Manhattan

It’s a gray and rainy Fall day down here in Naples, FL.   Season is in full swing and we're already weary and tired, so for the next six months, here’s what I will be relaxing with after work.

That’s right. I brought back the Manhattan. Don’t say no because yes I did!

A few years ago I told my friend Steve my plan to do so and he didn’t believe me—until he had one with me at lunch.  Now he’s hooked.  Hooked on sweet, smooth, orangey goodness that has just enough bite to take the edge off the day.  Double Old Fashioned glass, extra cherry.

Last year was about testing:  I had 2 really good Manhattan’s in Chicago—at Rebar (awesome round ice cube mold) and at Chicago Cut Steakhouse (made with Rye).  The best one I’ve had here in Naples is at the Grill Room in the Ritz-Carlton (soaked cherries and extra juice).  So I’ve played around with them a little (to my delight tested far too many!) and here’s what I’ve come up with.  Really good!  

It's getting cold in the rest of the country.  I just returned from Chicago where it was 27 and snowing.  Light a fire, cuddle up, and make some Manhattans. You’ll for sure thank me later :) 

 

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(makes 2 drinks with some left over)

WHAT TO BUY:

Note:  I like the juice of regular maraschino cherries and the garnish of luxardo cherries, so I buy both.  The juice is essential to this recipe, but if you like to garnish with the regular marashino cherries, then you've saved yourself some time and money and don't need to buy the luxardos because admittedly, they are a little pricey

Bourbon (I like Makers Mark and Knob Creek)

Sweet Vermouth

Bitters (I like Angostura)

1 jar regular maraschino cherries

1 jar luxardo cherries

1 orange

ice

cocktail shaker

shot glass (approx 1.5 ozs)

In your cocktail shaker, mix:

6 shots bourbon

2 shots sweet vermouth 

3 or 4 dashes Bitters

splash of juice from the marashino cherries (maybe 2 teaspoons)

Shake, and pour over ice.  

With a paring knife, slice off a piece of orange peel about the size of a quarter.  Twist to release the juices, run it around the rim of the glass, and place inside the glass with 2 luxardo cherries. 

Lentil Soup

 Rain rain, go away.  Blah :(

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

hand-held immersion blender

Olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup dried lentils  

1  28-ounce can diced tomatoes, do not drain

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups beef broth

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 or 3 stalks fresh thyme

fresh baby spinach

1 teaspoon ground coriander (dried) 

1 teaspoon ground cumin (dried)

2 small carrots, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces

2 small stalks celery, chopped into bite size piece

course salt/freshly cracked pepper

Drizzle olive oil in soup pot.  Saute carrots, onion, celery, and garlic over medium heat until softened.  Add broth, tomatoes, thyme, and dried spices.  Simmer covered, 10 minutes.

Add lentils.  Salt and pepper to taste. Stir together.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 40 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir, and puree the soup lightly--pulsing, approx 8 seconds.  YOU ONLY WANT TO THICKEN THE SOUP slightly, you do not want a smooth soup.  If you think it's thick enough, you can skip this step but I never do because it gives it body.

Drop 2 large handfuls of spinach into the soup and stir in.

Ladle into bowls and finish with kosher salt and cracked pepper.

Fry Sauce

When I was growing up, my mom made this to dip baked chicken in, and my dad called it “sloppy sauce.”  My daughter calls it “fry sauce”.  As the name suggests, she uses it to dip french fries in yes, but also burgers and chicken tenders, and anything else that needs general deliciousness  :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

pinch black pepper

Mix together and chill in refrigerator until ready to use.

Blackberry Cobbler

The freshest fruits of summer come together to make this delicious cobbler.  You can make it with raspberries, blackberries, plums, or peaches, and once it cools down and the fall weather arrives—apples!  Then it becomes the Apple Crisp I posted here in 2016.

They say August is the Sunday of Summer and here we are already, in the waning days of the season.  Pretty soon we’ll be breaking out the Yankee candles and cinnamon brooms.  This is the perfect way to hold onto summer just a little bit longer :)

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(WHAT YOU'LL NEED)

4 small containers blackberries

Fresh lemon juice

1 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup butter (plus a little extra to grease the pan)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
cinnamon
vanilla ice cream

Grease the pan (I use a ceramic pie pan) with a little butter.  Add berries and lightly squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over them.

In mixing bowl, add sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
Break egg into a separate cup then add to sugar mixture.  Use fork to mix together until crumbly.  You'll think there's no way that one egg will make a crumbly mixture but just keep working at it.  By the time your wrist is sore, you'll have equal size crumbs.

