Summer is the season for salads. Some days it just gets too hot to turn
on the stove. And you never get quite as hungry on those days anyway. A
salad for dinner makes perfect sense. Still I am always challenged to
figure out how to make salad feel like a meal. Especially without
adding fish or grilled meats.
Friday night was one of those
salad nights. I had planned on making a chickpea and spinach dish but
cooking was out of the question. A spinach salad was devised instead.
Fortunately there were several delicious things on hand to make the
salad something special. In this case Stilton cheese, red onions that
were "bloomed" in vinegar, glazed pecans, and Mission figs.
Fourth of July
Fourth of July
101 20-Minute Dishes for Inspired Picnics
From the New York Times
There is something both innocent and exciting about a picnic, even if you are only packing a few things at the last minute and heading down the street to the park. It may be nothing fancier than bologna or tuna salad on white bread, but you’re still likely to have a good time, which is probably why many of us remain devoted to the same picnic foods we’ve eaten all our lives.
But at some point, you may get the urge to vary the menu a bit. With that in mind, I’d like to make a few — or, actually, 101 — suggestions, ranging from snacks to dessert. With a little shopping, a little effort, and 20 minutes or less for assembly, you can create the kind of carry-out food that will put the local prepared food shops to shame while saving you a small fortune. No matter how faithful you are to your old favorites, I’ll bet you will find something intriguing here.
Red, White and Blue Sangria
From the DallasNews.com
Traditional sangrias are luscious, bold blends of fruits, wine and spirits, often served in pitchers or punch bowls. But this wonderfully refreshing summer drink from Spain and Portugal leaves plenty of room for improvisation.
Beverage consultant Kim Haasarud offers dozens of riffs on sangria in her recent "101 Sangrias and Pitcher Drinks," including a New Zealand Kiwi Sangria, which combines sauvignon blanc, melon liqueur, kiwis and pineapple.
In her book, Haasarud also offers tips for speeding up sangria, which tastes best when allowed to infuse at least several hours. If you're short on time, she suggests lightly mashing some of the fruit, which releases the juices.
Independence Day Cocktails
CAMPFIRE MARTINI
3 parts Three Olives S'mores Vodka
Crushed graham crackers
Chocolate syrup
Marshmallows
Dip the rim of martini glass in chocolate syrup and coat with crushed graham crackers.
Pour Three Olives S'mores into martini shaker filled with ice.
Shake and strain into martini glass.
Garnish with a skewer of three toasted marshmallows!
ROMAN CANDLE
3 oz. Three Olives Berry Vodka
1/2 oz. Cranberry Juice
Dash of Grenadine
1⁄2 oz. Blue Curacao
Shake vodka, cranberry juice and grenadine in a shaker with ice.
Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Pour blue curacao gently down the side of the glass so it settles on the bottom.
Garnish with a lemon twist.
- Recipes courtesy of Three Olives Vodka and Maestro Dobel Tequila
Grilling Goes Green
From the Los Angeles Times
In the beautiful economy of the forest – or the urban backyard garden
– leaves are nature's brilliant cookware. Banana leaves can be cut
down to make plates or unfurled into wrappers perfect for steaming fish
on a low-slung grill. Fig trees and grapevines yield leaves the exact
size for enclosing, then grilling, a cube of feta, a recumbent sardine
or a mint-studded lamb meatball.
Before the invention of tinfoil or grilling baskets, pragmatic cooks
picked their kitchen supplies from branches and found what they needed
in the trees.
Going green was logical – OK, obvious – long before it became chic.
More Articles ...
Welcome to the new One for the Table ...
Our Home Page will be different each time you arrive.
We're sure you'll find something to pique your interest...