Posts Tagged ‘saucy sisters’

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Table’s Set: Rose Tomato and Chives Highlight Plate of Hors d’oeuvres

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

I think the best food decorating trick I ever learned was how to make a tomato rose.  Really.  It’s so versatile.  You can use it on a single plate, on a platter…or on top of other foods like a spread or even a block of cheese.  It’s my backup for all food presentation occasions.

The other night I put together these salmon hors d’oeuvres when friends were coming over:  wafer-thin crackers, goat cheese and smoked roasted salmon.  (The salmon may have been the headliner here, but the crackers and cheese are two of my absolute favorite foods and stole the show.  The crackers – or “crispbread” according to the makers – come from 34°.  I buy the goat cheese every week at the Franklin, TN Farmer’s Market from Noble Springs Dairy.)

The appetizers tasted delicious, but they looked pretty drab on the plate all on their own.  So out to the garden I went and snipped some chives.  (As pitiful as my garden is, even I can’t kill chives.)  Then I picked up a paring knife and a Roma tomato and got to work on the rose.  You can find detailed instructions for creating a tomato rose on our Tips page.

Believe me…If I can do it, you can do it.

Rose Tomato and Chives Perk Up the Presentation

Rose Tomato and Chives Perk Up the Presentation

Saucy Sis1

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Flag Cake for Fourth of July

Monday, July 5th, 2010

I won…I won!  My neighborhood had its annual Independence Day parade and picnic, and my entry came in first in the Most Patriotic Dessert competition.

(If you could see our “parade,” you’d laugh.  Residents decorate their tractors, trucks, antique cars, bicycles, golf carts – and even their dogs – in red, white and blue to march a few blocks on the way to the picnic.  Being the good sport that she is, Beverly participates with us every year.)

This is the first time that there’s been any kind of contest.  So when we heard about the Most Patriotic Dessert challenge, our competitive spirits surfaced.  Originally, we had planned to make Beverly’s Red, White & Blue 10-Minute Trifle because the traditional English dessert had been one of George Washington’s favorites.  And because Beverly likes to make desserts with booze in them.

As luck would have it, Beverly and Marc came down with a debilitating flu.  The last place Beverly wanted to be was in the kitchen.  So I was on my own and decided to make something that I’d done before:  a Fourth of July Flag Cake.

Directions:

  • Bake a sheet cake.  My pan was approximately 11”X15”.  Choose any flavor you want.  I chose almond.
  • Cut pieces from both long sides of the cake to resemble “waves” of the flag.
  • Cover the cake with white icing.  I usually cover this cake with whipped cream, which makes it taste like a strawberry shortcake.  But because it was going to be sitting outside in the hot sun, I substituted a traditional white icing of confectioner’s sugar, shortening, flavor extract (vanilla and almond in my case) and water.
  • Draw a square in the icing with a knife in the upper left hand corner to be the blue field of the flag.  (It helps to look at a photo of the American flag to get the stars and stripes right.)
  • Pipe some of the icing around the perimeter of the cake and around the square to contain the fruit so that it won’t fall off the cake later.
  • Cut tops off the strawberries and slice them vertically about 1/8” thick.
  • Overlap strawberry pieces to form 7 stripes on the cake.
  • Place blueberries on the cake to form the blue field.
  • Pipe white icing between the rows of strawberries to create the white stripes and on top of the blueberries to form the 50 stars.

What did I win?  No trophy, no medal, no certificate…but lots of goodwill from the neighborhood kids.  Which I hope will come in handy around Halloween.

Saucy Sis1

Flag Cake for Fourth of July

Flag Cake for Fourth of July

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Table’s Set: Pineapple-Floral Centerpiece for a Luau

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Last night we had our friends Teri and Stewart over for dinner.  They were coming from a community cleanup where they picked up roadside trash and asked that we do something casual.  I’m not particularly good at “casual” but figured that an “island” theme would work for all of us.

The first thing I worked on was the centerpiece.  I spent exactly $2.29 on it.  And that was for the pineapple from Costco.  The rest of the elements were a water glass from the cabinet and flowers and herbs from my so-called garden.

Here’s what I did:

I cut the leaves off the top of the pineapple to use later.  I hollowed out the pineapple (saving the the fruit to serve with our Mai Tai’s).  I rinsed the inside, dried it and  inserted a glass of water into the cavity.

Next, I trimmed the leaf section of the pineapple — cutting away the bottom and using scizzors to reshape some of the dried-out leaves.  Then I angled the leaves across the top opening.

