Dinner tonight was a simple Cashew Chicken Stir Fry paired with Black Swan Chardonnay. We really liked the peach, citrus and melon flavors of the wine with the slightly spicy chicken and vegetables. It also paired well with our crab rangoon. At about $8 a bottle, Black Swan 2009 South Eastern Australia Chardonnay is our “house” chardonnay of the moment!

Serves 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons honey [Read more →]

Watermelon Sorbet
Serves 8

7 cups seeded, chopped watermelon (from a 4-5 pound watermelon)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice [Read more →]

Have you tried this yet?
Close your eyes and imagine tasting the grapevine flowers that bloom for just a few days in June……that’s it, the spirit of June….and it’s been captured in a flower liqueur called Esprit de June.

Today I’m making  Jeff and Jenn and Fritsch a cocktail of Esprit de June, G’vine Gin and Fentimans Tonic garnished with a sprig of Lavender. It’s one of the cocktails we’re serving at the Gods of the Harvest event tomorrow night  at The Krohn Conservatory. Cheers!

Listen to the interview. Link contains Todd Kelly interview as well.  Rita’s interview, part 2.

Rita Heikenfeld is a certified modern herbalist, author, cooking teacher, radio and television personality and her weekly column in the Community Press Newspapers often features tips and recipes for cooking with herbs.  She was recently an invited presenter at the Herb Society of America‘s National Conference and one of her videos was featured on the Today Show in a montage of “successful UTube videos”.  Her segments on Sacred Heart Radio (Thursday mornings, on Bible herbs & foods) have gone national. Rita shared so many great  ideas  with me today . Check out her site for great ways to use herbs for home “spa” treatments,  how to dry and freeze herbs and so much more.

This is Rita’s beautiful garden. She shared this recipe for Gardener’s Hand Cream: 1/4 cup petroleum jelly to 1 cup generic hand cream – mix with mixer and add favorite essential oil.

Rita roasts tomatoes with basil. oregano and thyme. Click here to learn how to freeze them.

Ginger Peach Bellini

3 ounces white peach/ginger puree
¼ ounce raspberry puree (optional)
1 bottle chilled Italian prosecco
Maraschino liqueur, to taste

Puree fresh white peaches in blender with ½ tablespoon of fresh ginger until smooth. Spoon puree mixture into a chilled champagne flute. Top with raspberry puree and a splash of maraschino liqueur. Slowly add prosecco into flute while stirring with a spoon.

*You can substitute fresh or canned yellow peaches, peach juice, or peach nectar if fresh white peaches are not unavailable.

Blue Ice Cocktail
1 ounce vodka
1 ounce coconut rum
1 ounce blue curacao
3 ounces Brut champagne
Dash grenadine

Pour vodka, coconut rum, blue curacao, grenadine, and ice into cocktail mixer. Shake thoroughly then strain into chilled champagne flute. Top with champagne.

Great article about one of my all-time favorite drinks by Frank Bruni in the NY Times. My absolute favorite pre-made mix is Zing Zang. Have you tried it? It’s fantastic!

A classic 1960′s cocktail, straight out of Mad Men!

INGREDIENTS
¾ oz crème de noyaux
¾ oz crème de cacao
½ oz vodka
1 oz fresh cream
INSTRUCTIONS
Pour all over ice in mixing glass. Stir and serve in martini glass.

Listen to the interview.

There’s something relaxing about a porch, where you can chill out with friends, family, or on your own and watch the world go by while sipping a cool drink and nibbling on delicious snacks. In Porch Parties, Denise Gee captures the laid-back joy of partying on a porch (or veranda, deck, backyard, stoop, whatever space you’ve got) with more than 50 recipes for colorful, simple cocktails and handheld bites that make outdoor entertaining a breeze. Denise has packed this pretty little book with helpful, inspired tips on planning, furnishings, decorations, heating, cooling, food safety, and more

This drink, from Porch Parties is the signature drink at the luxe resort Little Palm Island in Florida. It was named by one of the resort’s earliest bartenders, who noticed how the concoction left guests in a Gumbylike (pliable) state, desirous to slumber in a hammock. Consider this a massage in a glass.

GUMBY SLUMBER
Serves 1

1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice
1 1/2 ounces orange juice
1 1/2 ounces spiced rum
1 1/2 ounces coconut-flavored rum*
Garnish: Fruit kabob or pineapple slice

Combine the juices and rums in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake well and strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish, if desired.

* You can substitute white rum, but it won’t have the wonderful coconut flavor for which the drink is known.

Just to make sure I’ve got it exactly right, I’ll be practicing this cocktail that’s  featured in my Summer House Entertaining class next week. Repeatedly.

Watermelon Margarita

Makes 4 drinks
A 2-pound chunk of watermelon (about 1/8 of a watermelon), rind removed and flesh cut into chunks
1 lime
Coarse salt
9 ounces tequila
2 ounces Cointreau
4 ounces fresh lime juice
1 ounce simple syrup
Strips of lime zest for garnish

Set a strainer or colander over a bowl and squeeze the chunks of watermelon over the strainer to extract the juice. You need 3/4 cup juice.
Cut the lime into quarters and set aside. Rub the outside rims of four martini glasses with the lime, then invert each glass into a container of coarse salt to coat the rim. Add the watermelon juice, tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and simple syrup to a large cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Cover and shake. Strain into cocktail glasses and garnish with lime zest.

I looooove this book: Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone by Krystina Castella. Her companion website is loaded with inspiring photos. Here’s her recipe for Mojito Pops.

Makes 24 two-ounce ice cube-tray pops, six 8-ounce pops, or eight 6-ounce pops (Note: Or be like me and make six popsicles and three nice sized mojitos to share while you’re waiting for the pops to freeze).
1½ cups fresh lime juice (8 limes)
2½ cups club soda
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves [Read more →]