Patriotic Popcorn

Hello and Happy Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth of July. Uh, what day are we celebrating this year? I'm mixed up. Are we supposed to do our parades, barbecues, swimming and fireworks on Saturday? And then do we sing heart-thumping patriotic hymns on Sunday? (I always wish I had a booming baritone voice to march and sing "Glory, Glory, Hallelujiah." But I also fantasize about having an emotive soprano for the national anthem-I just can't hit those high notes-"And the rockets red glare!...Oer' the land of the fre-ee-eee-eee" Can you hit them without straining any internal organs?) And what about Monday? Are we eating barbecue left-overs or do we start all over again with fresh supplies and renewed enthusiasm? Are we still waving our flags in the street and letting off smoke bombs on the Fifth? Should we maybe just make it a three day feast like the real Thanksgiving-72 hours of Par-tay. What are you doing this weekend, readers?

At least I know we will be eating this in between waving sparklers and listening to piccolo petes. It's Patriotic Popcorn, and you can try saying that ten times fast for kicks. It's a bit of a sticky, gooey mess to make it-which means that kids will love it. When I'm old and my kids are grown, I won't make anymore sticky, gooey foods. My dentures won't be able to handle it anyway, but also, it will be no fun to make a mess without pudgy little hands. Dry, bony, old hands are better for making fat-free cheesecake and broiled chicken breasts. Until then, I resolve myself to enjoy the juicy perfectly patriotic imperfection of cooking with tots. Make some this weekend-you've got three days of celebrating, so get a move on. Have a happy Fourth-uh, Third and Fifth, too. Much love, safety and sticky gooeyness to you and your families!

Patriotic Popcorn (from Kraft Recipes)

Estimated Cost:$2.50 for 8 cups

Notes:

I made two half batches of blue and red jello. Measure out 1/4 cup jello powder from each box.

8 cups popped popcorn (Use low-fat microwave popcorn)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar or granulated sugar
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Strawberry or Blueberry Flavor Gelatin
Make It
PREHEAT oven to 300°F. Line 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil or wax paper. Toss popcorn and peanuts in large bowl; set aside.
PLACE butter and syrup in small saucepan; cook on low heat until butter is melted. Add sugar and gelatin; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Bring to boil on medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Pour immediately over popcorn mixture; toss to coat well. Spread into prepared pan, using 2 forks to spread evenly.
BAKE 10 minutes. Cool. Remove from pan. Break into small pieces.

Next Up:

Pasta Primavera

P.S. Did you check out these hot dogs from Des News? Head over there.

Hot Diggity Dogs for the Fourth

Photos are from the Deseret News' Food Section.We've had company this week, one of my dearest friends Kimmarie from Philadelphia and her five kids. In between swimming, hiking and playing, we've been keeping up-just barely-with violin, tennis lessons, piano, violin, and my job. Just barely. I had some grandiose ideas for hot dogs that I was cooking up to share with you for the Fourth of July, but those ideas were nudged off the agenda. I was even going to make extraordinary (I hoped) hot dogs for Kimmarie and her gang, but instead she made my family grilled steak and baked potatoes, and marinated tomatoes instead. I could get used to coming home from work to a nice dinner. I can see why spouses like it so much.
I've been thinking that hot dogs are just about perfectly patriotic for the Fourth of July. They don't cost much, so you can feed the multitudes. They couldn't be faster, so you don't have to miss all the fun. You can customize them in a million different ways, so everyone is happy. You can a keep it simple for the kids with a squirt of ketchup, or make them high falutin' fancy for the adventurous crowd. That's how I like them-so full of fixings, that you could skip the dog (which I do, frankly. Frank-ly, ha! ) A friend of ours is starting a hot dog stand in Hawaii, and I've been working on secret sauces for him. So far this chicken wing sauce has been the favorite, but my tangy root beer barbecue sauce is a close second . I'm also workingon a spicy apricot simmer sauce that should go well on a dog, so I'll be sure to share if it turns out well.
This morning, the Des News ran an article about hot dogs with loads of marvelous variations.
Check it out and give it a try. Maybe I'll even get one made before the Fourth so I can share it with you.
Up Next:
Patriotic Popcorn

