danapop

My dad’s mom, Grandma Mary, used to drink one beer every July 4. And just that day. If memory serves, I think she said something about it being patriotic to drink a beer out of a can.

So, every year around this time I picture her and that beer. This year, I’ve spruced it up a bit with my version of how a beer should taste–The Shandy. It’s a ginger beer-based cocktail that originated in Britain in the mid 19th century. Which is ironically very un-patriotic of me, but I’m not one to overanalyze my cocktails.

Thankfully this drink, adapted from an old Gourmet magazine recipe, uses mint because my garden is overfilled with it at the moment. It also strays from the ginger-beer, calling for a good pale ale. In any case, this the most refreshing way to watch those fireworks while you ooh and ah.

ingredients
1 cup sugar
3 cups water
four 3-inch strips lemon zest, removed with a vegetable peeler
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2 fresh mint sprigs
chilled beer, I’m partial to Sweetwater 420 extra pale ale

preparation
In a small saucepan bring sugar and 1 cup water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved, and stir in zest. Cool sugar syrup to room temperature.

Transfer syrup to a small pitcher and stir in remaining 2 cups water, lemon juice, and mint. Chill lemonade until cold. (make about 4 ½ cups lemonade).

Pour ¼ cup lemonade, or to taste, into each of 4 chilled beer glasses and top off with beer.

Photo Courtesy of 'Real Simple'

Crack Brownies. That’s what we call them at my house. But, when I first stumbled across the recipe in Real Simple a few years ago, they were just called ‘Peanut Butter Cup Brownies.’

Who knew they’d be so addictive, so amazing, and quite possibly the best brownie I’d ever laid my greedy little hands on? Well, they are.

I’ve taken them to tennis matches and watched grown women who live for sportsmanship and love to rattle on about proper manners basically want to knock each other out for the last one. I’ve seen whole trays devoured in one Netflix movie showing. And I’ve witnessed things I cannot even write about (it involves someone with zero patience eating them semi-raw).

Those are stories for another time … right now though, I’m at my sister’s in Toledo taking care of my niece and nephew. They are both giving me a hand in mixing up my next batch of crack.

Wrapped in parchment paper and tied with a pretty ribbon, Crack Brownies make the perfect Mother’s Day gift. Well, at least that’s what my sister is getting from her children since Aunt Dana is the queen of multitasking and combined a kiddo activity into gifts and something she could write about.

*dp notes*

1. Obviously these don’t serve 24 people … not the way we cut them.
2. Do not make the mistake of looking up the calorie/fat content online. You don’t even want to know the answer.

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
A.K.A. Crack Brownies

Serves 24
Hands-On Time: 15m
Total Time: 50m

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
kosher salt
8 large peanut butter cups, cut into pieces

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a pan over low heat.
3. Using a mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy. Lower speed and pour in the melted chocolate and vanilla. Mix in the flour and ¼ teaspoon salt. Fold in the peanut butter cups.
4. Scrape into a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until the tip of a knife comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

My mother has a set of girlfriend’s she’s known for about 50 years now. The Lindas they’re called, because there’s Linda N. and Linda G., and then my mom, (who’s not a Linda). But, they all met in Oklahoma City, circa 1959 and 1961. I’ve written about them before on these pages–here’s where they were my Madras testers. I don’t think they minded in the slightest.

Linda N. has an absolutely refreshing mint lemonade recipe, which will forever remind me of the first time I drank it, on a mild May day at her cabin in the Colorado mountains while on vacation with my family. It makes me think of old friends and family. Well, and springtime, and something to quench your thirst after weeding around all the mint in the garden.

This particular lemonade, with the hint of mint, also makes me think of this weekend’s Kentucky Derby whose juleps out of silver tumblers will surely be tipped. With a nod to the Derby, and classic things, it seems as good a time as any to bring up the jacket I’m wearing sent to me by Next, out of the UK. This jacket is one of their Classic 5 items for spring. And indeed, to me it’s as classic as old friends, the tradition of the Kentucky Derby, and of course, sipping sweet mint lemonade.

Linda’s note–I was given this recipe in 1966 by my college roommate’s mother and have been serving every summer since. Some people like to mix alcohol with it … but it is good just by itself.

In a saucepan combine 1 ½ of sugar and 2 ½ cups of water to make a simple syrup. Cook for 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Pour this over 1 cup of freshly washed mint leaves and the zest of 1 orange and 2 lemons. Let this steep in the covered saucepan for 2 hours.

Strain the pulp and reserve the sweet mint syrup.

