Margarita

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margaritaEvery budding cantina owner needs a good margarita recipe. Whether you’re the bartender in residence or a cocktail waitress wannabe, you need to be able to whip one of these up in a jiffy. And don’t worry, you can easily make them non-alcoholic, too!

You only need to remember one thing: it’s all about the proportions. Whether you’re shaking up one serving or mixing a pitcher for a crowd, if you get that right you’ll be a success.

This recipe lends itself well to adaptations. To make virgin margaritas, just leave out the tequila and double the rest of the ingredients. You can also add almost any fruit you can think of. I experimented with a pomegranate variation you’ll find below.

If you like it tart you can leave out the sugar syrup. You can find it at some liquor stores or even in the bar section of many grocery stores. It might be called “rock candy syrup.” I make my own and keep it in a bottle in the refrigerator. If you’d like to try that, just bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in 2 cups of sugar, and let cool. It will be thick.

Use a good tequila here, preferably a reposado. They’re reasonably priced. You can splurge for an añejo if you like. These designations just refer to the time spent aging. Please skip the cheaper brands notorious for making you sick later. These ingredients will complement a nice tequila, not mask the taste of alcohol.

Cointreau makes the best margarita, in my opinion, but Grand Marnier is a very close second. Failing that, you can use triple sec. According to Barnivore, Cointreau and Grand Marnier are both vegan, and my favorite tequila, Patrón, is as well.

If you’re working with those fantastic oversized margarita glasses that you find at places like Crate and Barrel then double the recipe for each one. Serve these with chips, salsa, and guacamole and let the party begin!

Margarita
Makes 1 serving

3 oz tequila
1 1/2 oz Cointreau
2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 oz simple syrup

Chill the glass in the freezer while you mix. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Add all the ingredients and shake about 30 seconds.

Remove the glass from the freezer. If you want salt, rub the rim with one of the squeezed lime halves and dip in coarse sea salt. Fill with ice.
Shake the cocktail again and strain into the glass.

Pomegranate margarita variation: Add 1/3 cup pomegranate juice to the shaker.

margarita and pomegranate margarita

margarita and pomegranate margarita

Stuffed Tomatoes

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stuffed tomatoesHere’s something I’ve wanted to try for a long time: stuffed tomatoes. I really love tomatoes, so I just knew this was going to be a dish I would truly enjoy. And I was right!

I had some leftover hothouse tomatoes after whipping up a batch of salsa for a party I had recently. Normally, I’d use Romas for that, but this time of year they were hard and mealy—not good for salsa at all. But the round ones on the vine that they grow out of season actually looked pretty nice. I went with those, but ended up getting too many.

Since they were getting riper by the minute I knew I needed to do something if they weren’t going to go to waste. I realized I already had everything I needed to finally be able to make stuffed tomatoes.

Ideally, you want these with big juicy tomatoes. Maybe thick beefsteak or other nice heirloom varieties. And in a perfect world these grow year round. But that’s not the case in May. So I really can’t wait to try these when I get my hands on some beautiful tomatoes from the farmer’s market. (Or maybe my potted ones will do well this year and I can pick them warm from the sun before the squirrels get them! Well, I can hope anyway.)

These are actually pretty simple to make. You do have to watch not to overcook them though. It really happens fast. In fact, I warmed them up after they were cooked and as they sat they started to break apart. I guess they were still cooking. So be prepared to eat them hot and fresh out of the oven as soon as they’re ready! And even if you do have to heat them back up, don’t worry. They’re still just as delicious.

To make fresh breadcrumbs, chop a piece or two of the bread or roll of your choice into small chunks. Put in a food processor and whir around until crumbly. Alternatively, you could probably use dried breadcrumbs in here. I would play around with the amount until you have the stuffing just right.

If you’d like to make this vegan, just omit the Romano cheese.

Stuffed Tomatoes
Serves 4

4 medium sized ripe (but not too soft) tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated
1/2 tsp thyme
sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a sieve or mesh strainer over a small bowl. Slice off about 1/4″ from the top of each tomato. Scoop out the flesh and place in the sieve to drain.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the breadcrumbs and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the the Romano, thyme, sea salt, and black pepper and remove from heat.

