In addition to cooking in real life, I enjoy spending time watching movies about food and cooking as well. I find that sometimes I get inspiration for meals and presentation styles from the media, and seeing cooking in action always gets me enthusiastic for cooking. Movies about food and the culinary world also spread knowledge to the ordinary person, which I enjoy as well. Here, I have counted down my favorite culinary based movies ever! Here they are…

1. Julie & Julia: Staring, Amy Adams & Meryl Streep (2009)

Julia Child and Julie Powell find their lives intertwined. In 1949, Julia Child is in Paris, wondering how to spend her days. She tries hat making, bridge, and then cooking lessons at Cordon Bleu. There she discovers her passion. In 2002, Julie Powell, about to turn 30 and underemployed with an unpublished novel, decides to cook her way through “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in a year and to blog about it. Though separated by time and space, both women are at loose ends… until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible.

2. No Reservations: Staring, Catherine Zeta-Jones & Aaron Eckhard (2007)

In Manhattan, the workaholic Kate is the chef of the 22 Bleecker Restaurant owned by Paula, who sent her to a therapist because she had no other interest in life but cooking and controlling her kitchen. When her only sister dies in a car accident, Kate becomes the guardian of her niece Zoe, who can not overcome the loss of her mother. Paula orders Kate to take a couple of days off to care of Zoe; when Kate returns to the work, she finds that Paula hired the sub-chef Nick without her approval. Nick explains that he is honored to work with Kate, but the jealous Kate does not trust him and believes he wants her position. When Zoe gets close to Nick and invites him to have dinner with Kate and her, she changes her feelings for Nick. But when his work is recognized by the clients of the restaurant, Kate believes she committed a mistake

3. Ratatouille: Staring (the voices of), Patton Oswalt & Lou Romano (2007)

A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef despite his family’s wishes and the obvious problem of being a rat in a decidedly rodent-phobic profession. When fate places Remy in the sewers of Paris, he finds himself ideally situated beneath a restaurant made famous by his culinary hero, Auguste Gusteau. Despite the apparent dangers of being an unlikely – and certainly unwanted – visitor in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant, Remy’s passion for cooking soon sets into motion a hilarious and exciting rat race that turns the culinary world of Paris upside down

4. Eddie’s Million Dollar Cook-Off:  Staring, Taylor Ball & Mark L. Taylor (2003)

Eddie Ogden is his pa’s pride and joy as well as the Groundhogs team’s only asset as baseball talent. Then Eddie discovers a taste and talent for cuisine. Although his brothers Andy and Alex, pa as well as classmates enjoy his dishes, they only mock cooking, so he arranges and ‘accidental’ registration for him and two friends in Home Economics. Only Eddie -secretly again- and nerdy bitch Bridget Simons enter a national cooking competition for school-kids. Ma finds out and to his surprise proves supportive, as well as the teacher, who once won the competition herself

5. Chocolat: Staring, Johnny Depp (2000)

Vianne Rocher and her young daughter are drifters who are met with skepticism and resistance when they move to a conservative town in rural France and open a chocolate shop during Lent. As Vianne begins to work her magic and help those around her, the townspeople are soon won-over by her exuberance and her delicious chocolates – except for the mayor, who is determined to shut her down. When a group of river drifters visit the town, Vianne teaches the townspeople something about acceptance, and finds love for herself along the way.

(plot descriptions courtesy of www.imdb.com)

Last night after a 12 hour shift at work, I was starving and I wanted sometime light and easy for supper, before I took a long nap. I dug through my refrigerator and found some pizza dough. Mama mia! After I found some mozzarella and goat cheese, tomatoes and prosciutto, my new favorite pizza was born. The play on a traditional ‘Margarita Pizza’, plain pizza topped with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, its creamy, fresh and delicious taste would never send me back to just plain old pie. And, I found all the ingredients in my refrigerator!

Margarita with Prosciutto Pizza

• 1 lb fresh pizza dough
• 1 c cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/4 c chopped red onion
• 2/3 c goat cheese
• 1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 c  fresh basil, roughly chopped
• 1/4 c sliced proscuitto, sliced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• pepper to taste
• olive oil

Directions: Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the pizza dough, using a little bit of flour to about 1/4 or 1/2 an inch (which ever you prefer) and lay on a 16 inch pizza pan. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and using your hands spread it all over, especially the outer ends of the dough. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese, leaving about and inch along the edges, then the goat cheese. Add the tomatoes, red onion, garlic, pepper and dried basil. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. When it comes out of the oven top with the shredded parmesan cheese, prosciutto and basil. Cut into 8 slices, serve, and enjoy!

Salute & Bon Appatito!

For the grilled shrimp, I pealed and deveined 1 lb of large shrimp, but left the tails on the end. I marinated the shrimp in Lite Coconut Milk, the zest of 1 lime, 2 garlic cloves minced, salt and pepper, and stored it in the refrigerator for about an hour. I soaked a few wooden skewers in water so they would not burn on the grill while the shrimp were marinating.  After I scewered the shrimp, it only took 3 minutes per each side and they were cooked through and crips on the outside, juicy and had a hint of lime and coconut.

