Popcornapalooza Recipes

Steps:

• In a food processor, puree the butter, tomatoes and garlic until it forms a smooth paste. Heat a small saute pan over medium heat and add the butter mixture. Heat the butter until melted down and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Keep warm.
• Heat a large saucepan over high heat. Once hot, add the popcorn kernels and oil, and shake the pan to coat the kernels in the oil. Cover and continue to cook over high heat until the kernels begin to pop. Shake the pan once again and reduce the heat to medium-high. Continue to cook until the popping slows dramatically, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pour the popped popcorn into a large bowl. While still warm, add the flavored butter, cheese, oregano and salt. Toss to coat, and then serve.

Steps:

• Melt 1 stick of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 1 cup each dark brown sugar and heavy cream and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste. Make sundaes with blondies, rum raisin ice cream, the butterscotch sauce and chopped cashews.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Liberally sprinkle all sides of the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil. Sear the short ribs on all sides until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Once seared, set aside on a plate. Add the carrots, garlic and onions to the pot with the short rib drippings and season with some salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables until they turn golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more. Add the wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up any developed fond (all the delicious brown bits) from the bottom. Bring the wine to a simmer and season with some salt and pepper. Add the thyme, bay leaf and short ribs and any leftover juices from the plate the short ribs were resting on. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven until the meat is fork tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Turn the short ribs one time during the cooking process after about 1 hour of cooking.
• Once the short ribs are tender, remove them from the braising liquid and set aside to cool. Skim the fat off the top of the braising liquid. Then strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve and bring to a simmer until it is reduced by half, about 8 minutes (to yield about 2/3 cup of reduced sauce). Remove the meat from the bone and cut in half horizontally to fit on the croissant.
• For the sandwich build: Lightly toast the croissants and then schmear some horseradish mustard on the bottom half of the croissant. Place the slices of short rib on top of the mustard and drizzle with some of the reduced sauce. Top with a fried egg and then a nice pile of the chips. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Do not cut and do not exceed 3 of these a day -- one for B, one for L and one for D. You can even sneak a bite for the other "D."
• Whisk together 8 cups water with 1/4 cup of the salt. Place the sliced potatoes into the water-and-salt solution and let soak for at least 20 minutes. After they have soaked, dry thoroughly on a paper towels or dish towels.
• Heat the oil a large Dutch oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a spice grinder, combine the buttermilk powder, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, dill and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Grind into a homogeneous powder.
• In handful-size batches, fry the potatoes until they just turn golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Toss immediately in a large bowl with some of the spice mixture. Then place them on a baking sheet and sprinkle them again with some of the spice mixture.
• Hold them in semi-airtight container for a few days, if you can stand it that long.

Steps:

• Brush one side of each piece of bread with the butter. Cook on the buttered sides on a griddle on medium-low heat until golden, then rub the golden side of each piece with the garlic.
• Using the tip of a sharp knife, score the bologna with crosshatches, about an inch apart and 1/4-inch deep, rotating as you score to get all around the outside of the bologna. Slice the bologna into four 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• Heat a grill pan to medium-high heat and grill each side of the bologna until grill marks form, 4 to 5 minutes per side, basting with a thick layer of BBQ sauce before and after flipping. Bologna is done when there are charred grill marks on each side and the BBQ sauce has caramelized.
• Place a slice of grilled bologna on the untoasted side of a slice of Texas toast, then top with a few pickle slices, a pile of the Fennel Slaw and some fried onions, then top with a slice of Texas toast, toasted-side up. Repeat to make 3 more sandwiches.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter until melted, then add the onion, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Saute until the onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, molasses, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce and liquid smoke and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, then blend until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.
• In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the yogurt, olive oil, honey, mustard, orange juice, zest, salt and pepper. Stir in the fennel, carrots and chile and toss to coat. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Set aside for serving.