Strawberry Milkshakes

This milkshake brings all the boys…and girls, and adults to the yard…  Sorry, you know it was impossible to resist that one 😉  When I was planning my ice cream social, I knew for certain that milkshakes needed to be part of the menu.  Strawberry milkshakes seem to be one of the most classic flavors out there, right along with vanilla and chocolate.  Since vanilla and chocolate were already represented on the menu, this was an easy decision.  After a fair amount of internet searching I found that most recipes called for vanilla ice cream with strawberries blended in.  Sounds delicious, but I wanted double strawberry flavor so I used this recipe with the oh-so-delicious homemade strawberry ice cream.  It worked beautifully and I got just what I was hoping for – a very strawberry, super creamy milkshake.

Strawberry Milkshakes
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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 pint (2 cups) strawberry ice cream
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup milk

Directions:
Combine the ice cream, frozen berries and milk in a blender or food processor.  Puree until smooth and well blended.  Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately.

Source: Martha Stewart

Peach Wine Coolers

Wine coolers – aah, wine coolers.  I do believe they were the first alcoholic beverage I ever tried.  My tastes quickly evolved to fancier things like cosmos and wine, surely in part because of the stigma associated with wine coolers.  You know, that they suck?  Well these don’t suck.  In fact, they are pretty great.  These are what wine coolers should be, but probably never could be in the bottled form because they would lose all the wonderful fresh fruit flavor.

These are fantastic for entertaining on a summer’s night.  The novelty of homemade wine coolers was a big hit with my friends, and so was the flavor.  I used a Riesling and it seemed just right to me, but you can use your favorite white wine.  I’m already looking forward to trying more flavor variations, and I think it is fair to say I have a lot of friends willing to partake in those endeavors.

Peach Wine Coolers
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Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh peaches, peeled and chopped
2 oz. peach schnapps
Generous pinch of kosher salt
2 (750 mL) bottles dry Riesling, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, divided
Ice, for serving
Additional sliced peaches, for serving

Directions:
In the bowl of a blender or food processor, combine the peaches, peach schnapps, salt and a scant 2 cups of the wine.  Puree until smooth and frothy, about 1 minute.  Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve if desired (I skipped this step and preferred the thicker texture of the peach puree) and transfer to a pitcher.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

When ready to serve, fill wine glasses with ice.  Fill the glasses halfway with the peach mixture and top off the rest of the way with the additional white wine.  Garnish with sliced peaches as desired.

Source: adapted from Pink Parsley, originally from The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern

Piña Coladas

Piña coladas, for me, are the drink that signifies summer more than any other.  I have spent so many wonderful vacations sitting on the beach with one, they mean only good things.  Up until this year I had never made them at home other than using one of the premade frozen cans.  I saw this recipe and knew my days of the canned concoction were over.  It takes very few ingredients to make this fabulous frozen drink and thankfully they are things that I have on hand almost all the time.  Perfect, since I have no time for a real vacation this summer.  Instead I just sit outside in the evening with one of these, close my eyes, and imagine really hard that I’m somewhere else.  Okay, it doesn’t quite work, but at least the drink is darn good.

This is what summer nights should be.

Piña Coladas
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Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
6 oz. light rum
½ cup coconut cream
2 tbsp. milk
1 cup fresh chopped pineapple
1½ cups frozen chopped pineapple
2 cups crushed ice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree on high speed until smooth and well combined.   Pour into tall glasses and garnish as desired with fresh pineapple.

Source: slightly adapted from Culinary Musings

Hot Chocolate Mix

Oh heavens.  If you like chocolate, and especially if you like hot chocolate, you are going to love this.  I posted a different hot cocoa mix recipe last year that I had included in my gift packages.  While it was pretty tasty, this just blows it away.  It’s not surprising that this version is so much better.  After all, it includes vanilla sugar, cocoa powder and a hefty quantity of finely ground chocolate.  It’s certainly the more gourmet of the two versions, and it shows.  The thick, smooth texture and the rich, chocolatey taste can’t be beat.  I have mere tablespoons left after packaging this up for holiday treats, but I’m sure I’ll make another batch very soon that won’t be for sharing 😉

Hot Chocolate Mix
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Ingredients:
2 vanilla beans
4 cups granulated sugar
1½ lbs. good quality semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
9 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups Dutch process cocoa powder*

Directions:
Split and scrape the vanilla beans and combine in a large bowl or jar with the sugar.  Work the vanilla seeds into the sugar with your fingers.  Bury the pods under the sugar, cover tightly and let stand overnight (or up to months) at room temperature.  Remove the pods when ready to use.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the sugar, semisweet and bittersweet chocolate, and Dutch process cocoa powder.  Process in 4-second pulses until the chocolate is very finely ground and the mixture is well combined.  Store the mix in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Serving Instructions:
Combine 2 tablespoons cocoa mix with 8 oz. of very warm milk and stir to combine until well blended.

