Limoncello Gin Thyme

 From Spec's website.  Didn't taste thyme at all.  Too strong tasting, better with topo chico. Would consider making thyme simple syrup instead.

Ingredients:
-Thyme sprigs

-2 oz gin

-1 oz limoncello

-1/2 oz lime juice

-splash of bubble water (topo chico)

Directions:

1. Juice limes

2. Muddle thyme

3. Add gin + limoncello

4. Shake with ice

5. Pour and garnish with fresh thyme

*Drinks

Pineapple Sage Mojito

New plant this year is pineapple sage.  Took me a while to even find pineapple sage, but found at Lowe's.

Cocktail modified from campbrighton.com

Didn't really like it - not sure what the problem was, but have some tips for next time. 

*I used the monkfruit simple syrup instead.  I should always make it in the morning so that it has time to cool and also marinate in with the herb.  The recipe with 1/4 cup of monkfruit + 1/2 cup of distilled water makes 4.5 oz of liquid or 3 large side jiggers of liquid.

*Also, it was too strong.  Made it 1:1 simple syrup and rum.  Use less next time.

Ingredients:

-2 key limes (can adjust)

-pineapple sage leaves

-1 part pineapple sage monkfruit simple syrup - make in morning and let cool in fridge

-1 part rum (would use less?)

-consider a splash of topo chico instead of less rum?

Directions:

1. Squeeze limes into shaker

2. Muddle pineapple sage leaves

3. Add simple syrup + rum

4. Shake

5. Pour into cups with ice

6. Add splash of topo chico

7. Top with pineapple sage for garnish

*Drinks

Magic Cookie Bar*

*WARNING - I HAVE NOT MADE YET

but I want to.  I screen-capped the recipe and I want to delete it off my phone haha.

Recipe taken from delish.com

Ingredients:

-18 (2 sleeves) graham crackers, crushed

-6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

-1/4 cups sugar

-1 (14 oz) can of condensed milk

-1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, divided

-1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts), divided

-2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray, then line with parchment paper up and over the sides with slight overhang.  Grease parchment again.

3. In a medium bowl, mix the graham crackers, butter, and sugar until mixture resembles wet sand.  Press graham cracker mixture into bottom of prepared baking dish

4. In even layer, drizzle condensed milk over the crust

5. Top with half the chocolate chips and half the nuts

6. Add the coconut

7. Top with remaining chips and nuts.

8.  Bake until chocolate melted and crust browned 25-30 min.  Let cool.

*dessert

Pecan Crusted Chicken

Recipe taken from wellplated.com

Eric didn't like very much, so probably won't make again. Oh well. Wish I had posted this last month because I don't remember it as well.  I think he likes the sesame encrusted chicken better because I marinate the chicken in soy sauce etc, which I obviously didn't do here, so maybe it was a bit too dry and not as flavorful.  

Oh and Eric told me to dust it with flour before dipping in egg, which I think actually messed it up more and made it so the pecans/panko didn't stick when I went to flip the chicken.  Or maybe I shouldn't have flipped the chicken at all.  Anyways, when I went to flip, basically the crust all came off.  

Plus, I ran out of eggs, pecan/panko, before I was finished with the chicken tenders, which sucked.  I think I used 1/4 cup because that's what I used for the sesame one, and need to use the full 1/2 cup.

Ingredients:

-2 large eggs

-1 cup pecan halves

-1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

-1 tsp dried basil

-1/2 tsp kosher salt

-1/4 tsp coarse black pepper

-chicken tenders

Directions:

-Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper

-Lightly beat eggs in shallow bowl

-Pulse pecans in food processor --> mix with panko, basil, salt, pepper (also garlic)

-Dip chicken tender in eggs, then pecan mixture (did the flour beforehand per Eric, and didn't like)

-Place chicken tenders on sheet and spray with olive oil (think I forgot this step, too)

-Back for 15 to 20 min

*American

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Made and was a hit.  Recipe from loveandlemons.com

Ingredients

-6 medium tomatillos

-1/4 medium yellow onion, cut into large chunks - (would do 1/3 onion bc didn't use burnt pieces)

-1 serrano or jalapeno pepper

-2 garlic cloves, unpeeled, wrapped in foil

-1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

-1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice - think I used one full lime and it was a lil too limey

-1/4 cup chopped cilantro

-1/2 to 3/4 tsp sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

2. Remove husks from tomatillos and rinse under cool water to remove stickiness

3. Place tomatillos, onion, pepper on baking sheet - sprayed with olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper

4. Place wrapped garlic on pan

5. Roast for 15 min or until tomatillos are soft

6. Add all ingredients into food processor (add water if too thick)

Didn't add onion pieces that were too burnt, so add extra onions to pan.  Will make again.  Summer is when tomatillos are in season.  Hmmm.