 I also made my own homemade salsa, unlike any other tomato based wondrous dip I have ever tasted. This salsa was mango based, and sweet, with a hint of spice and packed with tons of flavor. I finely diced an orange pepper for sweetness and to add crispness to my salsa, and then did the same to 3 of my mangos. I juiced and zested a lime on top of the peppers and mango. Half of a jalapeño, ribbed and chopped finely, half of a red onion finely chopped, 1 garlic clove, minced, 1 tsp of chili powder, salt, pepper, and 1 tsp of coconut milk, and ½ cup of cilantro went into the salsa to make it complete. I can’t believe I am even saying this, but I’m pretty sure it is the best salsa I have ever tasted. I had to find some tortilla chips and before supper, my mother and I were snacking on the salsa, we could not stop!

Serve this salsa over steak, chicken, or even just enjoy it with tortilla chips and a refreshing margarita alongside the pool or at a party, to send you away to paradise.

*Mango Salsa

• 1 large orange pepper, chopped
• 3 mangos, chopped
• 1/2 c cilantro, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 jalepino, deveined and mined finely
• 1 lime, zested & juiced
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 1 tsp coconut milk
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• salt & pepper to taste

Yesterday night, I had the urge to grill my supper. I love that smokey taste the grill adds to food, the crisscrossed marks on steaks and meat, I was very excited. In the refrigerator, we had a few pork chops that needed to be used, so I mixed up my own barbeque sauce, that would compliment the juicy taste. I started with a base of plain Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, then added some spice; garlic, chili powder, hot sauce, honey, cinnamon, and black pepper. I seasoned the pork chops with simply garlic powder, salt and pepper, then onto the grill they went on high heat. When they were seared on both sides I started to baste the chops with my Sweet & Spicy BBQ sauce. You could really smell the cinnamon and chilli powder, perfuming out of the BBQ sauce. Too add to my grilling spread, I sliced a red onion, red pepper and two small zucchini, drizzling with olive oil and pepper. But my favorite side of all, grilled corn, really made the meal. It was a great substitute for a starch, like potatoes or bread, and the smokiness of the grill added a great flavor to the corn, I didn’t even need to use salt and pepper. I also made some of my grilled garlic bread, because I know my parents love it very much.

Filling, healthy, and grilled, the three principles I like to cook by in the midst of summer. If you would like the recipe for any of these dishes leave me a comment and I would love to give them out!  

Thanks for following my blog! I would like to call to your attention a new Recipe of the Week has been posted. This week’s recipe is Caramelized Onion Torte, and if I do say so myself, it is very delicious! The torte can be cut into squares for appetizers or sliced like a pizza and enjoyed.

Serve  alongside a simple salad and you have a complete meal. Let me know what you think and happy eating everyone!

-The Hungry Soul

What is this large picture of you ask? This picture is of my dad’s birthday spread.  We just wanted to eat something light, so we decided on doing a few appetizers and drinks for the adults. Ina Garten always taught me that you should never fret over appetizers, buy some from the store and make a few from scratch. Given that, I whipped up a past Recipe of the Week and made my Roasted Shrimp Cocktail, and Buffalo Chicken Dip. Both delicious and pretty filling for appetizers, but an excellent combination! I served tortilla chips and celery sticks for a healthy alternative with the dip, which turned out fantastically. I also added a bowl alongside the shrimp for a place to put the tails. For a refresher, here are the two recipes…

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

• 1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 (12 oz)  jar of chili sauce
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 3 tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1/2 of a  lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Rise and pat dry the shrimp with paper towels until very dry. In an even layer, spread shrimp onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, lemon pepper and salt to taste. Toss the shrimp and seasonings to coat  re-spread shrimp to an even layer. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the shrimp are pink and slightly firm to the touch. Remove from the baking sheet, onto a small platter with a bowl set in the middle. In a medium mixing bowl, combine chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon zest and juice, Worchestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.  Pour cocktail sauce into serving bowl and enjoy!

*This seafood hor devour can be paired with any citrus drink, whether it be a wine cooler or a Mojito to compliment the spiciness of the sauce and the lemony scent of the shrimp

Buffalo Chicken Dip

• 4 cups chopped, cooked chicken (a rotisserie chicken works well for this)
• 2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup prepared Buffalo Wing sauce
• 1 cup prepared bottled ranch dressing (or if you like the pungent taste, try a bottle bleu cheese dressing)
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar & Monterey jack cheese blend (or if you are using the bleu cheese dressing try a Sharp White Cheddar to balance the spicy taste)
• Cayenne pepper, or paprika
• 1 large bag of golden tortilla chips, for dipping
• Celery sticks, for dipping

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray and spread the two packages of cream cheese to one even layer, slightly going up the sides of the dish. Next, add the chicken in one even layer on top of the cream cheese. Drizzle evenly with the Buffalo sauce, then the ranch dressing. Top with the shredded cheese and spread to one even layer. Around the edge of the shredded cheese layer, sprinkle the cayenne pepper to add a darker appearance around the crust. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly, enjoy!

