Grownups' Mocha Hot Chocolate

This is a grownup's kind of hot chocolate, full of cream and whiskey and other good things. It's great on ice or heated. At Christmas, we all walked out to my dad's pole barn, which used to house his collection of antique tractors, but now holds all his O-scale train tracks. I think we all become kids again when we play with his trains.

This was perfect for sipping by my parent's wood stove after we walked back through the woods and shook off the snow.

Ingredients

1 cup light cream
1 (14 oz.) can evaporated milk
3 tsp instant coffee
1/2 cup chocolate syrup

1 2/3 cups of Irish Whiskey
1 tsp almond extract
Marshmallows (optional)

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and evaporated milk until hot but not bubbly. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Pour into four mugs. Sprinkle with marshmallows, if desired.

Makes 4.

Read more...

Caribbean Rum Punch

Want to make a big pitcher of punch for cookout guests? This Caribbean punch is sweet and smooth and just right for hot summer days. During one of our trips to the Caribbean, we sampled a number of rum punches and asked everyone we met how they made theirs. After lots of sampling and trial and error, we formulated a luscious recipe.

Barbados, hidden beach

The secret is to use juices you'd find on Caribbean islands, like papaya and guanabana. They may be easier to find than you think! Check your grocery store's canned fruit juice aisle. The authentic touch is the fresh cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon - the native plants that give the Caribbean islands the nickname "The Spice Islands".

St. Lucia, fishing boat

Make it up a few hours before serving, and keep stirring while you serve it, as the heavier spices tend to settle on the bottom. Serve with plenty of ice. In our experience, it's better not to make it too strong, since it goes down quick and easy on a hot summer day.

There's a traditional island song that celebrates rum punch (Planter's Punch), and will help you remember how to make it without a recipe. In Barbados, they say, "One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak." The best rum punch we had, though was on a visit to Roseau, Domenica after tubing down the Layou  River. When we asked about the recipe, our host showed us the prickly green soursop fruit and sliced open a papaya so we could take some fresh slices with our drink. Tasty.

Every time the neighbors get together in the summer, we bring a couple of pitchers of this punch. Our downstairs neighbors have traveled all around the Caribbean, like us, and they say this was the best punch they ever had. Win.

Ingredients

1 cup lime juice
2 cups cold simple syrup (1 cup of sugar dissolved in one cup of hot water)
3 cups amber or dark rum
2 cups orange juice
1 cup guanabana (soursop) or pineapple juice
1 cup mango or papaya juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
Fruit slices, for garnish

Directions

Stir together all ingredients. Let it chill for 30 minutes in the fridge. Pour over ice in tall glasses and garnish with fruit slices. A pretty straw is highly recommended.

Makes about 20 4-oz servings.

Read more...

Blackberry Rose Party Punch

We love stirring up big pitchers of punch for summer parties - if you're careful about the mixology, you can sip a punch all afternoon in the sun and just feel a little more loving to all mankind. At Joe's birthday and my graduation party, we served White Summer Sangria. At a lot of neighborhood parties and summer BBQs we've stirred up a concoction that a friend in the Caribbean taught us, an authentic Caribbean Rum Punch.

We were ready for a different party punch for Memorial Day and all the graduation and summer parties ahead. Blackberries are already flooding our grocery stores, and a gorgeous holiday weekend brought out the best in Joe's bartender instincts. I poured out a lot of cups of punch last Saturday night.

Rose wine, lime juice, vodka, berries, and herbs make a bright party drink!

When we downsized from a house to a lakeside apartment after our girls went out on their own, we wondered if we could find a neighborhood tribe as friendly as our wonderful friends in the old neighborhood. We missed Friday night Drinks on the Drive and family bonfires and all our kids playing together in the pools or flashlight tag in the back yards.

While some of our apartment neighbors have come and gone, a few of us get together for weekend Bags games and a few beers in good weather. One of our friends brought a huge supply of fireworks to the 4th of July party two summers ago and we all had a ridiculous amount of fun with fire. This year, we promised them a new punch and Joe totally delivered with this berry and blush wine chiller.

We'll probably keep playing with this punch all summer. I'm thinking blueberries with lavender sprigs, cherries and the tarragon from our pots, and any fresh fruits and herbs we can drop into the drink. Like we always say, use your own favorites or whatever's in season, and make this easy punch recipe your own!

