Food, Folks and Fun: Oscar Edition

In my ongoing efforts to make my way through Giada de Laurentiis' Everyday Italian cookbook (based on her Food Network show, one of my favorites), I whipped up some new goodies for this past Sunday's Oscar party. I was joined by family and friends at my sister's, who also whipped up one of Giada's recipes herself. What can I say? We're spreading the Giada love...



1) Rosemary Popcorn - A simple snack, but with a twist. First, I made Giada's Rosemary-Infused Olive Oil, which is very similar to the Chili Oil recipe below, but with fresh rosemary instead of red pepper flakes (this recipe isn't available online). So, after steeping the rosemary in the oil for a few hours, you coat the bottom of a pan with a few tablespoons, toss in the kernels, and get to poppin'. When they're done, you drizzle on another tablespoon (or four) and salt. Voila! Although maybe too subtle for some palates (the first time I tried it, I barely caught a whiff of the herb's piney essence), it's an interesting twist on an old treat (although this weighs heavily on the "American" part of "Italian-American" food).

2) Sweet & Spicy Almonds - I have nuts almost every day, so I'm always looking for something new do to do with them (Art Smith also has a really good spicy maple pecan recipe). This starts with Chili-Infused Olive Oil (yes, it would be easier to just buy pre-made chili oil, but much more expensive, and where's the fun in that?). Then you just mix a few tablespoons with sugar and salt, toss with the almonds, and bake for 15 minutes. Again, simple, tasty and addictive. (Confidential to Stacey: It turns out microwave popcorn cannot be cooked on the stove. FYI.) Sorry, the almond recipe itself isn't online for some reason.

3) Chocolate Citrus Biscotti - This is where things got serious. Anytime you mention making homemade biscotti, people react as if you signed on for voluntary Chinese water torture. Making biscotti is nowhere near as painful, but it does take about as long. Whipping together the ingredients is straightforward enough (I added chopped pistachios). Then you arrange the very stiff, uncooperative dough into two flat, wide logs and bake for 35 minutes. You take them out, let them rest, slice 'em up, and bake them again. Then you let them cool completely, dip them in semisweet chocolate, and refridgerate them until they set. By the time you're done, you're hoping your retirement funds have kicked in, but it's totally worth it. The aroma of orange and lemon zest permeates your kitchen (and the cookies), and when you dunk them into red wine or coffee, you'll feel mighty proud of yourself.

My sister, the hostess with the mostess, prepared a spread worthy of Wolfgang Puck. One of the items was Crostini with Ricotta and Goat Cheese Spread. The spread, with lemon zest and fresh basil, was originally oddly runny and a little bland. So she chilled it for an hour and added a lot more salt and there you go. Spoon onto grilled bread and you're set to laugh at all the ridiculous Oscar fashions (speaking of, what was with Jennifer Lopez's nuclear orange glow?).

Add in a veggie tray, dried plums, a pesto cheese spread for crackers, cheese quesadillas, beef burritos, and one awesome Red Velvet Cake with both chocolate and cream cheese frosting and we were a very happy, albeit stuffed, clan.