I added three stems of Bougainvillea, two Black Eyed Susans and a couple bunches of mint.

As they say in Hawaii…Okole Maluna!

Saucy Sis1

Pineapple-Floral Centerpiece

Pineapple-Floral Centerpiece

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Table’s Set: Decorate A Chocolate Martini with a Hanging Cherry

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

I’ve been hooked on chocolate martinis since the first one passed my lips in a bar on St. Pete Beach.  From that time on, I’ve been experimenting with recipes…and presentations.  This is a White Chocolate Martini that cried out for some color.

I rimmed the glass in red by first moistening the rim with grenadine (although any liquid would work) and dipping it into a pile of red sugar crystals that I had in the pantry for decorating cookies.  And to hang the cherry over the side, I used a hook for Christmas ornaments that somehow never made it to the storage box in January.

SaucySis1

White Chocolate Martini with Hanging Cherry

White Chocolate Martini with Hanging Cherry

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Table’s Set: Decorating a Vegetable Platter with Miss Potato Head

Monday, June 21st, 2010

To say we have some colorful friends is an understatement.  Take, for example, sisters Linda Hobdy and Debbie Graham who are known as the Twisted Sisters.  They produce incredibly beautiful (and thoroughly unorthodox) metal sculptures.

They were planning an open house at their studio to showcase and sell their work, and we offered to cater the food.  But how do you design a buffet table to match their funky art?  One element became “Miss Potato Head” who sat between the broccoli and carrots on a vegetable platter watching over the dip.

She started out simply enough as a russet potato with one end cut off so that she could stand up.  I made her quite substantial nose from the leftover potato and her eyes from stuffed olives.  Her lips and hair are carrots.  Her arms are wooden skewers covered with lettuce.

Decorate a vegetable platter with Miss Potato Head

Decorate a vegetable platter with Miss Potato Head

And as every party girl worth her salt knows, you need an outfit that makes a statement.  Miss Potato Head thought her classic string of pearls sent a message of unpretentious elegance.

SaucySis 1

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Can This Marriage Survive a Prestige Cuvee Champagne?

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Prestige Cuvee

Let me preface this story by saying that Beverly recently married Marc, a wonderful Southern gentleman who has brought my sister much happiness.  Before Marc, there was another beau.  I’ll just call him Bob.

Bob was something of a wine snob.  Had an impressive cellar, for sure.  But, truth be known, he was extremely cheap when it came to sharing his cache.  So, it came as a complete surprise when a bottle of 1998 Cuvée R. Lalou Champagne was delivered to Beverly and Marc as a wedding gift from Bob.

Now, this bottle was a Prestige Cuvée Champagne from G.H. Mumm that was much ballyhooed when it was released in 2008.  You know about those Prestige Cuvées…those super-expensive Champagnes made in small quantities that are supposed to represent the finest achievement of the Champagne House.  The suggested retail back then was $160.

We know that frugal Bob didn’t pay that.  Don’t get me wrong, we all love a good wine bargain.  But how did we know that Bob paid less?  He left the price tag on the bottle – which is SO Bob!  $121.99.  Still…a nice gift.

Marc is a very secure man.  But, for reasons known only to him, he didn’t want that bottle of Champagne hanging around their house for long.  So, to that end, Beverly and Marc brought the Cuvée R. Lalou to our house for cocktails on Sunday.  (“Pour it for Barbara…She’ll drink anything.”)  As they were driving over, Beverly related some of the published reviews of the Champagne to Marc.  Glowing, glowing, glowing.

The only silver lining for Marc was one reviewer’s comment to the effect of “drink it now in 2008 because it’s going to go downhill quickly.”  Aha!  Surely, that was Bob’s revenge.   The old boyfriend  knew the bubbly was bad but sent it in the guise of a thoughtful gesture.

With that as the back story, we eased the cork out of the R. Lalou and poured it into our flutes.  As we watched the bubbles dance up the glasses and prepared to take our first sips, I couldn’t help but think that maybe I should say something critical about the wine…just for Marc’s sake.  But then, if I was going to be overwhelmed by the Champagne’s exquisite taste, I really shouldn’t lie.  Then again, maybe the wine would truly be past its prime, in which case I could legitimately badmouth the benefactor.

We all took a sip and looked at each other expectantly.  I needn’t have worried about what to say.  The simple truth solved any possible issue.  The Champagne tasted just as I suspect the winemaker intended.  It was intense, still fresh, and with plenty of fruit.

