Tasting Spoons

My happiest moment is when I prepare a glass of hot, strong tea, and then sit down with it to read, think or write a letter. I’ve become a fanatical devotee of Earl Grey, which in England, as everyone knows, is consumed only by little old ladies during afternoon tea parties, and which the English tea lover scorns as a perfumed, old-maidenish drink. …Václav Havel, Letters to Olga  

Ha! Havel bucked tradition in many things - not just tea, but the politics of his country (he was the first elected president of the Czech Republic and the above line is from a letter he wrote to his wife, Olga; he died in 1992). 

I was so happy the other morning - it was cool enough at about 10 am that I craved a pot of Earl Grey tea. The scent of the oil of bergamot in Earl Grey is what draws me to it. And I drink it with both milk and sweetener. The house still had that chilly edge. It’s been unseasonably cool here in Southern California for the last week (thank you, Lord!). Normally September is our hottest month, and I dread it. Our summer has been unusually humid - most mornings the humidity is up in the 80-90% range. The dense air dries out a bit later in the day, but we’re just not used to this sweating routine. I mean - we’re dry, desert terrain, you know? But when the weatherman said we’d be having temps in the 60’s and 70’s for a few days, I didn’t believe him. But he was right. I l-oved it. Every minute of it. Weather for a cuppa.  So, Mr. Havel, I salute you.

Sorry this photo isn’t a better contrast - it didn’t photograph all that well in a glass. But trust me on this one, it’s really, really good.

It was 2001, and watching Oprah one afternoon, she just went bonkers over a recipe for white sangria. Having only had red sangria to that point in my life, and hearing Oprah rave about it, I decided I had to try it. It is credited to a restaurant in New York City called Pipa. I had to go out and buy a great many of the special ingredients in this beverage – well, only three of them actually – since I had some of them on hand already. I remember my dear hubby saying to me “what’s all THIS for?” I think I was entertaining a group of women, and thought this would be a nice change.

This has now become my go-to recipe for white sangria. It’s just so refreshing. And EASY. You do need a few pieces of fruit (apple, peach, lemon, orange), and you need all the liqueur stuff. They were not bottles I had kept on hand (now I do). But the original bottles I bought back in 2001 I still have, although they’re all getting low. Drinking this sangria, you can’t quite figure out what’s in it. It would take a really good taster and sniffer to figure it out without some help. I have changed the recipe slightly since I started making it years ago – the fruit usually gets thrown out afterwards, so I use less peach and less apple. And sometimes I add more 7-up. You can use your own discretion about this – if it tastes too strong to you, just add a bit more 7-up. I always use Diet 7-up for this since there is already enough sugar in it, to my taste.

Even living in a large suburban city, I had to go to several stores (including a liquor-only one) to find a couple of the liqueurs. But perhaps you’ll be lucky and find everything you need in one location. Once you have them on hand, you won’t need to replace them for a long time; unless you start drinking this every week . . .  So, you’ll need Grand Marnier, Peach Pucker schnapps (tart flavored, sort of), Peach Schnapps, apricot brandy, Amaretto and Chambord.

White Sangria

Recipe: adapted from Pipa Restaurant, NYC (via Oprah Magazine, July 2001)

Servings: 8

1/2 Granny Smith apple — sliced in thin wedges

1/2 fresh peach — sliced in thin wedges

1 lemon — sliced in thin wedges

1 orange — sliced in thin wedges

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier — or other kind of orange liqueur

2 tablespoons Peach Pucker schnapps

2 tablespoons peach schnapps

2 tablespoons apricot brandy

2 tablespoons Amaretto

1 tablespoon Chambord

12 ounces lemon-lime soda — or can use sugar-free

1 whole cinnamon stick

1 quart white wine

1.  Slice all the fruit thinly and if using large fruit, cut pieces in half.  This may be done a little ahead of time and placed in a plastic bag with the cinnamon stick.  Be sure the apple slices are covered in fruit juice, so they don’t turn brown.

2.  Place all sliced fruit in a large pitcher.  Pour everything over the fruit except the wine and 7-up and stir gently.  Allow to sit for 20 minutes.

3.  Just before serving, add chilled wine and 7-up and stir gently.  Pour sangria into large, chilled wine glasses and add pieces of fruit. Add ice if you prefer (I do).

Per Serving (assumes you consume all the fruit, which almost nobody does): 177 Calories; trace Fat (1.4% calories from fat); trace Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 12mg Sodium. 

