Kristin Harmel's Blog, page 5

Foodie Fridays: Mimosa Alternatives Part 3

Here’s the third champagne cocktail recipe! Cheers!




Champagne Julep



Print





Recipe type: cocktail
Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins
Serves: 2
This one packs a punch. The Kentucky Derby is typically a pretty classy affair, but you can make the derby’s traditional drink even more upscale by adding some sparkle.

Ingredients

12 mint leaves
2 tsp sugar
6 ounces bourbon
6 ounces champagne or sparkling wine



Instructions


In a sturdy glass, muddle 6 of the mint leaves with the 2 tsp. of sugar. Divide the muddled leaves between two champagne flutes, add three additional leaves per flute, and pour in bourbon. Stir each flute well. Now, top each flute off with 3 ounces of champagne or sparkling wine.




2.2.6

 

Foodie Fridays: Mimosa Alternatives Part 2

Yesterday, we talked about mimosa alternatives, and I gave you the recipe for a Pretty Woman. Here’s a second champagne cocktail recipe.




Black Velvet



Print





Recipe type: cocktail
Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins
Serves: 2
Apparently invented in 1861 by a bartender at the Brooks’s Club in London, to mourn the death of Queen Victoria’s husband, this one sounds questionable, but is actually surprisingly delicious. Here goes:

Ingredients

6 ounces stout beer, such as Guinness
6 ounces champagne or sparkling wine.



Instructions


Pour stout into two champagne flutes. Gently top with champagne or sparkling wine. The gentler the pour, the more separated the layers will be; a perfect Black Velvet shows a clean line between the two liquids in the glass. Some bartenders prepare this cocktail by pouring the champagne gently over a spoon turned upside down over the glass, to ensure that it runs gently down the inside wall of the glass.





Notes

Want to make a girlier version? Try a Pink & Black by substituting pink champagne or Rosa Regale for the regular champagne.

2.2.6

 

Foodie Fridays: Mimosa Alternatives Part 1

I love the concept of a mimosa (and the fact that it makes a cocktail acceptable at breakfast!), but after an pretty gross OJ-related food poisoning incident at age 16, I’ve never been a fan of mixing orange juice with any liquor. I still drink it most mornings with breakfast, but there’s something about the blend – in a screwdriver, a mimosa or anything else that uses orange juice as a primary mixer with alcohol – that makes my stomach swim.

So with summer on the horizon, and lots of outdoor brunches in my future (hopefully!), I sat down to think about other favorite things to mix with champagne. Of course cranberry juice is one easy alternative, or you can use peach puree to make a Bellini. Here’s the first of three other easy champagne-based cocktails to serve with brunch (or, really, anytime!). Come back tomorrow and Sunday for more!

Pretty Woman



#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews



Print





Recipe Type: cocktail
Prep time: 5 mins
Total time: 5 mins
Serves: 2
Remember that scene in Pretty Woman where Richard Gere’s character orders champagne and strawberries to the hotel room? Replicate the experience in a glass with this easy recipe using a homemade strawberry puree and champagne.

Ingredients

1/2 cup strawberries, with stems and hulls removed (plus additional strawberries for garnish)
½ tsp lemon juice
2 tsp. sugar
8 ounces champagne or sparkling wine



Instructions


Combine strawberries, lemon juice and sugar in a blender and puree until smooth. Divide evenly between two champagne flutes. Top with champagne or sparkling wine and garnish with a strawberry. Get ready to embrace your inner Julia Roberts!

Fascinated by the Diamond Jubilee? Now travel back in time…

Last weekend, the world watched as the UK celebrated an incredible 60 years of the queen’s reign. She ascended the throne in 1952, when the world was a much different place. And while it’s not possible to actually travel back in time to see what England was like 60 years ago, I’ve found the next best thing: a trip to the Isles of Scilly, where time has stood still. Not only will you get a sense of what England was like in 1952, but you can step even further back in royal history by staying in Star Castle, which was built in 1593. Once an official royal residence, it’s now an elite hotel, owned by Prince Charles and operated by a jovial family of innkeepers. The best part of this trip? Go in the fall, and it won’t be outrageously expensive. It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Here’s a video of me talking about it on The Daily Buzz:

Are you watching the Diamond Jubilee Coverage?

I’m watching the tail end of the coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee today in wonderment; is anyone else tuned in? The tradition and ceremony are so beautiful!

If you haven’t made it to London for the Diamond Jubilee’s central weekend, however, it’s not too late. I dropped into London in March to visit some of the Jubilee-related sites, and you can do so too, at least through the end of the fall. Airfare prices should be dropping by mid-September.

So what should you plan for in London? Here’s how you can enjoy the Diamond Jubilee any time in 2012. I’ll post another segment (on traveling back in time to the start of the queen’s reign) tomorrow!

