Kat Edmonson [paisley]

Kat Edmonson - photo credit to The Austin Chronicle

Fiance and I got a call a few years ago from a friend who needed us to go to a jazz show with him that night because he met the musician once, had a nice chat with her, got her number and subsequently lost the number.  This woman was the girl of his dreams and he needed to meet her again.  Being good friends, we went to the Elephant Room to see Kat Edmonson.  We were blown away by Kat, which is pretty special because you expect good things from the artists that play the Elephant Room to begin with--it's a great intimate venue.  In the 8 months since our friend had gotten the first chance to chat with her, Kat had grown a bit of a name for herself around town with the likes of Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel championing her along.  Needless to say, our friend was too intimidated to approach her again (he is a pretty humble and sometimes shy guy).

Her 1940s-esque jazzy voice came naturally as she serenaded us with known tunes, all sounding as if they were written for her.  Musicians seemed to gravitate towards her, resulting in collaborations with Lyle Lovett for example.  Her latest album Way Down Low is fantastic. Funded through the crowd-funding platform Kickstarter and written while melding into her new life in Brooklyn, this project is the successful combination of mid-20th century jazz sounds with lyrics that somehow apply to my twenty-something life while transcending age groups and genres.

I don't know what else to say other than give her a listen.  Lucky and Champagne are two of my favorites, but the whole album is great for listening straight through.  I put this album on to clean the house, chill out while driving, cooking dinner and even while getting ready for a night out.

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Greek pasta salad [porter]

Greek pasta salad

To give full credit, I subscribe to a twice-weekly recipe newsletter from PureWow.  Usually I don't have good applications for these recipes because they are designed to impress friends at a dinner party (read: strawberry soup), and often times they call for expensive or rare ingredients.  Just when I thought I might unsubscribe, this Greek pasta salad popped into my inbox.  With relatively attainable ingredients and a prep time that fits into my schedule, I gave it a shot.  The grocery bill came out a bit steep (about $25 for the ingredients I didn't already have), but it fed 2 mouths last night and probably will make 3-4 more individual meals this week (fantastic leftovers for lunch!).  That math comes out to about $4 per meal per person...not too shabby.

Adopted from Susie Middleton's The Fresh & Green Table
Ingredients:
1/4 c olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
zest from one lemon
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dried dill (optional)
1 tsp salt, divided
pepper to taste
1 sm red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 can or jar of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered (can use whole can...I wanted left over artichoke)
1 pint small grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 c pitted kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped and divided (dried will probably work, but the fresh was delicious)
12oz fusilli pasta (any curly pasta works)
5 handfuls of spinach
1/3 c chopped walnuts
12 small pepperoncini, drained and thickly sliced

The how to:
Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, lemon zest, honey, dill, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

Add red onion, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, olives, feta, and 1 tbsp oregano. Stir to coat ingredients and let sit for about 20 min.  Prepare pasta according to package instructions.  Right before pasta is done, add spinach, walnuts, and pepperoncini to the top of the large bowl (do not mix in).  Drain the pasta and pour on top of the ingredients in the large bowl.  Add remaining salt and oregano.  The heat from the pasta will slightly wilt/cook the spinach.  After 2 min, stir spinach and pasta to evenly incorporate and coat in dressing.

Side notes:
The original recipe called for some tapenade in the dressing, but since Fiance doesn't like olives that much, I left it out (I figured he could pick out the whole olives if inclined).  The first 8 ingredients make a great salad dressing on their own.    For the remaining ingredients, you can increase, decrease, or omit based on your tastes.  For example, I only used half of the artichoke hearts recommended in the original recipe because I hope Fiance and I will make chicken and artichoke pizza with the remainder.  I didn't think of it until I left the grocery, but cucumber might be a nice addition to this salad.  I also used more pasta than the original recipe because I wanted to make sure this made multiple meals.  Zesting the lemon and not using the juice seemed like a waste, so we made gin and tonics with the juice from half a lemon in each.  The gin competed a bit with the balsamic in the recipe so I'd make this a before dinner or an after dinner drink.  Lastly, we added sliced peppered salami to serve because the Fiance doesn't like to call it a main dish if there isn't protein.

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cucumber rosemary cocktail [porter]

The post is a little late, but we made this delicious Cucumber and Rosemary Cocktail for the 4th of July.  It tasted fantastic by the pool (though we had to serve it in a less enticing Solo cup), and it would certainly work well for a dinner party because it won't compete with the menu and it presents well.  Fiance wanted a fancy drink and this delivered!

