The Cure All

Let’s say that you had a little too much to drink the night before… and let’s say, that you wake up with a terrible headache because of it…and let’s guess that you have some tomato juice in the fridge and some vodka on the bar… WELL, you are IN LUCK! Nothing quite cures a “headache” (aka – a hangover), quite like a Bloody Mary. As luck would have it, I have just the recipe to suit your needs…

Bloody Mary

Ingredients:

8 oz tomato juice
3 oz vodka
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp celery salt
1 tsp of Tabasco sauce
fresh lemon wedge
fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Fill a large glass with ice. To the ice, add the black pepper (to your taste) and Worcestershire sauce, then add remaining ingredients (except the Tabasco sauce).
2. Pour everything into a shaker and shake well. Pour back into glass and add tobacco sauce – give it a little stir.
3. Garnish with green olives or a celery stalk and take your “medicine” down like a big boy or girl!

Beignets in the Big City

Brunch plus soul food? Sounds divine, doesn’t it!?!?!? In San Francisco, there is a fantastic café called BRENDA’S French Soul Food, that serves the most AMAZING brunch. From omelets to croque-monsieur (a fancy ham & cheese sandwich), Brenda’s fills anyone’s craving for breakfast/brunch food!
The most delectable item on Brenda’s menu though, is the Beignet Flight. Brenda’s offers four styles of beignets: the traditional, chocolate, apple and…wait for it…a savory crawfish! The Beignet Flight is the best of all these worlds, offering a sample of each flavor.

My personal favorite is…the Crawfish beignet! Now I know there are some beignet purists out there that think filling any beignet is sacrilege but I beg these purists to give the crawfish beignet at Brenda’s a chance. The crawfish filling is savory and creamy at the same time and its flavor profile is off the charts!

If you find yourself in San Francisco, Brenda’s French Soul Food is one place you cannot miss!

Brenda’s French Soul Food
652 Polk Street
Cross: Eddy Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Ph. (415) 345-8100

Full Time Fancy

Here’s a quick tip….Dress up store bought brownies with homemade frosting. It’s a quick and easy way to add a little glamour to an everyday dessert! I recently whipped up an Orange Buttercream Frosting to go with some brownie bites and it was a hit!

Orange Buttercream Frosting

*3 cups of powdered sugar
*1 cup of butter (2 sticks)
*1 tbls of orange juice (Fresh squeezed or store bought OJ)
*Zest of one orange
*1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
*1-2 tbls of milk (Depending on the consistency you wish)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add milk until desired consistency is reached.
2. Add vanilla extract, orange juice & zest. Mix into frosting.
3. Add it into a gallon size Ziploc bag, clip the corner, and pipe onto brownies – VOILA! Your everyday dessert is now full-time fancy!
4. Pop one in your mouth and smile!

What the heck is POK POK?

Pok Pok sounds odd, I know. But let me tell you, this wonderful restaurant in Portland is SO worth traveling to the Pacific Northwest! Pok Pok Noi was featured on Guy Fieri's, Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives and it deserves every bit of the publicity!

Pok Pok serves Thai Fusion cuisine that is not only delicious, but affordable. Some of their specialities include sweet and savory chicken wings, chicken satay and an addicting papaya salad. Perhaps the most enjoyable thing on the menu though, is their drinking vinegars. Don't be scared! Let me explain... drinking vinegars are flavored vinegars that are reduced down to a syrup and then mixed into soda water. It is akin to an Italian soda...Carbonated goodness!

Next time you are in Portland, give POK POK NOI a try!


POK POK NOI
1469 Northeast Prescott Street
Portland, OR 97211
(503) 287-4149

Sunshine on a Dark Day

So, there is very little at work that makes my coworkers and I smile. But when that rare happy moment comes along, we seize it like a dog with a bone. One of the things that make the day bearable is the occasional lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. Now, you’d think I’d be raving about their famous pizza (which is great) or their flavorful pastas (which are delicious). No. What I want to talk about are their desserts and this summer, the dessert of all desserts is being featured – the STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE. Light flaky shortcake, fresh strawberries and fluffy whipped cream, combine together to create the perfect ratio of berry-cake-whip cream. It is positively divine… If you’ve got a CPK by you, then you are in for a delectable treat!

Summer Lovin'!!

I love the summer. Beach days, lemonade, sunshine and most importantly, ice cream! Ice cream epitomizes what summer really is – a sweet, sweet time! In our family, Memorial Day weekend is our official welcome to summer and what’s better to serve on a lovely summer day? Ice cream sandwiches! My version of the ice cream sandwich is a take on strawberry shortcake. I make strawberry cookies with a creamy vanilla strawberry swirl ice cream middle, rolled with candy stars. It’s a hit with adults and the kiddos!

Here’s how I do it:

Strawberry Swirl Ice Cream (you’ll want to get this ready a day before you put the sandwiches together)

1) packet of vanilla ice cream starter (I love the Williams Sonoma version!) 1 ½ cups of half and half 1 ½ cups of heavy whipping cream 1 pint of strawberries – diced ¼ cup of sugar

Directions: 1. Pour the ice cream starter and the half and half in a large bowl. Whisk until the starter is completely dissolved. 2. Stir in the heavy cream. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and turn it on, letting it spin for about 25 minutes. 3. While the ice cream machine is doing its magic, add the strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. 4. Transfer the macerated strawberries into a small sauce pan and heat it on medium for about 10 minutes until it becomes syrupy. Make sure you don’t leave it on the fire too long – it can burn! 5. About 25 minutes into the ice cream process, slowly add the strawberry syrup into the vanilla ice cream. Let spin for about 8 minutes longer. 6. Place ice cream into a container and freeze until ready to put the sandwiches together.

Strawberry Cookies: 1 package of strawberry cake mix 2 eggs 1/3 cup of vegetable oil

Directions: 1. In a large bowl, pour the cake mix and make a well. 2. In the well, add the eggs and oil. Mix well until the mixture resembles cookie dough. 3. Roll dough into golf ball size balls and bake for 8-9 minutes @ 350 degrees. 4. Remove from cookie sheet and cool completely.

Putting the sandwiches together…. 1. Take 2 cookies and lay them on their front side. Take (1) scoop of the vanilla strawberry swirl ice cream and place on top of (1) cookie. Top with second cookie. 2. Roll the sides of your newly minted ice cream sandwich in your choice of sprinkles (I like stars!). 3. Serve immediately or freeze and eat at your leisure!

Positively Elizabethan!

If you walk through the quarry, under the hedge, you’ll find Elizabethan Desserts, a bakery just as magical as the place you’ll find it in. Connected to a nursery and among cacti and flowers, Elizabethan Desserts offers the public succulents of their own in delightful treats such as the Churro Cupcake, Red Velvet Whoopie Pie and the sinfully delicious, Dream Bar. While the bakery is small, the amazing baked goods that Elizabethan Desserts creates have no boundaries!

Elizabethan Desserts 155 Quail Gardens Drive Encinitas, CA 92024 (760) 230-6780