*Mexican

*Appetizer

Chicken Cauliflower Alfredo

Taken from Fitmencook.com 

This one didn't hit the mark.  Won't be making again.  Posting for the memories, I guess.  Good idea, but I guess if we are not into the original chicken alfredo as much, then this one didn't have much of a chance.  Ended up adding a bunch of italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes to make it better.

Ingredients for sauce (for 6 servings):

-olive oil

-3/4 cup of onion diced (used whole small yellow onion)

-2 1/4 Tbsp garlic (used like 6 cloves)

-18 oz cauliflower (used 2 bags of 10 oz)

-2 1/4 cups almond milk

-1 1/2 cups grated parmesan (used the whole block and took forever to grate, so don't do that again - eric said maybe use a different cheese next time)

-1 1/2 pinches sea salt

1 1/2 pinches pepper

Ingredients

-1 1/4 lb chicken breasts, cut

-1 bunch of asparagus

-pasta

Directions:

1. Steam cauliflower bags and set aside

2. Boil pasta and set aside

3. Cook asparagus in air fryer

3. Saute onions and garlic for 2-3 min in olive oil, or until onions slightly brown and translucent

4. Transfer onions and garlic to blender, along with remaining ingredients for the sauce.  Blend until smooth and fine.  Season to taste with pepper.  Add more almond milk or water for thinner sauce.

5. Cook chicken

6. Add sauce to chicken

7. Combine chicken, sauce, asparagus, and pasta together in bowl

*Italian

Winter cocktails

Have a lot of different liquors right now, so to use some bottles up, I made some cocktails last weekend for UFC.  Everything was put in shaker with ice and divided between me, Eric, Jasmine, and Ian.

*UPDATED - did a few more for New Year's Eve 2021 with Eric, Jasmine, and Thomas.

Screwball Whiskey Peanut Butter Cup Shots (by homebodyeats.com)

-1 part peanbut butter whiskey (Screwball)

-1 part coffee liqueur (Kahlua)

-1 part milk of choice (almond milk)

-Reddi whip (coconut milk) to top off

Notes: very tasty

White Russian

-2 parts vodka

-1 part Kahlua

-1 part heavy cream/milk (used lite coconut milk) - other recipes vary amount of this

Notes: not as good as 1st one, tasted too strong, maybe 1 parts of each next time

Peppermint White Russian (another website, but also on The Marvelous Misadventures)

-1 part vodka

-1 part Kahlua

-1 part peppermint schnapps

-1 part milk (used almond milk)

-ground up candy cane around rim of glass

Notes: maybe less peppermint? I think I liked the Peppermint cocktail below with the white chocolate liqueur better than Kahlua.

Mistletoe Martini Cranberry Christmas cocktail (by mixthatdrink.com)

-1.5 oz vodka

-0.5 oz elderflower liquer

-1.5 oz cranberry juice

-0.5 oz simple syrup (didn't make, so used grenadine syrup)

-mint leaves

Notes: Eric liked this one the best

Peppermint cocktail (couldn't find original, but similar one found on thecocktailbird.com)

-1 part vanilla vodka (only had regular vodka)

-1 part white chocolate liqueur

-1 part peppermint schnapps

-ground up candy cane around rim of glass

Notes: Very tasty, some other recipes with milk in it that I would try next time

Cranberry Mule Holiday cocktail (from Aberdeen's Kitchen)

-2 oz bourbon

-1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

-1 oz orange juice

-1 oz cranberry juice

-ginger beer to top off

-add some mint sprigs in shaker

Notes: I'm not sure I liked this as much as Eric.  Maybe try with different liquor like rum

Screwball whiskey peanut butter cup

*Drinks