Friday, February 25, 2011

Food 'n' Flix: Spicy-Sweet Pretzel Mix and Pomegranate Sodas

Over the winter months, my family and I have at least one movie night per weekend.  So far this year, it's been a winter full of old 80's movies (Goonies, Back to the Future, Karate Kid, Poltergeist, Spacecamp, you get the idea).  It's been a lot of fun watching the look on my daughter's face as she discovers how different things were back in the 80's.  A lot of things have been very shocking to her and we've had a lot of good laughs. My husband likes to joke that each old movie must be torture to her, but I can honestly say that she has loved each and every old movie we have chosen.  How could she not?  They're classics for a reason, right? 

On family movie night we always have popcorn.  Lots of popcorn.  I've tried to deviate from this, but it's just not pretty. Things just get ugly. So, during the week, when everyone is at work or school, I pick my very own movie and make my very own snack.  Most of the time this involves chocolate, but this time it was this Spicy-Sweet Pretzel Mix and a special drink just for me, a pretty pale pink Pomegranate Soda with a maraschino cherry floating on top.

 IT'S MOVIE TIME!

Once I have my snack, I pop in a movie of my very own choosing.  No cartoons, action flicks, or teeny bopper shows.  Only chick flicks.  It's time for girly, romantic, sappy, ridiculous, over-the-top, dramatic, passionate, and funny movies.  Even better if the movie involves cooking, like this month's Food 'n' Flix pick, Woman On Top. A very passionate love story about both love and cooking, it was the perfect choice for some down time. 
Spicy-Sweet Pretzel Mix
Adapted from Everyday Food September 2008 issue
Martha says this serves 8 (I say more like 2)

2 cups thin pretzel sticks
1 cup natural almonds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, toss together pretzels and almonds.

In a small saucepan, bring butter, sugar, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon water to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Pour over pretzel mixture in bowl; gently toss to combine.

Spread pretzel mixture in a single layer on prepared sheet.  Bake until almonds are crisp, about 20 minutes, tossing occasionally.  Cool on sheet before serving (To store, keep at room temp, up to 5 days).

Pomegranate Sodas
Adapted from Everyday Food September 2008 
Serves 8

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
club soda, for serving
maraschino cherries (optional)
Ice

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and juice; bring to a boil over high, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Reduce to a simmer; cook, without stirring, until mixture is syrupy, about 2 minutes. (To store, refrigerate syrup up to 1 week; adjust consistency with water, if necessary.)

To serve: Fill 8 glasses with ice. Pour 2 tablespoons syrup in each glass, and top with club soda. Garnish with cherries, if desired.

Notes/Results:  A very satisfying snack and drink combination that really caters to those sweet and salty cravings.  The sweet and spicy pretzel mix is delicious, a little more sweet than spicy, but it does have a gentle heat to it.  If you enjoy your food a little more spicy, go ahead and add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne in place of the 1/8 teaspoon. The crunchy pretzel mix pairs perfectly with the sweet pomegranate soda, a fun and delicious match.  I really enjoyed the pretzel mix, but I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the pomegranate soda.  The soda is just plain fantastic! Not only is it a gorgeous pale pink color, but it is also sweet, bubbly, refreshing and just plain fun to drink.  Decorated with some maraschino cherries, this would be fun for a family, your next party, a group of girls (any age), or even just on a day when you're on your own and need a fun treat.  
Now Watching Woman On Top

16 comments:

  1. Oh, I'd love to sit down and watch a movie with the pretzel mix in one hand and the drink in the other! Although, I may or may not spike my drink first ;) LOL! So glad you joined in the Woman on Top fun this month, Kim =)

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  2. What a fun snack, this is perfect for me. Now I just need Mr P to sit down in one place for a couple hours to watch something with!
    Have a great weekend daaaaahling!
    *kisses* HH

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  3. I love both - because the combination of sweet and salty always satisfies. And I am a pretzel fiend. I have a movie sitting here for weeks that no one will watch with me. Might be time to just watch it with the cat and your snacks.

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  4. Ha - Heather said what I was thinking, I might have to spike that drink, lol! We buy a Pomegranate soda for my son as he loves it, I never even considered making my own. I like it too, it's just so refreshing. Sweet and salty is always a great combination. Great movie treats Kim!

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  5. Yah, this looks tasty. I have never seen that movie.

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  6. Great movie snacks, Kim. Much more exciting than popcorn (not that there's anything wrong with popcorn either). The soda is pretty and looks refreshing.

    I also like the idea of boozing it up!

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  7. We have family movie nights almost every weekend during the winter months as well and most of the time it is popcorn for us, too, but this spicy-sweet pretzel mix would be a hit as would be the sodas. Great treats Kim!

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  8. What a luxury to have movie day. I'm just a little bit jealous. I'm all for adding a little something special to my soda.
    btw I love the Moosewood Monday recipes, I'm pretty sure I have all of the Moosewood cookbooks and I use them often.
    Mimi

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  9. Great for a warm and sunny afternoon....I am sure there is one in the future!

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  10. Aww I love the idea of family movie night! Plus it's an excuse to make delicious snacks like these...although, it's also fun to just keep them to yourself for your chick flick.

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  11. i just added that movie to my queue! what a fun family tradition. we did popcorn movie nights when i was growing up and it was always so fun. the snacks looks so good, i really like that pom soda!

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  12. Sounds like a wonderful tradition...I'm loving that pomegranate soda. I recently made my dtr watch PeeWee's Big Adventure. Too funny :)

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  13. This looks like the perfect movie snack. Love the pomegranate soda--so refreshing. ;-)

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  14. Oh I love me some pretzels, I think I could eat all of these before the movie even got started! Great idea with the drink too. So much fun.

    New to your blog! Visiting from seeing your link over at dessert wars! will be checking back regularly. Have a fabulous weekend!
    XO
    Jessica
    www.kitchenbelleicious.com
    www.belleiciouskids.com

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  15. What great movie snacks! Very inventive and quite girly!
    We had a movie night last night, both National Treasures (Disney) lots of fun!

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