Homemade Kettle Corn

Popcorn is my comfort food.  I absolutely love it and sometimes loathe it.  Love the crunch, the airiness, and the playfulness of popcorn.  I HATE the fact that it gets stuck in your teeth.  I started making my own popcorn with kernels which makes it much healthier for you and you know what is going in your food that you make.  This recipe takes just as long as popcorn in the microwave but I think tastes much better.

Kettle Corn:

2 tbsp corn kernels

1 tsp vegetable/peanut oil

1 pinch of salt

few grinds of black pepper

1-2 tbsp. granulated sugar

In a deep sauce pan, heat the oil on medium high heat and add the corn kernels.  Add the pinch of salt, pepper and sugar and stir to coat all the kernels.  Once the corn starts popping, cover tightly with a lid and shake every few seconds until the kernel popping slows, take off the heat immediately.  Stir everything to combine and sprinkle with a bit more salt.  Pop in a movie, and enjoy!



Romesco

I first found this recipe in an Hors d'oeuvres Cookbook and made my own twist to it. You can serve it with many different things, chicken, fish or as an appetizer with toasted pieces of baguette. You put everything into a food processor and it's done in a few minutes. Easy!

This is for a serving for 6-8 people, if you have a smaller party, or just want some for yourself, just cut the recipe in half.

Romesco
1 Jar of Roasted Piquillo Peppers (TJ's has a great one)
1/2 cup of toasted unsalted slivered almonds
4 garlic cloves
1 big hand bunch of Italian parsley
1 big hand bunch of cilantro
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. sherry vinegar
3 scallions, chopped
hand full of cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes in oil (TJ's has a great one as well)
1/2 cup chopped stale bread
1 tsp - 1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp. ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of cumin
pinch of dried chipotle powder
S + P to taste
1/2 - 3/4 c. EVOO

Process everything but the olive oil in a food processor and process till mixed, maybe a minute or two. Then stream in the olive oil while the processor is running and watch to see a mixture turn into that of a pesto. That's it! I love to put it on a toasted piece of bread, or serve it with some fish or chicken. Very tasty and super easy!! You can store this in the fridge for a few weeks with a layer of olive oil on top of it, or a few months in the freezer.