strawberry mint juleps

May 6, 2016

strawberry mint julepWith the Derby and Mother’s Day falling on the same weekend I declare nothing but brunch food, mint juleps and mimosas for two days. As far as juleps go I’ve got you covered with this one. Light, fruity and sweet – not a “grow hair on your chest” sort of julep. Instead it’s for the lightweights like me, you know, the ones who prefer to spend Mother’s Day feeling delightful.

strawberry mint julep strawberry mint julepWhile I am no bourbon aficionado I do know you want to use good bourbon for a julep. My guess is whenever bourbon is to be consumed you always want to use the good stuff. The other is pig s#%t as my husband proclaims. “Might as well drink rubbing alcohol.”

strawberry mint julep strawberry mint julepHere’s to a wonderful weekend full of fun! Enjoy!

Cheers!

Brandy J

 

strawberry mint juleps
 
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Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1cup strawberries, stem removed, hulled and diced
  • ¼cup loosely packed mint leaves
  • ¼cup simple syrup
  • 3ozcup bourbon
  • club soda
Instructions
  1. Place strawberries, mint leaves and simple syrup in a small pitcher or large jar. Muddle with a mortar or back of a wooden spoon for a few minutes. You want to really break up the berries and mint. Add bourbon and stir.
  2. Fill 2 small glasses with crushed ice. Fill to about ¼" of the top of glass with bourbon mixture. Top off with a splash of club soda. Enjoy!

Strawberry Mint Juleps
Posted in cheers!, kentucky derby, recipes | Tagged | 2 Comments

mint julep truffles

May 4, 2016

mint julep trufflesThe derby is this weekend which means it’s time for hats, horses and mint juleps. For those of you who may not know, a mint julep is made up of mint, sugar and mostly bourbon. It is traditionally served in a gorgeous silver cup and packs a good ole Kentucky punch. I like them, especially when made with more sugar than normal, but admittedly they can be a tad strong for my taste.

These truffles though, they are the perfect balance of warm bourbon and sweet, yet fresh mint. You can eat more than one and not worry about tripping over your derby heels and losing your special hat.

mint julep trufflesIf there is one thing a mint julep is missing it would be chocolate. In fact any recipe sans chocolate could probably use some chocolate. Don’t you think?

mint julep truffles mint julep trufflesThese are best day of and obviously not kid friendly (although you could easily make a nonalcoholic batch). Sticky and I choked them down…the things we do for this blog.

mint julep truffles mint julep trufflesIf you are looking for something special to serve this weekend you will definitely win over everyone with these delightful little treats. You could even switch things up by dipping them in white chocolate…yum!

Enjoy!

Brandy J

 

 

mint julep truffles
 
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mint julep truffles
Serves: 15 truffles
Ingredients
  • 4oz good dark chocolate coarsely chopped (use a bar not chips)
  • 3 to 4oz good milk chocolate coarsely chopped (use a bar not chips)
  • ½cup heavy cream
  • 2tbsp unsalted butter
  • ½tsp peppermint extract
  • 2tbsp bourbon
  • ⅓cup sugar
  • ¼cup lightly packed mint leaves
Instructions
  1. Put chocolates in a medium bowl and fill a large bowl with an ice bath. Put cream and butter in a small sauce pan and place on burner on high heat until boiling. Pour cream over the chocolate and place a large plate over bowl to cover completely. Allow to set for 3 minutes. Take plate off and stir chocolate with a spatula until completely melted and glossy.
  2. Add extract and bourbon to chocolate and stir until it comes together smooth. (Will separate a bit at first, keep stirring.) Place bowl in ice bath and stir with spatula until it begins to thicken. Pour chocolate mixture into a 2qt dish or 9" pie plate. Cover with plastic wrap and stick in fridge for at least 3 hours.
  3. Place sugar and mint leaves in food processor and pulse until leaves are minced finely. Place in airtight container in fridge until ready to use.
  4. Once chocolate has set for at least 3 hours, take about a tbsp of it (I used a mini ice cream scoop) and roll into a ball with hands and place on a plate. Repeat with remaining chocolate. Gloves help but are not necessary. Work fast because the chocolate melts quickly. Place plate of balls back in fridge for 15 minutes.
  5. When ready to serve, roll each ball in mint sugar and tap off excess. These are best ate day of. If you want to make ahead, stop right before the sugar coating. Balls can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, covered. You can do that last step of the rolling the day you serve.

slightly adapted recipe from food network

mint julep truffles
Posted in cheers!, kentucky derby, recipes, something sweet | Tagged | Leave a comment

poppins party prep

May 2, 2016

Every year there’s a “party notebook” I tote around for at least 3 months. It’s full of doodles, ideas, hopes, dreams…and mostly overambitious goals. Without a doubt Jettie’s Mary Poppins theme has me busting at the seams with all sorts of “we could to do this and we could do that”. (“We” would be Sticky and my mom. Feel free to pity them, they certainly deserve it.)