Okay, so it had not fallen on hard times, but did I like it?  The short answer is it really wasn’t my cup of tea.  As with many fine French Champagnes, it was made in a style that is heavy on the smoke and yeast.  Millions of people think that’s an asset.  To my Americanized palate, the taste is musty.  Not something I appreciate.  So, I could honestly tell Marc I’d rather drink the $7 bottle of Cristalino cava he brought as a backup.

In the end, the Prestige Cuvée was never going to seriously jeopardize this new marriage.  But, all the same, I’m glad the empty bottle is ready for recycling.

SaucySis 1

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How Many Calories in a Glass of Wine? Who’s Counting?

Thursday, April 1st, 2010
If it weren't for "bride-to-be" Jenna, we wouldn't be counting our wine calories.

If it weren't for "bride-to-be" Jenna, we wouldn't be counting our wine calories.

In a week Beverly and Marc and Paul and I are headed to our niece Jenna’s wedding in Louisville.  It promises to be, in the words of our German grandmother, a “fancy-schmancy” affair.  So, naturally, Beverly and I invested in dresses that would suit the formal occasion.

Because both of our outfits are what you might call form-fitting, our main concern has been that the dresses don’t sneak into the category of “snug” or just plain “tight” by the wedding day.  To keep any weight gain at bay, Beverly decided to  cut her consumption of wine until the moment she steps into the reception at The Henry Clay.

Not me.  I’m not giving up my nightly wine.  I’ll fight the battle of the bulge any other way.  To justify my position, I point to the recent study from Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  It found that women who imbibe with a drink or two a day actually gained less weight than teetotalers over time.

Okay, so the drinkers didn’t actually LOSE weight.  And they tended to substitute liquor for other foods (especially carbs), rather than consume it in addition to their meals.  That’s fine with me.

And it’s apparently fine with Jennifer Aniston too.  (Not that I’m comparing myself to her.  Only in Paul’s dreams!)  Jen shared her diet secrets in the UK edition of Harper’s Bazaar magazine.  She said, “You’re not taking away my coffee or my dairy or my glass of wine because I’d be devastated. My advice: just stop eating s–t every day.”

Now, that girl is making some sense.  On average, a glass of dry table wine is about 25 calories per ounce.  Would I rather have a 5-ounce glass of Charles Krug Family Reserve Generations for 125 calories or a single-serving bag of Lay’s Potato Chips for 230 calories?  The wine wins, hands down.

Would I choose a glass of Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc over a scoop of Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream for 270 calories?  You bet.  How about a Pizza Hut 6” Personal Pan Pepperoni Pizza at 610 calories?  For that I could rationalize TWO glasses of Segura Viudas Cava at a measly (by comparison) 250 calories.

I admire my sister for her determination and self-control.  But giving up wine?  I just don’t get it.

By Saucy Sis 1

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Wine In Poland?

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Everything Wine Book Polish EditionI’m learning Polish.  It’s not something I had really planned on doing.  Years ago when Paul and I went to Germany, we took a German class together at the local community college in advance of our trip.  This year we’re going to Poland, and I guess Paul figured we should learn the language…because as a Christmas gift he gave me a Rosetta Stone Polish language course.  What was I to do?

I’m now on Lesson 2…for the third time.  Hey, it’s a tough language.  I don’t know yet how to order a glass of wine.  That comes later, I presume, in the social interaction section.  But I’m pretty sure the word for wine is win.  Why do I think that?  Thank you for asking.

Beverly and I wrote The Everything Wine Book which was subsequently published in Polish in 2007.  Take a look for yourself at the cover.  What else could win mean?

I always thought of Poland as the place to drink beer and vodka.  I understand that’s still true (which will make Paul very happy).  But in recent times – and especially since the country was democratized – Polish people have been clamoring for wine.  Sure, they had access to wine during communist rule.  But it was bulk wine from other Eastern Bloc countries, and that barely counts.

Prince Charles and Camilla were in Poland this week, and President Lech Kaczynski hosted a dinner for them.  There were lots of toasts paying tribute to the longstanding friendship between the two countries.  Champagne was the beverage of choice…for all except Camilla.  She chose to toast with a glass of red wine.  I don’t know why.  And I don’t know what wine it was or where it came from.  Just bet it was good.

I’m no duchess, but I’m expecting to taste some great wines in Poland.  And, if not, there are still those two fallbacks.

By Saucy Sis 1

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Southern Comfort

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Southern Comfort

Southern Comfort

The Office has become one of my favorite television shows.  I didn’t even watch it the first couple seasons.  Thought it looked really stupid.  Then they started airing reruns five nights a week, and Paul talked me into taking a look.  I got hooked.  Now Paul and I record them for when we can’t find anything else of interest to watch.  Or we cap off a night of television with one of the reruns.  (Fascinating life…no?)

