viva
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Posts posted by viva
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Anyone ever try a strawberry-ginger-vodka combo? I've got a lot sitting around of both. What else might be tasty with strawberries?
Just tasted my pineapple-piloncillo-vanilla bean-tequila infusion. It's quite a lovely caramel color. Needs more pineapple, mainly so that I have enough infused pineapple chunks to blend into frozen margs and, well, because I keep eating them.
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beans ...your Blueberry Smash - ingredients, please! I have a truckload of yummy blueberries just waiting to be used creatively.
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I've had a 2-month hiatus, but will be back in Brasil by the end of the month... target: Germana + any other cachaca recommendations from my Brasil colleagues. I'm not drinking this Ypioca stuff anymore! After I bring it back, I'm getting some key limes and we're going to see what happens.
On the sugar aspect, I too add a boatload more sugar than most of the internet recipes I see.
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Here's a couple of my favorite fruit salsas...
Mango/Papaya Salsa
- 2 large mangoes (slice it & grill it first for an interesting depth), diced
- 1 small papaya, diced
- 1 cup pineapple, diced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- S&P to taste
- Cilantro if I feel like it
- Chopped serrano chiles if I feel like it
Strawberry/Kiwi Salsa
- 1 qt strawberries, diced
- 2-3 kiwis, peeled & chopped
- 1/2 cup cucumber, seeded & chopped
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, chopped (I keep the seeds & ribs in)
- Chopped cilantro to taste
- Zest & juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tbsp honey
- S&P to taste
Yum!
- 2 large mangoes (slice it & grill it first for an interesting depth), diced
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One of the best meals I ever head was in Mykonos - I had flown Chicago to Frankfurt, morning layover in Frankfurt, flew Frankfurt to Athens, 2 hour wait for luggage in Athens, hour cab ride to the port breathing in diesel fumes the whole way, 3 hour boat ride, got off at the wrong island in Tinos, hour wait for the next boat, another hour to Mykonos ... by the time we got there I was in the depths of severe blood sugar crankiness!!! So we went to the nearest restaurant overlooking the water and experienced:
grape leaves stuffed with some spicy beef
tzatziki & greek bread and other miscellaneous garlicky lemony spreads
spaghetti with lobster in a spicy tomato sauce
local greek white wine that would have sucked with anything else but went perfectly with the food
a lovely waiter who continually rested his hand on my shoulder
the electricity went out on the island, so we dined by moonlight & candlelight
It was phenomenal. Ranks as one of my favorite dining experiences ever.
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msphoebe, I've got the Bayless cookbook that recipe comes out of, and I really like the recipe you listed. Don't overcook the shrimp and you won't have tough camarones.
get in my belly (love that name), you reminded me of a wonderful meal I had in this hole-in-the-wall on a deserted beach in Cozumel - shrimp cocktail that's all lemon & hot sauce with good salsa, scooped up with saltines, washed down with a cold Tecate & lime juice. Yum-o!
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I've never seen a caipirinha without the peel, and never been served one without, so I say try again peel-on. It's prettier anyway.
Another key (I feel) is not to use big ol' honkin ice cubes - to crush them a bit so they smooth out the cachaca. This is only me making them at home, but I did notice my caipirinhas were served that way (crushed or small cubes of ice) in Brasil. Maybe that's because they knew I was American and couldn't handle it (sigh).
Could the lime in Brasil (called limon, but definitely not a lemon) be different than the limes we get in the US? They're a helluva lot smaller. Maybe more similar to a Mexican or key lime? I might need to experiment.
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Against the Wind Baked Beans
Now that's funny!
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I always crave the Rock N' Rye with strawberry or vanilla ice cream.
And I used to *lurve* 7-up with Neapolitan (yep, all three flavors) when I was growing up.
I'm lovin' the idea of cream soda with orange (and raspberry!) sherbet. And it would have to be sherbet, because sorbet would be nasty. Sherbet's got the egg whites or whatever in it to make it a creamier. And thus, more like a dreamsicle.
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Don't have a current BF, but can definitely relate dear old Dad's cooking here... we don't let him cook, because we wouldn't get our food until the following morning. Seriously. If the recipe says 1/4-inch dice for the onions, Dad's there with the ruler making sure all of the pieces are 1/4 inch. We let him make the cranberry relish last year for Thanksgiving and it took about 3 hours. With my sister's help. And like, 30 different utensils.
MY DAD COOKS LIKE THAT!!!! The kitchen looks like a hurricane went thru it -- but man are the results awesome
I will not argue - the man makes fabulous crab cakes. You just have to get him started a little earlier than the average cook and be prepared for some extra clean up duties. Because he'll flop right on the sofa when he's done and declare "I cooked."
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Don't have a current BF, but can definitely relate dear old Dad's cooking here... we don't let him cook, because we wouldn't get our food until the following morning. Seriously. If the recipe says 1/4-inch dice for the onions, Dad's there with the ruler making sure all of the pieces are 1/4 inch. We let him make the cranberry relish last year for Thanksgiving and it took about 3 hours. With my sister's help. And like, 30 different utensils.
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I've always used Plugra for "direct" butter consumption... e.g. on bread, melted over broccoli, and it is tasty. However, I've stuck with Land O' Lakes for "indirect" butter... e.g. baking, cookies, because I assumed it was cheaper (although I've never really checked!).
Does the type of butter used make a difference in "indirect" cooking? Could the higher amount of butterfat and lower moisture in European-style butters require any adjustments in baking recipes?
