So, television is not exactly the best in December...unless you like Hallmark Channel Christmas specials, in which case, TV's great! Most of the new hot shows are restarting after their mid-season breaks in January with some returning favorites beginning new seasons like SyFy's Being Human. However, there are things like the New Year's Parade and a number of great new release DVD's to take you through the $61.2 billion-worth of winter wonderland a la the December holidays. And just in case you need a hat on your pop-cultural cocktail, here are some recipes that will help you jingle all the way through 2012....

Santa's Little Helper

In a cocktail shaker, combine 1/2 ounce Kahlua mocha with peppermint (special edition Kahlua sold only during the holidays...), an ounce of cooled decaf espresso or coffee, 1/2 ounce of Godiva milk chocolate liqueur, and a 1/2 ounce of Stirrings Espresso liqueur. Add 4-5 ice cubes ice to shaker and a tablespoon of skim milk. Vigourously shake for 2-3 minutes, or, blend in a blender for 30-60 seconds to make more of a shake consistency. Pour into martini glass; garnish with chocolate-dipped peppermint stick and enjoy!

Non-alcoholic version: Take one ounce skim milk, one ounce cooled coffee, a tablespoon of Hershey's syrup, and a teaspoon of peppermint flavoring. Put in blender with 4-5 cubes of ice and blend for 30-60 seconds or use a whisk to mix ingredients without blending. Pour in martini glass and garnish as above.

Kentucky Eggnog

This is a no-brainer. Buy your favorite eggnog from your local dairy or grocery store. For every four ounces of eggnog, add 1/2 ounce of Maker's Mark Kentucky bourbon. Blend on low for 60 seconds or use a whisk to until bourbon is full incorporated. To lighten your nog, add ice cubes to blender (3-4); it will make a frosty-dessert like drink post-Christmas festivities or to be served with New Year's brunch! Pour into martini glasses and garnish with a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg...yum! It's like falling in love all over again.

For the non-alcoholic version, add a teaspoon of Nielsen-Massey vanilla to every three ounces of eggnog; prepare as above. Enjoy!

HINT: To thin out your eggnog before preparing the above recipes, add 1/2 ounce of skim milk to every 3 ounces of eggnog; prepare recipes as above.

THE Cheese Plate

Simple is key during the holidays, but you want things to be special as well. Buy a baguette (which your bakery or store can pre-slice for you), wedge of manchego cheese, wedge of drunken goat, block of 2-year aged cheddar, and a wedge of medium brie. Arrange on a large platter with cutting knife and spreading knife. Add a wedge of fig-almond loaf--this can be found in the cheese shop of your local grocery store or specialty store. If you can't find it, use halved fresh figs on the platter. In a separate snack bowl, add Marcona almonds. Serve the baguette slices with the cheese platter either on platter or on a separate plate. It's not your average mild cheddar slices with wheat thins and a cluster of grapes--which is also great, but it's the holidays. Give yourself a break and keep the appetizers and snacks simple. For the carnivores, add some specialty hard salami from Italy or shave some prosciutto to go with the cheeses. If you want to pair a wine with this cheese plate, I recommend a garnacha from Spain or a reasonably-priced red bordeaux from the Medoc.

This wraps up another year of Pop Culture Cooking! Thanks to all the fans for your support and encouragement. From my home to yours, best wishes for a happy, healthy holiday season and beyond. See you all in 2012!!!

Now, what kind of Pop Culture Professor would I be if I didn't have at least ONE entry for Halloween? Especially given all those fun new supernatural shows that aired in the month of October!!!??? Guilty pleasures like the Pretty Little Liars Halloween special, where audiences got to see the origins of "A's" deadly game made the cut, and of course, every year I watch, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." And yes, I caught Twilight, too. Supernatural may not be having the scariest of seasons, but Vampire Diaries are on fire! And I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the latest LJane adaptation: The Secret Circle. Spooky? Or just plain silly? The PC-jury is still out. Being Human fans are still waiting for the promised BBC series return but SyFy's Canadian adaptation set in *cough* Boston *cough, cough* is premiering in January...so hold on to your winter hats, kids, it's coming!

To keep you from starving during this lean TV-time, I've come up with a new twist on an easy favorite, and as always, have fun ways to make quick, healthy food while you feed your pop culture soul. First up: Lentil chili and Garlic bread! And a Halloween remake of my "Happy New Year" that's sure to please even your furriest of fanged friends.

