Redneck Martini

There’s nothing I love more than returning from a getaway with a recipe to remember it by. 

This weekend fell nothing short of expectations: I learned how to make a new cocktail.

The Redneck Martini may be particularly appealing to those who, like myself, appreciate simpler preparations. Because all you really need to succeed is a whole bunch of beer and a jar of olives. 

Even Simple Jack could pull it off. 

(Ok, I don’t mean to offend anybody. I also imagine it being served at an occasion like this.)

But the point is – with a cute glass and a speared olive atop, cold beer on a hot day gets a touch of class. And every time I sip a Redneck Martini, I will remember fondly the weekends spent laughing, eating, and getting dirty at Tombs Creek Ranch. 

What are your favorite simple warm-weather cocktails?

My favorite summer sandwich

If you consider the fact that I had the very same sandwich for lunch three days in a row this week, it might be safe to say I'm in love with it.

I've always had an affinity for the more pungent food flavors. I like espresso in my ice cream, the most bitter dark chocolate I can find, olives, pickled things, cured meats, hard cheese, red wine, balsamic vinegar, and mushrooms... to name a few. I think that's why this sandwich calls to me. It has many of the strong tastes I like, but in perfect balance with one another. 

See, it starts with the smooth, moist, crusty-but-soft ciabatta bread. A drizzle of balsamic vinegarette on the top half makes things interesting. Then, we have layers of delicious salami and provolone cheese – a classic pairing. With a piece of sweet butter lettuce for crunch, the bottom half of the bread is smeared with a succulent olive tapenade – an unexpected but joyful addition. 

That A.G. Ferrari really knows a thing or two about food. If one of these delightful Italian shops resides near you, I highly recommend taking a gander at the sandwich menu sometime.

This is what has satisfied my hunger 'round the one-o-clock hour most days this week. I can't make any promises, but you may just catch me with another one on Monday.

Elliott and I are off to Sonoma County this weekend, where cell phone service is scarce, dirt is in abundance, and good times with friends are plenty. I hope to return, detoxed and tired, with a story or two and a recipe. 

For now, my favorite sandwich of summer.

Quick Ratatouille

The very best thing to do to a summer vegetable is… nothing at all. If you’ve never pulled a carrot straight from the ground, given it a quick rinse with the garden hose, then bit into the crunchy, sweet, orange flesh, my friends… it’s time to plant yourselves some carrots.

My grandmother, Mema, has kept a garden for as long as I’ve been alive. She has a degree in horticulture, for goodness sake. Every morning of every summer since I can remember, she has spent a couple of hours weeding, watering, and planting in her garden. If I happened to get up early one morning when we were visiting, the most amazing treat was to sneak down to the garden with her and have a pre-breakfast snack. 

Perhaps a carrot, still warm from the earth.

For dinner last night, I wanted zucchini – another favorite – minimally prepared. Think olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs. I wanted to roast it slowly, over low heat, with other in-season vegetables. But for lack of time and patience, 350 degrees in the oven for 35 minutes had to do.

“Quick ratatouille” is an oxymoron, so perhaps this isn’t really ratatouille. However, except for eggplant, it has most of your typical ratatouille staples: zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, onion, herbs. If you have the time, I think you should slow roast the vegetables in a saucepan in their own juices. If not, do as I did; which really isn’t anything at all. 

 

How do you like your summer vegetables? 

Mom's Strawberry Shortcake

A slow and easy barbecue was on our agenda for Sunday – I’m finding it easy these days to do everything slow and easy. 

On weekends, for example, I linger over a cup of green tea or coffee for a few extra minutes. I eat a leisurely breakfast, then mosey on down to the nearest trail for exercise. 

 

After a midday social activity, perhaps, and definitely some lunch, I love a good nap. 30 minutes of delirious shut-eye, anywhere at all (even in the car), and I’m ready to eat and drink and talk the night away. 

Slow and easy.

This particular Sunday happened just that way. With perfectly grilled asparagus, German potato salad, and enough grilled Chicken to feed an army, six of us enjoyed a cool, candle-lit evening on my mom’s back porch. And let us not forget the jammy red wine from Paso Robles that kept us well hydrated. 

 

For dessert was Mom’s strawberry shortcake. Earlier that day, Elliott tried to tell us he didn’t much care for strawberry shortcake. We assured him it was because he hadn’t yet tried the real deal – strawberry shortcake made with the best biscuits on this side of California (said with a completely out-of-context Southern accent, of course). 

Forget soggy sponge cake! Our recipe for strawberry shortcake comes from the family cookbook – from my mother’s mother’s mother, to be exact. With juicy strawberries from your nearest farm, freshly whipped cream, and a flaky biscuit, you just can’t do strawberry shortcake wrong.

Happily, this is the only iPhone picture you get out of me today.

It’s easy: just take your favorite biscuit recipe and add a bit of freshly-grated nutmeg. It sounds like a simple addition, but it makes the biggest difference. Then toss a few cups of halved strawberries with sugar and lemon juice, allow to macerate for an hour in the fridge, whip up some cream until stiff peaks form, then… You know the rest. Assemble and devour to your heart’s content. 

I hope your summer is just as slow and easy as mine.

Toast for Lunch

Every so often these days, in the midst of some fun outdoor activity, I remember the fact that I won’t be going back to school in August – and I get SO excited. 

I’ve been working this summer, but the nature of the work means all I need to succeed is a wifi connection and my laptop. And despite the fact that I am working, the absence of class and homework makes me feel indefinitely on vacation. In an average week, I gravitate between Peet’s, Philz, Starbucks, and home, never staying in one place for too long, but always well-caffeinated. 

I eat lunch at home, usually. It’s inexpensive and never rushed. A super light and budget-friendly meal I’ve been making is an open-face sandwich… Because it feels more sophisticated than the usual deli fare, and due to the more delicate composition, takes longer to eat. 

This particular version has a schmear of ricotta cheese, a soy sauce + lime + avocado mash from Pinterest, thinly sliced red onion, and black pepper. A balanced and not-too-filling midday bite. 

Do you eat toast for lunch? What are your favorite combinations?