Cherries and brandy are natural companions for classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned, but here a little Dubonnet rouge lends a touch of spice.
What to buy: Dubonnet blanc and rouge are wine-based liqueurs flavored with spices. The dark red (rouge) version is sweet and rather rich; it can be found at most high-end liquor stores.
Combine the cherries and sugar in a cocktail shaker and muddle until the cherries are broken up but not completely pulverized.
Fill the shaker halfway with ice, then add the remaining ingredients. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and serve.
this tart, pink cocktail is a burst of summer in a glass... you don't strain the watermelon puree, which gives the drink some texture. ..serve this over plenty of ice in Mason jars...
Place sugar and 1 cup of water in a small saucepan, add rosemary sprigs. Cook over medium heat stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved remove from heat, cover saucepan and let sit for at least an hour to infuse.
In a blender combine the lemon juice with cubed watermelon. Add the watermelon in batches, blending in between each addition.
Add in the rosemary simple syrup 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture is at your desired sweetness. I use about a cup.
Pour the mixture into a large pitcher and add 1 cup of cold water, the vodka and fill with the watermelon mixture. Stir to combine. Serve in jars garnished with a lemon slice and half of a rosemary sprig...
fresh shrimp is the best, but the frozen packaged kind works well...make life simple...
Directions
Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the shrimp and cook until just pink, no more than 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well and rinse in cold water to prevent further cooking. Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails on. In a large glass airtight jar (about 1 1/2 quarts *) layer shrimp and onions and top each layer with ground black pepper, peppercorns, bay leaf and a clove of garlic. Keep layering until jar is about 2/3 full. Pour vinegar andlemon juice over layers until jar is almost full. Leave space at the top so you can gently shake jar to remix ingredients. Seal jar tightly and chill for a few days up to 2 weeks. Turn jar upside down to remix every other day or so. Serve chilled as an appetizer.
* Note: for larger shrimp you may need a larger jar and adjust ingredients accordingly.
this was a favorite of mine growing up...my best-friend's mother made it regularly... this was a treat for me...my family is southern and mexican...we ate very traditional food to both those cuisines, so this was something altogether different...
2 lb flank steak salt pepper your favorite stuffing... mrs bennett always did a traditional bread stuffing... i like cornbread stuffing and use my grandmother's recipe... no secret there...it's on the stuffing box, but for the purists... 4 cups cornbread, fresh or boxed one large onion, diced one full bunch of celery, diced 1/2 cup butter you can use oil, i like butter saute onions and celery in butter until tender add cornbread 4 cups or more, depending on your choice of cornbread, of broth, chicken or veggie... toss bread, onions and celery together, add broth, toss gently... seasoning, boxed cornbread comes seasoned...fresh is a matter of taste, this is beef not poultry, but you can use poultry seasoning as a fall back...or be brave and use you favorites to produce a different flavor profile... for that matter you can do a wild-rice stuffing or oyster, or one of my favorites is a dried fruit bread-stuffing with nuts, so...peaches, figs, apricots, nectarines, apples, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts...reflect the season or your mood... lay out flank steak, sprinkle with salt and pepper depending on the size of portions you prefer and the steak itself, spoon dressing on steak and roll, secure with skewers...place in oiled roasting pan, i like a covered roaster, or place foil tent on top... surround steak with choice of vegetables, potatoes, parsnips, beets, carrots, mushrooms, again depending on desired results for flavor... place in 350 degree oven, for approximately 45 mins to one hour, tightly covered will cook faster...pierce with fork to see if tender... if you prefer firmer vegetables, add veg after 20 minutes... when steak is near done, remove lid or foil to crisp the outside... remove steak from pan, let rest... remove vegetables... de-glaze pan, with broth or wine, i like a good marsala, nice nutty taste...you can either serve au jus, or add a thickener for a stouter gravy,,, after resting, slice, plate with yummy roasted vegetables and gravy...ta-da...
if you don't know food52 you should...it is a beautiful site, full of generous contributors...lots of fun, tons of inspiration...answers for questions you didn't know you had...
