Mocktails - Bay of Pigs

I mentioned over at lanadefemme.blogspot.com that I had given up alcohol. That's right folks, no more vodka club sodas for me for a few months. Goodbye delicious dirty martinis, how I occasionally miss thee. Bay of Pigs, you are definitely missed. One of my biggest challenges was dealing with what I was going to do while everyone around me got their party on with alcoholic beverages. Enter my current favorite mocktail!

Bay of Pigs
Traditionally this drink is made from a Mexican beer (I prefer Sol) and Clamato. Salt rims the glass and the drink is kicked up a notch with some Tabasco. It's a lighter, more freshing and nighttime appropriate version of a Bloody Mary.

1 pint glass
1 bottle of Clamato
1 bottle of Sparkling Water/Club Soda/Non-alcoholic Beer
1 bottle of Tabasco
Margarita Salt
Limes

Take a pint glass, rim with salt, fill 1/3 to 1/2 with Clamato depending on your preference, fill the rest of the way with Sparkling Water/Club Soda/Non-alcoholic Beer. Dash Tabasco to your liking, I have usually 5+ dashes because I like it spicy. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Personally, I skip the salt (sodium just causes bloat) and I use sparkling water because it's also low in sodium. My friend prefers Non-alcoholic Beer, but it just seems like wasteful calories to me for none of the fun of regular beer!

Iceberg Lettuce Wedge Salad

Something about having to use a knife and fork to cut into a salad makes it seem more substantial doesn't it? My absolute favorite happens to include a blue cheese dressing, little diced tomatoes, black olives and bacon crumbles.

That being said, let's face it, I'm watching my waistline like everyone else in California. The amount of saturated fat in a dish that includes blue cheese dressing and bacon crumbles is astronomical. Here is my rendition.

Low Fat Blue Cheese Dressing (18 servings - 2 tablespoons per serving)
Ingredients

1	cup fat-free cottage cheese
1	cup nonfat plain yogurt
2	tablespoons chopped onion
1	garlic clove, minced
1	tablespoon crumbled blue cheese
1	tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine cottage cheese, yogurt, onion and garlic; process until smooth.
   
   
2. Stir in blue cheese. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.
   
   
3. Whisk in lemon juice before serving.

Iceberg Wedge Salad
Ingredients

1	head iceberg lettuce
1/2	cup of blue cheese
4	serving turkey bacon
1	cup of black olives
1	diced tomato
1/4	red onion

Directions

1. On each salad plate, place 1 wedge of lettuce turned on its side.
   
   
2. Pour blue cheese dressing on wedge.
   
   
3. Sprinkle with tomatoes, red onion, black olives, crumbled blue cheese, and crumbled bacon.

Coolest Food Pics via Wired

For those who know me well, they know I love to eat weird and crazy things. It's about life experiences I guess. Here is a collection of pictures from Wired.com that I would actually eat. For the full post, you'll want to go to the article

Top 10 Wired.com Food Photos, Decided by Us.

A Culinary Wedding: Part 2

After finally making it to Napa, through a ridiculous amount of traffic on the 580 and 680, we were met by a BBQ at Phil and Shara's house. After a quick tour of their newly renovated house, glasses of wine were poured and we chatted in what is the start of Raymond Gayle, Phil's winery.
After we met the rest of the bridal party, were introduced to their 2 weimeraners, black cat
and caught up with the wonderful parents of the bride and groom, Phil got to cooking on the grill. Shara had specifically asked that Phil not cook up a storm creating a flurry of dirty dishes in his usual cooking style. After a few glasses of Syrah along side a bottle of Riesling, I think they realized that BBQ was the answer.

The Menu:
Mesclin greens topped with toasted pine nuts, fresh off the backyard tree figs, crumbled fresh cow's milk cheese tossed in a vinaigrette.
Fire roasted tomato salsa with tortilla chips.
Steak and Chicken kebabs including red onion, and multicolored bell pepper spacers.
Boiled fresh corn on the cob served with butter and sea salt.
Sliced watermelon.

Of note was the lack of starches/processed carbs with the exception of the tortilla chips. Over the course of the weekend I was pleasantly surprised by this more simple and healthier way of eating. I suppose it's easy when you live in the middle of a gourmet farmland.

