 cloves are Garlic (grated or finely minced)
1 small shallot (finely diced)
1 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
Kosher salt and black pepper

To assemble to marinade for our swordfish, first start by using a zester or a microplane and removing the zest from the lemon. While we have out microplane out, grate the two cloves of garlic and add the garlic and the zest into a mixing bowl or a liquid measuring cup. Once the lemon has been zested, use the palm of your hand to apply pressure and roll the lemon along your cutting board or counter. This will help get the maximum amount of juice out of our lemon. Add the juice of the lemon to the mixing bowl and pour in the vegetable oil.

To the oil and lemon juice, add the diced shallot and a pinch of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Next whisk into the mixture the tablespoon of Dijon mustard until the oil and lemon juice emulsify into each other to form our marinade.

In a shallow glass dish (A pie plate or something similar works well), pour a little less than half of our marinade into the bottom. Place the swordfish steak in the dish and pour the remaining marinade over top of the swordfish. You want to let the swordfish marinade for about 3 to 4 hours in the refrigerator but you don't want it to sit in the marinade much longer than that. The swordfish will get mushy if it's been in the marinade for too long so be sure to avoid that. Not only do we want to fish to remain firm for eating, it's essential that the swordfish stays meaty so that we can grill it with ease.


Once the fish is allowed to soak up the flavors of the marinade, it's time to grill! Preheat your grill so that it's at a medium high temperature. Using a grill brush, very carefully grease the grill grates with a bit of vegetable oil to help prevent the swordfish from sticking. Place the swordfish down onto the grill and season with a bit more salt and pepper. Swordfish will cook very fast so be sure to keep your eye on it at all times. Grill the fish for only about 6-7 minutes on each side depending on thickness. Swordfish will dry out quickly so make sure you don't overcook. Once the cooking time is up, remove the swordfish from the grill and serve hot. Once dinner is on the plate, pour a glass of dry white wine, and enjoy your freshly grilled swordfish dinner with this weeks movie, Jaws.

When a monstrous Great White Shark finds it's way to the Northern Atlantic ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, a quiet beach thrown into a nightmare.The number of victims continues to increase as the Shark terrorizes Amity's waters. Newly hired and new resident of the island Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) has to find a way to stop the shark before it attacks again. To make matters more difficult, with the 4th of July on hand the mayor of Amity (Murray Hamilton) refuses to close the beaches. With the help of a marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and a seasoned fisherman Quint (Robert Shaw), Brody has to stop the shark before it takes another life, including their own. Lorraine Gary also co-stars as Chief Brody's wife.

Steven Spielberg's Jaws is without question one of the most recognized films ever made. It was one of the first motion pictures I truly fell in love with and helped me discover my love and passion for film making. You hear one note from John Williams' timeless and flawless score and you instantly think Jaws and about a shark attack. I mean really will there ever be a better or more iconic piece of music composed for a film? The answer is "No."

The 1975 classic is known to just about every person on the face of the planet and every one of them is lying if they tell you they haven't wondered what was swimming underneath the last time they went to the beach. Jaws was the first movie of it's time to truly be a smash hit at the theaters and drove movie goers to the theaters in massive numbers. The film terrified the world and launched the career of it's stars and it's talented young director.

Jaws was not an easy movie to film by any standard and, on more than one occasion, the crew were ready to call it quits. Between filming on the unpredictable Atlantic Ocean, going beyond the scheduled shooting time, going over budget, and most importantly a shark that wasn't working - it's a true testament to Spielberg and his crew that Jaws ever made it to the theaters. The biggest issue they crew faced, a mechanical shark which was slated to be the star of the movie that broke down nearly every single day. The film quickly went over schedule and over budget and Spielberg believed Jaws would mark the end of his career before it ever truly began.

