White Summer Sangria

For my Cinco de Mayo celebration tonight, I am serving Sangria.  Yes, Sangria is largely a Spanish (and not Mexican) drink, but Cinco de Mayo is largely a American (and not Mexican) holiday.   So I thought I would share my recipe for this easy and beautiful drink.  

1 cup of flavored Rum (I used Cruzan Pineapple)

2 cups of white grape juice

Bottle of Chardonnay, Cava, Prosecco

sliced Orange

1/2 sliced grapefruit

frozen green grapes

mint sprig

Mix and let sit for a couple hours (this is where the fruit sucks up the alcohol)

POUR and ENJOY

Easy Weeknight Supper

I took my own photo, but it looked very unappetizing.  This photo taken by John Kernick.

This recipe is adapted from Food & Wine Magazine.  It has very few ingredients, is good for you, and tastes great.



Whole wheat pizza dough

1/2 Acorn Squash, skin removed, sliced about 1/4" thick

2 cups of Kale, shredded

teaspoon of lemon juice

olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, sliced very thin

shaved pecorino (or romano or parm)



Preheat oven to 425

Mix shredded kale with lemon juice, teaspoon of olive oil & a shake of red pepper flakes. Let marinate.

Mush pizza dough into sheet pan, brush olive oil on, sprinkle with salt, poke with fork several times.

Bake dough in oven until brown, but still soft inside, about 10 minutes.



In the meantime, toss squash with teaspoon of olive oil in saute pan and cook until soft.  Turn off heat and add sliced garlic.



When crust is done, top with kale mixture, then squash.  Bake in oven another 2 minutes and top with shaved cheese.  Enjoy!

Cinco de Mayo

Santa Maria de Tonantzintla Cholula Puebla Mexico

Cinco de Mayo is next Wednesday.  I am having a few friends over to celebrate what Wikipedia describes as "not 'an obligatory federal holiday' in Mexico, but rather a holiday that can be observed voluntarily.  While Cinco de Mayo has limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States (also voluntarily) and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride."  Sounds like a good reason to fire up the grill and start using that backyard that I moved to Atlanta for.  

For now the menu is carne asada tacos (Trader Joe's has a great pre-marinated kind), DIY grilled quesadillas, Elote black beans, homemade pico di gallo and guacamole.  Of course there will be Mexican beer and probably (if I have time) white sangria.  Won't the sangria look great in these Ikea carafes and glasses?  This is not a kid's birthday party, so use real dishes and flatware.  No, "crystal" plastic flatware still counts as plastic.  

Ikea

For decorations, a few lanterns from Pier 1will increase the festive-ness.  You don't have to spend a lot of money for a big impact.  I also believe that your party decorations should not end up in the trash, so buy reusable supplies.  

Weekday Dinner Party

I have been very busy and a last minute trip to Tampa this weekend has made me neglectful of A Curated Lifestyle.  Tomorrow I will be in a tax seminar all day, but I have invited friends over for dinner.  I am excited to have a big dining table so I have been hosting meals at my house regularly.  My plan for dinner tomorrow is this: individual turkey meatloaf, smashed potatoes, asparagus with lemon, and green onion biscuits.  I chose this menu because:



1. Time - Since it is a weeknight meal I needed something quick, hence the individual meatloaf that take less time to cook and smashed instead of mashed potatoes. 

2. Time - Everything is combine and cook, no messing around with adding ingredients later or adjusting temperature midway through.

3. Time - I can make the meatloaf the night before, cover and bake when I get home before the party.  I can mix the biscuit ingredients tonight and bake tomorrow (the recipe calls for rolling them out and using a biscuit cutter - I am going to just drop a spoonful of the batter on the sheet and bake)

4. Cost - This is a simple and classic menu, there are not a lot of ingredients required and they are inexpensive.

5. Simplicity - I have made everything before, so I know the steps and know there aren't any surprises in the recipes.

6. TASTE - For a wide variety of palates of friends that I have not cooked for before, this is a meal that few would find fault with.  These dishes taste great and will please everyone.

Sunday Brunch

Photo from The Lonely Baker Blog

Last Sunday I made brunch as an excuse to use our new table.  I am a big proponent of having people over for meals, it provides life and energy to your home.  This was nothing fancy, but makes a big impact and tastes delicious.  It also keeps you from slaving over the stove.  My menu:



French Toast Bread Pudding:

1) Loaf of Challah, sliced and put in a 8 x 13 dish. I like doing this the night before to dry the bread.

2) Mix following:

• 5 cups of cream/whole milk combination.  I used 2 cup cream and 3 cup whole milk.  Also could sub lowfat milk for lighter version.


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 8 eggs


• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg


• 2 tablespoons of sugar - make sure this dissolves


• teaspoon vanilla


• variations: orange or lemon zest, cinnamon, sliced banana, maple syrup in place of sugar, nuts, dried fruits, fresh apples, whatever you can imagine.

