Midori Tropical Garden

INGREDIENTS

• 1 part Midori® Melon Liqueur
  
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 part vodka
• 3 tbsp pomegranate
• ¾ part fresh pineapple juice

METHOD

Muddle the pomegranate kernels and rosemary well, then shake with ice and remaining ingredients. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a rosemary sprig.

From: http://www.midori-world.com/recipes/midori-tropical-garden.html

Notes:

It was very good. Only Used:

1.5 parts vodka

0.5 parts midori

Very small sprig (1 inch) rosemary

Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff

Prep Time: 10 minutes 

Cook Time: 25 minutes 

Servings: 4

To make beef stroganoff, use 1 lb. cooked leftover steak, such as beef sirloin or tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes. Add to the sauce along with the broth.

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 lb. mixed fresh mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster and cremini, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 lb. wide egg noodles or pappardelle

Directions:

Make the sauce
In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the shallot and sauté until lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they have softened and released most of their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir to incorporate. Stir in the wine and broth and cook until most of the alcohol has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the sour cream and the 2 Tbs. parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 Tbs. salt and the pasta to the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to combine. Warm briefly over low heat to blend the flavors. Add as much of the cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce, garnish with parsley and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, One Pot, by Carrolyn Carreño (Oxmoor House, 2008).

From: https://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/creamy-mushroom-stroganoff.html

Cranberry Gin Cocktail

A deliciously refreshing cocktail featuring gin and cranberry juice!

PREP TIME 5 minutes  SERVINGS  drink INGREDIENTS 1 measure Gin (2 if you like) 150 ml Cranberry Juice 10 ml Lemon Juice Ice Cubes Fresh Cranberries Mint Leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill a tumbler glass with ice cubes and add the gin and lemon juice. Top with the cranberry juice and stir. Taste and adjust the quantities how you'd like.
2. Garnish with a few cranberries and mint leaves.

From: http://laurencariscooks.com/cranberry-gin-cocktail/

Red and white cosmo cocktail

Ingredients

3 tbsp 

vodka

3 tbsp 

white cranberry juice

1 tbsp 

Cointreau orange liqueur

1 

lemon wedge

1 tbsp 

Chambord berry liqueur

3 

frozen cranberries

Instructions

• COMBINE vodka with white cranberry juice, Cointreau and a squeeze of lemon in a cocktail shaker. Add a handful of ice and shake for 10 sec. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Slowly pour Chambord down the edge into the bottom of a glass. Garnish with frozen cranberries.

Green Beans Gremolata

SERVES 4 TO 6

LEVEL: BEGINNER

• 1 pound French green beans, trimmed
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 2½ tablespoons good olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans and blanch them for 2 to 3 minutes, until tender but still crisp. Drain the beans in a colander and immediately put them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and preserve their bright green color.

For the gremolata, toss the garlic, lemon zest, parsley, Parmesan, and pine nuts in a small bowl and set aside.

When ready to serve, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Drain the beans and pat them dry. Add the beans to the pan and sauté, turning frequently, for 2 minutes, until coated with olive oil and heated through. Off the heat, add the gremolata and toss well. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and serve hot.

From: https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/green-beans-gremolata

ROAST PORK LOIN WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY

YIELD

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

1. • 4 large garlic cloves, pressed
   • 4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
   • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
   • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
   • 1 2 1/2-pound boneless pork loin roast, well trimmed
   • Fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)

PREPARATION

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 13 x 9 x 2-inch roasting pan with foil. Mix first 4 ingredients in bowl. Rub garlic mixture all over pork. Place pork, fat side down, in prepared roasting pan. Roast pork 30 minutes. Turn roast fat side up. Roast until thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 155°F., about 25 minutes longer. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.
   2. Pour any juices from roasting pan into small saucepan; set over low heat to keep warm. Cut pork crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange pork slices on platter. Pour pan juices over. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.

Per serving: calories, 200; total fat, 7 g; saturated fat, 2 g; cholesterol, 100 mg.

