A Big Girl Barbie Birthday Party

 Every little girl has had a Barbie birthday party sometime in their young lives. Yet what about the big girls who are Barbie aficionados? They too can have a fun , frilly birthday do with pink themed  food and drinks. Just give it an adult spin for more sophistication.

What would you drink at a Barbie birthday bash? Try a grapefruit MImosa. This is a heady mix of grapefruit juice with splash of Asti Spumante . The juice's tartness is the perfect foil for the bubbly's sweetness , creating a sweet tart flavor. Aother crowd pleaser is a strawberry pina colada.Its the same recipe as for a regular pina colada, made with Coco Lopez, water pineapple jiuce and half and half The pureed berries are added to this for a fruitier taste and a light blush coloring. You could also serve pink lemonade with vodka. It's just mixing the two and serving over ice. Omit the vodka, sub in ginger ale and you have an equally fun mocktail. Of course there is the Cosmopolitan the ultimate pink alcoholic beverage. This is a blend of vodka, triple sec, lime juice and cranberry juice which gives it its' pink color. It's an easy shake in a cocktail shaker and then poured into a martini glass. What about dessert?A pink hued tea like Kashmiri pink chai tea would work.Its boiling Kashmiri tea with sugar water, cardamon and cinnamon. You can add baking soda if you want. Some recipes call for it The tea  turns red as it cooks and when milk is added a softy rose.

With the drinks comes food. Little girls may be happy with just a slice of pink cake but adults want something more. Think a shrimp pate to be served on crostini. The pate is made with shrimp first being roughly chopped and mixed with mayo, lemon juice parsley , scallions and mustatrd powder. THis mix is then added to tomato paste cooked with butter and shallots .Tomatoes are also put into this mix. The pate is refrigerated for three hours to set. Spoon over crostini - although you can also serve it with any kind of cracker like Saltimes or Ritz. You could also have devilled ham sliders too. The filling is a mix f the meat and mayo. if you're more ambitious you can make your own devilled ham.It taking sliced ham pureeing it wht mayo and then adding spicy brown mustard tabasco sauce, Worcester sauce and lemon. Ground black pepper gives it some bite.As for dessert. think a strawberry cake (you can use a Duncan HInes mix) with fresh whipped cream and sliced strawberries for added flavor. A cooler treat is strawberry granita, an refreshing blend of sugar, pureed strawberries lemon juice and water. It's a refreshing treat especially on a hot summer night.

Yes, big girls can have a Barbie  party too. Serve fun pink cocktails and mocktails with tasty bites of rosy hued food. It's a great way to celebrate a birthday

A Good Old Fashioned Cobbler

 This is the season for cobbler. The fruit is ripe for it , especially peaches and it's a simpler bake than a pie or tart. It's also a great summer dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

What is cobbler exactly and how did it get that name? The recipe came over with the British colonists and it is a sub in for suet pudding. They were unable to get enough bread for a traditional one so they covered stewed fruit with a batter.A cobbler's top is usually made from a batter biscuit or, if in Britian , a dumpling top. As for th e name it was first recorded in 1859 and possibly derives from the archaic word cobeler meaning wooden bowl. Another version may stem from the fact that the topping may have the look of a cobbled stone pathway. A third explanation comes from the Oxford english Doctionary has roughly assemble or cobbled together . Earlier home bakers would use leftover scraps of  pie or scone dough to make the cobblers top over whatever filling that was readily available. Apple pan dowdy,., another great dessert is a cousin of the cobbler. This is where the dough is mixed into the fruit filling and baked.Another cousin is the Betty which is made with a bread crumb or crushed graham cracker  topping. There are also slumps too which are cobblers baked on a stove top instead of in the oven.

