Hello Folks! Recently, I was standing in my kitchen over a sizzling pan trying out a new recipe and I got to thinking, “Why am I doing this all by myself?” There I was, trying a new recipe and making myself a drink to go along with it and I was the only one who could enjoy it. Suddenly I had a “Lightbulb!” moment: with the rim roll of life it’s often difficult to get people to slow down to breathe  – let alone sit down to enjoy a meal – and I thought to myself it was time that I did something about that.

I’ve been crazed with work of late and haven’t had the opportunity to see a great deal of my friends here in LA and I thought let me use them as guinea pigs for some recipes I wanted to try. After consulting with the wonderful Jennie Palluzzi about this idea, it was decided that we would start a new monthly tradition where we would plan a menu pairing new recipes with alcohol. Thus the Jennie/George Test Kitchen was born.

For our first outing we decided to engage in a completely vegetarian friendly menu. So of course we contacted GMS Contributor Megan, whose graphics I’m sure grace some part of your computer, and her awesome boyfriend Mitchell to be part of this inaugural group along with myself, Jennie, and Jennie’s partner-in-crime Jeff.

We didn’t know what we were fully getting into, but I am happy to report the night, in my humble opinion, was a delicious success. For the menu we chose several dishes and I paired most with an awesome wine of both the red and white varieties. But I wanted to start the evening off right, and it’s been getting hot here in LA, so I came up with a quick and easy cocktail that was served with our first appetizer course.

Gin Lemon Spritzer

Prep Time – 3 Minutes
Serves – 1

6 oz  gin (2 shots)
1/2 of a medium lemon
1 sugar cube
Angostura bitters
lemon lime soda
ice

1. First thing is to peel a long stretch of lemon rind from your 1/2 a lemon. This will be used for garnish and flavor. Second, slice your 1/2 a lemon into thin garnish size pieces, reserve two to be used as a garnish in your glass.
2. Next take a cocktail shaker and toss in the sugar cube. Coat it with your bitters and drop in all but two of the lemon slices. Mash all the ingredients together inside the shaker until pulverized. Then add your ice and your gin and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds.
3. Prep your glass: throw in a few ice cubes or one really large one and the remaining lemon garnish slices, but not the rind. We will be using that in a moment.
4. Strain the contents of your shaker into the glass.  Take your rind and carefully use a match to singe the inside portion of the rind. This will release intense aromas and will enhance the flavor after your put out the match and drop into the glass.
5. Fill the remainder of the glass with your lemon lime soda and that’s it.

When all is said and done you will have a terrific summer drink that is both bold and refreshing!

I could go on and on about all the fun stuff we cooked, but that’ll be for another time. I will leave you with our prepared menu and links to the recipes we used if you want to give them a try at home along with the cocktail.

Jennie/George Test Kitchen Menu #1

Course 1:

Appetizer – Broccoli Rabe, Cannellini Bean & Ricotta Crostini
Cocktail – Gin Lemon Spritzer (Recipe Above)

Course 2:

Cheese Plate – Manchego, Goat Gouda, Blue/Gorgonzola, Assorted Jams & Honey, & Olives. (No Recipe Needed)
White Wine: 2013 Cold Heaven Viognier

Course 3:
Salad – Heirloom Tomato Salad w/ Fennel, Radishes, Red Onion, and Arugula (We also added blueberrries)
White Wine: Cold Heaven Viognier

Course 4:

Main Course – Risotto Cacio E Pepe
Red Wine: 2009 Villa Creek Avenger

Course 5:

Dessert – Vanilla Bundt Cake w/ berry sauce
Dessert Ice Wine: Halter Ranch Dessert Wine or ReFind Lemoncello

If you want to track our ongoing adventures check out our hashtag #JennieGeorgeTestKitchen on Instagram!

Good Spirits Everyone!

Now that you’ve got a glass of White Wine Sangria in your hand, you’re ready to conquer dinner. (If you don’t have a glass of White Wine Sangria in your hand, go back to Monday. It’s worth it.) This dinner is worth it because there is no oven, and you’re done in a half hour or less.

Fajitas remind me of my childhood. My mom would make fajitas for dinner on the regular, and the smell of cooking onions and bell peppers reminds me of coming home from school or soccer practice and being starving and eating a plate of fajitas with a healthy scoop of sour cream and salsa.

Jeff and I eat our fair share of chicken quesadillas (something that became embarrassing when every time Corelyn came over I served her the same dinner) and in an effort to mix it up lately, I decided to try my hand at fajitas (and, let’s be honest, I was watching Fresh off the Boat and they reminded me how popular fajitas were in the 90s, which got me nostalgic for my youth.)

These are a very quick recipe to make, and they are delicious the first night and also the next day (or two) – you gotta love leftovers! Exciting lunches! Not just salads!

Serves 4
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 package carne asada meat (we used the prepackaged stuff from Trader Joe’s, so sue us)
2 bell peppers (I used one green and one red, but you can use whatever you like!)
1 red onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 lime, juiced
tortillas
sour cream/salsa/avocado as you see fit

Directions:

1. Grill meat according to package directions>
2. Slice bell peppers and onions.
3. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
4. Add your red onion and cumin and cook until red onions begin to soften, about five minutes.
5. Add your bell peppers, cooking another five minutes. Remove from heat and add lime juice.
6. Serve veggies, steak, and any add-ons you want in your tortillas – I recommend corn or the corn-wheat mix, again from Trader’s.