*I am unable to find Dutch process cocoa powder in area stores, so I use a blend of natural and Dutch process cocoa.

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride, originally from  Gourmet, 2005

Margarita Jello

Margarita?  Yes, please!  In jello form?  What a great idea!  These cute and boozy little dessert treats took less than 10 minutes to prepare, and tasted just like margaritas.  I now realize this is basically just a slightly more sophisticated version of jello shots, or a variation on them, but either way, this is a super fun and festive treat that could be great in so many scenarios.  Whether you a throwing an informal happy hour get-together, a Mexican fiesta, or a girls’ night, they are sure to be a hit.  (And yes, I realize these are not margarita glasses, but my mini-martini glasses were the perfect size for these particular treats and allowed easy access with a spoon.)  Cheers!

Margarita Jello
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Ingredients:
1 tbsp. unflavored powdered gelatin
¾ cup water, divided
1 cup sugar
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ cup tequila
¼ cup orange-flavored liqueur (I used triple sec)

Directions:
In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over ¼ cup of the water.  Allow to soften for 5 minutes.  Add the rest of the water and the sugar to the pan and heat, stirring, over medium-high heat until the sugar and gelatin are dissolved.  Remove from the heat and let cool.  Stir in the lime juice, tequila and orange liqueur.  Taste and adjust ingredients accordingly.  Pour into small serving glasses and refrigerate for several hours until set.  Serve cold.

Source: Use Real Butter

Strawberry Orange Juice

Last fall I was in Chicago and had breakfast at a fantastic restaurant called Yolk.  They had probably the best breakfast/brunch menu I have ever seen, with an absolutely amazing variety of options to choose from.  I think it took me nearly 30 minutes to order because I could hardly even begin to narrow it down.  I ended up having peach cobble crepes (::drool::), and some strawberry orange juice to drink.  It was so refreshing and delicious, and the perfect spin on plain old OJ.  I completely intended to try making it at home, and then promptly forgot about it.  Then last week I saw this recipe online and remembered how much I had loved it before, so I decided this would be a fun accompaniment for our breakfast of fresh cinnamon raisin bagels.  The flavor is nicely balanced between the strawberry and the orange, so if you prefer one over the other you can easily adjust the recipe to suit your own tastes.  I tossed a couple of orange slices into our glasses for a sweet surprise at the end of the drink.  I definitely plan on going back to Yolk in the future to try more things on their outstanding menu, but until then I’m glad I can make this drink at home.

Strawberry Orange Juice
Ingredients:
12 strawberries, hulled and quartered
6 oranges, plus more for garnish
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract or seeds scraped from 1/3 vanilla bean
Ice cubes

Directions:
Place the quartered strawberries in a blender or food processor and puree.  Juice the oranges directly into the blender or food processor.  Add the vanilla and blend until smooth.  Pour the juice through a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher with ice cubes to remove the strawberry seeds.  Serve with fresh orange sections, and garnish with strawberries if desired.   

Source: adapted from Cooking Books

Mango Banana Daiquiri

Here’s a fun fruity drink to start your weekend off right!  Last week I found myself with some very ripe mangos and bananas in my fruit bowl, and no use for them.  Then, I was flipping through Back to Basics looking for a different recipe and happened across this fabulous beverage.  Talk about meant to be!  These were a delicious drink, thick with fruit puree and just the right amount of rum. I think these would be a welcome addition at a summer brunch as a substitute to the usual mimosa, or perfect for an afternoon cookout or pool party.

Mango Banana Daiquiris
Ingredients:
2 cups chopped ripe mango (1-2 mangos, peeled and seeded)*
1 ripe banana, chopped
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
1/4 cup simple syrup**
1 1/4 cups dark rum
2 cups ice
Mango slices, for serving

*Note – for tips on how to cut a mango, see this post
**To make simple syrup, heat equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan until sugar dissolves.  Chill before using.

