Have An Olympic Picnic

Today we got into the spirit of Team USA.   We showed our true colors in our LUNCH!   Here's the recipe for a tasty Olympic picnic in red, white and blue.

Olympic cocktail

Top a frozen lemon-lime margarita with red and blue. How to do it: 

1.  The white ice of the margarita gives the "white" effect.
2. Use a few drops of food coloring to give the margarita a blue tint.  (I omitted because I don't generally use food coloring but a blue frozen drink would achieve same effect.)
3. Then top the margarita with a few maraschino cherries and run some cherry juice down the sides for effect!

Olympic Entree
Fire up the grill and cook up a batch of red, white and blue chicken burgers.  You won't miss the beef in this burger, I promise!

Recipe for red, white and blue Chicken Burgers:
1 lb ground chicken
Diced onion, 1/3 of small white onion
Diced red pepper, 1/4 of pepper
Drained, chopped black olive pieces
Pinch of ground garlic spice
Dash of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to preference.  I use fresh ground salt (kosher) and peppercorns (mix of colors).
Bread crumbs and/or egg to your preference of thickness for the burger
The "perfect ten" ingredient that gives this burger a "gold" finish:  Add 2/3 cup Shredded mac n cheese blend cheese (New at Giant): A blend of New York Sharp Cheddar, American, and Swiss Cheese (Serving size 1/4 cup, Calories 110)

There is only one word for this burger..... Delicious!

Olympic side
Every athlete needs their veggies.  It's not blue but it's veggie!!  To make it blue, you might top with crushed "blue corn" tortilla chips.

 


Cook shredded broccoli, shredded cabbage, diced onion and handful of rice or egg noodles in chicken broth. Use just enough broth to cover the vegetables and pasta so that it will boil down as the food cooks.  Add salt and pepper.  Once it is boiled down, lower heat and stir in Philadelphia Cream Cheese.  Stir in some more of that Mac and Cheese shredded blend of cheese, between 1/2 to 2/3 cup.  Top with diced fresh tomato.

Olympic dessert
Nothing says summer or red-white-blue like Shortcake, of course!  Top with mixed berries (Strawberry or Raspberry; and Boysenberry or Blackberry). 

Inspiration for a nation - "I got this!" by Jennifer Hudson

Wow! is all I can say after reading Jennifer's inspirational story.  She has a great attitude, is nonchalant to a FAULT, and completely ORGANIZED about staying on track with her career and diet!  I love this role model for women and girls.  She has her own sense of self and does not apologize for it.  Her book is to some degree a commercial for her success at adopting the Weight Watchers lifestyle but you have to admit you were curious on how the Weight Watchers Plan really worked! (I was.)  I found her book to be funny, lighthearted and like sitting across the couch listening to a friend.  Mark my words, she will have more great things coming!   And I can't help but listen to her hallmark moment as Effie White in "Dreamgirls", below, which brought her into the public eye for good.   For balance there's another video of hers included here.  

Lately in the papers they talk about new judges on American Idol, America's Got Talent, and the like.  This lady's got genuine talent to spare.  I'd like to see her on Nick Lachey's Choir battles show at Christmas, or better yet, "The Voice".   Sorry Xtina, but Jennifer's "real".  These days, that's what the audience at home wants to see - People being themselves, succeeding, and proud of it!

For anyone wondering, Jennifer inspired her entire family to lose TONS, literally not figuratively, of extra weight.  What an accomplishment.  PS - She says the weight watchers phone app is really good. 

Where You At video

Dreamgirls video of And I am Telling You as Effie White

The other cat (SKUNK) - Wine review Red Cat

While we're on the topic of cats, it brings me to another recent mammalian encounter with what I first thought was a pair of cats, then soon realized was a pair of SKUNKS!  I will paint the picture:


Beautiful purple dusk evening with thin blue smoky clouds.  The sun has set but it's still light enough out to take a walk.  It rained earlier in the afternoon and evening with passing storms.  The road and grass are damp but not wet.  The asphalt on the street is dark as if wet but no water is pooled.  The street is dry to the touch of the rubber soles of one's shoes. 

