Rotini with Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Parmesan

You can use regular rotini  or vegetable pasta to make this dish, both are fine. If you are in a rush, this only takes a few minutes to prepare.

1/2 lb Rotini

2 tbsp Virgin Olive Oil

4        Green Onions, chopped

4        Tomatoes, coarsely chopped

3-4     Cloves of Garlic, minced

1 cup  Strips or Cubes of Chicken (optional)

1 cup  Fresh Parsley, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup Fresh Basil, coarsely choopped

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated

Some Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Cook pasta with some salt and a drop of oil until it is al dente and drain. In a saucepan, heat oil on high heat. Add onions, tomatoes and garlic and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Tomatoes should be cooked quickly to avoid over-cooking. Add rotini, chicken (optional) and stir in parsley, basil and parmesan cheese. Reduce heat to medium and cook for another couple of minutes or until warm. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you like, you can  add some sliced olives and sprinkle with some feta cheese.  Serves 4. 

Beef Strokin’ Off

Serves 2

¾ pound button and cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound boneless short ribs, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon flour
½ cup red cooking wine
3 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
6 ounces heavy cream*
Hot cooked noodles

Heat butter in a large pot, add mushrooms and garlic and sauté covered, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are brown and softened and have released their liquid, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and set aside.

Sauté beef cubes in pot until brown on all sides, approximately 10 minutes. Stir in flour until incorporated, then add red wine and simmer till wine has almost evaporated.

Add 2 cups of beef broth, bay leaf and pepper and bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook about one hour. Stir occasionally.

Uncover pot, add remaining cup of beef broth, mushrooms and garlic, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer, and cook (uncovered), stirring occasionally till broth is reduced by half, approximately another hour.

Reduce heat, remove bay leaf and stir in heavy cream till incorporated. Serve over hot noodles.

(*A typical beef stroganoff recipe usually calls for sour cream, not heavy cream, but I don’t like the texture or taste it brings to the dish.)

Submitted by QueenieBK

Passion Daiquiri

I picked up some passion fruit juice on the way home and thought this might be fun to try. It is very refreshing and light to start the week. Plan on sharing, as these are tasty.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. Light Rum
1  Lime
1 tsp.Fine Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Passion Fruit Juice

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Serve.

Polenta With Mascarpone

Polenta con mascarpone
From: "Giuliano Bulgialli's Foods of Italy" (1984)
Serves 8

3 qts. beef broth (preferably homemade)
1 lb. coarse or stone ground Italian yellow cornmeal*
2 tblsp. sweet butter (1 oz.)
8 heaping  tblsp. mascarpone
Coarse grained salt

Optional:  1 med. fresh or canned white truffle

Heat broth in large part over medium heat; when it boils, add salt to taste.  Begin pouring in cornmeal in a very slow stream, stirring continuously with flat wooden spoon [carefully, otherwise polenta will quickly become lumpy].  Stir slowly for 45-50 min,* w/o stopping.  If lumps form, push them against side of pot to crush with spoon.

Use the butter to lightly butter the dinner plates.  Put 1 heaping tblsp. of mascarpone in center of plate.  Refrigerate until needed.

When polenta is cooked, taste it for salt** and then remove pot from heat.  Immediately ladle polenta over the cheese on the prepared plates.  The polenta should cover the cheese completely.

Optional:  If fresh truffle, clean carefully with brush to remove sand.  Use truffle cutter [Foxxy: *eyeroll*] to slice truffle over the polenta on the plates.  "The dish is most beautiful when it is cut through to reveal the different colors of the white and yellow layers and the soft tan of the truffles."

Serve immediately.

______________________________________


Notes not in original recipe:

* You can shortcut by using a "quick" polenta cornmeal -- just as there are quick grits and regular grits.  If you are reducing the recipe the cooking time is accordingly reduced.  Constant stirring still required, though.

** You could also add fresh herbs, garlic, chopped spinach, etc. to the polenta immediately before plating

/goes to Goodwill to look for a "truffle cutter"  -- at my house they are called "knives"

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

This is an amazing recipe and really is simple to make.  You don't have to worry about the cayanne being too strong, it will dilute as it cooks.  Serve with French bread and cold beer.  