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This looks like some sweet cream-based blended cocktail. It’s not. And it’s not really all that sweet, either. What it has in it is egg white (raw) which is shaken with the other ingredients, so when it’s first poured it does have a bit of a cloudy look. This is kind of a martini. Or kind of like a margarita, in a way.

At the dinner party last weekend, we decided to offer not only wine, but a cocktail too. This was yet another recipe that found its way to the top of the “try me” file. And it was scrumptious, if you can describe a cocktail by that word. I’m looking forward to making it again. Even just for myself. The glasses are my friend Cherrie’s. I don’t own any martini type glasses. I need to look for some, but oh, dear. Where in the world am I going to store them? They’re an awkward shape to store with any efficiency.

Several people had two of these cocktails, they were that good. The recipe came from Bon Appetit, January 2006. And it’s a drink concocted by the Pegu Club (a bar) in New York City.

I had all the ingredients standing ready, and you could easily make two of them at a time. You need fresh lemons, triple sec (or Cointreau, which is what I had), very good gin (Cherrie brought Bombay Sapphire, which in the opinion of many, the best out there), egg whites (which I very slightly whipped so I could actually use a measuring spoon to dip into it) and some ice. The ingredients go into a shaker and you pour it out. The recipe said to strain out the ice, but this is one gutsy drink, so I left the ice cubes in the drink. Your choice.

White Lady
Recipe: Bon Appetit, Jan. 2006
Serving Size : 1
1/4 cup gin — Tanqueray, or Bombay Sapphire
2 tablespoons Triple Sec — or Cointreau
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon egg white
1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into a cocktail or martini glass. Garnish with lemon slice if desired.

Per Serving: 265 Calories; 0g Fat (0.0% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 26mg Sodium.

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(Photo from the food network)

At least 20 years ago I was wanting a hot drink to serve when we went up to our local mountains for Thanksgiving, to a cabin we had rented for the weekend. I had enjoyed hot buttered rum, although it seemed like the butter floated on top (which I didn’t like since that got sipped first). I guess I found it “wanting.” So, as I was glancing through an issue of Bon Appetit (don’t know the date), this recipe popped up.

This is hot buttered rum, but it’s taken to a different dimension altogether. Maybe when I read the ingredient list in the recipe I was a bit dumbfounded that this would be anything like hot buttered rum. Mixing ice cream with brown and white sugar and butter? What is this?

Well, what I’ll tell you is this mixture just WORKS. The mix can be made ahead and just refrigerated. And this keeps for absolutely months. Amazing, but true. Even without any alcohol in it, it’s just dandy for a long time. It would also make a lovely gift for friends, or to take to someone’s home if you’re celebrating there. According to the recipe, it originated at a Montana ski resort in Big Sky. You scoop some of this mixture into a mug and pour in some rum and hot water. Done. I may yet make it this year, but I don’t have a photo of it. However, I wanted to post it for the holidays, since it makes such a delicious Christmas seasonal beverage.

This drink is just scrumptious - soothing on a cold day, and particularly festive around the holidays. My only caveat is: It’s very filling, so don’t plan a heavy meal to follow. If you’d like a little toddy before dinner, this makes a lovely one. And I never add the whipped cream. It doesn’t need it.

If the mixture isn’t hot enough, warm the mug with the cream mixture and rum in the microwave briefly before adding the hot water.

Big Sky Hot Buttered Rum
Recipe: Bon Appetit Magazine
Servings: 16
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/3 cups brown sugar — firmly packed
1 cup butter
18 tablespoons dark rum
3 cups hot water
1/2 cup whipping cream fresh grated nutmeg
1. For batter: Combine ice cream, sugars and butter in medium saucepan. Melt over low heat, stirring occasionally. Cool and store in airtight container until ready to use. Will keep in the refrigerator for months.
2. For each serving, pour boiling water into coffee mugs to heat the mug. Pour out water. To each mug add 3 tablespoons of batter. Add 3 tablespoons of rum to each mug, then add about 1/2 cup of boiling water. Stir to dissolve batter. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, sprinkle with nutmeg and serve.

Per Serving: 281 Calories; 16g Fat (57.6% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 26g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 48mg Cholesterol; 139mg Sodium.

To print a PDF recipe, click HERE.