Ingredients

1 bottle of Rose wine (750 ml)

1 cup vodka

1/2 can frozen limeade

1 pint blackberries

2 tbsp fresh marjoram (optional)

Lime slices

Ice

3 cups sparkling water

Instructions

In a pitcher, stir together the wine, vodka, and limeade. Squeeze the berries to release their juice while you drop them into the punch. Put the marjoram in an infuser or tea ball, and drop into the pitcher. Add lime slices and some ice cubes and chill for at least 2 hours.

Before serving, remove the herb infuser and stir in the sparkling water or club soda. Serve over ice.

Makes about 12 cocktails.

Read more...

Marshall Field's Cinnamon Toast Hot Cocktail

This drink is too good to not share again. Put something warm in your belly, and let the warmth of the season fill you up, in whatever way you celebrate.

Generations of Chicagoans have traveled to the Walnut Room in Chicago's downtown Marshall Field's shopping emporium for Christmas gifts and a very special meal. Even though Macy's took over the Marshall Field's property some years ago, if you go down to State Street and Randolph today you'll still find the luxurious service, Frango mints, and the stunning two-story Christmas tree in the walnut-paneled dining room.

I'm a relative newcomer to the Walnut Room; my first trip there I was interested in the handsome and elusive Joseph Duea who eventually asked me to marry him a few blocks away at the Art Institute. That year, the first Harry Potter book had blasted away all sales records, Marshall Fields' was still Marshall Fields', and the Walnut Room tree was decorated with hundreds of snowy owls from the novel.

This year I went for lunch with a few of my friends, and the menu has retained some classics while updating for today's tastes. The restaurant still serves a dish called "Mrs. Hering's 1890 chicken pot pie". It also offers "Field's special salad" which is similar to a club sandwich in a bowl, and is all that my friend Robin really remembers from holiday trips downtown with her Grandma.

I'm guessing a more recent touch is the "fairy princesses" who travel the dining room offering you sparkling magic dust to help you when you close your eyes and make a wish. Their satin tip bags, with dollars dangling suggestively from the openings, were the only tacky touch of the entire experience, and I assure you my tack-o-meter has been finely honed over time.

Still, we all made our quiet wishes. My friends and I spent the rest of the day distracted by the glitter on our noses and eyelids, rather joyful from warming up with a signature cocktail they called "Cinnamon Toast".

Ingredients

48 ounces apple cider
2 cups Amaretto
1 cup whipped cream
2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
4 cinnamon sticks, to garnish

Instructions

Heat the cider until near boiling, then stir in the amaretto. 
Stir together the cinnamon and sugar on a plate. Wet the rim of a large mug, then swirl the rim in the cinnamon mixture. Pour the cider mixture into the mug, stir in the whipped cream, then garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Makes 4 cocktails.

Read more...

Johnny Appleseed Rum Punch

Growing up in Southwestern Michigan, fall was one of the busiest times of the year. There were plenty of fruit orchards around us, and U-Pick apple orchards got plenty of business. We always went down the road to Jollay Orchards in Coloma, where if you wanted, they cranked your apples into cider. I can still remember how sweet and pungent the cider mill smelled.

As soon as the temps dip below 60s, heat up this punch and pour it into a thermos for tailgating, hayrides, or bonfires. It'll keep you warm and happy all night.

You can add more or less rum to taste, or skip the rum altogether if you prefer.

Prosit!

Ingredients

1 gallon apple cider
2 cups water
1/3 cup clover honey
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 cups dark rum

Directions

Stir together all ingredients except the rum. Heat to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in rum before serving. Don't burn your mouth!

Makes about 1 1/2 gallons.

Read more...

Flavor-Infused Vodkas and Cocktails

The spring, the Hungry Lovers started experimenting with flavored vodkas, which are ridiculously simple. You add some fruits, vegetables, herbs, or spices to a jar of vodka or another neutral-flavored spirit like white rum, and wait a few days for the flavor to develop. The result is a fresh, tasty homemade flavored vodka for punches, cocktails, and mixers.

We found that strong-tasting additions like citrus or hot peppers take only 3 or 4 days to infuse their flavor into the vodka. Mild-tasting fruits and vegetables take 7-10 days, and some herbs and spices like vanilla beans, cinnamon, or ginger root take 2 weeks. We kept the jars in the refrigerator as they steeped, shook them occasionally to mix up the flavors, and strained out the additions before we used the liquor.

So, just in time for a Labor Day weekend bash, here are a few recipes. Get started this weekend, and next week you'll have some great drinks for friends and family.

