Beaufort is hands-down one of my favorite places in North Carolina. Three hours from Raleigh, the historic district has a great waterfront with some fantastic restaurants and bars, unique shops and great scenery. If you’re lucky, you may see some of the wild horses grazing on Carrot Island, which is just across the waterway. You can sign up for various water tours and cruises at the dock, or just kick back and watch the boats come and go at this charming little town by the sea.

If we stay in Beaufort instead of nearby Emerald Isle, we usually choose the Inlet Inn or the Beaufort Inn. During the summer, both require a minimum 2-night stay on the weekends. Neither have pools, which is their only drawback. I have also stayed at the Pecan Tree Inn, a great little bed and breakfast place if that is your thing (I’m not a big fan of B&Bs, but this one is nice.)

Unfortunately, you have to drive to the beach, but it is not too far away, approximately 15-20 minutes, depending on time of year and traffic. We like to go to Fort Macon, which is a great place to watch the boats go by, but no alcohol is allowed since it’s a state park. If you want to enjoy some adult beverages, head down Highway 58 and park at any of the public beach access places.

Brad and I recently celebrated our 10^th wedding anniversary and stayed at the Beaufort Inn.

When we decided to get married, we were torn between holding our ceremony in Beaufort or Blowing Rock, N.C. We wound up getting married in Blowing Rock at the beautiful Chetola Resort, which was a good thing since it was sunny and gorgeous that day in the mountains, unlike Beaufort where it was raining like cats and dogs. However, Beaufort will always hold a special place in our hearts and we visit whenever we can.

Here are some of the places that I heartily recommend that we went to on this last visit:

Blue Moon Bistro (119 Queen Street, Beaufort, N.C. 28516)

We decided to have our anniversary dinner at the Blue Moon Bistro and it was a great choice! Brad thoroughly enjoyed his rare yellow fin tuna, which was one of the specials and came with fresh succotash on the side. He said his fish was cooked perfectly (rare) and loved his meal. I ordered the Caprese salad (also a special) and it was as great as it looked.  This needs to be a permanent fixture on the menu, at least when the ingredients are in season.

I also had the shrimp scampi ($24.95) which was some of the best I’ve ever tasted. What made it so good was the addition of locally grown tomatoes and sweet basil. This stuff rocked!

Blue Moon Bistro is one of my favorite restaurants ever – every meal I’ve had has been top-notch. The only improvement this place could make is not having the tables so close to each other, especially the tables for two. But the food truly does make up for it.

Royal James Café (117 Turner St., Beaufort, N.C.  28516)

This is a great little place to shoot pool, enjoy tunes on the jukebox and just chill out. Nothing fancy here, just some ice cold beer and decent bar food. The cheeseburgers (which come with special chili sauce, mustard and onions) are fantastic and cheap, cheap, cheap at $2.25! Add some fries ($1.25) and you are set.

Cru Wine Bar (120 Turner St., Beaufort, N.C. 28516)

The Cru Wine Bar is a combined wine store, wine bar and coffee shop. It has the area’s best selection of wines and specialty beers that you can enjoy in its bar or carry out. Cru recently began to serve liquor and has daily drink specials. As far as food, you can order Escazu’ artisan chocolates and tasty light fare that includes pizzas, quesadillas, hot soups, sandwiches and more.

Cru has live music on the weekends. This is a laid back place and a must visit whenever you are in Beaufort!

The Dockhouse (500 Front St., Beaufort, N.C. 28516)

This is a Beaufort institution and appropriately named as it is right on the dock. If you are lucky you may get to see the wild horses on Carrot Island, which is just across the canal. There is nothing pretentious about this place. The food is okay, nothing special, really, but the Bloody Marys are fantastic.

According to our server, the Bloody Mary mix is homemade, with fresh cracked pepper and a good amount of horseradish. This is a great place to listen to live music, especially in the summer. Or just sit and soak in the view, like this one from the upstairs deck.

Clawson’s 1905 Restaurant & Pub (425 Front St., Beaufort, N.C. 28516)

My dear friends Anne and Carlton introduced me to Clawson’s many years ago when we were headed to the Outer Banks for Thanksgiving and decided to make a couple of pit stops in Beaufort and Ocracoke Island on the way. Clawson’s has a small but good selection of beers on tap (eight of them to be exact) and luckily it has one of my favorites – Dead Guy Ale. I seriously miss its shrimp salad pitas that I have tried to replicate and blogged about earlier. The bar is non-beachy – lots of dark wood, exposed brick, etc. Foodwise, try one of the dirigibles (huge potatoes stuffed with various ingredients), any of the wraps or the crab cake burger. Good food, fun bar with lots of history!

Aqua Restaurant (114 Middle Lane, Beaufort, N.C. 28516)

This is Clawson’s sister restaurant and just a bit off the beaten path, just behind Front Street. Aqua is known for its tapas, small and big plates, wine and martinis. I love to get appetizers here – this time we enjoyed oven baked coconut shrimp with mango chutney ($6.00) – excellent! It has a decent wine list and on Fridays all bottles are 33% off. Aqua prides itself on offering fresh, local products and supporting local fisherman and farmers.

Beaufort Grocery Company (117 Queen St., Beaufort, N.C. 28516)

This is another of my favorite restaurants in Beaufort. We usually eat dinner here, but on this visit we had Sunday brunch for the first time. Awesome! I had the Eggs Florentine ($10.99), which were great – the spinach was garlicky and tender and the hollandaise sauce was perfect. I was able to order my eggs how I wanted them (soft). It came on parmesan red neck rusks, a nice alternative to the traditional English muffin.

I had to wait until noon to get my mimosa ($6.00), but it was worth it with freshly squeezed orange juice and a nice pour. Brad had the Omelet Down East ($10.99), a three-egg omelet with ham, scallions, cheddar and Swiss cheeses. We each got hash browns instead of grits. Both meals came with fresh fruit, a cinnamon roll and coconut pound cake that was extremely moist. Both of us had food left over. Open for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch, I highly recommend this place!

Front Street Grill (300 Front St. # 5, Beaufort, N.C. 28516)

Another one of my favorite Beaufort restaurants – I love this place! We were lucky to get a table next to a window overlooking the water. I’ve been eating here for years and love its current location. Brad had a filet with mashed potatoes and yummy sautéed spinach ($27.95), which he thoroughly enjoyed.

I had the Seafood Jambalaya ($22.95), which had shrimp, lump crab, smoked sausage, etc. over jasmine rice. Nice presentation and the flavors were quite good. We mentioned we were celebrating our annivesary and they brought us a  chocolate brownie topped with vanilla ice cream with raspberry swirl – yum! 

Front St. Grill also has outside seating, right on the water, and is open for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. In addition, there is an outside waterfront bar that serves light fare and drinks all day, in season.

Backstreet Pub (124 Middle Lane, Beaufort, N.C. 28516)

A trip to Beaufort would not be complete without having a beer or three at this dive bar. It is THE best dive bar ever! This is a local hangout, with live music upstairs, year round. I love the little enclosed patio, where I had my share of beers with the late and greats Charlie Murray and G. Keith Whitley. Hey T.O., if you read this, road trip next Memorial Day if I’m there – I’ll drive!

