Creme Brulee?

Does anyone have a good recipe for Creme Brulee? 

Peach & Jalapeno Margaritas!

So I just made these Margs and although it sounds weird, they are so good! The jalapeno doesn't give it a whole lot of spice, just a bit of warmth to the back of your throat. They're also super easy - I left the skin on the peaches and chopped everything roughly because at the end, I ran it all through a sieve.

3 Ripe Peaches, roughly chopped
1 Jalapeno, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Simple Syrup, with a 3 sugar to 1 water ratio
1 Lime, zest and juice
Pinch of salt (just to bring out the sweetness)

Throw all the ingredients in the food processor or blender and run until smooth.
Run it through a sieve to catch the skins, seeds and any chunks.

Shake with a bit of ice and your favorite tequila and serve in a margarita or martini glass with a lime or sliced jalapeno garnish.

Summer Fab

I am adoring trifles right now <3

Chris has taken pictures of the ones I

have created, but here is the basic idea.

Ladies..these are classy. delicious. & simple.

I'm sure you have made them before...

but bring the trifle bowl back out

& make it your staple for summer!

Love,

this summer's trifle queen <3

Southern BBQ - In my oven

There is something about Southern BBQ that is comforting to me. I've never lived in the south yet when I think of what I want for Sunday Night Dinner, it's pulled pork, slow roasted ribs, with baked macaroni and cheese, smashed potatoes, wilted spinach... you get the idea. I happened to see pork butt on sale at Safeway while grocery shopping late this week so I grabbed it, knowing that pulled pork sandos were in my future. They're easy, delish and so incredibly comforting to me.
Here's what I do - and give yourself a few hours, this recipe is low & slow.

Heat your oven to 425º and let your pork butt or Boston butt come to room temperature (I do this with almost every meat or poultry I cook because it allows for more even cooking and only takes 25-30 minutes)

Season your pork liberally with salt and pepper

Pop in the 425º oven for about 20-25 minutes and then drop the temperature between 250º-275º and let it go low and slow for 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours. It honestly doesn't need anymore than that which I recently learned. I used to literally give mine 8 hours and although that's yum too, it's just not necessary.

I love my pulled pork sandos with coleslaw on top. Every time I tell my Dad I'm making pulled pork he says, "you gonna make 'em Memphis Style and pull your coleslaw on the sandwich?" And for me, there's no other way. You have a great flavor balance from the savory salty pork with the sweet crunchy slaw. It's amazing.
So at this point, put your coleslaw together. I sometimes cheat because although half a head of both red and green cabbage don't look like a lot in the store, they are!! So sometimes, when it's just JP and I, I use the bag and add to it. No shame, it's just convenient. Use your favorite recipe, here. And I'm saying this because I don't measure unless I'm baking so I can't give an accurate recipe. Mayo, I add a little sour cream or buttermilk if I've got it, grated onion, celery seed, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt pepper, maybe a little cayenne. Do what suits you though.

With about an hour until your pork is done, start your barbecue sauce. Mine is ketchup based and so easy. This make's probably a bit more than a cup of sauce so change the quantities based on your needs.
1/2 a yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 Cup Molasses
1/4 Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
3/4 Cup ketchup
I start by sweating my onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil with salt and pepper. When the onions are translucent, add the chili powder and apple cider vinegar. When the vinegar reduces a bit, add the brown sugar, molasses, Worcestershire, when all that is mixed together add the ketchup, mix and let the flavors meld together and cook on low heat until your pork is done.

When your pork is done, use two forks to pull it apart into bit sized pieces. Pour your BBQ sauce over the pork and toss until combined.
Top your buns with a mound of pulled pork, and scoop on a bit of coleslaw. Or you can serve your coleslaw on the side.

I serve my sandos with baked beans, french fries, etc.

Enjoy a little Southern Comfort Ladies!

HAWAIIAN STYLE COCONUT SHRIMP

Hawaiian Style Coconut Shrimp

This is one of my favorite shrimp dishes and it is really tasty and easy to make.  If you are allergic to shellfish, you can also sub in your favorite fish. Halibut, Salmon or other mild white fish work well. It works great with the bags of frozen shrimp or frozen fish as long as you slowly thaw them under COLD water.  A trick with frozen seafood is that you never want to run it under warm or hot water, it makes it tough and chewy. 

Ingredients: 

Shrimp or Fish

 2 cups Fresh Coconut (Shaved/flaked)

1 can of coconut milk

4 tbsp ground almonds (or you can grind them yourself in a food processor for more flavor)

1 tsp Cavendar's Greek Spice (Salt, Pepper, Garlic Power, Basil, Oregano, Paprika, etc)

1 Egg

1/2 cup all purpose flower (I use Wheat Flower)

1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

2-3 cups of oil for frying 

Directions 

1. In medium bowl, combine egg, 1/2 cup flour, coconut milk and baking powder. 

2. Then in a separate bowl, combine the coconut flakes, Greek Spice and ground almonds.

3. Hold shrimp by tail or fish flat, and dredge in the coconut milk mix thoroughly to make sure the entire pieces of seafood in well coated.

4. Then roll the seafood into the dry flake mix of coconut, ground almonds and spices, shaking off excess flakes. 

5.  Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

6. Meanwhile, heat oil to 300 degrees F (170 degrees C) in a deep pan.

3. Lightly fry shrimp or fish in batches: cook, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Using tongs, remove shrimp to paper towels to drain. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce. 

Dipping Sauces:

I LOVE aioli!  One of my favorites simple mixes:

Pesto Aioli
- Take Mayo and mix in your store bought pesto and pressed garlic.

I also love the Sweet Chili Sauce from Trader Joe's on this recipe.

Buttery Nip Martini

This is a my own invention thanks to my good old college days.  These martinis are sweet, so 2 of them will be about all you can handle.  They taste like a butterscotch candy and are delicious! This martini is also a hit with a lot of men. 

Butterscotch Schnapps ( 3 seconds)

Vodka (2 seconds)

Bailey's Irish Cream (1 1/2 seconds)

Kahlua ( 1 1/2 seconds)

I do free pouring which is easy, you just count your ounces as full seconds (1 Aloha, 2 Aloha, 3 Aloha...)  

Pour all ingredients into a martini shaker filled to the top with ice. Shake hard to break up ice and blend contents well.  Take the martini glass and you can either swirl chocolate syrup or caramel syrup onto the inside before pouring martini into the glass. Delicious!

You can also top with a squirt of whipped cream and a cookie.  You can also add an espresso twist by cutting down the recipe by 1/2 a second all around and then adding a shot in to into the martini shaker before shaking.

Giada's Grilled Eggplant & Goat Cheese Salad

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. It is delicious with amazing flavors and textures. The only thing I so different is I reduce my balsamic down for a few minutes before drizzling it over the eggplant to make it stick better. If you choose to reduce yours down too, let it cool for a 10-15 minutes prior to drizzling.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
7 Japanese eggplant, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch wide slices
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup basil, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped mint
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the olive oil over the slices of eggplant and toss to coat. Grill the eggplants until tender and grill marks appear, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Place the eggplants side-by-side on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, goat cheese, basil, and mint. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Cook's note: Plating the eggplant salad this way allowed the cheese to stay bright white. The salt and pepper showed up on it. The herbs remained green and fluffy. The grill marks on the eggplant were distinct.