Infused Vodka Recipes

Citrus vodka: Two 14" thick lemon slices and two lime slices in 16 oz. vodka; steep for at least three days. This makes a great cocktail with sodas, a Lemon Drop, or a Citrus Splash cocktail (below).

Cucumber vodka: Add 6 to 8 1/4" slices of cucumber to 16 oz. vodka; steep for 10 days. Great in a Cucumber-Basil Mojito (below) or mix with lemonade for a refreshingly different cocktail.

Triple-Pepper Vodka: Cut one jalapeno in half and remove the seeds. Place it in a jar with 1 tsp black peppercorns and 1/4 cup sliced red bell pepper. Steep for 7 days. This makes a fabulous Bloody Mary or a Mexican Michelada (below).

Red-Hot Cinnamon Vodka: Add 1/4 cup cinnamon red-hot candies to 16 oz. vodka. Steep 4 days, then add to hot chocolate on a cold winter day.

Pear-Coriander Vodka: Slice a pear in half, and remove the seeds. Slice one half in 1/4" slices and add to 16 oz. of vodka. Stir in 2 tsp coriander seeds. Steep for 2 weeks before serving in Pear Martinis or a Lotus Blossom cocktail (below).

Vanilla Vodka:  Split two vanilla bean pods lengthwise, and add to 16 oz. vodka. Steep for one week. As long as you keep this refrigerated, you can retain the vanilla beans and keep adding new vodka to the jar as you use it - the beans will last a long time. This mixes well with cola or fruit juices.

Tangerine Vodka: Peel a tangerine and place 2 2" strips of peel and four fruit sections into 16 oz. vodka. Steep for 1 week. Try this in place of Grand Marnier or orange liqueur for a less sugary cocktail, or spoon some into a glass of champagne.

Cocktail Recipes

Citrus Splash Martini

1 1/2 oz citrus vodka
1 1/4 oz triple sec
3/4 oz lemon juice
lemon twist

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker half-full of ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. If you'd like, coat the rim of the glass with sugar before pouring the drink. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Cucumber-Basil Mojito
4 basil leaves
1 tsp fine sugar or simple syrup
1 tbsp chopped cucumber
2 1/2 oz cucumber vodka
1 tbsp lime juice
2/3 cup soda
lime wedge for garnish

Place the basil and sugar into a tall cocktail glass and muddle the herbs with the back of a spoon until fragrant. Add the cucumber, vodka, lime juice, and soda and stir. Fill the glass with ice cubes and garnish with a lime wedge.


Mexican Michelada
Sea salt
1 cup Clamato or other clam-tomato juice, chilled
1 tbsp lime juice
1 oz. triple pepper vodka
1 tsp soy sauce
1 cup Mexican lager beer
Lime wedges

Rub the lime wedge around the rim of a beer mug or tall cocktail glass, then dip it in the sea salt. Add the Clamato, lime juice, and soy sauce to the mug and stir. Fill the mug half-full of ice cubes, then add the beer. Stir gently before serving with a lime wedge.


Lotus Blossom

1 tbsp superfine sugar or simple syrup
3 lychee fruits (canned is fine)
1 lime wedge

1 1/2 oz pear vodka
1 oz sake
Sliced pear for garnish

Place the sugar, lychee, and lime into the bottom of a shaker and muddle the ingredients. Add the pear vodka and sake, then fill halfway with ice. Shake well, then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a pear slice. 

Read more...

Holiday Cocktails and Chocolates

Spiked Egg Nog, Cinnamon Toast Hot Toddy, Cranberry-Pomegranate Cosmos, and Carrot Cake Cocktail - 'tis the season to be merry! These cocktails are fun for a party, or sipping while you're wrapping presents, assembling kids' toys, or playing a holiday game. Warms you all over.

Talea's Spiked Egg Nog

One of our family Christmas traditions is to set out a smorgasbord of meats, cheeses, olives, dips, pate, fruits, and a pitcher of egg nog while we slowly decorate the Christmas tree. Trimming the tree takes quite a while, because so many of the ornaments have a memory or some special significance that we talk about before placing them one-by-one on the tree. Our Christmas tree is really a family record.

In the end, Jessie puts the star on top of the tree and lights it. Jenn sets up the manger scene with all the animals and kings in different positions each year, and then the cats crouch under the tree, knocking over baby Jesus and pretending they live in a forest.

Egg nog is essential to the tradition, but it's never been spiked until the girls were old enough to indulge. My friend Talea's hard eggnog is superb, but she likes it strong - drink it slowly and savor every bit.

