There's A Rock In My Drink!

People are going to be demanding cooled off libations now that warm weather is around the corner.The problem is that ice is not the best thing to put into any drink.It melts.It dilutes the drink ruining the taste and strength. What to do? Sink a few rocks into that glass.

Rocks  are surprisingly the latest trend to keep drinks, especially one like whiskey well chilled. This was the subject of an article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. The article , written by Catherine Saint Louis, tells of how using soapstone cubes and circles can ice a drink better than any ice cube could. After all soapstone doesn't melt which means that the whiskey's integrity isn't ruined.This actually would be great for any beverage , alcoholic or non , especially ice tea or lemonade.They also don't have any flavor that can ruin the taste.

Whisky cubes as they're called has been a blessing surprisingly for kitchen remodelers. Soapstone is a popular medium for kitchen and even bathroom countertops. Unfortunately the economy is not what it was and people are forgoing redoing their kitchens. Luckily the stone can be carved down into cubesnad discs and sold  for drinks. Many remodelers are cashing in on this and making more money doing such, Jesse Billin, once a successful one is making more money with his Hammerstones Whisky Discs. Another soapstone cube manufacturer,Justin English of Sparq Homes has even discovered a second use for these clever substitutes. They can be heated to heat up lukewarm coffee or luke warm tea. These novelties are catching on and are being gobbled up for groomsmens; or corporate gifts as well as for that hard to buy for dad, stepdad or boyfriend

Putting rocks in a drink. It sounds preposterous  but it works, Adding a few  soapstone discs or cubes actually is a good idea. They maintain the drink's integrity while keeping it icy cold.

Soup And A Salad

Spring time brings about light meals and what better than a soup and a salad? The two columns in today's New York Times Dining section do that just that. They offer a spin on the Italian classic straticiella along with a juicy , citrus infused salad. Both are perfect on their own or even paired together for an interesting lunch or even brunch.

The first recipe comes thanks to David Tanis ' City Kitchen . He creates a  spin on the Roman egg drop soup straticiella. It;s usually made with spinach but Mr. Tanis decides to switch from the green to Parmesan cheese. He also adds parsley and nutmeg for more richness and flavor. He takes it from Mona Talbott who wrote Zuppe, a compilation of Italian soup recipes. She also ran The American Academy in Rome. She highlights some other good recipes such as potato and wild chard and a summer zucchini potage. However thanks to this being the season of eggs, straticella is an excellent way to use them. it's ;s also the perfect light Spring soup .

What would go well a light Spring soup? A light , fresh salad  . That's where Melissa Clark's A Good Appetite .  comes in. She takes grapefruit,a fruit not usually associated with salads and makes it part of a date laced radicchio blend,  She also adds in pistachio nuts for crunch and color. It creates a melange of sweet and tart, along with salty and earthy, The dressing is the remaining grapefruit juice mixed with olive oil and sea salt.This would be perfect with the straticiella however it also stands great on its' own.The grapefruit date salad would also look right in place at a Sunday brunch with delicate mini muffins  as well.

Soup and a salad is the perfect Spring lunch or brunch. Try either of these recipes. They both reflect the season with their refreshing tastes of egg and grapefruit. Both are a welcoming in to a season of airy cooking and meals..

Recycling And RevampingThose Easter Sweets Part Two

What happens when you have more leftover chocolate eggs and Peeps than you know what to do with? What about those holiday breads and cakes? There are some great ways to remake Easter treats into fantastic everyday desserts.It's easy and a fun way to make the holiday last.

A lot of us  overbuy when it comes to Easter treats. Let's face it, who can resist those cute milk and dark chocolate bunnies along with those bags of chocolate eggs. The problem is that they're always too cute and we have leftovers. We  can eat them til June or July or melt them into fun fondues or used as dips for cookies.Another neat idea is chopping them into bits and whisking them into any ice cream, especially vanilla or chocolate for a variation of straticiella, the Italian chocolate chip ice cream. They can also be put into pudding as well.You can do the same with jelly beans and vanilla ice cream too for a fun confetti colored snack.Peeps can be made as part of a marshmallow sundae or even  - horrors roasted - like any other marshmallow. Kids will love making their own "rotisserie" over the grill or stoved.