6 chicken thighs (or if you have leftover chicken from a rotisserie chicken you can use that instead and skip the 3 paragraphs, just coat well with cayanne)
cayenne pepper, to taste
1/4 cup peanut oil
flour to coat chicken
salt
black pepper
garlic powder
 
3 large white onions, chopped (DO NOT use a food processor)
5 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
handful chopped parsley
1/2 package Hillshire Polish kielbasa (or other smoked sausage), sliced and quartered
2 cups white rice (not instant), washed
12 ounces beer, warm
2 1/2 cups water

DIRECTIONS:

Wash the chicken and place it skin side down on a plate (you can remove the skin if you want).  Coat the chicken with cayenne pepper until very red (I use a LOT of Cayenne in mine). Don't worry about getting it too hot, since this is the majority of the pepper you are going to add and it will cook into the rest of the dish. Turn the chicken pieces over and lightly coat the skin side. Let sit for 15 minutes or so to soak it all up.

Heat the oil in the bottom of a large heavy cast iron or aluminum pot (don't use thin aluminum or stainless steel since the rice will tend to stick and burn if you're not really careful). Place the flour in a paper bag or large bowl. Season the flour lightly with salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic powder. Place a couple of pieces of chicken at a time into the bag and shake to coat.

Fry the chicken in the oil until golden brown. Don't worry about cooking it all the way through. Remove the chicken.

Place the onions, celery, garlic and bell pepper into the pot along with a bit more oil if necessary and saute them until the onions are transparent, scraping the bottom of the pot often.  I like to make the onions very crispy and caramelized.  Add the rosemary, thyme and parsley and cook for a minute.

Place the sausage slices, chicken, and a little water into the pot and mix well with the vegetables. Turn heat low, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes (until the chicken is tender). Stir the mixture frequently, always scraping the bottom to keep things from burning (break the chicken up a bit with the spatula as it cooks. It should break up naturally as the dish cooks, but this just helps things a little).

When the chicken is cooked, add the washed rice and stir it into everything for a couple of minutes. Pour the warm beer and the water in and stir things for another minute or so. Taste it at this point and adjust the salt if necessary. Now, keeping the heat low, cover the pot and cook until the rice is tender (anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour). Stir the mixture every now and then, scraping the bottom of the pot.

LEFT COAST SALADE NICOISE

* An original recipe for this blog [not the dressings though]

   Approx. ½ hr.-45 min.

2 Ahi Tuna pieces, fresh, approx. 4-6 oz. each
Chili Oil or Basil Oil, approx. 2-3 tblsp.
2 Eggs, hardboiled
Chinese Long Beans, approx. 1/4 lb.
Jicama, small, peeled, cut into thin strips
Cherry Tomatoes (mixed color if possible), container
Cole Slaw mix,* fresh or packaged, approx. 1/4 lb.
Cilantro, approx. 1/4 c., chopped
2 Lettuce leaves, large
Salt/Pepper
1 Lemon
Rice Wine Vinegar
Sesame Seeds, white or black (optional)

* shredded green cabbage, red cabbage, carrots

Hard boil and chill the eggs.
Snip and blanch (or boil, or grill) long beans; cut into 4" pieces.  Chill.
Peel jicama, slice half into 4" x 1/4" strips.  Blanch if preferred; or leave raw.

To prepare fish: 
[If serving chilled tuna, cook it first and refrigerate.  If serving warm, assemble salad first, then cook fish]  Squeeze ½ lemon over ahi; season w/salt and pepper.  If using sesame seeds, spread seeds on plate, rub oil on fish, press both side of fish on seeds.  Heat 2 tblsp. oil in heavy skillet, sear ahi until browned/blackened on both sides but still rare-to-medium well, depending on preference – it will briefly continue to cook after removed from pan; if you want to serve it medium rare, take it out when it looks rare-turning-to-medium, etc.

To prepare salad: Arrange lettuce leaf on each plate; fill with cole slaw mix; top with cilantro.  Drizzle w/rice wine vinegar. Arrange long beans, sliced egg, sliced jicama, and halved cherry tomatoes around flattened edges of lettuce leaf.  Drizzle w/vinegar again.  Place ahi in center.  Squeeze remaining lemon over all. 

