happy hour: apple smash

Friends, I have been a bad blogger (please note the lack of food-related posts in the past few months). I have been busy with some new, exciting projects as well as good old Remedy Quarterly and quite frankly, I’ve hardly cooked anything in the past month. And the things I have cooked certainly aren’t noteworthy. Boo! That’s life I guess, there’s only one me and unfortunately I’ve had to focus on a other projects lately, but I promise, I’ll be back and I’ll make some magical treats that will make all of us happy. Until then I have a few things to tell you about (which might explain my absence).

First—check out this sweet poster I whipped up! I love happy hour—I like thinking up new concoctions and I like drinking them—which led me to this little revelations… Happy hour is the best hour! You can pick one up in our shop.

Second—I’ll be selling Remedy Quarterly at the BUST craftacular this weekend and I’d love to meet you! I’ll be at booth #52 (which is near the exit) right next to my buds Enormous Champion.

Bust Craftacular
December 10th and 11th, 2011
Saturday: 11 AM – 8 PM; Sunday: 11 AM – 7 PM
82 Mercer St. between Broome and Spring, New York, NY

Third and last— how about that cocktail? I spied it in the New York Times a few weeks ago and put it on my list of easy and delicious cocktails to try. True to form, a quick smash of a few apple slices paired with white rum, simple syrup, lemon juice and a dash of bitters. A dusting of freshly ground cinnamon tops the whole thing off and makes for one lovely and delicious cocktail. It’s definitely a rum-forward kind of drink, but I kind of like that it’s different and unexpected during these chilly days.

Cheers! To a busy weekend, meeting new friends and tasty drinks!

Apple Smash
from the New York Times
makes 1 cocktail

2 large apple slices, like Honeycrisp
2 ounces white rum
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup*
1 dash bitters, like Fee Brothers Barrel-Aged
Cinnamon stick.

1
Mash an apple slice in the base of a glass with a muddler.
2
Add ingredients other than the cinnamon; shake and strain into a highball glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a whole apple slice dusted with freshly grated cinnamon.

*To make simple syrup, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Let cool, then transfer to a very clean jar or bottle. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Filed under events and happy hour and remedy quarterly by kelly. December 9th, 2011 . 4 Comments

Remedy Quarterly Issue 7: Heritage

I’m super jazzed to announce the arrival of Issue 7: Heritage! It’s full of awesome stories and recipes—from bourbon ginger pecan pie to wild berry jam to tostones and mojo de ajo. Yeah, there’s so good stuff happening inside. You can pick up an issue in our shop or if you’re in the New York area, I’ll be at the Bust Craftacular next weekend!

Bust Craftacular
December 10th and 11th, 2011
Saturday: 11 AM – 8 PM; Sunday: 11 AM – 7 PM
82 Mercer St. between Broome and Spring, New York, NY

Filed under events and read and remedy quarterly by kelly. December 3rd, 2011 . 2 Comments

happy hour: sweet relief

Oh hello there! It’s the week before Thanksgiving… how did that happen? I’ve been busy getting Issue 7 of Remedy Quarterly tidied up and sent off to the printer (it’s going to be awesome!!), which is my excuse for totally slacking in the Thanksgiving inspiration department. Whoopsy! Well, please let me make up for it with this little number. I’ve really been getting into sage lately—I think it’s because just the smell of it calms me down and helps me relax. Mix it with a little bourbon, applejack, and apple cider and you’ve got a real stress reliever. Whether it’s the holidays, work or that annoying guy on the train, this cocktail will help you relax and leave your worries behind.

Cheers! To seeing family, cooking up a storm and relaxation!

sweet relief
makes one cocktail

1 ounce bourbon
1 ounce applejack
1 ounce apple cider
1/2 ounce sage simple syrup*
1/2 ounce lemon juice
dash of angostura bitters

1
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2
Shake for 10 seconds, then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a sage leaf. Enjoy!

*To make the simple syrup:
Combine 1 cup sugar with 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is disolved and add 5-6 sage leaves. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Let cool. Strain sage leaves from liquid and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Filed under happy hour by kelly. November 18th, 2011 . 4 Comments

happy hour: pear, rosemary + bourbon

It’s been a busy week here, so happy hour is a little different than my normal post. The photo above is from the Shiny Squirrel Pop Up that Caroline and I catered. It was such a blast—thank you to everyone who came out. We made a custom cocktail for the event—roasted pear, rosemary and bourbon cocktail—and let me tell you, it was a hit. If you’d like to us to whip up cocktails and snacks for your next party, check out our little adventure, the good cheer co, and get in touch.

