Oscars Archives - ¡HOLA! JALAPEÑO

Smoked Maple Butter Popcorn with Habanero Salt

March 14, 2017 by Kate Ramos Leave a Comment

This post was sponsored by Uncommon Goods but all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that help to support this blog!

Smoked Maple Butter Popcorn with Habanero Salt Recipe

I feel like I’ve left a lot of myself out of this blog lately. I don’t know why exactly. Uninspired to talk about my life I guess but here’s a rundown of what’s going on with us:

We’ve entered the life of school choice and have been waiting to see what the lottery hands us. Also, I’ll have both kids in school next year—mixed emotions on that subject.
We’ve been capturing (and killing) a lot of snails lately. Any tips on keeping snails alive? Probably not capturing them in the first place, huh?
We are planning our trip to Italy this summer. Here’s what I need to know:
- How to entertain kids on an overseas flight besides buying them their own devices and/or Benadryl?
- What/how much to pack for an extended stay? We’re also going to London, is it cold there in July? Do I need to pack jackets, scarves, and sweaters?
- Affordable, kid-friendly Air B&B recs for Rome and really anywhere in Italy, we’ll have lots of time to travel.

There’s lots of other stuff too, like all of us, my life is relentless in the details but right now I’d rather have some fun and talk about a luxurious little snack. Something like popcorn drenched in pecan wood-smoked maple syrup, butter, and habanero salt. What about something like that?

I was asked to partner with Uncommon Goods a few weeks back and was excited to find some really fun gift ideas to share with you. If you are unfamiliar with Uncommon Goods they are an online retailer selling unique handmade goods from makers big and small all over the world. They have a bit of everything and are a one-stop shop for gift giving. They even put together gift collections to make it super simple. They have ideas for everything from Weddings to Graduations.

But of course me, I stuck firmly in my comfort zone—the kitchen. When I saw this microwave popcorn popper in their graduation gift guide, I knew immediately I had to have it. We eat a lot of popcorn but I usually pop it in a pan. With this nifty popper however, the kids can do it themselves! The lid doubles as a measuring cup for the popcorn kernels then you just pour them in, cover it with the lid, and put it in the microwave.

With my brain firmly stuck in popcorn mode I had to find something to put on it. At first I was leaning toward hot sauce (which they have plenty of in their Gifts for Dudes section) but then I spotted the Pecan Wood Smoked Maple Syrup, Oo la la!

I also loved these glasses made in Colombia from recycled car windshields and windows. They are just what I needed to sip my icy beer, but the green-hued glass would also make beautiful little vases for low table centerpieces.

Smoked Maple Butter Popcorn with Habanero Salt

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Smoked Maple Butter Popcorn with Habanero Salt is the ultimate luxurious snack for any party. Popcorn drenched in smoked maple syrup, butter, & spicy salt!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegan butter or coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon smoked maple syrup or regular maple syrup and a dash of liquid smoke
1-1/2 teaspoons habanero salt (depending on how hot you like it) or 1 teaspoon habanero salt and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
9 cups popped popcorn

Instructions

Stir together melted butter, maple syrup, and salt.
Pour over popped popcorn and toss to coat.

Notes

To make the habanero salt; combine 2 tablespoons kosher salt with 1/4 teaspoon ground habanero chile powder.

One More Thing

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Brandy Ginger Twist Cocktail

February 23, 2017 by Kate Ramos 2 Comments

The Oscars are on Sunday and I felt it only right to leave you with some black-tie cocktail inspiration to have with your Thai take-out, or delivery pizza, or if you are really doing it right, fancy appetizers (if its fancy appetizers, can I come over?).

This icy drink is a combination of two different cocktails that for some reason scream Hollywood to me; the Japanese Cocktail (which has nothing to do with Japan and everything to do with classy 1920’s glam) and a Ginger Sidecar I had at Zuni Cafe when we were in San Francisco last October.

The classic Japanese cocktail is a simple but sophisticated combination of cognac, almond-scented orgeat (pronounced or-zsa, like Zsa Zsa Gabor), and bitters. Zuni’s Ginger Sidecar has brandy, ginger liqueur, orange, lemon, and pineapple gum syrup. Put those two together and your classy Oscar cocktail is served.

Let’s Talk About Pineapple Gum Syrup

Pineapple gum syrup is a pineapple simple syrup that packs a punch of pineapple and adds viscosity to the drink at the same time. I found a bottle made by Small Hand Foods at Bev Mo but you can also find it online.

How To Make Your Own Ginger Juice

Making ginger juice is pretty self-explanatory. If you have a juicer, stick a big piece of fresh ginger in there (you don’t even need to peel it) and juice comes out. This stuff is for real! Add some to your orange juice in the morning, that’ll get you going. If you don’t have a juicer you can still make ginger juice, but you’ll have to peel the ginger first, and chop it, put it in your food processor and blend until it is a puree. Press the puree through a fine mesh sieve and discard the solids.

Cheers Amigos! Have a great weekend!