Vampire’s Pinot Punch

  

What’s a vampire’s favorite fruit?

                     …a blood orange! Thank you, I’ll be here all week.

There’s something delightfully eerie about sipping a deep red cocktail under a harvest moon, especially when it’s made with Oregon Pinot Noir. This Vampire’s Pinot Punch is part spooky, part sophisticated, and entirely sip-worthy.

With the rich, fruit-forward notes of A to Z Wineworks Pinot Noir, this crimson concoction gets a supernatural twist from blood orange and pomegranate juice, balanced by a touch of triple sec and a refreshing sparkle from ginger ale or cider. The result? A bewitching punch that’s equal parts tart, juicy, and elegant - perfect for Halloween gatherings or cozy nights in.

Whether you’re hosting a costume party or just looking to toast spooky season in style, this Vampire Pinot punch promises to cast a spell on your guests (no trickery required).

Mint Gimlet

 

When you thrift beautiful vintage glasses, a cocktail recipe is sure to follow! I picked up these during the Lincoln City Antique Week (highly recommend checking it out if you live near the area).  I wanted a refreshing cocktail that would also compliment the color of the glass so a classic gimlet seemed like the perfect choice! (spoiler alert, it WAS the perfect choice)

Spooky Sangria

And so we approach the final spooky-seasonal recipe for 2020. It's been a wild ride. I decided I wanted to have a whole cauldron of sangria at our Halloween HootenAnnie - enter the Spooky Sangria (aka regular sangria but served in a cauldron and accompanied by eyeball ice cubes. 

Lavender Tom Collins

It seems like life is handing us all a lot of lemons lately so what better way to give the universe a proverbial middle finger than to turn these lemons into a cocktail?

Adventures in Beer Making

So I was at work the other day and I overheard that the first keg has officially been tapped and Oktoberfest is in full swing over in Munich, Germany...needless to say I am very jealous.

In order to uplift my mundane non-festive Houston life, I thought I would finally share our first experience in beer making; the good, the bad, the messy.

It all started about a year ago when a good friend of ours decided to give us his beer making kit. I had never even considered making beer before, I made it once in culinary school and I remember it being quite the involved process - not something I necessarily I wanted to take on in our small apartment kitchen but I was willing to give it a try!

We purchased our Oktoberfest Home Brew Kit, Bottles, and capper from Amazon.com. The labels I custom designed at Grogtag we decided on the name "The Drunken Dwarf" mainly because it just sounded festive and fun.

What You'll Need:

-Beer brewing kit which includes: malt, grains, hops, yeast steeping bag, and sometimes they include bottle caps.
-Purified filtered water (don't be like us and use your tiny Brita filter, actually plan ahead and buy some gallons of water)
-Thermometer (brewing is VERY temperature controlled - too hot and you've killed the yeast)
-Boiling pot
-Measuring cups
-Fermenter aka big plastic tubs
-Racking cane
-Bottle filler
-Bottling bucket
-Hydrometer (recommended)
-Fine mesh strainer (optional)
-Airlock - weird device that goes on top of the fermenter and allows air to escape without contaminating the beer.

I know it seems like a lot of stuff to buy but the good thing is you can reuse the more expensive equipment and just buy brew kits for the next go-round.

Make sure you maintain the water temp at 155 degrees F, DO NOT let it break 160! Because the pan is so massive, it took it a while to heat up, we had ours on medium for a good 20 minutes.

Here are some other things to keep in mind during your brewing adventure:

-Make sure everything is sanitized, and when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Bottles, pots, buckets, spoons, measuring cups - just the smallest bit of contamination can affect the quality of the brew.
-USE FILTERED WATER, don't be lazy and use tap...you know who you are.
-Even if the directions say you don't need to stain it, use your judgement. Oktoberfest is known to have some sediment, but if we didn't strain ours it would have been undrinkable.
-Make sure you have enough room, we literally had to use every square inch of our kitchen so plan ahead.
-Once you create your brew, treat it like a delicate newborn - don't shake it or disturb it too much when transporting it to the fermenter.
-When fermenting keep your beer in a cool place away from sunlight.
-Be patient and have fun! It was a semi-stressful experience but if you take the time and do it right it's a super rewarding experience!

