Simple Greek Salad

Simple Greek Salad


1 Head Iceberg Lettuce, Cored And Roughly Chopped
1 Small Red Onion, Halved And Thinly Sliced
1/3 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
1/3 Cup Kalamata Olives
1/3 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 Teaspoon Superfine Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper


In a large serving bowl, combine iceberg lettuce, red onion, feta and olives.

In a separate container, combine the oil, vinegar, oregano, sugar, salt, and pepper, to taste. Shake or stir well to combine.

Drizzle salad with dressing and toss.  Serve immediately.

Firewater Friday - Peppery Bacon Infused Vodka

I like a strip of bacon as a garnish for a nice spicy Bloody Mary cocktail.  That got me thinking.  What about vodka infused with bacon and pepper.  Imagine that in your Bloody Mary!  Oh my!

So, I made it.  

Peppery Bacon Infused Vodka

3 or 4 Slices Smoked Bacon
16 Ounces Good Vodka
8 - 10 Peppercorns

Cook bacon in pan until crisp but not totally crispy.  

Place bacon strips into a jar and fill with vodka.

Place jar in the refrigerator for one week.  

After a week, put the jar in the freezer for an hour to solidify the fat.  

Strain the solids out of the liquid by pouring through a sieve or a stocking lined funnel.  

Pour into a bottle or jar.

For the most bacon flavor, serve at room temperature.  Use as a mixer or a sipper.  

Cheers!

Frolicking with a flat-iron

I have a good friend who grew up in rural Maine.  When she was a young girl life was hard.

Kids today may complain, but they have no clue as to what real hardship is.    

When Betty was a girl there was no television and shoes were a luxury.  She didn’t have dolls and she didn’t have a lot to eat and she didn’t complain about it. 

She once told me a story about how she and her brothers rode one of their pigs for fun.  They rode that poor pig to death, literally. 

That was life and it was what it was.

Don’t get me wrong, Betty had a toy.  A toy.  It was flat iron . . . attached to a string.  I kid you not!  She loved that iron and she dragged Lucivil everywhere she went. 

That’s what she named her pet iron – Lucivil; funny name for a little kid to name a toy. 

As she tells it, there was a stray cat that hung around their home for a while.  Betty’s father told her and her brothers they had better not let that cat in the house because it was a lucivee.    

 

Okay, so what the heck is a lucivee?

According to early folklorists, Lucivee (or Lusifee) is a malicious wildcat spirit of the Wabanaki.    However, in Indian lore the creature is called Lox (Luks).   Lox shares the characteristic of Lucivee but takes the form of a wolverine and not a cat.  The confusion for may be that lynx, a wild cat, sounds similar to Lox/Luks and the French-Canadian word for lynx, is loup-cervier which sounds similar to Lucivee.   

I can’t imagine why little Betty would have adopted the name of an evil native American animal spirit for her pet flat iron.  Perhaps, she wanted that poor feral cat so badly, she pretended that the flat iron was the kitty.  I don't know.

Spicy Sausage and Balsamic Peppers & Onions Sandwich

This is a sandwich of my own creation.  Sweet, savory, spicy, and cheesy.  It's almost the perfect sandwich.  

It's pretty messy, so I like to make mine open face. But if you don't mind all kinds of awesome juices running down your arms while you're eating then, by all mean, plop a bun on top of that bad boy and have at it!

Spicy Sausage and Balsamic Peppers & Onions Sandwich


¼ Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Cut Lengthwise Into 1/2 –Inch Slices
2 Or 3 Jalepeno Peppers, Cut Lengthwise Into 1/2 –Inch Slices
1 Large Onion, Cut Lengthwise Into 1/2 –Inch Slices
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1/8 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
¼ Teaspoon Salt
1 Pound Hot Italian Sausage
4 To 6 Fresh Kaiser Rolls
1 Pound Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced











In a large skillet, stir together the olive oil, peppers and onions over medium heat. Season with pepper and salt (I used Tony Chachere, instead).  

Saute the pepper for 5-7 minutes, until they are tender but still firm. Stir in the balsamic vinegar; cook for an additional 1 minute. Set aside.


Form the sausage into thin patties.  Cook sausage patties in a heavy large skillet over medium heat, about 7 to 10 minutes. Top with mozzarella and allow cheese to melt slightly.

Split the rolls in half lengthwise. Top with a sausage patty and a spoonful of peppers & onions.

Serve open face or top with another bun.  Serve sandwiches immediately.

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

With the exception of yogurt, all raw ingredients make this a super healthy smoothie

Yes there are spinach and tomatoes in there.  Don't freak out. They add goodness but no flavor.   

Yes, it's green. Just try it.  All you'll taste is smooth, creamy strawberry oatmeal deliciousness!

Trust me.  Try it!

Or wuss out and omit the spinach.  

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Smoothie


1 Cup Strawberries
1 Small Banana
1 Cup Ice (Optional)
1 Single Serving Size Container Non-Fat Vanilla Or Strawberry Yogurt
1/2 Cup Uncooked Oats
1 Small Tomato
1 Cup Spinach

Add the oats to the blender and pulse to grind them up.  


Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender pouring ice in last. 

Blend on high for 30 seconds or until blended and smooth.

Enjoy!

Firewater Friday - Homemade Pimento (Allspice) Dram

Pimento dram is a simple liqueur flavored with allspice berries. You may associate pimentos with olives, but those are pimento peppers.  It is called pimento dram because it is made with allspice which is the berry from the pimento tree.  

Pimento dram is strong, dark and spicy.  Unfortunately, it is not widely available in the United States but it is easy to make. 

All it takes is the ingredients and time.  


Pimento Dram

1 1/2 Cups White Rum
1/3 Cup Allspice Berries
1 Pound Brown Sugar
2 Cups Water



















Lightly crush the allspice berries.  You can place them in a plastic bag and run a rolling pin over them.  I used an old-fashioned coffee grinder.  

Place the crushed berries in a glass jar along with the rum. Let this infuse for about 10 days to 2 weeks. Strain the mixture through cheese cloth or a nylon stocking.

In a saucepan, add the brown sugar and water and heat until dissolved to create a brown sugar syrup. Allow the brown sugar syrup to cool completely.

Add the brown sugar syrup to the rum, and allow the mixture to rest for another 2 to 4 weeks.

The longer it sits the more mellow it gets.  You can add other spices like cinnamon or clove or cardamom. 

Try it in coffee or apple cider or as a mixer in cocktails!