Limoncello!

Now, this is what happens when you're a lazy blogger. I started a post on the first phase of this project back in February... then I forgot to finish it, forgot about the soaking phase-1 limoncello mixture in the cupboard, and then found the whole thing this weekend (forgotten concoction, missing post, and all). So, lets start this from the very beginning... (pretend this is around February 11).

Guess what! After years of nurturing, my little lime tree it actually produced a pretty big crop! After last time, when I tried and failed to make something awesome out of my one lime, I knew this time I had to do better. I knew that the juice of my limes was going to go to the best possible cause- margaritas. But, I wanted to do something with the zest too. Now, I love limoncello, the Italian lemon flavored liquor, and decided I would make lime-oncello (I'm sure there is some legit way to say that but I have no idea what it is).

After scouring the internet, I learned that while you can make it with vodka, that it can give an unwanted flavor, and the best thing to do is use grain alcohol. This lead to an awkward experience at BevMo (home of the 5-cent wine sale, how can you go wrong?) in which I tried to convince the sales clerk that I was not in fact buying Everclear so I could go home to make some kind of frat party kool aid based punch (I have had a lot of such punch in my day, but, I think I can leave those days behind).

Here's what I did... first, I had to get the zest off the limes. First, it is very important to scrub them really thoroughly to get any dirt or pesticides off.  Then, it's critical to get as much zest as possible but NOT the white pith, which is very bitter. I decided to have a little kitchen test, and tried 3 different zesting methods:

We have the traditional veggie peeler, my beloved microplanar, and an Oxo lemon zester. The veggie peeler was good in that it got a lot off quick, but I didn't feel like I could control the depth (and thus avoid the pith) as well. The microplanar worked beautifully as always, but I was worried that the zest would be hard to strain out in the long run. The Oxo zester was the clear winner- it pulled off long strands, and I could control the depth. You can see all the varieties here...

(the pictures in this post are kind of bad, I was borrowing a camera and didn't really have a handle on it)

And, the remnants of the limes, ready for juicing. There are a variety of colors based on ripeness and time of picking (see how many there are?!?)

Now, officially you're supposed to put everything in a glass jar. I decided the Everclear was ALREADY in a glass jar, and just stuffed the lime peel inside. Doesn't it look pretty?

Now... at this point I was supposed to put it into a cupboard for a couple of weeks or up to 40 days. Instead of that, I forgot about it for 4 months (grant deadlines, etc, etc). Theoretically longer is better, so here's hoping that was fine..

(Time travel forward to the present day)

The next step is to make a sugar syrup (the fact that you dilute it later is another reason to go with a stronger alcohol from the start). Based on this site on how to make limoncello, I used 1 3/4 c sugar and 2.5c water, boiled for 5 minutes, and let it cool. At this point, I was clearly beyond the capacity of the Everclear bottle, so got out 2 glass containers, and split the alcohol/lime mixture between them. I then also split the sugar mixture. It is important to make sure the glass containers are VERY clean, and seal completely. I was not entirely confident in the sealing, and so used supplementary saran wrap.

Now, I have to wait just a bit longer before filtering and enjoying!

Simple Summer Chicken and Corn

This is an easy and delicious dinner perfect for summer...

First, the chicken... for this, you can use my tried and true ziplock baggie approach. Here is what you need:
-3 thawed chicken breasts (or, however many you need)
-juice of one fresh lime
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1 tsp cumin
-1/4tsp chili powder
-big pinch of salt.

Throw it all in a gallon sized ziplock baggie. Push out as much air as possible and seal- then kind of squish it around with your hands so the marinade is mixed well and contacts all the surfaces of the chicken. Let marinate in the fridge for an hour. Don't let this marinate for too long, because the acid in the lime juice has the potential to make the chicken break down and get mushy. Then, just toss on the grill!

The corn is one of my favorite ways to eat fresh corn (technically, you can make it with canned corn, but it really isn't the same).
-4 cobs fresh corn, kernels cut off
-1/2 small red onion, diced
-1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
-1 small tomato, diced (again, must be fresh)
-about 1/4c fresh chopped cilantro
-(here I had one can well drained and rinsed black beans, but that was just to add protein in case I ate it for lunch during the week, I recommend trying it first without them. If you do use them, add them with the corn).
-2 tbsp butter, or butter substitute
-1/4c seasoned rice vinegar
-cooking spray
-black pepper

Cook the jalapeno and onion in the cooking spray until soft, then add the tomatoes, and cook until lightly cooked through. Pour in fresh corn kernels, vinegar, and butter and saute briefly (about 5 min, you really want the corn to be fresh and crisp- you barely need to cook it). Turn off the heat and add the cilantro, serve immediately.

This can be a side dish for almost any light summer meal, especially one that is grilled- fish, chicken, steak... all of them would be delicious!

Grilled Peaches.... Welcome to my new obsession.

