Moscow Mule

So since we had those ingredients, I've also whipped up another favorite drink of mine. Much simpler, no shaking involved. If I remember from my days as a bartender, this is called a Moscow Mule.

Ingredients:

Ginger Ale

Citrus Vodka

Cointreau (again, sub Triple Sec, Gran Gala or Grand Marnier)

A Lemon

Directions:

Pour 2 parts ginger ale, 1 part citrus vodka, and 1/2 part Cointreau over ice. Squeeze the juice of 1/4 lemon into the drink and give a little stir (I use my finger). Drop the lemon wedge in there if you wanna. Drink. Repeat as needed. 

Obvious garlic butter

Okay, so this is REALLY obvious, but I just got done eating this and it was so good I thought I'd post it here. 

Yesterday I roasted some garlic (one clove of elephant garlic, to be exact, but you can go with 4 cloves of regular garlic) [cut the tip off garlic clove(s), place in tin foil, sprinkle with olive or sesame oil, wrap in foil, and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes] and mashed it into about 3/4 a stick of butter. Added just a pinch of salt. I made that to put on some fresh bread. Good stuff.

But TODAY, I boiled up a little rotini, "topped it" with the leftover garlic butter and added a pinch of salt. I chunked up some fresh mozz, threw that in there, and freaking LOVED it. If my fresh basil hadn't been getting gross in the rotter, I would have added a bit of that. I thought about throwing in a bit of crushed red pepper, too, but it was just so GOOD as is (was). 

Obvious, I know, but so good. So so good.

Sesame Noodles

I made this for dinner tonight, and was reminded that it's one of my favorites. I stole this recipe from Shelley Girdner who got it from Deborah Madsen's Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone. It's a potluck favorite (she brought it to Garrett's dissertation defense cookout) and is good hot or cold. This is one of those recipes that can be a bit pricey for start-up because a few of these items aren't necessarily in everyone's kitchen, but after that, it's pretty cheap. 

You'll need:

1/4 C. sesame oil

3 Tbsp dark (or toasted) sesame oil

7 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp Chinese black or balsamic vinegar (I use balsamic)

3 1/2 Tbsp dark brown sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp chili oil (I use Mongolian fire oil)

1 Tbsp ginger 

1-2 cloves garlic

1/4 C. cilantro (optional)

1 bunch asparagus

1 bunch scallions

1/4 C. sesame seeds (optional)

1 package whole wheat thin spaghetti or 14 oz. pkg Chinese rice noodles (I use whole wheat pasta)

Marinade:

Combine 

1/4 C sesame oil

3 Tbsp dark sesame oil

7 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 1/2 Tbsp dark brown sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp chili oil

1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 C. cilantro, chopped

Mix together and stir to dissolve sugar

The noodles and asparagus:

Rinse asparagus and trim off woody ends (about 1/4 inch on bottom). Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a little salt and asparagus. Boil until bright green and tender firm, just a few minutes. Scoop out asparagus and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Set on towel to dry.

Cook noodles according to package in the (already boiling) asparagus water. (if you're using rice noodles, make sure you pull the noodles apart with your fingers before adding to the boiling water). Strain noodles. (If using rice noodles, rinse under cold water and shake off excess water.)

Rinse and trim the "roots" off the scallions, then thinly slice scallions, including some firm greens.

Toss noodles with marinade, most of the scallions, and most of the toasted sesame seeds and asparagus. Mound them in a bowl or on a platter and garnish with the remaining asparagus, scallions, and sesame seeds. 

Refrigerate leftovers. This heats up fine, but, as I said, is also good cold. It's nice for a summer potluck (or dinner) if served cold. 

[To toast sesame seeds: You can do this on the stovetop or in the oven. If toasting on the stove top, use a wide frying pan. Heat the seeds on medium heat, shaking pan occasionally. Remove seeds when they start to darken and become fragrant (3-5 min). If doing this in the oven, preheat oven to 325 F. Spread the seeds on a baking sheet. Bake until seeds start to darken and become fragrant -- 10-15 minutes. Let cool.]

"Anne's" Guacamole

I got this recipe from Anne, but the "Anne's" is in quotes, so I'm guessing she got it from someone, too.

It's Mexican night back in NH (Mike G's birthday), which made me decide I should make some guac and a margarita. So here goes:

1 ripe avocado

2/3 C. cottage cheese

2 Tbsp FRESH lime juice (makes a huge difference)

1 Tbsp chopped scallions

2 green chilies

2 garlic cloves, pressed

pepper to taste

1 tomato, chopped

mix everything but the tomato and a 1/4 of the 'cado in a food processor. I add an extra clove of garlic (shock) and a bit of salt. Billy is VERY against the cottage cheese and honestly, it's optional, but it gives it a smoother texture. I also throw in a bit of crushed red pepper. 

ANYWAY, mix in a food processor or chop all that stuff pretty fine and mix it by hand. If you're using a food processor, when you're done, smash the last 1/4 'cado into it to give it a chunkier texture. 

Remove the seeds from the tomato and chop the rest and mix it in. You can just throw in the whole chopped tomato, seeds and all, but it's a bit watery.

I leave out the tomato pretty often cuz I don't love tomatoes. 

Braden's Extra Garlic-y Garlic Bread

So easy, so simple, so good.

Ingredients:

-Good Crusty Bread

-Garlic Cloves

-Olive Oil

-Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Toast the Bread until it has a crisp surface (soft toast won't work)

2. Peel a garlic clove and rub it on the surface of the bread. As you rub, you'll be grating the surface off the clove and right onto the bread. Use as many cloves as it takes to get the job done.

3. Drizzle it with olive oil, salt it, pepper it. 

4. Put in your face.