Today is Mother’s Day one of the most popular times of year to buy flowers. Tulip season, is also underway. So here is a helpful tip for keeping your tulips looking fresh. If they start to fall over add a little bit of vodka to water and they will perk back up. Thank you Christina for this tip.
Happy Mother’s Day to all Mothers and to mine- I love you!
Needless to say every year Cinco De Mayo falls on the same day but this
year May 5th is also the Kentucky Derby. I am a strong believer that when is a Margarita not a good time? They are guaranteed fun. My feelings are not as strong towards the Mint Julep, until recently. I am not a big fan of Bourbon. Although, upon doing some research for the Mint Juleps and how to make a great one- my feelings have changed.
What I learned. It is ALL about the ICE and how the bourbon is poured. To make the perfect Mint Julep
1/3 Cup of Mint
1-2 Tablespoons of Simple Syrup
3 ounces of Bourbon
2 Cups of Crushed/Shaved Ice
In the base of a cup preferably a metal cup muddle the mint with the simple syrup. (It was explained to me the best way is to make a mint infused Simple Syrup which can be made with the same simple syrup recipe by adding a bunch of Mint once the sugar has dissolved let simmer for 5 minutes and then let stand for 15-20 minutes and then strain mint from syrup and refrigerate.) Now, the tedious part, the ice needs to be crushed or shaved and add a little ice, then a little bourbon and continue this process all the way to the top of the. About 3 to 4 times and finish off with a sprif of mint and straw. The straw allows you to taste all the different flavors from the top the bottom.
It is ideally served in a metal cup
I live in 350 square feet. My kitchen is about 40 square feet I don’t have a full size oven, two burners don’t work, and I have 18 inches of counter space. But none of this stops me from making just about anything and for any amount.
Recently, I was adding pantry treats to goodie bag for the Children for Children Benefit in NYC at Christies. There were 700 bags and 2800 individual items that needed to be wrapped. Before I go any further I must thank those that came and gave a helping hand. I will always remember it; I could have never done it with out your help. (I had no idea just how many 700 were, but now I do!) THANK YOU to my Mom, my sister Carolyn, her fiancé Evan, Ariana, Chris, Courtney, Emily, Margaret, Marybeth, and Natalie.
All of this baking took place in my little apartment. Each bag was filled with chocolate honey comb, a brownie, a cookie, and a peanut butter cup. Of course I had to transfer items around the neighborhood to friends apartments for frig and freezer storage. (unfortunately my photos of this were all corrupted too much for my camera to handle.) How do I do this in this small of a space? I have a couple of tools that help me a lot and do not take up that much storage space. I have them stored standing up under my sink.
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1. Large Cutting Boards (I have two)
2. Jelly Roll Baking Sheet (I had two but for this had to buy two more!) This is basically a cookie sheet with inches sides all the way around.
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The Cutting Boards, I most often will place over my sink to act as another work surface. Transfer it to a table in my “multi purpose room†and use the next cutting board in the same manner. I store things on the baking sheets when done and they fit nicely in my refrigerator. Now there are stores like Tiny Living that specialize in mini item. I don’t like using mini things- I just forego certain tools that take up a lot of space like a Kitchen Aide Mixer and a Cruisanart. I dream of one day of being able to have space for them. But until then I will have to make do with my hand mixer and blender!
These are great for both the novice and the experienced cook as they aren’t very complicated and are often a forgotten recipe. I know, for me, they were something I was interested in trying but never had until recently. The best part is you can make them however you want and can decide on your own toppings! This would be a great rainy day project with a child.
5 Cups of Granola
1 Cup of Light Brown Sugar
1 Cup of Honey
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla
1 Cup of White Chocolate Bits
1 Cup of Dried Cranberries
Preheat Oven 400 Degrees
In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients together and spread evenly in a greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes
Patience is a virtue I do not have when it comes to wanting to try things directly out of the oven. But with these, you have to let it cool or there is no way you will be able to cut them in to bars.
Spring time is here or should I say the calendar indicates that it’s Spring! One thing I love about Spring is flowers; ever since I was a little girl flowers have always been my favorite thing. They just make me happy. Flowers are one of the most common hostess gifts given and for a good reason. The price points range, enabling anyone to purchase, and above all else, who does not like to receive them? But how about taking it one step further?