Best Ever Lemon Bars

This morning, while I was getting ready for church, I thought I'd save a little on our AC bill and dry my hair in front of a small fan. I was in my silky bathrobe and my hair was billowing in the cool breeze, and I couldn't help but think that this was the life-when suddenly, I felt my head lurch backwards and suck my hair into the fan. Instinctively, I grabbed onto my hair and tugged back. The fan and I were engaged in a battle-vanity versus electricity. I yelled to Sailor to come and unplug the fan. (I would never have called for West or I'd still be yelling now.) Then I did a clumsy about-face, picked up the fan clogged with my tangled hair, dragged the cord and my pride to the bathroom, and waited for the Quiet Man to finish showering and rescue me. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and all I could think was Cousin It. But it could get worse....Would I need to get a short haircut, like Anne of Green Gables when she dyed her hair green, or like Jo March when she sold her locks to buy a train ticket for Marmy? The Quiet Man, in just a towel, patiently and gently battled my enemy fan, releasing most of the frizzy mess. The fan surrendered and then held stubbornly tight, refusing to give up one last lock. Quiet Man reached inside the screen with a pair of long, shiny scissors and snipped the last prisoner-tress, and then I was free. Phew. Thank you, kind sir. I'm the antithesis of Rapunzel, but the Quiet Man is still my knight with shining scissors.

I know just to help me forget my close shave with disaster: Best Ever Lemon Bars. This recipe, like so many of my favorites, hails from Ina Garten. These really are the Best lemon bars, not too sweet, not too tart, and just the right soft consistency. Their yellow color is so sunny, cheery, and bright, making them perfect for a summer dessert. (Or a summer pick me up after an almost accidental haircut. Gulp.)

Post Edit: The missing piece of hair is , as it turns out, not missed. I can't even find the spot anymore.

Best Ever Lemon Bars

Estimated Cost:

$6.00 for 24 servings

Notes: Get a big bag of lemons for the best deal-then use the extras to make homemade lemonade. Don't even bother with a half batch of these bars. Make the whole darn thing, cut them up, and take some to a neighbor.

Ingredients
For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.
Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.
Next Up:

Recipes for the Fourth of Joo-lye

Mojo de Ajo Veggie Fajitas

Last weekend we were warming up with pretend camping, and this weekend we are heading off to do the real thing. Did I tell you that I love to camp? I grew up on yearly trips to Yosemite and Yellowstone, with Dad the Fisherman and Mom the Reluctant Camper and ten siblings in tow. We're not going anywhere as grand as a National Park, but there will be evergreens, Dutch oven cooking, hikes, and lots and lots of dirt. I'm most looking forward to the smell of bacon and maple intermingling with pine trees and temperatures that won't come anywhere near 100 degrees. All right, I'm just as excited as the charges, only I have neither their free time nor energy. I'd better get cracking. Before I go, I leave you with this veggie fajita recipe. Remember this post about my new favorite San Antonio Chicken fajitas? I thought I'd give it a go with pure veggies, and they were every bit as mouth-wateringly delicious. That Mojo de Ajo spice and garlic oil is spiffy stuff, kiddos. You've got to make some this weekend!