Other places in downtown Beaufort that we like but did not visit on this trip include Ribeyes Steakhouse (yes, it’s a chain with decent food), the Spouter Inn and Finz Grill. I was sad to see that Sharpies closed. It had great burgers and a one of the best wedge salads I’ve ever enjoyed. It’s now a Mexican place that I plan trying on a future visit.

Before I end this post, I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to the Beach Tavern.

BT is not in Beaufort but in Atlantic Beach. It’s a must stop after a day at the beach when you are heading back to Beaufort. I’ve been going to the Beach Tavern since I was in college and still love its satisfying (and cheap) hot dogs and ice cold beer! This is another great dive bar that is friendly on the budget.

So, next time you find yourself on N.C.’s Crystal Coast, make time to stop by Beaufort, if not to stay then at least for a meal or drink at one of its many fine establishments and a walk around the quaint waterfront.

Eat, drink and be merry!

*Note – photos of Aqua, Beach Tavern and Clawson’s are from their respective websites – my pics did not turn out.

July is National Blueberry Month, so to celebrate I decided to make a delicious and moist blueberry lemon bundt cake for the kids (okay, for me, too.) I also toasted the month with a refreshing blueberry-cranberry spritzer made from the blueberry infused vodka I posted about last month. I’m so happy that blueberries are in season right now – you can get great deals at the Farmer’s Market and some of the vendors offer organic berries.

Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake

I adpated this recipe from one that I found on the Internet that was featured in a Family Circle magazine as “The Best Bundt Cake Ever.” It is truly delicious.

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups cake flour
• 1 ½  teaspoons baking powder
• ¼  teaspoon baking soda
• ¼  teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4  large eggs
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup low fat buttermilk
• 2  cups blueberries, tossed with 1 tablespoon flour

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the bundt pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another large bowl, beat butter until smooth with an electric mixer. Add sugar and mix for a couple of minutes until it is fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the lemon juice, lemon peel and vanilla and mix until blended.

Add the flour mixture a little bit at a time, alternating with buttermilk. Mix for 2 minutes, scraping the side of the bowl with a spatula as needed.

Fold in blueberries with a spoon. Pour the mixture into the bundt pan.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edges of the pan. Rmove the cake from the pan and cool completely.

Glaze Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 8 -10 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon buttermilk
• Lemon zest

Preparation

In a small bowl, mix together confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice and buttermilk until smooth.

Drizzle the glaze over the cake, and garnish with the lemon zest.

Serve this with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt (or just by itself!)

Blueberry-Cranberry Spritzer

This is a refreshing drink on a hot summer’s day!

Ingredients

• 2 oz. blueberry vodka
• 2 oz. cranberry juice (I used light)
• Pomegranate seltzer water
• Lime slice (optional)
• Strawberries and blueberries to garnish

Preparation

Fill a large glass with ice. Add the vodka and cranberry juice. Fill the rest of the glass with the seltzer water. Squeeze some of the lime juice into the drink and stir well. Garnish with the berries.

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

First, choose your vodka. Don’t break the bank here – save the Goose for your martinis. But don’t be a cheapskate, either. I read to use vodka that has been distilled at least three times. I used Rain Organics for the three infusions that I made, mainly because it was on sale and was distilled seven times. I saw a number of sites that recommended using Smirnoff vodka or something similar.

Next, select your flavors. Since I love Bloody Marys, I knew I wanted to make a pepper-infused vodka and used a combination of habañeros, Serrano peppers and garlic cloves – two of each.

I also wanted something fruity and refreshing for the summer, so bought a fresh pineapple to use in one of the jars. Finally, since blueberries are in season and usually on sale, I decided to give them a try as well.

The preparation is simple. Since this was my first try, I made small batches and used sterilized, pint-sized mason jars with tight-fitting lids. Place your ingredient(s) in the bottom of the jar, add the vodka, put on the lid and shake it well. For my blueberry infusion, after placing the berries in the jar I took a fork and lightly poked them to help release some of the flavor.

Store your vodka in a cool, dry place for 3-5 days, and try to shake it a few times each day. The longer you let the ingredients stay in the vodka, the more intense the flavors will be.

Once you reach the desired flavor, strain the vodka into a new jar. Store it as you would any other vodka.

For my pepper-infused vodka, I let the ingredients stay in the jar for two full weeks. Good call on my part, since I love my Bloody Marys on the spicy side, and this batch packed a punch!

This was a much more successful than I though it would be and I can’t wait to experiment with some new flavors. Here are a few of the delicious drinks I’ve made so far:

Blueberry Vodka Lemonade

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add 3 oz. blueberry infused vodka. Fill the rest of the glass with lemonade (I like Crystal Light or Minute Made Light.) Garnish with a fresh lemon slice and fresh blueberries. Easy to make, easy to drink!

Pineapple-tini

Chill a martini glass. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add 2 oz. of pineapple-infused vodka, 2 ounces of pineapple juice, 1 oz. of orange liqueur (I used Patron Citronage, but Grand Marnier or Cointreau should work just as well) and the juice of ¼ of a lime. Shake well and strain into the martini glass. Garnish with fresh pineapple. Perfect on a hot summer’s day!

Pepper Bloody Mary

Moisten the rim of a tall glass with lime, and twirl it in Bloody Mary rimmer spice mix (available at most grocery stores.) Fill the glass with ice. Add 2 oz. of pepper-infused vodka and then fill with Clamato juice (you can also use tomato juice or V-8 if desired.) Add a couple of splashes of Worstershire sauce and stir well. Add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste (my pepper-infused vodka had a good bite to it, so I didn’t need additional seasonings except for a dash of salt.) Garnish with a celery stalk, pepperocinis (large olives work well, too) and lime. Awesome!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

“Take another shot of courage”  The Eagles, Tequila Sunrise

May 4 is my brother Joe’s birthday, so here’s a warm and happy, happy shout out to him – I hope it’s a great one! It’s also National Orange Juice Day, so now I have two things to celebrate – lucky me! Orange juice is like liquid sunshine, especially when it’s squeezed fresh with just the right amount of pulp.

Those of you who are close to me know that mimosas are one of my all-time favorite drinks – champagne mixed with fresh orange juice is so hard to beat! But for this post, I decided to make a cocktail to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, which of course is the day after National Orange Juice Day. What perfect timing! And that probably means the drink has tequila in it – yaaaay!

I recently bought a new citrus juice machine. I had read good reviews about the one Cuisinart makes and ran across one on sale for a little less than $20.00 (it normally retails for $29.95), plus I had a coupon to boot! It has been worth every penny – I use it a lot to juice lemons and limes for various recipes and the kids love making fresh orange juice. That is certainly a win-win situation – I get them involved in the kitchen while they get to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Tequila Sunrise

I can’t remember the last time I drank a tequila sunrise – probably sometime in the ’80s – but I wanted to make something besides the traditional margarita to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Since this is such a traditional, classic cocktail, I pulled out my trusted Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide to look up the measurements for the ingredients.

