Make any day a holiday with one killer cocktail to share.
We’re always sharing our drinks. Because, just like food, drinks always seem to taste better when someone else makes it. Sometimes, one of us will steal an extra sip or two here or there. But, it’s always fun to share a drink. This way if we decide to go back for a second drink. There’s no guilt. We’re just sharing a drink.
…even if it is a cocktail built for two.
Dark & Stormy
One Drink To Share
3 ounces Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
3 ounces Fresh Ginger Beer
juice of half a lime
lime wheel
In a tall glass filled with ice (approximately 40% full), combine all ingredients. Stir very gently. Garnish with lime wheel.
Cheers!
Five minutes here, a few minutes there…
It’s surprisingly easy to make your own noodles. Less than 5 minutes to knead the dough, a brief rest, then cut your dough into strips or shape the dough into the noodle of your choice. No effort is required to let them dry out for a bit. The most time consuming task might just be bringing the water to a boil. Next time, I’ll try boiling them in the broth. Shredded vegetables make the sauce cook up in no time at all.
Less than an hour for a completely home cooked meal? That’s a easy win.
Hand Cut Noodles In Spicy Sauce
makes 1 big bowl
(plenty for two to share)
1 cup AP flour
1 egg
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
splash of water, if needed
Knead dough. Let rest. Roll into thin sheets. Slice into 1/4 inch thick noodles. Let dry for several hours. Then, boil in water briefly to cook. Toss in toasted sesame oil.
Spicy Sauce
3 cups rich chicken stock
bok choy or Chinese cabbage, finely shredded
2 carrot, shredded
1 onion, cut into thin slices
2 stalk celery, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon five spice powder
3 Tablespoons soy
roasted or poached chicken, cut into pieces
Bring stock to a boil. Add vegetables and pepper flakes. Simmer until veggies are tender. Add soy, to taste. Add chicken. Stir briefly. Pour over noodles. Drizzle with hot sesame oil or chili oil, if you like.
Devour immediately.
It’s hot.
No, really, it’s HOT! So, it’s time for my summer go-to drink. What do you want in a summer cocktail? I want ice and lots of it. Also, it must be fresh, tart, barely sweet, and filled to the brim with a shocking amount of gin. That a must-have to seal the deal.
It’s the bee’s knees.
Bee’s Knees
makes 2
4 ounces your favorite floral gin
1 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce honey syrup
2 lemon twists
In a mixing glass, combine gin, lemon juice, and honey syrup. Add ice. Stir to combine. Divide between two chilled coupe glasses. Add one lemon twist to each glass.
Cheers!
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or
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Equally refreshing and delicious… It’s the Honey Bee.
Honey Bee
makes 2
4 ounces rum
1 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce honey syrup
2 lemon curls
2 blueberries, freshly frozen
In a mixing glass, combine rum, lemon juice and honey syrup. Add ice. Stir to combine. Divide between two chilled martini glasses. Garnish each glass with one skewered blueberry. Then, slide on the lemon curl.
Cheers!
When cleaning strawberries, it’s the perfect time to divide them. Place the tart berries that are just barely ripe in one bowl. These are perfect for a savory strawberry walnut (or pecan, or almond) salad. The sweet, ripe berries are better for desserts. Or, top your breakfast yogurt with a handful of berries. Or, top your muesli with a handful of berries.
That is, if there are any berries left after nibbling at the sweetest of the bunch.
Strawberry Salad
makes 1 bowl
1 cup barely ripe strawberries, cleaned
1 bag of baby greens, cleaned
bleu cheese crumbs
roasted walnuts (or pecans, or almonds)
mint, to garnish
Place cleaned greens in a large bowl. Top with berries, cheese crumbs, roasted nuts and fresh mint leaves (to your taste).
Red Wine Vinaigrette
makes 1 cup
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
fine sea salt, to taste
Combine all in a small pitcher. Drizzle very lightly over salad.
Devour immediately.
This honeyed banana bread is something special.
The scent of this banana bread filling the house as it bakes is irresistible. Cinnamon and honey mellows the powerful kick in the face that bananas usually deliver. The rich complexity of flavor that honey adds makes this much more interesting than your every day banana breads. Texture wise, it’s a winner, too. It’s the right balance of fluffy and dense. There’s a goldilocks perfection to the fluffy, silky smooth, tender-moist density. Stellar shelf-life, too. The honey keeps this sweet bread moist for days. But, don’t worry. This bread will be devoured right down to the very last crumb in no time at all.
Next time, this lovely quick bread demands a good sized dose of walnuts.
Honey Banana Bread
makes 1 – 8×8 inch baking dish
2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 bananas, large, ripe
1/3 cup veg oil
1 egg
1 cup honey syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift dry ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Cream bananas, vegetable oil and egg. Then, add honey and vanilla. Whip briefly. Add dry ingredients to the bowl and beat to combine. Pour into well-buttered 8×8 inch baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 70 minutes.
