Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: beets, pickling, recipes, root vegetables, winter foods
Before they retired to Arizona, my grandparents had a spectacular garden on their suburban Milwaukee property. There are photos of my grandfather in his vegetable garden, proudly standing among tomato, cucumber and squash plants. Summer and fall barabecues at their house meant we feasted on what the garden produced, cooked perfectly and with love by my grandmother. I was a kid that ate nearly everything, with few exceptions. That included beets, specifically the pickled beets from my grandparents’ garden. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: alcohol, cocktails, homemade liqueurs, mexico, recipe for homemade kahlua, recipes
So what if you can’t steal away south of the border for a tropical getaway now that winter has finally settled in? It is perfectly okay because you can always sip on homemade kahlua blended with bananas and vodka while envisioning a sunny palm tree-d beach chair without spending cash on a plane ticket and time spent with TSA. Don’t want to think about sunnier spots? Try a little in your hot cocoa. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: baking, biscuits, heirloom recipes, inspirations, sweet potato
A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Donna Pierce, the founder of Skillet Diaries and Black America Cooks, as well as the former test kitchen director and food editor at the Chicago Tribune for a piece I wrote for Marcus Samuelsson.com From our brief conversation I gathered that Ms. Pierce is a fantastic lady, with volumes of knowledge about the Chicago food scene, the history of soul food and just life in general. She was kind and engaging on the telephone and even more helpful during my publishing/editing. (more…)
When you’re sitting at the bar this weekend and something strikes you to order a White Russian you can probably recount watching The Big Lebowski one too many times or hanging out with your Aunt over the holidays. Either way, there is a time and a place for this delicious, sweet libation. It’s okay, don’t be embarrassed. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cocktails, eggnog, recipes, tom and jerry, vintage
There are a few cocktails that are on nearly everyone’s list come holiday party season. Some people serve poinsettias, some serve egg nog or glugg, but there’s one drink that carries on through the generations that is happily welcomed but rarely seen, Tom and Jerry Punch, sometimes referred to as Tom and Jerry Eggnog. There are many recipes out there for eggnog but this one is truly a vintage favorite.
Known as a Peruvian drink, the Pisco Sour has been making waves across South America since the early 20th century. First poured at the hands of ex-pat Victor Morris at the self-owned Morris Bar, a traditional establishment located on Jiron de la Union in Lima, the Prisco Sour was a whisky sour modified to include the local spirit, Pisco. Pisco, unlike its cocktail has been made in Peru for centuries, with credit most commonly given to Spanish settlers during colonial times. After the introduction of grape vines from the Canary Islands, settlers found a grape that took to the harsh Peruvian land which was then fermented and distilled into a faintly yellow brandy that was then exported to Spain, perhaps from the town of Pisco. Chile, too, claims to be the founder of Pisco, but most can point to a Peruvian earthquake in 1687 to the collapse of Pervuian Pisco and the introduction of Chilean Pisco. The two countries still argue today over who can claim its rights, but either way, the drinking public is happy to have it.
Pisco has a naturally smooth flavor, one that many don’t associate with its high alcohol content, thus leaving first time drinkers a little more intoxicated than they expect. Keep this is mind should you be ready to consume your first Pisco Sour, which blends sour and sweet to smoothen the liquor even more. You may be weary of adding an uncooked egg white to your cocktails, but trust that a Pisco Sour is not authentic without.
Pisco Sour
sugar syrup (recipe follows)
lime juice, preferably key-lime juice
Peruvian Pisco
1 egg white
Crushed ice
Angostura bitters
Sugar syrup:
1 part granulated sugar
1 part water
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Cool before mixing into cocktails
For 4 Servings of Pisco Sour:
Place 1 part lime juice, 1 part Pisco, and 1 1/2 parts sugar syrup in a blender along with a cup of crushed ice and 1 egg white.
Blend until you see the meringue form (the contents will turn a frothy white).
Pour into a pitcher or individual rocks glasses and garnish with a few dashes of bitters
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: beer, cocktails, memories, mexican, recipes, tomatoes
Last year at about this time I was still daydreaming about a recent trip to Mexico to celebrate my favorite holiday Dia de Los Muertos. In addition to all the usual great things Mexico has to offer, like beaches, margaritas, tropical sunsets and tacos, are my preferred brunch drink of choice, micheladas. There’s truly nothing more sublime than sitting on the beach, eating chilequiles and drinking this spicy, salty tomato concoction. Ah, Mexico…. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cocktails, gin, recipe, spicy, tomatoes, vodka
Chances are you’ve probably sipped a Bloody Mary at a Sunday morning brunch, you’ve probably even had two. You may have taken for granted its common place existence and most certainly wouldn’t view it as a luxurious cocktail and perhaps a better representation would be calling it “hair of the dog.” But where does the bloody mary come from? Why is it a brunch staple and what’s with the name?