In other news, I’ll be judging a the 3rd Annual Brooklyn Pie Bake Off Benefit at Spacecraft this weekend. So if you like to make pie, eat pie, or both, come on by and say hello! Today is the last day to register if you’d like to enter a pie, but you can buy tickets to eat the pie at the event.

Spacecraft
355 Bedford Ave
Williamsburg
Sunday, November 13 from 1-4
$10 includes drink ticket and 3 pie slices.

Cheers! To being busy, making stuff and pie!

roasted pear, rosemary and bourbon cocktail
makes 1 cocktail

2 ounces roasted pear purée
1 ounce rosemary syrup
2 ounces bourbon, like buffalo trace

1
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients.
2
Shake for 10 seconds and strain into a cocktail glass.

…………………………

roasted pear purée
makes about 2 cups

5 pears, peeled and cut in half
fuji apple juice (or apple cider)

1
Roast the pears, flat side down for about half an hour, or until they start to get juicy and soft.

2
Let cool, remove any remaining seeds and run through a food processor.

3
Add 1/4 cup and up to 1/2 cup juice to purée until it’s thinned out enough that it pours well.

………………………..

rosemary syrup
makes about 1 cup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 sprigs rosemary

1
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

2
Add rosemary and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
3
Strain rosemary from syrup and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Filed under events and happy hour by kelly. November 11th, 2011 . 11 Comments

Shiny Squirrel Pop Up catered by yours truly

Looking for an awesome time this Thursday? Well look no further my friends. Come visit Caroline (from num num chronicles) and me at the Shiny Squirrel Pop Up where we’ll be serving up some super tasty brown butter sage popcorn, mini ginger cookies with cinnamon cream cheese, and pear rosemary bourbon Cocktails from Buffalo Trace. It’s going to be awwwesssome!!

Shiny Squirrel Pop Up Shop
Smith + Butler
Brooklyn
Thursday November 10, 6-8pm

Filed under events by kelly. November 9th, 2011 . 2 Comments

apple crumb coffee cakes

Ohh fall. I wish I could keep you around forever! The air is crisp, the market still has new things arriving—or at least a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, and it’s cool enough to bake again. If you ask me, it doesn’t get better than that. This weekend I took advantage of all those things and whipped up these incredible apple crumb coffee cakes. They’re rich and streusely and oh-so-delicious.

Continue reading »

Filed under breakfast and eat by kelly. November 7th, 2011 . 6 Comments

happy hour: drunken pear

Holy moly it’s already November! And while I think November rates among the best months of the year (I may or may not have a birthday this month), it brings with it the biggest food holiday of the year. Does anyone else find that a little scary? I mean, what’s a girl to make? Do I keep the classics or try new things? Ahh, my heart is already fluttering. Luckily I’ll be headed out of town and will be cooking with Aaron’s grandma and mom— I think I’ll be in good hands. But you know what, that’s weeks away, so until then, let’s settle ourselves down with a tasty little number I dubbed the drunken pear. It’s good—apple cider, pear brandy and whiskey—and it’ll calm those nerves right down because this one packs a bit of a punch.

Cheers! To the best month, strong cocktails and good times!

P.S. If you’re in New York, mark you calendar for next Thursday! My friend Caroline and I will be mixing up some super tasty cocktails and serving snacks at the Shiny Squirrel Pop Up. In addition to tasty food and drinks, they’ll be some awesome independent designer goods. Stop by and say hi!

Shiny Squirrel Pop Up at Smith + Butler
225 Smith Street
Brooklyn, NY

drunken pear
makes 1 cocktail
adapted from Mix Shake Stir (originally called the hayride)

2 ounces cider, mulled* if possible
1/2 ounce pear brandy
2 ounces whiskey, like Basil Hayden
1 pear slice, to garnish
cinnamon sugar, to garnish
1 lemon slice

1
Rub the lemon slice along the rim of the glass, then dip the glass in the cinnamon sugar in order to coat the entire rim. Set aside.