Ingredients (makes one cocktail)

• 2 ounces good tequila (but not *too* good, as mentioned below)
• 4 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
• ¾ ounce grenadine (available in most grocery stores where the mixers are kept)
• Orange slice for garnish

Preparation

In a large glass filled with ice, pour in the tequila, then the orange juice and stir. Slowly add the grenadine and watch as the colors explode – just like a beautiful sunrise (or even a sunset, like this one I recently enjoyed in Key West.)

Brad came in when I was mixing this drink, and asked what I was making. “A tequila sunrise,” I responded. “With the Don Julio?” he asked,  incredulously. “Yep, it’s for the blog.” He just shook his head and walked away. Later I figured out that the Don Julio was the sipping tequila, not the mixing tequila, especially considering what it costs. Whatever – maybe that’s why this drink was much better than I ever remembered it to be (in addition to the freshly squeezed orange juice, of course!)

OK, little brother, I raise my tequila sunrise to you and hope you celebrate your birthday in style! And cheers to those of you who are observing National Orange Juice Day and Cinco de Mayo, and by all means, go ahead and use the good stuff!

Eat, drink and be merry!

Good bartenders are worth their weight in gold. They can make delicious drinks, lend a sympathetic ear or a shoulder to cry on when times are bad and make sure that you don’t get behind the wheel when you’ve had too much to drink.

If you’ve never considered becoming a bartender, you should, at least for a while. Do it part-time, do it full-time. It’s a great job when you are in college, grad school, or just in need of some extra cash. Many people make a career of bartending, especially if they can work in a nice restaurant where the tips are great and they are able to spend part of their days playing golf, running errands, exercising, etc. It’s hard work, but rewarding at the same time.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I was a bartender (mid 80s to late 90s) and I wouldn’t have traded the experience for the anything. So here are my “Top 10 Reasons to Bartend” (in addition to making great tips, flexible scheduling, having fun at work, learning how to make excellent drinks and pouring a great draft beer, etc.)

1. Become an active listener. Shut up, really hear what others are saying and be able to reflect that back. Master this skill and it will take you far in many aspects of your life.
2. Gain networking opportunities (not only for other jobs, but also for services such as house painting, baby sitters, yard care – you name it.)
3. Learn never to discuss politics/religion in a group of people. Being able to do this is just smart.
4. Meet interesting and diverse people, some of whom may become friends for life. Especially if you pay attention to #1 above.
5. Learn that your problems are minor compared to many others
6. Take care of others, even if you have to cut them off. Be empathetic.
7. Learn tons about great customer service (not only do your tips depend on it; it’s a great lesson in humility.)
8. Combine mental and physical activities (such as math, lifting cartons of beer, etc.)
9. See how others act/look when they’ve had too much to drink (and hopefully learn from it.)
10. Gain an appreciation for others in the industry.

One of the best things about bartending is that many of the skills you need to be successful transfer to other parts of your life, including other jobs/careers, personal relationships, etc. And you may just get a group of happy customers to boot!

Eat, drink and be merry!

As you can tell from some of my recent posts and my plate, pictured above, from the Flying Saucer (that’s a future blog entry), Guinness is one of my favorite drinks in the world. Arthur Guinness started the St. James Gate Brewery in Dublin in 1759, so the brewery has had many, many years to get things right – especially the beer’s thick, creamy head, which comes from mixing the beer with nitrogen when poured.

You may be surprised that a 12 oz. Guinness Draught only has 125 calories. And according to the BBC News (2003), researchers believe that the ”antioxidant compounds” in the Guinness, similar to those found in certain fruits and vegetables, are responsible for the health benefits because they slow down the deposit of harmful cholesterol on the artery walls (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3266819.stm). Of course, the company that manufactures Guinness does not make “any medical claims” for its drinks. Whatever. I just like it because it tastes great, whether I’m drinking it or using it in some of my favorite recipes.

While I like the cans of Guinness that contain the nitrogen, I’d rather have a pint of it on tap (preferably in Ireland, of course). Sometimes I like to mix it up and will get a Black and Tan, which is a combination of Guinness and Bass.

Or I might try a Cream of Wheat, which is Guinness mixed with a Belgian witbier.

If my sweet tooth is calling, then I might get a Lava Lamp, which is Guinness mixed with a pale lager and Lindeman’s Framboise, which is a raspberry lambic (you can see a bit of it in the foam.) Yum!

I tried a Black Velvet, which is champagne floating on Guinness. To be honest, while not bad, I prefer not to mix the two – it’s almost sacrilegious.

As I mentioned earlier, Guinness is great to cook with – in addition to being a great tenderizer, it also adds a wonderful flavor to many recipes, like my corned beef and cabbage:

My Traditional Shepherd’s Pie:

My slow-cooker Irish Stew:

And even Guinness and chocolate cupcakes:

So on this St. Patrick’s Day, sit back and enjoy a Guinness. I’ll take mine with a shot of Jamesons, thank you.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Here’s a great recipe that calls for beer in the cake batter. Beer in cake? That’s right – beer in cake. But not just any beer, oh no – this calls for Guinness, of course! If you’ve been reading my blog, especially recently, you have probably come to the conclusion that Guinness is one of my favorite beers. I like cooking with it almost as much as drinking it (check out my recipes for homemade Beer-cheese bread, Slow-cooker Irish stew, Shepherd’s pie and Corned beef and cabbage.)

I’ve decided to add dessert to my Guinness recipe collection with these scrumptious and moist Guinness and Chocolate Cupcakes with Kahlúa Frosting. The Guinness does not overpower the cake at all, but rather infuses a soft undertone of rich, full stout flavor and helps make the cake taste a little less sweet. This recipe is based on Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Guinness Cake recipe, except hers calls for a different icing than the Kahlúa frosting I offer here, plus I add chocolate pudding mix to the batter for even more flavor and moistness.

My goodness, my Guinness! This is seriously good stuff! What a heavenly combination – the beer and chocolate gods are smiling.

Cupcakes Ingredients (makes approx. 24)

• 1 cup of Guinness Draught (no foam) -  drink whatever is left in the can as not to be wasteful!
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¾ cup unsweetened dark cocoa
• 1 ½ cups superfine sugar
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 box (3.4 oz.) chocolate pudding mix (not instant)
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the Guinness and butter on low in a medium sauce pan. Transfer to a large mixing bowl as soon as the butter has melted.

Add the sugars and the cocoa and whisk until blended.

In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream, eggs and vanilla until nice and smooth, and add to the Guinness mixture.

Add the flour, pudding mix and baking soda, and whisk until it’s well blended.

Place lining papers in muffin tins. Fill each with the batter, almost to the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from one of the muffins. Cool completely.

Kahlúa Frosting

Kahlúa is a rum and coffee liqueur made of Arabica coffee beans and sugarcane (check out my post on Kahlúa-based drinks by clicking here.) I thought this frosting would add another dimension to the Guinness-based cake, and I was right. So now you can have your cake and drink it too!

Ingredients

• 8 oz. cream cheese (I use reduced fat), softened
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons Kahlúa
• 1 ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
• Green sprinkles/frosting (optional)

Preparation

Blend together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer. Mix in the Kahlúa. Add the confectioner’s sugar and beat until nice and smooth.