Mojo de Ajo Veggie Fajitas

Estimated Cost: $7.00 for four generous servings

FOR THE MOJO DE AJO

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons minced garlic (4 to 6 cloves)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)

1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

FOR THE FAJITAS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 large white onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 1 cup)

1 large green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 large red bell pepper, sliced into 1/2 inch strips

2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch strips

1 cup corn kernels

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

12 small corn tortillas (about 6 inches), warmed

Guacamole, for serving
Pico De Gallo, for serving

Sour cream, for serving

Shredded mild cheddar cheese,for serving

DirectionsMake the mojo de ajo: Cook oil and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat until garlic is soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in lime juice, red-pepper flakes, and salt.Make the fajitas: Heat a large skillet (preferably cast-iron) over high heat. Add oil, and gently swirl to coat. Add onion and bell peppers, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is browned in spots, and pepper has softened slightly and skin is blistered, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, corn and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are browned and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the mojo de ajo, and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with warmed tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, and cheese.
Next Up:

Best Ever Lemon Bars

June Bug Mocktails

There are exactly seven days left in the month of June. After that, there are exactly six months left in the year 2010--but I'm getting ahead of myself. Time just keeps on ticking into the future, like it or not. I don't think there's anyone north of the equator that wants June to be over. The month is a gift of sunshine, blossoms, freedom, and golden evenings. School is out, play is in. And yet, in one week, playful June will be replaced with patriotic July. It's no reason to pout, except that I know that July will go by just ask quickly as June has gone. Life feels like a great big circle, going round and round, and you're tempted to think since there will always be another June, that nothing is really changing. But look again-the kids are growing faster than the garden corn, and the Quiet Man's hair is getting grayer, and my knees made a cracking sound when I got out of bed this morning. Time's a circle that's not only spinning but rolling forward, and darn it, if I can't stop it, I'm at least going to drink it in. So here's a new sipper that looks like a June sunset, and tastes like a sweet and fizzy flower. I spotted it in Better Homes and Gardens and the name intrigued me. June Bug. You've got a week to stir one up. (Although, you could just rename it YearRound Bug and drink it whenever you please.) And while time might be moving too quickly for me, it's moving too slowly for this little cowboy. He couldn't bear to have his beautiful, inviting June Bug just sitting there waiting to be photographed. A few minutes are an eternity at age seven. Normally, he just has to be patient. But not this time. June and life are too short. I snapped a couple of quick, sloppy shots, and then I sat down with my boy and we drank it all in. Together.

June Bugs Mocktails

Estimated Cost: $4.00

3 cups ginger ale

3 tablespoons grenadine syrup

3 tablespoons orange juice

4 scoops orange sherbet (plus more)

Blend in the blender. Divide into four cups. Add another scoop of sherbet to each cup. Do not waste time photographing. Enjoy.

Next Up:

Best Ever Lemon Bars

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

We had such a funtabulous weekend. I was really expecting it to be rather quiet, since we're having a rare lull between summer visitors. Usually we catch up on work and chores, balance checkbooks and weed gardens, and other unpleasantries when we are without guests. This weekend, we chucked all the mundane stuff out the window, and just had a great time. On Friday night, we went to a late showing of Toy Story 3. I love the excitement and anticipation of late night shows on opening day. We liked Toy Story 3 so much that we didn't even finish our bucket of popcorn-and that's saying alot for my snacky family. This groovy tiger stole the show. Hiya, Kennie. I never had Ken or any Barbies, but my friend Julie L. used to pack a giant suitcase full of boy and girl Barbies when she came for a sleepover. We had a great time UNTIL I accidentally dropped her Barbie furcoat in her Barbie pool. That was the end of that. Sorry, Julie L. But the movie was marvelous, and I can recommend it without reservation for kids from 1 to 92.

On Saturday,the kids had a lemonade stand and brought in a cool ten dollars. Sailor claims she did most of the work and should probably get more than half of the ten, since West mostly just ran around with neighborhood boys, putting ice cubes down each other's shirts. It's hard to be an ant when your little brother is a grasshopper.