Behold it's frothy goodness!

This was our last bottle and was a bit more cloudy then the rest - I am guessing it was from the bottom of the barrel

Timeline:

-From the time you place it in the fermenting bucket, you have to wait about two weeks, during this time you should see bubbles appearing in the airlock - this means that the yeast is activating (yay!).
-After the two week fermentation process you have to carefully add in the priming sugar, this will carbonate the beer.
-Next you have the task of filling each bottle and capping it - make sure not to fill it too full or the carbonation will burst the bottles. Using the bottle filler, fill each bottle leaving about two inches from the top.
-Once you bottled your brew you know have a month of fermentation before you can bask in the glory of your brewski.

The end result was 50 12oz. bottles of smooth, full-bodied "Oktoberfest." The best part was sharing it with our friends and family and seeing their reactions (all good by the way). It was a super rewarding experience and we will definitely be experimenting with more brews soon.

4th of July

Man, I can't believe it's already July! I must admit I am relieved that summer is trucking along, fall/winter can come at anytime now! 4th of July sort of snuck up on me this year, since we're away from family and friends we will probably just be spending this holiday around town eating delicious food and exploring some new places, possibly checking out the downtown firework show if the weather allows. I decided to do a red, white, and blue round up for your 4th festivities most of which are on the healthy side with a few indulgences (because after all, it is a holiday).

Blueberry Lemonade
Festive Fruit Trifle
Dark Sweet Cherry Mini Pies
Blueberry Muffins with Lemon Sugar Topping
Heirloom Tomato Tart
Chocolate Creme Brulee with Raspberry Sugar
Blueberry Cobbler Bars
Flag Cake
Watermelon Mojitos
Balsamic Strawberry Dressing
Berry Skillet with Oat Topping

Hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend!

My Mamma's Hot Apple Cider (No Sugar Added)

Growing up we would always host a huge Christmas party at my house every December. I remember helping my mom prepare weeks in advance, baking every kind of cookie you can fathom, cutting vegetables for platters, and having a huge pot of simmering cider on the stove top.

I have always been a fan of hot apple cider, it's one of those drinks I only enjoy during the holidays. I particularly love my mom's recipe because there is no added sugar, which is surprisingly hard to find in a cider recipe. This drink is not only easy to make but it allows the natural sweetness of the apple to shine annnd it will make your house smell awesome!

My Mamma's Apple Cider

makes 2 quarts

1 large orange
4 cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup whole cloves
1 tsp lemon juice
2 quarts (8 cups) organic unsweetened apple juice
cheesecloth or cloth bags

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Insert cloves (about 1/2 inches apart) into orange, place in shallow baking pan and bake for 30 min.

2.Once orange is baked, pierce with knife in several places. In a large sauce pan combine apple juice, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks (in cheesecloth) and baked orange. Simmer covered for about 30 min. (the longer you simmer the more prominent the spices become) Remove orange and sticks and drain using a fine mesh strainer if needed.

3.Serve in a heatproof punch bowl, can serve cold or mix with club soda for sparkling cider.

Vanilla Bean Lattes (with Vanilla Syrup)

Over time I have become somewhat of a coffee snob, which is something I am not exactly ashamed to admit. When I first started drinking coffee, I consumed any kind I could get my hands on and even though it pains me to admit this, my idea of a good coffee beverage was a "cappuccino" from the local gas station. After all these years and with the help of some high quality local coffee shops, I have seen the light and have come to appreciate the finer beans in life...

Brewing coffee can be as complex as crafting a beer or aging a fine wine, it should be treated as an art form and not tainted with high fructose corn syrup and unidentified powdered mixes. It should be thoughtfully prepared and enjoyed. One of my favorite local shops that share this brew religion is Bold Bean Coffee Roasters in Jacksonville, FL. They were pretty much responsible for saving my life during my first culinary internship at a bakery right down the street. With a shift starting at 6AM, I was running purely on honey lattes from BB. When I made a return visit the other day I decided to buy just a plain old vanilla bean latte. Now, I've been to many a places that refer to their lattes as "vanilla bean" without so much as a speck of a bean in sight, but this one... this one actually contained vanilla beans! Imagine that! When I acquired about this discovery, they said they made their own vanilla bean syrup! As much as a coffee fanatic that I am, for some reason it's never crossed my mind to make a syrup but suddenly I became enthralled with the idea - come to find out it's actually really easy! I just made a simple syrup and added a vanilla bean but you could easily adjust this recipe to make any flavor just by adding your desired extracts.