For all those leftover Easter breads there is two ways to go. They can be sliced and made into a sweet French toast or better yet a sweet and tasty bread pudding.For the French toast, think about serving the slices with a tart creme fraiche and fresh berries to cut the sweetness For the last you can also add any of the  leftover holiday brunch muffins too. You won't need any extra sugar spice or raisin because these already have sugar in them. Serve with fresh cream. .What about the remains of those bunny and egg cakes? Slice thinly and put a huge scoop of your favorite ice cream or sherbet on top.

Leftover Easter treats need not get stale. They cna be recycled into tasty and fun desserts everyone will like. It's a way of prolonging the holiday .It's also a way of enjoying the candy while it's still fresh.

Easter Leftovers Holiday Recycling Part One

Now that the holiday weekend is over, there are the holiday leftovers to deal with. WHat to do with the leftover ham and lamb? All those pretty eggs? Recycle them into new and tasty  dishes that empty the fridge and keep the family fed for a few days. It's also a nice way to prolong Easter and keep the holiday spirit.

Ham is one of the easiest meats to recycle. It can be ground in a food processor with some mayonnaise and celery seeds for a yummy deviled ham.This can be spread onto whole wheat bread for lunch or even a Spring picnic. It can also be chunked and mixed in with chili for a more richer and earthier flavor. Save the bone for flavoring split pea soup.Lamb can be made into everything from meat balls to meat loaf.An exotic dish is making a spicy version of the meatballs, using coriander, onion and mint with a mint laced yogurt sauce. Another is a lamb loaf, a variation on  meat loaf, using chili powder, fenugreek and cumin.

What to do with those dozen or two dozen eggs you dyed on Saturday? Hard boiled eggs can be used in a whole slew of ways..They can add color to a regular salad, thanks to the dye seeping through the shell and into the whites. Add them to a Spring spinach salad with some crumbled bacon bits or to a lush salad Nicoise , redolent with tuna and olives. They can also be sliced and served  with a butter sauce.over the vegetable of the season - asparagus.Of course hard boiled eggs are their best in a tarragon laced egg salad. As for the asparagus itself, leftover stalks can be cut up and mixed in with salads. Other veggies such as spinach and celery can be cut and put into soups or even omelets and quiches.

Easter leftovers needn't be challenging.There's so many ways to recycle them. They can into interesting dishes that still have the flavor of Easter but with something more. Good dishes that celebrate the Spring season!

A Happy Healthy Easter

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and may all of my readers worldwide enjoy the day with happy feasting and healthy eating. Remember to eat well with the vegetAble of the season asparagus along with new potatoes and Spring greens. Yes, it is fun to snitch a chocolate egg or two or even a marshmallow Peep, but leave it at that. Go easy on all the fun foods. Eat healthy . Eat wisely or that sugar high from too much candy will leave you hopping like a hyped up bunny!

Good Friday Observances

Today is Good Friday , a day of observing the holiest and most somber of the Christian calendar days. During this time we should think o others less fortunate and remember that they struggle to put food on the table. even though we are heading towards warmer weather church food pantries still need to be stocked. help fill them up with the fruits and vegetables of the upcoming season. As you go to your local farm or farmers market buy not only for your family but for one extra as well. Shop healthy not only for yourself but for others as well!

Relish This

Relish has been overlooked for so long not many people know about it.It doesn't have the pizzazz of its fellow condiments mustard and ketchup.However that's all changing.Soon it may be just the thing for hot dogs and hamburgers This was the subject of an article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.The piece ,written by Steve Kurutz,tells about the rebirth of this much overlooked condiment. Relish is basically misshapen cucumbers that were too ugly to make it to pickles.They are chopped up and put into a vinegary brine and the fermented into relish.Unfortunately it is not that popular(except in England where it is loved and cherished).Most stores usually put relish on the bottom shelves. Relish is coming into it's own. Relish is becoming artisanal thanks to companies like McClure's Pickles where it's more of a salad.It has a fresh ,vinegary flavor as opposed to the usual sweetness associated with relishes.NewYork's famed Shake Shack chain makes a corn relish as well as one with dill.There are now relishes made with cranv Berries and red peppers.There is also a chow chow style one that has a tomato based one full of onions,cabbages, celery and bell peppers This would be good not only with the usual hot dogs and hamburgers but grilled chicken or steak. Relish may not have the oomph of mustard and ketchup.However that may all change.It may be the go to topping for everything from chicken kabobs to hamburgers and hot dogs. It will be the right accompaniment to anything ,given the chance