Movie Night

Make time to kick back, splurge on fun food, and catch a flick or two.

Lynlee and KyIe Hudlow had a great idea for a Friday Night at the Movies party but were fresh out of recipes. The couple was already outfitted with a state-of-the-art DVD projection system, an old schoolhousestyle tripod screen, and plenty of friends to share them with. Our Test Kitchens supplied the food-spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches, a glitzy white chocolate dessert popcorn, and a mix-and-match popcorn bar. The Hudlows' friends came with quilts, low-slung chairs, and storebought sides to go with the sandwiches. For a chilling ending, offer a variety of soda and ice-cream flavors for an out-of-this-world soda-float station. This get-together was, as they say in the biz, a blockbuster hit. Try it at your home soon-even if it's indoors around the big-screen TV.

-SHIRLEY HARRINGTON

Gold-Dusted White Chocolate Popcorn

MAKES 10 CUPS

PREP: IQMIN., STAND: 15 MIN.

We adapted this recipe from one on the Jolly Time Popcorn Web site (www.jolly time.com) called Glitterrazzi Popcorn. Find the edible gold dust at cake or party supply stores.

1 (3.3-oz.) bag butter-flavored microwave popcorn, popped

1 cup salted mixed nuts

1 cup dried cranberries

1 (12-oz.) package white chocolate morsels

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Edible gold dust

1. Place popcorn in a large bowl, discarding unpopped kernels. Stir in nuts and cranberries.

2. Microwave white chocolate morsels in a 2-cup glass measuring cup at HIGH 1Vi minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Pour over popcorn mixture, stirring until evenly coated.

3. Spread mixture in a 15-? 10-inch jellyroll pan. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon. Let stand 15 minutes or until chocolate hardens. Sprinkle with gold dust. Break into pieces; serve immediately, or store in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

PREP: 10 MIN., BAKE: 10 MIN.

Our Foods staff rated the heat level of these sandwiches as mild. Let guests add more hot sauce to taste.

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

½ cup Buffalo-style hot sauce, divided

6 hoagie rolls, split

1/3 cup refrigerated blue cheese dressing

½ tsp. Creole seasoning

1 ½ cups matchstick-cut carrots

1½ cups diagonally sliced celery

¼ cup finely chopped onion (optional)

12 large deli-fried chicken strips (about 1¼ lb.)

1 (4- oz.) package crumbled blue cheese

Buffalo-style hot sauce (optional)

1. Stir together butter and 2 tsp. hot sauce. Brush cut sides of rolls evenly with mixture. Place, cut sides up, on a baking sheet.

2. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted.

3. Stir together blue cheese dressing, 2 tsp. to 3 tsp. hot sauce, and Creole seasoning. Add carrots, celery, and, if desired, onion; toss to coat.

4. Arrange chicken on bottom halves of rolls; drizzle evenly with remaining hot sauce. Layer chicken evenly with carrot mixture and crumbled blue cheese. Top with remaining roll halves. Serve with additional hot sauce, if desired.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Frank's Original Buffalo hot Wing Sauce, T. Marzetti's The Ultimate Blue Cheese refrigerated dressing, and Zatarain's Creole Seasoning.

Set Up a Popcoen Bar

* If you're expecting a large crowd, shop for big bags of popped corn. For a group of six or fewer, you can probably keep up with the demand by making microwave popcorn.

* If your gas grill has a side burner, pop corn the old-fashioned way with a pot, kernels, and oil. Do not pop directly on the grill, and read package instructions for how to pop corn on a gas heating element.

* For a festive county fair atmosphere, rent a popcorn machine from your local party store. The cost is between $45 and $70 for a 24-hour rental, depending on the size. Popcorn and oil is sold separately. You'll need a minivan, SUV, or pickup truck to move a larger machine, and a heavy-duty extension cord is a must.

* Offer guests a variety of fun sprinkle-ins, such as candies, tropical fruit mix, shredded cheeses, herbs, spice blends, and nuts. Fill the popcorn sack half full, add toppings, more popcorn, and a last sprinkle of good stuff.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Jul 2007
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