Pepperoni Pizza Popcorn #FoodieExtravaganza

Pepperoni Pizza Popcorn is made with fresh popcorn kernels popped in the oil of fried pepperoni, plus ground sundried tomatoes, Parmesan and oregano. Perfect for your combo pizza/movie night.

You know what’s hard to eat and type at the same time? Pepperoni Pizza Popcorn. And yet, as I sit here eating and typing, shining up my MacBook keyboard with every muted clack, clack, clack, I can’t stop dipping my hands into that big bowl. I find myself typing with only my right hand, so the left hand can still reach into that bowl. It’s not easy – the A and E are so far to the left! - but here we are. And it’s worth the trouble, I assure you.

This month’s Foodie Extravaganza theme is popcorn in honor of National Popcorn Day on January 19th. Now you will be prepared to celebrate with plenty of fun recipes!

I gotta tell you about this pepperoni pizza popcorn. A lot of the pepperoni falls off and ends up at the bottom of the bowl. Which is not always a bad thing. You can eat it by licking a finger and coating it with pepperoni. Over and over. And over. Every once in a while, I’d use a spoon and scoop to the bottom of the bowl and sprinkle the pepperoni back over the remaining popcorn. That helps too. But the bottom line is that this stuff tastes so good, you won’t care.

Ingredients – for a huge, I mean huge, bowl of popcorn.
5 sun-dried tomatoes or about 10g, ground in a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder reserved for spices
1/3 cup or 40g grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon (or more) dried oregano
6 oz or 170g sliced pepperoni
5-6 tablespoon canola
3/4 cup or 160g popcorn kernels


Method
Put your sun-dried tomato powder, Parmesan and oregano together in a bowl. Stir well to combine and set aside.

Chop your pepperoni in a food processor until it is in tiny bits.

Fry it in your very large popcorn pot along with 3 tablespoons canola oil. (Your popcorn pot should be wide enough to hold the popcorn kernels in one layer at the bottom and commensurately tall, with a good fitting lid.)

When the pepperoni is crispy, tip the pot to one side and leave it that way for a few minutes, so you can remove the pepperoni to a plate lined with paper towels and leave the oil behind.

Pour the popcorn kernels into the pot. Give the pot a shake so they lay in a single layer. Add the extra 2-3 tablespoons canola oil so that all the kernels are coated in oil.

Use an old dishcloth to cover the inside of your pot lid, tying the ends around the handle on top. This towel will absorb the steam and keep your popcorn from getting soggy.

Pop the corn, lid on, over a medium high heat until the kernels stop popping. Shake the pot occasionally to send the unpopped kernels back down to the bottom.

Remove from the heat and tip the popcorn into a large bowl. Sprinkle the popcorn with the sun-dried tomato powder, Parmesan, oregano and crispy pepperoni.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to our host this month, Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. Check out all the great popcorn recipes we have for you!

• Hubby's Vanilla Caramel Popcorn by Fearlessly Creative Mammas
• Kirsten's Popped Corn Crack by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Parmesan Popcorn with Lemon & Thyme by Caroline's Cooking
• Pepperoni Pizza Popcorn by Food Lust People Love
• Popcorn Cornbread by Palatable Pastime
• Popcorn Pairings (Yes, With Wine) by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Spicy Za'atar Popcorn by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• White Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Popcorn by Hardly A Goddess
• White Chocolate Popcorn by Sneha's Recipe

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays or shares recipes with the same ingredient or theme every month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook group Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out here.

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Arroz con Coco y Lentejas – Coconut Rice with Lentils

Arroz con Coco y Lentejas or Coconut Rice with Lentils is a traditional Colombian side dish seasoned with colorful bell peppers, onion, garlic, ginger, cumin and cilantro. It makes an excellent vegetarian Sunday Supper main dish.

I love to cook but one of the most challenging parts of  making dinner every day is deciding what to make. I am always on the lookout for inspiration. Many a time I’ve been in my local grocery store, perusing the fresh vegetables or meat counter and a helpful employee asks if he or she could help me. “I’m just waiting for something to jump out and say ‘Dinner!’ ” I reply.

Both of our daughters are home for the holidays, one with a boyfriend who loves to cook in tow, so I’ve had a lot of help both in the kitchen and in the “what to cook for dinner/blog” department. As I mention in my post today over on the Sunday Supper Movement website, we were brainstorming recipes for this Easy Supper Recipes event. They had a lot of great suggestions for which I was most grateful. We finally narrowed it down to the Chicken Scarpariello and the Arroz con Coco y Lentejas, both relatively simple but full of flavor.

Let me say this about the rice, despite two cans of coconut milk, it is just a hint coconutty. I can tell you for certain that both dishes will be making repeat appearances on our Sunday Supper table.

The Arroz con Coco y Lentejas was adapted from this recipe on SouthAmericanFood.com

Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped, 240g or a scant 2 cups
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small knob fresh ginger, minced
1-2 small hot red chilies, minced - optional
1 medium bunch fresh cilantro, stems chopped finely, leaves chopped roughly
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cups or 395g lentils
3 – 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups or 375g long grain rice (I use an extra long grain Indian Basmati.)
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 cans (13.5 oz or 400ml each) coconut milk (This is 3 1/3 cups.)