2
Meanwhile, combine the cider, pear brandy and whiskey in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake for 10 seconds. For a warm alternative, skip the ice and just combine the ingredients, using warm cider instead of cold. I haven’t tried that, but it sounds good, right?

3
Strain into cocktail glass. Add pear slice and enjoy!

*To mull the cider, combine a half gallon of  cider, 1 cinnamon stick and a few cloves in a large saucepan on the stove top. Gently simmer for about a 1/2 hour. Strain the cinnamon stick and clove and let cool.

Filed under happy hour by kelly. November 4th, 2011 . 4 Comments

maple mixed nuts

I’ve been in a slump lately. I’m not sure what’s going on—sometimes it’s just that I don’t have the time to make (and photograph) things, but in the past few weeks I’ve tried a few new recipes and just haven’t felt they were good enough to share. It’s such a bummer because I love sharing things with you! Luckily I finally had some success… This weekend we had a crazy early snowstorm and we scratched our plans and just stayed inside to watch movies, read magazines and generally indulge in doing very little. It was awesome. As I was flipping through the November issue of Food & Wine (it’s full of gems!), I came across a recipe for maple pecans that sounded awesome. Sweet and spicy nuts seemed like the perfect snack for the first snowstorm of the year.

Making a simple nut mix is one of my favorite fall/winter snacks. They require very little effort but almost always turn out great—and they make great last-minute gifts. These are no different—simply toast the nuts, add some spices and the maple syrup, then toss them all with an egg white (which will make them crispy), and pop them in the oven. About 40 minutes later they were smelling great and nice and crisp. After breaking them apart and letting them cool a bit, I brought out a little bowl to snack on while watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s. They’ve got a perfect balance of sweet from the maple syrup and spicy from the cayenne pepper—I love a sweet and spicy combination.

maple mixed nuts
slightly modified from Food & Wine, November 2011

4 cups mixed nuts, such as pecans, walnuts, pistachios (4 cups pecans would work great too)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg white, at room temperature

1
Preheat the oven to 350°.

2
Spread the nuts on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast until they are fragrant, about 10 minutes. Let the nuts cool. Lower the oven temperature to 250°.

3
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss the nuts with the maple syrup, butter, salt, cayenne and black pepper. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy. Add the egg white to the nuts and toss well.

4
Spread the nuts on the lined baking sheets in a single layer. Bake for 40 minutes, until the nuts are golden brown. Immediately loosen the pecans from the paper with a spatula. Let cool completely on the baking sheets before serving.

The nuts can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Filed under eat and snacks by kelly. October 31st, 2011 . 4 Comments

happy hour: martini

Sometimes you just need a strong drink. You know those kind of weeks when things just aren’t going your way and everyday feels 8 hours longer than it should be. Yeah, that’s when I lose the fruit and make something quick and strong. This little number, which is from the latest issue of Remedy Quarterly, was originally called the Post-Courtroom Martini, to be drunk after a stressful situation. Luckily I didn’t have to visit the courtroom this week, but it still fit the bill. It’s the perfect remedy for a tough week.

Cheers! To the weekend, relaxing and more relaxing.

Vodka Martini
makes one drink

2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce french vermouth, like Noily Pratt
olives, to garnish

1
Fill your martini glass with ice and set aside.
2
Pour your vodka and vermouth in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
3
Pour the ice out of the glass, then pour the martini into the glass. Garnish with two olives (if you have them).

Filed under happy hour by kelly. October 28th, 2011 . 2 Comments

happy hour: pomegranate gimlet

It’s time to start thinking about fall and winter fruits—we’re not just talking apple and pears anymore either. How about pomegranates, cranberries, clementines and kumquats… I’ve even been toying with the idea of a beet cocktail, but that’s for another day. This pomegranate gimlet is a cinch to make and it’s tasty to boot! It’s a nice balance of juicy sweet and sour with an underlying herby booziness from the gin. It’d also be lovely for holiday parties, but I’m getting ahead of myself…

Cheers! To new fruits coming our way, cool weather and tasty drinks!

pomegranate gimlet

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce pomegranate juice
1/2 ounce maple syrup
2 ounces gin, like hendrick’s

1
Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.

2
Strain into a cocktail glass and enjoy!

Filed under happy hour by kelly. October 21st, 2011 . 6 Comments