Vanilla Bean Lattes (with Vanilla Syrup)

serves 6-8

for the syrup...

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split

1.Mix ingredients together in sauce pan. On medium high heat, bring mixture to a boil, stirring consistently. Return heat to low and simmer until all sugar is dissolves. I let mine sit in the fridge for a couple of days and it really intensified with flavor!

for latte...

½ oz. Vanilla Bean Syrup
1 shot espresso
Steamed milk

1.Put 1 oz. syrup in mug and add one shot freshly brewed espresso.
2.Fill mug with foamed milk and enjoy!

If you don't have a fancy-pants coffee machine you could invest in a milk frother, I bought mine from Target for only $10

Size References:
Per ¼ oz. pump:
2 pumps syrup - 12 oz. espresso drink
3 pumps syrup - 16 oz. espresso drink
4 pumps syrup - 20 oz. espresso drink

Tiramisu Blended Iced Coffee with Seattle's Best Coffee.

I was asked by a representative to try Seattle's Best Frozen blends which combine high quality brewed frozen coffee with milk and cream. They come in a variety of flavors including coffee, very vanilla, mocha, and creamy caramel. It is a well known fact that I simply cannot function without coffee, it's pretty much up there with food and shelter as the bare necessities of life. So when a company offers convenient coffee on the go, they have my attention.

This product is unique because all you have to do is add milk, blend, and go - it's basically a smoothie on steroids. I decided to amp up this recipe by turning it into one of my all time favorite desserts - tiramisu! I added the chocolate swirl not only for the impressive appearance but to also replicate that hint of chocolate in this coveted dessert. For those of you who are old enough, you can add a splash of rum and top with dusted cocoa and a lady finger for fun! I was blown away by the flavor of this coffee, it was strong but not overly so and the consistency was creamy and delicious, it truly was tiramisu in drink form!

Tiramisu Blended Iced Coffee

1/2 melted chocolate
1 package of Seattle's Best Frozen Coffee Chiller
10 fluid ounces of milk (I used about 8oz. vanilla soy milk and 2oz. half & half)
1 TSP rum (optional)
whipped cream, lady fingers, and cocoa powder for decoration

Directions:

1.Take the melted chocolate and place it in a piping bag with a small hole cut at the end. Carefully drizzle the chocolate around the glass until the swirl effect is achieved (you could buy Hershey's chocolate syrup if you want). Place in freezer for about 5 min. this will help the chocolate stay in place when you pour the coffee in.

2.Prepare the frozen blend according to package instructions. Add rum (if using) then pour into glasses and top with whipped cream, dusted cocoa powder, and lady finger. Serve and enjoy!

You can find these frozen blends at Walmart, Target, and other retail stores nation wide in the freezer isle.

Disclosure- Seattle's Best asked me to sample their Frozen Blends but all opinions are my own.

Blueberry Lemonade with Fresh Stevia Leaves

You might of noticed a fresh herb trend on my blog lately thanks to my new herb garden (yes, it's still alive I am capable). Among the herbs was the familar stevia leaf which is the main ingredient in the new no calorie sweetener Stevia if you chew on one of the raw leaves it tastes just like sweet sugar, it's weird but awesome. I have been thinking about what to do with this herb for months when suddenly blueberry lemonade came to mind. I had recently picked up some tasty local blueberries and with this intense summer heat, nothing quite cools you down like an ice cold glass of lemonade.

The base of this drink is a blueberry syrup so this beautiful blue/purple color you're seeing here is completely natural. It's also super easy to make AND it would make a good 4th of July beverage. I personally prefer flavored lemonade because it cuts that intense acidity and adds additional sweetness.