Spread a good amount of the frosting on the cupcakes – the idea is to make them look like little pints of Guinness.

Or, if you’re making these for St. Patrick’s Day, add some green sprinkles, etc., so they look festive.

**Note – I’m a much better cook than cupcake decorator, as you can tell! That’s OK, as long as they taste as great, I’m good.

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

February 27^th is national Kahlúa day, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’m posting this a bit early in case you want to get a head start on your celebration. Kahlúa is a rum and coffee liqueur made of Arabica coffee beans and the world’s finest sugarcane.  Not only is it great in coffee, on the rocks or in mixed drinks, but it also brings back wonderful memories of two people who were so near and dear to me – my late grandmother, Mamma, and my friend, the late and great Charlie Murray.

The first time I went to Cancun/Cozumel was with my best friend Rose in 1989. Mamma gave me some spending money, so in return I brought her back a bottle of Kahlúa since I knew she liked it (not to mention it was duty free and quite inexpensive in Mexico.) Not long afterwards, I spent the night with Mamma to help her look after Pampa, who was in the throes of Alzheimer’s disease. She broke out the bottle and we proceeded to have so much fun drinking it (on the rocks, might I add, since she had no cream or milk). What a great night! I will always think back to that night and Mamma whenever I have Kahlúa in a drink.

I could always count on Charlie Murray to order a White Russian or some sort of rendition of this drink on the weekends when I bartended at The Pub (which is now a tattoo parlor – go figure.) Those of us bartending never knew exactly what Charlie was going to order on any particular visit, but chances were he’d start with beer (Miller Light, Michelob Light, etc.), move to wine (if he was dining with us), and then the field was wide open – White Russians, Scotch, Irish whiskey, screwdrivers – whatever. He was all over the alcohol map, but White Russians were almost always on his list. Oh, Charlie, I miss you so much!

OK, let’s take the basic Kahlúa on the rocks and the White Russian just a bit further, and make a roasted, toasted almond.  Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients (for 2 drinks)

• 2 oz. vanilla vodka (I like Skye) – BTW, plain vodka works just as well
• 2 oz. Kahlúa
• 2 oz. amaretto – this is what puts the “almond” in the drink (I like DiSaronno)
• 4 oz. fat-free Half & Half
• Mint for garnish

Preparation

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all of the ingredients except for the mint, and shake well. Pour into iced-filled glasses. Garnish with mint if so desired.

Make a toast to all of the Mamma’s and Charlie Murray’s in your life, and enjoy!

Eat, drink and be merry!

This month’s Food Network Magazine is all about chocolate (planned around Valentine’s Day, no doubt.) It has a host of wonderful recipes, including a ton of desserts such as chocolate chip cookies, fudge, cakes and pies, and a special pull-out section featuring 50 brownies (yum!) Go get your copy today, while it’s still on the shelf.

Try some delicious chocolate waffles for breakfast or a cocoa-rubbed steak with bacon-whiskey gravy for dinner. Got kids? Make some of the hot chocolate from Bobby Flay and/or Anne Burrell in their great hot cocoa show-down.  Or turn to the section “Choc-tail Hour” for some tasty chocolate-based adult drinks.

Speaking of “choc-tails” I think I will indulge in my Lady Godiva Martini (and some chocolate-dipped strawberries) while I enjoy reading this magazine in more detail. Sigh -the things I do for this blog Anyway, here’s the recipe for a chocolate/raspberry indulgence you will love:

Kel’s Lady Godiva Martini

Ingredients (for 2 martinis)

• 6 oz. Stolichnaya Stoli Chocolat Razberi vodka
• 4 oz. Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
• Chocolate syrup
• Dark chocolate, shaved
• Strawberries to garnish

Preparation

Chill the martini glasses. Take the chocolate syrup and make a fun pattern on the inside of each glass.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka and chocolate liqueur and shake until well mixed. Strain the mixture into the martini glasses. Top with shaved dark chocolate and garnish with the strawberries.

Cheers!

Eat, drink and be merry!

Why National Irish Coffee day is January 25 instead of March 17 is beyond me. At first I thought it might be because Guinness was the official drink on St. Patrick’s Day (it’s not). Maybe it’s because it is usually cold in January and a nice hot cup of coffee with a kick hits the spot. Whatever the reason, I’m happy to celebrate.

Ingredients

• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 ½  ounces Irish whiskey (I like Jameson)
• Whipping cream
• Sugar to taste

Preparation

Pour hot coffee into a mug until it is about 3/4 full. Add the brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Add the Irish whiskey. Float the whipped cream on top – the idea is to sip the coffee through the cream. I make my own by mixing the whipping cream and a little bit of sugar with an electric mixer until it has thickened – a couple of minutes should do the trick.

If you don’t care for whipped cream on top, you may want to try adding some Baileys to the coffee and Irish whiskey, like they do at Natty Green’s Brewing Company in Raleigh. Great variation, especially if you like Baileys!

 Eat, drink and be merry!

“I drink champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty.” ~ Madame Lilly Bollinger

The term “Champagne” is used to refer to sparkling wine produced exclusively within the Champagne region of northeastern France, from which it takes its name. Period. Everything else should be referred to as sparkling wine (for a more thorough explanation, click here.) Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about one of my absolute favorite drinks – bubbly.

The way to identify a good champagne is to examine the size of the bubbles in the glass. Bubbles from a fine champagne are very small; bubbles from a lesser-quality sparkling wine are larger and look like soda bubbles. This is important because you can use a less expensive sparkling wine when making a champagne-type cocktail, and save the good stuff for sipping as is. Believe me, I wish I could afford to always drink Dom Perignon, Perrier-Jouet or some other top-notch champagne, but I can’t. That’s life. However, every now and then I will splurge for a bottle in the $35-$60 range for a special occasion, and am rarely disappointed.

“There comes a time in every woman’s life when the only thing that helps is a glass of champagne.”- Bette Davis, Old Acquaintances

I think my most favorite “mixed” drink in the world is a mimosa. I feel like I’m being good by having my vitamin C in this oh so delightful drink. It has to be healthy with the orange juice, right? Mimosas are so easy to make. I start with an inexpensive bottle of sparkling wine ($12-$15 or so range) and add low to no-pulp orange juice. Depending on my mood, sometimes it is equal parts of each; other times I do a ¼ OJ to ¾ bubbly split. My advice is to experiment until you find your favorite mix.

I also love Bellinis, a wonderful concoction that makes great use of Prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine) and peaches. This drink is awesome in the summer when peaches are ripe. Click here for an easy recipe for this refreshing cocktail.

A couple of years ago I tried a festive poinsettia cocktail at a Christmas party and was so happy to discover a different take on a champagne “mixed” drink ! I make this with sparkling Rose, cranberry juice and Cointreau liqueur. Here’s my recipe, but as always proportions are up to you. Also, you don’t need to use the Rose bubbly – any sparkling wine will work.

Poinsettia Champagne Cocktail

Ingredients

• ½ oz. Cointreau
• 3 oz. cranberry juice (I use Ocean Spray light)
• Sparkling Rose wine
• Fresh raspberries

Preparation

Chill a champagne flute. Add the Cointreau and cranberry juice. Fill the glass with the Rose. Garnish with a raspberry or two. Drink and enjoy!