It isn’t very often than I have the occasion to make an alcohol-based punch. We’ve been having quite warm weather here in Southern California; warmer than usual for the season, anyway, so it sounded like a good plan to serve a refreshing drink before the brunch yesterday. I should have checked the weather forecast last week when I was planning - we’ve been having fog and quite cool temperatures the last 2 days. But oh well, I didn’t think anyone would really mind.

Going to my recipe trove, I had sorted through about 10 different punches that I thought appropriate, and this one just sounded right. But, I call it Pink Sangria, instead of the real title, White Zinfandel Sangria. It’s unfortunate that white zin has acquired this reputation for only appealing to little ladies at the book club, or sipping on the porch in the southern summer afternoon. I used to really enjoy white zin - Beringer usually - but my tastes changed about 25 years or so ago, and normally I find white zin too sweet. So, to counter that tendency (to me, anyway), I used Peach Pucker Schnapps in this punch, instead of the usual (sweeter) Peach Schnapps. It definitely has a pucker, but added a really nice depth to the drink. You might taste it before you decide whether you want added sugar, if you use the Peach Pucker Schnapps.

Maybe peaches are in season somewhere in the world, but they’re darned hard to find here. I did spy some at my local grocery store, but they looked terrible, so I decided to use just the lemons and oranges. You marinate the punch for awhile, so it imparts the cinnamon and citrus flavors. Have everything all chilled, then add the club soda at the last, along with ice and you have a really special-occasion drink. The photo above shows it in its marinating stage. I added the club soda just before serving. When I make this again, I’m not going to add as much club soda - it made the punch too thin to me. But use your own discretion on that.

White Zinfandel (or Pink) Sangria
Recipe: Bon Appetit, July 2001
Servings: 6
750 milliliters wine — white zinfandel, chilled
1/2 cup peach schnapps — or Peach Pucker Schnapps
2 tablespoons Cointreau — or other orange liqueur
2 tablespoons sugar
2 whole cinnamon sticks — broken in half
1 whole lemon — sliced
1 whole orange — sliced
1 whole peach — sliced into wedges
1 bottle club soda — chilled, 10 ounce bottle
Ice cubes
1. Mix first 8 ingredients in tall pitcher. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Mix in club soda. Fill 6 wineglasses with ice cubes. Pour sangria over ice and serve.
NOTES : I call this Pink Sangria, just because lots of people profess to dislike white zinfandel. But with all the other ingredients, it just becomes a nice, light, summer drink. I use Peach Pucker Schnapps (because that’s what I had on hand the first time I made it), which makes the drink a bit more tart than some might like).

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 152 Calories; trace Fat (2.6% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 84mg Sodium. (My recipe program doesn’t recognize peach schnapps, so that’s not included in the nutrition summary.)

To print a PDF recipe, click HERE.

A couple of months back when my dear hubby was away on his sailing trip, I drove to Carlsbad (that’s a town about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego on the Southern California coast) to spend the weekend with my friend, Linda. Our friendship goes way back - to about 1987, I’d guess. She used to work for the Los Angeles Times and called on the ad agency I co-owned. The ad agency was sold in 1995, I retired, but over all those years, Linda and I became friends and have been ever since. She’s even traveled with us to Italy and to France.We had two different small groups (all friends of ours) who rented a villa for a week - Villa Catola - in Tuscany. Then, in 2006 a slightly different group went to Provence and rented a fabulous Mas (farmhouse) near Aix-en-Provence. Great fun both times. (If anybody wants more info about either of our European rentals, email me separately.) Linda and I can talk for hours and hours about family, friends, food, cooking, restaurants, books. So, we never lack for conversation when we get together.

Last month, though, in Carlsbad, I requested we go to eat at George’s at the Cove in La Jolla. It’s Linda’s favorite restaurant. We arrived early and sat out on the terrace to enjoy the view. It was lovely. It was warm but not hot, and I wanted something refreshing rather than wine. Normally I’d order wine, but this day I ordered a mojito. They make a good one.

Mojito recipes abound on the internet. I’ve made it at home and ordered the drink in various restaurants, but now I’m enough of a connoisseur that I won’t order it if they use sweet/sour mix. I want real-live-lime and freshly picked mint plus simple syrup. Otherwise I order something else. I’ve even had some interesting variations a time or two.

