Song of the Week: Sex and Candy

Song of the Week: Caramel Prisoner

Song of the Week: Jellybelly

Even Foodies Get the Munchies

Every once in a while even the biggest foie-gras loving, truffle shaving gourmand needs to snack on junk food. I recently discovered one of the best snacks in existence--Utz Baked Cheese Curls. I'm not usually big on cheese curls, but these are fantastic. Made of corn meal, oil, MSG, cheese, yellow 5 dye, and some other random ingredients, there's just something about these puffy little curls of tastiness that is so satisfying. The texture of the cheese curl just melts in your mouth, leaving behind that fake, cheesy, junk food flavor. Awesome and addicting. 

And if you're going to go all out with late-night snacks, I also recommend some chewy candy, like gummi bears, Swedish fish, and Sour Patch watermelon candies. Guaranteed good times.

There'll be Parties for Hosting...

Every year I have a holiday party and celebrate the season with good friends, delicious food, and tasty libations. Here's some of the food highlights of this year's party...

Cheese and Crackers

Sausage, Peppers, and Onions

Gorgonzola-Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon

Clementines

Hot Peppers Stuffed with Meat

Feta and Olives

Veggies and Dip

Skanky Vodka Martini with Blue-Cheese Stuffed Olives

 

Candy Cane Cocktail

Baked Brie

 

Tate's Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

I saved the best for last. I just started referring to this dish as "The Creation" since I don't know what else to call it. Look at these photos--don't you just want to eat it up? Everything about it is sexy--baguette, butter, brie, proscuitto, and fig and walnut butter. If you want to know how to make this decadent, delicious, and indulgent treat, check out my friend Eric's blog, Open Wide, for the recipe. Everyone needs to experience a taste of this heavenly creation at some point in their lives.

Happy holidays everyone! Hope you are all eating well...

Quote of the Week: Four Main Food Groups

"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup."

--Buddy the Elf

Song of the Week: Rock Candy

Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows

Song of the Week: Pure Imagination

Quote of the Week: Sweetness

“Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold.”

—Judith Olney

Song of the Week: Big Rock Candy Mountain

Candy Cane Cocktails

It's the most wonderful time of the year again, and that means candy cane cocktails! I found the recipe for this peppermint drink two years at on the Food Network Web site and it has become an annual tradition ever since. Candy cane cocktails are a little bit sweet, a little bit minty, and a little bit creamy, and they are a perfect way to get in the mood for the holiday season.

Candy Cane Cocktail
1 shot vanilla rum
1 shot white chocolate liqueur
1 shot peppermint schnapps
mini candy canes

Shake the liquid ingredients together in a cocktail shaker (or just stir them together), pour into a martini glass, and garnish with a mini candy cane.

I tend to buy Cruzan vanilla rum and Godiva white chocolate liqueur, which is nice and creamy. I also recommend using mini candy canes—the first year I used large candy canes and they just kept getting in the way and falling out of my glass.

The candy cane cocktail is a great drink at any holiday gathering. You can check out the original recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/candy-cane-cocktail-recipe/index.html

Song of the Week: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

So what are sugar plums anyway? Alton Brown explained these sweet treats on a special Christmas episode of his Food Network show Good Eats this past Monday. He explained that the "plum" in sugar plum was not always necessarily a plum, but in England when these treats were created it could refer to any dried fruit, like currants or raisins. These dried fruits would be mixed with nuts, sugar, and spices to create little delicious wintry gems. Alton provided a recipe for the sugar plums as follows:

Sugar Plums
6 oz toasted slivered almonds
4 oz dried plums
4 oz apricots and figs
1/4 teaspoon anise seeds
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 honey
pinch of salt
1 cup coarse sugar

1. Chop the almonds in a food processor.

2. Add the dried plums, apricots, and figs to the almonds and chop them in the processor--but not for too long since they might become mushy.

3. Lightly toast the anise seeds, fennel seeds, and caraway seeds in a pan.

4. Add the seeds to the chopped fruit and almonds and mix with the salt, confectioners sugar, cardamom, and honey.

5. Form into small balls and let sit overnight.

6. Roll the balls in your hand to warm them up (that's what she said) and then coat in the coarse sugar.

I haven't yet tried this recipe, but at least we've shed a little light on what sugar plums are!

Best and Worst Halloween Candies

Every year at this time the internet becomes filled with commentary on what the best and worst Halloween candies are to give out to trick-or-treaters. Taste in candy can be subjective so it makes it difficult to gage what others will enjoy. However, the one rule of Halloween that everyone should follow is only give out candy! Trick-or-treaters do not want to receive raisins or other dried fruits on this long-awaited, candy-filled holiday, and they definitely don’t want toothbrushes. Let the children’s parents worry about cavities—Halloween is one night when teeth are supposed to be coated in a thick, sugary mess.

My personal dislikes for Halloween candies are candy corn and Smarties. Otherwise, I’m not too picky. Candy corn seems to always come up in lists of worst Halloween candy, and I have to agree. It’s so perfectly themed for the season that I want to like it, but every time I eat it I just don’t enjoy it. Since this candy seems to cause such debate, my recommendation is to get a stash for yourself to eat if you enjoy it, but don’t subject others to the sickenly sweet, waxy pieces of corn. Smarties are probably the most boring candies to get for Halloween. Their not actually that bad, they just can’t really compete with candy bars, Pop Rocks, or gummy candy shaped like pumpkins and monsters.

This leads me to my favorite Halloween candies. Pop Rocks are probably the best thing to get for Halloween—not only do they come in tasty flavors, they are actually exciting to eat. And there’s nothing better than receiving a candy that both turns your tongue colors and creates odd, sparkling sensations in your mouth. You also can’t go wrong with candy bars or anything chocolate. My personal favorites to hand out are Snickers, Milky Way, and Hershey’s varieties, but almost any candy bar is a great thing to get in a Halloween bag. I don’t know how other people feel about gummy candies, but I love them. This year I discovered Lifesavers gummies shaped like witches, pumpkins, mummies, and other Halloween symbols. They are great, but I’ve mostly eaten the entire stash and it’s still a few hours before trick-or-treaters will be arriving.

That’s just my personal opinion on appropriate Halloween candy. Whatever you decide to hand out, just make sure it’s something you will enjoy eating if you have any left over.

Happy Halloween everyone—I hope you all have a fun, spooky, and sugary night!

One more rule: don't hand out rocks!!

Trick or Treat!

Be warned--if you don't treat you might get tricked!

Song of the Week: Lollipop

Song of the Week: The Candy Man Can