This New Year’s Eve we will ring in the new year with a nice Veuve Clicquot. And with that, I toast all of you who have followed my blog this past year and hope all of you have a happy and healthy 2012! As always, please be responsible when drinking and driving.

Happy New Year, y’all!

Eat, drink and be merry!

***Note: Since this post, The Wine Merchant has consolidated its stores and now its only location is in Cary at 4240 NW Cary Parkway. Sigh!

Earlier this year, I bought a coupon through Living Social for $30.00 worth of wine from the Wine Merchant’s wine station for only $15.00. I’ve been going to the Wine Merchant (1214 Ridge Rd., Raleigh, N.C. 27607) since the mid-1980s and love the personal attention that I always get, so it was a no-brainer to jump on this deal. My coupon was getting ready to expire, so I talked Brad into going one Saturday afternoon, right in the middle of the NCSU versus Maryland game. It was probably not the best timing in the world, but it actually worked out great in the end (especially since State wound up winning – imagine that!)

When we arrived, Ryan Elliott, the assistant manager, cheerfully helped us redeem our coupon. He set us up with a wine card that is used at the wine station, which has a selection of 12 wines – four whites and eight reds. Ryan showed us how the dispensers worked, asked about our wine preferences and made some nice recommendations.

You can get a 1 ¼ oz. sample, a 2 ½ oz. half glass, or a 5 oz. full glass pour, all reasonably priced. He told us we did not need to spend the entire coupon in one visit – now that we had the card it was good whenever we came in.

The two tables near the wine station were taken, so Brad and I wandered over to the wine bar. There was some football game on a flat screen TV above the bar. Ryan personally brought us some barstools and noticed we were State fans from our shirts, so he changed the channel to the game and actually turned up the sound so we could hear it. Great customer service and it only got better!

I told Brad how I liked the cute Duck Rabbit glasses behind the bar and Ryan overheard me. He went behind the bar and gave us two of them, explaining that there had been a tasting from Duck Rabbit’s brewery the night before and a few people had left their glasses behind. I asked when the Wine Merchant started carrying beer, and he said it was a recent addition to the store. Great addition! He asked us if we liked beer (crazy question, I know, but it was the first time we had met) and then let us taste some of the cask stout that was left over from the night before. Yum!

A little while later, Ryan gave Brad an extra pour of the red wine he was drinking because the bottle was almost empty and it needed to be replaced with a full bottle. No charge – sweet!

The Wine Merchant’s Raleigh store is close to my home – exactly 2.0 miles away. There is also a location in Cary. In addition to wine and beer, it has a great selection of glassware, accessories, gift boxes, etc., as well as wine and beer tastings, many of them free. The staff is super, super friendly, knowledgeable and helpful! It is always great to support local businesses and I wholeheartedly recommend this one.

Eat, drink and be merry!

In celebration of National Harvey Wallbanger Day (Nov. 8), the drink of this month is Galliano. Officially known as Liquore Galliano L’Autentico, this liqueur created in 1896 by Italian distiller and brandy producer Arturo Vaccari of Livorno, Tuscany, who named it after Giuseppe Galliano, an Italian hero of the First Italo–Ethiopian War at the end of the 19th century.

Galliano liqueur has a large amount of natural ingredients that includes star anise, Mediterranean anise, juniper, musk yarrow, ginger, lavender and peppermint as well as vanilla and cinnamon. Vanilla is the most important ingredient in this liqueur.

Here are two recipes that call for Galliano. One is for the Harvey Wallbanger to honor its national day (raise your glass!) and the other is for a yummy and scrumptious bundt cake that includes Galliano in the batter as well as the glaze. Now you can have your cake (and drink it, too!)

Harvey Wallbanger

Legend has it that in the 1960s a California surfer named Harvey, who liked his screwdrivers spiked with Galliano, lost an important surfing competition. Harvey decided to drown his sorrows and when he tried to leave the bar, he banged into the walls on his way out. Voila! The Harvey Wallbanger was born! The next time you want to add some spice to an ordinary screwdriver, consider adding some Galliano for an extra little kick.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz. vodka
• .5 oz. Galliano
• 1.5 oz. orange juice
• Orange slice for garnish (optional)
• Maraschino cherry for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add the vodka, Galliano and orange juice. Stir well. Garnish with a slice of orange and/or a maraschino cherry (for old time’s sake, of course!)

Welcome to the 60s! By the way, you can change the amounts of alcohol to taste, but just watch out for those wayward walls!

Wallbanger Bundt Cake

Luckily there is more to do with Galliano than turning a screwdriver into a Harvey Wallbanger. I found this recipe online at allrecipes.com and it makes for one delicious and moist cake. Next time I try this I will use orange cake mix instead.

Ingredients (for the cake and the glaze)

• 1 box (18.25 oz.) yellow cake mix
• 1 package (3.5 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup oil (I use Canola)
• 5 fluid oz. Galliano
• 2 fluid oz. vodka
• ½ cup plus 1 oz.  orange juice
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease and flour a bundt cake pan.

Combine cake and pudding mixes in a large bowl. Add eggs, oil, 4 oz. Galliano, 1 oz. vodka and ½ cup orange juice. Blend well until smooth – approximately 1-2 minutes with an electric mixer.

Pour the batter into bundt cake pan and cook for 40-45 minutes, until the cake is done (insert a toothpick into the cake – if it comes out clean, the cake is ready.)

Let cake cool for 10 minutes or so and then remove it from the pan.

Meanwhile, make the glaze by mixing the confectioners’ sugar with one ounce each of the Galliano, vodka and orange juice. Spoon this over the warm cake.

I like to serve this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but it is great plain!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

National Liqueur Day is October 16^th – yaaay! Since October is also National Apple Month (check out my recent apple post), let’s celebrate with a couple of cocktails make with 99 Apples Schnapps Liqueur. The “99” refers to the proof, and this stuff carries a serious punch!

I made two great drinks with this liqueur. One is what I call “Kiss My Appletini,” a wonderful fall drink made with vodka, 99 Apples and apple cider. The other is my “Apple Cranberry Fizz,” nice and refreshing with 99 Apples, cranberry juice and tonic water. It is less potent than the appletini and will be a great beach drink next summer!

Kiss My Appletini

Ingredients (for 2 martinis)

• 4 oz. good vodka (I used Belvedere)
• 2 oz. 99 Green Apples Schnapps liqueur
• Apple cider
• Sugar/cinnamon mixture to rim glasses (1/4 cup sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, mixed)

Preparation

Chill two martini glasses. Fill shaker with ice. Add the vodka and 99 Apples and shake well.

Moisten the tops of the glasses (I use a lime slice for this) and rim with the cinnamon sugar. Strain the martini mixture into each glass.

Now’s the time to give it a taste. If you like it, then bottoms up! For me, this was extremely strong (not to mention potent) – good, but definitely kick-ass tastewise, which was not what I was going for.

I added a splash of cider, which tamed it down and gave it some great apple sweetness. Much better!