Lightening Lentil Chili

Use your favorite canned lentil soup (or, cook organic dry lentils in vegetable broth using the directions on the package--about 30 minutes). Pour soup into a pan and heat on medium. While soup is heating, add a healthy palmful of cumin, a palmful of organic paprika, two dashes of Ancho chili powder, five grinds of fresh black pepper, 4 dashes of madras curry, and, a pinch of roasted ground coriander. Make sure that all the spices are evenly incorporated. As the soup heats, you'll find that it thickens and takes on a more red "chili" color (thanks to the paprika). Once your soup is heated thoroughly, you're ready to serve! Top with extra sharp shredded cheddar and enjoy! Now, on to the Garlic Bread....

Thunder Garlic Bread

1) Buy a fresh Tuscan loaf (round) from your favorite grocery store or bakery. You can also use any of your favorite bread products. I like to have the bakery pre-slice the bread for me into thick slices. When you get it home, remove the package and cut the larger slices in half vertically. Line two baking sheets with foil and spray with olive oil. Set bread and pans aside. Turn your broiler on to High in preparation for Step 3.

2) Compound Butter: Using four talespoons of room-temperature salted butter, include a tablespoon of washed, chopped fresh parsley and a clove of minced garlic (or a teaspoon of garlic powder) and incorporate until thoroughly mixed. Spread each piece of Tuscan bread with butter mixture and place bread slices on to the cookie sheets.

3) Place pans on top rack of oven under broiler; watch VERY CAREFULLY. The broiler tends to burn unwatched food. Anywhere between 3-5 minutes, you should see the butter melt and the edges brown. Remove from oven. NOW, sprinkle shredded Italian cheese (use mozzerella, asiago, parmesan, or a combination of your favorites!) over the top of each piece. Place under broiler again for no more than a carefully watched 2 minutes.

Et voila! You now have a pile of Thunder Garlic Bread to go with your Lightening Lentil Chili...need something to cool everything down? Coming up next!

Happy Halloween 2011: The Cocktail

Just like my "Happy New Year," you'll need some good bourbon, pomegranate liqueur, and for our Halloween version, fresh squeezed BLOOD orange juice, pomegranate seeds, and ancho chili powder. Because this is such a pretty drink made by the glass, you'll need a shaker. 

Start with a 16-ounce glass filled with ice. Pour 3 ounces of fresh squeezed blood orange juice in shaker. Add two dashes of ancho chili powder. Shake vigorously before adding one ounce of good bourbon, 1/2 ounce of pomegranate liqueur, and 1 ounce of cointreau, and 10 pomegrate seeds in shaker. Shake well once more. Pour over ice. Top with San Pellegrino mineral water. Then, add a topper of cointreau. Garnish with a thick piece of black licorice on the side of the glass. And enjoy!

This orange-colored concoction will certainly keep you entertained while handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters. And with my Lightening Lentil Chili and Thunder Garlic Bread, it's a sweet end to the perfect fall meal, chasing the chill out of the scariest night of the year! To make my Happy Halloween 2011 non-alcoholic, substitute orange juice (I use Trop 50) for cointreau and pomegranate juice for the pom liqueur. It's hard to substitute something that mimics the bourbon so know that a little carmel syrup and extra San Pellegrino will go a long way when mixed with the ancho powder and pom seeds. Use a tablespoon of carmel syrup and an extra ounce of San Pellegrino. No need for a topper here. Garnish as above...and bask in the glory of Halloween!

Have a fun, SAFE and very happy HALLOWEEN! Until next time...Boo!

So, lots of new in the last month...new episodes of Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, Nikita, and looking ahead to next week, we'll see new episodes of HBO's HUNG and the latest brain-child of the cable television mogul, Enlightened, starring the inimitable Laura Dern. And lest we forget, we're in the pop culture countdown to Halloween. Fans of the guilty-pleasure Pretty Little Liars will get a special Halloween pre-quel episode full of juicy nuggets to sink fangs into...oh, I mean teeth. To wet your pop culture appetites, let's begin with a little mixology brew to kick off a hauntingly delicious October. Ghoulishly giddy? Me, too! Here we go:  

THE APPLE DOESN"T FALL FAR....

