Min's S'Moretini

When we were at an Outback Steakhouse a while back, I noticed a drink by this name in their drink menu. I didn't order one, and hadn't tasted this drink. Of course all of Outback's recipes are proprietary, meaning they don't share. I did note that they use Monin Toasted Marshmallow flavoring. ( I will be curious, the next time we make it to an Outback, to see how their drink measures up to mine!)

I went on a quest, and quickly found Monin brand flavorings on the internet. I ended up ordering some directly from Monin. Man do they have some delicious-sounding recipes, with and without alcohol of course. With over 100 different flavors, it is a very enticing website. Stay tuned, you can bet I will be making more drinks!

I decided I wanted to make a vodka drink, modeled after the ne'er-tasted s'moretini, with Monin Toasted Marshmallow flavoring, some chocolate...and I took it from there.

If you don't want to buy all the specifically Monin components of this drink, I'm sure you can make substitutions. You will NEED the Monin Toasted Marshmallow, there is no substitute. You can use vanilla vodka instead of regular, and omit the Vanilla flavoring, or just add 1/4 teaspoon or so vanilla extract. Swirl the glass with Hershey's chocolate syrup or a different chocolate sauce/syrup instead of Monin Dark Chocolate Sauce. I bet it will taste yummy.

However, you may want to splurge on the Monin flavorings. (At least the scrumptious Dark Chocolate Sauce!) Either way, I know you will enjoy this smooth, creamy, luscious and decidedly grown-up s'more in a glass.

Min’s S’moretini

Serves 1

Hershey's syrup

1/2 graham cracker, finely crushed

Monin Dark Chocolate Sauce

ice cubes

1 1/4 ounce vodka

1 ounce Monin Toasted Marshmallow Syrup

1 squeeze Hershey's syrup

1/2 ounce Monin Vanilla Syrup

2 ounces half & half

• Rim martini glass with Hershey's syrup and crushed graham crackers.
• Swirl bottom third of glass with a generous drizzle of Monin Dark Chocolate Sauce.
• In cocktail shaker, combine vodka, Monin Toasted Marshmallow flavoring, Hershey’s Syrup, Monin Vanilla flavoring and half & half.
  
• Add a handful of ice cubes and shake until combined and chocolate is incorporated.
• Carefully strain into glass, and savor.

Number One says "It's yummy!"

Happy New Year!

Please drink Min's S'moretinis responsibly.

Garlic Goat Cheese Spread

I am so happy to have found this little cookbook once again! I've been missing this excellent goat cheese recipe, and honestly just calling it "garlic goat cheese" doesn't do it justice: it is a heavenly blend of roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil. I just love it.

The recipe comes from a cute, garlic-shaped cookbook called The Totally Garlic Cookbook. So tiny that I feared it was lost forever...but suddenly it turned up! Wahoo! Wonderful on thin baguette slices! Oh so delicious.

Now that my little cookbook gem is back, I'm eager to try more of the garlic recipes...stay tuned!

Garlic Goat Cheese Spread
Serves about 6

What could be more Californian than goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic--combined in one powerful little spread.

1 garlic head, top trimmed
4 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
11 ounces soft goat cheese
1 baguette, sliced
Fresh basil leaves
Nicoise or Kalamata olives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place garlic on square of aluminum foil. Drizzle generously with some of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. Seal foil and bake 1 hour.

When cool enough to handle, squeeze pulp from garlic. Place in bowl with tomatoes and basil. Mash with fork to blend. Crumble cheese over mixture and stir until well blended. Place in small serving bowl (my favorite way) or gather into a ball and form into log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill several hours or overnight.

To serve, slice cheese into rounds and arrange on platter with baguette slices. (I just get out my cute little canapé knives and arrange baguette slices around the serving bowl). Garnish with basil leaves and olives.

Classic Baked Beans

I'm almost certain that this baked bean recipe, handwritten on a scrap of paper by me, is the one I got from the grocery store deli I worked at eons ago. The baked beans they/we/I sold in the deli. The baked beans I ate frequently. The baked beans I used to love. I hope.

I'm making a double batch of them today, and I will report back as soon as I taste a spoonful. Or bowlful, whatever the case may be. These beans have returned rave reviews all around; I believe they are the beans from my past...

*I have a little note on the recipe about quantities for a double batch; see below.

Also, I've had success freezing other pinto bean recipes, so I'm sure you could freeze these as well. I'm going to refrigerate mine for a couple days, and reheat in the oven to serve at H-Bomb's birthday party. (he said he doesn't think he will want beans, "but other people at my party might want to eat beans." Isn't he thoughtful?)

Classic Baked Beans
8 servings

2 cups beans (I'm using pinto beans today)
1/4 pound salt pork, sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons molasses

Wash and sort beans; place in large pot, add 1 1/2 quarts cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Add salt pork, return to heat and simmer, covered, until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Drain, reserving 2 cups liquid.

