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happy halloween! (pumpkin cheese ball, bacon-wrapped squash bites, dark and stormy punch)

Jessica J. — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 20:03:04 +0000

**sings** It’s the most… wonderful time… of the yeaaar!

Okaaay I know that’s actually a Christmas song but it’s far more appropriate for me to sing it during Halloween. This weekend/day fills me with more joy than almost anything else and I decided to celebrate this year with a nice little shindig in my apt. Not as much of a production as my Oscar party, but still just as fun. I wanted to keep the food simple, seasonal, and a little on the playful side, so I whipped up a delicious cheese ball and some finger foods (not literally), and a deliciously spicy and sinful punch. Everything was pretty easy and left plenty of time to focus on my costume… which was one of the most ambitious things I’ve ever done.

I’m a Lichtenstein painting!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

—

Pumpkin Cheese Ball

Ingredients

2 8oz blocks cheddar cheese, shredded
2 8oz blocks cream cheese at room temperature
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
1 tsp. paprika
Celery stalks, pepper slices, crackers, etc.

Directions

1.) Mix together cheddar cheese, cream cheese, dill, chives, and paprika in a large bowl. Cover with cling film and refrigerate until firm.

2.) Once ready, form ball into a pumpkin shape. Draw lines on the sides using a butter knife and stick 1 celery stalk (with leaves) into the pumpkin to form the “stem”. Serve with celery stalks, pepper slices, and crackers.

Bacon-Wrapped Squash Bites

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 package center- cut bacon
Salt & pepper
Toothpicks

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 450 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2.) Lay 1 piece of squash at the end of a piece of bacon. Roll over until bacon eventually overlaps and then trim. Pierce with toothpick and set squash on baking sheet. Don’t worry if the toothpick doesn’t go all the way through – the weight of the squash will keep the bacon down and the whole thing upright. You should get about 2-3 bites per piece of bacon.

3.) Repeat process until you run out of bacon. Season bites with salt and pepper. Bake squash bites 20-25 minutes or until bacon is crisp and squash is tender. Serve warm.

Dark and Stormy Punch

Ingredients

2 15oz cans lychees in heavy syrup
1 cup sliced fresh ginger
1 jar maraschino cherries
½ cup sugar
1 cup lime juice
3 cups dark rum
6 bottles ginger beer (or 72 oz)

Directions

1.) Drain lychees, reserving syrup and adding it to a large saucepan. Add ginger to syrup and bring to a low boil. Turn off heat and let steep at least 30 minutes.

2.) Meanwhile, stir together sugar and lime juice until sugar dissolves. Stir in rum and set aside.

3.) While syrup steeps, stuff each lychee with a maraschino cherry to create “bloody eyeballs” and place one lychee per compartment in an ice cube tray. Once syrup is ready, discard ginger and pour syrup over lychees and freeze until completely solid. Pour remaining syrup into rum mixture.

4.) Chill rum mixture until party time. Once it’s time to assemble, pour rum mixture into a large punch bowl. Add ginger beer and lychee eyeball ice cubes.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: appetizer, autumn, cheese, cocktail, fall, halloween, holiday

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mint julep cupcakes

Jessica J. — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 22:47:20 +0000

I attended a very special wedding this past weekend. Let me stand you to a mint julep and tell you all about it.

During college I was notorious for getting floormates and friends addicted to my favorite television shows. Buffy, LOST, Firefly. Only one person joined me in my addiction to a 1980′s TV miniseries about pre- and post-Civil War America, and that was my best friend and roommate Rach. We were addicted to North and South and watched it every time we moved into a new room. Every time we moved out. On weekends. On sick days. We loved Orry and George, their friendship, the ridiculous accents, the costumes. Everything.

We even made a trek out to Charleston, SC to visit the houses where they filmed it and had one of the best vacations ever.

So when Rach got engaged to a fellow North & South fan (the only other person we ever met at Cornell who a) knew what North & South was and b) loved it – obviously a match made in heaven!), she asked me to make cupcakes with a perfect little nod to their favorite miniseries. Mint julep cupcakes.

I was honored to be asked to make the “wedding cake” for them, and I wanted to do it right. Knob Creek in the batter, silver cupcake liners (to represent those gorgeous silver glasses the drink is normally served in), and fresh mint leaves on top. Both the batter and frosting were a gorgeous pale green due to copious amounts of créme de menthe, but the balance was there. They were rich but refreshing, and had that bite of liquor without the aftereffects. I was incredibly proud to serve them and even prouder that they were served at an unconventional wedding done the bride and groom’s way – which is what every wedding should be.

So congrats to Rach & Brandon! May your love be as everlasting as Orry and ~~George’s~~ Madeline’s.

—

Mint Julep Cupcakes

Makes 4 dozen.

Ingredients

For the cake:

4 sticks (2 cups) butter at room temperature
4 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
8 eggs
5½ cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1 cup bourbon
1 cup crème de menthe

For the frosting:

12 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. salt
4 sticks (2 cups) butter at room temperature
½ cup vegetable shortening at room temperature
1-2 tsp. mint extract
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. bourbon (plus more to taste)
Milk
Fresh mint leaves

Directions

For the cakes:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350° F with rack set in center of oven. Line cupcake pans with liners and spray with Pam or nonstick spray. Set aside.