-In cocktail shaker, combine one ounce of brandy, 1/2 ounce of ginger liqueur, 1/2 ounce of bourbon, and 2 ounces of fresh pressed apple cider with a pinch of Saigon cinnamon. Shake vigourously. Pre-prep a 16-ounce glass by wetting the rim and turning onto thin layer of "Sugar in the Raw" (I use a small paper dessert plate for easy clean up). Fill glass with ice cubes. Strain liquid and pour over ice. Top with San Pellegrino mineral water and stir. Et voila!  To make this refreshing (and healthy...ginger aids the digestion!) drink non-alcoholic, simply substitute apricot nectar for the brandy, ginger syrup for the liqueur, and add extra cider in place of the bourbon. And ultimately, enjoy! Pair this little beauty with the DOCTOR(ED) HOUSEL HUMMUS SPREAD below and you've got a healthy, filling pop culture snack that's not only quick and easy, but super delicious. Perfect for Halloween night, when little goblins, ghouls, superheroes, and super-villains stalk neighborhoods everywhere.

DOCTOR(ED) HOUSEL HUMMUS SPREAD

-Take two heaping tablespoons of your favorite plain hummus in small dish; add a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add a 1/4 teaspoon of ground coriander; 1/4 teaspoon curry; 1/4 teaspoon ground ancho chili powder; a pinch of organic paprika; and a pinch of ground tumeric. Mix thoroughly. Drizzle with olive oil before serving.

Eat your hummus spread with spinach FLATOUT flatbread; I use about 1.5 flatbreads, tearing them into bite-size pieces. But you can use your favorite wheat-pita or Stacy's pita chips, or, get even healthier and dip crudite like cherry tomotaos, cut up celert and baby carrots.

Both recipes are made for a single serving; to increase the servings, double the ingredients per extra person.

Waiting for the whoopie pies and garlic bread?  Don't worry--there's more to come in the next few weeks...including home-made chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches! Who said TV was boring???

Thanks for joining me for the October segment of Pop Culture Cooking 2011! Look for a bonus segment later this month...and until next time, put the Pop! in your cooking AND culture with POP CULTURE COOKING! 

Well, well...it's been quite a summer of fun televison. We now find ourselves in the midst of season finales and premieres...like Halloween, when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest. And yes, I watch too much horror-genre television. Movies, too. But we're here for the TV--that beautiful, thin-as-a-dime, HD-quality, flat-screened beauty that takes away our collective problems...even if only for a few hours. On tap for fall: Vampire Diaries, new episodes of Switched at Birth, the final season of Chuck...and so much more!

In honor of of True Blood's fourth season, I created an inspired concoction worthy of any witch's brew:

The Cruel Mistress

-In cocktail shaker, combine 1 ounce of Patron blanco, 1 ounce pomegranate liqueur, 1/2 ounce organic lime juice, 1/2 ounce Cointreau, and 1 ounce Trop50 pineapple-mango juice with two shakes of ground organic cayenne pepper. Shake vigourously for 2-3 minutes by hand.

-Pour over 5-7 small ice cubes in 12-ounce glass. Fill remainder of glass with Pellegrino mineral water or your favorite sparkling water brand. Stir. And enjoy!

I call her "The Cruel Mistress" because she looks sweet and tastes pretty but has a nasty bite at the end...which only makes you want her all the more. You can make her non-alcoholic by skipping the tequila, orange and pomegranite liqueurs and substituting with like-flavored juices--using more sparkling water to replace the tequila.

And now that you're having some fun, time to pull out the big guns: home-made mac & cheese!

The Best Mac & Cheese...Ever!

-Take 1 full box of hot, cooked cellantani (twisted macaroni) and combine in bowl with 12 ounces of four-cheese pasta sauce, 2 handfuls of mild shredded cheddar, 1 handful of sharp shredded cheddar, 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, 2 pinches of ground chipotle pepper, and a palmful of fresh-ground black pepper. Stir until all ingredients are well-incorporated. Then, pour mixture into 9x13 baking dish.

-Top with more shredded sharp and extra sharp shredded cheeses and crush seasoned croutons over top (anywhere from 10-15 large croutons--depending on your taste). Cut five pats of cold butter and cut each into 4-6 squares. Place butter-squares at edges and over top of croutons. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven; place baking dish under high-heat broiler for about 3 minutes until crouton topping is golden brown.

-Serve. And enjoy! Don't even think about the calories...believe me, it's well-worth every darned one.