Puree the tomato flesh in a food processor or blender. (You can skip this step to save time and hassle.) Add the pureed tomato to the rest of the ingredients in the skillet. Stir together.

Divide the stuffing evenly among the tomatoes. Place in a baking dish that holds them snugly. I used a standard loaf size for these and it was perfect. Bake 30 minutes and serve hot!

stuffed tomatoes

Lime Yogurt Sauce

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fried avocado with lime yogurt sauceI don’t know if I’d call this a sauce, dip, condiment, relish, or whatever. I do know that I really enjoyed how it turned out and I’ve already found multiple uses for it.

One of these was with fried avocado, as you can tell by the photo. I had a friend come over for a party recently and she brought me 3 avocados from the tree in her own backyard! They were ripe and ready (probably just a bit too much so for fried avocado). I was going to make guacamole for the party, but I wasn’t feeling that. I finally decided I would do fried avocado as an appetizer instead.

Well, soon the party got underway and I didn’t want to have the house smell like fried food, so I made it the next day instead. And I had it with this sauce!

I also had some baby potatoes that had been around awhile and really needed to be made into something. These things were the size of small marbles! I’d never seen such cute lil taters.

I wanted them simply prepared, so I just gave them a basic roasting. But they were wonderful with some of this leftover sauce, too!

Now I’m thinking this would be great with stuffed jalapeños, mozzarella sticks, and onion rings! Or, if you want to be a little healthier, how about baby carrots, grape tomatoes, celery, cucumber, or zucchini?

When you try this you’ll see how versatile it really is. Greek yogurt is perfect here. It’s thick like sour cream, but so much lower in fat and calories and very good for you. Remember, it’s already tangy, though, so don’t add too much lime! Plus, now that they make vegan Greek yogurt you can even have it non-dairy!

I hope you enjoy this! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Lime Yogurt Sauce
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 tsp red onion, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Cafeteria Tomato Soup

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cafeteria tomato soupOkay, so maybe you do and maybe you don’t remember the lunch lady. I mean, what a great job, right? Except for dealing with those kids. And I guess all the dirty pots.

Maybe being a lunch lady wasn’t so great after all.

Still, they served up some fabulous meals. And, really, wasn’t it the closest thing to having a maid, like ever?

Somehow this brings me to tomato soup. Here it is, the way it was served in middle school. Did you call it that? Maybe it was junior high for you. It was middle school for me.

MIddle school cafeteria tomato soup. No cream, no milk, just watered down tomatoes. I can see how maybe that doesn’t sound appetizing.

Really, it is. A wonderful recipe and so much better than a jellyfish from a can.

So do try it and don’t forget it’s best with a baked grilled cheese.

Just like the lunch line, but you don’t have to ask for extra ketchup.

Cafeteria Tomato Soup
4 lovely and large servings

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper, to taste

Stir together all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer, remove from heat, and serve with saltines. And love.

Review of Alexia Crispy Onion Rings with Panko Breading and Sea Salt

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Alexia Crispy Onion RingsWho does not love onion rings? That’s what I thought.

Okay, but I do have a confession. I didn’t have onion rings until I was an adult. Really. Yeah, so what was wrong with me?

Anyway, I’ve had them now and I’m awfully glad I have. They are pretty much the best thing since French fries. And mozzarella sticks.

But I digress. We can make onion rings healthier and much tastier than those things you get at B.K. or B.Q. or B.B.Q. Whatever.

Look, Alexia Foods has a wonderful line of frozen treats. And onion rings are one of their offerings. With panko bread crumbs and sea salt, no less. I couldn’t imagine how I would improve on that recipe myself.

Maybe with some smoked Spanish paprika. Anyway.

Just throw them in the oven while you’re cooking up a veggie burger. They’re ready in a flash and come out crispy and delicious! They’re non-dairy. I’m not sure about vegan because they have cane sugar, which may or may not be. Oh, and you can also get Beer Battered Onion Rings, which have a completely different type of coating, but are also just as tasty. Where’s the ketchup?

So what are you waiting for? Give these a try and see what you think. It’s certainly much better than making your own. Because, honestly, we just don’t always feel like that.