Congealed cocktail

from the 2006(?) edition of Joy of Cooking:

Broth on the Rocks

A salty-sweet refresher with a beautiful tangerine color. Be sure the broth is not too rich in gelatin, or it may congeal. For each serving, combine equal quantities of:
Chicken broth or beef consomme
Tomato juice
Orange juice

Pour over ice cubes and add:
A squeeze of lemon juice


And now a holiday beverage for those of us who aren't 97 years old, or who require vegan drinks:

Across the globe, there are very few people who take Christmas as seriously as the Germans do. Germans gave us the Christmas tree (Tannenbaum), the advent calendar, and Silent Night. Unfortunately, they also gave us...fruitcake. Perhpas in recognition of the dyspepsia often caused by ingesting rocklike fruitcake, Germans have also given us another holiday tradition: Glühwein, "glow wine" - their version of mulled wine. Grandmother's punch (Großmutters Punsch) is an elaboration of tradional glow wine, which is nothing more than heated red wine with cinnamon, lemon, sugar, and cloves. Rich, smooth, and strong, this very special punch is traditionally served at midnight on Christmas Eve.

Serves 12

1 cup packed brown sugar
25 whole cloves
25 allspice berries
1 cinammon stick
2 vanilla beans, finely chopped
2/3 cup loose black tea
Two 750 ml bottles red wine
1/2 cup dark rum

In a large pot, combine the sugar, spices, and vanilla beans with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes or until half the liquid has evaporated and teh remainder is syrupy. Remove from the heat, stir in the tea, and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into another large pot and stir in the red wine and rum. Warm over medium heat until steaming, about 7 minutes. Serve warm, garnishing each glass with a cinammon stick stirrer, or chilled, over ice.



-Punsch recipe from Hot Toddies by Christopher B. O'Hara. New York : Clarkson Potter, 2002. This book has nice pictures. I recommend.

sadly, not a jell-o poke cake

but here's a picture of a similarly themed dessert me and joy made last week


we used the shortcake recipe from the better homes and gardens (plaid binder) cookbook, which, followed properly, i'm sure would have left us with a delicious way to celebrate the 4th of july. but since there was nothing delicious about the cake that we made, instead of providing the recipe here i will just leave you with the following advice:

next time want to make a short cake, and you think to yourself that it won't make a difference if you use half whole wheat flour, or if a moth flies out of the bag of whole wheat flour when you get ready to use it, or if you use sea salt instead of regular salt because you are convinced that no regular salt exists in the kitchen you are using*, or if you measure out tablespoons of baking powder instead of teaspoons, realizing your mistake when it is already too late so that all you can do is try to guess how much should be taken out until you are left with what you think the recipe actually calls for, then you probably have no business baking anything that doesn't come in a pre-mixed box, so that all you have to add is an egg, some water, and maybe a package of jell-o brand gelatin

*we did eventually find the regular salt, while making the first failed batch of whipped cream for the frosting

Call for Independence Day posts!

If that stint about poke-cake was any indication, this should be our most culinarily active holiday. Here's one family fave I'll be "making".

Creamy Beef Rollups!


1 package cream cheese
the kind of lunchmeat beef that comes pre-packaged and costs $.30 at Meijer. deli beef doesn't taste as real as the pre-packaged store brand kind, in this recipe.
1/8 tsp or less garlic powder (to taste)
dill pickle spears (optional)

Mix garlic powder into the cream cheese (yes all of it) in a bowl. Take two slices of beef (stacked atop one another), spread some garlic cream cheese down the middle, and add a pickle (if using). Roll up the slices and you have a simple delicious creamy beef rollup!

This is actually really good and I've eaten it with my family at fireworks for as long as I can remember, usually without the pickles. though i think they add a delicious crunch. I wish someone would try this simple and cheap recipe and tell me if they agree that it's really real and really good.