tequila

Nacho Pasta For Grown Ups

July 31, 2012 | 19 Comments

Dear Nachos,

This is, for the most part, a love letter. Because I love you! And I have for so long.

But Dr. Phil says that love is a journey, so I think it may be time for us to consult our Garmin and make sure that we’re on the right track.

I know you’ll agree that it really was love at first sight for us. Your melted cheese first caught my eye from across the room that fateful night, but when I finally worked up the nerve to come over and introduce myself, your fresh salsa and salty, crunchy corn chips had me at ‘Hello’.

To this day, your creamy sour cream and tart lime juice-laced guacamole still make me weak in the knees.

Filed Under: Featured, Main Courses Tagged With: ancho chile, baked pasta, cheddar cheese, cumin, garlic, grape tomatoes, Greek olives, green onions, lime juice, Manchego cheese, nachos, recipe, savory, tequila

Margarita Cupcakes

April 24, 2012 | 28 Comments

Some days you feel like a margarita.

Some days you feel like a cupcake.

Well, I guess you can call me Babe Ruth because today I’ve got all the bases covered.

I never really thought much about curds until I moved to the southwest and was literally surrounded by citrus. When there’s such an abundance of any type of produce, it’s only natural to start thinking about new and interesting ways to eat it.

Curds remind me of a fresher, lighter version of pudding: sweet, creamy and lightened up with the sweet/tart flavor of fresh juice.

Who wouldn’t want to put that on top of a cupcake?

Crickets…

So then it becomes a question of construction: we know what’s going on top of the cupcake, but what’s going inside it?

I’m a big fan of cupcakes baked with buttermilk. There are flavor benefits, but more importantly there are textural benefits; no one wants to bite into a crunchy cupcake.

Buttermilk banishes crunchy cupcakes.

Tequila, on the other hand, brings us closer to margarita authenticity. Just a little bit, and make it silver, if you please. (Of course, if these cupcakes are for little ones instead of weekend warriors, simply replace the tequila with buttermilk.)

Filed Under: Cakes & Cupcakes Tagged With: buttermilk, lime curd, lime juice, lime zest, margarita cupcakes, recipe, salt, sugar, sweet, tequila

Hair Of The Dog Cheesecake

March 5, 2012 | 58 Comments

So I caught A. Googling pictures of McRibs the other day.

We’re trying to live a little healthier, a little cleaner around these parts, and there may have been a few unintended side effects.

McDonald’s gawking. T. Bell stalking. Visions of In-N-Out dancing in our heads. No biggie.

Which is why I knew that when A.’s birthday rolled around a few weeks ago that I needed to throw him a bone and make him his fave, a cheesecake.

But not just any cheesecake. An Adult Cheesecake! Because we are (usually) adults!

And let me tell you another thing or two about this cheesecake.

First, it’s an Adult Cheesecake because it’s made with high-quality Adult Juice, specifically, Patrón Silver.

Filed Under: Cakes & Cupcakes Tagged With: cheesecake, cream cheese, hair of the dog, lime, Maria cookies, Patrón Silver, recipe, salt, sweet, tequila

Mezcal Cupcakes & A Love Story

October 18, 2011 | 51 Comments

Once upon a time (ye olde 1990′s), in a land far, far away (Boston), there lived a Girl.

This Girl was in school, getting into life, rocking floral prairie dresses and combat boots to class (whatever – it was a phase).

At the same time, in the same place, there lived a Boy.

This Boy was also in school, getting into life, rocking a mullet to class (whatever – it was a phase.).

The first day of class rolled around and Girl showed up in style, red prairie dress flowing, combat boots polished. Boy was already seated in the back row, mulleted locks glistening.

What was this? The desk next to Boy was available. Girl took it. Cue the shy conversation and sidelong glances.