Foodie Friday -- Margaritas

Summertime is just around the corner.

As I mentioned last week, I will be grilling various types of meat accompanied with a salad on the side for most of the summer.  

So what recipes can I possibly share?

Margaritas, of course!

These recipes will need to be tweaked according to your personal tastes (more/less lime, or more/less tequila, or more/less sweet), but they are a starting point.

**If you decide to use the “LIGHT” Margarita mix, then you might consider adding the juice from a lime. I found that the flavor tends to be a little too chalky and artificial tasting, and fresh lime juice masks that aftertaste. **  

For the most part, I use Jose Cuervo Gold tequila for my Margaritas. It’s not the low end, but it also isn’t 100% blue agave either. Since it is used in a mixed drink, I would hesitate to use Patron tequila, as this is more of a ‘sipping’ tequila.

Margarita (on the rocks)

Fill 12 oz. glass 7/8 full with crushed ice. Add 1 ½ jiggers of tequila, ½ jigger Triple Sec, and fill to the top with liquid Margarita mix (Jose Cuervo brand). Stir with straw.

Frozen Margaritas

1 can frozen limeade juice (Minute Maid 12 oz.)

1/3-1/2 can tequila (Cuervo Gold)
1/4 can Triple Sec
Liquid margarita mix (Jose Cuervo brand)
Crushed ice

Fill blender with crushed ice. Add frozen limeade, tequila, triple sec and enough margarita mix to fill 7 cup blender and blend until smooth. Adjust to taste.  

Dip rim of glass in frozen margarita mixture and then into coarse flaked salt. Fill glass with margarita. Enjoy!

Later, Peeps!

Foodie Friday--Truffle Candy fillings

Yesterday I was busy making candy fillings . . . again. I made peppermint schnapps, Grand Marnier (this time with white chocolate), key lime (again because my nephew loves this flavor and I had leftover limes, besides he's such a sweetie that he just might get an entire box of them!), whiskey toffee, rum raisin, and Frangelico. A few days ago, I made Chambord, strawberry margarita, key lime, limoncello, Grand Marnier (orange in dark chocolate), Amaretto and ButterShots (butterscotch schnapps in dark chocolate)

Now I can tell you how to make the fillings, but I don't measure anything, which means I have developed an 'eye' for it. Sorry, the only way you'll learn is by practicing! If I could figure out how to sell these out of my kitchen I would, but I think the Health Dept. might have a problem with a big fluffy dog wandering around the kitchen while I make them. People who don't have to pay for them are a little more forgiving if there's a boo-boo hair.

Onward--Any of these that are citrus fruit-based, zest the rinds prior to juicing them.

All you need to make these candy fillings is sugar, heavy cream and tempered chocolate (I buy big slabs of Ghirardelli white chocolate and double dark chocolate from Sam's Club). They are processed with cocoa and vegetable shortening so they will not seize up when a liquid is added.

Here are two examples:

Grand Marnier truffle filling

Zest and juice 4-5 oranges. Combine juice, zest, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup Grand Marnier in heavy saucepan. Simmer until mixture becomes syrupy, reducing by 2/3. Add 1/2 cup of cream, heat until simmer. Turn heat down to low and add chunks of chocolate (white or dark), stirring until melted and incorporated. Keep adding chocolate until it thickens slightly and coats the rubber spatula. Taste for flavor. If it needs a little more flavor, add a shot of Grand Marnier and stir in. Pour hot truffle mixture into heat resistant FoodSaver bag and heat seal.  Allow the mixture to cool (12-24 hours) and it should thicken. When ready to use pop into microwave for a few seconds to soften and fill chocolate shells.

Note: if using white chocolate you will need less cream as white chocolate doesn't set up quite as stiffly as regular chocolate due to the fact that it is made out of cocoa BUTTER and not cacao.

ButterShots truffle filling

Pour about 2 cups butterscotch flavored schnapps into pan, add 1/4 cup sugar. Simmer until reduced by 2/3. Add 1/2-3/4 cup of cream, stir and heat until simmering. Turn down heat and add chunks of chocolate, stirring and adding chocolate until coats the spatula. Taste test. If you need more butterscotch flavor add a shot of schnapps. Stir. Heat seal as stated above.

See easy-peasy, but don't you wish I had taken pictures of the process? *sigh* Maybe next time I'll cook with someone taking pictures of the process.

Oh, and how long did it take me to make six fillings today?

Two Harry Potter movies (The Order of the Phoenix and The Half-Blood Prince), roughly 5-6 hours. Time-consuming, like I said . . . and that doesn't even count the hours spent MAKING the filled candies.

I only think about 1/2 of the people who are given the candy really appreciates the effort that goes into making the chocolates, toffee, peanut brittle, fudge, etc.

Enjoy!