Watermelon Margaritas-- Take Two!

Did anyone ever see Brian Boitano's show on the Food Network? It was called What Would Brian Boitano Make? and it was bleep-ing hilarious. I only saw two episodes but they are ingrained in my mind as some of the funniest cooking television I've ever seen. First of all, how is it fair that an Olympic medalist has talents other than figure skating? Secondly, why aren't there more celebrity shows like this" You know, where they actually have a talent and are teaching us something! (HGTV has the Vanilla Ice one, so they are doing their part....)

I haven't seen this fantabulous (I'm pretty sure he'd approve of this description) in a couple years, but his recipes are archived on www.foodnetwork.com so I decided to take a gander through them. When I saw this recipe for watermelon margaritas I had mixed feelings. They sounded great, but after such a lousy experience last time I was nervous to waste more expensive booze and delicious watermelon (which I brought home from my mom's Memorial Day picnic. Thanks to friends Susie and Mel for sharing-- it was great!)

Anyway, these margaritas were much better than my last go-round... I could actually taste watermelon, and the tequila was very smooth. But I really need to invest in a mesh sieve so it has less of a "smoothie" texture. I tried to press it through a colander with very small holes instead and it didn't really do the trick. I still liked mine, but I'm not convinced Tim loved it since he nursed it for about three hours. But, he did finish it, so that is what counts.

Oh, and I almost forgot! For the ice cubes, I froze a couple of cubes of watermelon. This was really a cute idea and great in theory, but in practice it just helped add to the slightly thick texture. I might do this again for a sangria or something... along with frozen grapes. Can't wait!

Preakness Party

I know nothing about horse-racing other than the fact that I love watching the Triple Crown. For 90 second intervals, three times a year, I am the biggest horse-fan around! This year I was on a bus during the Kentucky Derby, so I decided to have a Preakness party to make up for it. So, I had entirely Baltimore and Preakness themed menu!  Last year, Tim and I had a Preakness party of our own which was some what disastrous. The crab cakes were ungodly salty and the drinks were so strong we both fell asleep immediately after the race. This year was much more successful. There were lots of sundresses, a few hats, and plenty of crab to go around...

Black Eyed Susans 
The Black Eyed Susan is the official drink of the Preakness. There are many many recipes for this drink floating around online. Last year I made one that tasted dangerously like orange juice and not at all like bourbon. This year, I could not remember what that recipe was (perhaps it was for the best... didn't need another 6 pm nap time) so I found a new one. This year I picked one that used all fresh juices and no simple syrups or sour mixes. The drink was weaker than last year, but actually tasted stronger. I liked the drink, but many of my guests were very sensitive to the bourbon flavor and shied away.

• OJ
• Bourbon
• Vodka
• Pineapple
• Lime Juice

Hot Crab Dip

half-devoured deliciousness

Who doesn't love a creamy, cheesy dip? Especially when it is loaded with crab and packs a spicy punch!  I actually made two dips in one: one for my vegetarian friends, and the other for me (I mean.... for everyone else).

• 1 8 oz package cream cheese at room temp
• 1 8 oz package fat free cream cheese (so sneaky) at room temp
• 1 can jumbo crab meat-- I got this out of the canned tuna aisle. I am sure that fresh crab meat would be even tastier, but this was much friendlier on the budget (only $3 or so a can) and tasted just great.
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
• 2 TBSP mayo (mine is kraft olive oil)
• Old Bay seasoning (I used probably 2 TBSP, but it's definitely "to taste")
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar (reserve 2 TBSP to sprinkle on top)
• tobasco sauce

nom nom nom

Basically, I combined all ingredients except crab in a mixing bowl and mixed it up until the seasonings were evenly dispersed throughout the cream cheese. Then, I scooped out half the mixture and put it in a mini pie pan (for the veggie version). Then, I dumped in the crab and re-mixed it all up and put that into another mini pie pan. I topped both dishes with cheddar cheese (and put some extra scallions on the veggie one so I knew which was which), and popped in a 375 oven for about 12 minutes.

This dip was a-MA-zing. It was great on celery, on crackers, and even straight off a spoon.... don't worry I waited for the guests to leave before I did that. I will definitely be making this again (because otherwise I think Tim would leave me), and I might try to "health it up" even more by using all fat free cream cheese, or maybe some neufachtel cheese.

Crab Cakes
My crab cakes were somewhat disastrous again. This time, the salt level was right, but they just completely crumbled on the griddle. I managed to salvage enough for people to enjoy, but I "forgot" to take a picture. Whoops. 

"Crab" Boil
Nothing seems more authentically Baltimore than a crab boil. But, half my guests were vegetarians, and I am cheap so instead I just boiled veggies in crab seasonings and doused it all with butter. I'm pretty sure nobody noticed the crab was missing.