Grilled Steak Sandwich with Blue Cheese Cole Slaw
This recipe takes a spin on the classic beef and blue cheese combo and the pulled pork cole slaw sandwich. The crunch of the slaw, soft but toasty bread, and savory steak satisfy all my picnic needs. The blue cheese provides that much needed sharpness to go along with a slightly sweet slaw. The beef and cole slaw can be made ahead and the sandwich assembled on-site, otherwise the cole slaw will make the bread soggy.
Generously season the flank steak with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
Over a preheated medium high grill, grill the flank steak for 5-6 minutes on each site for medium rare. Let the steak rest for 15 minutes. Slice the steak into 1/4 inch slices against the grain. Pack the steak for the picnic and keep chilled.
Cut the ciabatta rolls in half. Grill lightly until toasted. Let cool and pack for the picnic.
Mix together the dijon, vinegar, sugar, mayo, buttermilk, blue cheese, celery salt, and celery seeds in a bowl.
Mix together the cabbage, onions, and carrots in a large bowl. Pour the blue cheese dressing over top. Season with salt and pepper. Pack the slaw for the picnic and keep chilled.
Layer on slices of steak onto each roll and top with 1/2 cup of cole slaw. Top with other half of roll.
bran muffins always get a bad reputation...a little honey, oil and fruit go a long way to making bran muffins a favorite...and i prefer oat bran...better for you, gluten free and helps cholesterol...
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 24 muffin cups with muffin papers. Stir flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl to blend. Combine bran and figs in another bowl; mix in 1 cup boiling water.
Beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar, then honey. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in buttermilk alternately with flour mixture in 3 additions each. Mix in bran mixture. Divide batter among lined muffin cups.
Bake muffins until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Turn muffins out onto racks and cool completely
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it's funny because to me tea meant 'sweet tea' and in my house that included lemons...you never left the lemons in the tea, they would become bitter. unless they were meyer or the like...some people add mint...that's good...but i still need good ol' cane sugar, i'll give you a recipe for a simple syrup recipe so you can sweeten as you go...
Sweet Tea Recipe
1 Votes(5)
Well, I don’t know where you are visiting us from but no matter, everyonecan enjoy a good glass of sweet tea.
Here, you’ll find sweet tea recipes, articles about sweet tea, and even a video to show you how to make sweet tea.
So just what is sweet tea?
There are basically two types of iced teas in the United States. The only thing that makes them different is one has sugar and the other doesn’t.
Southerners (including me) love their sweet tea and drink it by the gallon.
Here in the South, sweet tea isn’t just a something we drink during the summertime, we drink it year round with most meals. When people order tea in a Southern restaurant, it’s almost a given you’ll get sweet tea.
Outside of the south, really the southeast, iced tea is served unsweetened or “black”. Most people won’t know what you are talking about if you ask for sweet tea.
On a recent trip to Texas I went to a fabulous BBQ joint. I got my plate and told them I wanted sweet tea to drink. From the reaction, you would have thought I was from another planet!
Well, I’m out to change that…
Here’s the sweet tea recipe we used to made the sweet tea in the video:
Nothing like a good ol glass of Southern sweet tea on a hot summer day. (or any other day as fasr as that goes
Mom’s World Famous Sweet Tea By Patrick Cash, May 8, 2006
This classic sweet tea recipe has been a favorite of ours for years. It’s not the only one we make but it’s the one we make most often. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
– 3 Quarts water (give or take) not that important.
– 2 cups Sugar
– 4 Quart size tea bags.
…
Instructions: Bring water to a rolling boil, add sugar. (Stir to dissolve) Add 4 tea bags. Stir. Let sit 20 minutes or so. Pour up into gallon jug or container. Fill the rest with cool water. I like to put my sweet tea in the refrigerator for a few hours….
Infuse loose tea into hot water for 4 to 5 minutes. Strain tea into room temperature water. Sweeten with simple syrup if desired.
For simple syrup, in a small non-reactive pot combine 5 cups of sugar and 3 cups of cold water. Slowly bring to a boil and add 6 sliced lemons and a few sprigs of fresh mint. Remove from heat. Allow to cool 10 minutes and strain.
Cherries and brandy are natural companions for classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned, but here a little Dubonnet rouge lends a touch of spice.