Suggested Dressings:  Kraft Asian Toasted Seseme
                                    Green Goddess w/Wasabe [homemade or add wasabi 
                                                                                 to Kraft Green Goddess]
                                    Soy Wasabe Dressing:
                                    1 teaspoon soy sauce

                                    1 teaspoon wasabi paste (Japanese horseradish)
                                    3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
                                    1 tablespoon sugar
                                    1/2 teaspoon sesame oil  

                                   









 

Queenie's Mac and Cheese

8 ounces macaroni or similar pasta concoction (I use gemelli or small shells to switch things up)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
8 ounces heavy cream, room temperature
¼ cup milk, room temperature
Splash of white wine (optional)
At least 1 ½ cups shredded/cubed cheese, as you prefer (I usually use sharp cheddar and blue cheese crumbles, but tonight it’s cheddar, blue cheese and Italian 6 cheese Sargento shred)
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
Salt and pepper to taste
(Optional for panko crust: 1 cup panko crumbs, additional 2 tablespoons butter)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare an ice bath to shock the pasta. Cook
pasta 2 minutes less than al dente instructions on package. Drain in colander and place the colander in the ice bath just long enough to chill it (if you leave it in too long the cheese sauce won’t stick). Drain again and set aside in the fridge.
Grease medium-sized casserole dish.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour till smooth (don’t overcook), then whisk in the heavy cream, milk, and wine. Stir this till mixture is smooth and slightly thickened. Add shredded/cubed cheese and cream cheese, and stir till melted. Add salt and pepper. Stir in chilled pasta, then dump mixture into prepared casserole dish.
(Optional: Melt additional 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan. Add panko and stir till toasted, approximately 5 minutes. Sprinkle crumb mixture atop pasta and cheese mixture in casserole dish.)
Cover casserole and place in oven for 30 minutes, then remove cover and bake for 10 additional minutes.

Submitted by QueenieBK

"LOCKED LIKE LOHAN" LEMONADE

2 oz.  Citron Vodka * 

                        or

1 oz. Citron Vodka + 1 oz. Cucumber Vodka**

2 oz. Fresh Lemonade or Quality Store Brand Lemonade,***  sweetened

2 oz. Tonic Water (diet or regular)

Fresh Mint - (lemon mint or orange mint if avail.)

Ice

Glass (preferably made from sea jasper)

Peace and Quiet

Muddle mint in bottom of sea jasper glass.  Add ice.  Pour in the sweet nectar, then add lemonade, then add tonic.  Stir.  Mix in peace and quiet, and enjoy.  But, watch out for any roaming black guys -- they might try to take your glass!

* - try Cupcake Lemon Chiffon Vodka if it can be found (disc.), or 360 Degrees

** - try Crop Cucumber Vodka, or 360 Degrees or Hangar One

*** - try Newman's or Simply Lemonade

GREEK ROASTED CHICKEN & POTATOES

GREEK ROASTED CHICKEN & POTATOES

Serves 3-4

Approx 2 hours 

 INGREDIENTS

Whole Chicken (5-6 lbs.) [brining preferred but optional]

Olive Oil (approx. 1/2 c.)

Lg. Lemons (2-3)

Lg. Onion

White Potatoes, washed and cubed [peeling optional; thin-skinned potatoes preferred]

Garlic (3-4 cloves) or Garlic Powder  (2 tblsp.)

Fresh Mint/Oregano/Thyme/Rosemary*  (approx 1/3 c.)  or 

Dried Mint/Oregano/Thyme/Rosemary (approx 2 tblsp.) 

McCormick Greek Seasoning (approx. 2 tblsp.)

Butter (2 tblsp.)

Salt and Pepper (acc. to taste)

* if using fresh rosemary, use 2-3  6" sprigs, strip the leaves to combine w/other herbs but 

   leave one sprig intact 

Oil roasting pan well, or use whatever technique you use to prevent sticking; pre-heat oven to  450 degrees.  