Method
Drizzle the oil in a large deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Sauté the onions in the oil over a medium high heat, stirring frequently, until they turn translucent and start to color.

Add in the peppers and finely chopped cilantro stems and sauté for about five minutes, stirring often until they start to soften.

Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, tomato paste and minced chilies, if using. Stir well to combine and cook for a minute or two.

Pretend you see cumin here. I did put it in, but after the photo.

Add the lentils and three cups of the vegetable stock. Stir well.

Put the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to a medium simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are just about cooked.

Add the rice, the teaspoon of salt and the two cans of coconut milk. Stir well and put the tight-fitting lid back on. Turn the heat down to a low simmer and set a timer for 20 minutes. Do not open the pot until it rings.

When the 20 minutes are up, remove the lid and give the mixture a stir. Taste some of the rice grains. If they are still slightly undercooked, add in more of the stock, replace the cover and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Turn the stove off and leave the pan covered for up to another 30 minutes.

When you are ready to serve, mix in most of the chopped cilantro leaves, then use a few for garnish.

Serve hot or warm.

Enjoy!



Many thanks to our host this week, Heather of Hezzi D's Books and Cooks and our event manager Cricket of Cricket's Confections for all of their behind the scenes work.

Check out all the lovely easy supper recipes we are sharing today.

Chicken Suppers

• Chicken Enchiladas by Eat, Drink and Be Tracy
• Honey Mustard Chicken & Rice Pilaf by Wholistic Woman
• Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts and Vegetables by Simple and Savory
• Pineapple Chicken Stir-Fry by Mindy's Cooking Obsession
• Roast Chicken by Monica's Table
• Slow Cooker Chicken Ratatouille Stew by My Life Cookbook

Pasta Suppers

• Bucatini with Spinach Pesto by The Chef Next Door
• Chicken Marsala Lasagna Rollups by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Extra Cheesy Stuffed Shells by Positively Stacey
• Quick Chicken Piccata by The Redhead Baker

Pork Suppers

• Apple Mustard Pork Tenderloin by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Cheesy Oven Omelette With Ham by Cricket's Confections
• Cranberry Orange Pork Roast by Cosmopolitan Cornbread

Sheet Pan Suppers

• Dijon Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner by Casa de Crews
• Ranch Sheet Pan Pork Dinner by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Sheet Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs Provencal Style by Delaware Girl Eats

Soup and Sandwich Suppers

• Chicken and Cheese Pita Sandwiches by Pies and Plots
• Chicken Chili by A Mind "Full" Mom
• Chicken Marinara Panini by The Freshman Cook
• Turkey Taco Soup by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Stove Top Suppers

• Arroz con Coco y Lentejas – Coconut Rice with Lentils by Food Lust People Love
• Asian Tuna Noodle Bowls by Cooking Chat
• Haluski (Cabbage and Noodles) by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Healthy Quinoa Japanese Donburi Bowl by NinjaBaker.com
• One Pot Braised Lamb Shoulder Chops and Vegetables by Caroline's Cooking

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Maque Choux Cornbread Muffins #MuffinMonday

Maque choux is a spicy Cajun corn dish that makes an appearance at every holiday meal at my house. I am quite happy to eat leftovers from a bowl with a spoon but maque choux cornbread muffins are another delightful choice.

Welcome to the final Muffin Monday for 2016! It's been a year of change and challenge for many of us, but coming together once a month to bake and share muffins is therapeutic, at least for me. I hope you all have enjoyed the variety of muffins as much as I do.

I created this little group because muffins are one of the easiest things to bake. I wanted to motivate readers who are intimidated by baking to give muffins a try. You don't need electric beaters for mixing, just two bowls and a spoon or spatula. All the wet ingredients in one bowl. All the dry ingredients in the other. Fold them together and bake in a greased muffin pan. What could be simpler?

Ingredients
1 cup or 200g fine cornmeal or polenta
1 cup or 125g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 235g leftover maque choux from this recipe
1/2 cup or 113g butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup or 80g thick sour cream
2 large eggs

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 12-cup muffin pan by lining it with paper muffin cups or greasing it.

In a large mixing bowl, combine your cornmeal and flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt

In another mixing bowl, combine your maque choux, eggs, sour cream and melted butter.

Pour the wet ingredients into dry mixture and stir until well combined. Spoon the thick batter evenly into the muffin cups.

Bake for about 20 minutes in your preheated oven or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

These make a great addition to any brunch or luncheon menu.

Enjoy!

Have any of our Muffin Monday posts motivated you to get in the kitchen and bake? I'd love to hear from you if they have.  After all, with recipes as delicious as the ones the Muffin Monday bakers share, you have a great selection of both savory and sweet recipes to try.

Check out this month's tasty links.

• Blueberry Corn Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Cheddar Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Fruitcake Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Maque Choux Cornbread Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Sweet Bacon and Cheese Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

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