How are you all doing during quarantine? This is such a weird and stressful time so I thought I'd get out my favorite cookbook and look for a cocktail. One drink caught my eye and seemed perfect, the Reviver. Plus we had all the ingredients. This one is 'from' Miss Holly Cleary the True Blood resident Wiccan. I love how she always keeps salt in her purse!
To start this cocktail you will need 1.5 ounces of Gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc and Lemon Juice. We happened to have gin and some white wine but for the Cointreau we had to use a bright blue orange liqueur. I was worried about how it would taste but it turned out to be just fine! On top of this mix you splash some Pernod, which is an anise flavored liqueur. Absinthe worked perfectly!
Next add to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and give it a go! I was terrified of getting blue all over the place so I was a tad hesitant when shaking he he! Lastly I garnished with a sweet black cherry. If anyone know me, they know I love love love a good maraschino cherry!
Voilà, you have a yummy new cocktail to sip at home while you wonder what to do with your day. I asked Craig for his thoughts on this cocktail, he is my mixologist..."this Reviver is refreshing and complex in its nuanced flavor pallet giving a sharp taste of orange and a bite of anise. It's sweet yet strong enough to wake you up!"
I couldn't have said it better myself. Perfect for #quarantine life!
This cocktail comes from the marvelously dramatic Lorena, where the smell of cherry brandy inspires memories of the carnage she and Bill created. They spent their nights partying and drinking blood until the sun came up. I wish the show would have dove a bit deeper into her past but from the small sampling of Lorena's hard yet deeply loving persona...this drink is a match. A bit of sweet royal blood and rough abrasive sand, mixed to perfection.
I was worried that the whiskey and vermouth would be too strong for me but I was pleasantly surprised, thank you orange juice! Blood and Sand had a delicate balance of tartness to sweet, with a smooth finish and curious undertone of cherry and oak. Creating the perfect cocktail to sip as the waves roll in. I loved that the color was sandy too, fitting it's name and looking a bit creepy, what else could a Truebie ask for!
The lust for blood has returned...True Blood that is and I wanted to pay homage to one of the best characters I've ever had the privilege of watching. He is charming, snarky, eloquent, strong, weak, passionate and cultured. A true villain that you couldn't help but be fond of. Some nights I will re-watch TB snuggled in my covers and skip to Russell's scenes. To honor his bloodlust and his love for Talbot here is his Beautifully Broken Bisque. This dish wasn't too complicated and tuned out to look just like the original.
In a sauce pan, heat up the olive oil and add the onions. Cook the until soft then add in the carrots and then the beets. Cook for another 5 mins. Add the lemon, salt, pepper, broth (I chose veggie) and water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Let simmer for about 30 mins and make sure the beets are soft.
Remove the beets/mixture from heat and let it cool a bit. Then add to your mixer. I only had a blender handy but it worked he he! Once pureed your bisque is ready!
Plate the bisque while warm and garnish with sour cream. We added a bit more pepper and seasoning as well. The bisque was gentle if that makes sense...light and quenching. The beet flavor stood out and while it wasn't powerful, it was hearty. The sour cream completely adds to it as well. Looking like a true bloody bisque, Talbot would have been proud!
FYI: Be careful with the beets/bisque...parts of our kitchen looked like vampires tore thought it LOL!
On top of the bisque, I made hush-puppies! A Maryanne/Sam recipe. These little balls of dough were perfect and fun to dip! First you combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add in the cornmeal and stir to blend. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well with a wood spoon, until smooth.
Pour in the buttermilk and mix until absorbed. if the batter is too dense add in more buttermilk. I found that I needed to add a little bit more flour and cornmeal. Once the batter holds it's shape, add the green onions and garlic.
Heat up your vegetable oil in a pot, about 2 inches deep, until it reaches 360 degrees. Plop in rounded tablespoons of batter and watch them form. It's kind of interesting to see them take shape, no two the same. You can drop in about 4 to 5 at a time, it really depends on the size of pot and/or batter.
Turn the frying batter over in the oil to make sure all sides cook evenly. This should only be about 3 mins.
Once cooked, drain each one on a paper towel. You may dust them with more pepper or seasoning if you would like. Voila! perfect hush puppies! These tricked my brain, while I liked them I thought they were supposed to be sweet. They resembled beignets a bit ha ha! I wanted to cover them in powdered sugar! Instead I stuck to the bisque and Craig to his hot sauce...always with that hot sauce!
I was missin True Blood somethin awful, plus I just got my new "Cake" dress in the mail so I thought how perfect!! Check out the link below to Amourdress. Now let's make a delicious cake to celebrate!
In the True Blood Eats Drinks and Bites Cookbook there is a recipe for an awesome vanilla cake with lemon filling...OMG it was just begging to be made! This is the cake that Maryann, Karl and Eggs surprise Tara with for her birthday! Now I have never really made a cake from scratch...so it was a long process but completely worth it.
To start I made the lemon filling by combining the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium pan. I gradually stirred, bringing it to a boil over medium heat. After about a minute I removed the pan and stirred in the butter and lemon zest and gradually whisked in the lemon juice. Then set it aside to cool. I found that one good sized lemon made just enough juice and zest! After it had cooled I had a small taste and it was just like a lemon square...one of my favorite desserts!