Cut lemons and onion in half; slice the garlic cloves.  In clean chicken cavity: drizzle olive oil; sprinkle all seasonings (if using fresh herbs - insert 1-2 garlic cloves, sliced, and the full rosemary sprig); squeeze 1/2 lemon, insert both pieces of onion and the squeezed lemon shell in cavity.  [Everytime you use a lemon, see if the shell will fit in the chicken cavity]

Gently lift skin over breast and carefully insert half of remaining herbs (garlic and green), the butter (cut into small pieces, and squeeze lemon into the underskin area.  Massage under skin across breast and into the thighs [now pull your minds out of the gutter, dlisters.  i know you people.]  Put the lemon shell in the cavity.

Turn chicken breast down in pan; drizzle well with olive oil, season with salt n pepper.  Roast approx 10-15 min at 450, just until fully brown.  Flip that bitch.  Roast another 10-15 min. just until fully brown.  Remove from oven; put foil tent over breast, foil the wing tips, etc.

Reduce heat to 300-325 degrees.  Surround the chicken with the cubed potatoes, which have been mixed with the remaining herbs, and salted and peppered to taste.   Drizzle with remaining olive oil.  Return to oven for another 1 - 1 1/2 hours, periodically basting.

Serve with warm crusty bread and salad; onion lovers can be served the onion in the cavity.   Blue and white tableware nicely support the Greek theme.  :-D

QBK’s Chicken Parmesan

2 boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 egg
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce (I use Giada’s recipe, it’s easy to make, it’s good and it’s versatile)
2 cups panko crumbs
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper
A dash of cornstarch (optional – it helps with the crust, however)
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 – 8 ounces spaghetti rigate (I use Barilla)
Sargento bag of shredded 6 Italian cheeses
Pepperidge Farm garlic Texas toast
Preheat oven to 425 degrees for the Texas toast.
Slice the chicken breasts crosswise and season with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, beat egg till yolk and white are incorporated. In another bowl, combine panko crumbs, oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cornstarch (if using). Heat deep pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Soak sliced chicken breasts in egg wash, then dredge in crumb mixture. Place chicken in oil, cover, and sauté for 5 minutes; turn chicken and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan, and set aside.
Begin warming marinara to a slow simmer, and fill deep pan with water for the spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti according to manufacturer’s instructions. Meanwhile, place sautéed breasts on a shallow rimmed baking pan, drizzle marinara sauce over each breast (to your liking) and sprinkle one to two tablespoons of shredded cheese atop the sauce. Place in oven with garlic toast and bake for 5 minutes. Serve chicken over pasta and marinara sauce with bread as an accompaniment. Mangia!

submitted by QueenieBK

Squash in Your Spaghetti

1 package of Angel hair pasta
1 Zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (homemade is of course optional)
Cook Angel hair pasta to your liking.

Heat up your tomato sauce.
While your sauce is heating up, chop your zucchini and yellow squash in to chunks and broil just until they are tender, but still maintain some crunch. Add zucchini and squash to sauce and allow to marinate. Once your sauce is warmed up to your liking, add over pasta and Voila!
(It’s also delicious if you add in meatballs).

Submitted by BoredAs

Johnnysgirl's Curried Sweet Potato Bake

I made this up on the fly so I'm not sure of the amounts. So play with it!

Ingredients (organic if possible):

2-3 large sweet potatoes
1 medium shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or olive oil, or butter)
Heavy whipping cream (not sure how much, maybe 1 cup but no more)
Sour cream (again, not sure how much, maybe 2 - 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon of flour
1/4-ish of your favorite cheese, grated (optional)
Salt and fresh-ground pepper
Curry spice mix: 4-5 teaspoons curry powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon Garam Masala (<-----to
     your liking)
Panko bread crumbs
French-fried onion topping (like Durkee or French's) optional

Peel the potatoes and cut in half. Par-boil until JUST tender, remove from boil water and let cool.

In a sauce pot, sautee the garlic and shallot in the coconut oil until translucent.

Add the heavy cream and sour cream, stir until heated through.

Gradually whisk in the flour (i use a flour-sifter when adding flour to anything), cook and stir til just bubbly.

Add the cheese (if opting), stir til melted. (You can add some more cream, or just milk, if it looks too thick)

Add the salt, pepper, and curry mix, stir and cook til heated through. Remove from heat.