Directions: 
Combine chopped mango and banana, lime juice, simple syrup and dark rum in a blender and process until smooth.  Add the ice and process once more until thick and smooth.  Serve immediately in glasses and garnish with fresh mango slices.

Source: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: We’re Almost Doctors! Celebratory Dinner

I decorated the table with our school colors, cream and crimson. Go IU!

 

Last week on March 19, senior medical students all around the country learned where we would be going for our residency training.  It was an exciting day for myself as well as my friends!  Amazingly, in my group of close friends, every single one of us ended up matching here in Indianapolis.  We have a wide range of specialties represented within our group – psychiatry, OB/GYN, pathology, ENT, anesthesia, family medicine and neurosurgery!  I am so proud of us all for making it through medical school and getting our first jobs as M.D.s, so a celebration was clearly in order.  

For a formal yet fun touch, I made "Doctor" place cards for each person.

Since reaching this milestone is a huge accomplishment for us, I decided to make the event accordingly fancy.  And, since champagne is the signature drink of celebratory affairs, I created a menu with lots of delicious food including a few items incorporating the bubbly beverage.  

The menu was as follows:
Blackberry Champagne Cocktails
Chicken-Stuffed Mushrooms
Caprese Tarts
Spinach Salad with Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette
Lobster Ravioli in a Champagne Cream Sauce
Chocolate Raspberry Tarlettes

It is safe to say, everyone thoroughly enjoyed this meal.  From the champagne cocktails to the last bite of dessert, everything turned out very well and went together nicely.  This dinner felt like a real achievement for me because I came up with several of the recipes on my own with no real recipe to go by.  A lack of recipe used to terrify me to the core, but now I am a much more confident cook and it turns out I do pretty well coming up with things myself.  I did take careful notes while I cooked though, so that I could share the recipes with you!   It wasn’t easy to get good photos before the food was gobbled up, but I did my best.

Blackberry Champagne Cocktails

These champagne cocktails were a perfect specialty drink for the evening.  Some sugar cubes, a touch of blackberry puree and a few fresh berries made for a delicious and pretty beverage.

Blackberry Champagne Cocktails
Ingredients:
Sugar cubes
Blackberries (fresh or frozen), for puree
Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled
Fresh blackberries, for garnish

Directions:
Place 1-2 sugar cubes in the bottom of each champagne flute.  Puree fresh or frozen blackberries in a blender or food processor.  Strain through a mesh sieve to remove the seeds.  Fill flutes with chilled champagne.  Top each glass with a tablespoon or so of the blackberry puree and garnish with two fresh blackberries. 

Source: inspired by Williams Sonoma
 

Chicken-Stuffed Mushrooms

A few weeks ago Ben and I had dinner at a local winery and had chicken-stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer.  They were fantastic and so I decided to try to recreate them at home.  My regular stuffed mushrooms are a favorite among my friends, and these are now a favorite as well.   (I apologize for the poor photo, but these were almost completely gone before I could even get a shot of them!)

Chicken-Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic
2 chicken breasts, cooked (I poached them)
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Black pepper
Stuffing mushrooms (I used about 30)

Directions:
Place garlic cloves in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until finely minced.  Cut chicken breasts into large cubes and add to the food processor.  Add cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to the bowl as well.  Process in pulses until the chicken is cut to very small pieces.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl.  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Clean the mushrooms gently.  Remove the stems from the caps, and chop the stems finely.  Add some of the chopped stems to the chicken mixture, if desired.  Fill each mushroom cap with the chicken mixture and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Serve warm.

Source: me! (Annie’s Eats) 
 

Caprese Tarts

I am of the mind that basically anything with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil can’t be bad.  So I took some squares of puff pastry and added the three magical ingredients for a quick, easy and delicious appetizer.  These went quickly as well, so quickly that I didn’t even get to taste one myself.  I heard they were very good though! 

Caprese Tarts
Ingredients:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Cherry tomatoes, sliced thinly
Fresh mozzarella cheese, diced 
Fresh basil, minced 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Using a round biscuit cutter, cut rounds of puff pastry.  Transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Brush the puff pastry rounds lightly with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Top each round with sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.  Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden.  Serve warm.

