Southern
Living community has your back in the kitchen
I
can’t describe “The Southern Living Community Cookbook: Celebrating Food &
Fellowship” better that its own press release.
It’s
billed as “the equivalent of a brimming recipe box plus the scribbled notes and
whispered secrets of over 200 treasured dishes.” It brings readers the best
hometown cooks, recipes and stories to the table. I’ll add that the images of
vintage cookbook covers, including ones that were on my shelf, will help bind
the generations. Read this with grandma, and cook for each other.
A
book for all seasons, try Candied
Bacon Bites for snacks with bourbon or Champaign, Herbed Lemon Egg Soup, Green
Tomato Sandwich Spread and Milk Punch sprinkled with nutmeg. Mini Pecan Pies
and Spiced Pecans are a few offerings for you Texas Pecan Festival lovers.
Here’s a super-easy one that is sure to get a conversation going.
Margarita
Olives
From
the kitchen of Park Kerr, El Paso
1
pound pitted kalamata olives, drained
3
ounces pimento-stuffed green olives, drained
3
ounces pickled Serrano or jalapeno peppers, drained
One
fourth cup tequila
One
fourth cup lime juice
2
tablespoons orange liqueur
One
fourth cup finely chopped cilantro
2
teaspoons finely grated fresh orange zest
Stir
together all ingredients in a large bowl or glass jar. Cover and chill 8 hours.
Return to room temperature before serving.
Sur
La Table
My
Aunt Stella Belle’s turkey salt and pepper shakers have been my sole
Thanksgiving décor for years. This year I’ve added two small glass leaf dishes
from Sur La Table. They can hold everything from your morning vitamins to a
taste of dessert with colorful flair. A mini marble and glass cloche will be a
year-round focal point to keep cheeses and other edibles fresh and stylish. The
domed lid adds a vintage touch to your holiday table. But please, use these
accents even if dining alone. They will lift spirits and aid digestion. Sur La
Table has classes, temptations and something like 600 products geared to coffee lovers. Visit stores as close as
Houston.
Pumpkin
Update
Oreo
cookies have jumped on the pumpkin bandwagon with a spiced pumpkin filling
between two pie crust-colored cookies. I couldn’t help but notice a woman at
restaurant bar with a package sitting beside her. The Oreos weren’t on the
menu. It seems one of the employees had them and shared with a regular. I
approached the woman in a friendly manner and expressed surprise at the
product. Well, she offered me one and I accepted. The three of us deem this
cookie delicious. They didn’t mind me sharing this experience so readers would
know about pumpkin Oreos, but they got shy about sharing their names.
Test
tube and turmeric teas
What
better way to experiment with teas than from test tubes? The Spice Lab Gourmet
Spices offers a rack of 11 or 12 tube sets including British Teas, Asian
Teas or Infused Teas, showcased in a handcrafted wooden base of reclaimed
Colorado pine or sustainable bamboo. Each tube holds enough for 2 to 3 pots of
tea. I just keep pulling off the cork from Smokey Maple to inhale. Of course,
they are delicious, too. This is the best season for a hot pot. Enjoy these
treats on days when you aren’t scheduled for the upcoming holiday gatherings.
How
many of you already have turmeric in
your pantry? (I did!) How many of you were putting it in tea? Not me. Numi
Oganic tea’s non-GMO and Fair Trade Certified Teas presents the first full line
of this sort of premium turmeric-focused blends, which are earthy, robust and,
of course, golden orange.
Kin
to the ginger root, the powder is a favorite in curries. It’s used in traditional Chinese
and Ayurvedic medicine and now people are talking about curcumin, the medicinal
compound in turmeric, associated with relieving pain and arthritis, decreasing
blood clots, preventing cancer, strengthening digestion, detoxifying the liver
and healing skin wounds. Turns out it’s a superfood and I’ve enjoyed this
admittedly acquired taste in a tea that makes me feel like a world traveler. I
imagine myself in cool cafes, gathered around family tables and relaxing in
exotic gardens as I enjoy these flavors:
Three
Roots
Blending
earthy turmeric, spicy ginger, and sweet licorice, Three Roots transports your
senses to an exotic Indian Bazaar.
Golden
Tonic
This
uplifting blend of turmeric, lemon verbena and dried lime mingle for an
exhilarating dance. Golden hues of turmeric have an earthy sweetness as
the zesty citrus notes soar and enliven the senses.
Fields
of Gold
The
mellow richness of turmeric, the sweet calming notes of chamomile, and the
lively zest of lemon myrtle reside in Fields of Gold.
Amber
Sun
With
a radiating, smooth richness, this blend of turmeric, rooibos, vanilla beans
and a hint of cinnamon offers mellow apple notes with a sweet peppery zest.
Coffee
Blocks
All
you coffee-dependent folks passing Facebook memes about how you couldn’t do
without your coffee, have you tried it with butter? I’m speaking of adding
butter to your coffee to bring out the flavors. No, you don’t have to do it
yourself, Coffee Blocks has done it for you. Keep the little cups in your
freezer and dissolve them, nay, froth them, in hot water. I put mine in the
blender and my mother loved it. It’s best with a sweet pairing. We paired with berry
and white chocolate cookies I whipped up from Mason Jar Cookie Company,
That
was breakfast. Now, back to this coffee deal. Butter. It works. Go to
coffeeblocks.com and try it, then take your own photo of your experience and
tag it @coffeeblocks.
Oh
yes, bet it would be good with something pumpkin.
ddoiron@panews.com
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