carrie

Jem and the Holograms

Jem-and-the-Holograms

Diana and Carrie discuss the truly outrageous 80s cartoon, and the recent comic (hit!) and movie (flop). Showtime, Synergy.

Recipes

Referenced

Tasty Time

Main Episode

Intro music clip: “JEM–Truly, Truly, Truly Outrageous” by Anne Bryant, et. all, sung by Britta Phillips.
Outro music clip: “Truly Outrageous” by Noelle Bean from the official “Jem and the Holograms” tribute album. Available for purchase here.

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Diana

Tigris’ Ham & Potato Hash

HG Hash header

The wonderful smell of frying meat fills the air. Tigris has prepared us a hash of chopped ham and potatoes. It’s the first hot food we’ve had in days, and as I wait for her to fill my plate, I’m in danger of drooling.

–Chapter 24, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Tigris’ Ham & Potato Hash

  • 2 Cups Peeled & Diced Potatoes (~1/2″ cubes)
  • 1 Cup Diced Onion
  • 1 Cup Diced Green Bell Pepper
  • 1 Cup Diced Ham
  • 3 Tbsp Butter
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste
  • Minced Fresh or Dried Herbs like Thyme or Dill (optional)

Cover the potato pieces in salted water in a large pot & cook on high until just tender. Drain & rinse with cold water until the potatoes are no longer hot. Set aside until ready to use.

Melt the butter in a large pan on medium heat & add the diced onion. Cook until tender & then add in the green pepper. Cook for a couple minutes more & then add the ham & potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, & optional herbs & stir to combine everything. Spread the mixture out in the pan & let sit undisturbed for several minutes to brown. Stir & spread again & leave to brown.

Stir & remove from heat. If you’d like to sprinkle with shredded cheese, feel free. Wonderful served with hot sauce or chunky salsa.

HG Hash w pin

Listen to the episode! Fiction Kitchen Episode 25: The Hunger Games

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carrie

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

creamy-pumpkin-soup

For the Hunger Games, unless you’re really into fried squirrel or nettle tea, the best food is going to be found in The Capitol. Obscene feasts are thrown regularly from the wealth of resources flowing in, which I imagined includes spices, so when I set out to make the creamy pumpkin soup sprinkled with slivered nuts and black seeds that Katniss samples, that’s exactly what I imagined.

I used canned pumpkin (LAZY! Like Capitol people) and a whole can of coconut milk (RICH and DECADENT! Like Capitol people).

Paanch phoran, or five-spice powder, is made from cumin, fenugreek, fennel, mustard, and black seeds called kalonji (or nigella seeds, or onion seeds, or black seeds, etc. It’s the seed of many names), so that’s what I used as the flavoring for my soup. I much recommend seeking out the curry leaves (NOT bay leaves, even though they look similar) at your local Indian market, they will give your soup a delicate and delicious fragrance and really take it to Capitol level fare.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

  • 2-3 tablespoons coconut oil (or flavorless cooking oil)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 inch ginger, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon each cumin, fenugreek, fennel, mustard, and kalonji seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili
  • 3 tablespoons ground almonds or almond meal
  • 1 can pumpkin puree
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 4-5 fresh curry leaves
  • sliced almond and a sprinkle of kalonji for garnish

Heat the oil and saute onion until it just starts to turn golden. Add ginger and garlic and stir for a minute or two, then add all seeds and cook until they start to sizzle (be careful not to burn). Add turmeric and red chili, stir for a minute, then add almond meal, pumpkin puree and a cup of the chicken broth. Heat through.

Blend the mixture thoroughly and return to the pot along with the rest of the chicken broth, the coconut milk, cinnamon stick, and curry leaves. Mix well, gently heat and cook on a low simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with sliced almonds and kalonji.

Listen to the episode! Fiction Kitchen Episode 25: The Hunger Games

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carrie

The Hunger Games

HG Trilogy Banner

Diana and Carrie discuss The Hunger Games books and movies, including from Greek mythological child sacrifices, Katniss’s practical hairstyle, social commentary, and the scarcity of goat milk.

Recipes

Referenced

Tasty Time

Main Episode

  • The Hunger Games trilogy on Scholastic.com
  • Katniss Plant on Wikipedia
  • “Myth, Reality TV Inform Collins’ Writing” article on NewsTimes
  • The Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur
  • “Ancient Carthaginians Really Did Sacrifice Their Children” article on University of Oxford
  • “Battle Royal” on Wikipedia (a big similarity between “Battle Royale” and “The Hunger Games” is that in the ending of “Battle Royal” the two remaining characters decide to kill themselves rather than one kill the other–Carrie)
  • “Here’s Why ‘The Hunger Games’ Is Not ‘Battle Royale'” article on Business Insider
  • “Food, Glorious Food” Symbolism in The Hunger Games” on Shmoop.com
  • Figs and Fig Wasps (the science that persuaded Diana to not make Tigris’ fig cookies, but Carrie totally would have gone ahead 😉 )
  • The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook by Emily Ansara Baines on Goodreads
  • Unofficial Recipes of The Hunger Games from Rockbridge Press on Goodreads
  • Crystal Watanabe’s wonderful Hunger Games recipes on her blog “Fictional Food”
  • “A Hunger Games-Inspired Feast with Recipes” on Deseret News
  • “Hungry for Hunger Games” recipe playlist by the Schemestresses on YouTube
  • Vosges Wild Ophelia line “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” Chocolates (sadly, no longer available)
  • “Hunger Games: Finnick and Annie Web Series” by MainstayPro

    • Intro music clip: “War” by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Available for purchase here.

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