If I seem/have seemed a little MIA or off lately it would be due to all this party prep. When we only had Jettie, life/work/blog/party planning was much simpler. Bubba adds his own element of craziness, which we wouldn’t trade for anything. (Not even the carousel horse that Julie Andrews actually rode in the movie…not that of you have one of those, right?)

Is it madness to prepare for these parties? Heck yes. Do I love it? More than you could ever know.

This weekend was dreary and all in all gross if we are just talking weather. Lucky for us we had party shopping to do.

poppins_prep_1I absolutely cannot wait to see this all come together. If you want a little taste of what’s to come you can check out her invite on etsy.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,

Brandy J

 

 

 

Posted in personal, the rammels | Tagged | Leave a comment

mango margaritas

April 29, 2016

Mango MargaritasAnother Friday, another margarita! This time I went with the fresh mango route and boy is it delicious. I have a feeling there will be plenty of lime and mango on our shopping list from here until the end of summer. (And tequila and triple sec…)

Mango MargaritasAlright guys, I am in dire need of a new blender. A Vita-mix is not in the budget at the moment (unfortunately) so what I need to know is this: Is there a decent blender out there I can get for around $100? I am desperate. I even went as far as to ask for one for my birthday. Lame right? But then I thought what woman wouldn’t want a blender when there are things like margaritas and fresh salsa to be had? So yeah, I need a good blender. Stat. [Mine sucks.]

Mango MargaritasOf course I have to hand it to my crap blender for still whipping up a fabulous margarita when one needs such a drink. Albeit it does smell like burning rubber while it is running, and it shuts off by itself after 5 or 6 seconds. But the margarita is tasty and that’s really all that matters.

Did I mention I need a new blender?

Cheers!

Brandy J

 

 

mango margaritas
 
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Serves: 2 large glasses
Ingredients
  • 1 mango (peeled, cored and chopped into ½" pieces)
  • ½cup lime juice
  • ¼cup simple syrup
  • ½cup tequila
  • ¼cup triple sec
  • Lime wedges for rimming and garnish (optional)
  • sea salt for rimming glasses (optional)
Instructions
  1. Place mango, lime juice, simple syrup, tequila and triple sec in a blender and pulse until nice and smooth, with no remaining mango chunks.
  2. Rub a lime wedge around 2 glasses. rIm each with sea salt. Fill glasses with ice and pour mango margarita over top. Cheers!

Mango Margaritas
Posted in cheers!, Cinco de Mayo, recipes | Tagged | 2 Comments

baked black bean flautas

April 28, 2016

baked back bean flautasThis time of year the crunchy black bean taco post always receives a surge of traffic. It is one of PPJ’s most popular food posts in general, come Cinco de Mayo it is the most popular food post.

A few weeks ago I felt the urge to switch it up a bit. Keeping the recipe ingredients exactly the same yet transforming the end result. Meet black bean flautas. Baked black bean flautas.

baked back bean flautas baked back bean flautasIt took a few tries to figure how to get the crunchy bite of a flauta without deep frying them. Broiling them at the end really helps crisp up the top of the flautas, while baking them on a wire rack first keeps them from steaming underneath.

baked back bean flautas baked back bean flautasWe make the crunchy black bean tacos often in this home so the kids were a tad confused with these “tubes” that supposedly tasted like the tacos they knew. Of course one bite and they were on board. Especially liking the dipping factor that comes with the flautas.

Have you ever seen anything cuter eating a flauta? I say no.

baked back bean flautasThis would be a wonderful, healthy meal to add to your dinner roster. Especially fun for Cinco de Mayo next week!

Enjoy!

Brandy J

 

 

baked back bean flautas
 
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Serves: 12 fautas
Ingredients
  • vegetable or canola oil
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 2 cans of black beans drained and rinsed
  • ¼cup finely chopped red onion
  • 1 jalapeño finely minced
  • 1 garlic clove finely minced
  • 1tsp cumin
  • 1tsp paprika (I use smoked)
  • 2tbsp minced cilantro
  • juice of a ½ lime
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2cups shredded pepper jack cheese
  • Lime wedges, salsa, gauc or creamy cilantro for dipping (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven 425F. Top a baking sheet with a wire rack.
  2. Place a damp paper towel inside of a large skillet fitted with a lid. Set aside. Place a small skillet on stove over medium high heat. Put a little oil in and heat each side of corn tortilla for about 10 to 15 seconds, one at a time. Place tortilla in skillet with damp paper towel and place lid on top. This will keep the shells moist and able to roll without cracking.
  3. Place beans, onion, jalapeño, garlic, spices, cilantro and lime in a medium bowl. Mash with a potato masher or fork till it all comes together. Salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Place a "line" of black bean mixture in center of tortilla. Place a little cheese on top. Roll and place seam side down on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remains tortilla shells. Brush all with a little oil.
  5. Place flautas in oven for 15 minutes. Turn the broiler on and crisp up the tops (should only take a couple of minutes. Serve immediately with lime wedges and salsa, guacamole or dip.

baked back bean flautas

Posted in Cinco de Mayo, healthy eats, holiday fare, party food, recipes, vegetarian, what's cooking | Tagged | 3 Comments