To liquid, add brown sugar, salt, dry mustard and molasses, mix well.

Alternate beans and pork in a large casserole dish, add sugar mixture. Cover and bake at 300 degrees F for 5 or 6 hours. If necessary, add more water during cooking.

*Double batch:
4 cups beans
Reserve 6 cups liquid
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon molasses

This left me with a bit extra liquid, but I figure I can save it in the fridge, and add it if needed prior to reheating on Saturday!

Founder Mix

This recipe comes from Number One's family cookbook. It is attributed to one of his cousins. They call it "founder" mix because they have "foundered" on it several times, meaning, "to become ill from overeating."

When this is around, it is seriously all I can do to not eat it all, all of it, all day long. Yesterday, it was all I could do to walk past the Chex cereals so I wouldn't make a whole batch and eat it all by myself. Today, I sent my husband to the store with a list of cereals. And what do you know, with cereals he returned. Every time I walk by the founder mix, I eat a bite or two. Heaven.

You can store it in a large ziploc bag, making it handy for traveling/hiking/horseback riding too.

Founder Mix

In a large bowl, combine approximately 3 cups EACH of:

Rice Chex
Corn Chex
Golden Grahams

Of the following "Optional" ingredients, I always include slivered almonds, coconut, and chopped cashews. (at least a cup of each, or more) Mix in with your cereal.

Optional:
slivered almonds (about 8 oz)
coconut (about 2 cups raw unsweetened, if you can find it. sweetened flakes if not)
cashews (about 1 cup chopped)
sunflower seeds
peanuts

In a saucepan, heat the following:

1 cup Karo (corn syrup)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter (can be reduced to 1 stick, but why??)

Bring to boiling and boil for 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Pour over cereal mixture and mix well.


The recipe doesn't say this, but I turn out my founder mix onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets to let it set up a bit. If you can wait that long. Then I store it in a ziploc bag. If you have any left to store. Go make some now. And be sure to send me a small sample, just so I can know you've mastered the recipe...

Slush

This is very refreshing and very potent. Consume with joy and caution.

Mix this in a large non-reactive bowl. If you'd like, you can steep the tea and mix some of it in a saucepan before pouring the hot mixture into a bowl.

Pour 2 cups boiling water over 4 teabags, let steep 3 to 5 minutes. Dissolve 1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar in tea. Add 12 oz. can lemonade concentrate and 12 oz. can orange juice concentrate, stir until dissolved. Add 9 cups cold water and 2 to 2 1/2 cups vodka. Mix well. Pour in large container and freeze.

To serve, scrape out desired amount with a spoon or ice cream scoop.

Crab Rangoon

Forget about any crab rangoon you've had in any Chinese restaurant anywhere. In case you've already forgotten, crab rangoon are crunchy little appetizers, filled with creamy crab. Or sometimes not. But they are supposed to be.

I learned how to make these in college, from my then-bff Spanish Tracy. (we took every Spanish class there was together. We studied together all the time. We did some other things that I won't ever admit to. It was college. She calls me Spanish Min too.) Anyway, these are better than any you've had. Trust me. They are also quite easy.

You'll need some won ton wrappers. If I can get them where I live, in the actual middle of nowhere, you can surely get them where you live. You'll find them in a refrigerated section, possibly even with the vegetables. Grocery stores are funny. I have also used egg roll wrappers, just cut in four pieces to approximate the size of won tons. It's the same stuff.

Bring an 8-oz. brick of cream cheese to room temperature in a medium bowl. While you're waiting for that to happen, finely chop some green onions (maybe half a bunch?) and drain and rinse and drain again a can of crab meat. I don't know exactly what kind of crab meat you should get, but it comes in a can, a bit bigger than a can of tuna. Perhaps go for the middle of the road priced can, or use what you like.

Mix the crab and onions in with the cream cheese, and mix them well.

Heat some vegetable oil in a pan, probably over medium-high heat. If you have a Fry Daddy or something like that, now would be the time to pull it out and plug it in.

Now comes the fun part: Assembly. First put some water in a small bowl. Place about a teaspoon or so of the cream cheese mixture in the middle of a won ton wrapper. With your finger, lightly wet two edges of the won ton wrapper. The won ton wrappers are square, so you would wet the two edges of the wrapper that face you, meeting at a point. You are going to turn your squares into filled triangles. If that makes sense.

Fold the dry edges of the wrapper over onto the wet edges to form a triangle. You want to press down lightly to remove extra air, but not to compress the filling. Smooth the edges together to seal them. This step is crucial to prevent them from bursting and leaking out.

So, as you are filling won tons, you will be frying them as well. You can make several and then fry several, but you don't want to make them all and then fry them all, because you don't want them to start to dry out. Put a couple filled won tons into the oil. If they don't quickly start to sound like they're frying? Your oil is not yet hot enough. If there is lots of noise and spattering and even smoking? Your oil is too hot. Be careful, I never said this wasn't treacherous.

Fry evenly, turning once, until both sides are golden brown, and remove to a plate covered with paper towels to drain.

Eat them while they are still warm. We like to serve them with sweet and sour sauce. You won't be able to make them fast enough-if you are serving several people, you won't have to worry about them getting cold.

This recipe makes a lot of rangoons, so you probably won't run out before everyone has had enough. And, if you happen to have any leftover, the crab cream cheese is excellent on toasted bagels.

Min's Cosmopolitan

To start with, it is difficult to find a picture of the perfect cosmopolitan. The top one is the right shade of pink, but looks cloudy. If you Google "Cosmopolitan drink," you will find lots of drinks like this one; this one is much too dark. I do like the orange peel though, so it made the cut.I have quite unsuccessfully photoshopped the image below. The light pink is close, though a bit on the lavender side, but the lime peel is unnaturally green. Again, I like that curled detail. It is perfectly acceptable to just float a circle of orange or lime peel in the middle of your glass as well. But I am getting ahead of myself. Looking at this picture again, I would probably aim for a drink that is the same shade of pink as the table near the bottom.



Oh my, are there some sorry bartenders out there who can't make a decent Cosmo to save their life. It's a good thing I am around to show them the light. But sometimes, even my light and my secret ingredient aren't enough to pull the bartenders out of the dark pit of despair that is a lackluster and poorly executed Cosmopolitan. That, however, is a story for another day.

The key ingredient in the perfect Cosmopolitan is Finlandia Cranberry Vodka. It lends a hint of cranberry flavor as well as a hint of pink color, thus precludes the usual "splash of cranberry." No diluting these babies, and if your Finlandia is pink, there is no worry about the perfect "shade" of pink. (If you can't find the Finlandia Cranberry, I would go with Skye vodka, but that's just me. I'll provide an alternate recipe in case you are forced to use anything besides Finlandia.)

The next ingredient is Triple Sec. If you want to use a high quality (more expensive) liqueur, you can use Cointreau. But in my experience, as long as the triple sec has decent flavor, it will do.

The final ingredient, and a must, no substitutions, is Rose's Lime Juice. Fresh squeezed lime juice will not provide the desired result. You simply must use Rose's. This is what it looks like:

And here is what you'll need for one perfect Cosmopolitan:

1 shot (1 ounce) Finlandia Cranberry Vodka

1/2 shot (1/2 ounce) Triple Sec

approximately 1 generous Tablespoon Rose's Lime Juice (maybe 2)

1 cup ice cubes

Cocktail shaker

Chilled Martini glass

A steady hand


Combine all ingredients in the cocktail shaker. Shake gently and with that steady hand, pour carefully and strain into a Martini glass. Fill it right up to the rim. For extra flair, ever so gently float a curl of lime or orange peel in the center of your drink.

*I have noticed some "cosmopolitans" out there served with an offensive Wedge of Lime or other such nonsense. This simply unacceptable and boorish, do not even consider it.

Now. If there is some kind of problem. If you can't find Finlandia Cranberry in your teeny-tiny state controlled liquor store. Or if, God forbid, the Finlandia Cranberry you find is not beautifully pink, but rather sadly clear? Use the best quality vodka you can afford/find. Skye vodka seems to be a good substitute (it could be just the beautiful cobalt blue bottle). If you are using Another vodka or Clear Cranberry vodka, you will need to add the tiniest splash of cranberry juice to your Cosmopolitan mixture. You should wait to add the cranberry until it's in the glass, then gently stir, or just allow it to mix cloudily in as you sip. You don't want to get too much juice. You want the slightest hint of pink tinge in your Cosmo, not a diluted, cranberry juice colored mess. (this is why I don't recommend adding cranberry to the cocktail shaker--this is very much a visual effect).


And yes, ladies, this is a science. It does take some practice. We might even need to get together for some lessons on this one. Perhaps we could trade: Cosmo lesson for Photoshop lesson? I won't mind. And neither will you, once you've tasted the liquid beauty that is Min's Cosmo.

Post Script: The next time I make a batch of cosmo's, I'll be sure to take a picture. Then you'll know exactly what to aim for. How 'bout that?

Min's Pina Coladas

This will make about 4 servings, or less if you are thirsty.

2 cups organic (or good quality) pineapple juice
3/4 cup cream of coconut (in a can--sometimes found near the drink mixin's)
3 cups crushed ice

Blend.

Now is the time you give some to the kids. Kids LOVE pina coladas; H-Bomb calls them "Coconut Drinks." Take that kid to Florida and he will DOWN these.

After the kids have theirs, add 1 cup light rum (or to taste) and blend.

Pour into fancy glasses and garnish with paper umbrellas. Pineapples slices, cherries, whatever, if you want to waste your time garnishing when you should be drinking.

Sit back, relax and enjoy.