3) Pour wet ingredients over challah, bake until custard has set with aluminum tent, about 1 hour @ 400 degrees

4) Remove foil, bake until golden, about 15 minutes

(Keep an eye on your pudding your times may vary a little.)

5) Sprinkle with powdered sugar or toasted nuts or drizzle with fruit syrup

Maple Bacon

1) 1 lb of bacon

2) Mix 3 tablespoons of maple syrup with teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne, feel free to experiment with other herbs and spices

3) Pour mix over bacon laid out on baking sheet (cover with foil for easy clean-up)

4) Bake for 15-20 minutes (depends on your desired crispness and thickness of bacon) at 400 after you have pulled out French Toast Bread Pudding.  

I also made a fruit salad with blueberries, strawberries, and pineapple to cut through the richness of the meal.  

Homemade Falafel

(Image from One Hot Stove)

Last night I tried my hand at falafel and they turned out very well.  This is an easy recipe that uses mostly ingredients that you probably keep in your kitchen.  I never measure herbs and spices, so the amounts below are approximations, adjust to your liking.

2 cans garbanzo beans - rinsed and drained well

2 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced parsley

2 cloves of garlic (less or more is fine too)

1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix above ingredients and blend in food processor to coarse grind or just mash very well like I did.

Mix in 2 tablespoons of flour ( I used whole wheat).

Form into approximately 12 balls.  You can also make patties if it is easier for you and your pan.

Get 1/2 oil in your pan (cast iron or enameled cast iron holds heat the best for fries) and heat it up until it sizzles when you drop water in.  Be very careful, it is also helpful to have a grease shield for splatters.

Do the balls in batches until brown and crispy all over.



Sauce - 2 tablespoons of tahini, mix with juice of lemon or more for taste and consistency, 2 tablespoons of water, a pinch of salt.  The sauce should be the consistency of, well like Nate said last night, the paste you used to eat in grade school.



Put a couple balls in a pita with sauce and lettuce, shredded carrot, sliced cucumbers, a little red onion and you have a yummy dinner.  If only we had some of those super hot small yellow peppers.



I know there is a lot of variation in this recipe, but you have to develop the food you make to your tastes.  Using more or less or something when cooking because you like garlic or you like food spicy is good, don't be so rigid to the recipe - unless you are baking.

Homemade Granola

Granola is expensive for what it is.  My mom and sister-in-law both gave it out as gifts this Christmas.  So I decided to make my own, I must say I am a good cook.  I can follow recipes and if I don't things more often than not turn out fine.  My granola did not turn out okay.  It tastes a little like the burnt insides of an oven.  I used a recipe from Sharing the Table at Garland's Lodge (it was not the cookbook's fault), maybe it was the peanut butter mixture was cooked too long, maybe it was using a new oven, maybe granola is not my thing.  I will try granola again, I will try to get it right.  Now what can I do with 10 cups of slightly burnt tasting granola?

Freshen Up Cocktails

While mixing myself a cocktail tonight, I came to a realization that I had been using lemon to freshen up my drinks all summer long and now into the fall and winter.  A spritz, a twist, or a squeeze of a citrus fruit will add that freshness that many mixes do not provide.  This is an easy way to make a cocktail taste custom without all the work and mixology lessons.  Mix flavored rum (my favorite Cruzan Guava) with soda and a twist, add lime to Stirrings Pomegranate and vodka, the citrus cuts through the sweetness and adds a zing.  Yum!

Humane Turkey

I am very excited about Thanksgiving this year, it'll be small (4 people) but my first time hosting.  I love Thanksgiving it is my favorite holiday.  Having family close, cooking, the energy of the whole house, the sides.  The sides are the best thing about Thanksgiving to me.  Turkey is a side for me, the majority of my plate is filled with mashed potatoes.



This year, being a humane consumer of meat, I purchased a Heritage Turkey from Heritage Foods USA.  My turkey was not cheap, but I am buying an animal that was cared for and has a worth to it's life.  Heritage Turkeys are endangered, the way to save them is to eat them.  If there is no demand for these rare birds, the supply will diminish.



I encourage everyone to seek out a turkey that has been Certified Humane.  Buy a turkey from a small local farmer that you trust.  When you buy a turkey in these conditions your meal will taste better and you will feel better.

EASY & DELICIOUS: Fresh Tomato Pasta

This is a recipe from Real Simple.  I have made it so many times that I had to share.  It is the quickest and most delicious meal. 

Serves 4





Hands-On Time: 20m



Total Time: 20m



Ingredients



12 ounces linguine



1 1/2 pounds beefsteak tomatoes, quartered MUST BE FRESH



2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil



1 clove garlic, chopped



kosher salt and black pepper



1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped



1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)



Directions



1.Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.



2.Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree the tomatoes, oil, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.



3.Toss the pasta with the tomato sauce and half the basil. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and the remaining basil before serving.