*Since this dip is a deconstruction of the New York style Buffalo Wings, any of your favorite cold beers pair well with this dish. A mixed drink that is cool and refreshing, would cleanse your palate after eating this spicy dip.

I also set out some fresh fruit, the grocery store part. The fresh strawberries the size of my head, and grapes were a sweet and clean add to my appetizers, which were on the rich and slightly salty edge. To add some variations in the heights on my platters, by placing a bowl(which a similar color to the platter) upside-down underneath. Having different heights adds dimension to any table for a dinner party or cocktail hour. I also made a batch of Triple Chocolate Cookies, they were substituted for a birthday cake. On the table I also set 3 cups for water, and 3 cups for wine, although mine was not going to be used of course, and three medium sizes plates for eating.

Overall, the appetizer dinner was a success, and completely delicious!

healthy, easy AND fast?

Well, I made a delicious dish for 4-6 people in less than 30 minutes that was light, yet filling and healthy too! I call it Shrimp & Asparagus with a Light Lemon Sauce, it is served over angel hair pasta to compliment the delicacy of the vegetables and shrimp. The ingredients were minute as well, totally to 8 ingredients in all (not counting salt and pepper). Both my mom and my dad, who actually ate the pasta cold, loved the dish! I am definitely going to be adding this recipe to my repertoire.

Want the whole recipe? Leave me a comment and I will gladly dish it out!

~BALSAMIC RED PEAR & PROSCIUTTO SALAD~

• 1 large red pear
• 2 slices of prosciutto
• 6 tsp goat cheese, divided
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 c bottled Balsamic Dressing
• 4 c bagged field greens
• 1 c Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/3 c chopped walnuts
• 1 small french roll, cubed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• pepper to taste
• 1/2 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions: Turn the oven onto ‘Broil’. On a baking sheet, toss together the bread cubes and olive oil, season with a little pepper. On a cutting board, slice the pear into 6 wedges, making sure the core part is removed. Brush with the balsamic vinegar, and broil for 2 minutes, until the pears are soft and the croutons (bread cubes) are golden brown. Let the pears cool on the cutting board. In a large bowl toss together the lettuce, greens, tomatoes, Balsamic vinaigrette and onions. Pour onto a small serving platter, or a large plate. Top with the bread cubes and walnuts. When the pears are cooled, take a teaspoon of the goat cheese and set it on the flesh side of the pear. Slice each piece of the prosciutto into 3 slices (the long way), and wrap one piece around the goat cheese topped pear. Set it on top of the salad, skin side down. Repeat with the remaining pear wedges. Serve at room temperature, and enjoy!

Today was a family affair. The five of us took a trip to the Pemaquid Beach, the beautiful ocean, and my favorite place on Earth. When we go to the ocean the trip usually entails a trip to Shaw’s Fish & Lobster Wharf, in New Harbor Maine. This place brings seafood from the boat to your plate. Fresh straight from the ocean, you can even watch the fishermen come in off the waters.

I have been going the wharf since I was a child. You can smell the sweet seafood as soon as you shut the car door; the rich aroma hits the senses. Either sitting outside on the deck overlooking the harbor, all the boats, lobster traps and ocean waves for miles to see, or inside in the restaurant adorned with lobster and fishing sentiments, everything any Maine home on the coast would incline. The cozy and laid back atmosphere, also a characteristic of being Maine, makes eating and enjoying Shaw’s amazing seafood a tantalizing experience.

Whenever my family eats at Shaw’s, it’s comical to say, that we have a system, an exact “order” in which we order our food. Since we have the complete menu memorized after all, as soon as we get to the restaurant my dad will order us a Blooming Onion, a whole large onion that is cut into pieces, like a flower, but it is still intact in the bottom, then battered and deep fried. It is served with a spicy dipping sauce, that I am sure contains Horseradish, but I like to use a combination with ketchup. While we eat the appetizer, we decided what we want to eat. Usually the Blooming Onion is gone within a few minutes, it is completely devoured.  We choose selections of sides and share, which excludes any unnecessary fries, coleslaw, or dinner rolls; just gimme the seafood. Today we ordered an array of dishes: Crab Cakes, Fried Scallops, Lemon Pepper Broiled Scallops, Clam Chowder, Fried Shrimp, and Lemon Pepper Broiled Haddock. All of the food was fantastic, cooked perfectly, everything I wanted and of course expected from Shaw’s. Why do you think I keep going back for more?

http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Harbor-ME/Shaws-Wharf/122322646713?v=wall

Enjoy the recipe!