The history of the mojito is very interesting [who would know?]. It dates back to the 1500’s in Havana when Sir Francis Drake, the pirate, could have devastated the island. He didn’t, but one of his subordinates, Richard Drake, invented this cocktail, called the Draque, Drak, or Drac. During his adventures to seize and conquer other Spanish ports, Drake introduced this concoction (of his own invention) to different Spanish citizens. The Draque, made originally by combining aguardiento (a forerunner of rum), sugar, lime and mint, was served with a wooden spoon and a cock’s tail handle. Mostly it was consumed for medicinal purpose [really, I ask, incredulously?]. In the 1800’s the drink was modified to include rum. The name Mojito comes from the African word mojo, which means to place a little spell.

It still is a rum based drink with lime juice, sugar, mint and some soda water. Mild. Lazy. Easy. Minty. And did I say refreshing? I found the coolest video on how to make a mojito at the Bacardi website. If you’ve never made one, go check this out. Here’s the direct link, and you have to enter your birthday to prove that you’re over 21 to continue (yea, right, from a website?). If that link doesn’t work go to the main Bacardi website to get to it. It’s even got some swinging music to go along with. As I write this it’s still morning, so it’s a tad too early to make a mojito right now, but maybe later today I’ll plunk-me-down on our patio and have a long, slow slurp and give myself a little spell. With my foot up, I know.

Bacardi Original Cuban Mojito
Serves: 1

1/2 jigger sugar, or to taste
1 jigger Bacardi rum
3 jiggers soda water
12 mint leaves
1/2 lime, squeezed
Ice

Directions: In a tall glass pour in the sugar and part of the mint leaves. Using a muddler (pictured at right) or some kind of flat implement, mash the mint and sugar together a little bit, then add the rum, soda water, ice, a small wedge of lime and garnish with additional mint. Serve to smiles.

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It seems that alcoholic beverages of all varieties are very much in Vogue again. And with variety like we’ve never seen. Everything from alcoholic smoothies, to the be-all, end-all Martini. My friend Linda T’s daughter Kris introduced me to this drink on Christmas Day, 2006, at her mother’s home in Carlsbad. We were en route to our daughter’s home in Poway to celebrate Christmas Day and dinner, and stopped for a brief visit. Kris was bartender for the day, and was offering two mixed drinks: one made with Pimm’s, or this one, a rum-based drink with fruit juices. I opted for the latter, and have enjoyed this cocoction numerous times in the ensuing months. As long as you have the ingredients on hand - tangerines, limes, ginger ale, and mint, you’re in business. Normally I’m out of tangerines and limes, maybe even ginger ale, so I need to plan ahead. Currently we’re out of tangerine season here, so I’ve used orange juice, and particularly like the color when I’ve used blood oranges. I’ve used sugar-free ginger ale and added Splenda to sweeten the drink, with no appreciable change in flavor. It’s the fruit juices and mint that travel through, and the rum is subtle, as long as you don’t overdo it.

Kris got this from a little cookbook of drinks, Highballs High Heels - a Girl’s Guide to the Art of Cocktails (currently out of print). This is very refreshing drink and will make a really nice break in a warm, almost hot, sunny Southern California afternoon. The picture was taken in Linda’s kitchen a few weeks ago when I spent a very fun weekend with her in Carlsbad. She remembered that I had enjoyed the drink and provided the ingredients, so we both had one. What fun! Thanks, Linda. Thanks, Kris.

Hot as Haiti

Source: Linda T’s daughter Kris

Author: Highballs High Heels - a Girl’s Guide to the Art of Cocktails

2 pieces lime, seeded, 1-inch wedge
2 pieces tangerine, seeded 1-inch wedge
1 tablespoon sugar
6 whole ice cubes, or 6-8 cubes crushed
1 oz. dark rum
3 oz. ginger ale, chilled

Place the lime wedges, tangerine wedges, and sugar in bottom of an 8 ounce double old fashion glass or a thick, heavy bottom glass. Muddle the mixture until juice is extracted and the sugar dissolves. Add enough ice to fill the glass. Pour in the rum, and top with ginger ale to serve.
Per Serving: 257 Calories; 1g Fat (2.3% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 53g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 14mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Fruit; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

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I’ve been under-the-weather this weekend. I think it’s a flu bug? Not sure, but food doesn’t thrill me. I’ve had juice, but am just going to go make myself a pot of tea. So thought I’d tell a little story about my tea and teapots. Growing up, probably like most of you, the only time I drank tea was when I was sick and my mother would brew Lipton’s with a teabag and some milk and honey. Then once I was able to eat a little something my mother would lovingly make me some milk toast - a piece of toast, buttered and sprinkled very lightly with sugar, placed in a wide shallow bowl and topped with about 1 cup of hot milk.