Sprinkle crumbs over the blackberries.

Melt butter, then drizzle over the crumb mixture in pan.  Sprinkle a little cinnamon over the top.

Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

Cold Asian Noodles

Talk about versatile and easy: they’re cold, so all the preparation is done in advance (ideally the day before)--and it does triple duty as a vegetarian lunch, add poached shrimp and it's a nice light dinner on a summer night; leave out the peanuts and it's a good side dish for  grilled meats and sandwiches.  My favorite way to eat it is to add cooked, shredded chicken before you chill it so that you end up with an Asian chicken salad that pairs REALLY NICELY with a cold, crisp pinot grigio.  Tomato Tom-ah-to...   :)

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

ps:  this is always better the next day, when the sauce has had a chance to soak in

8 ounces thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 tablespoons sesame oil
juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 green onions, sliced
roasted, salted peanuts - chopped
optional:  cooked & shredded chicken or poached shrimp

Make pasta according to package directions. 
Mix remainder of ingredients (except peanuts) in a large mixing cup.

When pasta is done, drain and place in large bowl.
Pour sauce over while noodles are still hot and mix.  If adding chicken or shrimp, do so here.
Refrigerate until the next day so sauce has a chance to soak into the pasta.

Take out of refrigerator 15-20 minutes before serving.
Mix well, and serve with chopped peanuts sprinkled over the top.

Blueberry Jalapeno Muffins with Homemade Honey Butter

When you eat a muffin at 11 am on a lazy Sunday morning with your family, I’m sure you’re calling it breakfast.  But if you call it BRUNCH, you can have a carafe of Costa Rican fresh roast, pitchers of bloody mary’s, and some loud festive music.  Boom, just like that, it’s a party!  All because you said brunch.  Then you can go back to bed and take a nap.  You’re welcome :)

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

1 box of your favorite blueberry muffin mix & whatever ingredients it takes to make them

(I use Jiffy, and it calls for 1 egg and ¼ cup milk)

1 whole jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

½ stick salted butter, softened

Honey

Muffin tin and paper muffin cups

Note:  these go really well with ham.  Just sayin’…

Prepare muffin mix according to the directions on the box and add the jalapeno pepper.

Mix and bake.

While they’re baking, make the honey butter:

Place softened butter in a small dish and squeeze a nice amount of honey on top.  Mix it with a spoon until it’s incorporated. 

Serve muffins hot from the oven:  break open and spread with honey butter

Barbecue Chicken Wings

Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning of summer, and we're so excited to leave the dreary weather behind that we drag it out over a whole weekend:  barbecues, grilling, igloo coolers, jello shots, wait what?...  And if you're lucky enough to live in the Midwest or on the Eastern Seaboard, you're already in Celebration Central!  

This is one of my favorite things to grill on the outdoor holidays--chicken wings.  Mine are a little spicy, kinda sticky, and totally delicious.  Paired with your favorite sides and some ice cold drinks, you really can't go wrong.  So get out your sparklers and put up the bunting--summer's here!! :)

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(WHAT YOU’LL NEED)

As many chicken wings as you'd like
Your favorite barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
Cajun seasoning (I use Tony Chacheri's)
1-2 teaspoons honey
1 lemon, quartered
Cayenne Pepper
Garlic Powder
Salt/Pepper


Mix sauce:
How much sauce you make will depend on how many wings you make.  Start with this and add more ingredients if needed:
In bowl, place 2 cups barbecue sauce, juice of 1/4 lemon, 1 teaspoon honey, and some sprinkles of cayenne pepper.  Mix and taste.  Adjust as needed.

Heat grill

Place wings on cookie sheet and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. 
Tip:  do not add the sauce until the wings are almost done.  Otherwise the honey and sugars in the sauce will crystallize and burn before the chicken is cooked.

Grill wings, turning as needed.  When almost cooked through, start basting with the sauce.  Continue doing this until the sauce has had time to heat up nicely and thicken on the wings, and the chicken is cooked all the way through.  The wings should be a little sticky.  Remove to platter and serve with your favorite side dishes.

radishes, cauliflower, celery, sugar snap peas, and carrots with a buttermilk ranch dip

I made these wings for dinner last week and I served them with a fresh vegetable platter.  Two actually, as there's a picky eater in my family who only eats carrots and celery...grrrrrrr

the picky eater vegetable platter