The Cointreau Daiquiri

If you've been following the cocktail portion of this blog then you know how fond we are of our favorite summer beverage, the frozen Daiquiri. And yet, somehow, we'd not gotten around to trying its non-frozen cousin. Recently however, we were searching for Cointreau based recipes since we're quite enamored of the smoothness it lends to many of our favorite winter cocktails. That's how we happened upon a Cointreau based daiquiri version that sparked our interest. We found the original recipe overly sour and too heavy on the rum but with lots of potential. Some simple tweaks produced this amazing drink that has definitely been added to our repertoire. Cheers!

The Mint Julep

We wouldn't normally think of this as a winter drink since it evokes the Kentucky Derby and large spring hats. But, given our new addition of a bottle of Maker's Mark, we were looking for bourbon recipes to play with. This drink is strong, refreshing and not overwhelmingly minty. Did we mention strong? Cheers!

Thoughts of Summer...

It's the middle of January, the dead of winter, cold and dark. Here in the northeast, we're having our fourth snow storm since Christmas with another forecast for the end of the week. I don't like winter under the best of circumstances and this one is shaping up to be particularly egregious.

Beef Pot Pies

This past weekend I intended to make Shepherd's Pie. It's one of my more frequent dinners since it's easy, healthy and Brian loves it. All the ingredients had been purchased and I'd put them on the counter to begin cooking. And, then...I just didn't feel like it. I put the ground beef in my large skillet and began browning and seasoning, thinking I'd make it anyway. But I just didn't want Shepherd's Pie for some reason. The beef looked and smelled good so I just re-purposed it. I made a small batch of my standard low-fat tart dough and decided that beef pot pies sounded good.

Maker's Manhattan

A couple of weeks ago Brian and I were watching a TV program about the history of distilled liquors including bourbon. And, the next thing I know, he comes home with a bottle of pricey Maker's Mark. Neither of us had any experience with bourbon but Brian's never been a big fan of rye whiskey. So we decided to revisit our beloved Manhattan recipe and substitute the bourbon. The result was a smoother but more powerful drink. We found it didn't need to be as chilled and, if we snuck in about a teaspoon of the maraschino cherry liquid, it made it extra yummy. Cheers!

Light Candied Walnuts

These are not the super sweet, heavily coated nuts you get from street vendors. Oh, those are delicious and Brian and I sometimes buy a small bag when we're out walking by the park. But we find that our mouths quickly get tired of that sticky sweetness and sharing a small bag is just fine.

Mouthwatering Brisket

A few years ago, we spent the week between Christmas and New Year at a wonderfully romantic bed and breakfast in the Hamptons. The inn had a highly lauded restaurant open to the public for dinner and it was there that we had one of the best meals ever. The highlight was a brisket served with a sauce so flavorful that talked about it for weeks after.