My mother’s favorite hostess gifts to both give and receive are flowers. But she says the nicest thing is to receive them a day before or morning of an event. This way everyone can enjoy them and if she is having a dinner party, she won’t be arranging the flowers while getting the roast out of the oven. My sister’s fiancé did this on his first trip out West to visit my parents- I heard about the orchid for the next week and how thoughtful and wonderful he is. (The extra effort went a very long way)
Sure there is always 1-800 Flowers, but there are many other routes to go- find a hotel you might like, based on aesthetics, in the area and see who they use or recommend. Also you can call/ visit the website of Bbrooks Fine Flowers which has a partnership with all the leading florists in the nation. This way you can locate the best in the area. Hopefully, this is just helpful information since there are always occassions when flowers are the perfect gift.
Recently, I got together with a group of old friends for brunch. One of my favorite passtimes is a healthy combination of eating and being with friends. I love going to others’ homes and watching them entertain. I always see it as a great learning experience with different ideas to pick up. I have never seen eggs prepared this way very. The best part is that they’re healthy and absolutely delicious! Thank you Sarah.
4 Pounds of Zucchini
4 Shallots Chopped (about 1/2 Cup)
2 Tablespoons of Butter
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
6 Eggs
salt and pepper
Preheat Oven 350
Wash the zucchini and grate it all. In a large bowl toss with a little bit of salt about 2 teaspoons to help remove the moisture from the zucchini, let sit for about 5 minutes and drain water and pat dry. In a frying pan heat olive oil and butter and cook the shallots for about 2-3 minutes and then add zucchini and saute for about 5-8 minutes.
Use either a larger casserole dish about ten inches in diameter or six smaller casserole dishes. Push zucchini mixture into dish and dig out six holes. Crack one egg into each hole (salt and pepper) and bake for about 20 minutes. I think this was great on its own but they were also served with a Hollandaise sauce.
Remember your birthdays growing up? They were always a HUGE deal. Well, at least they were for me! This past weekend a little friend of mine was turning three and he loves the Disney Pixar movie- Cars. I was asked to make the cake for his big day with this theme in mind. I was a little nervous for two reasons: I was not sure if this cake was going to remotely resemble Lightening McQueen AND turning three is monumental at that age. In the end, after several hours of preparation, I have to say I was so excited about the final result! The best part is that this movie, like most Pixar films, is that it is for of all ages; it has become one of my sister’s new favorites- so she might be getting this cake for her 29th birthday.
Chocolate Cake
3/4 Cup of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 Cups of Buttermilk
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla
1 3/4 Cup of Flour
2 Cups of Sugar
3 Eggs
2 Sticks of Of Softened Butter
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
Preheat Oven 350
In a mixing bowl mix together sugar, butter until well combined, then beat in vanilla and eggs one at a time. Once well combined stir in buttermilk. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. One cup at a time add flour mixture to sugar mixture until well combined. In this case I greased the Lightening McQueen Cake tin or the other option would be to grease 2- eight inch round cake pans. Bake for 35 minutes until a knife comes out clean. Let cool before flipping over to release the cake. This cake was decorated with a buttercream icing- more than anything it just took time and patience.
I also made Cup Cakes and put race flags in each of them to go along with the Cars Theme.
The favors were a little Lightening McQueen Car with candy wrapped in Cellophane paper and tied with a black and white checkers.
Chicken is the most popular researched recipe on the web. This made me think: is everyone properly cleaning their boards after working with raw chicken? I thought I was. Upon, doing some research however I discovered that I was cleaning my board without properly sanitizing it.
My old way- Rub board down with lemon and rinse off with boiling water and then clean with soap and water. Now hot water and soap cleans the board but does not fully sanitize according to the USDA.
My new way- I can continue with how I cleaned it but now with one more step. 1 tablespoon of Chlorine to 1 gallon of water, wash down the board with mixture and rinse.
Another note when defrosting chicken, defrost in the refrigerator not at room temperature. If you decide not to use it the chicken can be returned to freezer. It will just loose some of its flavor. Chicken can stay in refrigerator for 2 days. But do not return to freezer if left out at room temperature.
Something else I learned was that there is a toll free number 1-800-535-4555 provided by the USDA were you get an actual person on the phone and they can answer all your questions; it was amazing! Click to Enter Pantry
Earlier this week, I wanted a slushie and then later in the week I definitely wanted something warm and comforting. So yes, it is late in the season for this drink but who knows since the weather has been swinging like a pendulum. Also, this will be great a great way to start the fall season next year.
2 1/2 Cups of Apple Cider or Juice 2 tablespoons of honeyIn a saucepan bring to a simmer for five minutes all the ingredients except the vodka. Remove cloves and pour equally into two separate glasses. Add 1 ounce of vodka to each glass and ready to serve. I would prefer to cider but it taste just as yummy if you use juice.
