In A Nutshell

This is inspired by a Bobby Flay cocktail recipe; it combines my undying love for anything strawberry-rhubarb with my love for cocktails. To my delight, I had found rhubarb bitters at Binny's and determined that I must devote myself to finding a use for it-- so here is one... I hope to find more. For the Rhubarb Syrup : 1 lb rhubarb, sliced 1 cup strawberries, halved 1 cup sugar 1 cup water Bring all the ingredients to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Cover and let steep for 1 hour. Strain the mixture through a sieve, pressing against solids and let it cool completely. For the Cocktail : 1 cup white tequila 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 2 T freshly squeezed orange juice 2 T Cointreau 3/4 to 1 cup rhubarb syrup  (start with less and see if you want it sweeter) egg whites (one per shaker full) rhubarb bitters Combine tequila, lime juice, orange juice, Cointreau and rhubarb syrup in a small pitcher. Fill a large cocktail shaker with ice and pour in the cocktail base (

Saveur did a great theme in their June/July 2013 issue called "Keepers of the Flame"; it's all about various grilling customs in different countries. This recipe is Turkish. I served this with a cucumber salad and rice. It does also call for 2 T of dried mint which I left out but if you like mint feel free to add it to the marinade. 1/2 cup olive oil 1 T lemon juice 1 t crushed red chili flakes 1 T Aleppo pepper flakes 1 T tomato paste pinch of thyme 1 t freshly ground black pepper 1 t salt 1 t Turkish seasoning (from Penzey's Spices) 4 boneless chicken breasts (or you can use thighs if you prefer), cut into chunks Mix all the ingredients and add the chicken cubes. Allow to marinate overnight or at least several hours. Thread onto skewers (I like to use flat metal skewers) and grill over high heat for about 4-5 minutes per side.

This recipe comes from Bon Appetit; I'm not very good at making pretty rows of strawberries but it  ends up looking pretty nice even so. Put the strawberries on right before serving (no more than 1 or 2 hours before) otherwise they release their juices and make the tart watery. This is one of the best flavor combinations ever! For the crust : 1 cup flour 3 T sugar 1/4 t salt 1/3 cup walnuts 1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes 2 egg yolks plus 1 T water 1/3 cup strawberry jam In the food processor, combine all the dry ingredients; add butter and pulse until looks like coarse meal. Add the yolks and pulse until moist clumps form. Gather dough into a disk and chill for 30 minutes. You can either roll it out between two sheets of wax paper or press it into a 9" tart pan with removable bottom. I rolled it out but then it fell apart when I tried to transfer it into the pan so I ended up having to press it in anyway. Freeze for 15 minutes (or r

This is a very simple and delicious starter. I happen to have this brand of balsamic vinegar called Napa Valley Harvest that is very thick- more like a syrup and it's perfect here; I find it regularly at T.J. Maxx.  I like to serve this with good baguette or ciabatta slices. burrata cheese strawberries, quartered good quality extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle chiffonade of basil balsamic vinegar to drizzle (preferably syrupy like) Maldon sea salt

My mom made this salad on Mother's Day; it was crisp, delicious and so pretty. The recipe comes from Martha Stewart; here is the link: http://www.marthastewart.com/1058020/alexiss-chopped-vegetable-salad

This recipe comes from my friend April and is perfect for these trying times- what with the lime shortage and astronomical cost when you can find them. I'm usually a purist about not using pre-mixed drink blends but this is surprisingly good.  You blend this in two batches and mix it in a pitcher. 10 oz. can of frozen margarita mixer 10 oz. can of frozen Bacardi strawberry daiquiri mixer 10 oz. tequila 2 oz. triple sec For each batch,  you put in a blender: one 10 oz. can of frozen mixer, 1/2 can tequila (5 oz.) and one shot (1 oz.) of triple sec. Fill the blender with ice and blend.

I had never before made hummus from dried chickpeas, and I can tell you that it was absolutely the silkiest, smoothest hummus I have ever had. This recipe is from Jerusalem (one of my favorite cookbooks); it calls for lamb (or you can substitute ground lamb) but I am not crazy about lamb so I used beef. And since I am extremely lazy, I purchased beef "for tacos" at my local ethnic store so it was already cut up into nice small pieces. The amount of tahini you use is up to you; I made two batches- one following the recipe and one using 1/2 the amount of tahini and personally, I liked it with 1/2 cup of tahini better. Serve with pita bread. Hummus Spiced Beef Pine Nuts, toasted in a small skillet with a little butter Lemon-Parsley Sauce For the hummus : 1 1/4 cups (250 g) dried chickpes 1 t baking soda 1/2 cup - 1 cup tahini (depending upon your preference) 6 T lemon juice 4 cloves of garlic, chopped 4 T ice water 2 t salt Cover the hummus with water in a lar

This was delicious; I made extra and added the leftovers to Asian Peanut Noodles the next day. LOVE the return of grilling season! 1/4 cup basil leaves (I used 4 cubes of the frozen basil from Trader Joe's) 1/4 cup cilantro leaves 8 garlic cloves 2 T sambal oelek (or other Asian chile sauce) 2 T Asian fish sauce 1 t lemon zest 1/2 cup veg oil Puree everything in a mini food processor and marinate chicken breasts overnight. Grill over medium-high heat for 6 minutes (6 min. 30 seconds if they are thicker).

I'm acutely aware that my photography skills are lacking.... someday I will try harder! This is from the Rachel Ray magazine. Easy peasy. 4 cloves of garlic, chopped 3 anchovies, mushed with a fork to a paste 2 T sun-dried tomato paste 3 T mirin or unseasoned rice wine 1 T Worcestershire sauce 1 T soy sauce 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 t salt freshly ground black pepper 2 lbs flank steak Marinate overnight; grill over high heat for 5-6 minutes per side, depending on how you like it done. Delicious flavor!