Recipe

64 oz. egg nog
1 cup Frangelico liqueur
1 cup dark rum
1/2 cup Grand Marnier
1/2 cup Malibu rum
1 tbsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 tbsp orange zest
2 tsp cinnamon

Stir together all ingredients, and keep chilled between servings.

Serves a crowd!

The Walnut Room's Cinnamon Toast Hot Cocktail

Generations of Chicagoans have traveled to the Walnut Room in Chicago's downtown Marshall Field's shopping emporium for Christmas gifts and a very special meal. Even though Macy's took over the Marshall Field's property some years ago, if you go down to State Street and Randolph today you'll still find the luxurious service, Frango mints, and the stunning two-story Christmas tree in the walnut-paneled dining room.

I'm a relative newcomer to the Walnut Room; my first trip there I was interested in the handsome and elusive Joseph Duea who eventually asked me to marry him a few blocks away at the Art Institute. That year, the first Harry Potter book had blasted away all sales records, Marshall Fields' was still Marshall Fields', and the Walnut Room tree was decorated with hundreds of snowy owls from the novel.

This year I went for lunch with a few of my friends, and the menu has retained some classics while updating for today's tastes. The restaurant still serves a dish called "Mrs. Hering's 1890 chicken pot pie". It also offers "Field's special salad" which is similar to a club sandwich in a bowl, and is all that my friend Robin really remembers from holiday trips downtown with her Grandma.

I'm guessing a more recent touch is the "fairy princesses" who travel the dining room offering you sparkling magic dust to help you when you close your eyes and make a wish. Their satin tip bags, with dollars dangling suggestively from the openings, were the only tacky touch of the entire experience, and I assure you my tack-o-meter has been finely honed over time.

Still, we all made our quiet wishes. My friends and I spent the rest of the day distracted by the glitter on our noses and eyelids, rather joyful from warming up with a signature cocktail they called "Cinnamon Toast".

Recipe

48 ounces apple cider
2 cups Amaretto
1 cup whipped cream
2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
4 cinnamon sticks, to garnish


Heat the cider until near boiling, then stir in the amaretto.

Stir together the cinnamon and sugar on a plate. Wet the rim of a large mug, then swirl the rim in the cinnamon mixture. Pour the cider mixture into the mug, stir in the whipped cream, then garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Makes 4 cocktails.

Cranberry-Pomegranate Cosmopolitans

Last Christmas I held a candy-making party at my home, and served these delectable cosmos while we made chocolate truffles, chocolate-covered pretzel rods, and salted caramel dreamboats.

These cocktails go down easy - very easy. Joe made a second pitcher and left it cooling on the balcony before going to another holiday party. Around eleven, our platters of homemade candies were full and both pitchers were empty. Our bellies hurt from laughing together. What a jolly, funny, loving group of friends I have!

Cranberry-Pomegranate Cosmo recipe

Chocolate Truffle Recipe

Gourmet Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Rods

Salted Caramel Dreamboats

Carrot Cake Cocktail

At the very end of 1999, I had been working feverishly as a business systems analyst at a corporation that was redesigning its financial systems, in part to solve those Year 2000 problems. New Years Eve came, and I was part of the calm group of people who knew how little we had to worry about a global computer shutdown and a resulting apocalypse, because I knew how much rework had been done.

Remember when that was the crisis of the year?

My parents came to celebrate New Year's Eve with us, straight after a visit with my grandma in Minnesota. They brought a recipe from Grandma Tarr for a 'carrot cake cocktail'.

All day long, my mom tantalized me by saying how delicious it was and how I was going to love it, but every time I suggested she make it, she insisted that she would only make us one and it would be at midnight, and then she was going straight to bed.

This is the exact opposite of the way I'd plan a cocktail party for New Year's Eve, but if you know my mom, you know that she's always the boss.

Midnight arrived, we sipped this lusciously rich drink, then bundled up the girls, and my friend Michael and I took them outside to light off fireworks and sparklers in the snow. Mom went right to sleep, since midnight is about four hours past her bedtime.

This drink is really a liquid dessert, and it's just the sort of thing you might want in your hand if you think the world is going to end in a few minutes.

Recipe

1/2 cup Irish cream
1/2 cup cinnamon schnapps
1/2 cup butterscotch schnapps
Ground cinnamon for sprinkling

Shake together the liqueurs, then pour into 4 small glasses. Garnish with ground cinnamon before serving.

