Two Simple Summer Salads

Now that's it's June, it's time to start think simple but delicious. That comes in the form of salads. I created two spins on the classic cole slaw while the other is a take on three bean salad. They're easy and a delicious addition to any picnic or even indoor lunch or dinner.

Oriental Cole Slaw

One pound red cabbage slaw (you can use regular slaw but it won't have the zingy color )
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic minced
2 heaping tablespoons freshly grated ginger
Scallions - optional.

Wash the cabbage and put into a big bowl -preferably metal( this keeps the salad chilled longer when brought it outside).Finely mince garlic . Grate about two heaping tablespoons of fresh ginger with a microhasp  (most grocery and gourmet stores sell them). Add the garlic and ginger  to the olive oil and soy sauce.. Stir until well blended and pour over the cabbage. Toss until the slaw is well coated. You can toss in fresh chopped scallions for bite and color.
This is a great salad with burgers or ribs.

Three Bean Salad Revised

1 15.5. can kidney beans
1 15.5 oz. can chickpeas
1 15.5 oz. cannallini beans
1 1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons onion powder.

Place beans in a chilled metal bowl.

Remember to reserve the chickpea and cannallini aquafaba or bean water for meringues.

Add the olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle onion powder over the beans and mix. You can season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper if you want. Chill until serving.

Again this is great with burgers or even better with barbecued chicken.

These are two of my favorite salads, both to make and to eat. Enjoy them. They're a great addition to any barbecue or picnic.

The Perfect Chai Wissotzki Tea

The temperatures may be in the eighties but it's still good weather for a hot cup if tea. One of the most flavorful is chai and Wissotzki Tea has a wide variety to try. The variety of flavors are the perfect sip on a summer's night,

Wissotzki Tea is one of the oldest tea companies in the world starting in 1849 by Russian Jew, Zeev Kalonymus Wissotzki and was one of the first international companies , having branches in Germany, France, New York and Canada. The founder was also responsible for the Hovevei Zion , a response to the dreadful pogroms happening in Russia at the time. The company is still family owned and has a wide variety of delicious teas.They sell everything from black tea to chais and infusions. Their chais are the best, although they're usually served with a milk of some sort, mine are not. I don't like milk in any tea and would prefer it without.

                                   There are four flavors, Spiced Nana Mint Chai,Pumpkin Spiced Chai, Salted
                          Caramel Chai and Ginger and Turmeric .

I am a big fan of anything mint and love their Nana mint that's also loaded with cinnamon bark, ginger leaf and clove. Cardamon and black pepper mellow out the spearmint .

The Salted Caramel is a lovely treat, with the added kick of sea salt. It's a nice tea for the evening, especially when sitting outside on a cool night. The ginger and turmeric blend is not only healthy but a great way to start the morning. I love the strong taste of the turmeric, as it blends with the other spices. A nice after dinner chai is the pumpkin pie spice made with  - what else - actual pumpkin pieces. It sounds like the perfect beverage on a chilly fall night but it also works on a humid summer one, especially with a simple dessert.

Wissotzki Teas may be one of the oldest tea companies in the world but their chai line is one of the hippest and most modern. It combines ancient spices with flavor trends to produce a cup of flavor. They're the perfect teas for a warm summer's evening.

Sweet Swamp Honey

Say "swamp" and either alligators or bogs come to mind. Yet honey is also a "swamp thing" and bee keepers are wading through not only marshy land but bad weather conditions to harvest it. Why do they do it?It's a lucrative market for it and aficionados crave it.

Kim Severson,a regular contributor to the New York Times Food section, traveled down to the Georgia and Florida Panhandle swamps for this fascinating article. These dark and murky places yield up a sunny golden honey that is growing in popularity. it comes from bees harvesting the tupelo gum tree that usually grows profusely along the Chipola and Apalachicola Rivers. The tree's blooms are these little  pom-poms of frail, fragile flowers. because of this, Tupelo honey is one of the most expensive honeys out there. The cheapest is eleven dollars a bottle while the most is an eye opening twenty-six. Connoisseurs compare the flavor to first cinnamon and anise with finishing notes of jasmine and something citrusy such as tangerine rind. Eating one spoonful is impossible. Tupelo lovers usually have two or three of the light buttery gold syrup. What can be made with it? Namely biscuits (and it would be interesting to mix it into butter.) You can try it as a glaze for salmon or as an ingredient for dip for shrimp.It could work as part of a salad dressing , thanks to the sweet and tangerine taste.