Blueberry Lemonade with Fresh Stevia Leaves

2/3 cup sugar (more or less, depending on how sweet you would like it - this left it mildly sweet)
1 heaping cup fresh blueberries
juice of 2 large lemons (or about 3/4 cup)
fresh stevia leaves
1 cup water

Method:

1.To make the blueberry simple syrup, combine sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in blueberries and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until blueberries have broken down, about 3-4 minutes.

2.Strain blueberry mixture through a cheesecloth or fine sieve; let cool (I put mine in an ice bath). In a large pitcher, whisk together blueberry simple syrup, lemon juice and 4 cups water. Place in the refrigerator until chilled.

3.Serve over Stevia ice (ice cubes with stevia leaves) and frozen blueberries, if desired.

Make your own pumpkin spice cappuccino!

Happy National Coffee Day everyone!! That's right, we actually dedicated a day to coffee, and why not? Is it not the beverage that makes the world go round? To celebrate this happy occasion, I whipped up some pumpkin spice cappuccinos with my new handheld milk frother! That's right, a milk frother! I discovered this handy little tool can allow you to create fancy coffees at home, needless to say, I have found my new favorite kitchen gadget and some much needed help finishing a seven page paper today.

Companies who are participating in National Coffee Day:

-Dunkin' Donuts is giving away free small cups of hot or iced coffee with a mobile coupon on the chain's free smartphone app for iPhone or Android.

-Krispy Kreme is giving away free small coffees. No purchase or coupon is necessary. Stores also are selling small iced, mocha and pumpkin spice lattes for $1.

-Starbucks is giving tastes of its new Ethiopia roast. Get a free ceramic tasting cup with purchase of a one-pound bag, which sells for $13.95.

-Kangaroo gad stations are having 12oz. coffees for a penny.

Pumpkin Spice Cappuccino
Brewed coffee of your choosing
Pumpkin spice creamer (I used Bailey's brand)
sugar (if needed)
ground cinnamon or pumpkin spice (for garnish)

Directions:
I bought a milk frother (shown below on the right) at Walmart for $10, if you're a big coffee drinker but can't afford those fancy cappuccino machines I highly recommend you get one of these!

1.Pour coffee into cup, leaving about an inch from the top. Put sugar in (if using) and creamer/flavored creamer and stir. In a separate bowl pour pumpkin spice cream and insert milk frother in and froth for 10 seconds. Pour frothed milk on top of prepared coffee and sprinkled with cinnamon.

Also shown here is my Healthy and Hearty Pumpkin Bread, for the recipe, click HERE

Peaches n' Cream Smoothie

I would love more than anything to jump on the fall flavors recipe train and start making wonderful soups and stews, roast some butternut squash, and pumpkin flavor alllll the things but alas, I live in Florida and despite it being September, we are still hitting the 100 degree mark. In order to beat this unfortunate heat I whipped up this tasty peach smoothie this evening. It has all the decadent creamy qualities of ice cream and like any smoothie, it only takes seconds to make! And hey, it's orange so it's a slight ode to fall...yeah, we'll go with that.

Peaches n' Cream Smoothie

makes 2 smoothies

1 1/2 cups sliced peaches, frozen
1/2 banana, sliced (preferably frozen)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 TBS honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1.Process all ingredients into a blender until smooth.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

I am really excited right now, for I have found a new place to take food pictures! All this time I have been confined to the small dusty corner of my dad's office, scrunched up against the two windows on a teeny tiny round table UNTIL NOW. I discovered that the hope chest in the t.v. room is perfect for food set ups and it even has white background to reflect light, it's a major win...but I digress, you guys came here for some delicious smoothies...

I'm not sure what it is but I have been diggin' these dark sweet cherries lately. When I was a kid I used to LOVE maraschino cherries, now I can't even touch them because these natural dark sweet cherries kick their artificial butts! This smoothie is super simple and it tastes like you're indulging in a milkshake, not to mention it's packed full of antioxidants. I only added about a tablespoon of dark chocolate and it was enough for me but you can customize it to what you like, I might even try it with chocolate flavored yogurt next time.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

makes 1 large smoothie

1 heaping cup of frozen dark sweet pitted cherries
1/2 milk
handful of dark chocolate chips (or you could use chocolate flavored yogurt)
splash of water (if a less thick smoothie is desired)

Method: Blend until smooth. I didn't need to add any sugar because it was sweet enough for my liking.