As a side note, I have the same logic for salt... fleur de sel for "direct", Morton's for "indirect".
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Got a Container Store or a Sur La Table near you, Chef Shogun? I've gotten mine there, glass, very nice seal that doesn't leak even when I shake 'em like hell.
I *really* like the idea of kaffir lime tequila. I have some kaffir lime vodka that is just rockin' with a splash of tonic on a hot summer day.
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I knew you guys would know. I usually refrigerate my infused stuff, but I decided on the big jar which takes up a honkin' lot of room in the 'fridge. Thanks!
My Martha Stewart side just reared its ugly head... 'cause the jar with the tequila & pineapple is kinda pretty. I'm picturing a whole line up of infusing jars on my home bar. Pretty, yet tasty.
Edited for very poor grammar...
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I'll bring this bad boy up again for a question...
I'm making my own infused tequila right now... El Tesoro Anejo, pineapple, piloncillo, and a vanilla bean. I can't wait to taste it, but I'm trying to be patient. I *adore* pineapple margaritas.
I've cruised through this thread and the others on infusions, but don't seem to see a definite trend in the group towards storage of your infused liquor... does one have to refrigerate an infusion to keep the fruit from festering, or can you leave it in a cabinet since the alcohol should preserve it?
I usually keep my tequila in the freezer at home, but zee infusion container is a little large. It is airtight, though.
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phaelon56, you can't have Diet Ting, because the sugar rush is what it's all about! I got hooked on the vodka & Tings in Jamaica. Refreshing!
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damn, mktye, you're good.
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And Elvis would probably like me very much, as I wouldn't be horning in on his potato stash!!
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The question is, are they pleasant and sociable?
I haven't known that many vegetarians or vegans (I seem to attract meat-loving friends, which is probably one of my best qualities). However, for the few I have known, most have been in the sanctimonious category. I'm not trying to stereotype - that's just been my experience.
Side note: One went so far as to say, upon seeing a woman with a fur-lined jacket "I'm really offended. I'm a vegetarian." Really? 'Cause your shoes are leather. I'm just saying.
What I eat is no one else's business but my own - I don't like vegetarians that tell me I shouldn't eat meat, or skinny people telling me I shouldn't eat anything.
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I fly very frequently, both domestically and internationally, in classes from coach to first, and can remember getting very few non-objectionable meals. Most of them were in the "no-cook" category - a grilled chicken caesar salad, chocolate ice cream sundae, turkey sandwich, etc.
The most amusing was Air India, Bangalore to Hyderabad, a butter sandwich on wonder-white bread (crusts cut off) and a side of tomato ketchup. I declined future meals on any of the Indian airlines after that.
Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific had decent wines, but I don't remember anything favorable about the meals. Very good service on those airlines, though (at least in business class).
American Airlines to South America meals... stink. I've given up and just get a sandwich (for dinner) and granola bars (for breakfast). Even the attendants laugh it off... every time I decline a meal, I usually get the response "Oh, then you've had the meals before." Heh!
I really wish more would go with a simple sandwich and salad, some fruit, and dessert... things that are hard to screw up. I like having the breakfast option of cereal, fruit & a bagel, which is also hard to screw up.
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a peach/nectarine and blackberry cobbler with a sweet ginger crumbly topping and vanilla ice cream.... yum!
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huien, I'll join you in a little public embarrassment. I don't hate corn, but there is one food I hate and will never eat despite puzzled and mocking looks from pretty much everyone I meet.
Mashed potatoes.
You can persuade me to eat a crispy thin french fry, or thinly sliced scalloped potatoes smothered in cream & cheese, (where, in both cases, the potato taste & texture have been cooked out), but you will never, ever get me to eat mashed potatoes. The texture and taste make me shudder. Baked potatoes are pretty nasty too. It's the mealy texture, I think, that does it - reminds me of a bad, mushy apple.
I'm of Irish & German descent too - I recognize the irony.
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I've got to weigh in on the Turkey Day sandwich love. I make mine an open-faced turkey sandwich, with the layers as follows:
- Thick sliced, soft italian bread
- Flavored butter of some kind (I usually do either a roasted chile & garlic butter, or a tart cranberry-orange butter)
- Cranberry relish, always very tart (unless the flavored butter was cranberry, in which case I skip this)
- Stuffing
- Turkey - a nice mix of dark & white meat with some crispy skin
- Macaroni & cheese (homemade with good sharp chedder and gruyere, with bits of the crispy breadcrumb topping)
- Gravy over top
It's the whole meal in one sandwich. The only sad part is that the gravy renders the sandwich un-pick-up-able, therefore I go with the open-faced approach. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving already!
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You're gonna gain a pound if you eat 3600 more calories than you burn, no matter if it is ice cream, an Atkins-approved ribeye, a truckload of carrot sticks or whatever.
(IMHO, this is the only reason to exercise - you get to eat more!
)Now, the average pint of ice cream does not have 3600 calories...Chubby Hubby, the most calorific (and yummy) ice cream in the freezer aisle, I think, is about 350 Kcal per serving, with 4 servings in the pint(?), giving a total of about 1400 Kcal in the whole pint. So how could you gain a pound by eating 1 pint of ice cream?
In college, a roommate & I did manage to finish our respective pints of Chubby Hubby in one day... no weight gain that day, but it was a helluva sugar rush.
Cocktail Porn
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
I'm picking up some fresh mint leaves tonight. Thanks beans!