• five ears sweet corn, cut in half (clearly this corn was not from Iowa... and it was just okay)
• 2 pounds B-sized red potateos
• 11/2 large white onions, sliced into wedges
• Garlic (I think I used fresh cloves AND garlic powder)
• a TON of Old Bay Seasoning (3 TBSP?)
• fresh thyme and sage from my garden
• butta (okay, I actually used Smart Balance and olive oil mixed together)
• S&P

Boil all ingredients. Done.
Okay, not really. First, I coated the onions and taters  in seasonings and put in the bottom of a kettle and cooked for 5 ish minutes. THEN, I covered them with water and brought to a boil (and I likely added more seasoning to the water). I boiled for 20-30 minutes and then added the corn just about 5 minutes before serving. To serve, I put in a large bowl and I poured a mixture of melted butter, oil, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme over the whole thing and garnished with thyme sprigs from my garden. Simple but YUM.


Lady Baltimore Cake

A Lady Baltimore Cake is just white cake with white frosting, and a filling of frosting mixed with dried fruits (golden raisins and cherries for me) and pecans. I cheated and used box cake mix and canned frosting. I added lemon zest to the cake mix and the filling to freshen it up a bit, and I covered the top in pecans to hide my pour frosting job. And, I can't lie, it was pretty tasty.



My friend Jillian totally outdid me with a Smith Island Cake-- it was 8 layers of chocolately, sugary, peanut buttery goodness. I wish I had a photo-- the only one I took was blurry because I was reaching forward to eat the whole thing whilst taking the picture.

In order for the guests to place bets, I made little cutouts of the jockey jerseys with horse information. After a few Black Eyed Susans, people got pretty in to it! After Shackleford upset Animal Kingdom, the winnings were split three ways between my friends Aaron, and Matt, and ME!

Party = success!

Daiquiris.... sorta

Looks so much better than it tastes

The ingredients for a Daiquiri are simple:

• Rum 
• Lime
• Sugar

Making it taste good is a little more complicated. (And I never figured it out). I guess mixing tasty drinks is just going to take some practice! So far I have not been doing so well.

Watermelon Margarita

Few things represent the carefree feeling of summer more than a sunny patio and a cold margarita. So,  the mere presence of the sun over the last few weeks has made me crave my good friends tequila and lime. And, in the spirit of using other summery ingredients and my fancy juicer (see Sangria post), I searched through some recipes and found one for --- wait for it--- WATERMELON MARGARITAS. This seemed too good to be true. And well, it was. I am so disappointed. No matter how much watermelon I put in (I think I was supposed to use a 1:1 ratio with the tequila, and I ended up with a 5:1 ratio) I still couldn't actually taste the watermelon. In fact, it just tasted like straight tequila. The one saving grace is that it LOOKED fabulous. I think I might try using watermelon again, but instead of juicing it, I will just throw the flesh into the blender. Also, it might be suited for sweeter drinks (like a mojito?) instead.

• Watermelon juice
• Tequila
• Orange Liqueor
• Lime juice
• Agave nectar (if needed)

Combine and pour over ice. Garnish with watermelon slice or lime wedge.

Tropical Sangria-- Royal Wedding Style

Somewhere inside of me lives a tiny girl who likes to believe in fairytales. Well, that girl came out to play on April 29th-- that is, the Royal Wedding day. While I vowed not to be one of those people who stayed up all night, I thought that DVR-ing the event seemed like perfectly acceptable behavior for a mature 28 year old woman. (Forget the fact that I woke up at 4 to make sure it was recording, and then stayed in bed for an hour at 7 waiting for the first kiss). What seemed even more acceptable was to share this event with other mature 20 something women. If everyone was watching and interested, then it couldn't possibly be silly or childish to be excited about this, right?

Anyway, I hosted a casual affair, and while I originally thought of making a British meal, when my friend Lisa offered to make so-good-you-won't-care-you-gained-five-pounds mac and cheese, I quickly accepted. And my friend Mandy brought strawberry margarita pie which was just as glorious as it sounds. So, I decided to be completely lazy and provide a beverage. My dad gave me an awesome juicer for Christmas, and I was looking through the recipes that came with it and decided to make Tropical Sangria. It was surprisingly delicious. It was very light, and sweet but not sugary. I think the canteloupe was the most interesting part. Though the flavor is recognizable, it is so unique to drink it instead of eat it.

• 1 bottle white wine -- mine was actually peach wine that my sister got me in Georgia. I liked the peach flavor so much that I think I would include peach juice if I ever made this again with other wine. 
• a few shots of brandy (this is optional, and I didn't include it since nobody was really interested in drinking too much)
• juice of 1/2 canteloupe
• juice of 1/2 orange (slice other half for garnish)
• juice of 1/2 apple (slice other half for garnish)

Combine ingredients in a pitcher and serve over ice.