Christmas 2013

Christmas 2013

Can't have Christmas without Grandma Gits' Hot Milk Cake!

Best.Coffee.Cake.Ever.OfAllTime.

Grandma Gits and her friend used to get together once a month in the summer and bake up a storm. My favorites were the cinnamon rolls and Hot Milk Cake. This hot milk cake was our Sunday breakfast staple after we got home from Church.  I've seen it occasionally in older cookbooks, one called it a "Lazy Daisy Cake." Easy to make ahead - all you need to do is finish off the coconut frosting under the broiler. But it's the airy cake that makes it such a great recipe!

Grandma Gits' Hot Milk Cake
Grease and flour an 8x8 baking pan (you can double the recipe for a 13x9x2 pan).  Preheat the oven to 350.
For the Cake: 1 cup flour                                     pinch salt
                      2 eggs                                            1 tsp baking powder
                      1 cup sugar                                    1/2 cup milk, heated with 1 round tbl butter (not scalding)
                   
     Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside.  Beat eggs to a froth and add sugar gradually.        Beat until well blended. Fold in flour mixture gradually, alternating with hot milk.  Pour batter into greased      and floured pan. Bake 20-25 min. Cake can be frosted warm, or saved and frosted later.

For the Topping:  3/4 cup packed brown sugar      2 Tbl butter
                           1 cup shredded coconut             2 Tbl cream (or 2 part milk:1 part butter)
      Moisten sugar and coconut with melted butter and cream. Spread frosting on COOKED cake. Put               frosted cake under broiler and broil until toasty brown in color, about 3-5 minutes.

In search of the ultimate Pumpkin Martini

     Pumpkin flavored "whatever" is all the rage now that Fall is in full swing. I type this more than a month from the most appropriate holiday for pumpkin-flavored libations (Halloween, of course), but that's because it's hard for me to give up...

     But I think I've found something I can stick with. It also feeds my need for homemade cocktail-related goodies. I was intrigued by the use of pumpkin butter instead of pumpkin liqueur or pumpkin syrup in this recipe.

     I stumbled across this concoction on the third page of a Google search (because as you know, if you can't find it, JFGI). I read the recipe, passed it by, reread it, passed it by again, then had an "aha" moment.  The original drink is called "Pumpkin Divine." The name conjured up unpleasant memories of Pink Flamingos, but I digress.

     I felt the need to modify the recipe, primarily because I'm not a real fan of Grey Goose La Poire, and tonight I was too lazy to go downstairs and dig out my bottle of triple sec, so Cointreau had to suffice.

We'll call this "Pumpkin Awesome"
1 1/2 parts vodka (I used Crater Lake)
1/2 part Cointreau
1/2 part simple syrup (if you don't make your own, Stirrings is a good one)
1/2 part pear shrub (don't be scared - recipe is here)
1 Tbl pumpkin butter
sprinkle of pumpkin pie spices
Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake over ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. You can leave out the pumpkin pie spices and shake them over the top of the cocktail if you prefer. Awesome.

     The Cointreau replaces the Triple Sec with a little richer taste. The Pear shrub + vodka replaces the pear flavored vodka, which I think is too sweet anyway.

     Personally, this cocktail made all the effort of making pumpkin butter and pear shrub TOTALLY worth it.
Two thumbs up!

Halloween Libations: The Pumpkin Martini

I've been on the hunt for the perfect Pumpkin Martini for years. I think I've found it - it doesn't need the flavored liqueurs (e.g.Hiram Walker's neon orange Pumpkin Liqueur...), nor does it rely on flavored vodka (too sweet). Just the right mix of fresh ingredients and kick!

2 T pumpkin puree (yes, real puree. Use from a can if you don't want to mess with a real pumpkin)
1/3 cup milk or cream
1 pinch pumpkin pie spice
Mix these together in a shaker with some ice, then add:
1.5 oz vodka
.5 oz creme de cacao (white or dark)
Add a little more ice, shake until foamy, strain into a martini glass and garnish with a shake of nutmeg or cinnamon!
Halloween Gold!

Summer Cocktail Month: June 30, 2013

The Last Word - for my friend, Kathy Moore. An appropriate drink for the last day of Summer Cocktail Month! 


1 part gin 
1 part green chartreuse 
1 part Luxardo maraschino liqueur (not the cherry juice...look it up)
1 part fresh lime juice. 

Combine in a shaker and shake over ice; strain into a chilled martini glass. A shout out to Lynn Beimdiek Morris for the wicked awesome display plate!! 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 29, 2013

Sex on the Beach - This particular drink has several variations (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_on_the_Beach), but the classic is the simplest. Don't omit the peach schnapps...

1 part vodka 
1 part peach schnapps 
Cranberry juice
Orange juice

Combine vodka and peach schnapps with ice in a tall glass; fill with equal parts cranberry juice and orange juice. 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 28, 2013

The Pineapple Upsidedown Cake Martini - As with most cocktails that include fruit juice, you can always lighten it up with ice and some soda water for those hot summer days!