(Pictures courtesy of stock.xchng)

A Culinary Wedding: Part 1

In high school the Fiance was apart of a culinary academy with his childhood best friend Phil. You wouldn't know it now, especially since Fiance will only cook a can full of Dennison's chili on the stove and leaves the rest to me. Phil, however, went onto culinary greatness at Johnson and Wales, and ended up in Napa where he started his own winery and works as a fine wine specialist.

Somewhere between college and Napa, Phil met his now wife Shara who is a Director at the Culinary Institute of America. This past weekend I had the privilege of experiencing first hand what happens when two foodies decide it's time to get hitched.

The fiance and I drove up to Napa, stopping in at Mike's Roadhouse in Kettleman City, CA.

I specifically chose this stop because the Yelpers seemed to diverge greatly on how many stars this place deserved. It also helped that the local Chevron tauts one of the lowest gas prices on the road halfway to Napa, at least compared to Harris Ranch, which I'll get to later.

Despite the fact that Mike's advertises a $4.95 Country fried steak and eggs special, I quickly forgot about all of that when I walked in and was met with farmhouse kitsch and the most impressive collection of pedal cars. There were barrels of various hard candy flavors lining the walkway that split the restaurant from the gift shop/pit stop that got my mind running about who I know that might actually enjoy a bag of hard black liquorice. I came up with no one.

We were quickly seated and given what I remember to be a pretty standard diner type menu with two very key differences: An attention to low carb and other healthy dieters and a variety of Mexican food options. Thank the lord for local farm workers or I would have never had the most expansive Carnitas Tostada salad of my life.

We started with the Chili to share because when I think truck stop, I think chili. Fiance said it tasted like Wendy's chili. I felt like Wendy's chili would have been less greasy but who knows, it might have been the chunk of cheese they stuck in the middle of it. Kudos to them for providing whole wheat crackers though, I wouldn't have expected it.

When my salad came out it was massive. A seriously generous serving of carnitas flanked with tons of avocado, beans, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese accompanied by salsa and sour cream on the side all on a fried flour tortilla. My mouth waters thinking about it right now. The carnitas was VERY good and in skipping the fried flour tortilla, I was pretty happy to find a high veggie, high protein lunch option in a world of fast food chains.

The Fiance on the other hand would have probably been just as happy at the locals Carl's Jr. considering the fact that he got a burger and fries that looked a little like a Famous Star with french fries.

Our bill came out to about $30 with tax and tip but we did end up buying something else on the way out for the bride and groom:

A 3d greeting card along with a bag of salt water taffy.

(Pictures courtesy of Yelp.com and Tableandhome.com)

S'mores Cake

So I've been throwing around ideas about what to make my fiance for his birthday cake. I was thinking German Chocolate but realized that I wanted to make his birthday Super Mario Themed and would like something with fondant so I can decorate it.

Instead I think I'm going to go with a S'mores cake. One layer of Graham Cracker cake, one layer of Chocolate Fudge Cake, marshmallow creme filling and a marshmallow fondant. Sounds complicated, hopefully it'll be totally worth it.

Here are the recipes:

Graham Cracker Cupcake Recipe (to be adapted to a layer cake recipe).

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup of milk
1 cup of flour
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of salt

Directions:
1) Beat the butter for about 30 seconds until well creamed. Add the sugar and mix for 3 minutes using a paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
2) Add the eggs, one at a time, being sure to beat for 30 seconds for each egg.
3) Place graham crackers in a food processor or in a plastic bag and beat the crud out of them until it's been ground into small crumbs and powder.
4) Sift together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and powder, and salt. Add about 1/4 of the mixture to the butter mixture, then add some of the milk. Continue to add the ingredients in a dry-wet-dry method, ending with the dry. Continue to mix until just combined.
5) Scoop into cupcake papers and bake for 15-18 minutes in a 350 F oven or until a cake tester comes out clean.

From Vanilla Garlic.

Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 oz Bitter chocolate

2 1/4 c Sifted cake flour

2 ts Baking soda

1/2 ts Salt

1/2 c Butter

2 1/4 c (1 lb) light brown sugar,

Firmly packed

3 Eggs

1 1/2 ts Vanilla

1 c Sour cream

1 c Boiling water

Directions:
1. Melt chocolate in sm bowl over hot (not boiling) water; cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (9") layer cake pans. Sift flour, soda, and salt onto wax paper. Beat butter until soft in lg bowl. Add brown sugar and eggs; beat wtih mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, 5 mins. Beat in vanilla and cooled melted chocolate. Stir in dry ingredients alternately with sour cream, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition until batter is smooth. Stir in boiling water. (Batter will be thin.) Pour at once into prepared pans. Bake 35 mins, until centers spring back when lightly pressed with fingertips. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 mins. Loosen around edges with sm knife or spatula. Turn out onto wire racks; cool completely.

From Flora's Recipe Hideout.

Marshmallow Filling Recipe:

Ingredients

• 1½ cups sugar
• ½ cup marshmallow
• ½ cup water
• 2 egg whites, beaten stiff

Instructions

1. Boil sugar, water and marshmallow to 215 degrees F.
2. Put your pan containing the dissolved sugar and water (syrup) on a hot fire and wait until it boils.
3. Take, with a spoon, a little of the syrup and drop slowly in cold water.
4. When the sugar drops out from the spoon into threads, it is ready.
5. Pour the hot mixture gradually into the beaten whites of egg, beating all the time until the filling is smooth and firm.
6. Let cool off and spread between layers of cake.

From Love to Know Recipes.

Buttercream Icing Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, room temperature
2 cups Crisco shortening
1 teaspoon butter flavoring (Wilton’s makes the best flavored version)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I use Wilton’s Clear Vanilla)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 pounds powdered (confectioners) cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon meringue powder (optional but the texture will be smoother)*
Water as necessary (I usually add about 2 tablespoons but you may need more or less depending on the humidity in your neighborhood)

* You can purchase meringue powder at your local grocery store under the brand name of Just Whites.

In the mixer, mix butter, Crisco shortening, and salt together to incorporate, about 5 minutes on low.

Add almond, butter and vanilla extracts. Mix together well. Add about 1 pound of powdered sugar and the meringue powder and mix.

Add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at a time and mix until you get the consistency you want.

Add a little milk, a teaspoon at a time, if necessary to thin the frosting. Blend well on low for several minutes.

Use immediately or cover and refrigerate. NOTE: Buttercream Icing will last for weeks as long as it is well sealed.

Marshmallow Fondant Recipe:

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Ingredients

16 ounces white mini marshmallows (use a good quality brand)

2-5 tablespoons water

2 lbs icing sugar (please use C&H Cane Powdered Sugar for the best results)

1/2 cup Crisco shortening (you will be digging into it so place in a very easily accessed bowl)

Directions

1. Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler: Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted.
2. It usually takes about 2 ½ minutes total. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.
3. Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY - palms, backs and in between fingers, then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle.
4. Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands.
5. Keep kneading, this stuff is sticky at this stage! Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more.
6. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant is sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about ½ tablespoon at a time then knead it in). It usually takes me about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.
7. Its best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right away if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar). If you do see them, you will need to knead and maybe add a few more drops of water.
8. Prepare the fondant for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic- type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible.
9. MM Fondant will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks. If I know that I have a cake to decorate, I usually make 2 batches on a free night during the week so it is ready when I need it. Take advantage of the fact that this fondant can be prepared well in advance.

Icing and fondant recipe from What's Cooking America.

Here's is a video on making marshmallow fondant:

Girl's Night In

So I have a group of girls that I get together with about once a month. One is recently married, another is engaged like me and the last is eternally single. We all went to college together but didn't all become friends until much later. As we've gotten older, their culinary interests have peaked and when I host our monthly get togethers it gets increasingly more difficult to "Wow!" them like I would like to because they're coming into their own foodie selves.

This Friday I'm hosting a Rockband get together. We're going to have dinner and then party like rockstars. I'm planning on a crockpot meal that I can leave cooking all day so when I get home all I have to worry about is the side dishes and appetizers.

I want to start with Savory Palmiers. I'm contemplating making those tomorrow night and leaving them in the fridge till the next night when I'm ready to bake.

Then staying in the French theme make Coq Au Vin with green beans and mashed potatoes.

For drinks I'll provide a couple of bottles of champagne.

Off to the market I will go!