Friday, April 29, 2011

Friday Happy Hour: Cups

This week, we're stumbling upon an old and obscure category of drinks that might be the original sangria! Judge for yourself -- is this basically sangria or not?

And here are a lot more varieties:


And some more ....


It is an awful lot like sangria -- a heady mixture of fruits, wine, spirits, liqueurs, syrup, all ready to pour! Might be something to try for your next party -- an example of old things becoming new again.


Cheers!

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Wednesday's Food Section: Veal Stroganoff

What's for dinner tonight?

Our friends at Quaker Oats have come through for us again! Their suggestion is veal stroganoff -- and judging by the picture, we're in for a delicious dinner! Here's how:


Bon appetit!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Friday Happy Hour: "At Home Happy Hour"

This holiday weekend is a great time to have your friends over for a convivial evening! The good people at Southern Comfort have the soiree all planned for us:


Beautiful people, a beautiful time!


So, mix it up! Cheers!

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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Wednesday's Food Section: Easter Ham!

As we gear up for Easter, we're coloring our eggs and getting our Easter bonnets ready, let's not forget to prepare for the Easter ham! First, a review of your carving technique:

Looks like an expert source. Let's sharpen our knives:


Excellent. Now, how should we carve the ham?


Like a pro! But, what about baking the ham? For that, we turn to our friends at Old Forester:



See, they even threw in a bean bake recipe for free! You'll be the hit of the Easter parade with that one! Bon appetit!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Friday Happy Hour: Flips

You might mistake this for a frosty pint of beer, but, as we'll see below, it's something altogether different. As we're exploring some of the classic, pre-prohibition drinks (we've talked about cocktails and rickeys so far), we'll take on the most controversial of them, the flip. It's "controversial" because of one key ingredient: an egg. We've talked before about egg whites, but flips take the whole egg, raw. Well, so that's kind of a disclaimer. If you're still interested in learning more, let's explore it:
So, kind of like the rickey, the flip follows a basic recipe, and you insert your spirit of choice. For a flip, it's an egg, a teaspoon of sugar, and some booze. The thing about a flip is that you have to shake hard to whip up the egg into a froth to give the drink the body it's known for. Here are some more variations for flips:


Another thing to mention is the signature garnish for a flip: nutmeg. Nutmeg is also used as a garnish for some other creamy drinks like an Alexander. The Drink Master also suggests using cinnamon as a garnish:


If you've never had a flip -- or even if you don't want to try a flip -- you've almost certainly had its cousin, egg nog. Egg nog is a little different, especially from the store. The big difference between an egg nog and a flip is that egg nog includes dairy, whereas the flip doesn't. The egg is used simply to add heft and body to the drink. Perhaps it's a good drink for runners, too, due to the protein. Try one for your next 5k -- here's a recipe for you:
That will get you through the finish line! Cheers!

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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Wednesday's Food Section: Chicken Curry

"Chicken again?" is a question you won't hear when you serve this delicious dish from our dear friends at Bordo! Here's how to ply your friends and family with delicacies from your kitchen:
Bon appetit!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Cold War City

From our sister site, How to Be a Retronaut, comes this haunting look back at England's Cold War City, an underground bunker built in the 1950s.


Grab a hot cup of tea and step back sixty years.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Friday Happy Hour: Rickeys

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about cocktails. Not just mixed drinks, but cocktails -- as in the original meaning of the term. As we learned (so you don't have to go back and look), a cocktail was a specific kind of mixed drink that included a spirit and bitters, and another liqueur or mixer (but not anything fizzy). This week, let's talk about another old school drink, the Rickey. Maybe your granddad drank a Rickey from time to time -- it's an oldie, but a goodie. Here's an introduction to the Rickey from the 1959 edition of The Standard Bartender's Guide:
So, there you have your basic Rickey formula, along with some exotic twists. A Rickey is just your booze of choice, half a lime, some ice, and top off with soda water. Then toss in the lime rind as a garnish. It's tart, but bracing. Like we said, your granddad might have drunk this. Here are some more variations on the Rickey:


And some more:


Say "Rye Whiskey Rickey" three times fast. Cheers!

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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Wednesday's Food Section: a duo of Egg and Cheese

Here's a family-pleasing dinner you can whip up in less than an hour, all with ingredients you probably have waiting in your kitchen! The hearty macaroni -- a familiar dish, but with a twist -- is nicely complemented by a unique Eggs a la King. Fit for a king! Here's how:

Bon appetit!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Friday Happy Hour: a tribute to Elizabeth Taylor


This week, we're interupting our regular schedule to bring you an original cocktail from Rogers Park Retro in honor of Elizabeth Taylor, the Violet Eyes. Sweet with an edge, much like the actress by whom it is inspired, the Violet Eyes casts its spell at first glance.



The recipe is 3 parts vodka, 1 part triple sec, 1/2 part creme de violette, and a teaspoon of bar sugar or simple syrup. Soft, beautiful, strong, and original, just like the original Violet Eyes.

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