Slice the cooled potatoes, about 1/4 inch slices.

Grease or spray-oil a casserole dish.

Line the bottom of the dish with a layer of the sliced potatoes.

Pour some of the curried cream mixture over the potato layer.

Repeat this layering until the dish is almost full.

Top with the Panko bread crumbs and french-fried onions.

Cook in the oven, covered, 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Uncover and cook 10 or so minutes more to brown the top.

Remove and let stand 10 minutes.

Hope ye likey!

Johnnysgirl's "Bottom of the Salad" Salad

This low-fat, fiber-full, hearty mess was inspired by the realization that my favorite part of salad is the bits left at the bottom of the bowl. Yes, I put a lot of random stuff in my salad.  Boring salad is boring.

Ingredients (organic if possible):

1/4-ish cup diced green onion
1/2-ish cup diced red bell pepper
1 small golden beet, grated
2 medium carrots, grated
1/4-ish cup golden raisins, chopped
1/4-ish cup toasted pecans, chopped
1/4-ish cup cooked lentils
Several sprigs (you decide how much) Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped (this shizzle is the bomb, I put it in all  my salads as another green)
Salt, fresh-ground pepper, and oregano (to your liking)
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar (to your liking)
1/4-ish cup shredded cheese of your choice (optional)

Put it all in a bowl and toss. Frakking delicious, and keeps longer than reg salad (as there are no wilting greens)

BoredAs's Quick Sausage Dip

1 package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 Jimmy Dean thawed breakfast sausage roll
1 can of mild rotel 
 
Put sausage in pan, and cook down until it is broken down in to pieces. Once you have it broken down, and thoroughly cooked, add the rotel and Cream Cheese and continue to cook until the cream cheese is melted, and everything is blended and creamy.


I like to eat this with Tositos corn chips; it's also amazingly delicious served over angel hair pasta... OM NOM NOM!

Sans Fards Bangin' Hummus

3 garlic cloves
2 cups chick peas
1/3 cup tahini
Juice from 2 or 3 lemons, depending on how lemony you like it
2 tbsp water
Pinch of sumac (optional; sumac is a lemon-ish middle eastern spice)
Salt
Pepper

Throw all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Add hot sauce to taste.

Cheese Chicken Casserole

Package boneless/skinless thin-cut chicken breast(You may want to flatten out thicker cuts)
2 cup of your favorite shredded cheese (add more if you like it cheesier)
1 can Cream of Celery or Cream of Chicken
1/4 cup milk
1/2 water
1 to 2 cup of Stove top Stuffing(adjusting amounts is fine)

Coat a 9x13 casserole pan with cooking spray.
Place your chicken breasts in pan and sprinkle cheese over chicken breasts.
Pour canned soup in to a bowl and add the milk and water and mix well until blended.
Pour over Chicken and Cheese.
Spread the Stove Top Stuffing evenly over the chicken,cheese and cream of celery.
Finally cover the top with aluminum foil, and put in the oven.

Place pan  in  400 Degree oven and let this cook for 45-to 50 minutes.

I prefer to eat this over rice, but it's wonderful on it's own or some other complimenting side dish of your choosing.

Submitted by BoredAs

Tabbouleh Tuesdays

I fell in love with Tabbouleh (Lebanese salad) while ordering from the take out menu at the local grocer. It helped that the server was absolutely GORGEOUS. Can't blame me for saying "Sure, I'll have some of that!" It is refreshing and very easy to make. Just perfect for this time of year. Some versions require about 5 hours preparation time if you want to let the ingredients set in. But here is a quick version from epicurious that can be prepared the same day.  If you do not have cucumbers, you can also add minced onions or leave them out. It is the fresh ingredients that make this salad so delicious. Enjoy!

Tabbouleh Salad - image from wikipedia

Lebanese Tabbouleh

yield: Makes 4 to 6 side-dish servings

active time: 40 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

Fine bulgur might seem like a specialty ingredient, but it is actually in most supermarkets under the name Near East Taboule Wheat Salad Mix — just toss away the seasoning packet.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fine bulgur
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup boiling-hot water
• 2 cups finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (from 3 bunches)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 seedless cucumber*, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

Stir together bulgur and 1 tablespoon oil in a heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over, then cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand 15 minutes. Drain in a sieve, pressing on bulgur to remove any excess liquid.

