In A Nutshell

I tinkered significantly with a recipe that I saw online and came up with this version. So so delicious and quite festive looking as well. This is a batch recipe; you can scale down or up. A note on the type of grapefruit juice: I usually use Matt's grapefruit but because I was feeling a little flinty, I bought Simply Pure and I'm sad to say the cocktail was noticeably NOT AS GOOD! So please use Matt's- it's worth the extra money and makes a big difference. We made several different batches of drinks the week before Christmas to have on hand and it was quite delightful:   12 oz. tequila, any kind 4 oz. triple sec 12 oz. Matt's grapefruit juice (I am very specific about that) 4 oz.  spicy hibiscus syrup 4 oz. lime juice Mix everything up in a pitcher; you have the option of shaking it in an ice-filled shaker first (nicer result but more work) or simply pouring it into a salt-rimmed glass of ice directly from the pitcher. Garnish with a lime and enjoy!  

  This soup is delicious but I have never particularly enjoyed the sight of a green soup—hence the attempt to draw your eye to the croutons and my cute napkin. I had a hankering for a soup like this but every recipe I looked at involved something I didn't want; for example, a roux with  lots of flour (which IMHO gives it that pseudo-homemade taste that you find in Panera soups or the like), lots  of heavy cream, carrots (why?!!!). I decided to use one small potato as a thickener and only a small amount of cream rather than the 2 cups called for in several recipes I saw. If I’m going to consume 2 cups of cream (and believe me, I’m not unwilling), it’s certainly not going to be with broccoli!  The croutons, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing, are pure deliciousness; I like to make my own from stale baguettes or bread that no one wants to eat anymore. There's not really a recipe- I cut the stale bread into cubes and sauté them in a decent amount of EVOO, sprinkling with

  This originally comes from a longtime college friend and it has become a family stand-by over the years (thank you Laura C.- this dip has changed my life for the better!). My daughter discovered that if you pop it under the broiler quickly after it bakes, you get this beautiful cheesy top. This is totally an old-school dip- it's best served with sturdy, sensible Triscuits which can stand up to the fatty, creamy, decadent dip.  1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (you don't have to use anything fancy here) 1/2 cup mayo 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded* 1/4 t garlic salt 1/4 t garlic powder Mix everything together and bake at 350º for 30 minutes; pop under the broiler for a few seconds to get the brown bubbly top pictured above.  * As with any recipe, I think it will always taste best if you grate your own cheese (with the exception of the Parmesan); they put cellulose into those bags of pre-grated cheese to keep it from sticking to