Newbury Martini

I must say this cocktail is quite interesting as it starts off with a subtle florally flavour which then turns into an earthy finish. Before mixing, the colour is brown however once shaken you get this alluring rich golden amber colour. This cocktail is definitely worth a sip!

Newbury Martini
------------------------------------------
makes 3 martinis

6oz gin
2oz Sweet Vermouth
1oz Triple Sec

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with cracked ice and shake well. Strain into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with a lemon twist, if you wish. 


The warmer temperatures proved positive this week. Have a great weekend everyone!  
- JD 

East Imperial Tonic

In our travels we found this, East Imperial, Burma Tonic. It is imported from New Zealand. The label is hard to read with it's metallic silver writing however one can ever so patiently make out that it is a recreation of a century old family recipe; that is bold, assertive, and agreeable bitter. They have taken great care and blending higher East Indies Javanese quinine content with a variety of botanicals. They also state that it is the ultimate complement to premium spirits. 

The tonic made one fantastic gin and tonic. Just like the bottle said, bold and assertive.   

Hope everyone is having a great week, so far. - JD 

Hearty Soup

On those days when something substantial will only do; there is this soup which seems more like a stew. This tomato based soup is nestled with lentils, peas and pearl barley and will keep you content for quite awhile.   

Hearty Soup

---------------------------------------------------------------------

2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup (250ml) soup mix (consisting of green split peas, yellow split peas, white long grin rice, pearl barley, and red split lentils)

2 tablespoons summer savoury

1 - 2 teaspoon thyme 

1 28oz (796ml) can of no or low sodium diced tomatoes

4 cups (1 litre) low sodium chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups (500ml) water

Place the oil and diced onion in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Rinse the dry soup mix then add the rinsed soup mix, the diced tomatoes, chicken stock, water, and herbs into the saucepan with the onion. 

Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 60 to 90 minutes. Serve.

Notes: You may try adding different herbs and seasonings. Adding curry powder would be a fantastic way to add a bit of kick.  

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Seems like warmer weather is set our way for this week.  - JD 

The Ralph Furley

Now the only Ralph Furley I can think of, is one that Don Knotts played on Three's Company. Other than that, I can recall no other and this martini, one may assume, is a hats off to the character he portrayed. It is light and sunny with a slight creamsicle flavour. 

Ralph Furley

---------------------------------------

makes 3 cocktails

6 oz gin

4 oz Orange juice

1 oz Sweet Vermouth

1 oz lime juice

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with cracked ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glasses.

Have a great weekend everyone! - JD 
  

The Cavern

Finally, my husband and myself made it to the Cavern and we certainly did enjoy it! If you like cheese than the Cavern is the place to go, here in E-town. They offer cheese and charcuterie boards along with light cheese inspired fare; all to be enjoyed with a coffee, a mocha, and of course, wine and fine spirits. The staff are friendly and knowledgable.

I chose the UK brunch, picture here, while my husband chose the Mediterranean brunch. Both were tasty and each offered a different selection of cheese and condiments with the addition of thinly sliced salami.  

                                              The mocha was perfect! 

To find out more about the Cavern click *here* 

Wednesday is here and we are shuffling through our week nicely. - JD 

All in One Sauce

This sauce is super easy to make with simple ingredients; that can be multi purpose depending on your cooking needs. With a sweet, salty, spicy, tangy Asian inspired flavour that will complement beef, chicken, vegetables, and tofu easily. 

All in On Sauce 

------------------------------------------

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 rice wine vinegar

2 to 3 tablespoons sesame oil

4 tablespoons brown sugar

4 green onions, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon mustard powder

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Place all ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk together until combined. Use as a marinade for meat and tofu or allow to mellow for a few hours then use as a dipping or a pour over sauce... like a gravy or salad dressing. 

                         
The sauce is absolutely lovely over steamed asparagus, mashed potatoes and cooked beef.

Hope your weekend was a good one. Ours was quite a good one!  - JD 

The Aviation Martini

What can one say about a cloudy lemon cocktail bursting with tangy citrus flavour; other than it is like getting a full vitamin C shot in a martini glass. 


