Thirsty Thursday: Adult Root Beer

 

Recently had the pleasure of dining at Sedona Cantina & Tapas in Fayetteville, WV, a quirky, tasty place with something of an identity crisis.  There, I sampled an unusual drink -- an adult root beer -- that we share for your Thirsty Thursday drinking pleasure.

Adult Root Beer

-- Bourbon (to your taste)
-- Squeeze of orange
-- Root beer

Serve over ice; top with heavy cream.

We're thinking a tasty alternative would be to substitute vanilla ice cream for the heavy cream, creating the Thirsty Thursday version of a root beer float.   

What’s in My Pantry? Plain Yogurt

My new favorite pantry/fridge item is a big container of plain yogurt.  I’m finding all kinds of great uses for it and avoiding buying more expensive prepared sauces as a result.  Here are some of my latest successful concoctions:


Cole Slaw Dressing
The other day, was in the mood for cole slaw, but didn’t have any dressing on hand.  So, I whipped up my own version of plain yogurt, a bit of sugar to sweeten and some Hendrickson’s dressing (another pantry staple).  Voila, I had a delicious, creamy slaw dressing in just the quantity I needed, so no expensive left-over jar sitting in the fridge. 

Yogurt Sauce
Earlier this week, I concocted a yummy new chicken recipe (I’ll detail that below).  I wanted to have a sauce to drizzle over it, so I turned again to my trusty plain yogurt.  I mixed yogurt, fresh lemon juice, and some vidalia onion salad dressing I had in the fridge.  Then, I added a bit of sugar to sweeten to taste.  Next, I melted some cream cheese in a pot and then added the yogurt mixture.  It was a delicious creamy sauce! 

Sharon’s Chicken
I took skinless, boneless chicken breasts, dipped them in milk, and then dipped them in bread crumbs (in my case, Schar’s gluten free) to which I had added grated Parmesan, salt, pepper and Italian seasonings.  I laid them on a baking sheet I had sprayed with olive oil.  Next, I took cut up sun dried tomatoes into small pieces and sprinkled some on each chicken breast.  I then sprayed a bit of olive oil over the tops of each and placed the pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, I added a slice of Swiss cheese to each and cooked for another 10 minutes.  I served it over a bed of rice with the yogurt sauce.  It was a hit!

Non-Stick Pots or Not?

With the variety of skillets out there, which one is best for everyday use? The answer is actually, both:  you need a good non-stick and a good stainless steel pan with no coating for different reasons.

Non-stick is perfect for frying an egg, sautéing vegetables and cooking anything you don’t want to develop any color.  Never cook in non-stick over very high heat, it lessens the life of the pan and can emit some chemicals into the air.

A regular stainless steel pan is great for searing meats and giving a golden brown crust to something.  It caramelizes your food, and leaves bits on the bottom of the pan that make a great pan sauce.  With a standard pan, you can start out with the pan being smoking hot, but once you put the meat in, turn down the heat to medium or you won’t have caramelization…you’ll have carbon.

Thirsty Thursday: The Big O Ginger Liqueur

We have to say upfront that we’re about to talk about something that isn’t readily available – yet.  But, I’ve (Sharon) tasted this amazing nectar and I hope you have the opportunity to try it soon for yourself.  And, you can order it online, which I strongly suggest (unless you live in a whacky place like my buddy Barb, who can’t bring booze over state lines). 

The Big O is a new premium ginger liqueur, developed in St. Louis.  It’s tag line is “Nothing Fake About It.”  While we can have lots of fun with the linguistics, it’s the amazing flavor that wowed me.  Not only did it have great sipability, but all kinds of recipe ideas sprang to mind, as well.   For example, I suddenly imagined how delicious peaches marinated in it would taste over vanilla ice cream. 

Visit www.drinkthebigo.com to find out how you can get your hands on this gem, as well as check out cocktail, food, and dessert recipes.  I’m telling you, one taste and you’ll be thirsting for more! 
I just found out my local liquor store is carrying it; I’ll be picking up my own bottle tonight! (Now, if I could just figure out how to sneak some to Barb in Arizona…..)

Family Dinners are Feasible and Fun

One of the goals of this blog is to share concepts that make your life easier. Both of us strive to have family meals most nights at home. We know that is a challenge for many, but with a few tips and tricks, you could achieve it at least a few times a week.  Trust us, once you experience an enjoyable meal with your family with good conversation, you’ll want to figure out how to do it more often. One important note: it doesn’t need to be a fancy meal, or a Thanksgiving-type feast. Keep it simple…it’s about the quality time together.

Here’s an article from USAWeekend by Kati Chevaux that outlines some excellent ways to make it happen in your family.

http://www.usaweekend.com/article/20110715/HOME02/307140002/-1/home&template=wapart