Source: me! (Annie’s Eats) 

Spinach Salad with Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette

I love spinach salads, but traditionally I am not a huge fan of sweet salad dressing.  I have had strawberry spinach salads in the past and enjoyed them, but this salad was in a class of its own.  I LOVED it!  I think that the strawberry puree as the dressing rather than strawberry slices really makes it perfect because there is strawberry in every bite.  The dried cranberries and apple slices on top were excellent as well.  I will be making this again and again!

Spinach Salad with Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
For the vinaigrette:
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
2 1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp. Champagne
1 tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt

For the salad:
Baby spinach leaves

For topping:
Chopped walnuts, toasted
Dried cranberries
Green apples, thinly sliced 

Directions:
To make the vinaigrette, combine the strawberries, apple cider vinegar, champagne, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until smooth.  Store in an airtight container.

To make the salad, place some baby spinach in a bowl.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss to coat.  Add more dressing if needed.  

Transfer individual serving portions of the spinach to salad plates.  Top each portion with a few chopped toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, and a few slices of green apple.

Source: inspired by Epicurious 

Lobster Ravioli in Champagne Cream Sauce

Since this was such a special occasion, I wanted an entree that was worthy.  Lobster immediately came to mind, but I’m not made of money so serving whole lobster to 10 guests was just not an option.  This lobster ravioli with champagne cream sauce seemed the perfect solution.  I used four lobster tails and wanted to make sure that the filling would go far enough to make ravioli for 10 people, yet I also wanted to be sure that the lobster flavor was prominent and not overshadowed by the other filling components.  I think I really achieved the right balance with these and will definitely make them again.

I made the ravioli a couple days in advance of the party and froze them.  Then just before dinner all I had to do was toss them in the boiling water and cook for a few minutes.  This really helped free up the day of the party so I could focus on other tasks.  The sauce was excellent as well.  Unfortunately my recipe for the sauce is not very exact because dinner was stalled by a couple late arrivals, and I kept having to make alterations and additions to ensure that the sauce came out okay.  I will give the best description I can, hopefully it will do! 

Lobster Ravioli in a Champagne Cream Sauce
Yield: about 70 ravioli

Ingredients:
4 lobster tails
4 tbsp. butter
3-4 shallots, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 oz. cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
2 1/2-3 batches homemade pasta

For the sauce:
6 tbsp. butter, divided
2 shallots, finely minced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp. tomato puree
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup Champagne
3 tbsp. flour
Heavy cream

Directions:
Remove the meat from the lobster tails.  Roughly chop and set aside.  In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and saute for a few minutes.   Add the chopped mushrooms and saute a few minutes more.  Once the shallots are tender, add the lobster meat to the skillet and cook, stirring, just until cooked through (this only takes a few minutes).  When the lobster is cooked, transfer the mixture to a cutting board and chop fine with a large knife.  Transfer to a bowl.  Add the ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese, and season with salt and pepper.  Mix well.

Roll out pasta into long sheets.   Scoop a couple teaspoons of the lobster filling and roll into a ball.  Place on one sheet of the pasta.  Continue topping with filling balls every few inches.  Once the sheet is covered with filling balls, lay another long sheet of pasta over the top.  Press the top sheet down and mold around the filling balls (if the sheets don’t stick together easily, wet your finger with water or egg and brush lightly between the two sheets).  Cut the ravioli into desired shapes with a pastry or ravioli cutter.  Repeat this process until the remaining filling and/or pasta is used up.  

(At this point, you can cook the ravioli in boiling water or freeze them.)

If freezing, transfer finished ravioli to a lightly floured surface and allow to dry for 30-60 minutes.  Place in a plastic freezer bag and freeze until ready to cook.  To cook, drop frozen ravioli into boiling water and boil until cooked to your liking (about 7-9 minutes).  

To make the sauce, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet.  Add the shallots and carrots and saute until the shallots are tender.  Add the tomato puree to the skillet, stir, and cook until the tomato has begun to caramelize a bit, 2-3 minutes.  Add in the chicken stock and champagne and stir.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow to reduce to about 1/3.  Once the sauce has reduced, in small saucepan melt the 3 tablespoons of remaining butter.  Add the flour and whisk, cooking 2-3 minutes to form a roux.  Add the roux to the skillet and mix well.  Whisk in heavy cream until sauce has reached the desired consistency (I also added in more champagne at this point).  Pass the sauce through a strainer to remove the carrots and shallots.  Serve warm atop the ravioli. 