1 part vanilla vodka
2 parts pineapple juice 

Combine in a shaker with ice, shake over ice and strain into a martini glass. Drizzle in a little bit of grenadine and garnish with fruit! Be careful...this one's a quick drink... 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 27, 2013

The Bees Knees! Another classic cocktail from the archives! Honey syrup can be made on a drink-by-drink basis - 1 T honey plus 1 T water, heat in a glass for 30 sec in the microwave, cool slightly before using. In honor of our favorite insect: the bee (wild or native, you rule our world!)

2 parts gin 
3/4 honey syrup 
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Combine in a shaker and shake over ice and strain into a glass, with or without ice (our new fave is to pour over a ginormous ice cube made with some fancy-schmancy new silicone ice cube tray!). 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 26, 2013

 The Margarita Royale - 

1 part Don Pedro anejo tequila 
1/2 part Cointreau 
juice of 1 lime

Combine all in a shaker with ice; shake over ice and strain. Or you can add some extra ice and blend it up! An interesting drink for an interesting day... 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 25, 2013

Conner Fields Cream Lager - something a little calmer after last night's excitement (Go Hawks!) - Cream Lager (5.5% alc, 15 IBU) from local organic brewer Conner Fields. It's not Little Kings, my DG friends (some would think that's a good thing), but it's a nice light lager after a dicombobulated kind of day... 

Summer Cocktail Month: Stanley Cup Edition

GO HAWKS!!! In honor of our Chicago Blackhawks, winners of the 2013 Stanley Cup Championship, I give you the Joe Sakic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Sakic)  

1 part Sambuca 
1 part Bacardi 151 
2 parts Peppermint Schnapps 

Combine all liqueurs in a shotglass. This one's for you,Priscilla Hader Rose, Julia Burnham, TJ Kren, Meg Bracco Liebreich, Barb Mungovan Koch, Helen Tentler Cooper,Sue Clough, Daria Depa, Ann MacIntosh Baker, Melinda S Haag...and the rest of you Hawks fans!! Woo Hoo! 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 24, 2013

The Classic Daquiri - for a rainy day! To make the frozen version, you may want to add some sour mix so the ice doesn't dilute the lime too much. But before you go frozen, try this version. You'll like it!

1 1/2 oz light rum 
3/4 oz fresh lime juice 
1T simple syrup in a shaker 

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice; shake over ice and strain.  

Summer Cocktail Month: June 23, 2013

The Bellini - for you bubbly-wine lovers!  Prosit! 


2 oz pureed fruit (peaches to be classic, but mine is strawberry-lemon!) 
4 oz Prosecco or sparkling wine or champagne.

Combine the pureed fruit and champagne in a champagne glass. Enjoy!

Summer Cocktail Month: June 22, 2013

Blue Moon's Graffiti Collection - Pine in the Neck - Giants Baseball and fast-pitch softball puts me in a beer mood today, so in honor of my nephew, TJ Kren, I present Blue Moon's Graffiti Collection - Pine in the Neck - Double IPA brewed with Juniper berries! Just the right amount of hopiness, and only a faint hint of juniper...according to the label, it's "a bold beer that's nature-proof." I guess that means bears won't drink it...

Summer Cocktail Month: June 21, 2013

The Gin Rickey - Happy Summer Solstice! A classic summer drink, right alongside the G&T, tall, cold, and citrusy! 

Juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 oz gin

Squeeze the juice of one lime into a tall glass and drop the lime half in; add gin (I used Leopold's), fill with ice, and top with soda water! 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 20, 2013

Na Zdravi Czech-style pilsner - The last day of Spring - time for Southern Oregon Brewery's Na Zdravi Czech-style pilsner! A nice finish to the Spring season from one of Medford's finest breweries!

Summer Cocktail Month: June 19, 2013

It's International Martini Day! Celebrate with a classic - Gin martini with a twist, stirred, not shaken! 

1 1/2 oz Northern Latitudes Jack Pine Gin 
1/4 -1/2 oz vermouth

Combine in a shaker with ice, stir gently with a tall spoon. Strain into a martini glass, garnish with a lemon twist.

Summer Cocktail Month: June 18, 2013

Strawberry Basil Mojito - 

2 large strawberries
2 large basil leaves
juice of half a lime
1 T simple syrup
2 oz light rum or cachasa (Brazilian rum)

Muddle strawberries, basil leaves, lime juice and simple syrup in a shaker. Add rum and shake over ice. Pour the contents into a pint or collins glass; top with soda water! 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 17, 2013

Strawberry Lemonade Martini - 

2 large strawberries 
1 T simple syrup 
juice of one lemon
2 oz vodka 

Muddle strawberries and simple syrup in a shaker; add lemon juice and vodka; shake over ice and strain into a martini glass, garnish with a strawberry. 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 16, 2013

The In and Out Lemontini - I'm making extras today to tide me over while I enjoy some family time...

1 part limoncello (I used Limoncello di Leelanau) 
3 parts vodka

Combine ingredients and shake over ice; strain into martini glass, garnish with a lemon twist.