Apple Cranberry Fizz

Ingredients (makes 1 cocktail)

• 1 oz. 99 Apples Schnapps liqueur
• 1 oz. cranberry juice (I used Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail Light)
• Tonic water (I used Diet Schweppes)
• Lime or lemon to garnish

Preparation

Fill a rocks glass with ice. Add the 99 Apples and the cranberry juice. Top with the tonic water and stir. Garnish with a piece of lime (preferable) or lemon.

Enjoy!

Eat, drink and be merry!

Been to Cameron Village in Raleigh lately for food and drinks? If not, you should – there are a number of great restaurants/pubs worthy of those in the 70s and 80s when things were in full swing in the Village Underground and other places in the center.

Longtime Raleighites will remember The Pier, Café Deju Vu, the Frog and the Nightgown and later the Bear’s Den, which were located beneath what is now the public library/Fresh Market. The Underground was one of the best clubbing destinations in Raleigh in its prime, with performances from the likes of the Ramones, Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Jimmy Buffet, Bette Midler, the Dead Kennedys, R.E.M., Arlo Guthrie, Thelonius Monk, the Violent Femmes and even Barry Manilow, just to mention a handful.

After the underground closed, Cameron Village lost some of its appeal as a nightlife destination. But I am happy to report that things recently have been looking up lately, with choices such as the Village Draft House, Cameron Bar and Grill, Café Caturra and Cantina 18. While these places usually do not offer live entertainment, they do serve up tasty food and drinks that won’t bust your budget.

I’m always at a loss for what to put in Brad’s Christmas stocking, so last year I thought it would be fun to include $20.00 gift certificates to a few CV venues. The idea was to drop off the kids, figure out our transportation and do a CV crawl starting one afternoon, finishing whenever. It took eight months to finally align the moons with the stars and we had a great time! Our original plan was to start at the Player’s Retreat and end at Foster’s rooftop bar, with some great stops along the way. We had to alter our plans slightly upon learning that Fosters just recently had been closed down (sad!) but of course we made do. Here’s our journey (and thanks to Pat for joining us for part of the trip!)

We started at the PR, which is located on the corner of Hillsborough St. and Oberlin Rd. As mentioned in an earlier blog post, the PR has seen a recent revival and now sports a few Wine Spectator “Top Rated Wine” list awards as well as an awesome selection of single malt scotches. Pat and Brad started with beers and I opted for a spicy Bloody Mary. We thought it wise to fuel our stomachs as well and Pat and I enjoyed some awesome Gabby burgers, while Brad chowed down on a Turkey Sheila. Great food and drinks, great bartender and still a great place, celebrating 60 years in business! It was hard to leave.

Next stop – Village Draft House. According to its website it has 99 beers on tap, and we each enjoyed a couple. I’ve been a patron since its doors first opened and love its burgers, potato skins, beer selection and outdoor seating (with water-filled doggie bowls if you want to bring your four-legged friends.) Family friendly, especially if you sit on the non-bar side. Bartenders were great!

Cameron Bar and Grill, right around the corner, was our next destination – mimosas for Pat and me and beer for Brad. Again, great bartenders! I’ve been here on many occasions with family and friends, both for food and drinks. The restaurant is family friendly, and the bar area is traditional with rich, dark wood and a number of flat-screen televisions, always showing some sort of sports. Pat said her goodbyes after this stop as she had another obligation later that evening.

Brad and I then  headed to Café Caturra, a fairly new Cameron Village venue. Just my luck it was $6.00 Sangria Saturday – score! This sangria is made with white wine, champagne and assorted berries – quite simple, and so refreshing. The blueberries, strawberries and raspberries give the drink a warm pink color. It is awesome! Brad got some sort of red wine. Café Caturra offers small plates, sandwiches, pizza, salads and soups. I have not eaten there yet, but the food I’ve seen other people order looks fresh and good. It is a regional chain, with locations in Virginia, N.C. and S.C.

Our last stop was Cantina 18 for margaritas. Yum, yum, yum. Brad ordered a top shelf margarita and I opted for the mango one – very tasty! We decided it was time to order some more food so we wouldn’t feel totally worthless the next day. We opted for some guacamole and were happy with our choice. The guacamole was fresh with nice chunks of avacado and tomatoes and a great blend of spices. The service was so good - it was as if the bartenders were truly happy that we were there only for drinks and appetizers, and not just waiting for a table. Great place to end our crawl after all!

***Note! Please, please, please – drink and drive responsibly. Take a cab. Walk when you can. Seriously.

Eat drink and be merry!

This week’s tip is to start a new food and/or drink tradition. Most of us have a family holiday stand-by - whether it’s chile on Christmas Eve or corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day – you get the point.

My suggestion is to establish a non-holiday tradition that you and your family can enjoy for years to come. One of my favorites is our weekly family night, where the person whose turn it is not only gets to pick out the activity, but also selects the menu, including dessert.  I hope Gabe and Lexi will continue this tradition when they have kids of their own. I must admit, however, that my most favorite tradition was inspired by my late and great stepfather, Gerry, and our mutual love for the Washington Redskins.

I miss Papa Gerry so much – he was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. We started getting each other Redskins memorabilia for Christmas presents and as the years went by, we started trying to up each other.

I got him a fun engraved beer stein (which he drank from each game) and a very cool Redskins watch that he wore every time I saw him during the regular season.

However, Gerry won the gift battle when he gave me an awesome Redskins crystal decanter and glass set. Oh my! It brought me to tears. Actually, in retrospect, it wasn’t that much of a battle between the two of us, but really more who could bring the biggest smile to each other’s face. And it was win-win for both of us.

O.K., I have to admit I was afraid to use the decanter for a few years because it was so cool and I didn’t want anything to happen to it. But after Gerry died, I decided I needed to honor him by using it, just like he used the stein I gave him.

So I brought in the single malt scotch. I’m not a big scotch drinker, but when I do imbibe I prefer single malts at least 12 years old or more. A fifth usually lasts me at least a year, so I don’t mind splurging a tad.

So here’s my “new” tradition: If the Redskins win, I get to have a celebratory drink out of the decanter and one of the glasses. Woooo-hooo!  Since the Redskins have had such crappy win-loss records the past several years, my brother suggested I should drink when the Skins lose instead - maybe he has a point.

And, luckily, the 2011 NFL season has started surprisingly well! We beat the Giants in the home opener at their house – who would have thought!  It will be interesting to see what the rest of the season brings. At any rate, I think Gerry is shining down on me and our decanter and likes this tradition. Go Skins!

Before ending I have to mention another tradition in our house, again around toasting to a winning team, this time the Wolfpack (sigh). At least we have the football AND basketball season to do so. It’s red and white forever. And burgundy and gold.

Eat, drink and be merry!

The first Bellini I ever drank was courtesy of my best friend Rose. If I can remember correctly, she ordered the peach puree online after enjoying a Bellini somewhere on a business trip. Wow, it was wonderful, and as a champagne lover I was thrilled to be introduced to this refreshing drink!