Source: inspired by Fotocuisine 
 

Chocolate Raspberry Tartlettes

I originally had a completely different dessert planned for this party, but after I started making it I quickly realized it wasn’t going to work out.  I decided to cut my losses and make something else.  These little cuties have been on my list to try forever, and they fit all the requirements of what I was looking for – something chocolate, personalized, and something I already had all the ingredients for.  Honestly, I am kind of glad that my original plan did not work out because these were phenomenal.  The crust was light and buttery, the chocolate filling was smooth and perfectly accompanied by the raspberries.  I considered skipping the raspberry jam underneath the chocolate filling but it was a delicious addition so I would recommend using it.  What a great way to finish off a great meal!

Chocolate Raspberry Tartlettes
Yield: 10 (3 1/2 to 4 inch) tartlettes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 recipes basic tart dough
12 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
9 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
Fresh raspberries, for topping

Directions:
Roll out the tart dough and use it to line 10 mini-tart pans (yield may vary depending on the size of pans you use – mine were 4 inches).  Trim off any excess dough.  Refrigerate the shells until firm, about 30 minutes.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.  Place the mini tart pans on a baking sheet for easy transfer.  Line each shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with baking weights.  Bake until the shells are pale gold, about 15 minutes.  Remove the weights and the foil and continue to bake until the shells are golden, about 5 minutes more.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

In the top pan of a double boiler over simmering water, combine the butter, chocolate, and corn syrup.  Melt and stir until smooth.  Remove from the heat. 

Spread a few teaspoons of raspberry jam in the bottom of each shell.  Fill as full as possible with the chocolate mixture.  Let the filled tartlettes stand at room temperature until set, 1 to 2 hours.  Before serving, top each tarlette with fresh raspberries.  

Source: adapted from Williams Sonoma

Hot Cocoa Mix

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!

Another item included in my holiday gift packages was bags of hot cocoa mix.  This may have been my favorite thing in the bags, as it was very cute and festive but only took about 5 minutes to put together.  I did try some of it myself and was definitely impressed with the flavor.  It completely dissolved into the liquid for a very smooth drink, which is great because I have tasted far too many powdered hot chocolates that simply would not blend into the liquid – yuck!  I also made some super cute peppermint stirrers to go with this, but unfortunately I never photographed them.  I think a lot of variations could be made by mixing in crushed peppermint, vanilla bean seeds, butterscotch or caramel chips, etc.  Use your imagination!  I embossed a snowflake onto these plain white bags for a more festive presentation.

Hot Cocoa Mix
Yield: about 4 cups cocoa mix

Ingredients:
2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup powdered nondairy creamer
1/8 tsp. salt
mini-marshmallows

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Whisk together until evenly blended.  Portion into gift packages as desired, and top each with a handful of mini-marshmallows.

Attach tags with the following instructions: “Mix 4-5 heaping tablespoons of cocoa mix with very warm water or milk to achieve desired flavor.  Top with mini marshmallows and garnish with peppermint stirrer.  Enjoy!”

Source: adapted from FamilyFun.com

Strawberry Lemonade

I love lemonade all year round, but in the summer I love it even more.  As soon as I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it.  It’s very simple: lemonade + strawberries = heaven.  I think what I love most about this recipe is that it is easily adapted to different tastes.  I think it tastes great, but it is quite sweet – a little too sweet for Ben.  So, if you like things a bit less sweet, use less sugar.  The strawberry flavor is pretty strong so if you want more lemon shining through – use more lemon juice (or less strawberry sauce).  Give this a try, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser!  And just for the record I did strain my strawberry sauce but still ended up with seeds in my drink…but I like that better anyway, so it’s fine with me 🙂

Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar

1 cup very hot water

1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 good sized lemons)

4 ½ cups cold water

1 recipe fresh strawberry sauce (below)

sugar, lemon slices, fresh strawberries for garnish

 

Directions:

In a pitcher, combine the sugar and hot water and stir until the sugar has dissolved into a syrup.  Stir in the lemon juice and cold water.

 

Add the strawberry sauce and stir to combine.

 

Pour over ice into tall glasses rimmed with sugar.  Garnish with fresh strawberries or lemon slices.  Lemonade will keep at least three days in the refrigerator.

 

 

For the fresh strawberry sauce:

1 dry pint fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp. cold water

 

In a food processor or blender, puree the berries, sugar, lemon juice and water until smooth.  Strain the mixture into a clean bowl and discard the seeds.  Stir in additional sugar, if needed.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: adapted from Made by Melissa, originally from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy