A drink and a casserole

As you may remember, my sort of resolution for 2013 was to try and eat a bit better. Toward that end, I purchased brown rice. Of course, I had completely forgotten how much I dislike its gooey, gummy consistency.

I have found I can mitigate a lot of the issue by lightly toasting the rice first and by making casseroles with it.

Tonight, I started with a Paloma and then made a Chicken Mushroom Casserole.

Paloma

1/4 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice


1 T agave syrup


1 T lime juice


1/4 cup tequila



Salt the rim of a highball or margarita glass.

Place all of the ingredients in a shaker with some ice. Mix well, pour over ice into prepared glass. 

Chicken Mushroom Casserole Recipe

1 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

2 1/2 water

2 chicken breasts

2 tablespoons Creole seasoning

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 lb mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped


2 large eggs


1 cup cottage cheese


1/2 cup sour cream


1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese


In a quart saucepan, heat a couple of glugs of olive oil. Add in the dry rice and toast lightly for just a couple of minutes. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Once done, allow to cool slightly before fixing the rest of the casserole.

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Rub a 9 X 13 baking dish with a bit of olive oil or butter and set aside.

Cut chicken breasts into pieces and sprinkle with Creole seasoning. In a large cast iron skillet, brown chicken over medium heat in a little bit of olive oil, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same  skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter. Saute the mushrooms. Stir every minute or so until the mushrooms have released their liquid and have browned a bit. Add the onions and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes or until they are translucent. Stir in the garlic, cook for another minute. Remove from heat and put the chicken back in the pan with any drippings.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese and sour cream. Add the cooled rice. Combine the rice mixture with the chicken and mushrooms. Stir until well combined and then turn out into your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, place in oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until hot throughout and golden along the edges.

Bloody Eight Blow'd Up!

Early this morning, construction workers imploded the Palace Hotel. Located at Canal and Claiborne, its heyday was the 1950’s. By the time of the levee breaks after Hurricane Katrina, it was renting rooms by the hour. While several contractors had tried to get funding to renovate it, years of neglect had taken too large a toll.

I joined with a couple hundred intrepid citizens for the early morning event. I’m posting here the series of pictures that I took. The first is what the building looked like after the majority of the façade and internal construction materials were removed.

There was a loud crack and then several smaller explosions right at 8 o’clock. This next picture is as it starts to come down.

All that is left is smoke.

I took the final pictures as we all started to walk away.

I marked the occasion with a quart and half of my version of Bloody Marys. I use V-8 juice instead of plain tomato juice, so I call them Bloody Eights. This is the single serving version.

Bloody Eight

1 tsp horseradish

1 to 2 oz of vodka

Ice

2 dashes Tabasco (I prefer the Chipolte Pepper Sauce)

1 oz lime juice

2 dashes Lea & Perrins Worcestershire

1 5.5 fluid oz can of V8

Celery seed and kosher salt

Use a lime wedge to dampen the rim of the glass. Roll it in a mix of celery seed and kosher salt.

Combine horseradish and vodka, mix well. Add ice, Tabasco, lime juice, and Worcestershire. Pour into rim salted glass. Fill remainder of glass with V-8. Stir. Garnish with a lime wedge, celery stalk and pickled okra and green beans. Might as well have a salad with your sipping!

Mint Julep

As you prepare for the Kentucky Derby, it is important that you have the proper adult beverage. Whether you are watching the most exciting two minutes in sport or sitting on the veranda watching the world go by, this mint julep recipe will hit the spot. I make sure to always have mint on hand by growing my own. As I don't want it to take over the rest of the garden, I keep it in containers.

Mint Juleps are traditionally served in silver cups but don't sweat it if you haven't got a set that's been passed down in your family for generations. Instead, use a highball glass.

Mint Julep

Mint leaves

Crushed ice

2 tablespoons mint simple syrup (see recipe below)

2 tablespoons water

2 ounces good-quality Kentucky bourbon

Crush or muddle a few mint leaves in the bottom of an 8-ounce Mint Julep Cup or a highball glass with the back of a spoon until mixture forms a paste.

Then fill the Mint Julep Cup or glass 1/2 full with crushed or shaved ice. Add prepared mint syrup, water, and bourbon. Stir well.

To serve, garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.

Mint Simple Syrup

1 1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cup sugar

A large handful of mint (leaves and stems)

Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil. Pour over the mint and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Remove mint and strain. Store in the refridgerator in an airtight container.