This is definitely the season for cobblers. Peaches are in season right now and they're perfect for a juicy , sweet cobbler. The cobbler dough is usally made with flour, sugar salt,  and butter. One egg yolk is added for color and body. You also need vanilla extra for flavor and two tablespoons of very cold water ( put a small cup of water in fridge for this). As for th e filling, if you are picking the fruit fresh, look for a perfectly golden hued peach. This kind yileds a very sweet flavorful fruity taste.As for the skin if 's up to you to leave the peel on or not. eigh peaches are used to make the filling. They should be sliced thin and pitted. Mix these with a quarter cup of white sugar, quarter cup brown sugar and quarter teaspoons each of cinnamon and nutmeg. Also add lemon juice and cornstarch  to the slices. Toss them in this so each are evenly coated. They're then baked in a 425 degree Farenheit oven for ten minutes. As they're cooking , prepare the dough. Sift the dry ingredients and then add the butter with your fingertips until it resembled a coarse meal. Add water and stir. remove the peaches from the oven and drop the  dough over the peaches. Then sprinkle an equal mix of cinnamon and sgar over the dough. Bake  in a preheated oven (arounnd 425 degrees Farenheit) for thirty minutes. Serve with a big scoop of ice cream or better yet a big blob of whipped cream.

I'ts summer and that mean'sa fresh peach cobbler. It's an easy make and bake. Create one for a lovely hot weather dessert.

Cold And Easy

 This is the time for a cold dessert or snack. Nothing beats soemthing that's a  snap to make  along with being eeasy to prepare. Look to some simple sweets that are frosty and delicious.

Many love homemade ice cream. Nothing beats the taste of a homemade chocolate or vanilla.Home chefs can create an eggless one using cocoa powder, whole milk, sugar and heavy cream . A dash of vanilla is thrown in to heighten the chocolate flavor. Everything is whisked together and the put in the fridge for thirty minutes before it s oured into an ice cream maker. You can add chocolate chips or even nuts for a Rocky Road flavor. Vanilla ice cream is also an easy make.I'ts just taking whole milk and combining it with heavy cream granulated sugar and vanilla. You can also make a vegan version using coocnut or plant based milk milk and cashew butter. It still uses vanilla as flavor. You could also try an ice cream that doesn;t require a machine.Melissa  Clark offers a  no churn caramel one in Wednesday's New York Times  Food section.It's an easy make of whipped cream,  blended with  a  can or jar of dukce de leche . A sprinkle of flaky sea salt cuts the sugariness. Serve ti in a cone of waffle bowl, with a spoonful of hot fudge for decadence.

That Italian classic granita is another cool treat that's super easy to make. A favorite is a coffee granita, a homemade ice that's served with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.Mix three cups of strong espresso with three fourths cup of sugar and teaspoon of vanilla extract. Stir until everything is dissolved and pour into a nine by thirteen inch pan. Place the pan in the freezer for one hour until the mixture becomes slushy. Rake the crystals with a dinner fork to break up the crystals. Pop back into the freezer and then rake it every thirty minutes. Serve in parfait or martini glasses with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Granita can be made with fruit too. You just need four cups of any cubed fruit, a quarter cup of any flavorful liquid and a quarter cup of granulated sugar. A pinch of salt can be added to bring out the fruit's flavor. As for the flavorful liquid, try lemon or lime juice but even wine or kombucha can do. Puree all the ingredients and then freeze in a metal pan. Freeze anywhere between thirty and forty five minutes and start to flake it with a fork afterwards. Keep doing this every thirty minute two or three times. It't then frozen for four hours before serving.

A sweet cold treat is just as easy to make as it is to eat. Make a quick ice cream or granita to beat the heat.It's great way to beat the summer heat.

Vegan From The Pantry

A pantry can yield a host of different ingredients. You can get tinned cherries for a pie or sundae.There are the basics for making sauce ro chili. You can even go vegan with  all these cans.

New contributor Hetty Lui McKinnon and co author of the great vegetarian cookbook Tenderheart wrote about easy vegan cooking in yesterday's New YorkTimes Food section. As with any vegetarian diet  she recommends eating seasonally but don't stress if you can't find what you need or head to a farmer's market. Go to your pantry, Her recipes are built on te presence if unami or the Japanese word for deliciousness. The veggies themself star in the dishes as opposed to be second string. The first recipe is crispy potato tacos, made with chunks of any kind of potato cut into one and a half sized pieces, They're cooked and then roughly mashed with cheddar cheese (you could sub in Montery Jack for some bite)cilantro, garlic and cumin. The spicy red salsa can be made with fresh or canned tomatoes. It's mixing them with red onions, Serrano chiles.garlic cumin and oregano. A pinch of sugar is added to this as it's placed into a food processor and pureed.It's then poured into a saucepan with vegetable broth and cooked for fifteen to twenty minutes.It'll turn dark and become slightly thickened. Serve it over the warm tortillas for more flavor. Add sliced avocadoes if you want.