Until I became an adult - even a middle-aged adult, I’d never had anything except Lipton’s. Then in 1981 we met the English couple Jimmy & Pam - the couple I talked about a couple of weeks ago on this blog - Pamela, the professional chef, and Jimmy, the retired RAF Wing Commander. When we met them, that momentous evening at the local pub in Ilminster, they insisted we had to come and stay with them for a couple of days. Now when was it you met someone and they invited you to come stay in their home? We were overwhelmed. We actually had plans to drive down into Devon for a couple of days, but agreed we’d come back through Somerset and stay for two nights.

So, a couple of days later, we arrived at their home at about 4 pm. It was cold, drizzly Fall weather, so when we took our suitcases inside, Pamela said come into the kitchen, where we sat down with them to have a spot of tea. We had some wonderful thick sliced wheat bread with peanut butter and tea. It was the tea that sort-of exploded in my mouth - wow, I thought, this is absolutely delicious. It was nothing whatsoever like Lipton’s. And even though I’d been to England before, I’d always drunk coffee, even though it wasn’t the national drink!

When Pamela showed us the guest room upstairs, she pointed out the tea tray that was sitting on the window sill, including a little, unique pitcher of milk (sealed with plastic wrap) on the tray. They lived in a very old house with thick walls, and the milk stayed very cold. If we woke up in the night, she said, we could brew some tea. I must say, it probably had never occurred to me to brew myself some tea in the middle of the night. But the next morning when we awoke, we did make a pot of tea right there in our bedroom. Most Britons buy electric kettles, like this, or this, to brew hot water. Nowadays you can buy them here in the U.S., but for many years the only place I ever saw them was in the British Isles. They range in price from $11 for plastic, to upwards of $100 for stainless steel, cordless models. And no, I don’t have one.
I was enchanted with the little cream pitcher (pictured here), which I bought on a subsequent trip to England because I just think it’s so darned CUTE!

The next day they took us on a whirlwind drive around Somerset, including Lyme Regis, and a British military air museum in a nearby village. But that visit set the stage for many more with them. We always stay two nights. One night Pamela cooked dinner and the other night we took them out. But it was on the second trip to Britain that I was, again, in love with Pamela’s tea. So the first morning there she decided to give me a “tea lesson.” She made her own blend - she explained about the differences between standard black teas, and the smokey teas that lend a real depth of flavor. She would never, ever, use a tea bag. (There is also green tea, but I don’t like green tea, so I won’t give you any info about that.) My recollection is that she mixed 2/3 regular teas (two different kinds) and the other third a smokey tea. After we returned from that trip Pamela mailed us a package of different English teas, which I used to make my own blend.

But, she then proceeded to show me exactly how to make a PROPER pot of tea, and ever since that day, I’ve not wavered from this technique. Here’s what you need:

• A teapot

• A tea cozy (it’s a cover for the teapot)

• Tea leaves (loose only)

• A strainer, or tea ball to put inside the pot

• A small pitcher of milk, warmed

• Sugar, if desired

For me, part of the fun of making tea is the presentation, so I have my favorite tea tray (which I couldn’t find this morning) given to me by my friend Darlene 24 years ago. Because I often bring the tea tray upstairs to my office, when I do have tea, it needs to be easy to handle. While the water is boiling I put everything I need onto the tea tray - the strainer, a pretty tea spoon, the pitcher of warmed milk, and my sugar bowl. You’ll notice that on my tea tray this morning I put my bright red sugar bowl - I collect those little sugar bags from our travels. I never take more than one or two at a place, but I still have a large collection of sugars from different places in the world, and in languages I don’t begin to understand, either. Pamela gave me that idea, and I thought it was a very fun one, so adopted it.

Making a Proper Pot of Tea

1. Bring the pot of water to a boil.

2. Pour about 1 cup of very hot water into the teapot, swirl it around, then pour it out. This is an important step to warm the teapot before you pour the real hot water into the pot. You want to start with a hot pot. Alternately, you can use the hottest tap water and allow the teapot to sit while the water is boiling, then pour it out.

3. Drop the tea leaves into the pot and pour the hot water over it. Put the lid on, then place on the tray with the tea cozy on top. If you don’t have a tea cozy, cover the teapot with a kitchen towel to keep the heat in.

