Cooking
- Thanksgiving Punch Recipe
The past few years I’ve been making a welcoming cocktail for Thanksgiving. This year I was offered a bottle of Templeton rye and a stipend for ingredients to create a punch for the holiday. It sounded like a slam dunk, but I am not terribly gifted when...
- Refreshing Drinks For Hot Days
I always have a pitcher of unsweetened iced tea in the refrigerator and this Summer I’ve been experimenting with making shrubs. I’m not a soda drinker, so these drinks appeal to me because they are very refreshing and not very sweet. Teapigs...
- Coconut & Chili--fancy Food Show Trends 2013
In addition to "chia in everything" two other trends I saw at the Winter 2013 Fancy Food Show were lots of products with coconut and a more sophisticated use of chili. It was impossible to miss the virtual rivers of coconut water at the show. Interestingly,...
- Mondays With Maida - Almond Macaroons
Page 240 in the old book / page 263 in the new book I'm afraid no almond macaroon will ever measure up to my ideal almond cookie: Brutti ma Buoni (or Belli et Brutti as the case may be), but if I'd never tasted the Italian version of this cookie,...
- The Clock’s Ticking…
Chocolate Cherry Quick Bread My cherries arrived about a week and a half ago and I know they can’t last forever. They’re still holding up pretty well, but I have almost two pounds left! This evening I made a light and tasty quick...
Cooking
Favorite Things Victoria's Kitchen Almond Water
I first encountered Victoria's Kitchen almond water at the Winter Fancy Food Show this past January. I was struck by how refreshing it was. It's not creamy like almond milk, but thinner and lighter and not too sweet. It has no artificial flavors or colors and while the way it is made is a secret, it's ingredients are only water, sugar, natural almond flavor (whatever that is!) and citric acid. There's something almost dewy about it. I really like it. So when I had the opportunity to receive some samples I said "yes." I thought I'd play around with it and see if I could develop some mixed drinks.
Let the record show, I am not a bartender. Not even close. I think it's part of the reason I am so in awe of bartenders. They are like alchemists, balancing flavors in ways that amaze me They delight me with their concotions. I tried pairing almond water with rum, bourbon, orange liquor, gin and even coffee liquor. Did I mention I am not a bartender?
I can tell you that almond water is fantastic in hot cocoa, and in warm and cold milk. It has some real affinities with rum, but you'd have to be adept at creating drinks to come up with the right cocktail using it. There are some sophisticated cocktail recipes on the Victoria's Kitchen almond water web site. It's not a very expensive mixer and it's delicious both hot and cold. You can also find a store locator.
- Thanksgiving Punch Recipe
The past few years I’ve been making a welcoming cocktail for Thanksgiving. This year I was offered a bottle of Templeton rye and a stipend for ingredients to create a punch for the holiday. It sounded like a slam dunk, but I am not terribly gifted when...
- Refreshing Drinks For Hot Days
I always have a pitcher of unsweetened iced tea in the refrigerator and this Summer I’ve been experimenting with making shrubs. I’m not a soda drinker, so these drinks appeal to me because they are very refreshing and not very sweet. Teapigs...
- Coconut & Chili--fancy Food Show Trends 2013
In addition to "chia in everything" two other trends I saw at the Winter 2013 Fancy Food Show were lots of products with coconut and a more sophisticated use of chili. It was impossible to miss the virtual rivers of coconut water at the show. Interestingly,...
- Mondays With Maida - Almond Macaroons
Page 240 in the old book / page 263 in the new book I'm afraid no almond macaroon will ever measure up to my ideal almond cookie: Brutti ma Buoni (or Belli et Brutti as the case may be), but if I'd never tasted the Italian version of this cookie,...
- The Clock’s Ticking…
Chocolate Cherry Quick Bread My cherries arrived about a week and a half ago and I know they can’t last forever. They’re still holding up pretty well, but I have almost two pounds left! This evening I made a light and tasty quick...