Makes 4 3-oz cocktails.

Read more...

The Moscow Mule

Last week my photo shoot was in the Little Italy neighborhood of Chicago, just south of my alma mater, The University of Illinois at Chicago. It was a gorgeous day that still felt like summer - sunny, warm, breezy. Little Italy is an interesting mix of an old Italian-based neighborhood, tony condos and townhomes of the medical professionals at the Illinois Medical District, and cheap student apartments.

After shooting for a few hours, we had lunch and cocktails at Rosebud, one of Chicago's landmark Italian restaurants. The patio seating was lovely for people-watching and soaking up the last of the year's warmth. I ordered my first Moscow Mule, partly because it sounded good and partly because it reminded me of one of the most recent episodes I've watched of "Orange is the New Black". This is the episode where we learn more about the Russian cook Red's criminal history.

Anyway. A Moscow Mule is a classic 1950's cocktail of ginger beer, vodka, and lime juice. It's classified as a "buck" or "mule" drink, which is any cocktail with ginger beer and citrus juice. Aren't you glad I looked that up for you?

It's a really refreshing drink for summertime, or a day when you're not quite ready to let go of the warm weather and settle down into winter. This isn't a strong drink, but if you don't like alcohol, you can get almost the same flavor from our Homemade Ginger Ale recipe.

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. vodka

1 oz. lime juice

4 oz. ginger beer

1 lime slice

1 sprig peppermint

Directions

Fill a highball or rocks glass half-full of ice cubes. Pour the vodka, lime juice, and ginger beer into the glasses and stir gently. Garnish with the lime slice and mint sprig.

Ваше здоровье! - [vashee zda-ró-vye] – Your health! Or, Cin-Cin, when you're at an Italian restaurant.

Makes 1 6-ounce cocktail.

Read more...

Fresh Spiced Ginger Ale

Friends, homemade ginger ale is fantastic. And I say this as a girl born and raised in Michigan, home of American ginger ale and the Vernor's empire. Vernor's strong bubbly brew makes you sneeze as you fall in love with the taste. Huffington Post wrote a great article about this last year: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/vernors-ginger-ale_n_2049763.html

I never considered making my own ginger ale, until I tasted it at an Asian restaurant, and couldn't stop ordering it. This is so different than the heavy syrupy stuff in cans! Recently, we found it again at Penny's Noodle Shop in the Wicker Park/Bucktown area of Chicago (I never know whether I'm in Wicker Park or Bucktown when I'm walking around there!). It's still one of the freshest-tasting, delightfully different drinks I've ever had.

There are two ways to make this - one with soda that gives it a fizz, one with brewers' or champagne yeast to ferment it. Either version will wake up your taste buds and cool you all the way down. Save this one for a scorching day, get a bendy straw and a little paper umbrella, and sip this in the shade. Lovely.

P.S. Penny's Noodle Shops have a Pan-Asian menu that's fresh, tasty, and surprisingly inexpensive for Chicago. You should try one of their locations someday!

Soda Version

Ingredients

3 tbsp grated ginger (about 2-3 inches of ginger root)

1 cup white sugar

2 cups water

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup lime juice, plus lime slices for garnish

1/8 tsp salt

1 liter club soda or sparkling water

Directions

Place the ginger, sugar, water, and cayenne in a large saucepan. Bring it to a boil, simmer 10 minutes while stirring occasionally, then allow the syrup to steep for 1 hour. Strain the solids from the syrup and let it cool to room temperature.

Stir in the lime juice, and salt. Fill a tall glass with ice, pour in 1/4 cup of ginger syrup, or more to taste. Fill the glass with club soda and stir. Serve with lime slices as a garnish.

Fermented version

Ingredients

3 tbsp grated ginger (about 2 inches of ginger root)

1 cup white sugar

8 cups water

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup lime juice, plus lime slices for garnish

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp yeast

Directions

Place the ginger, sugar, water, and cayenne in a large saucepan. Bring it to a boil, simmer 10 minutes while stirring occasionally, then allow the syrup to steep for 1 hour. Strain the solids from the syrup and let it cool to room temperature.

Stir in the lime juice, salt, and yeast. Pour into a 2-liter bottle and store it in a cool, dark place for 24-48 hours, shaking at least once a day. Serve over ice with lime slices.

Read more...