Transfer bulgur to a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients, including 2 tablespoons oil, until combined well.

* These long, narrow cucumbers are often marketed as "European" and are usually sold in plastic wrap to protect their thin, delicate, unwaxed skin. 

My Brother's Fresh Fish Tacos

Made these recently and they were a big hit. Edit: Continuing the Fish Theme, lol.

Ingredients:

• Egg
• Flour
• Bread crumbs
• 1 Lemon
• Pepper (dash)
• 5-6 Cloves of garlic
• 1 lb. Cod fish fillets (4 people)
• Some Refried beans
• 12-15 Corn tortillas
• Cup of shredded dry coleslaw (pre-bagged) or shredded lettuce.
• Ranch dressing
• Hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

Cut cod fillets into small portions. Marinate them in lemon juice and a dash of pepper, 15 minutes. Bread fillets. Heat oil in fry pan and add garlic cloves. Fry fish until golden brown. Warm up tortillas in pan on stove top. Cut up cooked fish. Take 2-3 warm tortillas per person, spread a tablespoon of refried beans on each tortilla. Add pieces of fish fillet. Add shredded coleslaw, ranch dressing to taste. Add hot sauce (optional). Roll tortillas and serve. 

Note: I am not a cook so feel free to add suggestions!

Mabel Hodges' Party Punch

Okay, to be fair, this is the original recipe for "Fish House Punch", which is a serious-ass, hard-core punch with a P-U-N-C-H and I-am-so-not-kidding-with-this-so-be-extra-careful-serving-it, which was first introduced in 1732 at the Schuylkill Fishing Club in Philadelphia. It was first introduced to me via my circa 1970's mom's Time Life Cook Books, this one entitled, "Wines and Spirits," I believe. It came with an accompanying spiralized recipe book. By the time I reached high school in the 1980's Mom and Dad's drink cupboard (yes, all self-respecting 1970's parents had drink cupboards) was filled with dusty yellowed boxes of Pink Squirrel mix packets, Mai Tai packets and a tin of petrified bourbon balls you could still smell from across the kitchen (my mother made those bourbon balls for her shrink every Christmas, even though he was Jewish), but by then it had already left it's impression on me, as had all of my parents' boozy, bridge-playing friends. The message was clear. To be great all one needed was that single outstanding recipe that would set one's self apart from all the rest. A party drink legacy, if you will. Being a childhood geek I poured over Mom's "Wines and Spirits" book and despite the mildew smell emanating from it's pages I discovered this gem. Years later it would come to life in a blaze of Christmas glory, at my very first grown-up cocktail party of my own. And yes, strangers *do* get married to each other after my parties.

Love,

Mabel

xoxoxo!

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup superfine sugar
• 5 cups water
• 3 cups dark rum
• 3 cups fresh lemon juice
• 3 cups brandy or cognac
• 1 pint peach brandy
• 2 peaches, peeled and sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour the sugar, water, rum, lemon juice, brandy, and peach brandy into a large bowl over a large disk of ice. Stir until blended, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Add the peach slices to float, and serve in chilled glasses.

An Epidural Shot

1 part Everclear
1 part Absolut
1 part Malibu coconut rum
1 part coconut cream

submitted by:  BoredAs

Chocolate Kahlua Cake

I had this at my sis-in-law's house over New Years.  She made a mistake and used a brownie mix and it was more dense and fantastic. 

Mix together:

 1 chocolate cake mix (with pudding in the mix)
2/3 cup oil
3/4 cup Kahlua
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream

Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. 

Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.  (If you are baking mini cakes, bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes).  Cool for 10 minutes then turn onto a plate and dust with powdered sugar.

Emeril's Apple Cake

I swear to God when I make this everyone asks for the recipe.  I make it with or without the toppings.

TO.DIE.FOR

Ingredients
Cake:

1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 or 3 Red Delicious Apples, cored and chopped the size of sugar cubes

Crumble Topping:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Brown Sugar Glaze:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter.

In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.

To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly. Serve warm.