Spicy Curb A-peel

Amy writes:

I am so blessed to have made, during my adulthood, several close friendships with some amazing women. One of my groups of friends is connected through teaching at the same high school. We call ourselves "WTL," or "Work to Live," as a reminder that there is life beyond the school day. Because really, we do need reminding of that fact sometimes.

In the last year, one of our WTLs, Erica, made The Great Escape. She left teaching for a new career in real estate, and within months, she and a new realtor friend, Reba, had their own show on West Hartford's community cable station, WHCTV. The show, called Real Estate Resource, is part The Kitchen, part Watch What Happens Live, but with a focus on real estate. That is to say, it's a talk show with flair.

Never one to hoard her own successes, Erica gave the rest of us WTLs a way to be a part of the show. I am the show's mixologist. I create cocktails based on the theme of each episode and demonstrate how to make them during my segment. Joanne is the flower expert who shows viewers how to decorate their homes with wreaths and floral arrangements. Laura does our hair and makeup and there are plans for her to show off her other artistic skills in future episodes. So far, we've only taped one.

At this point, you're probably wondering why I'm writing about all of this on a food blog. Well, here it is. The theme of our first episode is "Spicing Up Your Curb Appeal in Winter." And so I came up with a drink I call the "Spicy Curb A-peel." With hints of honey, apple, ginger and cinnamon, it's the perfect cocktail for entertaining guests and making them feel warm and cozy in your home during the winter months. As an added bonus, it is made from local and/or artisanal products, including Onyx Moonshine from East Hartford, CT and Yellow Ginger Simple Syrup from Sumptuous Syrups of Vermont.

And while I'll give you the recipe (below), I sure hope you'll check out Real Estate Resource, which is airing on WHCTV every Thursday in January at 8:00. If you don't live in West Hartford, you can stream it when it airs online at this website, or you can watch it ON DEMAND HERE.

Stay warm, and cheers!

Spicy Curb A-peel

makes two drinks

Ingredients:

2 ounces Onyx Honey Apple Infusion Moonshine

1/2 ounce Sumptuous Syrups Yellow Ginger (or other ginger-infused simple syrup)

4 ounces hard apple cider (I used Angry Orchard's Apple Ginger for added ginger flavor)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

curled apple peel, cinnamon stick, or apple slice for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add moonshine, syrup and hard cider. Stir (don't shake because the hard cider is carbonated). Pour a little of the leftover cider into a small bowl or dish, and the sugar and cinnamon (stirred to combine) into another. Dip the rim of a martini glass first in the cider, then in the cinnamon sugar to coat the rim and allow the cinnamon sugar to stick. Repeat with second glass. Strain cocktail into glasses and garnish as desired.

Meatless Monday: Ginger Garlic Bok Choy Pasta

Opening Day at the Coventry Regional Farmers' Market yesterday featured loads of plants and seedlings, perfect for those of us getting started on our summer gardens. We picked up some morning glories to decorate our porch, some lavender to fragrance our bathroom, and some peas and cantaloupe to fill up our vegetable/fruit/berry garden (and, eventually, our bellies!). Soon we'll work on the front garden where we'll plant our herbs and, of course, a nice variety of tomatoes. We're getting there.

That said, there wasn't much by way of produce at the market yesterday. But we did find, and buy, some beautiful red baby bok choy that has become the focus for today's Meatless Monday recipe. We sauteed the bok choy with fresh ginger and garlic using tips and tricks we found at the blog Steamy Kitchen, then we tossed it with pasta for a quick, fresh, light, meatless meal fit for an early summer evening.

First, we carefully trimmed the stem of the bok choy, and separated and rinsed each tender leaf. Then we finely minced two cloves of garlic and grated about two teaspoons of fresh ginger. These we added to a tablespoon of canola oil inside a cold wok (below, left), so nothing would burn and taste bitter. A few red pepper flakes would give the dish some zing!

 

We heated the wok over medium heat and waited for the smell of garlic and ginger cooking (above, right). Then we added the bok choy leaves and quickly tossed them to coat them in the aromatic oil.  

To lightly steam the leaves, we poured in three tablespoons of water, then covered the wok and allowed it to cook for a minute. We carefully tossed our cooked pasta (farfalle tonight) into the wok with the leaves and drizzled our "Ginger Garlic Bok Choy Pasta" with toasted sesame oil to finish it. What a flavorful dish!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 pound baby bok choy, trimmed and rinsed

3 tablespoons water

1/2 pound pasta

kosher salt

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Boil water for pasta and prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, pour the oil into a cold wok (or large skillet). Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to the wok, then turn the heat to medium. When the garlic and ginger become fragrant, stir in the bok choy leaves. Toss quickly but carefully so that all leaves are coated with the oil, about 20 seconds. Pour in the water, cover, and allow to cook for one minute. Toss cooked pasta into the wok, season with salt to taste, and finish with a drizzle of sesame oil.

Meatless Monday: Ginger Pineapple Cashew Fried Rice

Our friend Joanne spent the weekend in Boston and sent a text from Haymarket. "snowpeas, green onions, ginger, garlic, herbs - all around $1 each - what do you want?" With fresh produce this cheap, we texted her back, "bring us whatever you can." Being the great friend she is, Joanne walked back through and made some additional purchases, during which she was robbed. They got her wallet with her ATM card and about $100 cash, but worst of all, they ruined one of her favorite places. Boo!! Hiss!! At least she wasn't hurt.

On Monday, Joanne delivered our goody-bag of produce, for which we were very grateful. During lunch, Amy peeked inside, wondering what she could make from it, as if she were on her own version of Chopped, and this was her basket of ingredients: a pound of snowpeas, a bunch of green onions, two ginger roots, two 1/2-pints of blueberries, 4 orange peppers, a few stalks of rosemary, a bunch of fresh thyme. The idea for a ginger fried rice started brewing. A stop at the market on the way home for a pineapple, and this week's Meatless Monday dish was born. Thank you, Joanne! We're so sorry that happened to you.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup basmati (or other long-grain) rice

1 3/4 cup water

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 pound fresh snowpeas

1 carrot, peeled and julienned

salt to taste

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 cup diced fresh pineapple

1/2 cup cashew nuts

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Place rice and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for approximately 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat a wok over medium heat until very hot. Pour oil into the wok and tilt it so all sides are coated with the oil. Add the ginger, green onions, snowpeas, carrots and salt, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the rice to the wok and stir-fry until the rice begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the sesame oil, pineapple and cashew nuts, and stir-fry another 2-3 minutes. Serve and enjoy!