10 Months Later....

Sorry I haven't had time to post my new recipes or drinks in such a long time. Life's been a little hectic.

I am, however, here to post links to some fabulous dishes and desserts I've collected along the way. And hopefully, I'll have a new martini recipe (or three) coming up soon.

In the desserts department, oh - you must try this Key Lime White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake. And a new favorite, Strawberry Shortcake. Finally, here's a Banana Split Cake that I made for Justin's 14th birthday*. To. Die. For.

Not to be outdone are the main courses. We loved this Shrimp Creole, and these Southern Fried Catfish Sandwiches. Also making a frequent stop on our dinner table is Chicken and Waffles, a Harlem favorite.

Give any of these - or better yet, all of them - a try. Definitely worth your time.

*Here's a tip: don't use the toffee bits on this ice cream cake. Use nuts. Why? The toffee bits are frozen, and when you take a bite, they stick to your teeth. Then you take another bite of ice cream and wowza. I about came out of my chair, my teeth hurt so much. Trust me - go with nuts.

Fabulous Food Find

...or rather, Fabulous Bar Find: Crystal Head Vodka. 

I saw this bottle in my new liquor store haunt, took a quick glance and walked right past it thinking it was just a fad thing. 

A friend of mine, however, actually bought it and recommended it to me not long after. It is incredible - if you like a smooth vodka, this is the one for you. I took a shot of it the night I bought my bottle, and it went down like water. My typical drink is this vodka, tonic water and frozen lime wedges - the best vodka tonic I've ever had. 

A little pricey, but if you prefer quality over quantity as I do, then you won't mind. And before I start getting the mass emailings about how it's a skull - let me assure you, the skull is based on a Mayan myth or something - the "13 Heads"- not mass murder or baby eating death metal rockers. 

Not that I don't already have plans to use the empties for a Halloween table centerpiece...Muahahahahahahaha!

My Latest Martini Creations

I've been so busy lately, I've forgotten to add my latest martini creations. Here they are, for your drinking pleasure.

The Sweet Dreams Colviez Martini

2 oz. Blue Raspberry Vodka

1 oz. Sprite

Purple grape to garnish

Simple and sweet! Shake all ingredients in iced strainer until chilly; pour into glass and enjoy. To put this over the top, sink a Hershey's Kiss into the glass, instead of the grape: a chocolate on your pillow. 

The John Spence Sucks Ass Martini

(yeah, yeah, I know. I'm being mean. But you know what? Shut it - he deserves it.) 

2 oz. Frigid Vodka - the colder, the better

2 oz. Sour Pucker Apple Schnapps

Drizzle of Grenadine

Sour pickle to garnish

Shake in iced strainer; pour into glass with salt covered rim. This is an unconventional combination of flavors, but it's actually drinkable. And it so perfectly conveys the meaning of the title. 

Pui Cu Smantana Acra (Chicken Sour Cream)

Our Romanian feast has continued through the weekend, and today, fine friends, I bring you Pui  Cu Smantana Acra, or Sour Cream Chicken. 

One word: YUM - this is a great meal. My friend told me the traditional way is to serve it with Sarmale, which is cabbage rolls...and which I plan to make soon. But we just went the plain Jane way - chicken alone. 

Pui Cu Smantana Acra

1 lg. chicken, 5 - 6 lbs, cut into pieces

1/4 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1 pint sour cream

1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced thin

3 whole spring onions, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tsp Hungarian Paprika (I had to use regular - couldn't find Hungarian where I live)

1/4 c water

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, brown chicken in butter. Place in casserole dish. Make roux* from butter, flour and water; stir until light brown. Cool roux; add sour cream and simmer until bubbly. (Sour cream will curdle if the roux is not cooled.) Add chopped veggies; sprinkle with spices. Cover chicken and cook until tender. Serves 6 - 8. 

The only variations I made to this meal was cooking it in my big cooker, so it took much longer - approximately 4 hours or so. I also forgot to add the bell peppers, unfortunately. 

Otherwise, it was a real crowd pleaser. We had it for lunch yesterday, and there is literally scraps left today. Definitely try this one - you'll be hooked!

*For all of you who do not know how to make roux: On medium to med. high heat, melt fat in pan (in this case, butter), spoon in flour and water, stirring to incorporate. Using the bent edge of the spoon, move it around slowly until the flour is cooked and the roux begins to change colors. 

In New Orleans cooking, you won't use water and the roux should be the color of a brick; for this recipe's purposes, the water loosened the mixture up and I stopped when it was the color of khaki.  I know, I know - that sounds goofy, but I couldn't think of an example of the light brown color other than clothes. 

Broedlaewend

Or Romanian Beef Soup. 

Wow - this recipe was recommended by a friend, and it is to die for. 

Easiest thing you'll ever make. 

Broedlaewend

Ingredients

900g beef, cut into thin strips (I bought a chuck roast - it worked beautifully)
2 large onions, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1.5l beef stock (I used two large boxes of broth - it was the perfect amount)
6 large potatoes, cubed
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
2 medium bay leaves
6 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp cream
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation:

"Heat the oil in a pan and use to fry the onions for about 8 minutes, or until soft. Add the meat and fry, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes more, or until well browned. Now add the sock, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour before adding the potatoes and bay leaves. Season with salt and black pepper then return to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes more. Remove about 150ml of the stock from the soup and slowly whisk into the flour until smooth.

Now return the flour mixture back to the soup, stirring briskly to combine. Return to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes before taking off the heat and stirring-in the vinegar, cream and parsley. Ladle into soup bowls and serve."

I followed the recipe pretty strictly, other than not measuring my ingredients, which you already know I don't do anyway. The only small variations I made were to cook the entire thing in my big cooker, rather than a big skillet or dutch oven. Also, at the end, I turned the heat way down, added the cream and vinegar, and then allowed it to warm for about 20 more minutes. 

We served it with wheat rolls, and it was absolutely a major hit with the family. Curt barely got enough for his lunch today; the J Crew actually argued to the death over who got the leftovers. 

Ally's Hemingway Key Lime Pie

Here's my famous (around these parts and in my mind only, I'm sure) Hemingway Key Lime Pie. I call it my "Hemingway" pie, because I always think of the Florida Keys when I make this pie...and of course, that's where my favorite author hung out quite a bit. 

Ally's Hemingway Key Lime Pie

1 pkg. graham crackers

6 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In food processor, process graham crackers until fine. Add butter and sugar and process until it makes a wet dough. Press into 9" glass pie plate, bake for 20 minutes until browned, firm. Allow to cool completely. Turn heat down to 325 degrees.

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

8 egg yolks

1 - 1/3 cups key lime juice

several drops green food coloring

grated lime zest

Mix together and pour into pie crust. The pie is done when toothpick inserted in middle comes out lightly coated. The top of the pie should be custardy in appearance and stick to your fingertip when pressed lightly.  

*In Wyoming, this pie takes anywhere from 35 - 45 minutes to cook. Down south, at lower elevation levels, it should only take 20 - 30 minutes. 

Allow to cool; place in icebox until ready to serve.

heavy cream

sugar, to taste

lime extract, to taste

Beat all ingredients until cream is firm. Add heaping spoonful to each slice of pie; garnish with sliced lime and mint leaves. 

Smothered Poke' Chops

We have found the best recipe for pork chops - I kid you not. If you're a poke' chop fan (that's how we say it down south), you will love this recipe. Like Paula says, "I love anything on the pig."

Paula Dean's Smothered Poke Chops

bone-in chops

flour, to dust

seasonings - salt, pepper, garlic, etc. (whatever you like)

2-3 bell peppers, sliced

2 onions, sliced

chicken broth, approx 1 box/lg. can - enough to deglaze the skillet and pool around the chops

Butter

(Paula's not too big on using measurements, and neither am I, so you'll have to adjust to your liking.)

Melt butter in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Season flour; coat chops liberally in flour and brown in melted butter. When you have a nice color on them, remove chops and throw peppers and onions into the skillet. Allow to cook down to soft consistency; push veggies to the side of the skillet and put chops back in. 

Layer veggies around/over chops, and add broth around chops - don't cover the chops with broth. If skillet has a lid, cover; if using a cast iron skillet, cover loosely with foil. Turn heat down to medium low, and let slow cook for 45 minutes or so until chops are fork tender.