4. Allow the tea to stew for a maximum of 5 minutes.

5. Pour out into mugs, through a strainer, then add milk or sugar. In Britain, you don’t use both - you either use milk OR sugar. But sometimes I do anyway. It depends on the type of tea I’m drinking. My favorite sweetener is honey, but usually I add Splenda.

Because of Pamela’s influence in my life with all-things-tea, I’ve acquired a number of teapots over the years. The red one is certainly the most colorful, but it makes about 6 cups. The one on the tea tray is probably my favorite because it makes just the right amount for me to have 2 cups of tea. I also have a very fancy, small teapot that belonged
to my grandmother. I love it for its beauty, but it doesn’t keep the tea very hot, so it’s relegated to the cupboard, I’m afraid.

A very special one, though, is Pamela’s teapot, the one she gave me when she and Jimmy were downsizing their big, old house and moving to one of the Cotswolds towns. She asked me if there was anything I’d like to have, and I requested a teapot. She chose this one, and I brought it home with me as a carry-on. Very carefully. It also makes a big pot of tea, though, so I don’t use it very often. And although I have a collection of fancy china tea cups, I never use them for myself because tea just doesn’t stay hot in them. I prefer mugs, always.

I’m including one other pot here - it’s actually a coffeepot - I bought it at a lovely tea shop in the Cotswolds one year. It’s Staffordshire china, and a press pot. I did use it regularly for several years after I bought it, and was very cautious because it’s quite fragile. Mostly I
make espresso (a latte, actually) now, and Dave makes a pot of coffee for himself in our big Cuisinart grind and brew machine.

So, to finish the story, I’ve become a connoisseur of tea, even though I don’t make it often - but for some years when I was working I’d wake up in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep (now I know it was the Claritin-D keeping me awake), I’d get up, make myself a pot of tea and quietly watch tv or turn on my computer and play mindless solitaire games. One year, I think it was 2000, Cherrie and I took a 10-day “Tea Tour” to England. She and I both like Earl Grey - and 12 of us, all ladies, journeyed to Britain. We had afternoon tea 5 times in 10 days. By the 5th time we’d all had enough of the afternoon tea, but it was sure fun.

So, go ahead, why don’t you make yourself some tea too.

First off, I don’t have a photo of this. Obviously I was enjoying the margaritas so much I forgot! Would you have ever tried beer margaritas? I know I wouldn’t have. But, last week my friend Cherrie and I attended a cooking class focusing on the food for Cinco de Mayo; the teacher is one of our favorites, Phillis Carey, who teaches at A Store for Cooks in Laguna Niguel, and at a couple of places in San Diego, where she lives. Rarely does Phillis demonstrate anything that Cherrie and I don’t like, but we shook our heads and made frownie faces as she was describing it and mixing it up. Cherrie doesn’t drink beer, either, but we both whispered that we’d take a sip. Just a little sip. Hah! We both drank the glasses down to the last drop. Not fast, mind you, but we enjoyed it. We both like margaritas, and the flavor is really very similar.

The initial taste of beer is okay with me. It’s the bitter aftertaste that I don’t like. Sometimes on a truly blistering hot, summer day I will drink beer if it’s offered. Otherwise I pass it up every time. But this - there is a little hint of that beer aftertaste, it’s not bothersome somehow. Since I’d never heard of this concoction, I did a little sleuthing on the internet, where I found other recipes for beer margaritas, although most of them included a big glug of vodka in the mixture. I think this is just fine the way it is, but you could add more tequila if you like it stronger. About the only instructions Phillis gave us was to not be tempted to use any fancy beer - you do not want the beer to overwhelm the limade concentrate and tequila. That’s why this works. Oh, and be sure to chill the tequila. You want to start with everything veddy, veddy, chilled.

Cherrie and I prepared a dinner last night of most of the food from this cooking class, and you’ll see the recipes here in coming days. So, stay tuned.

Beer Margaritas with Lime
1 whole lime, cut in wedges
1/4 cup coarse salt
24 ounces light beer, like Miller or Budweiser
1/2 cup limeade, frozen concentrate
1/2 cup tequila, chilled
ice cubes

1. Rub a wedge of lime around the rim of 4 margarita glasses and dip in salt. Fill glasses with ice and drop lime into glass.
2. In a pitcher combine the beer, limeade and tequila. Pour over ice and serve immediately.

Per Serving: 185 Calories; trace Fat (0.7% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 22g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 5646mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Fruit.
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