Ep. 16 – Japan – Nigori Martini + Okonomiyaki

I’ve been making Okonomiyaki for a long time. It’s my favorite Japanese dish to make at home, for sure. However, one thing I haven’t really gotten into yet is sake. My mother-in-law loves sake, so I’ve started trying it when I’m with her, and it’s really grown on me.

Some say that Nigori sake is a type of sake often known to be for sake newbies, because it’s on the sweet side, and quite mild. That also means that it tastes great in cocktails, since it mixes well. So I created my own version of a sake martini with nigori sake.

What I cooked for Christmas – 2020

Christmas is a time for joy, for presents, for family, and of course, for EATING. I have to admit, out of all of the ways to celebrate the season, eating good food was at the top of my list. I was lucky enough to host my inlaws this Christmas, and I couldn’t resist planning a set of delicious meals for them while they were here. I’m sharing everything I cooked for Christmas in this blog post.

Ep. 13 – Hawaii – Blue Hawaiian + Spam Musubi

Happy Friday!

I’m so excited because this Friday is the first during quarantine times that I’m actually heading out of town. The US is starting to open back up again, and I’m celebrating by taking a weekend away at a lake a few hours away in East Texas. Nothing crazy, just some R&R time.

It made me wonder though… since I’m no longer stuck at home, does this mean this is the end to my “cocktails under quarantine” series? Honestly, I’m having so much fun, I really want to keep it going. I might consider a rebrand, though. I can definitely get on board with a Creative Cocktail Night or a Home Happy Hour blog post. Let me know if you have any ideas!

Ep. 8 – England – Gimlet + Fish & Chips

Without further adieu, for Episode 8 of Cocktails Under Quarantine, we’re traveling to England.

It’s about time I’ve made it across the pond, no? There are quite a few classic cocktails that originated in England, but the gimlet is one of the most well-known. I really love making classic cocktails; these cocktails are classics for a reason, and the gimlet is no exception.

To go with the gimlet, I knew immediately that I would have to do beer-battered fish & chips, because it was the most English thing I could think of (and it also just sounded mouth-wateringly delicious).

Strawberry bacon blue cheese salad

We all need a few go-to dinner-worthy salads in our arsenal, and this one has both chicken AND bacon, so it’ll definitely be one to fill you up. Plus the blue cheese and strawberries make it so decadent.

Creamy roasted mushroom and brie soup

O.M.G.

Guys.

This soup.

I wish I could describe just how incredible this soup is. This creamy mushroom soup is the Cadillac of all mushroom soups. It is silky smooth, thick, filling, and full of incredibly complex, earthy flavors. The heavenliness of this soup is in large part due to the secret ingredient, a wheel of brie cheese.

Smashed chickpea avocado sandwich

On the average day, you’ll normally find me eating leftovers for lunch. I am a full-time (and often, more-than-full-time) CPA, and so leftovers are just easy to bring to work for lunch. But on the weekends, I like to try the occasional lunch meal that would be too much effort to bring to work.

This smashed chickpea sandwich is a recipe I’d had saved for a long time – maybe even years – but had never found time to try, given my average lunch is just leftovers. But a few weekends ago, I finally gave it a try. (And I’m so glad I did!)

Kansas City-style pulled pork BBQ and creamy coleslaw

For those who don’t know, I grew up in Kansas City and lived there from age 12 until age 29. So even though I currently reside in Texas, my heart is still very much all about the Kansas City BBQ.

Kansas City BBQ, as it is compared to Texas, Memphis, or Carolina BBQ, is generally sweeter. The meat itself is generally made with rubs more on the sweet side, and the sauce itself definitely is going to have some brown sugar in it. We’re most well-known for our burnt ends and ribs, but my personal favorite meat is pulled pork.

Since I’m in Dallas now, I can’t drive down the street to get the Z-Man at Joe’s KC, or the Triple Threat at Q39. So when I want Kansas City comfort food, I compromise by making my own Kansas City BBQ at home.

Hawaiian roll ham & cheese sliders

Hawaiian roll ham & cheese sliders are a potluck classic. As they say, things are classic for a reason, and that certainly goes for these sandwiches.

These sliders are a potluck dream: You prepare them in advance (you can even prepare them the night before), then bake them off right before you need to go to your potluck. They are perfectly portable, and great for sharing since they are small bites.

Simple perfect gazpacho

Yummm, cold soup.

I might be one of the weird people, but when I hear that, I get excited, not weirded out. I know some people don’t like the idea of a cold soup, but there are some summer days where it’s just way too flippin’ hot to think about eating anything warm (especially here in Texas!). Enter: gazpacho.