Todd Richards Strawberry Rum coolers make you feel like you’re on a tropical island.
Being stuck at home, anything that makes me feel like I am on vacation is for me!
The strawberry base is made with strawberry, ginger, lime, and agave, a perfect balanced base for a boozy addition of both dark and light rum! The cocktail is sweet and spicy, being topped off with ginger beer!
Give this drink a try, and enjoy a taste of paradise in your home!
April/May 2020 Cookbook of the Month, Chef Jose Andres' Vegetables Unleashed
Rather than using the traditional Arborio Rice, this recipe uses Orzo, a pasta made of semolina flour and other hard varieties of wheat, and is shaped like rice. Orzo, translated to "Barley," in Italian, is cooked and served like pasta.
Orzo pasta is very versatile and can be used in a range of recipes, from soups to salads, to casseroles and is an excellent substitute when making risotto!
The starch from the Orzo resembles Arborio rice, resulting in the same creamy risotto texture. In this recipe, the mushrooms are a great partner, adding meatiness and tons of flavor, that creates a comforting and indulgent meal.
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups whole milk
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinshed
2 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil
½ pound mixed mushrooms, such as stemmed shiitakes or trimmed cremini, or other wild mushrooms, sliced
Salt
2 tablespoons butter
⅓ minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups orzo, ( or arborio rice, which is the classic grain used in risotto)
¼ cup white wine
Black pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano - Reggiano
Combine the vegetable stock, milk and dried porcini in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer, keep warm over low heat.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms season with salt, and cook until they release all their liquid.
Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown, and about 12 minutes total. Transfer mushrooms to a plate.
Melt the butter in the same saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add the przo and stir to coat it evenly with the butter.
Add the wine and cook, stirring until it has been absorbed. Turn the heat to medium-low, add 1 cup of the warm vegetable stock mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, until the orzo has absorbed all the liquid.
Continue adding the stock mixture ½ cup at a time and stirring until it has been absorbed each time before adding more.
The risotto is done when the orzo is al dente and is suspended in a silky sauce, about 30 minutes.
Stir the sauteed mushrooms into the risotto. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately, with grated Parmesan.
April/May 2020 Cookbook of the Month, Chef Jose Andres' Vegetables Unleashed
This flaky and buttery pastry dough is topped with roasted tomatoes and finished with a drizzle of the sweet tomato marinade and fresh herbs. It is excellent for a crowd or a weeknight meal.
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, Smashed
1 large Sprig Thyme
½ teaspoon Sherry Vinegar ( I used white wine )
Freshly ground pepper
6 Medium Tomatoes (about 4lbs), blanched & peeled
One 14-oz Package of Frozen Puff Pastry, thawed but still cold
1 Egg, beaten for egg wash
Olive oil for brushing
Fresh Herbs ( Thyme, Basil, & or Parsley) for garnish
Sea Salt
Combine the sugar, salt, olive oil, garlic, thyme vinegar and pepper in a large bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.
Add the tomatoes and turn gently to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 45 minutes.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the tomatoes from the marinade ( reserve the marinade), cut the tomatoes into ¼ -inch-thick slices. Arrange the tomato slices in overlapping rows on the lined baking sheet, 6 to 8 slices in a row.
Drizzle a little of the marinade on the top of the tomatoes and bake until they are roasted and start to get a little color, about 30 minutes. Remove From the oven and let cool.
While the tomatoes are roasting, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan, bring to a simmer. Allow it to simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
On a floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 9-by-13-inch rectangle, ⅛ to 1/16 inch thick. Prick the dough all over with a fork.
Brush the dough with egg wash and arrange the tomatoes on the top in overlapping layers, leaving about a ¾- inch bored all around.
Lightly brush the tomatoes with a little olive oil and bake for 30- 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
Remove the tart from the oven and brush the tomatoes lightly with the reduced marinade. Drizzle with olive oil and finish with fresh herbs and sprinkling of sea salt. Serve immediately.
In addition to changing some things around on my blog, I wanted to add a cookbook of the month! The cookbook I choose will give you all a chance to cook along with me.
So without further or due, the cookbook for April & May is Jose Andres Vegetables Unleashed!
First, I'm obsessed with Chef Jose! What he has done by starting his nonprofit, World Central Kitchen, which helps provide meals in the wake of natural disasters , is extraordinary!
Also, I thought it was very timely considering how much he has and is doing for this global pandemic. His nonprofit was on of the first, if not the first, to jump into action when this outbreak started. He hopped on a plane to San Francisco and set up field kitchens to feed the people who were stuck on the Grand Princess cruise ship. Since then, World Central Kitchen has been distributing meals to low-income neighborhoods and big cities like New York City and DC to help with the food shortages.
Recently, he was the cover of the TIMES, who wrote a special piece about him and all the work he is doing. I highly recommend you read it!!
Another reason I chose this cookbook, all about vegetables, was because it offers a lot of new inventive ways to prepare vegetables! I think it's essential, as humans, to do as much as we can for the environment, like eating less meat, and more vegetables! I understand that many of us may not have our fridges or pantries stocked, but the recipes I've chosen to do are simple and require few ingredients. I'll offer some substitutes and tips for any ingredients that you may not have!
Does anyone else get inspired when looking at those cake decorating videos on Instagram?! Those bloggers make the process look so easy, but in fact, it is quite the opposite.
I feel like they all have the magic touch or a secret that I'm still trying to uncover, but when I attempt a cake, it comes out a disaster! I've thrown my hands up at this point and realized "rustic," and naked looking cakes are my thing, and I will leave the beautifully frosted and decorated cakes to the professionals.
Another easy technique I recently discovered is the layered loaf cake! Thanks to Tara O'Brady, a fabulous blogger, whom if you aren't already following, go do it right away! She instagrammed a beautiful chocolate cake baked in a loaf pan, that was perfectly cut and layered with frosting. I thought OMG, this is the new way to cake!
So for my first loaf cake, I made The Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Yogurt Loaf Cake, topped it with homemade blueberry mint jam, and finished it off with a sweet thick layer of cream cheese frosting. This cake is perfect for spring, and will really lift your spirits ( I know we all need that right now)!
Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole- milk yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup vegetable oil
⅓ freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Mint Lemon Blueberry Preserves ( yields 3 cups)
4 cups fresh or frozen ( thawed) blueberries
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons of lemon zest
¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Mint Lemon Blueberry Preserves
Begin with the Jam, as it will need time to cool. If using frozen berries, thaw the berries over a colander , you want as little water as possible.
Combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and mint in a medium sized saucepan.
Heat saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until jam is thick, 15 to 20 minutes. At this point, using your wooden spoon, or a potato masher, smash the blueberries. I like my jam on the chunkier side, so I only smash a few.
Allow the jam to cool in the bowl before assembly.
It can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks or in the freezer for up to a year!
Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a 8 ½ inch loaf pan with parchment paper
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla together. Once combined, slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet, making sure it's all incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Once done, allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, cut the cake in half horizontally, resulting in two even layers.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the butter and cream cheese until incorporated.
Add in the vanilla extract, and mix.
Add in 1 cup of the powdered sugar at a time, mixing in between additions until the frosting is nice and fluffy.
Assemble
** At this point you can be creative in your assembly, but this is how I did it.
Place the bottom pound cake layer on a tray. Add the frosting onto the cake and spread an even layer. Drizzle the blueberry preserves on top.
Add the next layer of cake, and repeat the same step. Allow some of the blueberry to drizzle onto the sides.
Slice and Serve.
Cake Recipe : Barefoot Contessa
