Summertime Cocktails

I love an ice cold beer or glass of chilled white wine in the summertime, but sometimes you wanna have a great cocktail. I found these great recipes for cocktails that I think would be really great for any summer get together:

First, a French Margarita:

The addition of the chambord is a nice touch. I love margaritas on the rocks too. Love the berry garnish.


Here is more of a dessert cocktail...a Key Lime Freeze. The graham cracker rim is a nice touch:



Here is a Red Wine Sangria. I love sangria!!


This Limon Crush sounds yummy:


This Coconut Caipirinha sounds so refreshing:


Hmm...what should I have tonight? :)

Show Me Your Mussels

I am convinced that Friday nights are the best nights to entertain...they force you to be casual, impromptu, no preplanning, just "hey let's get together and make a feast" kind of nights. You can have a few drinks, and still have Saturday and Sunday to recover, which in my mind is a VERY good thing! :)

My friend Kristy came over and we started to cook. But first a cocktail break...

This is the Peach Basil Martini:





This is a great cocktail that we all enjoyed...a great summer drink that you should try! :)









But I digress...this post is all about the Mussels!

On our way home from work, we stopped at the market to pick up something to make for dinner. We wanted some shrimp, then I noticed the mussels...they were on sale...so I asked Kristy if she had ever cooked them...she said no, so I said...what the heck! We bought a pound each of shrimp and mussels thinking we would just figure it out when we got home.



Fish, shellfish, anykind of fish...I have always been afraid to cook...it isn't cheap, and it is very delicate easily ruined...and that I just couldn't face! :) I love it though! So, I had to start somewhere.

What I didn't realize is fish makes a quick meal...and elegant one, and one that doesn't require lots of planning! I love this.

We found a recipe in the Barefoot in Paris book by Ina Garten...and I just happened to have everything on hand...and off we went to create this FANTASTIC dinner.

Note: This recipe uses all mussels, but we bought 1 lb of shrimp and 1 lb of mussels to make this recipe.

Mussels in White Wine
Barefoot In Paris by Ina Garten
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
3 pounds cultivated mussels
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup chopped shallots (5 to 7 shallots)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (5 to 6 cloves)
1/2 cup chopped canned plum tomatoes, drained (4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon good saffron threads
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup good white wine
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
To clean the mussels, put them in a large bowl with 2 quarts of water and the flour and soak for 30 minutes, or until the mussels disgorge any sand.





Drain the mussels, then remove the "beard" from each with your fingers. If they're dirty, scrub the mussels with a brush under running water. Discard any mussels whose shells aren't tightly shut.

In a large non-aluminum stockpot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes; then add the garlic and cook for 3 more minutes, or until the shallots are translucent. Add the tomatoes, saffron, parsley, thyme, wine, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.



Add the mussels,



stir well, then cover the pot, and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until all the mussels are opened (discard any that do not open). With the lid on, shake the pot once or twice to be sure the mussels don't burn on the bottom.



NOTE: at 8 minutes, we added the peeled, deveined shrimp to the pot to cook for the last 3 minutes.

Pour the mussels and the sauce into a large bowl and serve hot.



Isn't this gorgeous? We served it with fresh lemon slices and toasted garlic ciabatta bread to sop up the delicious broth...so good!




This is an impressive dinner. The flavors are out of this world...tastes like a million bucks. This will be a go to recipe for me from now on. It was so simple and easy, and the results to DIE FOR! :) I know I say that a lot, but it is so true...this is a delicious recipe. If you are a virgin shellfish cooker, give this one a try, you won't be sorry!

Spring Fling

I know I live in Florida, and the weather is always warm...but there is something about the spring time...the colors, the flowers, the fresh fruit!



My friends Kristy and Sara came over for Easter so I put together some good eats...first, my simple spring table setting:


Then, Kristy came up with a great cocktail for us. We were in St. Augustine the week before, and had a Cava (Spanish Champagne) Sangria at the Columbia restaurant that was fantastic. Kristy created these tasty drinks for us...

Champagne, fresh fruit, white wine, peach puree, triple sec...Gorgeous and delicious!!

Next food:
Simple spring salad with fresh fruit, arugula, goat cheese, toasted walnuts and balsamic vinagrette:

The main course was a baked ham and a roasted pork tenderloin:

I made a reduction of the pork juices, orange juice, plum cherry jam and balsamic that was fantastic!

This is my new favorite pasta salad for the summer. Roasted garlic oil, orzo, fresh spinach, toasted walnuts, roasted garlic, goat cheese and salt and pepper. I had a salad similar to this at Whole Foods, this time, I added dried cherries for some chewy texture...so simple and delicious!!


Roasted asparagus with parmesan...love roasted veggies...thanks Ina Garten!


For dessert, I made these Espresso Caramel Bars, a recipe by Giada DeLarentis...really good...more like eating a chewy candy bar. I sprinkled the top with flake salt...SO GOOD and decadent. Served them with espressos and lattes.


Hope you are all enjoying your springtime!

Caramel Lattes

Paul took me to Spain last year, and we were crazy about the coffee. Pretty much a shot of espresso and warm milk. It is delicious. When we came back home, regular coffee wasn't cutting it, so we decided to go the Spanish way.

Here are the instructions for my weekend Caramel Lattes...not necessarily what we had in Spain, but I love the Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks, and this is the next best thing.

Here is my coffeemaker:



First, I prepare my cups, I use about 1/3 tsp. of Cinnamon Brown Sugar Syrup. I find this at World Market:



Don't use too much, this is pretty strong, and sweet.

Then, I add my sugar, and I really like turbinado sugar, or Sugar in the Raw, and I only use 1 tsp...but you can adjust this.


Now I am ready to make the espresso:



I always make a double shot. Because I add so much milk, this makes sure the coffee flavor comes thru.



Then I tamp down the coffee, but not too much!

Time to make the espresso:





As you can see in the pic above, my coffee maker actually has a warming plate on the top, when you are done brewing, you set your up above to stay warm while you make another and also to stay warm while you froth the milk:


We only drink soymilk, so that is what I use. It froths really well too:





If I want a little more foam, I use this little immersion blender and it whips up the milk great.

If you don't have a coffee machine that makes espresso and has the wand to froth the milk, pick up one of these. Make a strong cup of coffee, then warm up some milk on the stove or microwave (be careful because this will boil over the glass and make a mess in your microwave if you don't watch it!) and whip up your foam with this...it is a great tool!

That is it, now I just stick the tip of the whip cream dispenser right under the edge of the foam and put a little in there to give it a bit of richness.


Lastly, I top it with a drizzle of caramel sauce and a shake of cinnamon...it is so good!

I only make these on the weekends, so they take a little time, but well worth it!

Affogato anyone?

Nothing more simple than this...a mug with a scoop of good quality vanilla or even chocolate ice cream. Pour over a hot cup of espresso and you have the Italians call Affogato. Give it it a try, it s like a rich and creamy latte! Yum!