Liquids Posts
Autumn Harvest Beef Stew
I have a pretty strong nesting instinct year round. When the cold weather kicks in, though, I go into overdrive, and start to do things like knit scarves and make stew and bake in the wee hours of the morning when I can’t sleep. Here’s my first beef stew of the season. It’s a warm, [...]
Rib of the Week: Ruby Lacquered Pork Ribs
Ah, pork. It goes so well with so many things—including fruit. So, as I was eyeing the package of pork spare ribs in my fridge last night, I noticed I had leftover raspberry sauce from the Rustic Raspberry Vodka-tini I made the other night. It’s basically fresh raspberries, sugar, and a little liquor. You can [...]
Rustic Raspberry Vodka-tini
Does the world really need another flavored “martini” that’s made with vodka, not gin? Absolutely. Indulge me. I have a penchant for smooshing up fresh fruit with vodka and gleefully declaring Happy Hour. Be careful. This cocktail is potent—and almost too easy to drink. It’s deliciously jammy and clouded with unfiltered raspberry juice. It’s really [...]
Hey, You: Save the Mint! And Make It Schnappy!
This week, I started to think about one of my dreaded end-of-summer chores: cleaning up the garden. Aside from all the weeding, pruning, and plucking, I needed to figure out what I’m doing with all my mint. Our front garden is positively overrun with a few different kinds—from traditional peppermint, to run-of-the-mill spearmint and the [...]
Peachberry Ice Cream Drizzle
I love vanilla ice cream. It’s kind of boring, but it’s true. I love Haagen-Dazs. I love Brighams. I love almost everything in between. Give me a Hoodsie cup on a hot afternoon or a dish of plain French vanilla, any brand, in the evening, and I’m a very happy mouse. Vanilla ice cream is [...]
Sangria Tasting Bar: A Trio of Punches
For most folks I know, the word “sangria” almost always translates into “instant party.” And as with any good party, the more the merrier. Here’s how to set up a sangria tasting bar to infuse a little more fiesta into your Labor Day barbecue. Sangria is fun to serve and refreshingly yummy to drink. It’s [...]
Smoky Corn Chowder
This soup is gloriously rich and bursting with chunks of sweet corn and potato. It gets its smokiness from bacon and chipotle pepper. The pepper’s heat is tempered nicely by the creamy broth. If you’re serving it with a meal and not as a main course, I recommend dishing it out in cups instead of [...]
Labor Day Special: Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
At the risk of needing to rename this blog The Thirsty Mouse, here’s my recipe for Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. This is what I’ll be putting on my pork ribs this Labor Day weekend. It’s quick and easy to make, as barbecue sauces go. (Barbecue purists beware: File this one under “halfway-homemade,” since we’re starting with [...]
Sweet & Sunny Lemon Drop Liquor
Apparently, this weekend is cocktail weekend. Contrary to yesterday’s Bee’s Kiss, though, my Lemon Drop liquor is light and refreshing. It’s a great late-summer-lazy-day-sitting-in-the-yard-waiting-for-the-barbecue-to-be-done kind of drink. If you start a bottle early this week, it’ll be ready in plenty of time for your Labor Day festivities. I love lemonade, so I guess it’s no [...]
One Bee’s Kiss, Please. Hold the Stinger.
I couldn’t tell you why, but I’m dying for a cocktail tonight. Not a glass of wine. Not an old standby like a martini or a bourbon, straight up. I’m in the mood for something a little fancy, a little girly, and definitely a little bit sweet. On evenings like this, when I’m feeling indulgent [...]