While the crew thought the malfunctioning mechanical shark Spielberg named Bruce (named after his lawyer) would be the nail on the coffin for the film, their young director would use it to his advantage. In the original storyboards and concepts for the film, the shark is featured in almost every attack scene. Steven Spielberg would take inspiration from his own fear of the deep dark water and not knowing what could be swimming underneath you to scare the audiences without ever catching a glimpse of the monstrous fish. It was this concept and genius direction by Spielberg that truly made Jaws a horrifying movie to watch.

Jaws became an overnight success and nearly 40 years later, the film hasn't lost it's allure or horrifying nature to audiences. While many movie critics consider Citizen Kane, Casablanca, or Gone With the Wind to be the greatest movie ever made, Jaws equally deserves to be in consideration for that honor in my eyes. Though I'm willing to bet 99% of my readers have seen Jaws, I still urge you to watch it again in the near future and take note at all the tiny details that make this film the masterpiece that is. Instead of a link to a trailer for the film like I usually post, here is an hour and half documentary with interviews with the cast and crew about the making of Jaws.

Grilled Pork Chops with homemade Barbecue Sauce and Days of Thunder

The smell of the charcoal grill burning on a summer night never fails to take me back to my childhood. Add the smell of fresh barbecue cooking away and you've got one of the classic scents of summer. There are quite a few good quality BBQ sauces on the store shelves these days but I'm going to share my quick recipe to make your own. Sweetened with brown sugar, a splash of cola and spiced up with some chipotle peppers, it's the perfect balance of sweet and hot. Since the smell of charcoal brings me back to my days of summer as a kid, I wanted to pair this dinner with a movie that did the same. Few things capture the attention of a little boy than race cars and in the late 80s and early 90s, NASCAR was one of the hottest trends going.  Hollywood caught on fast and the movie Days of Thunder was released in the summer of 1990. Though I'm no longer the race fan I was a as a kid, I still love the watch this film every now and then to help me relive the excitement it brought me as a child. Here is how we'll make our dinner before we start with this weeks film.

2 thick cut boneless pork chops
For the BBQ Sauce
1 cup of Ketchup
½ cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tablespoon of butter
1 shallot (minced or grated)
2 cloves of garlic (minced or grated) 
2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 canned chipotle pepper chopped finely
¼ cup of Coca-cola
Freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt

In a sauce pan, melt the butter and sweat the the shallot and the garlic together for about 2 minutes. Sweating is different than when we sauté because we aren't looking to achieve a browned color. All we are doing is heating them so that they literally sweat and release moisture. Next, add the ketchup, brown sugar, and the mustard to the pan and stir together until the brown sugar dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients to the sauce and bring to a low simmer. Simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
 
Sprinkle a little paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic powder onto the pork chops and rub the spices into the meat. Spoon a bit of sauce on each pork chop but make sure you don't touch the pork chops with the spoon and then dip it back into the sauce, you don't want to contaminant the whole pot of sauce. Once seasoned and sauced, leave the chops sit in the refrigerator while you prepare your charcoal, or gas, grill. If you don't know how to prepare or cook with a charcoal grill, an entire post is coming either this week or next on how to do so.

Pour a bit of our homemade barbecue sauce into a separate bowl that you can take out to the grill with you. Add just enough for the amount of pork chops you are grilling because like before, once we spread the sauce onto the pork and dip our brush back into the sauce we won't be able to use the sauce at a later time. You can always pour more sauce into your dish if need be. If you don't have a BBQ brush, look for a heat resistant silicone one like mine. There are much more sanitary and easier to clean.

Once your grill is ready, place the chops on the grates and grill for about 6 to 8 minutes on each side. After you flip your chops the first time, spread a bit of your BBQ sauce on top. Continue grilling on the opposite side until done. The FDA recommends pork to be cooked to 145 degrees so if you're unsure you can always use a meat thermometer to see if your chops are cooked. Once your remove the pork chops from the grill, pour a bit more sauce over top and just like with steaks we want to let these rest for a few minutes before we cut into them. I know it's tempting to but slicing into the chops now will only allow all of our delicious juices to escape. Serve up your pork chops with any of your favorite summer sides and a nice cold coke and dinner is served.