Aviation Martini
------------------------------------------------
makes 3 martinis 

6oz gin
4oz lemon juice
1oz Cherry Liqueur

Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with cracked ice and shake well. Strain into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with a cherry or two! 

Notes: we added a touch of simple syrup to relax the brisk tanginess of this cocktail. 


Have a lovely weekend everyone! - JD 

Leftovers #39 ~ Lentil Curry Cottage Pie

The vegetable lentil curry I made, and posted about the other day, using a slow cooker recipe, makes enough for some delicious leftovers and allows you to be creative. Therefore, I decided on this vegetarian version of a cottage pie. Place the leftovers in a large enough oven proof baking dish and sprinkle with shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Trust me cheese and curry works! Make mashed potatoes as you would, and place the mashed potatoes on top spreading gently and evenly, as you possibly can, over the top. Use your fingers, if you have to. Once the mashed potatoes have formed a lovely top layer; add more shredded cheese and pop in a 350ºF preheated oven until bubbly and the cheese has melted nicely, approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow to rest for a minute or two and serve.  

Done and time to enjoy this savoury cottage pie. Super easy and a fantastic way you use up those flavourful leftovers.  

Temperatures have cooled and the leaves are beginning to turn yellow. Fall is just around the corner here in E-town. - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Summer Fruit

You know which fruits were on sale with this fruit salad. Buying fruit on sale is a great way to spruce up a classic, add life to a basic, and store fresh fruit in the freezer that will be enjoyed during those wintery months. Strawberries, blueberries and mango graced our dessert bowl and with a little bit of crème fraiche or Devonshire cream or whip cream this fruit salad is light and dreamy. 

With an overabundance of mango, I made a slow cooker vegetable lentil curry adding freshly chopped mangoes to the recipe. Just a hint of sweetness with a lovely spicy savoury flavour this curry was absolutely perfect. 

Notes: I used the slow cooker lentil butternut squash recipe I posted about before except I omitted the butternut squash and added chopped fresh cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, and, of course, freshly chopped mango. All other ingredients remained the same.    

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! We did. - JD 

Maiden's Dream Martini

The Maiden's Dream is a spirited lucid martini that has a distinct tangy flavour. 

Maiden's Dream Martini

---------------------------------------

Makes 3 martinis

6oz Gin

3oz Pernod

1oz Grenadine

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with cracked ice and shake well. Strain into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with a lemon twist, if you wish. 

The weekend is here... have a great weekend everyone! -JD 

Last of the Summer Treats

As always there is a rush before school starts and also a rush at trying to enjoy those remaining summer treats before they are gone for the season. OHANA Dounuterie, these are not mini doughnuts but rather regular sized doughnuts to which you can get dipped and filled.

We opted for a chocolate dipped, coconut cream filled doughnut. Very delicious and not as sweet as some chocolate dipped doughnuts. The coconut cream was light with a nice natural coconut flavour. The doughnut itself was light, flaky and just melted in your mouth. For more information on OHANA Donuterie check out their website, ohanadonuts.com, as well as their Facebook page and Twitter profile.     

Next was the Korean Dessert Café called Snowy Desserts. Pictured here is the Mango Cheesecake Bingsu. This was my son's pick and my daughter tried the more modest Strawberry Bingsu. I had a few spoonfuls of each and they were really quite heavenly. Plenty of fresh fruit sat on top of the light and airy, and not too sweet, frozen dessert. Definitely worth sharing too! To find out more about Snowy Desserts check out their website snowydesserts.ca 

Hope everyone had a good long weekend. It is back to school for most and that means plenty of additional things to do and sort out. Hope your week has been a good one so far! - JD 

Copper Martini

With it's few variations, and lovely amber-ish colour, this is similar to the Negroni cocktail. Strong and smooth with a twisted kick.

Copper Martini

-------------------------------------

4oz Gin

2oz Triple Sec 

1oz Campari

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with cracked ice and shake well. Strain into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with a lemon twist, if you wish. 

September is here. Have a great weekend everyone! - JD