There’s no particular order that I can discern in the sequence of episodes that air.  So I don’t even know when last night’s show was originally broadcast…but the Andy Bernard character starts talking about his college days and how he drank copious quantities of Southern Comfort.  Suffice to say, that his nickname, as a result, was “Puke.”  (I have to admit, I had a similar youthful experience with the spirit.)

But Southern Comfort has a dear place in my heart.  Not as a drink, but as a song.  When Beverly and I revamped our radio show two years ago, we used “food and booze” songs as our musical bumpers going in and out of commercials.  We encouraged independent songwriters to send us their mp3s.  We’d play the songs and talk about the writers and the performers (sometimes the same person).  We got some GREAT tunes with really funny and creative lyrics…

Champagne in a Paper Cup by Brent Burns, A Cold One by Gigi Swanson, Drunk on One Corona by Judy Klass, I Ate the Whole Damn Hog by Jim Silvers, Workin’ at the Beefaroo by Jeff Walter, Tastes Like Chicken by Paul Neilsen, Wash Your Face in Orange Juice by Peter Combe, Tequila by Sam Cooper.  Well, you get the idea.

Southern Comfort has made an appearance in lots of songs, but the best – in my opinion – is the one written by Paul Nowak.  The same Paul who first sat me down on the couch with him to watch The Office.  “She’s my Dixie Cup full of pure, sweet love.”  I’d like to tell you that I was his inspiration for the lyrics.  More likely, it was some liquid refreshment.  You can check out his recording of Southern Comfort right here on this page.

By Saucy Sis1

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Marketing of a Super “Bowl?”

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
It's all smiles at our "Wine Not?" class!

It's all smiles at our "Wine Not?" class! Cathy Brashear, Sheila Baldwin, Brenda Burgess, Jenni Maxwell.

Monday morning all the talking heads were declaring their picks for the best Super Bowl commercial.  I love those discussions.  It’s a free-for-all.  Everyone’s got an opinion.  Some people liked seeing grown men without pants on.  (I was not among them.)  Others appreciated the intelligence of the Google ad.  Some of us just love Betty White and had to laugh at seeing her tackled into the mud.  Remind me…what was the product?

I don’t know if Super Bowl commercials drive sales.  But I do know that effective marketing will have us buying stuff we thought was just “wrong.”  Like stemless wine glasses.

On Saturday Beverly and I were hosting our “Wine Not?” wine tasting class at the Nashville Bartending School.  We were demonstrating the restaurant wine tasting ritual of swirl, smell, sip…when Aurora, one of our students, asked how one should do the ritual with stemless glasses.  Stemless wine glasses, give me a break!  Perhaps prompted by my reaction, Aurora  quickly pointed out that her glassware had been a gift.

Don’t misunderstand…I’ve sipped wine (and enjoyed it) from all sorts of “wrong” containers:  coffee mugs, plastic cups, paper cones, water bottles, bota bags.  If you’ve got an opened bottle of wine, it needs to be enjoyed – in whatever receptacle is handy.  And at how many Italian restaurants have I savored a glass of Chianti plunked down in a tumbler?  But let’s not call this tumbler a wine glass.

The stem of a wine glass has held a fascination for wine geeks, wine professionals and wine snobs since…the very beginning, I guess.  If you’ve been to a wine tasting with any of them, you can see that the more they want to impress, the lower on the stem they hold the glass.  Ask them why they use the stem, and they’ll tell you that to do otherwise – putting your hand around the bowl – will warm the wine and change its taste.

Let’s just say we buy that explanation.  Many of these same people are now embracing the new stemless glasses.  Let’s see, how do you hold them?  With your hands around the bowl?  So, what makes them wine glasses?

Riedel introduced these glasses a few years back.  And it was brilliant marketing.  They had established themselves as makers of the finest crystal wine glasses with different shapes and sizes for different varietals.  (Beverly went to a Riedel tasting and subscribes to their “wine tastes better in our glasses” message.  I don’t.)  How many different shapes and sizes could they come up with?  It was time for a new product introduction – so what kind of innovation could they possibly make?  Of course, remove the stem.

I like Riedel.  I own Riedel.  I hold it by its stem.  (I think it’s a lovely tradition.)  Just don’t tell me that a bowl all by itself is a wine glass.  It’s not.
By Saucy Sis1

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