Texas Lou

Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

While we were on vacation last week, one of my besties, Sarah, brought some Trader Joe’s salsa verde for us to snack on.  I LOVE salsa verde, but living in Virginia, you don’t find a very wide variety of salsas available.

On a completely different topic, a few weeks ago, I watched the movie Food Inc., which was highly recommended to me by my friend Dana.  The movie, which emphasizes the importance of getting our food from less processed and more natural resources, was excellent and inspired me to try and do my best to be more “green” when it comes to the food I eat.

So, on Saturday I made my way to the local farmers market to try and live up to my new found goal of eating naturally.  I bought chicken and eggs from local farms, fresh raspberries, beautiful, big, red tomatoes, and a giant ripe onion!  I also found tomatillos, the key ingredient in salsa verde!  I didn’t think I’d find them, but I searched each and every booth until I feasted my eyes upon a large basket of tomatillos for only $2!

Last night I was finally able to make my very own salsa verde for the first time and WOW, was it D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S!

Here’s the recipe:

• 6 or 7 ripe tomatillos
• 2 fresh jalapenos
• a handful of cilantro
• 1/3 (or about 1/2 cup) of a large white onion
• a splash of lemon juice

I washed the tomatillos and blanched and peeled some of them.  I also threw a couple of them in there with the peeling because I got lazy.  I washed the jalapenos and removed the stems.  I left the innards and the seeds for a spicier salsa because I like it SPICY, but you can remove the insides and seeds if you like your salsa with a little less kick.  I then washed and de-stemmed the cilantro and chopped the onion.  All of this was thrown into my Cuisinart food processor (courtesy of my wonderful mom) with a splash of lemon juice and blended to perfection!

Ben and I ate it with fresh grilled zuccini, portabello mushrooms, and Mexican rice.  The best part is there was enough left over for tonight AND I still have enough ingredients to make another batch!

So props to me for eating green in more ways than one!

Last night I went to a classic cocktail night at a local bar.  I also marked another first off of my list.  I tried absinthe for the first time.  I was under the impression that absinthe was illegal in the United States, but according to our instructor and Wikipedia, it was recently made legal again about three years ago.

All of the drinks we learned how to make had their origins in New Orleans, which is a spectacular city and should be visited be everyone at least once in their life.

The first drink we made was a sweet sipping beverage called Sazerac.  It was very strong and sweet and we drank it from a small 4 ounce shot glass.  When making this drink, I learned how to muddle.

The next drink was called a Ramos Gin Fizz which was made using gin, lemon juice, lime juice, orange flower water, heavy cream, sugar, and an egg white.  This drink was quite tasty and had a nice texture, but making it burned about as many calories as were consumed drinking it.  To give this drink it’s frothy texture, between 2 and 12 minutes of shaking was required.

Next, we made a Vieux Carré which means “old house” when translated from French.  It contained rye gin, sweet vermouth, cognac, and several different types of bitters.

Lastly, one of my favorites, was the Old Absinthe House Frappe which consisted mostly of absinthe and fresh muddled mint leaves.  It was reminiscent of a mojito and would make for a very nice cold sipping drink on a hot New Orleans day.

Now I’ve got my menu of drinks to order next time I hit up NOLA!

Today, February 22, 2010, is National Margarita Day and to celebrate, I want to tell everyone about one of the most unique margaritas I’ve ever had.

Now my mom’s homemade margaritas are definitely my favorite.  She usually makes them out of frozen limeade, Jose Cuervo tequila, Triple Sec, ice, and salt on the rim.  However, recently I discovered a new type of margarita.  It was a jalapeño margarita!

I know it sounds dangerous, but it was actually quite delicious.  For those who are not a fan of anything too spicy (definitely NOT me), the heat of this drink would definitely be tolerable.  It tasted like a regular margarita with a hint of jalapeño that was spicier to the lips than the tongue.

Where did I discover this new beverage you ask?  At a high-end Mexican restaurant in downtown Charlottesville called Ventana.  They don’t currently have a website, but I figure it’s only a matter of time.  I dined there a few weeks ago with a couple of friends before attending the Complexions Contemporary Ballet at Charlottesville’s Paramount Theater.  It was the perfect beginning to the evening!

We dined during Restaurant Week since Ventana was offering a 3-course  meal for only $26 (substantially cheaper than their usual prices).  The food was different and delicious and I can’t wait to check it out again for a taste of what is on their regular menu.  However, the drinks were what really wowed me!  In addition  to the jalapeño margarita that I ordered, the drink menu featured several other unique drinks that I’d love to try in the future, including a cucumber margarita, a habañero margarita, a $100 dollar margarita called “el dinero”, and according to a friend, the best long island iced tea they’ve ever tasted!

I definitely plan on making a trip to Ventana again soon for both dinner and drinks and will introduce it to any of my Texas friends and family who make the trip to Virginia for a visit!  For a more descriptive account of Ventana’s cuisine and atmosphere, you can check out the local Charlottesville blog, Cvillain.  You can also read more about Ventana’s unique margaritas on the local Charlottesville blog, Mas to Millers.

Happy National Margarita Day!  I hope everyone celebrates with something cold and delicious that hits the spot!

Just call me Leslie the Cold Magnet!  I’ve caught another one, and no Josh, I am NOT a hypochondriac!

I made myself some homemade chicken noodle soup and a hot toddy last night in order to rest up for the weekend’s activities.

It was really good!  So with cold season upon us, if you find yourself without Nyquil and needing a good night’s rest, try this recipe:

• 1/4 cup hot water
• 2 shots of 151 rum
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons of honey

It definitely did the trick for me!