Domaine DuPage French Style Country Ale

I can't even count the number of times I've felt blessed that I have daughters, but last week I was feeling richly blessed yet again. Jessie, my oldest, had given me a gift certificate for a manicure & pedicure on Mothers' Day; as soon as her summer break began, I went down to the city to have a spa day and lunch with her. Wednesday was the day before my birthday, which meant more presents and cards and love. I love my mother-daughter time.



(I take the WORST cell phone photos)


Jessie got turquoise polish on her fingers and coral on her toes; my nails were the opposite, and the nail tech put a little glitter on my fourth fingers as a little birthday gift. Then we went over to Opart Thai on Western Avenue for lunch. It's a BYOB place with a liquor store next door. Jessie suggested I try Domaine DuPage French Style Country Ale.

Jessie and her boyfriend Erich are talented bartenders who are quite smart about beer, as is Joe, who worked in the restaurant industry for much of his life. I can never keep the latest beers straight in my mind, but I do remember the styles and types that I like...and I'm very picky. Nothing too hoppy or bitter or sulphur-y (like Heineken and that one with the busty girl on the label). I can count on the rest of my crew to suggest a beer that fits my mood, fruity or crisp or malty-caramel.

Domaine DuPage is a mild amber medium-bodied ale, just the right choice with great Pad Thai and BBQ beef skewers, full of caramel and malt but still refreshing. The bottle has this to say about the beer:

"This food-friendly ale is deep amber in color, with a toasty, sweet caramel start. It finishes with just enough hops to clean off the palate. Bon appetit!"

and

"Two Brothers is a craft brewery on the outskirts of Chicago that specializes in rare and seldom-brewed beer styles. The two of us - Jason and Jim Ebel - strive to produce the very best beers available anywhere. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!"

BeerAdvocate rates it at 86, with an overall score of 91 - if you can figure that out, you're a better woman than I. Anyway, I strongly recommend that you look for this and have one for yourself.

Read more...

Strawberry Mango Lassi - drink your breakfast!

A mango lassi always reminds me of my very cosmopolitan friend Natasha. We used to work together in corporate IT, and she took me to all sorts of interesting places and cajoled me into trying new foods. She found great places, too, like a Turkish kebab stand in suburban Arlington Heights or the best sushi place close to work. At the time I was a single mom with sole custody of my daughters, so my only social outlet was lunch dates. Natasha's friendship was a lovely gift to me.

On summer mornings, Natasha used to stop into an Indian store on her way to work to pick up a mango lassi. One time she brought one for me, and it was a splendid creamy-fruity breakfast. I had no idea that Indians invented fruit and yogurt smoothies, or that there were mangoes in India, but I completely approved. Delicious.

Eventually Natasha moved away and we lost track of each other. It's a shame. Stephen King wrote, "Friends come in and out of your life like busboys in a restaurant, have you ever noticed that?" Keep track of the good ones, if you can.

A mango lassi is a nice cooling breakfast or snack on a summer day, and I bet it would be even more refreshing in sultry India. Last week I took my smoothie out on the balcony and sipped it (well, it was so thick I also needed a spoon) while I watched the hummingbirds at the feeder. Three ruby-throated hummers have been stopping by lately.

I added some strawberries to this recipe because, you know, it's strawberry season here in the Midwest. You can stir them in sliced after your make the lassi, or puree them with the mango, or skip 'em entirely if you want.

Ingredients

2 cups ripe mango, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup sliced strawberries
2 cups plain lowfat yogurt
1 cup ice cubes
3 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp ground green cardamom pods

Directions

Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth and creamy. Add more ice or a bit of milk if the smoothie is too thick. If it's not cold enough, chill it in the refrigerator before eating.

Makes about 6 cups.

Read more...

Our Favorite Champagne Cocktails

Champagne and sparkling wine has always been my favorite kind of wine - the drier the better. The little bubbles are like a party in a glass! Luckily, there are plenty of delicious sparkling wines in the $5-$10 range, and plenty of ways to dress up the wine if you want a special drink to ring in the New Year.

The best champagne cocktail I ever had was on a Paris riverboat cruise on the Seine, where the scenery slid by at dusk and lights came on all over the city. People picnicking on the sides of the river waved to us and the music on board seemed to swell just as the waiter brought me a flute glass of Kir Royale. Magical. 

Mimosas/Bellinis/Kir Royales

These champagne cocktails, popular for brunches, are made by pouring champagne over fruit juices or liqueurs in a champagne glass. If you pour carefully, the juices mix in the glass without popping the bubbles, and of course you want bubbles!