The other recipes also from Ms. McKinnon;s cookbook Tenderheart is a tasty soy butter corn ramen and salt and vinegar kale chips with fried chickpeas and avocado. The ramen is a nod to pasta dishes, fusing Japeanese and Italian cooking traditions. This is made with four ears of fresh corn, now in season. strip the cobs of th e kernal and add these to boiling water. Cook until the smell of corn permeates the kitchen. Noodle blocks are then added to this, being boiled until the pasta is loosened up for about two to two and half minutes. Drain and add the soy sauce, corn and butter.Tosss for a few minutes  and then sprinkled some chopped scallions on top. There is the fun kale chips. The kale is tossed with olive oil, either red wine or apple cider vinegar and garlic.The leaves are spread on two sheet pans and roasted for twenty-five to thirty minutes at 275 degrees Farenheit. After remove from the oven and season with salt. The olive oil should be fried in about three to four tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Reuce the heat a bit of the chickpeas pop and bounce out of the skillet. Take them out of the skillet with a slotted spoon,  and drain on paper towels. season the peas with cayenne and  paprika. Add salt and pepper if you like. You can add a  fried egg and sliced avocado if you want. This makes for a nice brunch bit also for a good appetizer  at a barbecue,.

The pantry can yield up all sorts of canned ingredients. Use these treasures to create a tasty vegetarian dinner or even a brunch dish. They three great recipes for bringing more veggies into the diet

Fueling Those Concerts

 Everyone has to eat and that includes rock stars. They have to be fed while on tour and a quick meal from a nearby eatery isnt going to do it.They need an army of chefs and their staff to provide them with ther favorite foods, It makes touring that much easier,

Multi media journalist and first time contributor Soo Yuon wrote abote this in today''s New York Times Food section. Just like an army that marches on its' stomach a singer and his or her entourage which include roadies and technicians also runs on their stomach as well. Being an on the road chef is challenging but interesting. The production demands are significant . The standard for a sizable tour is four meals on set up and show days. There's breakfast, lunch and dinner along with an after dinner meal usually eaten on a tour bus.Not only does the star have to be well fed  but also the back up singers and dancers, stage builders, the pyrotechnics crew and security guards. Also included are the managers and bus drivers, along with whoever else is involved in the concert. Usually these chefs and their staffs cook in the arenas' vast kitchens but sometimes kitchens have to be assembled.These custom based ones have to have shelves and cabinets built along with ovens..These have to be packed and repacked in specialized flight cases that are assembled and reassembled in each city visited. Sometimes they're  assmebled in parking lots too.

Then there is the problem of picky perfomers. Lizzo is a  vegetarian. Her recent show at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert , California had a juicing station with a blender ready basket of vegetables. There were also corn dogs and Southern fried chicken for the carnivores - namely the roadies - on her tour. She also had plant based Impossible sliders, couscous , squash  ,carrots and cookies. Stars  are not as bad as they were in the past. The band Van Halen had put a ban on brown M&M's in their candy dishes. Gene Simmons of the classic band KISS always wanted a turkey sandwich  with lettuce, pickles and tomatoes on the side. yet he only ate the sandwuch and nothing more. Marilyn Manson demanded that  boxes of Kraft's baked mac and cheese be shipped to england when he was touring there. Kraft does produce it in the UK but the taste is different. Beyonce does her own pastry chef Grant Byrd who bakes her favored cookie, a kind of chocolate chip with Belgian milk chooclate and chopped Reeses peanut cups folded in. One thing that all chefs have to watch - food poisoning. A sick star can cost an arena millions of dollars in cancellations. The food always has to be fresh

A full stomach and good food make a star shine brighter. These chefs and their staff work just as hard as these celebrtities to make a tour stand out. They are just as inportant as any musician.