Days of Thunder starring Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, and Nicole Kidman was a film based in the fast and unpreditable world of stock car racing. Robert Duvall plays Harry Hogge, a sucsessful pit crew chief who left the world of racing when his driver died in a crash during the Daytona 500 the year prior. When car owner Tim Daland (Randy Quaid) comes to try and talk Harry into working for a new race team he's putting together, Tim guarantees that he'll get Harry a driver capable of driving their car to victory. They turn to the young hot headed driver named Cole Trickle (Tom Cruise).

While Cole has raced his way to the top in other forms of racing, he'll have to learn to trust Harry's knowledge to survive in the world of stock cars. Cole's level of talent only rivals his temper, and it's not long before her builds a strong rivalry with other racers on the track. Just as Cole and the team begin to hit their stride, an accident threatens to keep the young driver off the track for good. In the world of racing, Cole soon finds you are forgotten about faster than he can drive a lap around the track. Cole will have to use every bit of determination he has to get in the drivers set and make his way back to the top. John C Riley, Cary Elwes, and Michael Rooker co-star in this fast paced early 90's classic. Check out the trailer here for Days of Thunder.

Movie Review - The Borune Legacy

The summer of 2012 saw the fourth installment in the Jason Bourne movie franchise and did so by taking quite a risk in that the character of Jason Bourne never once appears on screen. Writer/Director Tony Gilroy instead created a new character in the Bourne universe originally created by author Robert Ludlum and gave us a new and original story of his won with, The Bourne Legacy.

When events unfold that puts the a top secret program of the governments on the verge of being uncovered, panic and desperation soon sinks in. The head of the program, Eric Byer (Edward Norton) will now do anything to keep the secret intact, including destroying every agent left in the field. Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) however manages to escape the organizations attempt to exterminate him. Now fully aware of the manipulation he's been exposed too, Aaron will use his skills and training to protect himself and Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachael Weisz), who is also a target of the organization. Together, Aaron and Marta set out to finish what Jason Bourne started and put an end to the program.

Having seen only bits and pieces for the first three Bourne movies, I was concerned when I start watching The Bourne Legacy that I would be completely lost. However, the film does a good job providing the audience with enough information needed to be able to understand the plot. Coming in at just over 2 hours long, I never really found myself bored with the film and instantly felt a connection to the characters and the story. Jeremy Renner and Rachael Weisz (especially Renner) are both wonderful for this film. At times when the script doesn't always come together, the two stars shine in their roles and helped me look past that. Renner was perfectly cast as Aaron Cross and was very believable in the action sequences , as well as the character of Aaron Cross in general. Without giving anything away, the movie leaves room for more stories to be told about these two characters and I for one sure hope to see another Aaron Ross based movie within the next few years.

Despite a few flaws a long the way, a strong cast and a good amount of action and suspense keeps The Bourne Legacy together to make a good quality action movie that easily kept me entertained. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but if you're looking for a good action film to check out I'd certainly suggest The Bounre Legacy. Click here to check out the trailer for The Bourne Legacy.

Spicy Chinese style Stir Fry and "Kung Fu Panda"

One of my favorite things to eat is General Tso's Chicken at the Chinese buffet. Sweet and spicy sauce over top fresh white rice and perfectly steamed vegetables is a killer combination. Chinese take out gets expensive and lets face it, it's not the best thing in the world for us to eat. Plus, being out in the country where I am it's not as quick and easy as others just to dial up a near by Chinese take out place and order my usual. So with a little research and trial an error, I came up with my own recipe for that style of chicken that I love so much. I sauté my chicken rather than deep fry to save some calories but trust me I'm not skimping on flavor. Here's how to make great Chinese food in your own kitchen.