More fun recipes to come, including home-made garlic bread, whoopie pies and mixology magic! Thanks for joining me for the September segment of Pop Culture Cooking. Until next time, put some pop! in your culture with Pop Culture Cooking!

Okay, okay--I know...I missed a few installments. I've been busy. With things like a new E-dition of True Blood & Philosophy, among other things. We've got some killer-fillers, don't we? "When you play the GAME OF THRONES, you win or you die...." Serious stuff. As are the tomes George R. R. Martin calls books. Please! That would be like calling Halle Berry pretty. Try drop dead gorgeous! And, 1,000+ pages...per book! Speaking of drop dead, our DROP DEAD DIVA is scheduled to return to Lifetime this summer, along with a few ROYAL PAINS...and of course, the very hot HBO-Ball collaboration, TRUE BLOOD.

Hungry yet? Me, too!

Tropic-ahhh-l Smoothie

What you'll need:
-7-10 frozen pineapple chunks
-7-10 frozen mango cubes
-1 medium ripe banana
-1 and 1/3 cups of skim milk
-1/3 cups of organic sweetened coconut milk
-3-6 small ice cubes

Blend all ingredients well in blender; add more skim milk as needed, depending on your blender. If you want to up the health benefits and lace your sweet with a little spice, trying adding a few dashes of curry and/or ancho chili powder. Makes about 2 servings. Serve in a 10 or 12 ounce tall glass with a straw. Garnish with mint leaves or a chunk of pineapple, as desired. This TV smoothie will take you all the way through your favorite shows...and you won't feel a bit hungry later.

Shake-Your-Chocolate-Banana-Booty

What you'll need:
-1 medium ripe banana
-6 small ice cubes
-1 and 1/3 cup of skim milk
-3-4 tablespoons of Hershey's Syrup

Blend all ingredients well in blender. Pour into 10 or 12 ounce tall glass and garnish with chocolate shavings as desired...and, enjoy!

Want a little something extra to pop! your Pop Culture Cooking experience? Put one marshmallow on two halves of graham cracker; place in microwave for 30-45 seconds. Remove from microwave. Immediately top with two squares of Hershey's chocolate and two halves of graham cracker...and boom! You've got yourself a Smashing Smore that doesn't require camping or fires, skeweres or splinters...just chocolatey, gooey, goodness. It's your pop culture, have fun with it!

The new season of How I Met Your Mother, recently renewed for two more seasons, will begin on Monday, March 21st; Big Love, HBO's stab at the polygamy train has its series finale on Sunday, March 20th. Taking Big Love's place on Sunday, March 27th is HBO's Midred Pierce starring Kate Winslett...based on one of my favorite black-and-white films of the same name starring Joan Crawford All in all, there's more evolving pop culture than I can shake a stick at...which is great, because we all know we're just waiting for Season Four of HBO's True Blood to grow some fangs in June. And hey, David E. Kelley is working on a television remake of Wonder Woman! How to keep up our strength and wittle our waistlines while staying as sedentary as possible, feeding our pop culture appetites???  Pop Culture Cooking 2011, that's how! That's right--your very own Pop Culture Professor is thinking of you...and your stomachs.

Fashionista Fruit Salad

What you'll need:
-1 cantalope, halved, deseeded, quarted, peeled and cut into edible chunks
-1 cup of rinsed, destemmed blueberries
-1/2 cup of blackberries, rinsed
-orangeblossom honey
-whole walnuts
-Greek yogurt

This fruit salad has all the hottest color-trends working for it, along with the latest health trends, too. Anything dark purple/blue and corals/orange is good for you this season. If you wanted to add a little green, plate your salad on a bed of washed baby spinach. Hydrating, anti-aging, anti-oxidants in this dish will keep you feeling light and bright...even if watching hours of quality television on BBCAmerica's Supernatural Saturday (where new episodes of BBCAM's Being Human premiere...):

On a dinner plate, cover bottom with cantelope chunks; put leftover cantelope in a container and refrigerate. Layer on ALL blueberries and blackberries. Top with about 1/4 cup of walnuts as desired. Dollop (about a tablespoon) with Greek yogurt as desired. Drizzle with orange blossom honey. Enjoy!