A Chef's Kiss

 What happens when a restaurant loses a master chef? It continues as best it can. The recipes carry on despite  them not being as good as the original.

I feel that way with my Mom whose birthday is today. She would have been 101  - a great age.Her years with us were  very  great learning periods.Her imprint is felt in our cooking  and baking today. She was always a big one for mixing olive oil and butter to temper the oil. It's almost a knee jerk reaction to add a knob or two of Melt plant butter (what would she have thougth of that - maybe she would have liked it). Combining the two also gives sauteed and fried dishes a better flavor along with some body. Mom also cooked rice in vegetable broth which makes for a perfect quick lunch or weekend supper, but also a good base for ratatouille.Her risotto was amazing too and her patieince in creating this tempermental dish was also nothing short of amazing either. Both it and her other signature dish polenta (which she grew up on thanks to my Piedmontese grandmother) require constant stirring. That takes a  great amount of patience especially during warm weather. Yet the end result is worth it as she always proclaimed.

My Mom also passed down her love of culinary travel and boldness in making dishes from other cuisines. We were the first family on the block to have tacos for dinner. She was the first to have a wok.One of her all time favorite dishes , the Szechuan ants climbing a tree is still made. It's what connects me to her. I've tweaked it and made it vegan , using plant based beef crumbles instead of the real thing.Her culinary sense of adventure made me try Ethiopian lentil and tomato stew with Berbere spices.I try to step put of the box as I test out new recipes or vegan versions of traditional ones. Would she have like the fact that everyone uses the internet instead of traditional cookbooks nowadays? That's a good question. It is easy to get any kind of recipe yet there is something about reading a cookbook cover to cover. You do learn about the recipes better instead of a quick glance before combining ingredients. She loved to pore over the glossy photographs and imagine that's what her rendition would look like. There's also something about a cookbook with stained pages and tweaks pencilled written in.

It's hard when a master chef leaves. Yet the restaurant goes on. The food may not be the same but the love and sense of love for food still exists.

The Local Cuisine

 One of the biggest question any vacationer has is where do the locals eat  and even shop for food? It's impoirtant to go to decent eateries and shops where you know you'll get good food. However where do you begin? The locals.

Check out the your destination for all sorts of a good places to eat and drink. what helps is Googling the town or city and then typing in the best restaurants. Forget their websites . TRy the Yelp and even Facebook fan pages. Diners are brutally honest on these. Yelp reviewers even post pictures of their favorite dishes and desserts too. what happens if the dish is too expensive? Go for the eatery's cheaper dishes. They're probably just as good as what's posted.what if it's a big city like Paris or New York? Again Yelp reviews help but also restaurant guides and with New York , The New York Times always has excellent and pretty honest reviews. Check out reviewers' Sam Sifton and Pete Wells along with Ligaya Mishan. All three also cover the boroughs too and sometimes restaurants, on Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut. Another way is ask the locals themselves. Don t be afraid to quiz at the gas station or even at the local drugstore. If it's a small town like a Jersey shore one, you'll get a whole slew of answers just by standing on line.

This also applies ot local farmers markets and grocery stores. Many are heading to shore towns, like in New Jersey. Most motel rooms have kitchenettes where you can cook a quick meal. You'll also need dishwashing soap and if you haven't packed them, shampoo and sunscreen too. Local groceries stock these too. How do you know of the local grocery store is a good one? Check out the parking lot. If it's relatively full then you kniow its a popular store. Again some grocery stores will have their deli sections reviewed  and list what it good to buy. Also local groceries usually get their produce from nearby farms so you know the fruits and veggies you;re buying are going to be tasty and fresh. Locals also buy from these farms too so check them out. They may also have great sovenirs and gifts, like homemade jam or honey along with homemad e ice cream and ices. Rememember to check out the local fish stores too if you want to make lobster or filets.

Alsways trust the locals when you go on vacation. They have the best advice when it comes to where to eat and shop. Heed them for a better holiday experience.