New Years Eve Party

Sometime in early December, Adam suggested having a New Years Eve party at our house. I said, sure, why not?! We had a party to ring in 2010 and it was fun so we thought it was time for another. We invited people over around 8:00 but I still wanted to make a lot of goodies to snack on. Adam and I teamed up and made a pinecone cheese ball, cheese biscuits with ham, Adam's famous cheese, bologna & mustard plate, veggies & ranch, seasoned pretzels, dill pickle, cream cheese and dried beef bites and rice krispy treats.

Note: Check out that wine cork wreath my mom got us for Christmas - it was empty and we filled it with our cork stash.

In addition, Adam made his famous boilo and I made a punch that turned out to be a hit! I was thinking about getting ingredients to make all kinds of cocktails but then I thought it would be easier to make a pitcher of punch, that way it's ready to go when someone's glass is empty.

Recipe:
1 bottle sweet sparkling wine (spumante, asti, etc.)
1 bottle vodka
1 1/2 to 2 bottles cranberry juice cocktail
Lime slices

Mix all in a pitcher and drop in lime slices. Serve over ice.



Our friend James and Lauren brought some orange jell-o shots! They hollowed out orange halves, pour the jell-o into the orange shells, let them set and then cut them into wedges. So very clever!! I was so amazed by them and took lots of pictures but when I was ready to sample one, they were gone. It's ok though because we will definitely try to make them.

It was a great evening but it flew by way too fast! One minute it was 10:30 and we were watching Dick Clark, the next minute I was chatting in the kitchen and someone yelled "one minute"! We hardly had time to get on our hats and pop the bubbly! We look forward to having a party again soon - before and including NYE

Another thing I wanted to share with you is that I started a mini journal for 2012. And by mini, I mean super mini - just because I could never write in an empty paged journal - it's too daunting to me! I got the idea from a blogger I adore - Ashley at Under the Sycamore. I am keeping a "Best of My Days" journal. Every day I write a few words about the best part of my day. If you want to do this too, you can download the template from Ashley's blog.

Happy New Year!

Boilo

Boilo! The coal region's hot toddy! Our friend Nick came over one evening and taught us how to make this delicious beverage. We enjoyed it while decorating our Christmas tree.
The great thing about this recipe is that you can add whatever quantity and variety of ingredients that you want. There are many variations but this is what we did:

1 2-liter bottle ginger ale
2 oranges, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tablespoon caraway seeds
1 Tablespoon whole cloves
2 Tablespoons candied ginger, chopped
2 Tablespoons mulling spices (optional)
10 oz honey
2 1/2 cups Four Queens whiskey (or any cheap whiskey)
1/4 cup moonshine (optional, if you know someone who makes it)

In a large pot over medium/high heat, add the ginger ale, oranges, lemon, spices and honey. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to warm/low. Add the whiskey and moonshine. Enjoy warm!

Apple Pie Martini

Last Friday I was on the hunt for a new drink recipe. Something for fall. Through my googling, I found a recipe for an Apple Pie Martini. I thought, that will hit the spot!

I found this recipe from the cocktails section of About.com but changed it a bit to my liking.

1 shot vodka

1 shot Navan Vanilla Liquor (or any vanilla liquor)

2 or 3 shots apple cider

juice from a lime wedge

pinch of ground cinnamon

Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into a martini glass.

Boilo

I have found a new winter drink that I LOVE!!

It is called boilo and I discovered it while attending a party in Girardville, PA in celebration of the St. Patrick's Day.

Boilo is popular in the coal regions of Pennsylvania, originally from Lithuania. It's a warm drink made by heating lemon juice, orange juice, sugar, honey, cinnamon sticks (sometimes other spices - allspice, cloves, anise seeds) and then adding whiskey!!

This is so so yummy! I am going to experiment and create my own recipe and when I do, I will share it! Boilo kept me warm on that cold winter day!

And since the weather is still quite cold in PA, I still have time to try to make this before spring arrives for good!