Green with Envy Iced Tea

What you'll need:
-6 Celestial Seasonings Decaf Mint Green Tea Bags
-2 cups of boiling water
-5 cups of cool water
-1cup of rinsed blackberries, puree with 2 tablespoons of pulp-free orange juice in blender. Set aside.

Steep 6 tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water. Let tea bags steep until water comes to room temperature. Remove teabags; pour into pitcher. Add 5 cups of cool water. Mix. In a 10-ounce high ball--put a teaspoon of blackberry puree in bottom of glass before pouring in tea. Add ice. Enjoy!

HINT: If you don't want to use the blackberry puree, add two tablespoons of clover-honey to boiling water while teabags steep, stirring until honey is fully dissolved--following remainder of recipe. Drink over ice, garnishing with mint leaves.

For the partiers: Add two tablespoons of Stirrings pomegranate liqueur for every one glass of tea; you may add liqueur with blackberry puree recipe. Do not use liqueur with honeyed tea mixture. Cheers!

Thank you for joining your Pop Culture Professor for this latest segment of Pop Culture Cooking 2011. Spring starts on Sunday, March 20th...enjoy the bounty of the season! And try to balance your indoor-pop culture obsessions by spending equal time outdoors.

Is there anything better than sunshine after a long winter???  I mean, besides the next season of True Blood....

Hello, March...and hello new episodes of Justified on FX, Vamp Diaries and Supernarural on CW, BBCAmerica's 3rd season of Being Human...oh, and the BBC premiere of Showtime's The Tudors (very spicy dish there), SyFy's Merlin as well as the new Being Human (North America)...and so much more: Modern Family, In the Middle, The Cape, fan-fav Chuck...take your pick! There's lots of juicy pop culture to sink your fangs...oh, I mean, teeth into. And to go with, why not whip up some equally fast, delicious and easy to digest pop culture cooking???   

Special Delivery Sweet Potato Packages

What you'll need:

-about 1/2 package of Melissa's all-natural won ton wrappers
-1 large sweet potato, cleaned, peeled, cubed, and boiled to fork-tender, drained, and mashed
-2-3 breakfast links (I use Morningstar Farms veggie-protein sausages), pan-fried with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, paper-towel drained and cut into slices
-1 teaspoon of hot curry
-1/2 teaspoon of ground chipotle pepper
-freshly ground black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon of poultry seasoning
-dash of Saigon cinnamon
-small dish of water
-pastry brush

This is a two step process but very easy. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil; keep at a boil while you prepare the filling: Incorporate cooked and sliced sausage, as directed, into mashed sweet potatoes using fork. Add all the spices above and mix well. Set aside. This will be your filling for your "packages." Next, on half of a damp kitchen towel, place 10-15 won ton squares, brushing the outside edges of each square with water using pastry brush. Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each square. Fold square in half on the diagonal--this should now look like a triangle. press edges with a fork . Use pastry brush along outside edges, folding corners and front onto "package," pressing new edges again with fork. Boil 4-5 "packages" at a time, making sure they do not stick to the bottom of pan with boiling water. The "packages" should be cooked within 3-5 minutes. Drain. Continue cooking other "packages." Incorporate 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in skillet using 1/2 the amount of same spices listed above. This will look almost like a loose paste. Cook 5 "packages" at a time for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Plate 3-4 "packages" on a bed of argula and/or baby spinach. Garnish with  a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts, parmiaggiano-reggiano, and pecorino-romano cheeses...and enjoy! Three of these will fill you up, unless you're a 21-year old male.... Save the rest for another lunch or dinner or snack--or, serve to a family of four for a light, bright healthy weeknight meal. You can also refrigerate any remaining "packages" for up to five days.

Hug in a Mug

What you'll need:

-2 cups organic skim milk
-7-10 tablespoons of shaved guittard or valrhona chocolate (you can do this by taking a large room-temperature bar of guittard or valrhona chocolate and using a vegetable-peeler, shave entire bar of chocolate. Place unused shavings into ziploc bag and store in freezer for up to a year).
-mini-marshmallows for garnish
-optional: 2 tablespoons of your favorite chocolate liqueur (Godiva white chocolate lightens the existing chocolate flavor while choosing a milk or dark chocolate liqueur will intensify the chocolate)

Scald milk in small saucepan--do not boil (small bubbles should form along sides of pan). Whisk in chocolate shavings (and optional liqueur). Once shavings are fully incorporated, remove from heat and using cooking funnel, split liquid between two mugs (if making Hug in a Mug for one, simply halve all ingredients above). Top with mini-marshmallows and garnish with extra chocolate shavings as desired. When you drink this home-made cocoa, you will feel safe, warm and loved--even if you're not. It's like a hug in a mug, hence the name....

