Aviation Cocktail

Once you pick up a rare bottle of the Crème de Violette liqueur you'll want to try the Aviation Cocktail as well which became all the rage when man first started to fly at the turn of the century.
INGREDIENTS
2 ounces gin
½ ounce lemon juice
⅓ ounce Maraschino liqueur
⅙ ounce Crème de Violette

DIRECTIONS
Combine the first three ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake to chill well, then strain into a cocktail glass. Drizzle the Crème de Violette into the glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Blue Moon Cocktail

Hola!
Forty years ago today on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men to walk on the moon and let's not forget to give kudos to fellow astronaut Michael Collins who was the command module pilot for Apollo 11.

I started thinking about our fascination with the moon and every moon-related product there is. On this occasion you can relive the moment with the many specials on TV tonight or watch a space related movie such as Apollo 13 with a moon pie in one hand and a Blue Moon Cocktail in the other.

Crème de Violette is an elusive lavender-hued liqueur, with the fleeting taste and aroma of spring violets, from which it's made or so I'm told? This liqueur is so difficult to find I have yet to taste this elixir. If you venture to make this drink let me know how it tastes.

INGREDIENTS
2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce Crème de Violette
1/4 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice, strainedcocktails out of this little bottle

DIRECTIONS
Shake or stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass;
Garnish with a twist of lemon.

Tortillas de Harina

This recipe for Tortillas comes from Texas Rolling Pins. It looks like how we make them at home, but of course we don't go by a recipe, so I'm "borrowing" this one to share with you. Check out their website at www.TexasRollingPins.com where you can purchase everything you need to make homemade tortillas.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp.  salt
4-6 Tbsp. vegetable shortening or lard
about 1 1/4 cups warm water

INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add vegetable shortening or lard. Or use a combination of half lard, half shortening. 
Use a fork or a pastry cutter to cut in the shortening or just do it the old fashioned
way and use your hands.

Next add warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and not sticky. You do not need very hot water. Knead the dough for a few minutes.

Now you will pull off pieces of dough to form about 12 small dough balls. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes, longer if you like.

This is a good time to heat up the comal.You will want to set it at medium to high heat. If it is too hot the tortillas will cook too fast.

Now you can roll out the dough with your tortilla rolling pin or palote. It is a good idea to dust each ball with a little flour just before you roll them out. Lay the palote in the center of the dough ball and roll up, center and roll down. It is good to lift the dough and turn it.  Again, rolling pin in the center and roll. Roll them out fairly thin.

Lay your tortilla on the hot comal. It takes just a few seconds to cook. Flip to the other side. When they are done it should have lots of nice brown speckles. Place them in a towel. If you would like you can use a tortilla warmer to keep them warm longer. They are ready to be served!

Grilled Shrimp Piri Piri

The recipes I have included are from Ana Patuleia Ortins' Portuguese Homestyle Cooking which she has collected over the years from relatives and friends.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup hot pepper paste
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup white wine, lemon juice or wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound extra large shrimp, unpeeled, deveined
Wooden skewers presoaked in water 1/2 hour

DIRECTIONS:
Mix the first five ingredients in a bowl. Toss in the shrimp and give them a turn. Let stand ½ hour. Thread on the soaked skewers.

Place the skewered shrimp over medium coals and grill 1 ½ minutes. Turn over and grill the other side for 1 ½ minutes more, until the shrimp are lightly pink and start to curl.
Serve with tomato rice (see Portuguese Homestyle Cooking) on the side garnished with black Portuguese olives.

Ana's Tip: For this dish, you can sometimes get shrimp that has been deveined but the shells are left intact and are easy to peel. Keeping the shells on during grilling protects the shrimp from drying out.

Michelada Beer Cocktail

This drink, similar to a Bloody Mary, dates back to the 1940s, when mixing beer with hot sauce became popular in Mexico. The name for this cocktail comes from the slang term for an iced beer, "chela helada". This morphed word - Michelada roughly translates to "my cold beer".

INGREDIENTS
12 oz Mexican Beer (Tecate, Dos Equis or Negro Modelo)
6 oz Clamato® or Tomato Juice
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
2 dashes Worcestershire® sauce
2 dashes Tabasco® sauce
dash of black coarse pepper
dash of sea salt

DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients ingredients except beer together. Pour clamato mixture in a salt-rimmed margarita or rocks glass with lots of ice, then add beer and top with a lime wedge.

Baja Citris Marinade

Baja Citrus Marinade

The beer based citrus marinade works well with Beef, Pork and Lamb.

INGREDIENTS
2 - 12 oz. Mexican Beers
1/3 cp fresh Orange Juice
1 tsp grated Orange Zest
2 tbls Red Wine Vinegar
2 tbls Soy Sauce
1/4 cp Canola Oil
1/2 cp Minced Onion
2 tbls Minced Garlic
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients together in a blender, pureeing until onions and garlic are liquified. Reserve one cup for basting, and use remainder as a marinade for beef, pork or lamb. Use a shoulder or leg cut. Marinate meat for at least two hours for best flavor.

Darlene's Tips;
If you like it sweet add 1/2 cup brown sugar or honey.

To make it spicy add 2 chopped chipotle peppers OR 2 chopped red chili peppers.

Ecuadorian Stuffed Avocados

Avocados, native to the Caribbean, Mexico, South and Central America, are extremely nutritious albeit fattening. But, its good fat and full of nearly 20 vitamins and minerals making it a great food choice.


INGREDIENTS:

3 large, ripe avocados
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup chopped ham or other meat such as chicken crab, tuna or shrimp.
1 cup mayonaise or to taste
salt & pepper to taste
Lettuce leafs for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine the chopped meat and hard-boiled eggs with enough mayonnaise to bind ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use. Just before serving cut avocado in half and remove pit and peel. Add filling to avocado and place on top of lettuce on plate. Sprinkle with lemon or lime juice for flavor and to prevent discoloration.


Darlene's Tips:

• Fill with corn, carrots, raisins and shredded jicama for a veggie style.
• Cut the calories by substituting a vinaigrette for mayonnaise.
• Add 2 chopped chipotle chilies to your mayo for some extra spice.