Tupelo honey has always been considered the champagne of the honey. There are several reasons for this. One  is there's  only a small window of harvesting, namely three weeks. It just ended. It had been a bad one thanks to the trees being damaged back in October by Hurricane Michael, the first hurricane five to hit the US. wooden bee boxes were smashed to smithereens or blown away. Trees were bent , leaves were blown away. Blooms started five months early if they started at all. The land
where they grow is going to get scarce thanks to developers looking into housing. Then there is the battle between Florida and Georgia over water use. When all these factors kick in, the champagne of honeys will likely be the price of Dom Perignon. The Savannah Bee Company sells the stuff for 100 dollars a bottle, namely at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus.Some of the companies, like Lanier run by the third generation cultivate the honey and sell it direct. Others sell it to Brandon Tai who pitches in to help make it. He also produces sourwood honey which has a flavor that hints of gingerbread and caramel. Some of the bees move around, thanks to beekeeper, Frederick Merriam Jr, move them to Maine to pollinate his blueberry crop after the Tupelo harvest season.Still, it will never be as reasonably priced as California based honeys.

Tupelo honey is a gourmet's treat. The harvest has been through a lot but if there are tupelo trees there will always be the treat.The expensive price tag is worth it,

The Perfect Barbecued Brisket

Brisket can be  delicious yet daunting. Many home chefs skip over it , preferring easier cuts to roast. Yet brisket is wonderful barbecued. It's an easy and flavorful cook.

Steven Raichlen, the king of smoking and barbecue wrote an informative article in this week's New York Times Food section. Chef Raichlen, star of the popular PBS show, Project Fire, knows a thing or two about grilling and barbecue. He offers excellent advice along with getting advice from barbecue chefs, well known for their dishes and recipes. A good barbecued brisket starts with a good brisket.  Don't be intimidated by its' size. The cut weighs anywhere from twelve to eighteen pounds and is known as a packer - so called because it's shipped from the packing house. It is probably the biggest cut of meat a home chef can cook.Its' anatomy can be pretty challenging as well.It's two slightly askew muscles connected with by a seam of fat. One muscle is fatty: the other lean. Both are loaded with collagen rich connective tissue that gives the meat its' structure.It requires  low temperature cooking for most of the day for the proper tenderness. Barbecuing it is just the same, but less intimidating.

When you're cooking brisket, Chef Raichlen suggests keeping in mind, not only the meat, but other components as well.it's more of a smoking than actual cooking over the grill. The meat should be prepped with just salt and pepper. This will form the crust or bark and it should be an equal peppery heat and brininess. Some professional chefs use such strange combinations of dill pickle juice and mustard. The next factor is the smoker. Many swear by an electric one but a charcoal one can do the same job for a lot less money. As for the smoke, a fruitwood like cherry will impart a sweet, smoky flavor. There should be lump charcoal mixed in for more heat. Temperature should be 125 F to start with and the cook should end with 325 F. The meat goes through a kind of doldrums cooking period where the internal temperature stalls at 150 F. This is just the liquid evaporating from the brisket. The meat's inside temp will rise to 325 F . There is the wrap phase when the meat hits 125 F where it is either wrapped in butcher paper or aluminum foil. This seals in the brisket's juices while allowing the excess steam to escape. How can you tell when it's done?  Some jiggle it .Some just poke a finger in it. If it sinks into the fat, it's good. Yet don't eat it right away. Wrap it in more butcher paper and stick in a cooler for two hours. Cut it into slices after you trim away the fat.

It's barbecue season. It's a good time to barbecue a brisket and enjoy it.  This robust cut is well worth the elaborate cooking method.

Barbecue Leftovers Now What

All those Memorial Day barbecues  lead to one thing - leftovers. if you're lucky the guests ate everything or brought home containers of salads and sides. They even may have taken home dessert for a late night snack. Yet what happens when none of that happens? What do you do with the barbecue leftovers?

