Showing posts with label Beverages. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beverages. Show all posts

Thursday, May 31, 2012

2012 Blogger Get Together III

Larry not only wants us to leave Almost Heaven South with a full belly, new friendships forged but also with more knowledge than we had when we arrived.

Now I have to tell you this and this is the honest truth.  Larry makes THE BEST MARGARITA I HAVE EVER TASTED! 

It didn't take much arm twisting to talk Larry into teaching us his secret.  Now I'm going to share his special recipe with you.  



This is Larry's Margarita Mix of choice.  You can't find it at your local grocers but you can buy it at Mayson's website in a liter bottle. 




He showed us his little drink mix helper.



This is Larry's tequila of choice.  He explained that finding a tequila that had 100% agave was the key.



To get that just "right" blend he added two cans of Sprite.  He doesn't like diet Sprite, seriously if you're going to have a few, do you really believe the word "diet" is applicable?  Just sayin'...




Another important key is using just a dash or two of powdered egg white.  Not real egg white, "powdered" because it gives the Margarita a little frothiness and the powdered egg white has a little, tiny bit of sweetness.   Pour the liquid in the blender, add the powdered egg white, give the blender a quick pulse, salt and  ice those glasses kids and you're ready to rock-n-roll!



After we wrapped our fingers around another Margarita our heads around all of that knowledge, our kind instructor took us on a boat ride at dusk.


Even his vicious attack friendly pooch, Sweetie, joined us.



Bev and Coco.


Gorgeous!



Time to head in, we were out of Margaritas.




So another East Tennessee Blogger Get Together for the books boys and girls.  This leaves the really big question, what do we cook next year?


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Friday, July 29, 2011

Two-fers!!! Arnold Palmer Sangria and Carribbean Jerk Pork Tenderloin with Drizzling Sauce

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all know it's way too hot.  But, instead of complaining about the you know what, make something cool and refreshing to sip on while you grill yourself some amazing pork!

Arnold Palmer Sangria

2 cups chilled lemonade
2 cups freshly brewed iced tea, sweetened to your taste
1 bottle (750 ml) Sauvignon Blanc
1 orange thinly sliced
1 lemon thinly sliced
1 lime thinly sliced
1 pint of strawberries, sliced in half
1 pint of blackberries, sliced in half

Combine the lemonade, tea and wine.  Add the sliced fruit, cover pitcher and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours. 

A.J highly recommends you have enough ingredients to double this up, you'll want to make two pitchers this weekend. 
He's heard temperatures are going to be out of sight this weekend!

Caribbean Jerk Pork Tenderloin with Drizzling Sauce




1 2-1/4 lb. pork tenderloin (if they packed as 2 tenderloins, that's fine) trimmed of fat and silver skin
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (if you used bottled, I recommend only Nellie and Joe's Key West Lime Juice usually found on the baking aisle)
1 cup Jerk marinade, recipe follows
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Canola or vegetable oil
Jerk Drizzling Sauce, for serving, recipe follows

Rinse meat and pat dry with paper towels.Place meat in a glass bowl, DO NOT USE A METAL BOWL, and rub the 1/2 cup of lime juice all over the meat. Place bowl with meat in the refrigerator uncovered for about 15 minutes while you make the marinade.

Jerk Marinade

1/2 cup chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup minced onion
2 tablespoons brown sugar - light or dark, doesn't matter
2 crushed bay leaves
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 Jalapeno peppers, de-seeded and de-veined
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the thyme, green onions, parsley, onion, brown sugar, bay leaves, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, jalapenos, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, and vegetable oil and process to a smooth paste. Transfer to a glass bowl NOT METAL bowl and stir in the soy sauce, lime juice, and vinegar.
Pour the marinade over the meat and turn to completely coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight, turn every couple of hours.

Preheat grill to medium, spray the grates with non-stick cooking spray. Remove the meat from the marinade, a nice coat of the marinade should still be clinging to the meat.  Season the meat with salt and pepper and place the tenderloin(s) on the grill.  Sear all sides then move the meat to finish cooking over in-direct heat, turning every 12 to 15 minutes. Cook until the pork is just cooked through and nicely browned on the outside and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 145 to 150 degrees F.

Remove the tenderloin(s) from the grill to a platter, tent with foil and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Slice and generously ladle the drizzling sauce over the top.

Drizzling Sauce

6 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 jalapeno, de-seeded, de-veined and minced

Combine all ingredients in a small pot and cook over medium heat until reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes. Drizzle warm sauce over pork and serve remainder in a bowl at the table for dipping.

Hope this took your mind off the you know what and cooled you off!  Have a great weekend!


Saturday, April 30, 2011

Honest Ade Pomegranate Blue Tea - Product Review

Did you know today is Honesty Day?  I didn't know there was such a thing, but okay.
I was asked to do a product review on Honest Ade Pomegranate Blue Tea.  Honest Ade products are all natural and organic.  My daughter, Kaitlin was kind enough to help out with the taste testing since she's a huge fan of anything Pomegranate.

Kaitlin flat out didn't like the tea.  She didn't spit it across the room, she did take two sips and said, "Mom, I don't like it."  I asked her why and what about it didn't she like.  Kaitlin shrugged her shoulders and said she just didn't like it and finished texting her friend.

My findings...the beverage had a Pomegranate flavor, not like Pomegranate juice, but like something "flavored" with Pomegranate.  There was no "tea" taste to be found.

The Honest Ade doesn't taste bad, it just taste like flavored water. 

That's my honest opinion....have a great Honesty Day!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Tennessee Tango

Happy Friday everyone! It's Spring and it seems a lot of us have been suffering through some non-Spring weather this week.

I wanted to share this beverage with you in hopes it would make you feel like you're on a tropical island.

The beauty of this drink that we named the Tennessee Tango is you can leave out the vodka and install enjoy the great tropical flavors!

Fill a tall glass with crushed ice, add 1 ounce vanilla vodka, then fill the glass with banana nectar, add a splash of cherry juice for a little color and garnish with pineapple chunks and a cherry and enjoy!

Have a great weekend!