As you enjoy the latest Pop Culture Cooking offerings, remember to stay tuned for next time...right around St. Patrick's Day. Hmmmm...what do you think we'll be using in those recipes????  ;)

Hi there, Pop Culture Cooking fans! Sticking to our healthy guns in 2011, we're prepping for another new week of CW fan-favs like Vampire Diaries and Supernatural, new episodes of Justified on FX, new Being Human on SyFy, AND...(drum roll, please) NEW season of BBC's ORIGINAL Being Human!!!  Your own person Pop Culture Professor has been working tirelessly on feeding your pop culture habit with ALL NEW recipes that are both good AND good for you! See what you think!

Quinoa-Chickpea Salad

What you'll need:

-1 16-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed, then cooked in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle pepper; fresh ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning, and 1/4 teaspoon Saigon cinammon for 10 minutes. Set aside. You can also use dried organic chick peas--follow cooking instructions on package and set aside.

-1/2 cup dry organic Quinoa, rinsed, drained and cooked with 1 and 1/3 cup of vegetable stock on medium high for 10-15 minutes. Quinoa should be translucent when done. Add more liquid as needed. Set aside.

-1 bag frozen peas, steamed in microwave. Open bag and pour into container, setting aside.

-1 organic carrot, shredded finely. Set aside.

-1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted lightly in skillet with 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of chipotle pepper and cinammon. Set aside.

-2 strips of Morningstar Farms veggie-protein bacon (or go whole-hog and slap down some strips of the good stuff if you're a carnivore), cooked in a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, and dashes of fresh ground black pepper, cinammon, and chipotle. Crumble and set aside.

In the same pan you cooked the bacon, combine the cooked quinoa, cooked chickpeas, half of the steamed peas, all of the shredded carrot, lightly drizzling extra virgin olive oil and adding cinammon, chipotle, poultry seasoning and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Let it all combine and warm-through. Remove from heat. Mix in pine nuts. Plate 1-cup of salad, garnishing with crumbled bacon (and parmagianno reggiano cheese if desired). Salad itself makes about 4 servings. Protein-packed and full of flavor, this salad is sure to please even the hungriest pop culture vulture! Layering the spices at each step gives depth to the complex Indian-inspired flavors. Enjoy!

Grilled Pineapple

What you'll need:

-1 whole pineapple; cut off top and bottom and use sharp knife to take off rough exterior. Use corer to de-core pineapple and cut into rings

-grill pan

-1/2 cup orange-blosson honey mixed with a dash of chipotle ground pepper

Heat grill pan on med-high, using thin coating of non-stick cooking spray. Place 2-3 pineapple rings down. Flip after 1-2 minutes, depending on how hot your pan is. You should see light-golden brown grill marks. Flip to other side and grill another 1-2 minutes. Plate grilled rings and lightly driizzle with chipotle honey. Pineapple is the perfect chaser to the spicy dish above...and it's all healthy: low fat, low cal, low carb, high fiber, high protein, high flavor foods that lend themselves well to the often sedentary lifestyle of the traditional pop culture vulture....


Not Your Mother's Coconut Milk Cocktail

What you'll need:

-1 part good brandy

-1/2 part skim milk

-1/2 part coconut milk

-1/2 part coconut liqueur

-1/4 teaspoon Neilsen-Massy Vanilla

-1/2 part vodka

Take all ingredients except vodka and heat gently in sauce pan over med-low heat. You only want it to warm, allowing flavors to be fully incorporated. Remove from pan into blender with 4 large cubes of ice, adding vodka. Blend for 60 seconds, or until ice is fully incorporated. Pour into 12-ounce glass, sprinkle with ground coriander, and garnish with wedge of pineapple on rim. Pairs nicely with the flavors in the Quinoa-Chickpea Salad and the Grilled Pineapple. L'Chaim!

Nonalcoholic version: Omitting brandy, vodka and coconut liqueur, and increasing to one part skim milk and one part coconut milk, combine milks in sauce pan as directed above with 1/4 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon honey, and 1/2 teaspoon Neilsen-Massey vanilla. Once warmed through, place in blender with 4 large cubes of ice and one ring of fresh pineapple. Blend until smooth. Serve in 12-ounce glass, garnishing with a wedge of pineapple on the rim. Enjoy!


