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Yummy Links: From Lamb Burgers to Lemonade Cocktails

partysugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:50:24 -0700

Learn how to make the perfect lamb burger. - Saveur
A conversation between Adam Platt and Frank Bruni. - Grub Street
The future of fish farming has arrived. - Eat Me Daily
Make French food in a flash with this easy lamb chop recipe. - Serious Eats
What to do if you bust your friend’s china. - Chow
At your next party serve finger food in homemade paper cones. - Hostess With the Mostess
Jen Zevala talks about being the first contestant kicked off of Top Chef.- The Feedbag
Celebrate National Lemonade Day with 10 spiked lemonade cocktails. - The Epi-Log

Happy Hour: Whiskey Lemonade

YumSugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:00:43 -0700

Uncouth as it may sound, whiskey and lemon was the combination that first opened my eyes to the world of alcoholic beverages.

It was freshman year of high school, and the only drink in the world that I hated more than coffee was anything with alcohol in it. Then I developed a nighttime cough that no medicine would cure, and my mother started making me a drink of hot lemon juice, honey, and a splash of whiskey. The whiskey was warming on the way down and had a musky, smoky scent; the lemon left a tart, tongue-puckering finish.

That experience turned out to be just the beginning. Flash forward a decade and a half, and while I now appreciate everything from Campari to absinthe, the combination of whiskey and lemon still holds a special place in my heart. I especially love it in an icy, lemonade-like version for picnics or other Summer outings. See a recipe for warm weather refreshment when you read more.

Come Party With Me: Dolores Park Picnic - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:50:38 -0700

Typically when we go to Dolores Park on a sunny day, everyone brings a bottle (or two, or three) of wine. However, since this picnic is a plan-ahead event - rather than the normal impromptu affair - I'm making a special drink. Fresh-squeezed lemonade comes to mind when I hear the word picnic and this blushing pink version is prefect because it's spiked with vodka and sour cherries. It's a refreshing concoction that screams Summer. If you prefer not to imbibe alcohol, simply omit the vodka and enjoy the cherry lemonade on its own.

To check out the recipe, please read more.

Fizzy Sour Cherry Lemonade
From Gourmet

Ingredients

2 lb fresh or thawed frozen sour cherries (1 qt), stemmed and pitted
1 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups vodka (optional)
2 to 3 cups chilled sparkling water
fresh sour cherries with stems, garnish

Directions

Blend cherries in a blender at low speed until skins have broken down enough to brightly color liquid.
Pour through a sieve into a 2-quart pitcher, pressing on and discarding solids. Add lemon juice and sugar (to taste), stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Pour 3 tablespoons vodka (if using) into each of 8 tall (10-ounce) glasses filled with ice. Add 1/2 cup cherry lemonade to each and top off with sparkling water.

Serves 8.

Make ahead: Sour cherry lemonade can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

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Would You Rather Drink Iced Tea or Lemonade?

partysugar — Sun, 17 May 2009 01:30:04 -0700

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Come Party With Me: Change the World - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:30:55 -0700

To promote the book Change the World For Ten Bucks, which my sister is on the cover of, she is organizing a day of volunteerism. Since I'm unable to attend, I've offered to make her and the volunteers lunch. Besides bottled water, I plan on serving pink lemonade. Not the kind that comes from concentrate, but a refreshing and delicious variation that gets its vibrant hue from strawberries.

If you make this, take the time to juice the lemons - you can really taste the difference with fresh juice. For the recipe to this picnic classic, read more.

Pink Lemonade
From Katie Brown

Ingredients

1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed or bottled
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
5 cups water
1 lemon (optional, for slices)

Directions

In a blender, puree lemon juice and strawberries. Strain through fine mesh strainer pressing berries with spatula.
Combine juice, sugar, and water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a jar and cover. Refrigerate. Add lemon slices before serving.

Serves 4-6.

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Happy Hour: Lemonade Mojito

YumSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:30:45 -0700

The other day, I cohosted a barbecue so, of course, I served a signature cocktail. As an added challenge, the barbecue was actually a baby shower, and the guest of honor was pregnant. So I searched for a recipe that would be just as refreshing without booze as with it.

I dug this recipe out of my recipe file, ripped out of InStyle magazine years ago and just waiting for its moment. It's great for big groups since it can be made in large batches, and I like that it uses vodka instead of the usual rum, since I have a lot of friends who find rum off-putting. It's very tart and sufficiently sweet, and without the vodka, it's just a minty homemade lemonade. To get the recipe, read more.

Lemonade Mojitos
InStyle magazine

Ingredients

1/2 cup mint leaves, plus mint sprigs for garnish
1 cup sugar syrup (recipe follows)
5 cups club soda
4 cups vodka
4 cups fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup superfine sugar

Directions

To make the sugar syrup, heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water over low heat, stirring with wooden spoon until sugar has dissolved. Stop stirring and increase heat to medium. Simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool; refrigerate 2 hours before using.
In large bowl, muddle 1/2 cup mint leaves with sugar syrup.
Stir in club soda, vodka*, lemon juice, and 2/3 cup superfine sugar. Chill.
Pour into ice-filled pitchers with lemon rounds and mint sprigs; serve in tall glasses.

