Friday Summer Cocktail - The Caesar

I have always loved a good Caesar! The tangy Clamato juice with a good hit of spice, it is just an all-round great cocktail!

 

What you need,

Click Here To Print

1½ oz. vodka

2 dashes Tabasco

3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

Clamato Juice

Clamato rim seasoning or celery salt

Lime wedges

Celery

Ice

Rub the rim of a tall glass with a lime wedge and dip in into the rim seasoning or celery salt.

Place 4 or 5 ice cubes into the glass then pour the vodka over the ice.

Shake in the Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce.

Top with Clamato juice and stir to combine.

Garnish with a celery stalk and a lime wedge.

I added a spicy dilly bean I made too!

There you have it a cool and spicy summer drink!

Happy weekend!

Jen

Hawaiian Fried Rice

I have always loved fried rice. It is such a great way to use up left over rice.

This Hawaiian Fried Rice was a really great twist on the usual.

The fresh pineapple really makes this dish special.

What you need,

Click Here to Print

4 cups cooked long grained rice, cold

1 cup diced ham

1½ cups diced fresh pineapple

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp. Sriracha sauce

2 tbsp. + 1 tsp. peanut oil

1 small red pepper, diced

6 scallions, diced

1 small onion, cut in half and sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, sesame oil and Sriracha sauce, set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add ham, red pepper, scallion whites and sliced onion.  Cook for 7-9 minutes until the veggies are softened and the ham starts to brown. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Transfer mixture to a plate.

Heat another tablespoon of peanut oil in the now empty skillet over medium high heat. Add the rice and cook, breaking up the clumps until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Push the rice to one side of the pan and add the remaining teaspoon of peanut oil.

Add the eggs and stir until eggs are set, about 1 minute. Stir the eggs into the rice.

Add the ham mixture back to the pan and stir to combine.

Stir in the soy sauce mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes until fully heated through.

Off heat stir in the pineapple and scallion greens.

Serve right away.

This rice has so much flavour! It made a wonderful dinner.

Jen

Recipe from Cook’s Country Magazine

Spicy Cheeseburger Macaroni

I know what you are thinking… another mac and cheese recipe?

I promise this one is different, it has hamburger in it and it is spicy and you make it in a skillet!

But really, its mac and cheese and when isn’t that enough!

This spicy cheeseburger macaroni was AMAZING!

What you need,

Click Here To Print

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 tbsp. homemade taco seasoning (or a package from the store)

1 can Rotel (if you can’t find Rotel in Canada a small can of diced tomatoes and a small can of diced green chilies would work fine)

2 cups low sodium beef broth

1 cup elbow macaroni

For the cheese sauce,

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. flour

¾ cup milk, I used whole milk because I had some but any mil would work

1 cup shredded old cheddar cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium high heat brown the ground beef until fully cooked through. Drain off any excess fat. Add the taco seasoning, Rotel and beef broth to the pan, stir to combine well.

Stir in the dry macaroni, bring the mixture to a boil then cover the pan reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 8-10 minutes until the pasta is el dente. Most of the liquid will absorb.

Meanwhile make the cheese sauce. In a large sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter.

Add the flour to the pan and whisk for 3-5 minutes until the mixture gets light brown in color and has a nutty smell. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Whisk until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the cheese sauce over the hamburger mixture and gently stir to combine.

 

You can never have too many macaroni recipes. Make this one, you will love it!

Jen

Recipe from Kevin and Amanda

Vietnamese Noodle Bowl with Glazed Pork

Now that we are headed into summer I am always looking for light dinners that don’t require turning on the oven.

These noodle bowls are so amazing! They have such a great combo of flavors and textures.

Do not be afraid of fish sauce, I totally was, but I finally bought some a few months ago to use in a recipe and since then I have used it so many times. It doesn’t taste like fish, it is kind of sour and tangy, and it totally makes this recipe. Try it!

What you need,

Click Here To Print

2-4 boneless pork chops, trimmed and pounded to ¼ inch thick

2 tbsp. fish sauce

2 tbsp. packed brown sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp. water

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

For the dressing;

¼ cup fish sauce

½ cup fresh lime juice

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 small red chili, thinly sliced

For the noodle bowl;

1 package of thin rice noodles, cooked according to package directions

3 small Kirby cucumbers, diced

3 small carrots, shredded or cut into small matchsticks

½ head green leaf lettuce, chopped

1 bunch fresh mint, chopped

1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped (you could use cilantro if you like it)

Stir together the fish sauce, brown sugar and garlic. Place the marinade in a large zip lock bag and massage it into the pork really well. Refrigerate the chops for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

In a large skillet over medium high heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Cook the pork chops for 3-4 minutes per side until crisp on the outside and just cooked through. Carefully remove the pork from the pan onto a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium low and let any remaining sauce in the pan thicken up a little. Slice the pork into thin slices, across the grain. Put the pork slices back into the pan and cook for 2-3 more minutes until well coated with the sauce left in the pan.

In a small jar with a tight fitting lid combine all the ingredients and shake well. Refrigerate until you are ready to use it.

To assemble, place a pile of the rice noodles in the centre of a bowl.

Add a few slices of the pork, some cucumber, lettuce, carrot, mint and parsley. 

Pour over some of the dressing and toss everything to coat.

Serve immediately.

I can’t tell you how much I loved this! It was perfection.

Such a great summer dinner, cool and refreshing.

Jen

Recipe from Rachel Ray Magazine

Friday Summer Cocktail - Classic Lime Margarita

May long weekend always feels like the beginning of summer to me.

It is the start of sunny days, warm nights, beaches, BBQ's, flip flops, sunglasses and cocktails!

I decided that from now until September instead of a Friday Favourite Thing I am going to post a cool and refreshing summer cocktail!

I decided to start with one of my all-time favourites, the classic Margarita.

Now, I am pretty particular about my margaritas. They have to be on the rocks, they need salt and they must have freshly squeezed lime juice.

I hate when you order a margarita and it comes to the table glowing green, that lime mix is gross!

Here is what you need,

Click Here To Print

1½ oz. Tequila

½ oz. Cointreau

1 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tbsp. super fine sugar (optional)

5-6 large ice cubes

Salt

In a cocktail shaker add the Tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and sugar.

Add the ice and shake for 20 seconds.

(You can add as little or as much sugar as you like, 1 tablespoon is the perfect amount for me!)

Rub a small piece of lime around the rim of a glass. Pour some salt into a shallow bowl and dip the rim of the glass in the salt to coat.

Pour the margarita with the ice into the glass, garnish with a slice of lime.

So grab a pair of sunglasses and a lawn chair and head outside to sit in the sun and enjoy your Margarita!

Happy beginning of summer everyone‼

Jen