Does the idea of mixing pomegranate juice with iced coffee make your eyes bug out like the cute little lamby slippers above?

POM has done this craaazy thing with their POM iced coffees.

.. (click for more) ..

Its FINALLY starting to cool off to a seasonal fall temperature around here, helping me feel a bit more in-season. The tree colors peaked this weekend, yesterday was psychedelic with the riotous oranges, yellows, and reds of the sugar maples around here. Other than pumpkins and gourds and squashes and apples, I am seeing lots of pears in the store now and I have been reveling in trying new varieties. I wrote just previously about the seckel pear in a recipe where I served it simply sliced on the plate (”Purple Passion: homegrown eggplant“).

Along this pear tangent, I am now developing a recipe for a pear cocktail for the pear industry’s “Liquid Pearfection” cocktail contest.

Click the graphic above to go to the page at USA Pears (a pear lobby) where you can get information for entering your recipe!

Do it quickly because the contest ends October 10th.

This activity was fun, sort of like a chemistry experiment. We used our juicer to juice some red or crimson bartlett pears and seckel (sugar) pears. If you do this, I recommend passing the juice through a cheesecloth to sieve off the foamy particulate. I then sat down with some spirits I bought just for this cocktail, the juices (bartlett, seckel, and apple), homemade simple syrup, salt, lemon juice, and pencil and paper.

I wanted to use a spirit that was not something you see in everyday cocktails here in the US and which gave it a latino twist. To this end, I used a Colombian spirit called Aguardiente, a high octane anise flavored drink that is usually had straight out of tiny little stainless steel cups by macho people (male or female, my grandma can put them away for sure).I could not get a hold of the “good” type called Aguardiente Cristal (order here) so I had to settle for the other kind you see in the photo above.

I also could not get my hands on the Colombian rum called “Ron Viejo de Caldas” by the same company (order here) so I had to settle for Puerto Rican Bacardi Gold rum (rum in spanish is ron). (I am not associated with the pear lobby or the alcohol company – zero profit for me – I am just giving you a resource for finding these “rare” spirits. They may be easily had where you live!)I googled pear and fennel (which has an anise flavor) and found that there are quite a few restaurants serving pear and shaved fennel salads. This hinted to me that the anise flavor may pair with pear well.

As we generally do not drink much at all and when we do its Guinness beer, we were lightweights in our taste trials. Keep this in mind regarding our taste testing.

While my husband was not into the flavor, I liked it. My recipe has the alcohol on the light side because the aquardiente has such an assertive (overpowering?) flavor. The recipe that used the rum also included the freshly made apple juice, that was fantastic.

I will post my pear cocktail recipe in the sidebar and here after October 10th (after the contest closes) and if I win, I will let you know!

If you decide to enter, share your recipe too, can’t wait to see what you all come up with.

Related Posts:

• Purple Passion: homegrown eggplant

Product links: (no profit)

• Aquardiente Cristal
• Ron Viejo de Caldas

Technorati Tags: Guinness

This soda had several good things going for it:

• The grapefruit flavor is very delicate, not overpowering or astringent. I am a great lover of ruby red grapefruit so a stronger flavor would have been fine by me but I appreciate the delicate nature of this drink’s flavor profile.
• Even though this drink is spiked with a variety of energy-promoting substances, it didn’t taste like a chemistry experiment.
• I definitely felt energetic as I did my modest walking workout.

I have tried other energy drinks, especially the sugar-free types, and I never cared for their face-puckering brain-walloping extreme nature. I recently picked up one on my drive to what promised to be an energy-zapping photo shoot and I had a hard time finishing it. By the time I got to the bottom of it’s slim little can, there was a sort of acidic, ascorbic, horrifying sludge that was worse than just about anything I have ever drank.

This Hi Ball grapefruit energy drink is like the polar opposite of that experience.

They make:

• Orange
• Wild Berry
• Lemon Lime
• Grapefruit
• Club soda
• Tonic Water

The ingredients you will find in the Ruby Red Grapefruit flavored drink includes:

• Taurine
• Caffeine
• Guarana
• Ginseng
• Vitamin-B
• No sweeteners – no sugar

You will also see a page on various athletes who are spokespeople for this company. I mention this because its a trip reading about these people and then thinking how I am so NOT like them. I have no illusions that this drink will turn me into a global-class olympic skier or skateboarder, but I do think its a good choice for the adult who needs some energy in the short term without the sugar crash that you get after the loathesome energy bars and drinks that are thrust at the public as if they were actually GOOD for the body.

I would not recommend any of these caffeine and herbal amended drinks for kids and young adults. There is time enough later for them to become addicted to caffeine. They should have enough energy to do the kid things they need to do.

Give the Ruby Red Grapefruit Energy drink and the other flavors a try!

Technorati Tags: taste test, bubbly, drink, treadmill, grapefruit, astringent, flavor profile, spiked, energy, chemistry, experiment, workout, sugar-free, sludge, Hi Ball, polar opposite, Orange, Wild Berry, Lemon Lime, Grapefruit, Club soda, Tonic Water, Taurine, Caffeine, Guarana, Ginseng, Vitamin-B, sweetener, athlete, olympic, skier, skateboard, crash

(Source: Hoffman Media, click image to go to magazine order page)

I watch only a few shows on the Food Network, two of those being Alton Brown’s “Good Eats” and Paula Deen’s “Home Cooking“. I do not watch the “Paula’s Party” show though, something about that show makes me feel uneasy. I am positively inclined toward Ms. Deen but am not what you would call a fan. I am only a fan of the Japanese Iron Chef, other than that, I watch without much fan-like adoration.

I am also not the sort to buy cooking magazines because I am not in the habit of buying in the “women’s magazine” genre. When I was a kid, I did have a subscription to Bon Appetit (I know, wierd, I was an odd one to say the least) but not to any of the pop culture teen mags. Thus, I am not jaded by other “women’s” genre food magazines. I get Food & Wine and Saveur but I did not compare them to this magazine, different concept.

When I opened this magazine, I wasnt really paying attention to the fact that it was a special edition. I was astounded that a food magazine would have zero interstitial ads. The only ads you will find are on the back and front cover. What you get instead is bombarded by page after page of simply delicious recipes, appetizing and dynamic food photography, and a huge dose of Paula’s personality.

This issue boasts 85 recipes, 20 complete menus (and they ARE, I got full just reading them, honest) and photographic suggestions of inviting table settings and decorations. In the back, you can find all sorts of high quality kitchenalia and dining room related objects carefully chosen from artists in Savanna and other people and places relevant to Paula’s universe.

Each of the seven recipe chapters starts with a nifty little box outlining the menu and then provides recipes. With no ads, they really pack quite a few recipes in on each page.

• Wake Up Sunshine – Ham and Cheese Quiche with Potato Crust
• Lunch Bunch – Molto Muffeletta (Paula’s vegetarian version of the resplendent New Orleans sandwich, too much bread and too little Italian cold cuts in my mind)
• Special Suppers – None of the protein dishes attracted me but the Lime Blueberry Tiramasu calls my name like a siren.
• Dinner from the Grill – Bourbon Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Bourbon Sauce and Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Streusel Topping (Pinch me, I think this sounds fantastic! When my grill thaws out, I will be trying this for certain)
• Casual Evenings – New York Strip Steaks with Terragon Melting sauce, Herbed Monkey Bread and pornographic Easy Chocolate-Cherry Cake
• Game Time Tonight – Mini Bratwurst Sandwiches (cute things. Little = eat more!) and Queen of Hearts Brownies (dainty decadence)
• After Dinner Delights – Hot Carmel Apple Cider

In the last chapter, “Quick and Classy Tabletops“, the table setups are so colorful and very textural.

All that said, I do not see how these could be considered quick! The time I would have to spend in Pier One just buying all the stuff would be hours. Note – I will use any excuse to spend hours there, my toddler cries when she sees the Pier One sign though.

The tabletops are classy, certainly, but super complex. I think I would need a Masters in Design to accomplish this on my own. I am sure there are many readers here who have the desire and talent to do this (it is just beautiful) but I dont see my doing it any time soon. Its likely that one of my kids would either pull the tablecloth off with little flair or light a bonfire with candles and fancy linens.

I have only three beefs with this magazine:

1. I gained 3 pounds just reading the thing
2. I honestly felt lonely after putting it down because Paula looks like she has SO MUCH FUN
3. Paula’s photos can be a bit disconcerting at times because some of the shots make her look like she has a 1000 yard stare and her blue eyes are a bit too retouched to look natural. Note to Paula’s photographer, keep her giggling, catch her happy smiles and forget the Hello Kitty vapid look, it is a disservice to Miss Paula.

I can not recommend this Special Collector’s Issue ENOUGH.

If you see it on the news stand, grab it.

It will be out until May and sells for

• $7.99 US
• $8.99 CAN

Technorati Tags: Hoffman Media, Food Network, Alton Brown, Paula Deen, Home Cooking, Paula’s Party, Iron Chef, cooking magazine, genre, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Saveur, magazine, special edition, recipe, appetizing, food photography, menu, Savanna, chapter, Quiche, Muffeletta, Lime, Blueberry, Tiramasu, Tenderloin, Bourbon, Cheesecake, Streusel, Strip Steak, Chocolate, Cherry, Cake, Bratwurst, Sandwiche, Brownie, Carmel, Tabletops, Pier One

For this month’s designated driver drink, I had to stretch beyond the trite Saint Patrick’s day “stock drinks”. I also didnt want to explore virgin irish coffees, whats the point?!

Today’s nonalcoholic drink is a fusion between Colombia (my childhood influence) and a drink popular in the 1970s here in the US, the Grasshopper. I put this together because its green but also filled with tropical goodness.

Guanabana (Guanabanus muricatus) is the fruit base. It is called “soursop” by the British (not at all sure why, sour doesnt really describe the unique flavor of this fruit). It is related to the Paw-Paw and Cherimoya. If you live anywhere near an urban center, you may find latino food stores and in those stores, in the freezer section, you will likely find the guanabana pulp frozen into packages. Of course, the fresh fruit will never be replicated by frozen or concentrate, but these frozen pulps are a great stand in.

Regarding the taste. In the case of this fruit, texture is coupled to the flavor. I can not articulate it completely, but there is a textural heaviness or “grit” that coats the mouth while the flavor has a slight tingle/prickly ever-so-slightly sour bite that travels across the roof of the mouth and a bit on the back of the tongue.

If you have had guanabana and like to describe it differently, please comment because I would love to see how others experience this fruit.

I remember my parents making grasshoppers and pink panthers at home. My mom says it was a 70s thing. It marked my childhood, just like Elvis, skateboards, and Sha Na Na did.

The typical grasshopper contains Green Crème De Menthe, light cream, and Crème De Cacao. Yikes, talk about heavy. My parents would make non-alcoholic versions of it with ice cream.

This grasshopper that I have put together for you today is a more globalized version. It contains a lot more vitamin C and a lot less proccessed “Creme“, whatever THAT is.

Gobstopping Grasshoppers

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen package of Guanabana pulp
• 1 C cold skim milk (I used skim because thats what we had on hand, you use what you like)
• 1/2 C white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon freshly minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon Key Lime Juice
• pinch of salt
• 2 large tablespoon dollops non-dairy whipped cream (Cool Whip)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint (In this case, my fresh mint was “displaced” by a family member, I had to use a scant drop of mint extract)

Directions:

Blend all these ingredients into a frothy cold shake and serve in frozen mugs or goblets.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: Spirit World, Well Fed Network, designated driver drink, Saint Patrick’s day, irish coffee, nonalcoholic, Colombia, Grasshopper, tropical, soursop, British, Paw-Paw, Cherimoya, latino, guanabana, pulp, fresh, pink panthers, Elvis, skateboard, Sha Na Na, Crème De Menthe, Crème De Cacao, ice cream, globalized, vitamin C, Creme, Gobstopping, ginger, Key Lime Juice, whipped cream, mint

(This is my latest article for The Spirit World, a blog in the Well Fed Network family)

To me, Valentine’s Day is vibrant red and cinnamon flavored. Without that bright and bracing flavor, I have not really DONE Valentine’s Day. As such, I feel that anything presented as Valentine’s specific should be dark red and filled with hot cinnamon-y goodness.

Today’s Designated Driver Drink (a Well Fed Network Spirit World blog category) delivers a fantastic dose of spicy red that is sure to delight kids and kid-at-heart adults.

Big Red Cinnamon Cocktail for the kids

Ingredients:

• Big Red Soda (you can substitute Mountain Dew Code Red if you can’t get Big Red)
• 2 small boxes cherry Jello gelatin
• 1 1/4 C boiling water
• 1 drop cinnamon oil (Lorann is a good source)

Directions:

1. Put two boxes of jello gelatin into 1 1/2 C boiling hot water and mix until dissolved.
2. Add drop of cinnamon oil.
3. Pour into your favorite mold or a flat pan to set up for 3 hours in the refrigerator.
4. Cut jello into desired shape and add to a serving glass.
5. Pour soda over the top of jello and serve with other Valentine’s decadence.

If you would like a cinnamon flavored drink for the over 21 age group try a “Big Red” Cocktail. This recipe uses Cinnamon Goldschlager, a liquor that has gold flakes floating lazily about in it’s depths, a schnapps I love because its so darn pretty.

Liquid Big Red

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Goldschlager cinnamon schnapps
• 2 oz Jagermeister herbal liqueur
• 12 oz Dr. Pepper soda

Directions:

1. Pour Goldschlager and Jagermeister over ice in your most festive glass.
2. Add Dr. Pepper until it reaches the top, taking care to not let it foam the cinnamon goodness over the top.

One bit of trivia for you: The company that makes Goldschlager had to reduce the amount of gold flecks it puts into the formulation because people were having reactions to the gold, an element that is supposed to have no effect on our bodies. (see this PubMed link for studies)

Drink in moderation as this mixture is sure to go to your head in a schnapp.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Technorati Tags: Valentine’s Day

I was visiting our local liquor store, Yankee Spirits (FAR more than just a liquor store.. if you ever even come NEAR Sturbridge you need to stop in for a huge selection of wine, spirits, and beer, just HUGE), and saw this store-printed sign saying “Gluten Free ciders” and it mentioned Woodchuck Draft Ciders. I had to get it and try it.

It is an effervescent, light and refreshing cider. Its definitely a nice change from other mealtime alcohol options. If you are interested in exploring gluten free alcoholic drinks, definitely give this a try.

I was struck by the fact that I never thought about gluten being an ingredient of a beer or drink. It seems that gluten is an ingredient in many things you would never suspect. There are many resources on the web for consciousness raising around gluten as a widespread ingredient, I could not list them all. I think I will hold off on expounding on gluten in this post because I want to focus on this product. I will save gluten as an ingredient for another day. If you would like to find blogs on the topic of gluten free eating try this google search.

I can recommend a few blogs like this really quick:

Nutty Meat Fruit 

Gluten-Free Girl

I am gluten free

Gluten free by the Bay

Technorati Tags: Yankee Spirits, wine, spirits, beer, Gluten Free ciders, Woodchuck Draft Ciders, alcohol, gluten free, alcoholic, gluten, ingredient

Sparkling Cadaver Cider Cocktails

Without exploring all THAT could describe (this IS a site rated for all audiences), here I am talking about a gruesome cadaveric drink, floating jello fingers with veins included, that is actually composed of a delightful sparkling apple cider. Something about the jello with Twizzlers makes the cider turn a toxic yellow that will surely delight any child.

By letting the kids participate in the making of the jello fingers (or hand or foot or eyeballs or whatever floats their boats) as well as the suggested witches finger cookies (see below), they get to expand on the Halloween fun beyond one night of romping in the dark.

Sparkling Cadaver Cider Cocktails

Ingredients:

Sparkling apple cider (can substitute with apple cider and soda water or ginger ale)
Desired body part (we constructed jello fingers, do what makes you all gross out maximally)

Ingredients:

1 roll of prefab white sugar cookie dough from the dairy case
red fruit leather (for the nails)
extra all purpose flour

Directions:

Work some extra flour into the cookie dough to stiffen it so that it doesn’t flatten much during cooking.

Form into small finger sized logs and then shape them with knuckles and such. You can add food coloring to make them look even more disgusting if you feel the need.

Cut out nail shaped bits of fruit leather and apply to the fingers, where appropriate.

Bake as per directions on the dough package, until cookies are done.

Serve with the cadaver drinks above.

A good sangria can be deceptively mild in its intoxicating abilities. For those of us who are the designated teetotaler (as I usually am), a virginal sangria will have to suffice. I like the following recipe because it skirts somewhat closely to the “spirit” of a sangria, but is non-alcoholic.

To me, this means that I miss out on the truly amazing Spanish wine one should use in an alcoholic sangria, but it also means I can enjoy a very refreshing sangria all night long.

Directions:
The day before you wish to serve this sangria do the following:
In a large bowl place sliced fruits, cover with the cranberry juice and the pomegranate syrup.

Refrigerate overnight. Also have the ginger ale cooling in the fridge.

At service:
In an attractive serving pitcher add ice and the 4 cups of ginger ale.

To this add fruit chunks and the soaking liquid. Serve and enjoy.

You may wish to nibble on some quality olives, a strong sausage, and a favorite cheese. This snack would be a good culinary venue to buy some Spanish imports for experimentation. Don’t buy a lot and if you don’t like a certain product, you have given it a try but not spent the farm on it.

Cucumber, Ginger and Sake Sangria & Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls

Sparkling Sangria and Seared Shrimp

White Wine Strawberry Sangria (aka Mom Juice)

Sangria: Fun and Festive Recipes

Sangria & Ribs

Enjoy!

Grenadine Lemonade

I also wanted to make a bit of a foray into the syrups that are used to make many classic cocktails. I chose Grenadine and set off to the liquor store to find it.

Let me tell you, you have to either be oblivious or have a big ego to not notice the stares you get when you walk into a liquor store 7 1/2 months pregnant with your 9 year old in tow.

To compensate for being there I bought all these extra non-alcoholic items like peppery bacon and cheeses and more. Didn’t help because people were looking at my tummy and not my bacon snacks in the cart!

Anyway, I look at the list of ingredients on the grenadine bottle when I get home and no where is there mention of actual juice, let alone pomegranate juice.

This was a sad thing for me because I was under the impression that grenadine was a pomegranate syrup. This syrup sure didn’t taste very good either. It reminded me of a really cheap snow cone.

At this point I decided that pomegranate juice is not that hard to get a hold of and I set out to make my own grenadine. It is well worth the small trouble as it tastes completely different.

To make homemade Grenadine do the following:

Ingredients:

white sugar
100% pomegranate juice

Directions:

Simmer 1 part sugar and 1 part pomegranate juice for about 10 minutes on medium. You want the sugar to dissolve and for the syrup to reduce slightly.

Allow to cool and then experiment with your favorites. Some of the almost 600 cocktails using grenadine, with recipes, can be found here on The Spirit World or at this WebTender link.

Ingredients:

1/2 C fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 C freshly made and cooled grenadine syrup
ice cubes
1 C cold sprite, seltzer water, or ginger ale to taste. (amount depends on size of serving glass, mine was a pub glass)
lemon slices, lime slices and frozen blueberries to garnish.

Directions:

Chill all juice, syrup, and soda.
Fill glass with ice cubes (I froze some blueberries into my cubes), add soda to 1/2 point, add juice and grenadine and then top off with soda. Mix gently. Add garnishes if desired.