If you count yourself as one that believes that food tastes better when food is served on a stick, have I got a cookbook for you! Chef, photographer and blogger Matt Armendariz’s artful and tasteful On A Stick! will have you throwing weekly parties just to try more recipes.

After a brief introduction and lesson about the different kinds of skewers and sticks, Matt eases us into this circus of fun food with 24 dips and sauces. After all, what good is food-on-a-stick if you can’t dip it in something?
 
Eighty recipes await you in On A Stick!, ranging from savory, sweet, simple, complex, fresh--and the ever popular, fried! Each recipe includes a full size photograph, a list of ingredients, techniques and words of wisdom and advice from Matt. Of course the photos are drool-worthy, teetering on the divide between tempting and full blown food porn.
 
Some of the easier recipes call for just a few ingredients: caprese sticks require only fresh mozzarella balls, cherry and sun-dried tomatoes, basil leaves and olive oil. You can tackle potato chips with only one potato, oil and some grated parmesan cheese, threading thin potato slices on wooden skewers before frying them.
 
If you’re looking for something to impress your in-laws you can try the Vietnamese bo la lo, spicy seasoned meat wrapped in betel leaves, or suppli, balls of cheese wrapped in risotto, lightly breaded with Panko crumbs and fried golden.
 
*I’ll pause to allow you to wipe the drool from your chin.*
 
Save room for dessert though, because Mark has thirty recipes to choose from that will make your sweet tooth sing in satisfaction. My personal favorite are the caramel popcorn balls which I suggest eating slightly warm. The small amount of salt in the recipe gives that caramel an extra dose of mouth zing!
 
Page after page, Matt Armendariz has really opened the world of stick food, taking it from the fairgrounds to the kitchen. His creative but unpretentious recipes are the perfect addition to any party, play-date or everyday meal. You can learn more about Matt and follow all his eating adventures (with and without a stick) at Mattbites.Com.
On a Stick! can be found at Amazon.Com or other fine retail bookstores.
As an extra special bonus, here is the recipe for the Caramel Popcorn Balls. Please let me know if you try them and what you think!

Caramel Popcorn Balls

Nutty, fresh popcorn is introduced to sweet, sticky caramel and a tiny dash of salt in this recipe on a stick. Because the caramel keeps everything together, these travel and keep well—although I can’t imagine having any leftovers.
Serves 4.
8 wood sticks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
8 cups popped popcorn

DIRECTIONS:

Combine sugars and corn syrup with 1/3 cup water in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugars dissolve. Once mixture has reached 240 degrees F, remove from heat and stir in butter.

Return to heat and continue cooking until mixture reaches 300 degrees F. Remove from heat and carefully stir in baking soda and salt. (The mixture will bubble aggressively, so stir with caution.)

Place popcorn in a large bowl and gently fold in caramel mixture until well coated. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using greased heatproof gloves, take a handful of caramel corn and roll it into a ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet and pierce with a pop stick. Repeat to form 8 balls. Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until firm. Let sit at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving.

Book photo by Erin Tapken.
Popcorn ball photo courtesy of Quirk Books. Recipe reprinted courtesy of Quirk Books.