Greyhound Jellies

I might be a little obsessed with the cocktail jellies. This one is so, so, seriously good. The technique is exactly the same as the Manhattan Drops but I replaced the whiskey, vermouth and bitters with 1 & 1/2 cups fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, 3/4 cup of expensive vodka and a pinch of salt. Also instead of individual molds I used a 9x13 pyrex baking dish and unmolded the whole thing out on a cutting board before hacking it into squares and half-moons.

Greyhound Jellies



There's gotta be a better name for these!

Initially I garnished them with a bit of candied peel, but then I went all Alinea @ the Double Wide (apologies to Mr. Achatz, and Carol, and well, everyone) and busted out the coffee grinder. I had decided to grind some of the peel and for some reason it seemed like a good idea to throw in a few cardamom seeds and sprinkle a little bit of this magic dust on top of my pretty little jellies.



Know what? It totally worked. The peel adds this intense grapefruit POP right at the beginning and the cardamom adds just a little spicy warmth and the next thing you know you're saying "wow, that was -really- good!". Or at least that's what I said.

Next up the Lemon Drop Drops - for realz this time.

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Wrap it up, I'll take it.

1. turkey wrap with Peppadew goat cheese spread
2. broccoli slaw in a lettuce cup
3. mango

Look! A healthy lunch! Please note the whole wheat tortilla and extraneous use of green leafy stuff. And those tomato wedges surely deserve a special mention. By my (probably faulty) calculations that's about 79 cents worth of local grown tomato. Totally worth it.

Speaking of totally ... enter my Totally Random Giveaway to win a Hello Kitty sandwich box.

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Totally Random Giveaway

I was gifted with a huge bag of grapefruit today and all I can think about is making Greyhound Jellies. It's a sickness I tell ya. A sickness.

Since I can't really mail anyone a Jello shot thought I'd offer this instead.




Want a pearly pink Hello Kitty sandwich box? Of course you do.

Just leave me a comment and you're in it to win it.

Be my Twitter friend and you're in it twice!

Winner will be selected @ random Sunday night say around 8 pm.

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Manhattan Drops

Just when you think it's gonna be a long, hot summer... and then you don't care.

Courtesy of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario by way of Jumbo Empanadas.

Manhattan Drops

1 big jar of maraschino cherries with stems (buy an extra to cut down on the whining when the kids realize you aren't making them a snack)
1 cup simple syrup (mix 1 cup of sugar with one cup of water, bring to a boil and cool)
3 packs unflavored gelatin (these are the little envelopes of Knox that come in a box. Hint - get the box of 32, it's way cheaper than the box of 4)
1 1/2 cups whiskey (I used Canadian Club because it was on sale)
3/4 cup sweet vermouth (I used Gallo 'cause that's all they had)
3 shakes of Angostura Bitters (This stuff is freakin' expensive but I'm really glad I bought it. Even though you just use a smidge it's this flavor that makes a Manhattan taste like a Manhattan. It's a teeny little bottle but I'm guessing it will last forever and will become part of my estate.)

1. Drain cherries well and blot on paper towels. Use LOTS of paper towels because they will soak through and stain your counters pink. You've been warned. Meanwhile, pour the simple syrup into a small saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin on top and stir to combine. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 2 minutes. You can tell when it's soft because all the white bits will be clear. Place this mixture over low heat and stir, gently splashing around the sides of the pan until all of the gelatin has dissolved. Do not boil. This shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes.

2. Combine whiskey, vermouth and bitters in a bowl. Stir in gelatin mixture. Stir slowly for 1 minute.

3. Arrange cherries, stems pointing up, in your molds. I used little plastic condiment cups and I'm kicking myself for not saving them. Divide alcohol mixture evenly between molds. I used a spouted measuring cup to pour. Yes, it was tedious. Transfer to refrigerator for 45 minutes or until softly set. Straighten any slanted stems. (I totally skipped this step) Chill for at least 1 hour longer.

4. To unmold, dip bottoms of the cups briefly in body-temperature water, turn upside down and squeeze/shake the jellies out.

Next up - Lemon Drop Drops. It's gonna be an awesome summer!

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The Ultimate Dog

Faithful readers (hi Mom!) may remember how much I dig the hot dogs. And this dog? It's the ultimate. And no, I didn't lift the picture from This is why you're fat.



1. bacon wrapped wiener on a bolillo with avocado and mayo
2. salsa and beans on the side to add later

Dang-diggity.

Speaking of dogs ... guess where we took Boo Sunday night?

Dog track.

Dogs, liquor, gambling - what's not to love? Good family fun there. Who knew?

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Delicious Cliche

1. salad with beets and goat cheese and glorious beef
2. focaccia
3. olive oil underneath there somewhere
4. chickie full of reduced balsalmic vinegar

About that vinegar reducing business. Do NOT, I repeat DO NOT lean over and inhale deeply mid-reduction. Really.

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Keen on Keema

I may not have mastered the quick & easy Pad Thai but I'm rockin' the fast & fabulous keema. Take THAT you Quorn people!






1. beef keema
2. cucumber raita
3. tangerine slices
4. chocolate

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Not A Quornburger

Some people get surprised by Quorn deliveries packaged in little red coolers with radios on the front of them. Other people get flaming bags of poo left at their front door. Some people might not think there's much difference between the two. They're probably just jealous.



1. hamburger fixin's on an onion roll
2. pea and potato salad
3. sweet, sweet mayonnaise
4. a berry or three

What you can't see is a big fat juicy all-American (and/or Mexican and/or Canadian) beef burger lovingly wrapped in parchment and hidden underneath the rest.

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Pad Thai Fail

I know there's gotta be some way to make a decent pad thai at home that doesn't involve pounding lemon grass or planting a tamarind tree. But thisain't it. And Fresh & Easy? About that frozen shrimp? You're on notice.

Live and learn.

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If I Were You ....

and I saw a whole cryopacked beef tenderloin at the grocery store on sale for 40 bucks, I'd buy it. Then I'd take it home, wrap a kitchen towel around it and carry it around like a baby while incessantly reminding anyone who'd listen that I'd birthed smaller things. Oh. Never mind. That's what I'd do if I saw a whole cryopacked beef tenderloin at the grocery store on sale for 40 bucks.

Then I'd cook it.

And if there were leftovers (and there would be) I'd slice it thin and eat it on dinner rolls with spinach and roasted red peppers and vinaigrette. But I wouldn't call them sliders, cause that irritates Julie.



1. little sandwiches
2. old cake

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Somebody Gimme Some Sugar!

A co-worker said to me, "I've got this big ol' lemon and I'm trying to figure out how to make lemonade."

With a straight face.

She's so cute.

Anyway. Time to crawl back out from under my rock.

I've got a new computer.

Life goes on.




1. salmon
2. rice
3. peas
4. lemon beurre blanc on da side

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