FoodFixe

Pork, Beans, and Avocado Daiquiris

For some reason, I’m having a hard time letting go of summer. Maybe because we didn’t get much of a summer this year in the Bay Area. At least it didn’t feel that way. So, in an effort to kick a little spice into what’s left of the season, I invited some friends over for dinner. My first real dinner since the “kitchenlift” and an excuse to make a couple dishes from my very long “recipes to try” list. Well, it’s not so much a list as a spreadsheet.

The food wasn’t fancy. It rarely is with me. But it was flavorful. I prefer to focus on what I’m good at, putting together a menu of complementary dishes. What I may lack in sheer cooking creativity, I make up for in planning and coordination. Or, as StrengthsFinder typed me, I’m a “maximizer.” I excel at making something that already exists into something better.

7 Summer Favorites

Just in time to celebrate our country’s independence, I thought I’d share some of my favorite summer recipes. They run the gamut from cocktails and appetizers to entrees and desserts. Truly, there’s something to suit everyone’s tastes and time constraints.

Happy 4th of July!

Gin-tastic!

 Today’s post comes from guest blogger Alec Wagner. He and I worked together eons ago (really, it was another lifetime) at InfoWorld, a technology trade publication. Fast forward 10+ years, Alec and I are working together again, albeit (sadly) temporarily. I love when life gives you a second chance to get to know someone as delightful and engaging as Alec. We quickly bonded over our love of gin, about which he knows far more than I. In fact, Alec knows so much, this post is the first in a two-part series. But what better time than summer to extol the virtues of this refreshing elixir.

When Alec isn’t generously spending his free time writing a post for FoodFixe, he’s a busy freelance writer, editor, and project manager, living  in San Francisco. He blogs about his frequent travels at Experimental Expatriate and will be blogging about the food of Southern France in the Autumn 2010 at Bite d'Azur.

Cheers to you, Alec!


Gin is a truly delicious spirit. The colorless, fragrant elixir is made by distilling grains, then adding aromatics such as anise and caraway seeds to its principle flavoring, juniper berries. Juniper berries are not berries as such, but the female seed cone of a coniferous plant from the Cupressaceae (or cypress) family that thrives in the northern hemisphere.

The purported healing properties of the juniper berry date back before the 11th century, when Italian monks used it jazz up their ”medicinal” no-frills hooch. And, although that juniper-infused spirit was an ineffective remedy for any real ailments (including the bubonic plague), juniper has remained a popular ingredient for flavoring and perfuming distilled spirits. And why not? It’s just plain yummy!

Easing in the New Year

 The holidays are winding down and the year is almost over. As tired as we are from all the fa-la-la-la-la’ing, there’s still one more celebration to get through. So, I thought I’d offer up some dishes to help you ring out the old and ease in the new, with little effort on your part.

Here are my picks for an easy New Year’s Eve sip and nibble as well as breakfast for “the morning after.”

Mai Tai

 

My friend Peter Richards contributed today’s post. If there’s one thing to know about him, it’s that Peter is an aficionado of all things Polynesian. I’m not talking tacky Tiki here. Peter is a true appreciator and preservationist of the culture, specifically through his photography of hula dance. (His work is stunning. Check it out here -- http://www.huladance.com/.)

And there's no denying that Peter makes a mean Mai Tai.

 

 

As I have grown older, I have moved away from the need for quantity, preferring quality instead. This also has extended to my choice in cocktails. One of my particular favorites, the Mai Tai, is more than 60 years old with a history nearly as controversial as some of our country’s electoral results.

Whole Lotta Pluotta Cocktail

Today’s post is from my friend Elaine, otherwise known as Mix Mistress Smartypants. She served this delicious pluot cocktail Labor Day weekend, and I insisted she share the recipe. The weather this coming weekend is supposed to be warm. If you can still find pluots at your local store or farmer’s market, you gotta try the Pluotta!

This year's pluots have been extra delicious. As two homemade batches of pluot-infused vodka reached maturity, thoughts turned to celebrating the tail end of a fantastic pit-fruit season with a fresh pluot cocktail. Labor Day weekend was the right time for the Pluotta's debut. Fresh, with an intense pluot flavor, and not overly sweet, this cocktail met with approval by all testers.

Paul's Perfect Margarita (a.k.a. The Mexican Mojito)

By Paul Santinelli

As the Valley floor begins to heat up from the warmth of the sun, the time is right for a refreshing margarita.  Combine the smooth finish of high-quality tequila with the refreshing bite of fresh lime juice, and you have the perfect cocktail for any warm-weather day.

The back story … On one of my many trips to Boston last summer, I stumbled upon a new restaurant on Portland Street, called Johnny on the Side. It’s located down the street from The Boston Garden and across the street from my home away from home, the Onyx Hotel.  In addition to focusing on American comfort food, Johnny on the Side has quite a bar. 

Sparkletini

A few weeks ago when I invited my friends over for the Chipotle-palooza dinner, I charged my friend Elaine with providing the refreshing beverage. Specifically, I wanted her to create a Sparkletini – the name for which came from some lowbrow hooch she spied at Grocery Outlet. Although not brave enough to plunk down the $4 to try the swill, we did so love the name. We decided, therefore, that the name deserved a real cocktail to accompany it.

But what to put in the Sparkletini? Champagne was an obvious choice, because … well … it’s sparkly. Also, Elaine and I both love champagne.

Cocktail Time

It’s the end of the week and time to start thinking about kicking off the weekend. Or, at least, I am. And, I have a couple cocktail suggestions.

The first is of the libation variety. After making the pomegranate sorbet, I ended up with a good amount of leftover pomegranate juice. (I had bought the large 48-ounce bottle of juice, because it was a better deal than buying two smaller bottles.) What better use for some luscious pomegranate juice than a cocktail.

Drinking in Chicago ... The Best Bloody Mary

 

By Paul Santinelli

Nothing is quite as enjoyable on a weekend morning as a fantastic Bloody Mary -- the smooth taste of spicy tomato juice mixed with the perfect blend of spices and good vodka. It says, "Waking up isn't so bad, is it?"  However, concocting the perfect Bloody Mary is a job for a mixologist who is willing to mix, taste, toss, and start again.

On the final day of our recent trip to Chicago, I was craving a Bloody Mary to soften the morning and get me started on my road to weekday sobriety. Not to mention, it was also the day of the single worst stock market plunge in history.