This is it. I found it. It is the ultimate dessert of summer, you can just stop looking now.

It's summer, it's getting hot, and peaches are starting to show up everywhere (like, for instance, in my CSA box!). Now, very few things beat a big bite out of a really ripe juicy peach on a hot hot summer day, but this might be close. This dessert is simple, delicious, and healthy- what more could you possibly ask for! I was introduced to this idea at a barbecue, and have become a little obsessed.

What you need:
-Peaches (1 per person)
-a bit of olive oil

(yes, that's it).

What to do with it:
Slice the peaches in half and just pop out the pit. Gently rub each half with olive oil, to coat so it doesn't stick to the grill. Turn the grill on low (you can just put this on after you grill your dinner!), and put the peaches on the top rack, or away from the actual flame- you want to cook them slowly. Grill face down for 10 minutes, and then flip for 10 minutes more. They should be dripping a little, and the skin may very slightly split. If they're turning black, you're cooking them too hot and you need to move them away from the heat so they don't cook on the outside too fast. Apparently this is also possible in the oven- I have not tried it, but if I were to do that, I would prep the peaches in the same way, put in a glass pan, and roast at 300 for the same amount of time- if you try that, let me know how it works!

When they're done, they should be soft, and very juicy, and almost fall apart under your fork. They would be amaaaazzziiinnnggg over a small amount of really good vanilla ice cream, but I also like them just as they are (a glass of chilled white wine goes perfectly). They also might make a really nice side dish to complement a spicy grilled meat dish.

These are simple and elegant, and would be the perfect thing to use to impress your guests, seriously you should give it a try!

Beet Bonanza

In a recent CSA box, I got a really nice bunch of beets, greens and all. Now, I come from a Scandinavian, beet eating family, but I myself have never been a beet lover. I've never really been sure if that was because I'm just not into pickled beets, or canned beets (I never remember seeing an actual raw beet). So, I figured that this was the time to find out.

My plan was to use both the beets themselves and the beet greens in separate dishes. I found a good looking basic recipe to start from, got a few additional ideas, and went from there.

The beets themselves:
-beets, peeled and sliced (I had 4 beets total)
-olive oil
-fresh chopped rosemary
-salt/pepper
-crumbled feta

Preheat the oven to 350. Toss the beet slices (being careful not to turn yourself and everything around you purple) in the olive oil and chopped rosemary, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until a knife goes easily through, and the edges are nicely caramelized, about 25 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with feta.

The greens:
-olive oil (1 tbsp)
-chopped beet greens from your beets
-1/4 chopped small onion
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-small amount balsamic vinegar

When the beets are nearly done, heat the olive oil in a pan, brown the onion and garlic, and then put in the greens, stirring until wilted. Turn off the heat, and sprinkle with a few drops of balsamic vinegar.

The chicken:
The chicken isn't really the focus of this post, but in case you're curious, I put 2 thawed chicken breasts into a ziplock bag with some chopped rosemary, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper, and marinated for about 2 hours. Then, I put it on the grill while the beets were roasting.

I have mixed reviews on this- the recipes themselves were good- I liked the greens a lot, and the rosemary and feta really complimented the sweetness of the beets. Unfortunately, I still think I don't like beets- they're just too sweet for me. But, if you do like them, I think this is a unique take and a nice flavor combination.

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy 4th of July!!

I hope you're enjoying it... I'm not sure what else you can ask for from a holiday beyond a 3 day weekend, a Twilight Zone Marathon, barbecues and fireworks, so live it up!

Charlotte recommends a lower key celebration- she is pondering her independence while taking a long sunbath in her favorite deck chair.

Ahh... summer.

There are some things not to love about Los Angeles in the summer... those are things like sitting in traffic in the blazing sun. But, one of the most awesome things is the increase in street fruit vendors (maybe they're around all year, but it still feels like a summer thing). You can identify them by their rainbow striped umbrellas, and little carts stacked full of fruit and ice. Usually there is an array of options like fresh mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, coconut, jicama, and cucumber. You ask for what you want, they chop it up right in front of you, and toss it in a bag. Then, the magic happens- they ask you what you want on it, and the only correct answer is chile, lime, and salt (con chile, limon, y sal). This results in a hefty dose of chili powder, a sprinkle of salt, and limes squeezed all over it. All this for five bucks!

Tell me you don't want to stick your fork in that. Seriously, try to make it the whole car ride home without nibbling at every stoplight.

I've actually tried to replicate something similar at home with a fresh pineapple. I sliced up the pineapple, sprinkled with chili powder and salt, and squeezed some fresh lime.

Now, this is a classic combination, and it definitely was delicious although maybe slightly lacking in the magic that happens when you stumble upon a fruit guy and chops, squeezes, and sprinkles the whole thing super fast right in front of you. It is definitely a way to make your summer fruit salad more spunky