Easter brunch (or any brunch) cocktail
This was our Easter cocktail. For the non-drinkers, I made up a batch of the citrus mix, sans the brandy, and added flavored La Croix sparkling water instead of Prosecco.
The lemonade ice cubes make the drink so festive. Since I have this long ice-cube tray to work with, I served the cocktail in champagne glasses. If I was using a standard tray, I’d have used wine glasses instead.
Sparkling Citrus Brunch Cocktail
Ice Cubes
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, thinly sliced
- 1 orange, thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 cups prepared lemonade
Cocktail
- 1 ½ cups fresh orange juice
- 1 cup fresh Ruby Red grapefruit juice
- 1 (750-milliliter) bottle Prosecco, chilled
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces) brandy
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Citrus slices for garnish
April 9, 2018 2 Comments
Arizona citrus
Two of the three instructors who taught cooking classes at Les Gourmettes Cooking School this April have made refreshing and colorful citrus salads. And why not? We all love to use local ingredients and Arizona offers some of the best citruses around.
Another coincidence was that both of the chefs used a variety of orange called Cara Cara. I don’t recall this variety ever being used at the school before and then suddenly two consecutive teachers use them. Amazingly, they are even available at Costco.
The Cara Cara orange is an all-natural hybrid orange, the result of the cross-pollination of a Washington Navel Orange and a Brazilian Bahia Navel Orange.
They were discovered in 1976 in Venezuela at the Hacienda da Cara Cara. The oranges found their way into very limited US markets in the 1980s.
The next citrus tree I plant is going to be a Cara Cara! I love the sweetness of the fruit and the gorgeous reddish-pink color of the flesh. The photo above shows the blood orange, the Cara Cara and the navel next to each other. Beautiful!
I enjoyed and was inspired so much by the cooking class salads that I decided to pick up a bag of Cara Cara oranges at Costco and use my backyard bounty of lemons, grapefruit, blood and navel oranges for my dad’s birthday dinner.
April 26, 2017 1 Comment
LindaLand mocktail … or cocktail
When I entertain, I want everyone to feel special and loved. That means not only taking dietary restrictions and food preferences into consideration but also thinking of those who don’t imbibe. Often people think that individuals “of age” don’t drink because they have been through AA. But there are many reasons your guests may choose not to drink. A guest could be pregnant or trying to become pregnant (fun!) or it may be they’ve given up alcohol for Lent or for a diet. Or they could just be taking a break from it after one of those, “I’ll never drink again!” weekends.
No matter the reason, you want to offer them something more special than water, tea, coffee, Coke, or soda water. You want them to feel like they are part of the party … because … they are!
I created this mocktail for just such an occasion. The best way to make all feel included is to create a full-flavored and well-rounded drink that tastes just as fabulous without alcohol as it does with it.
Not all cocktails can be turned into a mocktail. For instance, a dirty martini doesn’t make the cut. Your non-drinkers would basically be drinking olive juice with a couple of olives on a pick. That’s not going to happen!
This drink makes the cut and then some. I’ve named it after the nickname that Steve and Tram gave to my backyard because the main ingredients, pink grapefruit, and rosemary, come from there. I’m calling the virgin recipe a Spritzer and the alcoholic version a Gin Fizz. Oh, and please don’t be intimidated by the length of the recipe. It is not at all difficult or time-consuming, it’s just my rambling instructions.
June 9, 2016 10 Comments
Vento cocktail #1
This selfie was taken in December at The Bean in Chicago during the trip that Tram and I took to visit Lori and Jonathan Vento.
Lori and Jonathan provided the cocktails for our Friday night soirée.
Today I present you with Lori’s cocktail. Tomorrow I’ll post Jonathan’s. Then I’ll fill you in on which was our favorite.
March 1, 2016 1 Comment
Saturday cocktail
I saw this gorgeous pink cocktail on Pinterest and knew it was in my future to make! The original recipe actually comes from the Barefoot Contessa’s How Easy Is That cookbook.
Since I have a ruby red grapefruit tree, and the grapefruit is huge this year, I used half fresh juice and half purchased Ocean Spray Ruby Red juice. The Ocean Spray was needed to get the richer pink color. Plus I added fresh zest, which really showed off the fresh grapefruit. You could always substitute vodka for tequila if you are one of the hundreds of thousands who swore off tequila after your college days. 🙂 I didn’t have Blanco tequila, instead, I used the Añejo I had on hand – Blanco will keep the pink color pinker though.
I experimented a little bit more and muddled in 1/4 cup of fresh basil. And that is the recipe I’ll be making from now on – a real winner – just strain out the basil before blending with the ice to ensure the lovely pink color.
March 3, 2012 No Comments
girlfriends
Friendships are amazing and wonderful things. Especially those which have lasted the test of time and/or distance. My longest-standing childhood friendships are with Jayne Meadows McKay and Sheri Wigodsky Thal, both of whom were neighbors and school friends. Jayne lived across the street and is the second of six kids and Sheri is the second of three girls and lived five houses down from me. After grade school, our friendships changed as we all moved on, but even so, when I see either of them, it’s like we were never apart… we just pick up where we left off. That truly is a beautiful thing!
Then there is Laura Galloway Heffron. Laura and I met during the first month of my freshman year at Saguaro High School. We quickly learned that our birthdays are only a day apart and that we shared many of the same interests..so that was that, BFF’s for life! Laura’s parents and two sisters were truly my second family during those formative years and have always been such a true blessing in my life. Laura was my maid of honor and is Marissa’s godmother. Her sister, Mary Galloway Freeman, was one of my bridesmaids too. Shawna Galloway Reynolds is daughter number three and now all three girls, along with their own wonderful families, live only blocks from each other, along with their mother, Coleen, who is just down the street. I love and admire those four strong and beautiful women more than I can say.
March 18, 2010 2 Comments
fresh and light
My various citrus trees are producing pounds upon pounds of citrus. The oranges, lemons, and grapefruit are being picked and eaten or used in cooking daily. The limes, blood oranges, and Meyer lemons aren’t quite ready yet, and I’m grateful for that, I can’t keep up as it is! So don’t be surprised to see citrus popping up in just about every post from here on out, for months to come.
To kick it off here is a quick and light salad using another couple of favorites; avocado and fennel. The fennel bulb, fronds (leaves), and seeds are used in cooking. The bulb is a crisp, root vegetable and may be sauteed, roasted, stewed, braised, grilled, or eaten raw. The fronds are delicately flavored and look very similar in shape to dill. The seeds are used either fresh or can be found dried in the spice aisle. The hollow stems are tough and stringy and are usually discarded or used in making vegetable stock. Fennel pollen is actually the most potent form of fennel but is very expensive and difficult to find. Fennel grows like a weed, so be sure to cultivate the pollen yourself, if you grow fennel in your garden, it is amazing! For this salad, we’re using the bulb and a few of the fronds, as garnish. If you can not find, or do not want to pay the price for, blood oranges or Meyer lemons, use regular oranges and lemons instead.
January 6, 2010 1 Comment