That's it for this segment of Pop Culture Cooking 2011. Join me next time with ALL NEW recipes that keep you healthy and fit for those future pop culture marathons! Or any other marathons you're thinking about tackling.... ;)

 
Until next time, Pop Culture Cooking fans....


 

Yummy! The newest Vampire Diaries provides us with food for thought...but what about our stomachs???  I have the answer: Griled Pear, Gouda & BACON Quesadilla! And it doesn't end there, Pop Culture Cooking fans....

Grilled Pear, Gouda & Bacon Quesadilla

What You'll Need:

-1 small (slightly under-ripe) bartlett pear, sliced thin using widest sides of pear. The slices should resemble the general shape of the pear. Once sliced, grill slices on both sides in grill pan on medium-high heat, allowing for grill marks to form.

-1-2 ounces of sliced gouda (mild, red wax), cut into smaller squares

-1-"Flat Out" flatbread or a soft whole wheat tortilla, grilled on both sides using a grill pan. Grill marks should be a light golden brown and tortilla or flatbread should still be soft.

-2 strips of Morning Star Farms (faux) bacon, cooked until crispy (you can also use real bacon if you're a carnivore but be sure to absorb excess grease from bacon with paper towel before using in quesadilla)

Spray grill pan with non-stick cooking spray and place flatbread or tortilla down. On tortilla/flatbread, place squares of gouda, covering one-half of tortilla/flatbread. Place grilled pear slices on top of gouda. Break bacon strips in half and place on top of pears, adding a few more small squares of gouda on top of bacon--for some added "glue" to keep your quesadilla together while you eat. Fold tortilla/flatbread in half and let cheese melt. You should see cheese melting out of sides when pressing with a spatula--use medium-high heat, flipping tortilla/flatbread after about 1-2 minutes on each side.

Once fully cooked, plate quesadilla. Using a pizza cutter, cut into vertical slices. Fan out slices on plate and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Garnish with a pinch of sea salt and a pile of fresh blackberries (eat a blackberry or two after eating a slice of your quesadilla for full effect)...and most importantly, enjoy!!! Makes one serving. The sweetness of the pear combined with the creaminess of the gouda and salty goodness of the bacon is a match made in Pop Culture Cooking heaven. You can also serve with our Holy Mole Sauce from the first 2011 Pop Culture Cooking installment, skipping the olive oil, sea salt and blackberry garnish. Hint: Another garnish alternative may be a red-wine reduction sauce with blackberries (over medium-high heat, place 1/2 cup good red wine with some fresh ground pepper and 5 blackberries in sauce pan; let it cook down for 3-5 minutes, slightly mashing blackberries with back of spoon, or until slightly thickened--allow to cool before pouring over quesadilla) or, simply drizzle quesadilla with (good) balsamic vinegar, extra virginolive oil, sea salt--and including the fresh blackberries (!) for garnish.

Bourbon Banana Sauce

This dish is a divine sauce you can use over a bowl of fresh blackberries, low-fat vanilla yogurt or decadent vanilla bean ice cream--your choice! In 2011, Pop Culture Cooking is getting healthy, providing lots of snack-alternatives that may be used as meals so you can get your fill of pop culture pleasures without worrying about filling out your waistline, too.

What You'll Need:

-1/3 cup of good small-batch bourbon

-2 medium bananas, sliced

-1 teaspoon Neilsen-Massey Vanilla

-2 tablespoons of caramel sauce (I used William Sonoma's caramel sauce, but any will do)

In sauce pan over medium-high heat place sliced bananas, bourbon and vanilla. After about a minute, carefully use spatula to flip over banana slices. Let cook for another 30-60 seconds. Take off heat. Spoon in the 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce and use spatula, again--carefully--to incorporate. Pour over yogurt, fresh berries, your favorite ice cream, or frozen yogurt and enjoy! Makes enough for two servings.