Adam & me at the Girardville St. Patrick's Day parade.

Easy Cocktail

This is a tasty cocktail from Sandra Lee. Just pour 1/4 cup canberry juice in a champagne flute and fill the rest of the way with any type of sparkly. I used Korbel Extra Dry, but a brut, asti or spumante would be good too - whatever you have, grab at the store or is on sale. Then float a few dried cranberries for a garnish.

So festive! And for the person who doesn't want a super sweet drink.

Mudslide Milkshake

This sinful after dinner treat is from Claire Robinson. She has a fun show on the Food Network called 5 Ingredient Fix. It's worth checking out!

I am always looking for uses for frozen bananas because every time I have a banana that is too ripe to eat, I peel it, slice it and put it in the freezer for opportunities like this!

1/2 cup Irish cream (like Bailey's)

1/4 cup chocolate vodka - you can use regular vodka

1 pint coffee ice cream

1 banana, sliced and frozen

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

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Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth.

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Warning: This is very strong!!! You can add some milk and more ice cream if you think it's going to kick your butt after the first sip.

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Peachy Cocktail

In the Adam's mixology app on his iPhone, we put our liquor cabinet contents into the app and while searching the possible drinks we can make, he found this drink. I'm enjoying it right now! I'm loving it so much, I had to share! He adapted it a bit so here's what he did:

3 shots orange juice
1/2 shots cranberry juice
1 shot vodka
1 shot peach schnapps

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add juices, then vodka and schnapps. Stir. Yum!


It's kind of a summery drink but I'm really enjoying even though the days are getting quite chilly!

Labor Day Weekend Fête - Part 3

And the menu goes on...


We grilled up some sliced sausages, green peppers (from our garden!) and onions on skewers. We used some spicy kielbasa and chicken sausages. My mom spotted the recipe in a Paula Deen magazine. Once the kabobs came off the grill and were placed in the chafing dish, we poured a sauce over it:
Whisk together 3 tablespoons steak sauce, 3 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard.
As recommended by Paula, you can de-skewer the cooked sausage, onions and peppers, put them in a long roll and top with the sauce.

You can see the kielbasa on the left and the chicken on the right.

See the whole grain mustard in the kabob sauce.

I whipped up a big batch of sangria - a staple for summer parties at our house. A good friend Esther, who was a Spanish teaching assistant at Hollins, gave me this authentic recipe:

This is for a very large crowd. You can always divide it down to make less.

2 1.5 liter bottles red wine
64 oz. orange juice
98 oz. lemonade
2 cups white rum
3 cinnamon sticks
3 oranges cut into bite sized pieces
3 apples cut into bite sized pieces
½ cup sugar (more if desired)

Mix together and let sit for 2 hours. Do not let sit overnight because the taste changes drastically. Drink all in the same day (not difficult!).

We added shrimp to the menu at the last minute. Since we had a large supply of skewers and lemons, we sliced up the lemons and added a wedge with the shrimp on each kabob. Due to short notice, we simply added Lawry's Herb and Garlic marinade, olive oil and dried cilantro to the kabobs and let them marinade for a few hours before they were grilled for 2-3 minutes on each side. Easy and wonderful!

Tomorrow I will finish up with a potato dish and the desserts!

Photos by Bec.

Martha's Watermelon Bloody Marys

I was going through the July edition of Martha Stewart Living, marking the pages of recipes I want to try. I marked the watermelon bloody marys, not knowing when I'd make them, but that I was very interested in the watermelon-tomato combo. When I got home from the gym yesterday, my momma had these drinks whipped up and waiting for us for dinner. A sweet hint to a classic!

Makes 4 drinks

8 cups watermelon chunks, plus pieces, for serving
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
Ice, for serving
1 1/2 cups tomato juice
13 dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 to 1 1/4 cups vodka
Celery stalks, for serving
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Working in batches, puree watermelon (with seeds) and sugar in blender. Strain into a bowl through a fine sieve, pressing with a rubber spatula; discard solids. (You will have 5 1/2 cups juice.)