Turning the corner, my walking companions and I notice a house with its garage door open.  The home sits atop a knoll with a medium length driveway, cars parked inside the garage and glimmers of lamps behind curtains giving signs that this house is well loved by its family.   Tomorrow is trash day, so this house as with many others on the street have already wheeled trash and recylables to the curb. 

Next my eyes bulged out of my head.  Ambling up the driveway and into the garage were two dark figures.  Dogs?  No, they looked like beavers from the size of them and the fringe of the fur.  Opossum?  No, too big for opossum.  More like a newborn bear, 60 pounds at least on the bigger one and no less than forty on the smaller one.  No, it's not bears.  What, then?  Cats?  No, the tails were not catlike.  One of the shadowy figures was significantly larger than the other, as if to suggest parent and child.  Then I saw them:  The white stripes running down the backs of each animal.  These were skunks!  A mother skunk and her baby, I'd say.  Shocked by the size of them, I stopped in my tracks without realizing it.  As they approached the car, the mother motioned to the baby to keep up with her!  Stop lollygagging.  The baby did a funny hop and skip to reach her side.  They maneuvered themselves sideways into the garage between the car and the garage divider.  The house with the nice family inside had skunks coming to visit!

The skunks did not find any food because they soon turned around, with a disgusted look on the mom's face, and a frustrated gait that said, "Did I just walk up this hard bumpy knoll for THIS?"  I caught my breath and moved on with my companions, keeping to the other side of the road.   As the skunks made their way to the next food opportunity I thanked my stars for the sealed garage at home.  Then turned over my shoulder to see them again but they were gone into the tall grass now.  I could see it sway and hear it gently rustling.  

*

Red Cat wine by Hazlitt Vineyards is just the slightest bit spicy and unexpected, just like having a pair of skunks appear in the driveway instead of just one.  And, like the skunks travel in a pair, Red Cat wine partners with White Cat for a perfect pool party serving suggestion.  The Red Cat tastes like someone dissolved a red hot candy into the wine and diluted it.  Punchy!  The White Cat is more sweetly juicy for a contrast.  See last post for purchasing information!


Make a kid's skunk costume for Halloween - Courtesy BHG.com

  

The Skunk antidote:  Homemade Tomato (V8) Juice - Courtesy Simplyrecipes.com

Here kitty kitty - Wine review White Cat Wine

It has never been mentioned before on Brandywine Life that there is a cat who frequents the the Brandywine Gardens.  This post is dedicated to him - And his taste buds!

So, the way the story goes is that Kitty came home smelling like a Smelly Cat!   (Remember that episode from "Friends"?)  The stench of wet dirty cat was spreading through the house like a Contagion!  What is one to do?  (Answer:  Just about anything OTHER than what I actually did do...)

It started out as a humble way of freshening up Kitty's scent.  It ended up almost harming the cat, and scaring the wits out of everyone else in the process!

Pepe Le Pew in "Really Scent"

The more Kitty licked his damp fur, which stunk of some sort of muddy outdoor musk, the worse he smelled.  The intention was to dry and deodorize him naturally.   The tool was a sprinkle of Baking Soda.   BAD IDEA.  (Do not try this at home!)

Half an hour later, Kitty was frothing at the mouth and dribbliing white foam throughout the house as he paced back and forth in discomfort.   It was not a pace of anger, it was a pace of genuine discomfort.   Meanwhile, Kitty's owners were wondering if he had Rabies and nervously pacing themselves!

Rabies was unlikely.  There was not any documented contact with infected animals.  Kitty was current on shots.  Nope, it was just the Baking Soda.

While perhaps it had been a tad brighter of an idea than Talcum Powder or Baking Powder, it was a pretty bad idea.  Not doing that again!  (Note: There are several online sources that actually recommend baking soda as a pet deodorizer, so it's not THAT bad of an idea - But it's easy to do wrong!)

But, in honor of the White Powder,  and amazing recuperating Kitty, I bring you a wine review of White Cat by Hazlitt Vineyards of the Finger Lakes (New York).