Blackberry Pear Cocktail

What You'll Need:

-3 fresh blackberries, rinsed and dried, placed in the bottom of a martini glass

-1 pear wedge (you can use the sides of the pear sliced earlier for the quesadilla--there should be enough for two small wedges remaining)

-1 part soda water

-1 part pear-flavored vodka

-1-2 tablespoons of syrup from canned pears (to taste and if desired)

-3-4 ice cubes, depending on size

Combine liquid ingredients in martini glass (with blackberries already on the bottom. Begin with the vodka; follow with syrup and top with soda water. Garnish glass with pear wedge. Enjoy! As always, you can play with the amounts of liquid-ingredients to your preference....

Non-alcoholic version: Replace pear vodka with two parts soda water and 2-3 tablespoons of pear syrup. Garnish as desired.

Next time, we're getting Supernatural in Pop Culture Cooking with some Peruvian quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) spiced up with...cinnamon! But you'll have to wait 'til then to learn more.

Thank you for joining me for the latest segment of Pop Culture Cooking 2011! See you soon....

Hey there! It's 2011and you know what that means???  New episodes of Justified on FX and Being Human (the American version) on SyFy! There's actually lots of NEW coming up in January in pop culture, including new episodes of our favorite CW hits, Vampire Diaries and Supernatural! So while we prepare for new episodes of our favorites in January, here are some recipes to help you ring in the new year AND the new seasons!

Holy Mole Sauce
-Chocoloate is uber-chic in 2011; this ancient Aztec recipe can be used on any meats for you carnivores or your favorite tofu if you're a vegan. Use it on a brown rice and veggie dish for the omnivores out there. Great as the sauce on a flatbread topped with refried beans and shredded sharp cheddar for a 2011-twist on grilled pizza; you can also pour some mole on the following New Year's Fried Potatoes recipe! 

What You'll Need:

-3-4 dried Ancho Chiles, soaked in hot tap water then de-seeded after removing the stem--reserving about half a cup of soaking water
-1 unripened banana, peeled and sliced (optional--use if you'd like a milder flavor)
-1 teaspoon of garlic powder
-1 teaspoon onion powder
-1 teaspoon oregano or Italian Seasoning mix
-1 teaspoon of cinnamon
-1 tablespoon sesame seeds
-1 cup of tomato sauce
-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
-2-3 ounces dark chocolate (Guittard or Valrhona are my preferences), rough chopped

Take all ingredients except chocolate and combine in skillet over medium-high heat. After 10 minutes, take off heat and pour ingredients into blender. Combine until smooth, pouring back into skillet and adding chocolate. Turn heat to medium and continue to stir until chocolate is melted. Once chocolate is fully incorporated into sauce, remove from heat and serve. Refrigerate for up to one week.

New Year's Fried Potatoes

What You'll Need:

-4 medium peeled red potatoes, halved, quarted (into 8 pieces) and boiled for 15 minutes--drain well and set aside. HINT: Prepare the night before and refrigerate for best results.
-1 teaspoon chipotle ground pepper
-sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
-2 chopped rosemary springs or substitute with 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
-extra virgin olive oil

In a skillet, place potatoes and about 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil; add in chipotle, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Cook on high heat, slightly mashing potatoes with your spatula. Let potatoes carmelize before turning over in pan. Lower heat to medium-high after first turn-over. Continue cooking, turning as necesssary, until your potatoes have a golden brown crust on most of the potatoes--no more than 15 minutes. Serve with some scrambled egg whites and top with Holy Mole Sauce.

The Happy New Year! Cocktail
*This is an alcoholic beverage; non-alcoholic version to follow

What You'll Need:

-Small-batch bourbon
-pomegranate liqueur
-Cointreau
-fresh-squeezed orange juice
-ice

In a shaker, combine 1-2 ice cubes with 1 part bourbon to one part pomegranate liqueur; add a tablesppon of Cointreau and fill remainder of shaker with orange juice. Shake vigorously. Pour into glass over 3-4 ice cubes. Garnish with half an orange slice as desired. To good health in 2011!!!

Non-alcoholic version: Substitute Orangina for bourbon and pomegranate syrup (or substitute juice) for liqueur. Omit Cointreau and use orange juice--pour all liquid directly into glass and gently stir. Add 3-4 cubes of ice and garnish as desired. Enjoy this lower-calorie version in 2011 and stick to your New Year's resolution-guns!

Thanks for joining me for the first 2011 segment of Pop Culture Cooking! Stay tuned...more yummy recipes afoot to put the pop(!) in your pop culture....

Happy New Year, Pop Culture Cooking fans!