Serves 4
Vegetable oil
4 boneless/skinless chicken breast cut into strips (or boneless/skinless thighs if you prefer)
2 crowns of broccoli (cut into pieces)
1 8oz bag of Sugar snap peas
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 red bell pepper (sliced)
1 large shallot (sliced)
3 carrots (cut into thin strips)
3 scallions (finely chopped) 

For the Sauce
½ cup of Soy sauce

½ cup of brown Sugar

½ tablespoon of freshly grated ginger

3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar 

1 to 2 tablespoons of sriracha hot chili paste

3 teaspoons of cornstarch

White rice (Read instructions on rice package to make enough for 4)

First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and fill a large bowl full of ice water so that we can blanch the broccoli and the sugar snap pears. Next, prepare all of the vegetables by washing and cutting to the recipes specifications.

Blanch the broccoli and the peas separately by submerging them in the boiling water. About 4 minutes for the peas and closer to 6 minutes for the broccoli. Once the vegetables are blanched, quickly shock them in the ice water, drain them, and set aside with the other vegetables.

To make the sauce for our stir fry, combine all of the ingredients and whisk over low heat until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and set aside. The sauce will have a deep red color to it and be fairly thick. At this point, prepare the rice as suggested by the instructions on the packaging.

In the largest skillet you have, coat the bottom of the pan with a vegetable oil and heat over medium high heat. Season the cut chicken strips with salt and pepper and fry in the hot oil until browned. Once the chicken is cooked, all at once add the vegetables and stir together. Stir often during the process to ensure nothing sticks and everything gets cooked evenly. I like to cook my vegetables until they are just slightly tender but are still crisp. Finally, add the sauce to the skillet and stir everything together so that there is an even coating. Serve over top the fresh white rice and garnish with chopped scallions and sesame seeds.

"Kung Fu Panda" was yet another successful computer animated film brought to us by dreamworks pictures. Po the Panda (voiced by Jack Black) dreams of being a master of Kung Fu and fighting along side China's fiercest Kung Fu warriors known as the fearsome five (The Tigress, The Crane, The Monkey, The Viper, and The Mantis). Po however knows not a single move of Kung Fu and instead spends his days working at his fathers noodle stand serving the residents of The valley of peace bowls of noodle soup. However, a vision comes to the master of Kung Fu master Oogway that the legendary Dragon warrior would soon appear to protect the land form the evil and powerful snow leopard Tai Lung. A festival is called so that Shifu (Voiced by Dustin Hoffman) and his students, the fearsome five, may demonstrate their skills to Oogway to show if one of them is the dragon warrior they've been searching for. While attempting to catch a glimpse of the famed Kung Fu masters, Po soon finds himself at the center of attention when Oogway claims that Po is the dragon warrior.

Shifu feels that his master has made a mistake and plans to prove this by putting the overweight and novice fighter Po through such a rigourus training that Po will soon quit. When news arrives to the valley that Tai Lung has escaped from his prison and is returning home to claim the legendary dragon scroll he feels is rightfully his. Shifu, Po, and the Fearsome five will have to work together and fill their destiny's if they wish the save their home from the powerful and evil claws of Tai Lung. Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, David Cross, and Ian McShane all lend their talents to voice characters in "Kung Fu Panda". Some of you might overlook this film because of it's aim towards the younger audience but to you I say, "Don't be so serious!" We all need some light hearted, fun, and childlike adventure in our busy lives these days. "Kung Fu Panda" is a great film for people of all ages. Click here for a quick look at the film.

Movie Review - "Hugo"

"Hugo" was Martin Scorsese's gift to the film world in 2011. Now many of you may automatically picture a Scorsese film as a mobster shoot out type film but "Hugo" could not be further away from that description.

Set in a Parisian train station sometime between the two world wars, the film's plot revolves around a young orphan named Hugo (Asa Butterfield) and his quest to solve a mystery that he and his later father, played by Jude Law, were trying to solve together. When his father is killed tragically, Hugo's world is shattered as he is forced to live with his uncle who barely cares for himself let alone young Hugo.