Ingredients:
4-6 servings
4 med to lg cucumbers
1 tbsp fresh rosemary + sprigs for garnish
1 cup gin
1 cup water
2/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup simple syrup or agave nectar

The how to:
Peel and dice cucumbers.  Add cucumbers and chopped rosemary leaves to food processor and process until pureed.  Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing juice through the strainer if needed.  Combine remaining ingredients with strained cucumber mixture in a large pitcher.  Pour over ice, garnish, and serve.

Side notes:
I do not have a food processor large enough for 4 cucumbers so I used a blender, which was a lot of work.  I lost a wooden spoon to it.  I suggest adding some of the water to the blender to help it along.  Although any gin will work, we have Hendricks at home and the subtle cucumber and rose flavor complimented the drink well.  Also, substituting lime for lemon will play a stronger homage to the traditional gin and tonic.  Using honey in place of simple syrup would do nicely to round out the garden theme (half the amount if using honey).  I think I'll play with a fall version of this and work in a ginger flavor (maybe into the simple syrup).  The cucumber is a bit strong in this drink so if you are not a huge fan, consider halfing the cucumbers and adding more water/lemon in proportion.

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berry good salad dressing [porter]

Tonight I wanted my favorite salad as a side but did not have any fresh fruit which is a key ingredient.  I did have frozen blueberries though so I let my little brain wander, and I came up with this perfect dressing that I used to substitute for the sweetness in the quintessential spinach-walnut-fruit-and-cheese salad.  Many of these ingredients can be interchanged with similar ingredients making this dressing flexible to what you have on hand.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 tbsp agave nectar
2 tsp lime juice
pinch of salt

The how to:
Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend completely.  Feel free to adjust to taste.  The mixture will thin out as the blueberries melt.  If it is still too thick, add more agave nectar to get to the desired consistency.

Side notes:
Feel free to slip some ground flax into this dressing for more hidden health benefits without compromising taste.  Fresh berries can replace frozen (and may actually be tastier if they are in season).  Try any berry in place of blueberries.  I used plain Greek yogurt because it's what I had on hand, but non-Greek yogurt and flavored yogurts will work too--try to stick to plain, vanilla, or complimentary fruit flavors.  The agave nectar adds sweetness and helps to thin the dressing out.  Honey or sugar will work, too.  If using sugar to sweeten, try some water or milk to thin it out.  Any citrus will work in place of lime (think lemon or orange juice).  I used bottled lime juice, and it turned out fine.  The salt can be left, but it helps to cut the sweetness.  Another twist would be to create a berry vinaigrette: use red wine vinegar in place of lime juice, salt, and half of the agave nectar.

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the famous michelada [porter]

Michelada at Hotel San Jose in Austin, Texas

Happy Friday! The michelada is by far my favorite summer cocktail and perfectly hits the spot while lounging by the pool or catching some live music.  There are so many ways to make this baby and even some mixes that will do the trick in a pinch, but the best version of this concoction that I have had is the michelada from the bar in the courtyard of Hotel San Jose on South Congress in Austin, Texas.  Often compared to a bloody mary, this semi-spicy, refreshing version offers almost no comparison due to the lack of tomato juice. Though we make several versions of this at home, I carefully watched the bartender during our most recent visit to Hotel San Jose and have been able to finally match theirs:

Ingredients:
1 Mexican beer (Modelo is my favorite for this, but Corona, Tecate, or Dos XX work as well)
2-3 tbsp lime juice (fresh is better, but those squeeze bottle versions work, too)
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire
1-2 shakes of Tabasco (to taste)
pepper to taste (we like larger grain cracked pepper - a few twists of the mill)
salt (for rimming)
1 lime (for rimming and garnish)

The how to:
Run lime over the rim of a cup and dip in salt.  Fill cup with ice.  Add lime juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and pepper.  Mix with straw and then slowly add beer to fill cup.  Garnish with lime.  As you drink, continue to add remainder of beer.

Side notes:
I also enjoy this cocktail with a dark beer (Negra Modelo or Shiner) if I am using a thicker mix that typically contains tomato juice.  If doing so, I will typically cut the Worcestershire and soy sauce and add Zing Zang bloody mary mix.  A delicious pre-made mix for light beers is Dan's Prime Chelada mix that I pick up from Central Market.  Lastly, please do not confuse this drink with the pre-mixed beer options available (Bud Light Lime or Bud Light Chelada).  You would be doing yourself a great disservice if you hold this drink in that company.

Those of you 21+, please enjoy responsibly.

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