Stir 3 cups watermelon juice with tomato juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and celery seeds in a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice. Season with pepper. Stir in vodka and divide among 4 ice-filled glasses.

Garnish with a piece of watermelon (we didn't do this) and a celery stalk.

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Gotta give my mom credit for this! She is a great cook!
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Easter Dinner

In an effort to mix things up, we did not have a traditional ham dinner yesterday, but instead grilled steak and veggies! It was a nice summer meal and now I'm so excited for the weather to warm up!

I marinaded some NY Strip steaks in Lawry's Signature Steakhouse marinade for about 5 hours. I skewered up whole button mushrooms, halved brussel sprouts, cubed orange pepper and sliced yellow squash. I added plenty of olive oil, salt and pepper before grilling.

In addition, I made scalloped potato gratin by Tyler Florence. This was so yummy and everyone enjoyed it:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme (used 3 or 4 sprigs)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Butter (used Pam)
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for broiling (I think I used more like 1 cup - I love cheese!)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a saucepan, heat up the cream with a sprig of thyme, chopped garlic and nutmeg.
While cream is heating up, butter a casserole dish. Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over the potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes (baked it for about 55 minutes because my potato slices were on the thick side). Sprinkle some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 3 minutes.

I didn't get a solo shot of the gratin but here it is in the center of the photo (that's Greg's plate with a gigantic steak!). To the right of the potatoes is the tabbouleh.

For a salad, I made tabbouleh. I have had this a few times at restaurants but never ventured to make it myself. I also made it as a test because it's on Arielle's graduation party food list. It passed the test with flying colors so I'll be making it again (a huge batch) in June for the party. The recipe is from Barefoot Contessa Parties! :

1 cup bulgur wheat (I found some organic bulgar at my local health food store)

1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 cup good olive oil
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (1 bunch)
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the bulgur in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Add the scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper; mix well. Season, to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate. The flavor will improve if the tabbouleh sits for a few hours.

I didn't use a cup of each parsley and mint - it seemed excessive.
Finally, I made white wine sangria. A bottle of cheap chardonnay, a frozen melange of tropical fruit and a liter of ginger ale made a refreshing treat to go with dinner. I put the wine in a pitcher, added the fruit and refrigerated it for about 4 hours. Then I added the ginger ale and refrigerated it for another hour. Sparkling refreshment!
Additional Easter Day pictures:

Arielle, Adam, Greg & Hope after we found our Easter baskets.

My dad surprised my grandparents and my mom with this light post in town that is dedicated to Parents Bob & Pat Swenson and Merle & Ruth Adams.

In the photo from left: my dad, grandpa, grandma, me, Adam, Arielle, my mom and Chester in the front. And Greg behind the camera.

Greg and I in downtown New Bloomfield looking like we just rolled out of bed!

NOTE: I am going to be investing in a new camera soon so my pictures will get better...

Shark Attack!

This is Guy Fieri's recipe!

2 cups ice cubes
1/4 cup lemon slices
1/4 cup pineapple chunks
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup Triple Sec
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup high alcohol content rum (recommended: Bacardi 151)
Splash grenadine
1/4 cup maraschino cherries, plus more for garnish

In a pitcher, add all the ingredients and stir to combine. Garnish with maraschino cherries, if using. Pour into rocks glasses, garnish with maraschino cherries and serve.

I used coconut rum in place of Bacardi 151 and the drink was still very strong! And the slight smell of coconut was nice with the pineapple.
Just as I write this, I realize I forgot to add the grenadine! Ooops!
This was a nice tropical treat!

This photo is from the Food Network website. I was so excited to drink and serve these, I forgot to get a good photo! Mine looked just like this though. When I was adding the cherries, I put in some of their juice too which could have taken the place of the grenadine.