Popcorn and a movie?

How about popcorn cupcakes and a movie awards show?

Jessica of PNP Flowers Inc. created these fun cupcakes with popcorn. The popcorn is both in the batter and a garnish on top of the icing.

Why not whip up a batch for your Oscar nibbles?

Here’s Jessica’s recipe; the original recipe is from the Food Network.

More fun:

Can you guess which country has the most motion picture award organizations, after the U.S.? The answer is in the footnote below.

Here’s a list of film awards worldwide.

For yet more fun, pull down the Holidays & Occasions menu at the right and select Academy Awards.

Cupcakes for the movies, with popcorn both inside and on top. Photo courtesy PNP Flowers Inc.

Top: Start with unsauced pasta (photo courtesy Wikihow.com. Middle: A breakfast version of Spaghetti Carbonara from TheViewFromGreatIsland.com. Bottom: A fried egg tops pasta mixed with cherry tomatoes and chives, at Popsugar.com.

Pasta for breakfast? Yes, although not cold or reheated with sauce.

We’ve previously published recipes for gnocchi topped with a fried egg and breakfast pizza.

But plain leftover pasta, unsauced, can be served up as breakfast with a fried or poached egg, plus any cooked veggies you have on hand: broccoli florets, mushrooms, peas, spinach or other leafy greens, for example. Got cherry or sundried tomatoes? Toss ‘em in.

Our favorite leftover pasta for breakfast is angel hair pasta (capelli d’angelo) or other thin ribbon (capellini, spaghettini). If we’re cooking it for dinner, we make extra for breakfast or brunch. It will keep for a few days, if you don’t want to follow one pasta meal with another.

You can also use standard linguine or spaghetti; and, while they don’t hold a fried egg as evenly, any cut of pasta from tubes (penne, rigatoni) to shapes: bow ties (farfalle), shells (conchiglie), wagon wheels (ruote) and so forth. (See the different types of pasta.)

We adapted this recipe from TheViewFromGreatIsland.com, a blog by Susan Moran, who calls it “pure satisfying comfort food.” She enjoys it with her coffee.

Don’t forget the toast!

 
RECIPE: LEFTOVER BREAKFAST PASTA

Ingredients For 2-4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. REMOVE the pasta from the fridge and let it warm on the counter.

2. COOK the bacon until crisp. Add the ham and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes, adding some olive oil if the bacon didn’t render enough fat to cook the garlic. If you’re using only ham, you’ll need about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

3. COMBINE the Parmesan and eggs in a small bowl, with fresh-ground black pepper to taste.

5. COOK until the eggs and cheese become a creamy sauce. If it is too thick, you can add some milk or cream. Taste and add salt as desired (or let each individual add his/her own salt to taste).
 
 
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PASTA

 
  

Fresh cherry season begins in May; but today is George Washington’s Birthday, a traditional occasion for cherry pie and other cherry recipes.

We started the day with a Cherry Yogurt Parfait. Chobani, Dannon and Yoplait, among others, sell cherry-flavored yogurt; but one can easily make a more festive yogurt parfait. And we did! We prefer our parfait to a cup of cherry yogurt.

RECIPE: SUPER-EASY CHERRY YOGURT PARFAIT

Ingredients

 
What about canned or jarred cherries or cherry pie filling?

You can mix cherries in water or light syrup into plain yogurt, but sweet, gloppy pie filling is over the top.
 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the yogurt and cherries in a mixing bowl, in your preferred proportions. Reserve a few cherries as a topping for the parfait. Stir to combine.

2. SCOOP into a dessert dish, parfait dish, Martini glass or other festive vessel. Garnish with the reserved cherries and serve.
 
HOW TO ENJOY YOUR CHERRY YOGURT PARFAIT

 
DON’T WANT CHERRY YOGURT?

Pick up some Welch’s Fruit & Yogurt Snacks in the new Cherry flavor.

Top: Make a Cherry Yogurt Parfait like this one from ChooseCherries.com. Bottom: Want something that’s grab-and-go? Have fun with these yogurt-covered cherry snacks from Welch’s.