Monthly Archives: April 2010

{Cocktail O’Clock} Dark And Stormy

Posted in Beverages, Food by

When I was in the sixth grade I begged my parents to let me have a boy-girl party on Halloween.  They finally agreed and I wrote out the invitations and told all my girl friends that it was on.

At school the next day I gave the invitations out to the girls, but ended up being too much of a chicken to even give them out to the boys.  Us girls had lots of fun dressed up as punk rockers dancing to Thriller in my basement.

Nowadays I’m not quite as painfully shy as I was in the sixth grade, and I’ve been known to throw a few boy-girl parties since then.  I especially love a good cocktail party, since you can set out a few snacks, some wine and beer, and plan on one or two special cocktails to mix for those that want them.

A fun drink for the rum drinkers is the Dark and Stormy.  It’s made with dark rum and ginger beer or ginger ale, and is said to be a remedy for a sailor’s seasickness.  But it’s definitely better without a queasy stomach!

Dark and Stormy

from Shortbread

makes 1 drink

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces dark rum
  • ginger beer or ginger ale
  • orange wedge for garnish (optional)

Directions

  1. Fill a highball glass with ice and pour rum on top.
  2. Add ginger beer/ale to fill glass.
  3. Garnish with orange wedge, if desired.

 

PRINTER FRIENDLY RECIPE

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{Food Revolution Fridays} Thai Green Curry

Posted in Food, Meats, Seafood by

It’s FOOD REVOLUTION FRIDAY, and if you aren’t on board with Jamie Oliver’s campaign to change the way Americans eat, you can read all about it here.  Sign the petition.  Help our children have a healthy future.

This bright and fresh Thai Green Curry recipe is from Jamie’s Food Revolution cookbook (that has a ton of super-delicious recipes like this one).  It’s full of spring vegetables like asparagus and snow peas, and is covered with a flavorful homemade green curry sauce.  It can be made with shrimp or chicken, or even tofu.  Once again, brilliant.

 

Thai Green Curry

adapted from Jamie’s Food Revolution Cookbook by Jamie Oliver

serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2 stalks lemongrass, outer leaves discarded, crushed
  • 4 scallions, trimmed
  • 3 fresh green chiles, halved and seeded
  • 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 large bunch fresh cilantro, some leaves reserved for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
  • 8 fresh or dried kaffir lime leaves (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, or 2 chicken boneless, skinless fillets sliced into strips
  • 1/2 cup snow peas
  • 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
  • 1 large bunch asparagus, julienned
  • 1 lime
  • Chopped red chile, for garnish (optional)
  • Cooked basmati rice, for serving

Directions

  1. Using the heel of your hand, crush lemongrass and add to the bowl of a food processor along with scallions, green chiles, garlic, ginger, cilantro, coriander seeds, and lime leaves. Process until finely chopped. With the processor running, add soy and fish sauce. Continue processing until a smooth paste is formed.
  2. Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat and add peanut/vegetable and sesame oil; swirl to coat. Add shrimp or chicken and stir and cook until no longer pink;  add curry paste, snow peas, and asparagus and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and stir to combine. Cook until heated through, about more minutes. Squeeze lime over curry and garnish with cilantro leaves and red chile; serve with rice.

PRINTER FRIENDLY RECIPE

Great Stuff For Your Skin

Posted in Health and Beauty, Stuff I Like by

I’d like to share with you two of my all-time favorite skin care products.  I’ve tried a ton of them, and these are two that I keep coming back to.  They’re from DHC, a catalog and online skincare company that sends out free samples in each catalog and with every order – that’s how I ended up trying these.

The Deep Cleansing Oil is a makeup remover and cleanser in one.  You rub in on your dry face and it takes off all your makeup – even waterproof mascara – and then rinses off with water.  It leaves your face feeling clean but not too dry.  Gotta love a multi-tasker!

Olive Virgin Oil is a very light oil you pat on your face after your moisturizer, which sinks in to make skin soft and smooth.  It doesn’t clog your pores, and actually helps to keep your skin hydrated throughout the day, especially in the dry winter weather.