Mint simple syrup can also be used to sweeten and flavor iced tea and to make a killer mojito.

Bayou Beer Garden

Bayou Beer Garden is on Jeff Davis in Mid City. More than just a neighborhood bar, it has a good sized interior but the real selling point is the back covered deck area, perfect for watching a game on TV or just enjoying a few rounds with some friends. Beyond the cocktails at the bar, they have a sizeable selection of bottle beers from around the world.

I was there after a Board meeting to meet up with a friend on her birthday. I enjoyed a spicy Bloody Mary and a shot of Praline liquor--quite yummy with a nutty and sweet flavor. I also ordered some of their disco fries. These are French fries covered in melted cheese and debris gravy and they made me swoon. The sweet potato fries were good, too, but couldn't compete with the disco fries!

While I might not go there for a Saints game, this place has just become one of my favorite Mid-City hangouts.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies / Strawberry Margarita

The Quaker Company has changed the recipe for their Vanishing Oatmeal cookies. They've reduced the butter and the white sugar. I'm posting the original here because the extra butter definitely improves the final product. As I was on a strawberry kick, I made margarita's while baking the cookies and they tasted pretty good together.


Oatmeal Raisin cookies
Quaker Oats original recipe

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups uncooked oats
1 cup raisins (put raisins in a double boiler for a few minutes to plump them up)

Preheat oven to 350

Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, mix into butter mixture. Stir in oats and raisins, mix well.

Drop by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet, remove to wire rack.


Strawberry margarita

• 2 cups crushed ice
• 1/2 cup strawberry puree
• 1 cup tequila
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 shot Triple Sec

Combine in a blender, ice, strawberry water, tequila, lime juice, Triple Sec and simple syrup. Puree until smooth. Pour into rocks glasses that you've sugared the rim and serve.

Pimm's Cup

Carnival season in New Orleans lasts from Twelfth Night (January 6) to Fat Tuesday. Today was Mardi Gras and it was quite warm, so I took the opportunity to work on my Pimm's Cup. I really like the version served at Napoleon House in the French Quarter but wanted to have a version that I could recreate at home. After a few attempts of trying to strike a balance between sweet and sharp, I think I've come up with a delicious version



Pimm's Cup - Recipe Revised 10/21/2012

2 ounces Pimm’s No. 1
4 ounces lemonade (I used Tropicana)
1 tsp grated cucumber
Ginger Ale
Cucumber spear

Remove the seeds and grate one cucumber. Mix together Pimm’s and lemonade in a 12 oz glass. Top off with Ginger Ale and ice. Stir. Garnish with cucumber spear.

Hot Mulled Apple Cider

When the Mardi Gras season is chilly and damp, I make a crock pot full of hot apple cider, mulled with spices and citrus zest. My crock pots holds three quarts so I usually buy a quart and a half of unfiltered apple juice and then make up the remainder with the cheapest apple juice I can buy. Make sure you're buying 100% apple juice and not a blend.



Per one quart of apple juice:
One stick of cinnamon
Twenty whole black peppercorns
Three whole cloves
Two tablespoons honey (or brown sugar)

In addition to these four ingredients, use the zest from half a lemon, lime, or lemon-sized orange for each quart of apple juice.

Toast the cinnamon, peppercorns and cloves in a saucepan. It will only take a couple of minutes for them to release the oils. Pour in apple juice and the sweetener to dissolve. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Pour through a strainer into the crock pot and simmer for 1 hour. Turn low and it will be good all day.

To adultify—add a half ounce of blood orange liquor or limoncello to the mug. Stir with a cinnamon stick.

Mint Limoncello Champagne Cocktail

Ringing in the New Year with a new drink:

Mint Limoncello Campagne Cocktail

½ cup fresh mint leaves
¼ cup limoncello
2 T sugar, plus more for dipping
lemon peel strips from 1 lemon
4 tsp fresh lemon juice plus lemon wedge
1 cup champagne

Place mint, limoncello, 2 T sugar and lemon strips in blender. Blend until mint is finely chopped, about 10 seconds. Strain into a jar. Refrigerate until midnight.

Run lemon wedge around rim of champagne flutes. Dip into sugar. Divide limoncello mixture between flutes. Top with champagne.

Toast!

Halloween Drinks

Happy Halloween!

I'm enjoying a Bee's Knees on my front porch while I wait for the Trick or Treaters to arrive.

Halloween candy is good and all but the holiday isn't complete without an adult beverage!