Yes, it's a picture of a bikini-clad Kitty reclining lake-side that you see on the bottle!  The easy-going posture suits the wine.  It is a sweet fruit wine that tastes like spiked white grape juice.  Great for a party and for going with nibbles.  Hazlitt's White Cat and better known Red Cat are made from the American native Catawba grape, which Gardentina has coincidentally earmarked to put in her garden when the right moment arises.  The White Cat has a freshness to it that is very enjoyable.  Because of the similarity to natural grape juice, this is the perfect wine to use to introduce a non-wine-drinker to what they have been missing while they gulp down rum, vodka and other hard liquors.  White Cat and Red Cat are a refreshing change of pace from "Frenchy" wines.  They're "Lakey" - meant for lounging, relaxing, catching a few sips between active games of badminton or a hunt for rocks at the shore.  Yep, this was one cool cat!

Meow!

Photo of catawba grapes is courtesy of Missouri Wine Country.   I am ashamed to say this but I had no idea there was a Missouri Wine Country?!?!?!  Give it up for MO!

What Your Favorite Herb Says About You: QUIZ

What does your favorite herb say about your personality?   Read to find out!

 

 Courtesty Herbal remedies at herbsandnutritionalhealth.blogspot.com

Basil - You make long lasting friendships.



Dill - You are at ease when things are in order.

Fennel - You like to explore things to their fullest.
Ginger - People envy your ideas.

Lavender - Seeing your family happy gives you great joy.

Mint -You are able to make up your mind quickly.
Orange - You have a lot of friends.
Rosemary - Friends are comforted by your presence.


 

Find this and more cool pics at Favim.com

Wine Review of a pithy Pecorino

To most of us, Pecorino is a cheese... As in, "Topped with grated Pecorino-Romano".  Pecorino cheese comes from Sardinia, an island off the west coast of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea.  Throughout the ages, Sardinia has been an area rich in cultural and political history due to its unique location.  In this place, the cultures of Eastern Europe, Western Europe and Africa have blended through time to give the place a magical quality.  Consider this: (from Wikipedia): Sardinia shares with the Japanese island of Okinawa the highest rate of centenarians in the world (22 centenarians/100,000 inhabitants). Thus, I expected great things from the Pecorino wine.

Now forget everything you were expecting... Cheese, Islands, maybe crackers, and fine wine...   Because the Pecorino grape is from the opposite side of Italy.... the northeastern coast, and landbound, not from the islands... and tastes unexpected. 

After tasting it, my best description is that Pecorino is an Italian mountain man's (or woman's) wine.  I feel like you can taste the stone in it.  It tastes preserved as if it is intended to be kept by a farmer in his cabin who can't get to town very often.  Therefore, I think it would pair well with beef jerky or kebabs.  The color of the wine is a deep white, pushing on lime green.  As would be expected for a wine with that heft to it, the drink tasted very "wet" on first touch with the tongue, then moved to a "dry" aftertaste.  What  I am trying to explain is the juiciness of the wine when compared to the dryness. The bottle I tried was Monti Guidi Del Carmine Pecorino.  (Under $20 in state stores.)

For another review of this wine, see video from Nathandoesvino.com.   I think he does a great job at describing it as well.   He makes a good point that this wine has a lot of fruit stone taste and smell to it.  Therefore, it is a wine for those who might like sangria, for example, where the fruit flavor is prominent.   Pecorino is a pungent wine that's not for the weak of heart.  To me it smelled of lime blossom and peaches.  I agree with him that there's a small hint of honey in there.   I am not sure that the particular bottle of Pecorino that I tried did justice to the wine varietal, because my experience was not as glowing as Nathan's.  I would try this wine the next time served with tapas or antipasti as opposed to on its own.  The one thing I would comment on in comparison to Nathan's review is that he compares the nose to a riesling.  I want to qualify this statement by explaining that the pecorino is very similar to a riesling in its intensity of smell, its wine body, and and its minerality.  I do think the underlying scents are different, though.  But there is truly a valid comparison here.

Due to the continuing food trend where there is popularity in serving small portioned plates with big flavors on them, I would not be surprised to see the Pecorino varietal popping up more often on menus where I dine out.  Don't be afraid to try it when you're having a rich, spicy or smoky dish.  Do pair with food for best enjoyment though.

Ciao!