Add the fresh juice of 2 oranges and 6 lemons to the concentrated mint syrup.

At this point you can store in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to one week. As needed, combine in glasses of ice water using the proportions of approximately 1/3 concentrate and 2/3 cups water (or to your own taste). Garnish the glass with a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint and serve.

Grandma Mary keeping a close watch on four of her grandchildren.

There’s really no polite way to put this, so I’ll just come right out with it–my Grandma Mary (my paternal grandmother) was a terrible cook. Rotten. During my teenage years, my grandparents moved to the same town as us, and that meant holiday dinners at their house. Without fail, the Tuesday or so before Thanksgiving Thursday, my dad would look at his watch and declare, “Well, mom just put the green beans on the burner.” Green bean soup, we called it. And in all honestly, it was the only thing edible on the holiday table.

In her defense, there were a couple of recipes she did exceptionally well, which make me think of her memory whenever I make them. One is for caramel ice cream. It’s taken from a recipe passed down to her by her own mother, Fey, my great-grandmother known as Gram.

You might find it funny to be posting a recipe for ice cream in November. But let me tell you, you’ll think nothing of it when you’ve got a great heaping spoonful of this Salted Caramel Ice Cream sitting on top of a piping hot slice of pecan pie in a couple of weeks. No sir. The salt was my addition, as I think salt and caramel go together like ebony and ivory. Sweet harmony.
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Summer is the season for ice cream. Since I only recently unearthed my old-fashioned ice-cream maker; I thought I’d start slow this year by making a classic ice cream flavor.

But the online recipes I found with herb (lavender and basil) and heat (jalapeno and ginger) additions were really over the top.  I’m a fairly straight-forward gal when it comes to the cream…not totally plain vanilla by any stretch, but a combo of vanilla and chocolate taken up a notch by something crunchy is my number one choice.

This recipe for French Vanilla with Toasted Hazelnuts & Nutella Ice Cream (or as I like to call it, Howdy Hazelnut) is a sort of rip from the Hazelnut Chip served at the almighty Graeter’s (alas, this flavor is no longer on its seasonal menu). It’s a stretch to say my version even comes close to competing with this Cincy institution’s pint, but, it’ll do on a sweaty, summer day when you’re dying for a cone.

Sweet (cold) dreams.
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This past winter my husband and I became obsessed with the Animal Planet show: Jockeys – a documentary/reality program following the lives of seven jockeys at the Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia, California. Both the visuals and the storyline were fascinating. Plus, I can openly admit I have a crush on Mike Smith despite the high probability that I’m taller than him.

So to honor Jockeys and the Run for the Roses at Churchill Down’s tomorrow, this week’s food & drink is Kentucky Derby inspired…complete with two Southern favorites – mint juleps and derby pie. First, derby pie – one of my favorite desserts,  it combines chocolate and nuts (I’d eat those two things in combo with anything) in a flaky crust.

And then there’s the mint julep. Both of my sisters make nice ones from when they attended college in the Blue Grass State – so dignified sounding, but I assure you, they likely were sipping the juleps out of plastic Solo cups instead of the traditional monogrammed silver tumbler. What truck drivers they are; honestly, I can’t take them anywhere.

I often daydream about what I’d name a horse if I ever had one, whether or not he or she was derby material – Magellan’s Map, Bordeaux Binge and Piñata are solid contenders. No question, if I ever win the lottery, I’m buying a horse. It’s on the list just after the in-ground swimming pool and my own in-home Pilates studio.

For now, my money is on Dunkirk.
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My older sister is a fantastic baker. It’s likely the scientist in her – all that precise measuring and exactness that really suits her. She doesn’t bake as much as she used to (what with the full-time career, two children under the age of 4, and a husband who often travels for work) but I remember her pre-children weekend routine. She used to whip up a few goodies to sell at the local outdoor farmer’s market. The top sellers were her homemade granola, dog treats, and these granola bars.

They are chewy, gooey and good without all the extra additives and gunk in those packaged kinds. Perfect for day hikes, long car rides, or simply a healthy snack, sure to tide you over without all the guilt. My sister’s version uses raisins, but I subbed in dried cherries because I love the combo of dark chocolate and cherries. But you can use whatever you wish.
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When we go to the beach, we generally indulge in cocktails. At home, I’m more of a wine drinker, but when sun, surf, and sand are involved, I want something a bit more refreshing…so, of course a good margarita is in order. I love my husband’s version, so that’s this week’s drink recipe.