That’s it! This takes less than a half hour and you’ve got a delicious dinner on the table. I like to serve with spinach for an added veggie, and lots of extra limes because lime just screams summer to me. Best of all, you don’t need to turn your oven on for this. You’re welcome!

What recipes remind you of home and growing up? I’d love to hear them!

It’s finally here, folks! Summertime, a season that always bring magic and sunshine and tans and iced cold drinks and hot dogs and endless twilights. This weekend the weather in Los Angeles was sliding above 90, and in my non-air conditioned home I thought about what recipes I should whip up for you guys and decided you wouldn’t mind some stuff you didn’t need the oven for. It’s too hot, amiright? And, with the sun up well into the evening, it’s time to be outside and spend less time in the kitchen, anyways!

First up, I thought that some summer cocktails were in order, and what easier to make than a sangria? This White Wine Sangria comes together in about five minutes, and is delicious but not too sweet (I should know, I sucked some down right after these were photographed, even though it was morning, but it’s got fruit in it, so basically it’s breakfast, right?!)

Ingredients:

1 bottle white wine
2 citrus fruit, I used 1 lemon and 1 lime
2 stone fruits, I used 1 peach and 1 plum
handful of cherries
soda water (I used lime flavor)

Directions:

1. Empty wine into jars or pitcher.
2. Slice the citrus thin, and dice your stone fruit.
3. Add citrus, stone fruit, and cherries to wine, making sure to submerge fruit!
4. Let chill at least one hour in fridge.
5. When ready to serve, pour over ice, filling glasses about half way. Top off with soda water and a fresh cherry. Enjoy!

Sip slowly with friends over a BBQ, or in the evening when you get home and realize how many hours are left of sunlight. I recommend drinking while you’re cooking…I did, while I was making tomorrow’s dish: steak fajitas. I think they’re a great pairing, and I know you’ll agree.

What’s your favorite kind of sangria? I am thinking of making a rosé next, what do you guys think?

In honor of strawberry season, we wanted to remind you of this delish recipe that Corelyn whipped up last spring. Happy Thursday, folks!

*****

Strawberry Spinach Salad was really popular a few years back, with a poppyseed dressing. Simple, classic, and delicious. But then came arugula, and kale, and rainbow chard, and for a moment, people forgot just how good spinach is. We’re here to remind you (you’re welcome.)

A word on salad construction. We try our best to share the recipes we use, but with certain dishes, you’ve got to trust your own instincts. Your basic ingredients should be fresh spinach and strawberries, but feel free to add any of your favorite salad ingredients!

In this case, we added sprouts, cashews and burrata. If those don’t tickle your fancy, try avocado, walnuts, sunflower seeds, or goat cheese. We’re getting hungry just thinking of all the delicious possibilities!

We went off book and whipped up a strawberry honey dijon puree as dressing, and were pleasantly surprised by the results. This was the perfect blend of sweet and tart to compliment the creamy burrata, and  we will definitely be putting this on our future salads. Tell all your friends! Spinach and strawberries are making a comeback this summer!

Dressing:

3-4 strawberries (I used 3 large strawberries)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon, juice
sprinkle of salt/pepper

Well chickens, I’ve made it back from around the world. And I haven’t even managed to get myself sick while traveling for eight of the past ten weekends. I don’t know how I possibly managed that other than to say I have become more into using food as a medicine in the past couple of years, and it’s been working.

One of the things I do when I think I am getting sick is take oregano oil. It seems to help keep colds at bay, and if I am getting sick it shortens my colds by days, too. I used to be down and out for a couple of days, and now I usually can get through by going to bed early a couple of nights and I end up not actually being laid up at all.

Another thing I do is drink lots and lots of smoothies. This one is banana, blueberry, and ginger, lemon, and turmeric, with just enough milk to make it smooth. It’s perfect for when I am feeling stuffy – turmeric is great for cold symptoms, too!

Turmeric Smoothie

1 medium banana
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4-1/2 cup milk, depending on consistency you prefer (I like my smoothies thick!)
juice of 1 lemon
generous grating of ginger (I use about 2 teaspoons)
1/8 tsp turmeric

Directions: Blend all ingredients until smooth. Chill or serve immediately. Makes one smoothie.

One final trick I have is to make this honey-based remedy that I learned over at Brave in Love. I doubled the garlic because #GMS, and I second Melissa that it absolutely makes colds shorter and less aggressive.

Honey-Garlic Cold Remedy

4 tbsp honey
4 big cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Directions: Swallow about a tablespoon a couple of times a day at the first sign of a cold. Do not chew, just swallow. I once made this horrible mistake and smelled like garlic for DAYS.

So there you have it – three of my go-to remedies (usually used all together!) to avoid getting sick or staying sick for too long. For those of you that know me well, you know I tend to get sick a lot, but I haven’t had a cold in three months, which is AMAZING for me.

Now excuse me while I head to the kitchen to garlic up…