Derby Day Drinks

I can distinctly remember the sun was peeking out through the clouds. Mother Nature had promised a warm Saturday in May for us upstate New Yorkers. It was probably nearing 70 degrees, so I put on a tank top and my very fashionable denim overall shorts and walked into the living room to tell my momma I was ready to go to the party. She took one look at my shoulder, my left shoulder, and noticed bumps – tiny bumps I had not seen before. I had chicken pox and had to stay home, she told me. I cried. At 9 years old, I didn't even really know what the Kentucky Derby was, but I knew I wanted to be a part of the action.

Years later, one thing remains: I'm still up for any excuse to have a party. So I after chowing down on a little Chinese takeaway tonight, I spent the evening trolling the Web in search of drinks that I think will be perfect for accompanying tomorrow's race. (Hey, don't judge. It's been a long week.) 

Review: Fire It Up

Fire It Up

By Andrew Schloss and David Joachim

When it comes to cooking in our household, I handle most of the inside jobs and the husband is mainly in charge of all that goes on outside. I like to think the husband is a pretty savvy griller. He's grilled pork loins, pork chops, hamburgers, chicken, steak, kebabs - even vegetables. So when I received a rather heavy package a couple of weeks ago and saw that it was Fire It Up, a huge book dedicated to grilling, I immediately thought I'd be passing this book off on the husband. 

I started flipping through this monster of a cookbook, imagining what the husband could grill up when I immediately fell in love. Alison Miksch's photos made my mouth water from the second I opened this book. (Can you honestly look at the full-page photo of a fire-braised pork shoulder sandwich on page 125 and not want to get your hands dirty with one of those?) Once I looked beyond the photos, though, I was drawn in even more and my eyes opened to a world of grilling I didn't even know - or think I wanted to know - existed.

However strange it may sound, I read magazines, and often cookbooks, backward. I always start in the back and flip to the front. But this is a book that you're going to want to read from the beginning. Flip to chapter one, titled "A Primer on Grilling Methods & Equipment," and master the basics. You'll probably even want to bookmark page 20, as the chart on that page lists all the temperatures you'll want to aim for when cooking everything from alligator to venison.

Once you've learned all you need to know about grills in chapter one and how to build flavor in your grilling endeavors in chapter two, the possibilities are just about endless. The husband and I, because we're pretty predictable, started with a grilled chicken breast and used the salsa-beer marinade. We love salsa. We love beer. We loved this marinade. 

Grilled Chicken With Cole Slaw and Toasted Bread

But this book goes so well beyond grilling meats. With chapters on grilling vegetables, fruit, desserts and breads, I have a good feeling we'll be busy with this book for a while. Already we've even chicken breasts and grilled cabbage for a creamy and flavorful cole slaw. I'd never thought to grill cabbage wedges, but, thanks to Schloss and Joachim, I'm now full of ideas. Cumin-crusted steak with a side of grilled corn on the cob? How about grilled banana satay for dessert? Sign me up.

Grilled Cole Slaw

With 15 chapters it's safe to say I haven't made my way through this entire book yet, but I know I will. And with all of the know-how boxes Schloss and Joachim have included throughout this book, instructing you on everything from how to tie a whole chicken for the grill to how to make orange supremes and care for cast iron, I could become a junior grillmaster in no time. I have a good feeling the husband will have to let me start the grill again in the near future. (That's right: I've only done it once before.) But there's really no reason the husband should get to have all the grilling fun - especially not now that I'm armed with more than 400 recipes that are just begging me to head to the back deck.


Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge to write this review. I received no monetary compensation; all thoughts are mine alone. 

Venison Sandwiches

A Venison Sandwich With a Side of Grilled Cole Slaw

Back when the husband was just a boyfriend we took a trip to Fort Lauderdale to look at a college he thought might be the grad school for him. We spent one afternoon walking around the campus and checking out the architecture department and the rest of the week sightseeing, lying on the beach, eyeing creepy iguanas, sitting on barstools and eating Primanti Brothers sandwiches. That's right: We spent a week in Florida eating sandwiches that originated in Pittsburgh. Have you ever had one? If so, I'm sure you understand.

Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Ground "Meat"

Mushroom Stroganoff With Vegetarian Ground "Meat"

Sometimes when the husband isn't home I like to do things that would probably make him laugh - or shake his head and wonder what he signed up for when he told me, our friends and family, and God that he'd love me until death us do part. So yesterday while the husband was out golfing, I turned on some Hayes Carll and made vegetarian ground meat. In my pajamas. Why? Why not? The doggies didn't mind.


I've had this ground meat substitute recipe bookmarked for awhile now, but I hadn't found the time to actually make it. The truth is, it was a bit time-consuming and definitely not a recipe I'd be whipping up on a Monday night. A good solid hour and a half preparing for this meal - by myself - was just what I needed. And tonight, all I needed was a husband willing to go along with this crazy idea of faux meat.