Summer is in full swing with parties taking to patios, porches, and parks from coast to coast. Don’t want to show up empty handed, but also not loving the idea of hanging out near a hot stove before your next soirée? Here’s the perfect fix: offer to bring the drinks instead! Whether you’re headed to a picnic or BBQ, this simple summer cocktail is perfect for a happy hour on the go.
College kids in dorm rooms across the nation have been loving ramen’s versatility for decades. You too can easily make the cheap package of noodles into a feast simply by adding a ton of veggies, or in this case, some beer-marinated steak.
Whether you eat it atop a bed of lettuce or stuff it into a sub with shredded lettuce and tomato, chicken salad is just one those things you need once in awhile. It’s tasty, filling, and easy to make.
And while all you really need is some chopped cooked chicken bits, some mayo, salt, pepper, and a crunchy element like almonds and/or celery, there’s a lot more you can do with chicken salad.
After many years waiting tables and working in restaurants my only brush with bitters was as the staff cure all for hangovers. After a late night we’d all belly up to bar for our daily drink of bitters and soda. It cured everything from a headache to indigestion. Then it was only Angostura but now with the cocktail craze comes the bitters boom, and yes a book dedicated solely to this aromatic flavoring agent.
Food historians are still not clear whether French Toast is indeed French or if another nation deserves credit for this sweet, eggy delight. Either way, this brilliant rescue of stale bread has kept this moniker and lives on as a breakfast favorite. Typical accompaniments are butter and syrup, but these warm, fluffy slices of goodness can be filled with fruit compote (or stuffed with chocolate and marshmallows. We’re not judging, we’re just hungry).
This recipe is so easy and delicious. Basically you put a few things in the slow cooker and go about your day. It takes 8 hours to cook but you only need to be actively prepping about 15 minutes. We make ours with Kale Slaw but feel free to serve with your favorite hot sauce, pickled peppers or just solo on your favorite bun.
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 (4 1/2 to 5lb) boneless pork shoulder, any twine or netting should be removed
1 cup barbecue sauce
Kale Slaw
2 cups chopped kale
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1. Place the onion and garlic in an even layer in the slow cooker and pour in the stock or broth. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Season pork with salt.
2. Place the salted pork on top of the onions and add the chicken stock and 1 cup of barbecue sauce. Cover and cook on high until the pork is fork tender, about 8 hours.
3. Turn off the slow cooker and using two forks pull apart the pork. It should easily shred if not you may need to cook longer.
4. Remove any big pieces of fat.
5. Add more barbecue sauce if needed. Serve with Kale Slaw.
For the Slaw:
1. In a bowl whisk the mayonnaise and the vinegar until smooth.
2. Add the kale and the cabbage and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Makes enough for 10 servings
Let’s face it: Bread pudding is not the most exciting dessert in the world. It often looks like a gloppy mess, and its main ingredient is stale bread. In fact, bread pudding is essentially a conduit for leftover bread; in thrifty (or poor) households throughout the world, and in mindful restaurants, it’s a way to use bread whose crust has hardened but whose dough still has a bit of sponginess left, instead of merely throwing it out.
It’s that time of year again when we get to throw costume parties, eat copious amounts of store-bought snack size candy, and dress inappropriately — all in the name of Halloween. Halloween happy hours can be as serious or sweet as you like them. A few years back, as a guest on NBC’s TODAY show, I had the chance to sip and shake with the authentic George Lucas-endorsed Yoda, Chewbacca and C-3PO, which for sci-fi nerds is about as serious as Halloween can get. Each year NBC’s TODAY pulls out all the stops for the Halloween show, so it was no wonder the drinks followed suit.
It’s that time of year again for little girls in green sashes to storm your grocery stores and go door to door to sell, sell, sell all sorts of wickedly tempting cookies. I have a ridiculous soft spot for Girl Scout cookies, almost every flavor. I’m not kidding. The first Girl Scout to hit me up, and without hesitation, I place an order. I know they are coming in a couple of days, but I just can’t wait for the delivery, thus this week’s Thin Mint Cocktail to hold me and you over.
One bottle of Chartreuse is enough for most people to keep in their bar. At last glance I noticed we had three, which was a tell-tale sign that I was neglecting this floral, herbal sip in my makings for happy hour. So I set out to find a suitable cocktail for fall that included this gorgeous, herbaceous green liqueur.
Click here for the full recipe.