* To make a nonalcoholic batch of lemonade, reserve the vodka and add 1 1/2 ounces to each glass before pouring.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Ginger Pork Chops With Spinach Salad

partysugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:46:34 -0700

Savor the last of Summer's strawberries with this flavor-packed meal. The berries add a delightful sweetness to both the salad and sauce. The pork chops are seasoned with fresh ginger, and the scrumptious sauce combines juicy ginger with the plump berries.

An unexpected ingredient, frozen lemonade concentrate, brings a syrupy tartness to the sauce. Served atop a bed of spinach, this meal is balanced and filling, so get the recipe and read more.

Ginger Pork Chops With Spinach Salad
From Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 thick boneless pork loin chops
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 pint strawberries, sliced
6 ounces (half of a 12-ounce can) frozen lemonade concentrate
2 teaspoons ground ginger
One 6-ounce bag baby spinach
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Directions

In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
Rub both sides of each pork chop with salt, pepper, and the fresh ginger. Add to the skillet and cook for 1 minute, then cover, lower the heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes.
Flip the chops, cover and cook until brown, 10 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Reserve the skillet.
Set aside 1 cup strawberries for the salad.
Add the remaining strawberries, lemonade concentrate, ground ginger, and 3/4 cup water to the skillet and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil over high heat, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring, and smashing the berries, until the sauce is thick and reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes.
Divide the spinach among 4 plates and top with the goat cheese and reserved strawberries. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place a pork chop on each plate and top with the strawberry-lemonade sauce.

Serves 4.

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Come Party With Me: Going Away Party - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:15:14 -0700

The menu for the going away party is simple, classic, and comforting so serve a drink that embodies these qualities as well. A lemonade-inspired punch is refreshing and crowd-friendly. It's simple to make and delicious to drink. Make two batches - one alcoholic and one nonalcoholic. For the clambake offer guests a chilled white wine or light, fruity red. For those who prefer not to drink hard liquor or wine, stock up on beer, water, and sparkling juices. For the easy spiked lemonade recipe, read more.

Lemon Punch
From Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine

Ingredients

Two 12-ounce bottles light-flavored beer, such as Corona
6 ounces frozen lemonade concentrate
3/4 cup (6 ounces) vodka

Directions

In a large pitcher, combine the beer, frozen lemonade concentrate, and vodka.
Allow the foam to settle and pour the punch into chilled glasses.

Serves 8.

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Come Party With Me: Boy's Birthday - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:15:57 -0700

Both kids and moms love lemonade. It's sweet tart taste is pleasing to a child's palette and it's pale yellow color won't stain, making mom happy. For a boy's birthday party on Alcatraz pack two coolers. Take one with you and leave one in the car. Fill the first with fresh lemonade and waters. Pack the second with small cans of soda and waters.

When you return to the car, surprise the boys by offering them a soda! To check out this delicious honey-vanilla lemonade recipe, read more.

Honey-Vanilla Lemonade
From Rachael Ray

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 cups water, plus more as needed
1 vanilla bean
2 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 24 lemons)
Lemon wheels or wedges, for garnish

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, honey, and 2 cups water and place over medium-high heat.
Cut the vanilla bean in 1/2 lengthwise, then, using the back of the knife, scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod and add to the saucepan, along with the pod.
Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 4 or 5 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Put the lemon juice into a gallon jug or pitcher. Pour the sugar syrup through a strainer into the pitcher and discard the pod. Add water to equal 1 gallon and stir well.
Serve over ice with lemon wheels or wedges.

Makes 1 gallon.

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Come Party With Me: Graduation - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:15:54 -0700

At a graduation party make things feel festive and celebratory by setting up a small bar buffet that allows guests to mix their own drinks. Since the graduate is underage, the bar will have no alcohol. Instead stock the buffet with the fixings for jazzed-up Arnold Palmers! Pitchers of lemonade and iced tea, lemon wedges, sparkling water, grenadine, and fresh berries will sit next to an ice bucket and rows of glasses.

For the adults fill coolers with beer, white wine, and water. To check out the lemonade and iced tea recipes, read more.

Lemonade
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

3 cups lemon or lime juice, about 20 lemons or 25 limes freshly squeezed
2 cups superfine sugar
4 cups cold water
4 cups ice
2 lemons or limes, thinly sliced for garnish

Directions

Into a large serving container, strain the citrus juice, mix it with sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Add 4 cups cold water and stir again until well combined. Add ice to fill and a few lemon or lime slices.

Makes 10 cups.

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Iced Tea
Modified from Tassimo

Ingredients

4-5 bags your favorite tea
Lemon juice (optional)
Sugar (optional)
Ice cubes

Directions

Prepare tea by brewing the bags in boiling water. Add lemon juice and sugar to taste; cool completely. Or, refrigerate until ready to serve.
Pour over ice cubes in two tall glasses. Sit back and relax on a hot day.

Makes half a pitcher.

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