 

Foodie Fridays: Super-Easy Healthy Summer Pasta Salad

I’m a big believer that recipes don’t need to be complicated to be fulfilling. Here’s one of my easiest: a hearty summer pasta salad that uses fat-free Italian dressing, whole grain pasta and plenty of vegetables. It’s virtually fat-free, and the more fresh vegetables you use, the more appealing it will be. I like to make it as a side dish for dinner (it goes nicely with grilled chicken) and then eat the leftovers for lunch for the remainder of the week. Feel free to substitute the vegetables you have on hand for the carrots, celery and peppers below; this is a great, flexible recipe to use up leftover veggies.




Healthy Summer Pasta Salad



Print





Recipe type: Summer Pasta Salad
Author: Kristin Harmel
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 4
Super-easy and healthy Summer pasta salad.

Ingredients

16-ounce package whole grain pasta, such as rotini or penne
14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup diced red and yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup sliced black olives (optional)
8 ounces fat-free Italian dressing (I like Kraft Free Italian)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste



Instructions


Cook pasta according to package directions.
Drain and rinse immediately with cold water until cool.
Drain and pour into large mixing bowl.
Toss drained tomatoes, celery, carrots, peppers and olives (if using) with cold pasta.
Add fat-free dressing and mix well.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.





Notes

Optional add-ins: diced salami, diced mozzarella, diced cucumber, diced red onion, edamame, broccoli florets, peas, grated Parmesan cheese.

2.2.6

Memorial Day Travel: Finger Lakes Visit Part 3

No time to visit the Finger Lakes this summer? (See my previous two blog posts.) If you can’t get there right now, here’s how to bring it home! (For more links and tips, head to GalTime.com!)

Memorial Day Travel: Finger Lakes Visit Part 2

Yesterday, I showed you a clip from The Daily Buzz of me talking about traveling to the Finger Lakes wine region. Here’s more — plus some bonus information about how to take the trip inexpensively. It’s the perfect (affordable!) summer trip!

Memorial Day Travel: Finger Lakes Visit Part 1

Did you know that the Finger Lakes wine-growing region is the second-largest wine-producing region in the United States — and one of the least expensive wine regions in the world? Tune in below for my advice about how to visit the wine trails of New York’s Finger Lakes (first aired on The Daily Buzz):

Foodie Fridays: Creamy Polenta with Mascarpone and Toasted Almonds

Last week, I dined with my friends Marcie, Alicia and Jen at Prato, a great Italian restaurant in Winter Park (a suburb of Orlando). Their meatballs and pasta were incredible (as was the salted caramel gelato I had for dessert – yum!), but what really blew us away was their polenta with mascarpone, which was available as a side dish.

I’d never made polenta before, but I decided to see if I could come up with something that was similar to Prato’s dish. The recipe below is different in many ways – for example, Prato’s version features hazelnuts, while I used toasted almond slivers – but it’s truly one of the best side dishes I’ve ever made. And since I used a slow cooker instead cooking the polenta on the stove, there was much less work involved. Give it a try; it’s unique, flavorful and easy!

CREAMY POLENTA WITH MASCARPONE AND TOASTED ALMONDS

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup coarse yellow corn meal (usually found near the flour)
4 cups chicken broth
4 ounces mascarpone cheese (it’s like a sweet cream cheese, often found in 8-ounce tubs in the specialty cheese section)
4 ounces slivered or sliced almonds, toasted*
Cooking spray
½ can of sweet corn, drained

Directions

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter, then saute onions for 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute another two minutes.
Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Pour contents of saucepan into slow cooker. Slowly and in a steady stream, pour corn meal into broth mixture, whisking constantly with a balloon whisk or a fork to avoid lumps.
Set slow cooker on high. For the first 90 minutes, give it a quick stir with a wooden spoon every 15-20 minutes. This isn’t completely necessary, but it will help eliminate lumps.
After 90 minutes, turn slow cooker to low. Continue to cook for 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally (if you think of it). If consistency begins to become doughy, add a few tablespoons of warm water and stir thoroughly; it should feel/look no thicker than mush or grits.
If you’re not ready to serve after 5-6 hours, turn your slow cooker to warm for up to two additional hours. Turn it back to low 25 minutes before serving. If polenta is very lumpy, you can break up some of the lumps using a hand mixer on low speed. Wear a potholder and beware of splashes; the polenta will be hot.
30 minutes before serving, spray a frying pan with cooking spray and set it on medium-high heat. Lay the ½ can of drained sweet corn kernels out in a single layer in the frying pan. Cook until they start to brown slightly, but not burn, flipping occasionally. Remove from heat.
Using a wooden spoon, stir mascarpone cheese into the cornmeal mixture in slow cooker. Continue stirring until fully incorporated. Now, add the slightly browned corn and the toasted almonds. Stir thoroughly to incorporate.
Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Wine pairing: This is perfect on its own with a buttery chardonnay, but let your meat choice dictate the wine. For example, this polenta works perfectly as a bed for meatballs with red sauce; in that case, a chianti might work better.

* To toast almonds, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spread the nuts out in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes, shaking the sheet occasionally to toss the nuts around and make sure they’re evenly toasted. They’re done after the begin to turn golden and fragrant. The toasting brings out a richer, warmer flavor in the nuts.