Mimosa: 3 oz of orange juice in 3 oz Champagne; garnish with an orange twist.

Bellini: 2 oz peach nectar, 1 tsp Grenadine, and 4 oz Champagne; garnish with a lemon twist.

Kir Royale: 1 oz creme de cassis (black currant liqueur) in 5 oz Champagne; garnish with a cherry.

C and C: 2 oz Chambord (raspberry liqueur) in 4 oz Champagne; garnish with a lemon twist.

  

 Classic Champagne Cocktail

1 sugar cube

3 drops Angostura bitters

6 oz champagne

Put the sugar cube in the bottom of the glass and drop the bitters onto it. Fill the glass with champagne. Don't stir - allow the sugar cube to melt as you drink it.

Black Velvet

4 oz. Guiness or other stout beer

4 oz Champagne

Pour the stout into a highball or Collins glass. Slowly pour the champagne over the beer, then serve.

Barbotage

1 oz cognac

1 oz Grand Marnier (orange liqueur)

4 oz Champagne

Stir together the Cognac and Grand Marnier, then pour into a flute glass. Slowly add the champagne. Caution: this is a powerful cocktail. We're not responsible for who you kiss at midnight!

Champagne Julep

6 mint leaves (we like peppermint for this one)

1 tsp superfine sugar

2 oz bourbon

4 oz Champagne

Put the leaves in a bowl or mixing glass and sprinkle with the sugar and a few drops of water. Crush the mint leaves well (this is called "muddling"). Stir the bourbon into the mint, then strain into a highball or Collins glass. Add ice cubes and champagne, and garnish with a mint leaf.

P.S. Ever wonder about the difference between Champagne and sparkling wines? Any wine could be carbonated, but Champagnes must be made in a specific way in the Champagne region of France to be labelled "Champagne". We think they're delightful either way.

Read more...

Shiner Holiday Cheer Beer

Shiner Holiday Cheer, from the Spoetzl Brewery in Texas, is called an "Old World Dunkelweizen" ale. Not sure what that means for average beer drinkers? This means that the Holiday Cheer beer is medium brown wheat beer with a thick creamy head. It's malty, which means it has a smooth coffee-like taste with less bitterness than some dark beers.

Lots of breweries make a Christmas brew with spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, or cloves, and Dunkelweizen beers usually have notes of banana and cloves. But Shiner Holiday Cheer went in a traditionally Southern direction with Texas peaches and roasted pecans. All of this together means a dark, satisfying wheat ale with interesting fresh fruit notes and a nutty finish.

Another reason to like Shiner Holiday Cheer? The hip retro-50s plaid and snowflake bottle and carton design. You don't even need a glass, the bottle is already decorated for Christmas!

Read more...

Cranberry-Pomegranate Cosmopolitans

Cosmos are the ultimate girlfriend drink. Sweet, fruity, with a touch of vodka, shaken and poured into an elegant cocktail glass, we ladies look cosmopolitan just holding one. That's why I'm serving this cocktail next week when I invite my girlfriends over for a chocolate candy party. We're going to make truffles, chocolate-covered pretzel rods, and chocolate cashew turtles while sipping these holiday drinks.

Don't worry, I'll be sharing all the party recipes with you. Bottoms up!

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened cranberry-pomegranate juice

1/2 cup vodka

1/2 cup Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or Triple Sec

2 tablespoons lime juice

4 ice cubes

4 orange peel twists for garnishes

Directions

Pour all the ingredients except orange peels into a large cocktail shaker. Shake briskly, then strain into four cocktail glasses. Rub the orange peel around the rim of the glass, then twist it and drop it into the glass.

Makes 4 4-oz. cocktails.

Read more...

2007 Red Splash Wine, St. Francis Winery, Sonoma

When Angela graduated with her B.A. degree in English in May, her dear friends conspired with Joe on the perfect gift. A romantic dinner at a favorite restaurant was an obvious choice, and one of our favorites is Stevens in Gurnee.

While we were there we ordered a bottle of the 2007 Red Splash wine from Sonoma County. Joe describes it this way: "A blend that is familiar to Bordeaux fans, this is a marriage of  full-flavored Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel. It's bold, fruit forward and spicy."

The label is fun: each bottle shows a different splash design. We wanted to say that it is a high quality, affordable wine, but what is the price? Looking up the retail price online, we found that due to overwhelming demand, they are back-ordered and there is no pricing info. But since we paid about $20 at the restaurant, it would be about $10-$13 retail. Budget-friendly deliciousness.