Now on his own and constantly on the run from the harsh and relentless station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) Hugo's answer to his mystery may lie in the hands of a young girl named Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz.) If they two of them can stay out of the grasps of the inspector long enough to gather the final missing clues, Hugo may finally seek the answer he desperately wishes to find.

Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer and Christopher Lee play supporting roles in this magical film that I think will entertain viewers of all ages. Scorsese proved to us once again that he truly has the eyes for great film making. Check out the trailer for the film here.

Sliders and Fresh cut Fries and "The Prestige"

I have to admit, I have a major weakness for a good cheeseburger. Nothing beats a juicy burger with melted cheese hot off the grill or the pan. Add a side of salty french fries, a crispy dill pickle, and I'm in foodie heaven my friends.

In case you don't know, sliders are just mini burgers. They're a great for party's or as a weeknight meal. The small burgers easily accommodate someone with a large or small appetite and kids especially seem to love these mini burgers. The trick to any good burger is not going too extreme with the seasoning and not compacting the meat so much that they look more like a hockey puck than a burger patty.

I typically plan on serving 3 sliders per person. 1 pound of ground beef will make 6 sliders so adjust the amount you'll need on how many you plan on making. I made 12 sliders so there fore I needed about 2lbs of ground beef.

Fore 12 Sliders (serving 4)

12 small slider rolls
2lbs of ground beef
1/2 pound of preferred cheese sliced then
2 tablespoons of very soft butter
Kosher salt and Black Pepper
Desired toppings and condiments

For the Fries

5 large potatoes
Peanut or Vegetable oil
Salt and Pepper

The first step in preparing this meal is getting the potatoes peeled, cut, and washed. Using a sharp knife, or a french fry cutter, slice the potatoes into evenly sized fries and rinse them under cold tap water to rinse off the starch in the potatoes. Soak the fresh cut fries in a large bowl filled with water and then allow them to dry on a clean dish towel or paper towels. Make sure the potatoes are completely dry before dropping them in the oil - water and hot oil don't mix!!!

The trick to perfect fries is frying them twice. The first fry will last about 5 to 6 minutes as we're pretty much cooking the potato all the way through. We then drain the fries and allow them to cool before dropping them back down into the oil for a quick flash fry to give them that nice crispy texture. To help make sure everything gets done around the same time, we'll do the first fry now and the second once the sliders are finished. I'm lucky enough to have a small deep fryer that sits on my counter top but using any pot will work for frying.

You'll want to fill either your deep fryer to the recommended fill line or your pot about 3 to 4 inches full of vegetable or peanut oil. Heat the oil around 350 degrees and submerge the fries in the hot oil in small batches. You don't want to crowd the fries or else they will lower the temperature of the oil and the fries won't cook evenly. Remember, only about 5 to 6 minutes for the first fry and then, using a slotted spoon, tongs, spider, or other kitchen tool, carefully remove the fries and allow them to drain on some paper towels.

To form the sliders, carefully take a small portion of ground beef and very gently form it into the shape of a burger. This is the key here, if you use too much pressure you'll make a dense burger. Apply just enough pressure with your hands to mold the beef so it stays together. Whatever you do just don't start pressing down with your palm or rolling them into little meat balls.

Take about 2 tablespoons of softened butter and spread a little on the top of each burger. Season with kosher salt and fresh black pepper and that's it.

The weather wasn't cooperating with me the other day so I wasn't able to fire up the charcoal grill. Luckily you can still make a delicious burger indoors no matter what mother nature decides to do. Pre-heat a large frying pan, preferably a cast iron, over medium heat.

Once the pan is nice and hot, carefully place the burgers in the pan buttered side down. You should hear and see the burger sizzle the moment it hits the pan. It's important not to crowd the burgers in the pan, no more than 4 or 5 at a time, and don't move them around.