Quickly I made the berry topping by slicing up strawberries and raspberries and sprinkling them with sugar. For the cake mix, I first preheated the oven to 350 degrees and greased/flowered two round pans.
In my large mixing bowl I blended the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt then slowly added in the shortening, 2/3 cup of milk and vanilla.
After mixing for about 2 minutes I added the remaining 1/3 cup of milk and the egg whites. Making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl I mixed for a few more minutes and then the batter was ready to go into the pans! Jack was so interested but don't worry I didn't let him have any he he!
After pouring in the batter and placing the pans in the oven (for 30 mins) I started on the frosting.
First I beat the egg whites until they formed soft peaks, then in a pan I heated up the sugar, corn syrup and water bringing it to a boil. Using a thermometer I made sure the mixture reached 242 degrees. Once it was ready I slowly poured it into the egg whites while the mixer was running. I kept mixing until the frosting held stiff peaks, then added in the vanilla! This frosting was probably the most difficult task in making this cake...we had some trouble with the sugar hardening but that's what this is for, to learn! I think I might have to try it again sometime he he.
After the cakes were done baking and had cooled I took one layer, flipped it, and spread the lemon filling on, almost to the outer edge. I placed the second layer, right-side up, on top of the filling. I took the frosting and started with the sides of the cake and moved to the top, evenly covering the cake. Once the frosting was on I added the yummy berries, letting their juices flow down the sides of the cake.
The frosting was a bit melty he he! but it tasted so good! The cake itself was hardy and rich and definitely tasted home-made. The lemon filling was really tasty...the bit of tart helped to cut the sugary frosting, complimenting it. Absolutely the most perfect birthday cake...very much a good old-fashioned strawberry shortcake! I had to make myself stop eating it he he! SO GOOD!
We found some ginger beer so we thought it would be fun to make the Lou Pine's Special!
This drink was pretty simple...no smooshed cherries he he! Just pour in 2 ounces of Black Seal Rum, 1 ounce blood-orange juice, 1/2 ounce moonshine and 6 ounces of ginger beer. Add a lime wedge for decoration and you're done! Perfect for anyone lupine! I apologize for not having a lime wedge handy but this was a spontaneous drink he he! Kinda funny because I really liked it better than the Stake House Special.
The ginger really made it more flavorful and fizzy! Such a great mix with the moonshine and blood-orange! I will have to add this to my favorite drink list, right next to the Necromancer. Here is a link to a better quality video. I should up my video blogging skills ha ha! So sad!
Howdy!! Yesterday I made some Red Beans and Rice which turned out great. Thanks Sam!
The recipe is similar to the Jambalaya with the biggest difference being that the rice is cooked separately. That turned out to be helpful for me because the broth gets a tad spicy...i'm a wimp!
First you soak the beans overnight then rinse and sort the next day. I found that if you are in a time crunch a can of kidney beans works well too. To start, cook the bacon fat on medium heat and add in the onion, celery, bell pepper and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle the salt and pepper as well.
After the veggies are browning/golden add in the bay leaves, salt pork, ham and sausage.
Let the meat cook until pieces are beginning to brown and tender, then add in the beans. Stir and add in water so veggies and meat are submerged, about 1 inch.
Let cook, stirring intermittently for about an hour. The book says to cook for 2 hours but it really didn't need that long. Add more water if it become too dry/thick.
*I added some black beans to make the dish more complex and yummy...plus who doesn't like black beans?!
Next, take a wooden spoon and mash half of the dish to one side of the pot and continue stirring until the mixture is creamy and beans are soft. About 35-40 mins. The dish should begin to thicken into more of a soup (not watery)...completely enveloping each piece with flavor.
Remove the bay leaves and serve with rice and garnish with green onion and parsley.
Voila! Dinner for the next few days!!
I am so happy with how this turned out. It was nice to make something so hardy and flavorful. The beans and veggies were delicious with the rice. Great combo!
I knew I did good when I caught Craig eating some out of the fridge (left-over container). He gave it a "Sublime"!
It was about time to make another cocktail! YAY!! he he
I guess all the wedding planning has been on my mind these days but what could go better with planning than a good drink!?
For the Lou Pine's Special I mixed Rum, Moonshine, ginger beer and blood orange juice together with a splash of lime.
I was surprised at the taste. I expected the Moonshine and ginger beer to make it bitter and hard to drink, at least for me, but I was wrong. In fact this in one of my new favorites, it's up there with the Necromancer!
The ginger beer and blood orange mix add a mildly sweet and refreshing flavor! Perfect for a hot afternoon. YUMMY!
Pretty sure I will be making these in the future he he!
I have been really missing our dearly departed True Blood lately. So I decided that I should make a few more items from their drinks/cookbooks.
This weekend, it's the Screaming Ginger...how perfect!
The Screaming Ginger was really refreshing and delicious. I ended up using a pineapple-orange mix due to time restraints but it worked, I think. The dark rum and Triple Sec mix well too and are not overpowering.
The recipe tends to make A LOT and I had to put some into another pitcher, in order to add the ice and club soda, but it is great if you are having guests.
I did make a bit of a mess (check out the video) LOL!
The orange juice makes it taste like a screwdriver with pizzazz! Crazy Ginger pizzazz! Definitely give it a try.