Luckily extra burgers and dogs can be stored in the freezer or fridge and turned into a quick lunch or dinner. To jazz them up a bit, add bacon and cheddar to the hamburgers for a flavorful meal. As for the hot dogs.think chili or even salsa. Cheese dogs are a nice change up from plain ones and the kids won't complain about another hot dog meal.Split the dogs, add shredded cheddar and wrap with bacon for a totally decadent meal. You could also slice them and add them into a veggie or potato soup. Leftover steak? If it's cooked then slice and cut into bite size bits for salad. Add in ripe red Roma tomatoes and onions  dressed in a simple red wine vinaigrette. Barbecued chicken is good cold and can be repurposed as a no cook dinner with any left over salads and sides. The next question is what to do with the sides? Surprisingly potato salad can be roasted to produce crispy already seasoned chunks, Just rinse off any extra mayo - they'll need some for roasting and then pop them into a cast iron pan and roast at 425 degrees Farenheit. If you have any leftover veggies then , think tempura. Green beans and tomatoes dipped in batter and air fried  is a nice snack for movie night.

Sometimes there's extra dessert. Hard to believe but true.Barbecues always have fruit as the last course. Sometimes you overbuy , or guests bring fruit platters. If you have a lot of watermelon in the fridge , then think healthy slushie. It's a simple mix of crushing ice cubes in a blender, then adding watermelon cubes and just a drop of honey. It's a refreshing repurposing  and perfect on a hot day. You can do the same with any leftover cantaloupe too. Add a tablespoon or two of almond milk to make it creamy. Add a shot of vodka or gin for some zing.If there are any grapes left over, freeze them. They're great  as frozen bonbons and a nice icy hit when the temps rise. Sometimes you buy a lot as I did with the coconut milk based ice creams.I went out and bought waffle bowls along with Smucker's hot fudge sauce for sundaes. Add the coconut milk Reddi-Whip and all those scoops make for a fun treat.As for those famed chocolate wafers , they're just good on their own as a nice lunchtime dessert or afternoon snack. Of course they can be crushed and used as a sundae or cone topping.

Don't freak out at those Memorial Day leftovers. They can be recooked and repurposed into tasty new dishes and treats. They'll even be better a second time around.

A Memorial Day Treat

It's Memorial Day and there were tons of barbecues throughout the US today.Hopefully they all ended with a homemade ice cream cake.

                              This was mine strawberry and vanilla coconut milk ice cream with
                               chocolate wafer layers.

                                          This was before. As usual I accidentally refrigerated the hard shell  .

Despite the no hard shell it was a big hit with very little left over.

It's a nice treat.

Good food and goodies aside, think about inviting veterans , old and young to your next cookout. We always should remember our slain warriors but it's also the living we need to exalt as well. Invite them to your next cookout. Make them their favorite foods and celebrate their bravery and courage.

My Ice Cream Loaf Cake

My first barbecue in a long time is tomorrow and I want to make everything special. I would like to have the Gardein burgers cooked over cherry wood chips, I am making an Asian vibe coleslaw with soy sauce and fresh ginger. Then there's dessert. A homemade ice cream loaf seems like an easy
thing. I bought the silicone loaf plan and the soy ice cream below

As you can see I overdid it. Again.I bought two containers each of strawberry , chocolate and vanilla. In my mind I thought the loaf pan was big.

                      It's not. It was ten inches long and five inches wide (with a three inch  height). This is Elbee's bread loaf pan that I bought  on Amazon . I could use it for bread in the future but for the summer, I will definitely be using it for ice cream loafs.

These are those famed dark chocolate wafers that are crumbled for the cake layers. I only really needed just one box (but the other is good for snacking)

                                  They were crumbled into coarse crumbs, using my ever faithful food processor.

                                         Then to create a kind of batter, I used two tablespoons of melted (in the                                        microwave) I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.Mix well with a spoon.

Then start layering.

I used the Soy Delicious strawberry and vanilla to create a Neopolitan vibe.

This is now ready for the freezer where it will spend the night. It will be unmolded and covered with Hershey's Hard shell and Reddi-Whip 's Coconut whipped cream.

 In the meantime I have chocolate wafers to munch and a menu to contemplate. Now let's hope the cake turns out well. I may have another Easter lamb success on my hands.😄