2.) In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, & salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each to incorporate into the batter before adding the next. Once the eggs are combined, add the vanilla. In a large measuring cup or pitcher, combine the milk, bourbon, and crème de menthe.

3.) With the mixer running on low, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Pour in 1/3 of the liquid mixture and continue to add dry and liquid ingredients alternatively until everything is added. Mix until just combined.

4.) Using an ice cream scoop, scoop and divide batter evenly among the cupcake cups. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes in pan and then remove cupcakes to a wire cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

1.) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attement, whip together butter and shortening. Slowly add in half the powdered sugar and salt. Stir in the mint extract, vanilla, and bourbon. Add the rest of the powdered sugar. Then slowly add in milk until frosting reached desired consistency. Taste and add as much mint extract and bourbon as desired.

2.) Once cupcakes are completely cooled, frost and top with fresh mint leaves.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2011. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cocktail, cupcake, dessert, sweet

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whiskey sours

Jessica J. — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 02:54:09 +0000

I almost entitled this post “stress-relieving whiskey sours” because that’s what they are.

Life has been a little off the rails the past few months (thus the lack of updates). Lots of change, most of it not in the positive realm. Yet I persevere. I persevere with optimism, exercise endorphins, and fine bourbon. Preferably stirred with homemade sour mix.

I only started to truly appreciate whiskey and bourbon in the past couple years of my life. Once my mother learned of it she gushed how it was my grandmother’s favorite spirit and I must have inherited it. We even share the same favorite drink: the whiskey sour.

I stray. I make mine with bourbon. I make fresh sour mix (none of that overly sugared disgusting bottled stuff.) They’re delicious and refreshing and everything you need to wind down after a long, hard day. Especially a long, hard day that’s 91° warm with 90% humidity.

—

Whiskey Sours

Makes 8 drinks.

I often use ratios when making this drink but if you wanna be precise, place a large pitcher on a scale and just go by ounce weight. (Yes yes I know, liquids and solids should be weighed differently but just go with it). I also will make just the sour mix and keep a pitcher in the fridge then add to more bourbon as needed.

Ingredients

16 oz. water
12 oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
8 oz. sugar
16 oz. whiskey or bourbon

Directions

1.) Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher. Pour over ice. Garnish with maraschino cherry and orange slice.

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pimm’s cup

Jessica J. — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 02:51:28 +0000

Everyone seems to be choosing the Pimm’s Cup as their favorite summer drink this year. Not me. Pimm’s is my favorite anytime drink. I don’t discriminate based on season.

It is incredibly refreshing and bubbly and has citrus garnish, making it the ideal summer cooler, but the underlying pungent, almost spicy nature of the cocktail also makes it one of my favs for fall…winter… and even spring. Pimm’s No. 1 is a gin-based liqueur infused with spices, fruit, and botanicals. Combine it with ginger ale and some thin slices of cucumber (plus lemon and orange for me), and you’ve got a Pimm’s Cup.

I love cocktails like this because they’re simple, require no special tools, and can easily be served for a crowd. Just muddle some slices of citrus and cucumber, add the Pimm’s, and top with with ginger ale. Sip. Savor. Sigh.

—

Pimm’s Cup

Serves 1

Ingredients

2½ oz. Pimm’s No. 1
Good ginger ale
Lemon, orange, and cucumber slices
Ice

Directions

1.) Lightly muddle the orange, lemon, and cucumber slices in a glass. Add ice. Pour in Pimm’s No. 1 and top with ginger ale

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tom collins

Jessica J. — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:51:36 +0000

Last week at PubWest, standing around with a drink in your hand was a very popular activity for me. You go to mixers, out to dinner, meet for drinks, etc., and naturally, a cocktail is the accessory of choice. Although I usually go the vodka cranberry route at those events because frankly it’s hard to screw up, I was craving nothing but Tom Collins(es) the entire time I was there.

I owe my affection towards Tom Collins (Have you met Tom Collins?) to my friend Sara Barnes. We met up for drinks when I was in DC a couple years ago and she ordered the fizzy, citrusy gin cocktail and thus introduced me to Mr. Collins. I wasn’t crazy about the drink then but retried it later after gaining a love of gin and now adore them on occasion. My biggest issue is 99% of the time when you order them at any bar, they’re made with overly sickly-saccharine sweet-n-sour mix (blech) and taste little like the pure, fresh version the original recipe is from. So here’s my ode to the Tom Collins.

Some would say I desecrate it by using lime juice in addition to lemon but I think it gives it a nice zing. Something I’d love to try is a similar drink I had at the Cup Cafe in the Hotel Congress while I was in Tucson: the “Indian Ice Water.” They used Tanqueray Rangpur, lime juice, sugar and soda. Sort of like a Tom Collins meets mojito. Yum.

Citrus I picked on hotel grounds. Best souvenir ever!

Floral, botanical, pungent, perfect.

Citrus.

Shake it like a …

Have you met Tom Collins?

—

Tom Collins

Makes one cocktail.

Ingredients

2 ounces gin
½ ounce lemon juice
½ ounce lime juice
2 tsp simple syrup or superfine sugar
Club soda
Maraschino cherries and orange slices for garnish

Directions

1.) Fill a small shaker with ice. Pour in the gin, lime and lemon juices, and sugar. Shake well. Strain and pour over ice in prepared Collins glass.

2.) Fill to the (almost) top with club soda. Stir to mix. Garnish with cherry and orange slice.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/18790/Tom-Collins-Article

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