Flashback Friday and Foodie Friday

One of my favorite bloggers Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet inspired me to do a Flashback Friday! Since I am yearning for green grass, sunshine and being outdoors, I am sharing with you one of my favorite 'Think Spring' meals. Trust me, this will become one of your summer staple meals!!



Coconut-lime chicken and snow peas salad
1 Cup coconut milk
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces chicken tenders
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup sliced snow peas
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons minced red onion

Whisk together coconut milk, lime juice, sugar and salt. Transfer 1/4 cup of the dressing to a large bowl; set aside. add lettuce, cabbage, snow peas, cilantro and onion to the large bowl with the dressing; toss to coat. Divide between 2 plates.

Sauté chicken in olive oil and s&p, add coconut milk mixture and cook for 10-15 min. transfer the chicken to a cutting board and thinly slice. Arrange the chicken slices on top of the salads. drizzle the coconut cooking liquid over each of the salads.

Freaky Foodie Friday Trainwrecks!



I've had many a 'trainwrecks' in the past years..but I must say the earliest and most memorable one happened in 1971 with my Mom in the hospital I was delegated to cook Thanksgiving Dinner! MY first one, mind you, and no one giving me much instruction. Being the dutiful daughter I read up on getting the turkey ready, making stuffing and all the trimmings. I had all the side dishes prepared and ready to go on the table. Just waiting for that little 'pop-up' doohickey to pop up on the turkey signifying it was done. Waited and waited..finally my Dad said just to take the $%^& bird out of the oven. As it turned out, I had taken the packet of giblets out of the turkey but on one had mentioned the frozen neck in the neck cavity! (Which will delay the po-up timer) All in all it turned out to be a somewhat delicious meal, and one which I was reminded of by my brother and Dad for almost EVERY Thanksgiving afterwards!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!! Thanks to the very gracious Kathleen, at Cuisine Kathleen, for hosting this super fun party for all of us! Kathleen..these are for you!!!



For your enjoyment, please take the time to listen to this magnificent song IRISH ANGEL performed by Jonny Lang. Two of my sisters heard this rendition and passed it on to me. It is now a favorite, next to Danny Boy! The lyrics can be found here.. IRISH ANGEL



I had every intention to start off the day with the PERFECT Irish breakfast..had my bowl and spoon ready…

Then, Carol (There's Always Thyme) and Marsha (Marsha's Kitchen) stole my Lucky Charms! What to do next???? I suppose the only thing I had left to enjoy breakfast with was….



As usual I concentrated on desserts!! My first one is a chocolate cake, cut into small rounds, sandwiched in between a fluffy marshmallow filling, drizzled with ganache and topped off with a chocolate transfer fitting for the day! This was the first time I tried the chocolate transfer sheets and happy to say they are very easy to work with. I purchased mine at Fancy Flours, but you can get them at a multitude of sites on the Internet.






My other dessert is called Grasshopper Dessert Squares! It is a Betty Crocker recipe and is absolutely delicious if I do say so myself. Kept in the freezer, it has just a faint flavor of the crème of de menthe. Garnished with chopped Andes mints, adds another mint flavor!


My shamrock dishes I have used today are “Foley” of course!!


My favorite T-shirt for St. Paddy’s Day…


Thank you for visiting and sorry I was so late…




May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

RAMOS GIN FIZZ

Around Mardi Gras I made the comment I had wanted to make the Ramos Gin Fizz but the Orange Flower Water I ordered had not arrived at that time... IT ARRIVED!!
The first and only time I had this drink was in, of course, New Orleans! I still remember the creamy fresh taste and wouldn't drink anything else during my visit. It is definitely a southern drink and in certain areas in the east.



The trick is to shake it - a lot and vigorously as in the full five minutes Mr. Ramos' original recipe specified. Supposedly you should be able to stand a drinking straw up in the finished product.

RAMOS GIN FIZZ
(adapted from Gary Regan, The Joy of Mixology)

2 ounces of gin
1 ounce cream (I used heavy whipping cream)
1 fresh egg white
3 drops orange flower water(I used 2 measures from the tiny plastic insert in the cap of the bottle)
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
club soda or seltzer water (set aside for topping off the drink)




Combine all ingredients (except club soda) in a cocktail shaker over ice. Wrap the shaker in a tea towel and shale vigorously for five minutes. (it's easier if you have two people to trade off) Strain into a tall, narrow glass (such as a Collins glass or champagne flute) and top off with a splash of club soda or seltzer.
Garnish with an orange wheel, and serve with a straw - and an iced-tea spoon so you can relish every drop!
NOTE: As you can see I garnished with a lime - it's MARCH!!!


May you be in heaven a half hour
before the devil knows your dead.