Marriage Mojitos

A federal appeals court panel ruled on Tuesday that a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in California violated the Constitution, all but ensuring that the case will proceed to the United States Supreme Court.

If you feel like celebrating, here's the perfect cocktail!

Marriage Mojitos

8 servings, 8 oz. each

It doesn’t matter who you are standing with at the altar as long as you are in love and have minty fresh breath.

60 fresh mint leaves

1 cup sugar

8 limes, divided (slice 4 and juice remaining)

1 bottle cold (750 ml) light rum

1 qt. club soda

Coarsely tear the mint and place in a wide shallow bowl. Add sugar, lime and lime juice; mash with a wooden spoon.  Scrape into 2 qt. serving pitcher.

Fill pitcher with ice. Add rum; stir. 

To serve, pour over ice in tall glasses, filling halfway.  Fill glasses with club soda.  Stir with long spoon.  Top with a sprig of mint and slice of lime for garnish.

Tip:

For an even more potent cocktail, replace the club soda with white sparkling wine.

Mitt's "I Wear Mom Jeans" Mini Meatball Sandwiches

I've seen this referred to in several places so I had to see for myself.

http://www.zimbio.com/Mitt+Romney/articles/K3fUDSpLpDl/Mitt+Romney+Mom+Jeans+Picture+Gallery

Mitt’s “I Wear Mom Jeans” 

Mini-Meatball Sandwiches

16 servings, 1 small sandwich each

Don’t worry…the sandwiches are small, so you’ll still look great in those sensible pants tomorrow!

2 lb. lean ground beef

2 eggs

2/3 cup plain bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 jar (26-28 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup red wine

2 loaves French bread (8 oz. thin baguettes)

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375°F. 

Mix meat, eggs, crumbs, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in large bowl.  Roll mixture into 32 small meatballs (2 Tbsp. each).  Place meatballs on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake 12 to 15 min. or until no longer pink.  Meanwhile, combine sauce and wine in large saucepot.  Use tongs to transfer meatballs to saucepot.  Cook on medium heat until boiling, then reduce heat to simmer and cook gently for 10 min., partially covered.

Split loaves of bread lengthwise. Cut each loaf into 8 pieces.  Fill each piece with 2 meatballs.  Sprinkle sandwiches with Parmesan cheese.

For extra flavor add 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil to the spaghetti sauce mixture.

Moonbeam Mai Tai Punch

In 1971, on this day, Apollo 14 launched a successful manned mission to the moon.  One of our presidential candidates, Newt Gingrich, has aspirations to have a manned moon base by 2020…IF he’s elected.  It’s going to be an uphill climb based on the results we’re seeing from Florida.

Moonbeam Mai Tai Punch

22 servings, 8 oz. each

Newt and his supporters need to have a strong drink and re-group in the morning.

1 bottle (1500 ml) dark rum (or 2 bottles, 750 ml each)

2 cans (46 oz. each) pineapple juice

1 can (16 oz.) frozen orange juice concentrate

¾ cup each freshly squeezed lime juice and lemon juice

8 oz. grenadine

Mix all ingredients in 3-gallon punch bowl; chill. 

To serve, fill glasses with ice and add punch. 

Tips:

Garnish punch bowl and drinks with orange slices and maraschino cherries.

Prepare ice cubes or a ring of ice from some of the punch mixture and float on top of punch bowl to keep cool without diluting.

"Split the Vote" Pea Soup

The Republican establishment is lining up behind Romney and the Tea Party is lining up behind Gingrich.  Tomorrow should be a very interesting day.

“Split the Vote” Pea Soup

Makes 8 servings, 1 cup each

1 lb. dried green split peas, rinsed

1 meaty hambone, 2 ham hocks, 2 c. diced ham or 1 smoked turkey wing

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 stalks celery with leaves, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 quarts hot water

1/4 C chopped fresh parsley

Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given; carefully pour in water (Do not stir).  Cover and cook on HIGH 4 to 5 hours or LOW 8 to 10 hours, or until peas are very soft.

Remove meat and bay leaf. Mash peas a bit using a potato masher. Pull meat off of bones, shred and return to pot.  Stir in parsley and serve.

Simply Scandalous Seven Layer Bars

Newt’s supporters really don’t care about how he’s treated his wives in the past. Perhaps this scandal is just a media-created story.  Perhaps we’ll just enjoy some treats!

Simply Scandalous Seven Layer Bars

24 bar cookies

You’ll want to get to the bottom of these!

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (8 “sheets” or 16 graham crackers, finely crushed)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

1 1/3 cups coconut (do not pack)

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil; spray foil with cooking spray.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with gloved hands or spatula.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely. 

"The Bitches of Dade County" Strawberry Dacquiris

If there’s one tactic I’ve seen employed by Republican candidates during the last week, it’s righteous indignation followed by some sort of attack.  Newt used this tactic last Saturday to brush off John King who asked him about his marital issues.  Last night, Mitt got all huffy and demanded an apology from Newt for calling him “anti-immigrant” in his ads.  I thought they were going to start bitch-slapping one another, like an old-fashioned cat fight.

The bluster, once refreshing, is getting old.

Lighten up, and MAN up, dudes! 

“The Bitches of Dade County” Strawberry Daiquiris

Makes 6 servings, 8 oz. each

The secret to this classic Florida cocktail is the frozen strawberries--they take the place of ice cubes, resulting in a more flavorful drink that doesn’t get diluted.  Don't let the photo taken out on my deck dissuade you...you'll  feel like you're in Florida!  It's 40 degrees in Chicago...that's pretty good for January!  Downright tropical, some would say.  Wherever you are, enjoy!

1-1/2 cups light rum

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

½ of a 6 oz. can frozen limeade concentrate

1 lb. frozen unsweetened strawberries

Add rum, lime juice and limeade concentrate to blender container.  Add strawberries; blend until smooth.  Pour into glasses and serve with wide straws.

Tip:

Would you rather use the entire bottle (750 ml) of rum?  Just double the other ingredients and make 2 batches.  Anger?  What anger?

Rich Vidalia Onion & Swiss Cheese Spread

While a super-rich Republican presidential candidate might have money in Swiss bank accounts, the 99% among us can enjoy this delicious, warm spread featuring Swiss cheese.

Rich Vidalia Onion & Swiss Cheese Spread

32 servings, 2 Tbsp. each

You don’t have to be wealthy to appreciate or afford this crowd-pleasing appetizer!

2 cups chopped Vidalia onions

1-1/2 cups reduced fat mayonnaise

8 oz. (2 cups) shredded Swiss cheese

2 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese

Plain water crackers, mini toasts or French bread for serving

Heat oven to 325°F.

Mix onions, mayonnaise and Swiss cheese in 9-inch glass pie plate; spread evenly with spatula. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until golden brown.  Let stand 10 min. before serving with crackers, toasts or bread.