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Honey Syrup
makes 1 1/2 cups
1 cup honey
1/2 cup filtered water, boiled and cooled
Stir until combined. Refrigerate.
Honey syrup…
It’s not just for cocktails. You could use this to sweeten tea. Drizzle it over a buttered biscuit or bowl of oatmeal. I like it over a small bowl of yogurt topped with granola clusters and nuts. And, I’ll be testing it out in several recipes to see how translates as a honey replacement.
You could easily make this with a 50:50 mix. But, this works for me. For my needs, a honey syrup needs to be pour-able and syrup-y thick… not watery.
Honey Syrup
makes 1 1/2 cups
1/2 cup filtered water, boiled and cooled
1 cup of honey
Use in cocktails, tea, or any place that you’d like to use a pourable honey. Keep the remainder of your honey syrup chilling in the fridge.
All of my pourable bottles are currently occupied. Luckily, I have plenty of measuring cups.
This was love at first taste. To be brief, this is tropical jam perfection. I love coconut. So, I’ve added a lot of shredded coconut to my jam. But, feel free to add coconut to your own taste.
Make this NOW! You won’t be sorry.
Psst… this a great way to make use of all those bananas that have passed their prime, too.
Monkey Butter
makes over 4 cups
2 cups over-ripe bananas, peeled
2 cups sugar
3 Tablespoons vinegar (rice wine or apple cider)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup shredded coconut, or to taste, at the end
Combine bananas, sugar and vinegar in a large saucepan. Stir with a wooden spoon until the bananas have a pureed consistency. Place over moderate heat and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 cup coconut. The mixture will get quite runny. Stir constantly and continue to boil gently. The mixture will thicken. Watch this mixture carefully at all times. It may splatter molten hot sugar syrup. Carefully watch and stir, lowering the heat as needed to prevent splatters. After about 10 minutes or so, it should be the proper consistency. Add remaining coconut and let simmer an additional few minutes. It will continue to thicken into a beautiful jam in just a few minutes.
Serve on biscuits, bagels, or toast. Or, make peanut butter sandwiches.
Still warm from the pot, it was delicious on toast.
Long weekend = Cocktail Time
This one is perfect for a hot summer day. It’s a little sweet, a little sour, and it’s got a nice little boozy kick. If you love lemonade, add 1 cup of homemade lemonade for even more lemon-y goodness. For an Arnold Palmer Style Cocktail Tea, you can even go so far as to make that a 50/50 blend of tea and lemonade.
This was our cocktail of choice for the 4TH of July weekend. And, it will stay a favorite through the rest of this lovely summer. We’re sure of that.
Georgia Sweet Tea
makes 2
3 cups iced tea
2 Tablespoons brown sugar syrup, or to taste
2-4 ounces spiced rum
1 ounce lemon juice
lemon wedges, to garnish
Combine all ingredients in a small pitcher with ice. Stir to combine. Divide between two mason jars filled with ice. Garnish with lemon wedges.
Cheers!
Crunchy crumbs straight out of the oven with tender fluffy cake on the bottom, but, wait! You’ll want to wait about an hour to eat this cake. It was a pleasure to eat warm with the light, flaky crumbs melting under my bite. Sweet cinnamon cake and a good cup of coffee, that’s a match made in heaven.
Cinnamon Crumb Cake
makes 1 – 8×8 inch baking dish
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup butter, soft, 8 Tablespoons
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream (+1 TBSP, roughly)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Crumb Topping:
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
6 Tablespoons butter, soft
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Sift dry ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and cinnamon. Combine dry ingredients with the wet. Pour batter into well-buttered baking dish. Combine crumb mixture in a small bowl. Top cake batter with thick crumbs of the mixture.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 60-63 min in 8×8 inch baking dish
Very nice rise and light golden brown edges, this is going to be a new favorite…
We’re sure of it.
It’s really amazing just how much you can cut back on the butter and still end up with a rich and chocolate-y brownie. This version has exactly half of the butter as the original recipe. At 45 minutes, the center is still gooey (like a molten chocolate cake). But, if you let it continue to bake, the center puffs up and turns into a brownie.
This is adapted from Hershey’s Best Cocoa Brownie recipe. The main difference? This version has half of the butter, 1/2 cup less sugar and one less egg.
Trader Joe’s Cocoa Brownie
makes 1 8×8 inch baking dish
(or 1 9×7 inch baking dish)
8 Tablespoons butter, 1 stick, soft and melty
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup Trader Joe’s (or Hershey’s) cocoa
1 cup AP flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream butter, sugar, salt, eggs and vanilla. Add cocoa. Stir. Add flour. Stir to combine. Pour into buttered 8×8 inch baking dish (or 1 – 9×7 inch baking dish).
Bake at 350 degrees F in 8×8 inch baking dish for 50-52 min.
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