We're searing the burgers here and they need time to get that nice brown crust we are looking for. I know it's tempting but don't flip or slide these little guys around just yet. It will take 3 to 4 minutes on the first side depending on how thick the burgers are. Once you see that the meat is turning brown around the edges it's time to carefully flip.



Now for a little trick I like to use. Take about a tablespoon of water and pour it in the middle of the pan and quickly put a lid on. The steam caused by the water hitting the hot pan will help keep the burgers juicy as well as helping the center of your burgers cook through. If you're like me, I love my burgers just slightly pink and juicy on the inside. Once you've flipped the sliders cook for another 2 to 3 minutes to enjoy a medium cooked burger.

Next, top each burger with a few slices of cheese and put the lid back on - the steam will help melt the cheese to perfection!! Take the sliders out of the pan and place them straight on the bun or you can keep them warm in the oven if you have more to make. Just place the sliders on a baking sheet and place in an oven that has been heated to about 175 degrees - just enough to keep them warm and not cook them any further.

Now that the sliders are ready, it's time to finish the fries - don't worry it'll happen fast. Drop the par cooked fries back down into the hot oil for about 2 to 3 minutes or until you start to see that nice golden brown. Remove the fries one final time from the hot oil and place them on a few paper towels to drain. Give them a generous sprinkle of salt and a little pinch of black pepper and your tiny sliders have met there soul mates. Since I made one of my favorite meals this week, I thought I'd recommend and review one of my favorite movies - "The Prestige"

"The Prestige" follows the story of two magicians set in London near the end of the 19th century. Starring Christian Bale as Alfred Borden and Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier, the two young men are friends working as assistants for a magician's act. Michael Caine also stars as the engineer of the devices used by magicians to fool and entertain an audience. While the two men start off as friends, a horrible tragedy soon divides them and each begin on the path to becoming the top magician in London.

The former friendship has now become a bitter and even dangerous rivalry between them. Each men try to secretly sabotage their acts and often disguise themselves in each others audience to try and learn each others secrets . One night, while Angier sits in Borden's audience disguised as a common spectator, Borden debuts a magic trick that Angier is amazed by and calls it "The greatest magic trick I've ever seen."

Robert then becomes obsessed with his method and will stop at nothing to understand how it's done and how to make an even better act. Angier will soon find his obsession taking over his every thought and lead him on a journey where he will learn things he never expected. "The Prestige" is an absolute gem of a film that writer/director Christopher Nolan wrote based of a novel by the same name. It's a fast based movie that will take hold of you from start to finish and. Once the final curtains close I wouldn't doubt that you'll want to watch it again.

"The Prestige" is one of my very favorite films and easily finds it's way into my top 10 list of favorite movies. I'm posting the trailer below for you to watch...but I must warn you! It's very hard to watch this preview and not instantly want to watch the entire film. Even myself, who's watched this film dozens of times still can't resist wanting to do so. Like any good magic trick, you won't want to take your eyes off of it for a second. As the opening line of the movies asks, "Are you watching closely?"

Autumn Squash Soup and "Hocus Pocus"

Take a look around your grocery store and farmers markets this time of year and I’m willing to bet you’re going to find more squashes than you know what to do with. Acorn, butternut, spaghetti, and of course pumpkin are just a few. I have a fantastic recipe for you that will turn roasted pumpkin and butternut squash into a creamy and delicious Autumn squash soup. Slightly sweet and savory, this soup is perfect for those chilly autumn nights.

This recipe is going to make a lot of soup, enough to serve at least 8 to 10 people. But I love making a big batch while the squashes are in season, inexpensive, and readily available. Don’t worry about any leftovers – it freezes really well!