Because Joe had a stuffed pork chop with Italian pepper sauce, and Angela had a trio of tenderloins with toppings of blue cheese, horseradish, and Cajun blackened spice, the wine was a perfect counterpoint of fruit and spice. There is a reason why this wine is back-ordered; pick it up if you can find it.

Read more...

Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat Beer

Leinenkugel knows how to make picky beer drinker Angela happy. Sunset Wheat is a light, fruity, aromatic wheat beer with a note of blueberry. Perfect for those days we're looking forward to summer. Beer Advocate gives it a good rating, too.

Trivia: Jacob Leinenkugel's brewing company is based in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Sound familiar? In the movie "Titanic", it's Jack Dawson's home town. I'm sure he'd approve of this one, also. You know he was a big fan of sunsets.

Read more...

GumballHead Beer

This summer beer recommendation comes from my step-daughter Jessie, a beer aficionado and Chicago bartender extraordinaire. It is a light, fruity wheat brew from Three Floyds brewery. By the way, a few years ago wineries were adding gimmicky names and labels to their products - and beer is following along. This one's a little much, don't you think?

Read more...

Herbal Teas

This year our herb garden is overflowing more than ever, probably due to the long stretches of hot sunny weather and occasional downpours. We're cutting and drying all sorts of herbs, and some of them make great teas. Here are a few combinations to try. If you don't grow the herbs yourself, you should be able to find them at a farmer's market or local Asian or Latino grocery store.

To make iced tea, follow the directions and refrigerate before serving over ice.

Lemon Verbena Tea

1 cup lemon verbena leaves

3 tablespoons lavender flowers

1 teaspoon dried lemon peel

Pour the herbs into an airtight container, cover, and shake until thoroughly mixed. Place the lid tightly on the container. For a cup of tea, use 1 tablespoon in a cup of boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes and strain out the leaves and peel. Add sugar or honey, as desired.

Peppermint Tea

8 oz peppermint leaves

1 teaspoon rosemary leaves

8 oz lemon balm leaves

8 oz fennel seeds

 Pour the herbs into an airtight container, cover, and shake until thoroughly mixed. Place the lid tightly on the container. For a cup of tea, use 1 tablespoon in a cup of boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes and strain out the herbs. Note: this tea aids in digestion and stomach pains.

Soothing Chamomile Tea

3 teaspoon marjoram

3 teaspoon chamomile flowers
3 teaspoon bergamot leaves

2 teaspoon dried orange peel

Pour the herbs into an airtight container, cover, and shake until thoroughly mixed. Place the lid tightly on the container. Bring the water to a boil; then remove it from the heat. For a cup of tea, use 1 tablespoon in a cup of boiling water and allow them to steep for 10-15 minutes. Remove herbs.

(Note: These recipes are featured in Angela's book "The Complete Guide to Food Preservation: Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Freeze, Dry, Can, and Preserve Food", published by Atlantic Publishing 2011)

Read more...

White Summer Sangria

We made this refreshing punch for a BBQ party for Joe's birthday. It went so fast that I didn't get the time to take a photo!

1 cup whole strawberries
1 bag frozen sliced peaches
1/2 cup white rum
1/2 cup Triple Sec or Grand Marnier
1 orange, sliced
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups lemon-lime soda
1 1/2 cups white grape juice
1.5 liter bottle of Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc wine
Ice cubes

Place the berries and peaches in a  large pitcher or punch bowl and pour the rum and Triple Sec over the fruit. Let it marinate in the fridge for an hour. Add the orange slices. Pour the wine, grape juice, lemon juice, and soda over the fruit. Stir and pour over glasses of ice cubes to serve.

Read more...

Super Sun Tea

Thanks to Kevin H. for this photo.

Just about any kind of loose or bagged tea will make great iced tea, but this is one of our favorites. Not only is it refreshing, but the coriander seeds and mint are good for digestion and freshening your breath. Coriander is also good for diabetics and those with high cholesterol. If you grow your own herbs, this is also a good way to use up the abundance of mint leaves and coriander once your cilantro goes to seed!

Ingredients:
1 cup orange pekoe or black tea leaves
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
1/4 cup mint leaves, torn
2 quarts hot water

Place ingredients in a clear container and pour the water over it. Cover the container and place it in a sunny location for at least 2-4 hours. Strain out the leaves and seeds. If you like sweet tea, add sweetener before refrigerating. Serve over ice with mint leaves or a lemon garnish.

Read more...