Summer Cocktail Month: June 15, 2013

The Eclat Pamlemousse (many thanks to Randy May for the recipe!) - Awesome way to end the day - a visit with my little bro James Burnham and lovely wife Erin, with a total cousin blowout Mario Game going on in the living room after a day at the lake, some sailing, some water slides, and some shopping! Life is good.

3 parts grapefruit juice (the good kind) 
2 parts vodka 
1 part St. Germaine 

Combine ingredients and shake over ice, strain into champagne flute and top with champagne (or sparkling wine).  

Summer Cocktail Month: June 14, 2013

Have a Mojito and celebrate Flag Day! Yes, the USA is a melting pot!

2 oz light rum (I use Mt Gay Eclipse Barbados) 
1 T simple syrup 
juice of 1 lime 
12 mint leaves

Muddle leaves in liquid in a shaker, fill with ice; shake to mix well and pour all into a tall glass. Top with soda water. Enjoy! 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 13, 2013

The Whiskey Smash - An excellent summer drink for you whiskey lovers! I used Deer Camp Whiskey from Northern Latitudes - a nice single malt rye.

Half a lemon cut into slices
1 T simple syrup. 
2-3 oz good whiskey
a couple of mint sprigs 
Muddle the lemon and simple syrup in a shaker (optional with one of the mint sprigs). Muddle it GOOD. Add the whiskey and shake well over ice and strain. Garnish with a mint sprig. 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 12, 2013

The Classic Vodka Martini:  Just the thing to calm down youze guyz in the midwest this thundery evening! Shout out to Northern Latitudes Distillery for their Oh-So-Awesome Deer Camp Vodka! This one made with the classic blue cheese stuffed olives! 

1 1/2 oz good vodka
1/4-1/2 oz Frech vermouth (white vermouth)

Combine over ice in a shaker - stir or shake - strain over ice into a chilled martini glass; garnish as you wish!

Summer Cocktail Month: June 11, 2013

The Bangkok Breeze - A Shout Out to Jim LeMay , with whom a year ago today I was flying over the Pacific Ocean on our way to Bangkok and elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific...can't believe a whole year has passed!  I used a little dark rum because that's what I like and the only white rum I have is cachasa, and that's too harsh for this drink. 

1.5 oz white rum
Ginger ale 

Combine ingredients over ice in a collins glass; garnish with a lemon twist. 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 10, 2013

The Frenchie - Variation on a theme from yesterday (only because I happened to remember I was out of pear vodka when I rode my bike past the liquor store on the way home today...). 

1 1/2 part pear vodka (your choice - cheap works) 
3 parts pineapple juice
1 part cranberry juice. 

Combine all ingredients over ice in a collins glass. As with the Blushing Lady, a little soda water would lighten this one up... 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 9, 2013

The Blushing Lady - For a hot summer day, lighten it up with some cold soda water, or serve on ice! Cheers! 

1 part PAMA pomegranate liqueur 
2 parts vodka 
1 part pink grapefruit juice 

Combine in a shaker, shake over ice, strain. Garnish with a lemon. 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 8, 2013

The Classic Pina Colada - perfect for a warm sunny afternoon on the deck! 

1-2 oz rum (to taste) 
2 oz pineapple juice 
2 oz cream of coconut 

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, or combine in a blender and blend with extra ice to desired consistency. Enj

oy! 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 7, 2013

The Flamingo - a rum version of the classic Paloma. 

2 oz light rum (Cabana cachasa or Mt Gay Silver are good choices) 
Juice of half a lime 
Fresh grapefruit juice
Soda water

Combine rum and lime juice with ice in a shaker, stir and pour into cocktail glass. Add grapefruit juice and soda, garnish with citrus! 

Summer Cocktail Month: June 5, 2013

The Jack Pine Gimlet - with Northern Latitudes Jack Pine Gin, shaken with juice of half a lemon, strain and serve. You can't put too much stuff in this Jack Pine Gin. 

2 oz Northern Latitudes Jack Pine Gin
Juice of half a lemon

Shake over ice; strain into a martini glass.

Summer Cocktail Month: June 4, 2013

The Latte : A great way to use the last coffee in your morning pot! Very nice for apres meal... 

1 part Bailey's Irish Creme 
1 part Stoli Vanil 
fill with coffee ice cubes
(use your morning coffee leftovers to make some coffee ice cubes)

Pour liquid ingredients into a Manhattan glass. Add coffee cubes. Enjoy!

Summer Cocktail Month: June 3, 2013

The Mint Julep : There are several ways you can make this drink, each of which is labeled "best" or "traditional." I think your choice depends on how much you like Bourbon. This is definitely not a drink for "sipping" bourbon - use the cheap stuff! 

3 oz bourbon (Jim Beam works fine)
2 mint sprigs 
1 T simple syrup 

Fill a Tom Collins glass with crushed ice and let it get cold. Muddle the mint in the simple syrup, add the bourbon and shake over ice; strain into the crushed ice. Optional: Float 1 oz Peachtree Schnapps or Rum, garnish with a mint sprig. Voila. You're ready for the ra

ces...!