Autumn Squash Soup

1 Medium sized pumpkin

2 Medium sized butternut squash

1 Large or 2 medium Yams

2 carrots

2 medium yellow onions

4 cloves of garlic

2 large apples (peeled and cored)

¼ cup of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of honey

3 14.5oz cans of vegetable stock

1 stick of butter at room temperature

Extra virgin olive oil (about ¼ of a cup)

2teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

A pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

1 quart of half and half

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Start by peeling the pumpkin, the carrot, the apples, the yam, the onions, and the butternut squash. Cut the pumpkin and squash in half down the middle so you can scoop out the seeds and “gunk” inside. Cut the yams, pumpkin, carrots, and the squash into pieces that are as close in size as possible, this will ensure an even cooking time. Toss into a large mixing bowl. Cut the onions into quarters and the do the same with the apples, reserve about half of an apple and half of an onion however as we’ll need them for later. Peel the cloves of garlic and toss into the bowl of squash along with the apples and the onions.

 To the bowl of vegetables - add the brown sugar, the honey, salt and pepper, the cinnamon, and ¾ of a stick of butter, and the olive oil and toss together. Clean hands are the best tool for doing this, get down in and there and get messy! Make sure everything is coated well – if not add a little more olive oil.

Dump everything out on a large baking sheet, you might actually need two. Just be sure that everything is in a single layer and not piled up on top of each other. Place the vegetables in the oven and roast for about one hour, checking on them every 10 to 15 minutes. This step may take more or less than an hour but the big thing here is to make sure everything is roasted until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Once everything is nice and roasted, take out of the oven and set aside. (You may notice there is celery on my baking sheet in the picture. The reason it's not in the recipe is I found even when blended the celery was still stringy so I chose to omit it)

Remember the half of onion and apple we saved? Dice both of them and sauté in a large stock pot with the rest of the butter we didn’t use from before. You want to do this over medium low heat and stir often for about 10 minutes. After sautéing the onions and apples, add the vegetable stock to the pot and bring to a simmer. Carefully add the roasted vegetables into the pot and mix together along with the half and half and turn off the heat for now.

Take a whisk or a hand held potato mashers and start crushing the roasted vegetables. We’re going to add the soup to a blender or food processor in a moment but doing this just gives the process a little head start. Ladle out a few scoops of soup and pulse the mixture until it’s very smooth. Do this in small batches until all of the soup is creamy and smooth. Bring the soup back up to a simmer, add the fresh nutmeg, and give one final stir. Season to taste with salt and pepper and dinner is served! Or…

Who doesn’t love a grilled cheese with soup?? I sure do and here is a gourmet twist on the classic grilled cheese! Take your bread of choice, butter one side of each like any grilled cheese, put a few slices of sharp white cheddar, thinly sliced apple, and a few pieces of salty bacon or prosciutto. Grill to perfection in any pan or a panini press and this sandwich will go perfectly with our creamy Autumn squash soup.

Grilled Cheese and soup was one of my favorite meals as a kid. October itself always takes me down memory lane and the magic of being a kid. Tossing leafs into the air after our parents took the time to rake them into neat little piles and thinking about our Halloween costumes and all the candy we’d get trick-or-treating. While dinner might take more to the adult flavor pallet, no reason we can’t be kids again by watching a fun filled movie about Halloween - Hocus Pocus.

Hocus Pocus is a classic 1993 Disney movie starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson Sisters - three witches who are looking to steal the youth from the children of Salem. 300 years ago the, the sisters were hanged after sucking the life from a young resident of Salem. Now in the modern day, three teenagers will mistakenly bring the witches back to life. With the aide of cursed talking cat named Binks, They’ll have to find a way to stop Winnie, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson before they succeed in their evil plans 300 years in waiting. Hocus Pocus was one of my favorite childhood movies and one that hasn’t lost any glimmer to me as the years have passed. Better Midler gives one of her best comedic performances and it’s not a surprise this film is beloved by so many. Whether you’re remembering this film from your youth or discovering it for the first time – Hocus Pocus is agreat movie and one I’m sure you’re spell-bound to love!