And because those beach towns function on 2 for 1drink specials, I’ve included another grown-up thirst quencher. This one is for the Madras…a delicious cocktail that combines ingredients you likely already have stocked in your vacay fridge…

A million thanks to my Madras testers…my mom and the Lindas who enjoyed the drink while on their girlfriend getaway!
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Spring is a funny season. It’s hopeful, fresh and new, yet, sometimes I find myself clinging onto the wintry comforts of day’s past. This week’s food & drink combines those two ideas. The cleanness of the season, paired with something homey and warm of month’s past. But, both bubbly and good.

Macaroni & cheese is the little black dress of food. It can be dressed up or dressed down according to the occasion. I’ve lived in Atlanta for almost a decade now. And one thing I learned early on, here in the South, they take their macaroni & cheese VERY seriously and you certainly should have a recipe for one in your repertoire regardless of geography. Mine is an adaptation of a recipe I found years ago in Real Simple magazine. I’ve tweaked and altered it enough times now, for it to be called my own. It’s always a hit – a cinch to make and one of those dishes that makes me happy when I serve it because it usually means any of the following – someone just had a baby, I’m cooking for a crowd (which I love), or I’m going out of town and need to leave something in the fridge so my husband doesn’t eat burritos for 72 hours straight.
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One of my oldest friends back home has a lethal punch recipe passed down to her by her mother. My friend always serves it at Holiday parties and whether I drink it with her and the girls back home or make it where I live now, it makes me think of family and longtime friends. It’s the perfect thing to serve if you’re hosting anything on New Year’s Eve. And like most good recipes, you can really vary it any way you like – adding or omitting ingredients, making it your own. A forward thinking tip – stock up on frozen hashbrowns, a block of cheese, eggs and Excedrin for the next day…

Cheers!

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These are the perfect cookies to leave out for Santa. They won’t kill his waistline, as they are adapted from Cooking Light and made with just one egg white and less butter than usual cookie recipes (admittedly, my version ups the ante on chocolate chips, it is the holiday season, after all). I love the addition of dried cherries in what would otherwise be just a plain ol’ chocolate chip cookie.

I do have to give most of the credit for these gems to my older sister, since I was introduced to the recipe years ago, when we baked them together at her house.

Whatever holiday it is that you are celebrating this season, I do hope it is filled with loads of joy, laughter, and cheer.

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The Holiday Season is officially upon us. What goes better with all the tradition (whatever your beliefs) than lots and lots of sausage? Sure, sausage, why not?

Here are two of my favorite Holiday recipes that feature sausage. Chicken-Apple Sausage Strata with Spinach & Mushrooms and Sausage Balls. The Strata is perfect for a late Christmas morning brunch, and the Sausage Balls are just the thing to pass around while opening presents.

Both recipes are ridiculously easy. In fact, I cannot believe I’m posting a recipe that calls for Bisquick and only a mere two additional ingredients (meat, cheese and said Bisquick). But, my mother makes them every year for us to enjoy, and, well, you just can’t monkey with tradition, especially when it comes from your momma. 

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At our house, it goes without saying that spiked drinks must accompany holiday festivities. So, when we trim our tree, I always want a nice hot something to really get us in the winter mood (well, as winter as Georgia will allow). A few years back while on vacation in Breckenridge, we tasted a drink called German Chocolate Cake. Not only is it the perfect hot toddy to complement tree trimming, frankly, it’s the sole reason to have Malibu rum in your liquor cabinet (otherwise, ick)! It’s also one of the few times I can condone not whipping your own cream…the high-pressure crazy-can stuff just tastes better in this (otherwise, again, double ick. Seriously).

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I’m not a hater. Really. I mostly try to accept people and things as they are. But there is that ONE thing (and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone on this)…Rachael Ray. Like, I really can’t stand her. For multiple reasons; overuse of acronyms, inability to tell funny jokes, addressing adults as kids or kiddos, calling sandwiches sammies, referring to her husband as “her sweetie,” and a horrific recipe repertoire, for starters.

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The cocktail trend has really run the gamut the past couple of years from pomegranate everything to the floating lychee garnish to scores of drinks that end in “tini” to the recent “south of the border” influx on bar menus (personally, I think people just like saying words like Caipirinha and Mojito, they just roll off the tongue).

Cocktail consumption goes in stages – with a noticeable divide running between the pre and post college imbibing style. And as there’s an increase in salary and social functions where you can’t act like an arsehole anymore (weddings, work events, holidays with significant other’s family) one has to be a bit more circumspect.

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