We swam in the afternoon, rode bikes around the neighborhood, and then built a fire in the backyard and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. You might as well set up a tent and play Uno, if you're going to pretend to camp. This tent it 26 years old and smells like the Scout Jamboree, but that kind of thing doesn't bother you until you hit middle age, I think. But it is a good place to hide and wrap Father's Day gifts. Father's Day is a feasting day- I made a grilled steak with a maple chili butter that is pure heaven, but that's another post for another day. The Quiet Man ate well, opened gifts, and had a nap and the charges only got in 12.6 arguments, instead of their usual 32.9, in honor of Dad's special day. What more could a father want? How about cinnamon swirl bread?

Well, whaddya know, we've got some right here. This yummy swirled bread was my Tuesdays with Dorie assignment last week, so you've got to click here to get the recipe. I left out the raisins, since my kids act like they might be poisonous. It was delicious fresh and hot out of the oven, but even better as toast. And even even even better as cinnamon toast.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and Father's Day.

Next Up:

June Bug:Non Alcoholic Fun Fizzy Drinks

Bengal Beef Skewers for the Man in your Life

Floating along in the spirit of sweet smelling June, I almost forgot to post a Father's Day menu. Although, if you scroll down to my last post, you could make a very fine feast of Teriyaki Chicken and pineapple upside down cake for your Dad, but then there is also your husband to consider. Somehow, I forget that I'm sorta responsible for that man of mine on Father's Day, too. (I did remember to get him some little presents-an Ella Fitzgerald CD, a tin of Altoids, a Toy Story 3 puzzle to put together with the charges, and an inflatable neck pillow for our big trip to the Middle East in the Fall. I don't think he's reading this post, but if he is I have no surprises left. That's what happens after nearly 15 years of marriage.) If I ask the Quiet Man what he wants for dinner, he usually says something kind but maddeningly unhelpful, like "I'm happy with what you make everyday." But on Father's Day, I don't want that every-day-kind-of happiness. I want that manly-beefy-holiday-kind-of-happiness. I had to put on my thinking cap for something really special. I had a flashback to our days of graduate school in southern California, when we spent our weekends making good use of our Disney annual passes. For those of you who know Disneyland, you'll recall a distinctive, savory aroma the minute you cross the threshold into Adventureland. The smell of Bengal Barbecue Beef Skewers, from some little cafe next to the Indiana Jones ride, was enticing enough to excite even the ever-stoic Quiet Man. Everyone who passes by drinks in the intoxicating smell-mmmm, this is the stuff that culinary dreams are made of. I wish I had a scratch and sniff sticker so you could lean in and see for yourself. Tender bites of grilled beef, doused with a savory sauce with the flavors of garlic, sesame and soy. This'll be just the ticket to surprise the Quiet Man, even if he already knows about all of his suprises. The smell alone would be worth it, but trust me-the flavor is unforgettable-in a manly-beefy-holiday kind of way, too.

Bengal Beef Barbecue Skewers

Estimated Cost: $8.00 for 6 skewers
Money Saving Tips: The grocery stores will have big meat sales for Father's Day, so stock up. Any tender cut of beef for grilling will work well here, so ask your butcher for your best and cheapest cut.

1 cup Soy Sauce

1 1/2 cups Water

1 Tbsp. Ground Black Pepper

3 Tbsp. Sesame Seed Oil

1 tsp. Ground Red Pepper

1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1 Tbsp. Granulated Garlic

3 Tbsp. Cornstarch

18 one-ounce pieces Sirloin Beef Chunks

6 Bamboo Skewers
Directions
Combine all of the ingredients above and bring to a boil, adding cornstarch to thicken. Soak the bamboo skewers in water to avoid burning. Place 3 pieces of beef on each skewer and cook on the grill 3 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. Brush with sauce and serve.
Here's what I'm serving alongside:

A green salad with apples, berries, and pecans,

Cheesy potatoes

Mixed vegetables

And there will be pie and ice cream. I'm not sure what kind, but I read somewhere that it was the favorite dessert of men. I've never forgotten it. That kind of useful information sticks with a girl.

Next Up:

Cinnamon Swirl Bread