National Egg Day

Today is National Egg Day and let's be honest; every day should be National Egg Day! I love eggs! On this day I'm sharing one of my favorite childhood recipes, the Soft Boiled Egg. As a kid this was my favorite breakfast. I liked that my mom put my soft boiled eggs into little egg dishes and I cracked the egg open myself with the back of my spoon which she showed me how to do, and then added a little salt and pepper. To this day I eat soft boiled eggs. Once a week my neighbor Bella makes me soft boiled eggs while she tries to teach me French. Bella adds her own twist by serving the eggs with matzoh she has burnt on her gas stove with fresh sweet cream butter. I love to dip the matzoh into the egg yolk.

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SOFT BOILED EGG

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• Butter
• Salt
• Potato bread or matzoh

1. Use a pin or sewing needle to poke a hole in the bread end of each egg. Place each egg into a small saucepan of gently boiling water. [each egg? I thought there was only 1 egg used]
2. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes and drain.
3. Run the egg very briefly under cold water, crack the top part of the egg, [what do you mean by this?] and place it in egg cup.
4. Toast the slices of potato bread and spread them with salted butter. Cut the toast into strips and serve warm with the soft-boiled eggs.

Cucumber Spiked Vodka

Today is the first day of June and I'm spending this glorious day outside, sipping on one of the simplest, most refreshing sneekys!

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Cucumber Spiked Vodka

This is ridiculously easy to make and you can prepare it in large batches, making it perfect for parties and hosting!

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped seedless cucumber
• 1 bottle vodka

Steps:

• In a food processor or blender, puree cucumber.
• Pour vodka and cucumber into a pitcher. Stir well.
• Refrigerate until chilled. Strain and serve.

Coq Au Vin

Today is National Coq Au Vin Day! For those who don't know Coq Au Vin is a traditional French dish of braised chicken in red wine, traditionally Burgundy. It's a dish Julia Child cooked frequently and helped increase the dish's exposure and popularity.

In honor of the late, great Julia Child I'm using her recipe to make Coq Au Vin for the family tonight.

coq-au-vin-oven

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup lardons (4 ounces -- 1-by-1/4-inch strips of blanched slab bacon or salt pork - see Special Note below)
• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds frying chicken parts
• 2 tbs. butter
• 1 tbs. olive oil (or good cooking oil)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 or 2 large cloves of garlic, pureed
• 1 imported bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp or so thyme
• 1 large ripe red unpeeled tomato, chopped, (or 1/3 cup canned Italian plum tomatoes)
• 3 cups young red wine (Zinfandel, Macon or Chianti type)
• 1 cup chicken stock (or more)
• Beurre manie, for the sauce (1 1/2 tbs. each flour softened butter blended to a paste)
• Fresh parsley sprigs (or chopped parsley)
• 1/3 cup good brandy (optional)
• 12 to 16 small brown-braised white onions
• 3 cups fresh mushrooms, trimmed, quartered and sautéed

Cooking Directions Browning and simmering the chicken. Before browning the chicken, sauté the blanched bacon or salt pork and remove to a side dish, leaving the fat in the pan. Brown the chicken in the pork fat, adding a little olive oil, if needed. Flame the chicken with the brandy, if you wish -- it does give its own special flavor, besides being fun to do. Then proceed to simmer the chicken in the wine, stock, tomatoes and seasoning as directed in the master recipe.

Finishing the dish. Strain, degrease, and finish the sauce, also as described. Strew the braised onions and sautéed mushrooms over the chicken, baste with the sauce, and simmer a few minutes, basting, to rewarm the chicken and to blend flavors. Special note: To blanch bacon or salt pork: When you use bacon or salt pork in cooking, you want to remove its salt as well as its smoky flavor, which would permeate the rest of the food. To do so, you blanch it -- meaning, you drop it into a saucepan of cold water to cover it by 2 to 3 inches, bring it to the boil, and simmer 5 to 8 minutes; the drain, refresh in cold water, and pat dry in paper towels.

Happy Cinco de Mayo: The biggest Sneeky Day of the year!

This is the biggest Sneeky Day of the year.  I love all of these recipes!  It’s a simple way to treat your friends to a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta. You can't have a fiesta without the proper table attire, so I've put together this quick list of Cinco ready decor to make it easy for you! [show_shopthepost_widget id="30664"] Guacamole (makes 3 cups)

• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 3 avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl combine tomatoes, onion, cilantro and jalapeno. With fork coarsely mash avocado; add to tomato mixture. Stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place plastic wrap directly on surface until ready to serve.

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SWEET AND SPICY TACO MEAT

• 1 MEDIUM RED ONION, FINELY CHOPPED
• 5 CLOVES MINCED GARLIC
• 2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL OR BUTTER
• 2 LBS GROUND TURKEY
• 1 POUND GROUND BEEF
• 1 PACKAGE SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGES
• 2 BUNCHES SCALLIONS, THINLY SLICED
• 1 BUNCH CILANTRO, FINELY CHOPPED
• 3 TABLESPOONS CUMIN
• 2 TABLESPPONS LAWRY’S SALT
• 1 TABLESPPON GROUND PEPPER
• 1 TABLESPPON TOBASCCO
• 1 TABLESPOON CAYENNE
• 1 JALAPENO, FINELY CHOPPED
• 2 CUPS ORANGE JUICE

IN A LARGE SKILLET SAUTE ONION AND GARLIC IN 2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL OR BUTTER, OVER MEDIUM HEAT, FOR ABOUT 3-5 MINUTES, STIRRING FREQUENTLY. ADD GROUND TURKEY, BEEF, SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGES AND COOK STIRRING UNTIL BROWNED. ADD SCALLIONS, CILANTRO, CUMIN, SALT, GROUND PEPPER, TOBASCCO, CAYENNE, JALAPENO, ORANGE JUICE AND COOK UNTIL LIQUID EVAPORATED. REMOVE SKILLET FROM THE HEAT.