Candy Corn Martinis

For the infused vodka:
1/2 cup candy corn
1 1/2 cups vodka

Drink recipe
2 ounces orange liqueur like Triple Sec
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Candy corn, for garnish

Infuse the vodka: Combine the candy corn and vodka in an airtight container; set aside for at least 3 hours, then strain. Store in the refrigerator.

Make the Candy Corn Martinis: Add 4 ounces of the candy corn vodka, the orange liqueur and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into 2 chilled martini glasses and garnish with candy corn.

Bee's Knees

2 oz gin
1 oz honey syrup
1 oz fresh lemon juice

Make honey syrup by putting 1 cup of honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly stir in 1 cup of water. Let come to a boil, stirring regularly. Store in the refrigerator.

Make the Bee's Knees: Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

If you're making a pitcher of drinks or filling a punch bowl, consider tossing in a few dismembered hands:

Ghostly Floating Hands

To make ghostly hands that float, fill surgical gloves (or rubber gloves) with plain or colored water and tie at the opening. Freeze. Cut off gloves from ghost hands and place in filled punch bowl.

Wine Institute Of New Orleans

The Wine Institute of New Orleans (WINO) is a great place to pick up the perfect bottle of wine or champagne for any sort of dinner. They also offer wine tasting events of their own, including certificate classes in wine and spirits. The prices are competitive and the folks who work there are true oenophiles.

They also have a small deli in the back of the shop with a pretty decent selections of sandwiches. I went today and enjoyed a really wonderful roast beef sandwich with brie on ciabatta bread. The roast beef was excellent and they ran the sammy under a grill, so the cheese was all melty and delicious. The two of us each had sandwiches and drinks and the total ran right under $20, so its a pretty good deal for lunch there in the Warehouse District. Do be advised that there is only one guy working the deli, so it can take thirty minutes or more for your sandwich to arrive!

Columns Hotel

I got together with a few friends for drinks last night and we decided to visit the Columns Hotel. Sitting right on St. Charles Avenue between Napoleon and Louisiana, it is fun going to enjoy the stately ambiance, sit on the porch or go inside to the Victoria Lounge to watch the streetcars rumble past. I went to their Sunday Jazz Brunch a couple of years ago and I understand that it is still outstanding. They are known for their sazarac but their bartenders will pretty much work their magic on any alcohol. I left it up to the bartender and he served up a refreshing rum drink with limoncello. Very worth it for an intimate, romantic meet up or for our fiery political discussions as the tables are widely spaced and the waitstaff discreet.

Butterbeer

Okay, I guess I should get it out there that I'm a Harry Potter fan (although the books should have been named Hermione Granger as Harry, Ron and the entire wizarding world would have been goners with out her). While I didn't see the midnight showing, I did watch the Deathly Hallows 7B at noon on Friday in 3D. I definitely recommend the film--who wouldn't want to see a film about a valiant fight between good and evil, set in a fantastical world populated by ghoulish monsters who want to drag the world into terrible darkness, with the only hope for salvation a group of brave young rebels?

In preparation for the screening, I made some Butterbeer Cupcakes:

For the cupcakes:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cream soda (do not use diet)

For the ganache:
1 11-oz. package butterscotch chips
1 cup heavy cream

For the buttercream frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup butterscotch ganache
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 16-oz. package powdered sugar
Splash of milk or cream (as needed)

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine your flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream your butter until light and fluffy. Add your sugars and beat until well-combined. Beat in your eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then beat in your vanilla and butter flavoring.

Alternate adding your buttermilk, cream soda, and dry ingredients in batches until all are well incorporated. Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and cake springs back to the touch. Cool completely on wire racks.

For the butterscotch filling: In a double boiler (heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water on the stove), combine butterscotch chips and heavy cream and stir until completely combined and smooth. Cool to room temperature. Fill a squeeze bottle with ganache and insert into the center of each cupcake, squeezing until filling begins to overflow.

For the buttercream frosting: Cream butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Add in ganache, vanilla, butter flavoring, and salt and mix until well combined. Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until reaching desired consistency. Add milk or cream by the Tablespoon as needed. Frost cupcakes and top with a drizzle of butterscotch ganache.

For the real fans, divide the frosting and use food coloring to make them in your preferred House colors.

Adapted from Amy Bites.

Use any leftover ganache to make butterbeer:

8oz cream soda
2-3 tablespoons of butterscotch ganache

Mix in a tall glass and serve over ice. Add a shot of butterscotch schnapps for an adult version.