One of my favorite Bellini memories was several years ago at the Davenport Hotel bar in Spokane, Wash. Some guy seated across from me order a Bellini. What I great idea, I thought – the drink looked wonderful and I was impressed with the robust pour. When the bartender brought me mine, I was told that the reason for the good pour was because the guy across the bar worked at the Davenport. The bartender didn’t want me to feel cheated, but said to expect a smaller glass on future visits. I tipped him well, needless to say.

Since fresh peaches are currently abundant, I decided it was time to whip up a batch of Bellinis to enjoy in the hot summer heat. I found a great recipe by Bobby Flay – he adds a twist to this cocktail by adding vanilla bean, which intrigued me. Since I love his Vegas restaurant and margaritas (check out my blog post about Mesa Grill) I decided to give it a go. He uses a sparking rosé in his recipe, but I replaced it for the more traditional Prosecco. I will try this with the rosé next time.

Ingredients

• ½ cup sugar
• ½ vanilla bean, split and seeds removed
• 3 ripe white peaches, peeled and cut into pieces (reserve a few slices for garnish)
• 1 bottle Prosecco, the colder the better (I put it in the freezer for ½ hour or so)

Preparation

Combine the sugar, 1/2 cup of water, vanilla bean and seeds in a  saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat. Discard the vanilla bean. Refrigerate for a couple of hours until the mixture is cold.

Place the chopped peaches in a food processor and add the sugar mixture. Puree until it is smooth.

Place the puree in a pitcher. Slowly add the Prosecco and gently  stir. Pour into champagne flutes, and garnish as desired. I just used some peach slices, mint also works well. Serve immediately!

This is a great twist on a more traditional Bellini. Love the addition of the vanilla – it pairs nicely with the peaches.

Eat, drink and be merry!

We recently vacationed in Myrtle Beach, S.C., with our close friends, Jeff and Terry. Between us we have four kids ranging in age from 8-10 years old. This was our third visit together to Kingston Plantation and, once again, a great time was had by all.

Those of you with young children know that life is much easier when you take them to eat at places where they want to go. However, that doesn’t always result in the adults getting decent food. Luckily, I have a couple of recommendations that kids of all ages should like, from two perspectives.

Kid Perspective

Ultimate California Pizza Sports Zone  (959 Lake Arrowhead Rd, Myrtle Beach, S.C. 29572) was right up the road from our condo and where we went our first night. I have to admit I was not expecting much from this place, and anticipated cardboard-tasting pizza in a loud place (it has an arcade, which is the main attraction) that was sure to bring on a headache before I left. But they do serve alcohol and since it’s all about the kids anyway, off we went. And I was pleasantly surprised, enough to go back a second time later that week.

I thought the food was good – especially the pizza, and was happy that a number of vegetarian specialty pies were on the menu. I tried the personal size Santa Cruz  pizza and it was quite tasty, with artichokes, black olives, red onions, feta, roma tomatoes, and mozzarella. The crust was nice and chewy. While it’s not on my top-5 favorite pizza list, I’d certainly eat it again. The rest of our group, including the kids, ordered various pizzas and said they were all good.

The restaurant has full ABC permits and the beer selection is pretty decent. A number of flat screen TVs are in the restaurant/bar area, showing various sports.

What makes this place great for the kids is the arcade, of course. Lexi hit it big our second visit and won 1,000 tickets on a machine – she was just too happy for words. I decided to try my luck as well, and had a great time. Gabe was happy since he was on the receiving end of the majority of my tickets (and I won quite a lot!) and to no surprise “Mr. I’m the funniest boy in the world” redeemed some of them for a mega whoopie cushion.

Overall, Ultimate California Pizza Sports Zone is a great place for the kids, and not bad for the adults!

Adult Perspective

Now, to switch gears a bit. The kids always want to go to Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville (1114 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach, S.C. 29577 ) whenever we’re in Myrtle Beach for a number of reasons, including the hurricane blender  -

the balloon-making guy on stilts -

and the proximity of the carnival rides less than two minutes away.

BTW – the adults do not mind to oblige, because it’s always five o’clock somewhere.

Kudos to Margaritaville’s brilliant marketing and management teams for making this place appear to be suitable for kids. Think about it – is a restaurant named after an alcoholic beverage and a song by a crazy musician known for some of the most drunken concerts I’ve ever been to really appropriate for children? Well, of course it is – at least that’s what we can tell ourselves as we suck down our margaritas and beers while the kids are entertained with balloon animals and hurricane shows. As long as the kids can score something at the gift shop and go on the rides when we leave then they are happy, which in turn makes us happy.

I’ve eaten at other Margaritaville locations  and the food is consistently good – the nachos are superb and I’ve been saved by many a cheeseburger in Key West and Las Vegas (before kids, of course.) On this trip I had the Jumbo Lump Crab and Shrimp Salad, which was a blend of shellfish tossed with rotini pasta, olives, tomatoes, carrots and lemon-herb vinaigrette served atop a bed of mixed greens. It was tasty and fresh and I would definitely get it again, but to be perfectly honest I would have ordered a cheeseburger had I not been in vegetarian world. Just because. For some reason I forgot to take pictures of the food, so I’ll show you a picture of my 5 o’clock Somewhere drink

The next time you visit Myrtle Beach with kids in tow, keep both of these places in mind – they are fun for young and old alike!

Eat, drink and be merry!

 

We just received our latest copy of Wine Spectator in the mail and it is one of the issues I most look forward to each year – “The List.” The first “list” was published 30 years ago in 1981, and much has changed since then, as mentioned in the article.

This year 3,700+ restaurants (U.S. and international) that won a Wine Spectator award for their wine programs are listed in more than 60 pages. There are three award levels and instructions on interpreting the guide (see p. 84). You may also access the list at: http://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/search

I’m not sure if this issue (dated August 31, 2011) has hit the newsstands yet, but keep an eye out for it, especially if you travel much or just want to see what restaurants are featured in your state or country. I immediately went to the North Carolina section to see how many of these restaurants I’ve visited.  No real surprises and many new places to visit, especially next time we go to the outer banks or to the mountains!

This annual issue is a great read and a keeper for future reference.

Eat, drink and be merry!

I made these patriotic jell-o shots for a July 4th pool party – very easy, and very good!

For the blue shots I used a 3 oz. package of Berry Blue Jell-O, 1 cup of boiling water, and 1 cup of DeKuyper’s Island Blue Pucker. I found this recipe online at http://www.myscienceproject.org/j-shot-4.html. This website has a number of great recipes for all kinds of shots. I thought these shots were refreshing and somewhat tart but still sweet at the same time.

For the red shots I used a 3 oz. package of black cherry Jell-O, 1 cup of boiling water and 1 cup of vodka. Any red gelatin will work.  Once you mix the ingredients, pour into plastic shot cups (I like the ones with lids for easy transportation) and refrigerate until they set. The red shots were good, too!

Eat, drink and be merry!

Every now and then in the heat of the summer when cocktail hour rolls around, instead of starting off with a glass of crisp white wine, I like to change things up a bit. One of my favorite ways to do so is with this cool and refreshing summertime sangria. Yes, Virginia, you can add ice cubes to red wine without upsetting the wine gods, if you are careful . Actually, you’ll appease them with the addition of fresh fruit, brandy, and orange liqueur. The combo is oooh, sooo good!