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Infante -  sshhhhhh! (pictured above)

•  2oz reposado tequila
• 1/4oz orgeat
• 1/2oz fresh lime juice

Shake and strain over fresh ice. Spritz with rose water. Grate fresh nutmeg on top.

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Oscar Inspired Cocktails

In honor of the 86th Academy Awards this Sunday, March 2nd, I'm serving up sneekys inspired by each Best Picture Nominated film. Host a viewing party with easy appetizers and these sneekys. With all the great films nominated, there's sure to be a sneeky that speaks to everyone. Cheers!

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12 Years a Slave : Blackberry Royale

In 12 Years a Slave, Solomon Northup tries to fashion a pen and ink out of wood and blackberries in a desperate attempt to reach his family in the North. I'm serving up a refreshing pitcher starring blackberries.

• 1 cup fresh blackberries
• 2.5 oz créme de cassis
• 1 lemon
• 1 bottle (12 ounces) ginger beer, chilled
• 4 cups ice
• 1 bottle (750 ml) chilled dry sparkling wine

1. In a large pitcher, combine blackberries, créme de cassis, and 1 tablespoon from half the lemon. Stir to combine, lightly pressing on berries to release juices.
2. Add ice to pitcher. Fill with ginger beer and sparkling wine and stir gently to combine. Slice remaining half of lemon in thin slices and add to pitcher as garnish.

Gravity : Kahlua White Russian

For a movie that has audience members thrilled and on the edge of their seats, George Clooney provides some comic relief by saying he knows where the Russian stash their vodka on board the Russian satellite. Inspired by the small role vodka plays in the movie, I'm serving up White Russians.

• 2 oz Kahlua
• 1 oz vodka
• 1 oz cream or milk

Philomena : Buck's Fizz

There are several food moments through Philomena as Philomena proves to be enthusiastic about food and drinks. The one that stood out to me is when she is offered a Buck's Fizz cocktail on the flight to Washington D.C.

• 1 (750 ml) bottle champagne
• 0.5 liter squeezed fresh orange juice

Chill your Champagne & Orange Juice. Select a tall and elegant shaped champagne glasses! Pour about one third of orange juice into the glass first and then top up with champagne.

Nebraska : No Frills Beer

Beer plays a big role in the film Nebraska. Bruce Dern consumes a great deal of beer throughout the movie and is drunk once or twice. For beer buffs I recommend a good American craft beer such as Brooklyn Lager.

Her : Grand Cosmo

This movie was a little difficult to come up with a sneeky. I was ultimately inspired by how sentimental and romantic it was so I'm serving up this sweet, classic cosmo.

• 0.5 oz grand marnier
• 0.5 oz Belvedere Vodka
• 0.5 oz cranberry juice
• 0.25 oz fresh lime juice

Dallas Buyer's Club : Skinny Man Margarita

A skinny margarita for Ron Woodruff, an AIDS patient who smuggled unapproved pharmaceuticals into Texas when he found they improved his symptoms and distributed them to fellow patient. Cheers to you Ron!

• lime wedge
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 3 oz. (90 ml) tequila
• 1 oz. (30 ml) lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 oz. (30 ml) agave nectar
• ice

Combine the silver tequila, lime juice and agave nectar in a cocktail shaker. Add ice to the cocktail shaker and replace the lid. Shake the drink until the ingredients are well combined. Pour the drink into salted  glasses.

The Wolf of Wall Street : Money Maker Martini

A lavish twist on a classic martini to accompany a movie based on a beyond lavish lifestyle.

• 1.5oz Vodka
• 0.5oz Chambord
• 0.5oz pineapple juice
• 0.5 oz champagne

American Hustle : After Party (pictured above)

• 6oz Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
• Juices of 1 lime
• 4 slices jalapeno
• 4oz pomegranate juice10oz. agave nectar or simple syrup
• Seltzer on top

Muddle lime juice, jalapeno, and simple syrup. Add pomegranate juice, bourbon, and shake well. Strain into ice filled Collins glasses. And top with seltzer. Garnish with lime wheels and pomegranate seeds.

*Recipe courtesy of Huffington Post

National Margarita Day

If you're like me, you probably don't need an excuse to lift a celebratory sneeky. Still, even this classic margarita gets its own holiday. So Happy National Margarita Day! I'm serving up these refreshing Clementine Margaritas on this beautiful California day. Cheers!

Clementine Margarita

2 oz. Tequila 2 oz. Clementine juice (You can also use orange or grapefruit. Whatever is in season) 1 Freshly squeezed lime 1/2 oz. Cointreau

Shake, shake, shake. Pour over ice. Adorn with a clementine slice and sprig of rosemary.