Copycat Starbucks Iced Coffee!

Lately in these sweltering summer months I have been OBSESSED with Starbucks iced coffee beverages. You can get them at almost any supermarket or gas station and they come in low-cal, vanilla, regular, and caramel flavors. While I thoroughly enjoy this tasty treat it is on the pricey side...well, pricey by minimum wage college student standards anyway (about $2 a bottle). This was not only easier to make than I thought, it tastes the same AND you can customize it to your liking.

Copycat Starbucks Iced Coffee
Strongly brewed coffee of your choice
filled it up to about yea high

Fill the remaining space up with either cream, milk, or in my case, Silk soy milk.
Add a packet of sweetener (that was sweet enough for me) or sugar if you prefer...
If you want vanilla flavor, simply add about 1/4 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla flavored creamer.

PRESTO! That's it!

Cherry Limeade (that's actually good for you)

During my struggle over what the heck I was going to do with all the leftover key limes from the Key Lime Pie Cupcakes, it hit me, why not make a beverage? I don't make specialty drinks that often, I'm more of a glass of wine and water type of gal, plus I'd rather use my ingredients for something I can sink my teeth into. The other day however, I had a flashback from when I was in middle school and my friends and I always used to hang out around the local sonic (hey, it was a small town). In the summer time they would always feature their signature drink: The cherry limeade ...sweet Jesus, my 12 year old self was convinced that nothing in this world was more refreshing than that limeade, however, my current 21 year old, calorie conscious self new that that drink probably had more corn syrup in it than anything else. This updated version of the cherry limeade is just as delicious and refreshing plus you get the added benefits of the Rooibos African tea (which also adds to the red color). The lime ice cubes are just a fun decorative option.

Healthy Cherry Limeade

serves 8

3/4 cup lime juice
Sugar substitute equivalent to 1 cup sugar (such as Truvia all natural sweetener)
2 liters lemon lime soda, such as diet sierra mist
1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice
8 lime slices (I used key limes in order to fit them in the muffin tins)
1 cup brewed and chilled Red Rooibos Tea

For the lime ice cubes I just took slices of key limes, put them in a mini muffin tin and filled them up with water.

Directions:

1.Brew the tea according to directions on packet, stick in the fridge and let cool or at least come to room temp.

2.In a large bowl, combine lime juice and sugar substitute. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, stir carbonated water into lime juice mixture.

3.For each serving, place 1 tablespoon cherry juice in a glass. Add crushed ice and about 1 cup of lime juice mixture. Garnish with a lime slice.

(Healthy) Shamrock Shake

I remember every year my best friend and I would loonnnggg for the days of McDonald's Shamrock Shakes. So smooth, so creamy, so refreshing, and unfortunately soooo unhealthy :( I remember getting that thick heavy cream coating on my teeth afterwards...uhg. So, to settle my cravings, and keep the festivities alive I whipped up this healthy version! The cottage cheese makes it thick and also adds protein, I promise you WILL NOT taste cottage cheese! Trust me, I am not a real fan of the stuff and I chugged this down. The pudding mix adds a little sweetness, but you might want to add a packet or so of sweetener or sugar if you prefer a sweeter shake (I thought this was just fine though).

Healthy Shamrock Shake

(makes one shake)

1/2 low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 low-fat vanilla yogurt
3 fresh mint leaves (you can always add more later)
1 tsp lime juice
2 tsp pistachio pudding mix
1 drop of green food coloring (or a couple of spinach leaves for natural color)
2 ice cubes
1/2 cup (or less) of milk

Directions

1.Blend

2.Taste

3.Adjust
Some people prefer a thicker milkshake and some a more icy consistency. You can always add more mint and lime flavoring later if you choose. I like fresh mint over mint extract because to me extract tastes like mouthwash (bleh) so I think you're better off with fresh mint leaves (plus it adds some natural green coloring).

I have many more St. Patrick's Day recipes to come! What are some of your favorite things to make on this holiday?