For this batch of sangria I included sweet blueberries and strawberries,
which not only are low in fat, carbs and calories, but also high in antioxidants and vitamins. Not only are these berries good for you, they taste wonderful. And the orange slices compliment the Cointreau (or whatever orange liqueur you choose.) What you wind up with is a great mixture of alcohol and fruit – a fantastic taste explosion that’s not too sweet - perfect to drink on a hot summer’s day when the temps are moving into the 90s.

Ingredients

• 1 bottle (750 ml) red wine ( I used a 2009 Montebuena Rioja
  from Spain, but any hearty red will do)
• ½ cup brandy (I used Raynal VSOP)
• ¼  cup Cointreau (or other orange liqueur)
• 1 large seedless orange, sliced
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, quartered (or halved if small)
• ½ cup fresh blueberries
• Simple sugar (Boil 2 tablespoons sugar in ¼ cup water.
  Cool to room temp.)
• Sprite or club soda, depending on taste

Preparation

Prepare the simple sugar by boiling 2 tablespoons sugar in ¼
cup water. Cool to room temperature.

Pour the wine into a large pitcher. I like using a good Spanish wine for my sangria, but any full-bodied red will do.

Add the brandy, orange liqueur and simple sugar, and stir until mixed.

Mix in the fruit and refrigerate for at least an hour (longer is better, up to 3-4 hours or so is great if you plan in advance.)

A note about the fruit – fresh pineapple chunks go great with this, as do granny smith apple slices, grapes and peaches. Have fun making your own combination!

Add ice to the pitcher, stir and pour into iced-filled glasses. Top with Sprite or club soda, briefly stir. Make sure you get plenty of fruit in your glass – it’s meant to be eaten as you savor your sangria!

Bottoms up!

Eat, drink and be merry!

I didn’t discover mojitos until about five or six years ago, but it is now one of my favorite summertime cocktails. I grow my own mint (see my recent post Grow Your Own), which is an essential part of this recipe. I thought the traditional mojitos (with rum, lime, mint, sugar and soda water) were great, but then I had a blood orange mojito at a poolside bar in Naples, Fla., that was stellar. It was made with Bacardi O rum, blood oranges, mint, orange juice, lime, sugar and soda water. It was like drinking liquid sunshine.

However, the best mojito I ever drank was last year in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was a delicious and refreshing pineapple concoction to die for. I have tried to replicate the recipe, and think I’ve done a good job.

Ingredients (2 cocktails)

• 8-10 fresh mint leaves, torn into pieces
• ½ cup fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks
• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
• Juice from half a lime (medium)
• 1/3 cup pineapple juice
• 3 shots of rum (I used Don Q Limon, but any plain rum will do.)
• Club soda

Preparation

Put the pineapple chunks, mint leaves and sugar in a cocktail  shaker and muddle/mash until pineapple is crushed. I bought my muddler, which is one of my favorite bar tools, at Crate and Barrel - if you don’t have one, the handle end of a wooden spoon works well.

Add the pineapple juice, lime juice and rum.

Fill the shaker with ice and shake well. Now is the time to take a small taste to see if you want to add more sugar or mint. Pour into glasses, add more ice if needed.

Top with the club soda and stir. Garnish with fresh pineapple and mint. Best enjoyed overlooking a beach or lake with family and friends.

Eat, drink and be merry!

In my recent  Strawberry Fields Forever post, I mentioned some great strawberry margaritas inspired by my late and great, dear friend, Charlie Murray. Charlie was famous for his frozen daquiris he made on our annual Memorial Day trips to the beach. These drinks were awesome, with just the right amount of rum and mixer, and ranged from strawberry, strawberry-banana, peach, pina colada, White Russian – you name it, he’d make it. And Charlie knew how to get the ice blended just right so each batch would be delightfully smooth. Perfect daquiris with great friends on the beach – life doesn’t get too much better!

Since I had an abundance of fresh strawberries, I decided instead of using rum to use tequilla (Jose Cuervo Black in this mix) and make some strawberry margaritas, Charlie Murray style. These are so easy to make, and easier to drink! And you use the can of the margarita mix for your measuring cup – how simple is that?!

 Ingredients

• 10 oz. can of frozen margartia Mix ( I use Bacardi)
• One 10 oz. can of tequilla
• Two 10 oz. cans of  fresh, sliced strawberries
• Splash or two of Cointreau (orange liqueur)
• Lime

Preparation

Fill blender 3/4 full of crushed ice. Add the frozen margarita mix. Use the can to measure the tequilla and strawberries. Top with a splash or two of Cointreau. Blend until creamy smooth. Garnish with a lime slice and a strawberry.

Go to the beach, your deck or just about anywhere and savor the moment. And if you were fortunate to know Charlie Murray, please drink one (or more) in his honor.

Be on the lookout for a future blog dedicated to some of my favorite places to get margaritas in Raleigh and beyond. (I know, it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it!)

Eat, drink and be merry!

In a (coco)nutshell, it was great. Yeah, it was indoors so he didn’t have to wear a hat and sunglasses. There was no tailgating and no sand. He was still glad to be there — at one point, his band took a break and he picked up a guitar and introduced himself as “The Original Coral Reefer Band,” and made an offhand comment about not giving up a minute of the opportunity to play at a sold-out Madison Square Garden. I got the feeling watching this billionaire in an aqua shirt, yellow board shorts and no shoes, that he would be doing this if he didn’t have a billion dollars and an empire built on, um, killing time.

FWIW, and I may be wrong, but I used to get this feeling from seeing Bruce Springsteen perform, and I got it when I saw Eric Clapton, and the Rolling Stones.

Anyway.

Empty seats at the Garden: None.

People sitting down: Only the crabby ones and no, the rest of us didn’t sit so they could see.

Approximate percentage of the under-30 crowd in attendance: Five (including the two very adorable and very hammered girls next to me, who were talking like pirates all night long.)

Number of men in grass skirts encountered: Six (I counted). Number in no shirts and coconut bras: Zero Number in shirts with coconut bras: Two (33.333333%)

Number of flying beers encountered firsthand: One. From the back, thank goodness. (I think the girls next to me were the targets; they got the most of it.) My wish that it was Landshark Lager, which is a better idea than product: Yes.

Degree of my hoarseness from singing and my ears from ringing: high-moderate.

Biggest surprises of the night: Big people. Really big. And having a really good time. I never thought I’d like to hear “Brown Eyed Girl” by anyone but Van Morrison; or “Glory Days” by anyone but The Boss. Mr. Buffett does them with the same attitude. It was great.

The big-screens next to the stage showed everything from their Anguilla concert, to the Yanks/Mets/Giants/Jets/Rangers, to girls flashing their goods. And a few times, they showed a little boy in a parrot ‘do-rag, looking bewildered.

Things I’m going to steal from the Coral Reefer Band: In the new kitchen, a clock will be set at 5:00 sharp, and kept that way. Why should any of us be penalized for living in the wrong time zone? as the man says, “It’s 5:00 somewhere.”

[Edited to remove glaring typo.  Thanks, Dr. B.!]