Shishito Peppers

I had Shishito peppers for the first time this summer at a cocktail party in the Hamptons.

Mostly sweet, the sign warning against the occasional spicy pepper resulted in a Russian roulette-esque game among the guests that was a great icebreaker. 

I've been trying to clean up my diet, so, when I saw them at the market I knew they'd make the perfect snack!

1 Teaspoon coconut oil

Shishito Peppers (2 cups)

Himalayan Salt

Wash your peppers, leave the stems on, pat dry. 

The stems will serve as a handle to eat the rest of the pepper. 

If you plan on serving them at a party, be sure to have a container for the discarded stems. 

Heat your pan to a medium heat and add your coconut oil. 

Do not allow your oil to start smoking! 

If your oil is smoking your pan is way too hot. 

Add your washed shishito peppers, sauté over medium heat tossing them every so often until they develop a nice char. 

The smaller the batch of peppers the faster they will cook. A large batch of peppers would require more oil and take longer to cook. 

Finish with some Himalayan sea salt and enjoy!

October means Thackery Binx

We're more than halfway through October and that means Halloween Movie Marathons. Or, if you are terrified of your own shadow like me, an annual viewing of Hocus Pocus. That's about as "scary" as I can handle.

Any proper movie night will need blankets, comfy seats, and most importantly snacks! While there is a veritable universe of snacks available these days my favorite above all others is popcorn.

Let me put it this way; if October means Thackery Binx, movie night means popcorn. 

I like to make my popcorn on the stove top. It gives me a greater degree of control over not only the flavor, but also helps to assure that I will be eating better quality, more natural, ingredients.

When I tried to capture the correct ratios I had a surprisingly hard time figuring out how to share them with you guys.  I just kept eyeballing the amounts and adjusting them.

 So, I found a great guide by Simply Recipes which you can access here. 

My favorite thing about pot-popping popcorn,  is the variety of ways you can flavor the popcorn. 

Some of my favorite combinations are : 

Traditional butter with Himalayan salt

Truffle

Rosemary Garlic

Rosemary Parmesan

Cinnamon Sugar

Spicy Maple 

 Cheesy Garlic

S'mores

Use your imagination, the sky is the limit... 

An easy way to get creative with your popcorn is to try different flavored salts like this one from my trip to Iceland 

I had a couple of questions about where I bought me pepper flake Weck tulip jar; I purchased it at the Charles Street Black Ink in Boston but I'm sure you can buy them online. 

Blueberry salt from my trip to Iceland gave a very subtle tang to the popcorn

Can we also just take a second to appreciate the amazing greatness that is Batmouth? 

I'll give him his proper attention in an upcoming post... 

If the movie starts to get a little too terrifically terrifying, follow these fool proof Halloween movie watching methods:

1. Hide under the covers.

2. Climb on top of the person next to you and bury your head in their shoulder.

3. Stick your fingers in your ears and shut your eyes.

4. Excuse yourself to go to the bathroom .

5. Turn off the movie and put on a Christmas movie. 

[It's a fair suggestion, some of the stores around here are already decorating!]

 If nothing else, remember, it's just a bunch of Hocus Pocus.

Boo,

Butternut Squash "Fries"

So on this new restricted diet you're only allowed to consume certain things and after a while the cravings for all the sugary and savory goodnesses that you are no longer able to be eat subside and you don't really miss them. 

No seriously I swear it's true. 

But last week I had suffered through about three different meals where the person I was out with had french fries, and pretzels and all manner of snickysnacks, which are a no-no.
So, I asked my food-guru what I was able to have as a treat when I was seriously craving something salty with a crunch. She gave me some parameters to work within and this is what I came up with. 

The key to this recipe is cooking the butternut squash on parchment paper. Not exactly sure why, but it always seems to come out better when the squash is baked in a pan lined with parchment paper. 

Ingredients:

1 cup of cut butternut squash 

- try to keep the pieces as uniform as possible to keep them cooking at the same rate- 

1 tbsp. olive oil 

1/2 tsp. garlic powder 

1/4 tsp. Italian herbs mix

1/2 tsp. black truffle oil

Sea salt & pepper to taste 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 

Cut your squash into pieces. 

Mix together the olive oil, garlic powder, truffle oil, and italian herbs mix in a bowl. 

Add your cut butternut squash and coat it thoroughly with the mixture. 

Spread out your butternut squash on a parchment paper lined roasting pan. 

Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. 

Roast in the oven for 15-17 minutes. 

If you want a little more crunch, let it cook for up to 20-23 minutes but be careful to watch it to prevent it from burning. 

Eat and enjoy! 

Remember this portion size is intended to be an individual snack per person. If you intend to make this for a group, then  simply multiply the recipe, times the number of individuals you will be serving.