Cocktail Wednesday - White Russian

This was my pick.  The White Russian.  (recipe from here.)

Ingredients:

Kahlua (1 pt)
Vodka (2 pts)
Cream (1 pt)

I had had Kahlua and cream before, but never an actual White Russian.  To make the drink, you pour the vodka and Kahlua over the ice and then add the cream (they suggested pouring it over the back of a spoon, which I did).
  

made for very pretty drinks -- however, you want to stir before drinking.  I think the vodka rises to the top or something.

Very tasty and an improvement over the Kahlua and cream.  They both taste like chocolate milk, but with the White Russian there's a kick that missing from the other, which is a good thing because it is super fattening -- and I could stop at just one, not so easy with the K&C.

Next week's drink is the "Orangini".  This is a drink that Nevada and Co. created.

Ingredients:

Sparkling wine or champagne - 3 oz
Peach Schnaps - 0.5 oz
Blood Orange soda - 2 oz

It's a twist on the Bellini.  Hope you can join us (whoever "you" are.)

Week 46 : Nov 12 - 18

 Nov 12 - Design wall

Nov 13 - Sunrise

 Nov 14 - Apple crisp

 Nov 15 - quilt top almost done

 Nov 16 - getting ready to bloom

 Nov 17 - not quite yet

 
Nov 18 - getting ready for drink night

Soup #4 Pumpkin Soup and #5 Potato Soup

This weekend, I made two soups. 

The first was a pumpkin soup (recipe from here).  I wanted to do something similar to the butternut squash soup that I love.

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin puree (I used canned)
• Onion (one chopped)
• Chicken stock
• Fresh parsley
• Fresh thyme
• Garlic
• Whipping cream
• Pepper

It was yummy.  definitely will make it again; however, the butternut squash soup is better.  

I also made an apple crisp.  that was super yummy!

On Sunday, I went with a potato soup.  Recipe from here.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes
• Milk
• Butter
• Flour
• Salt
• Pepper 
• Chicken bouillon
• Cheddar cheese

 Basically, you make a white sauce with the butter flour and milk and add mashed potatoes.  It was very good and easy too.  I had it for dinner on Monday and added bacon.

Finish!

I finally finished another quilt; I think I got this pattern from here.  The third one this year  I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be anywhere near my goal.

I love the backing .. little elephants.

 

As usual, I don't have a name for the quilt; but I'm pretty happy for it.

Cocktail Wednesday - Old Fashioned

This week's cocktail was an Old Fashioned.  My oldest son made the pick. I got the recipe from here.

Honestly, I was not looking forward to this one, probably because it's heavy on the whisky and there's not much else in it.  


Ingredients:

• bourbon/rye whiskey
• simple syrup
• bitters
• orange peel
• maraschino cherry
• soda water
• ice

 Notice all the choices of whiskey.  

and another remembrance

the Edmund Fitzgerald.  You can read more about it here.

and the song ...

Happy Veteran's Day!

I just wanted to take a minute to thank the vets in my life .. my husband, his brother, three of my nephews, Adam, Jones, Joe, my soon to be SIl, and my oldest son.  Thank you!

Soup #3 - Vegetable Beef

So my third soup is not a new one, but it's a good one.  Now that the weather is turning a little colder, making soup will be so much more fun.  The bread might be harder -- not that it won't be fun to make, but I'm trying to lose weight, or at least not gain it ...

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground Beef 
1 c. chopped onion 
2 T Margarine 
4 c. HOT water 
1 - 28 oz. can tomatoes 
1 c. sliced celery 
1 T salt
2 beef bouillon cubes 
1/2 bay leaf 
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce 
1/8 t. pepper 
1 - 10 oz. pkg. Mixed vegetables 
1 c. egg noodles (wide) 
1/2 t thyme

Brown ground beef, with onion and margarine. Add all other ingredients except mixed vegetables, egg noodles & thyme. Cook for 40 minutes over medium heat. Add vegetables, noodles & thyme. Cook until vegetables and noodles are done.

Cocktail Wednesday - Dark 'n Stormy (+ two more)

I've fallen behind again, but rather than do three separate posts, I'm going to lump the last three Wednesday drinks into on.

#1 - Dark 'n Stormy 
The first was a Dark 'n Stormy.  Great name!  Recipe from here (though all the recipes are about the same).

Ingredients:

Dark rum
Ginger beer
Lime

Looks pretty .. if I were to make it again, I would use light rum.  wouldn't look as nice but I might actually enjoy it.  I would also use the non-alcoholic ginger beer.

#2 - Silver Fizz --
The second was the Silver Fizz - my father's pick.  Recipe from here.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. dry gin
• 1 egg white
• ¹⁄₂ tbsp. superfine sugar
• ¹⁄₂ oz. lemon juice
• 2 oz. soda water

My dad wanted it with vodka, so for his drink I swapped the gin for vodka.  I also swapped out simple syrup for the sugar since I have it on hand.

 

very pretty and pretty tasty ... and none of us got salmonella poisoning either ...

#3 Margarita

The third was the Margarita.  Recipe from here.  I think we may try a fancier margarita another night.  They were good (a little strong), and easy.

Ingredients:

3 ounces tequila

2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ounce Simple Syrup, recipe follows
1/2 to 1 teaspoon orange liqueur (triple sec)

Directions:  Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add tequila, lime juice, Simple Syrup and orange liqueur. Cover and shake until mixed and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, the drink is ready by the time the shaker mists up.) Place salt on a plate. Press the rim of a chilled rocks or wine glass into the mixture to rim the edge. Strain margarita into the glass. 

That's basically what I did.  This was my first margarita (not counting the blended one I didn't drink on my 39th birthday).

 

 

 

According to those in attendance, they tasted like margaritas.  This coming week's cocktail is an old fashioned.