Nutritional analysis provided by Bon Appétit

See Nutrition Data's analysis of this recipe ›

From: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/roast-pork-loin-with-garlic-and-rosemary-101684

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH GINGER

YIELD

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

1. • 2 butternut squash (about 4 3/4 pounds total), halved lengthwise, seeded
2. • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
   • 2 cups thinly sliced onion
   • 1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
   • 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
   • 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
   • 1/2 cinnamon stick
   • 5 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
3. • Chopped fresh parsley

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Oil baking sheet. Place squash, cut side down, on baking sheet. Bake until squash is very soft, about 50 minutes. Using paring knife, remove peel from squash; discard peel. Cut squash into 2-inch pieces. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Mix in onion, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and cinnamon. Cover pot and cook until onion is tender, about 15 minutes. Add squash and 5 cups chicken broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Discard cinnamon.
2. Working in batches, purée soup in blender. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate.) Return soup to pot. Season soup with salt and pepper. Bring to simmer, thinning soup with more broth if necessary. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
2. From: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/butternut-squash-soup-with-ginger-15572

Honey Lavender Creme Brule

Makes 5-6 Servings

(recipe from the girl & the fig cookbook, by Sandra Bernstein)

• 2 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried lavender, plus more for garnish
• 8 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus about 4 tablespoons sugar for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons wildflower honey

Place the cream and milk in a saucepan and add the lavender. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Let the lavender steep for about 15 minutes or until the milk has a lavender flavor. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks, the 1/2 cup sugar, and the honey in a separate bowl until smooth. Whisk into the lavender-cream mixture. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and skim off any foam. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F. Pour the mixture into 6 ramekins (I filled up 5). Set the ramekins in a baking pan and add enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the baking pan with foil and place in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes or until set. (Test for done-ness by jiggling the ramekins.) Remove the baking pan from the oven and allow the ramekins to cool in the water bath for 5 minutes. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

Before serving, sprinkle the tops with a thin layer of sugar and caramelize with a small torch or under a broiler set on high. Garnish each crème brûlée with lavender blossoms.

from: http://www.shutterbean.com/2011/honey-lavender-creme-brulee/

French Food Truck in Boulder Area

http://thetwisttruck.com

Denver Restaurants with Michelin potential

https://devouringdenverdotcom.wordpress.com/2013/07/19/reader-mail-what-colorado-restaurants-would-get-michelin-stars/

New York Michelin Restaurants

Le Bernardine
https://www.le-bernardin.com

Le Cirque

Jean-Georges

Daniel

Cuts of Pork

http://www.meatmadesimple.com/blog/cutting-a-boneless-pork-loin

https://cimeatbook.com/pork-cuts-a-visual-guide/

Instant Pot Cooking Times & Adjustments

WHAT                ITEM:WATER     COOK TIME    RELEASE TIME       RESULTS

Rice Quinoa Blend     1:1                15                                 10                      Crunchy

Rice Quinoa Blend     added extra liquid and extra 5 minutes with quick release - still a bit crunchy
Steel Cut Oats           1:2                    19                     Natural (40)       chewy and  few almost crunchy
Spaghetti Squash                                4                       Quick Release   crunchy (put in for 2 more min)
Baked Ham                1:.5                   20                  Natural (10)         1st time did 10 min, not hot
Brown Rice                1:1.5               26                   Natural (10)        With only 1.25 water was a bit hard
Artichoke (medium)                           10                    Natural (5)      Leaf bit soft, heart almost crunchy (tried 9 minutes and that didn't work either. Next time add water to cover artichoke heart, 9 minutes and quick release. Also add salt the water)

Mushroom Venison Roast

Serves: 8
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5-8 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 (10 ¾-ounce) cans homemade cream of mushroom soup
• 5 tablespoons homemade dry onion soup mix
• 2 cups homemade beef broth
• 1 tablespoon homemade garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons homemade onion powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 3- to 4-pound venison roast

Directions:

1. Spray a large slow cooker with vegetable oil. Add the cream soup, onion soup mix, beef broth, garlic powder, onion powder and parsley together; whisking until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold in the mushrooms.

2. Place the venison roast into the slow cooker and spoon some of the mixture over the roast. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours (8 hours on low). If the roast is frozen, cook on high for 8 to 10 hours; or until meat falls apart. If you don't have a slow cooker, just bake the roast at 275 degrees for 4 to 5 hours or until tender.

3. Serve over buttered noodles, cooked rice, mashed potatoes or bread slices.

From: Raschell Rule