Boots McBlog

Everyone has them. Bad days. Mondays are notoriously wicked, but they can occur any day of the week. Whether it’s a car that won’t start, a delay to the office, the email bearing bad news, the BIG deal that fell through, clothes that don’t fit, friends who aren’t acting like friends, kids who refuse to follow your rules, past hurts that sneak up on you for no reason, hair that isn’t coiffing exactly like the picture you showed your stylist, or maybe the heel broke on your favorite shoe. It could be one of the above …or all of the above, and you are left with a what we refer to as a “bad hair day”

If my momma taught me correctly, bad hair days are best battled with a whole lot of prayer and a little bit of chocolate. ( I also find a latte and hug help, too! Pedicures don’t hurt, either. But I’ve been told I’m high maintenance) So, when my friend calls the other day with a report of a less-than-stellar day, it dawned on me. Ugly days deserve a pretty cake! I set about wanting to whip up something for her as delightful to the eye as it is to the taste buds. I remembered this delicious treat my mother has served over the years. It’s quick, easy, and just enough chocolate to numb the sting of a bad day. The lighter-than-air angel food cake won’t add to your burdens or your waistline. When you present this dessert to your blue friend or yourself, it’s pretty enough to put a big ol smile on any face. And then when you take a bite…Oh MY! Heaven on a plate and your bad hair day melts away.

Pretty Mocha Cake

1 3 oz box of Instant Chocolate pudding

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 Tablespoon instant coffee granules

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

1 prepared angel food cake

2 Chocolate Toffee candy bars, crushed

Mix pudding with milk and coffee. Whip for 2 minutes. Set Aside. In a separate bowl, whip cooled heavy cream until peaks form. Fold half of the cream into the chocolate mixture. Slice the Angel Food cake in half horizontally. Spread the top of the lower layer with half of the chocolate – cream mixture. Place top layer of cake over chocolate cream. Chill for 20 minutes. Fold remaining whipped cream into remaining chocolate mixture and chill. Ice the cake with the the chilled chocolate cream mixture. Top with crushed chocolate toffee candy bars. Keep in Fridge until ready to serve. Add fresh berries on the side.

Now, I’m not suggesting you wait for something bad to happen to prepare this scrumptiousness. Au contraire! It is a perfect anytime dessert. Perfect for summer, because you don’t have to heat up the kitchen. Delicious in winter served with hot coffee. For women, it’s coffee + chocolate +guilt free cake- talk about food of the angels. For men. well, if The Angler is any indication, men inhale this confection. If you need something simply elegant for entertaining or a pretty little pick me up for you or a friend, this is the recipe for you.

Bad hair days happen. When they do, remember “This too shall pass” … especially if you are passing a plate of this cake.

Cheers Y’all!

France has champagne.   Germany has beer.   Italy has wine.   The South,  well,  we have the most potent elixir of  them all…Sweet Tea.   Step into most any restaurant south of the Mason Dixon line and you are sure to find it on the menu.   In fact,  as part of an April Fool’s prank,  legislators in Georgia presented a bill in 2004 requiring any restaurant serving tea must serve Sweet Tea, and refusing to do so would result in a misdemeanor of  the code.   The bill never made it to vote, but the sentiment stands:  Sweet Tea is serious business.

Tea has a legendary status in the U.S. since we dumped  it in Boston Harbor in the late 1700′s — I do believe those leaves hitting the frigid northern waters was the first iced tea,  although the history books do not corroborate my hypothesis.   However, the recipe heralded as the first printed “sweet tea” recipe appeared in 1879 in a community cookbook  ”Housekeeping in West Virginia”  contributed by Marion Cabell Tyree.

“Ice Tea. – After scalding the teapot, put into it one quart of boiling water and two teaspoonfuls green tea. If wanted for supper, do this at breakfast. At dinner time, strain, without stirring, through a tea strainer into a pitcher. Let it stand till tea time and pour into decanters, leaving the sediment in the bottom of the pitcher. Fill the goblets with ice, put two teaspoonfuls granulated sugar in each, and pour the tea over the ice and sugar. A squeeze of lemon will make this delicious and healthful, as it will correct the astringent tendency.”

If like me, you read the recipe and thought , “Green Tea?! – That’s not at all how you do it”  Well,   green tea was the preferred tea of households until World War II, when rations made the more economical black tea, which we use today, more commonplace.   Growing up my grandmothers and mother always served sweet tea with all of our meals.    My grandmother would often sweeten to the point my dad would ask,  ”Did you stump your toe when you were adding the sugar”.  She made THE BEST iced tea.      The trick to delicious sweet tea, which my grandmother knew, is to add the sugar while the tea is still hot.   This allows super saturation of the sugar.   Sweetening after the tea is chilled can possibly be accomplished using simple syrup or artificial sweetener.  It’s impossible to achieve the proper sweetness if trying to add granulated sugar to the cold beverage.   You basically end up with a pretty little snowglobe of sugar and ice cubes.

The Proper Southern Sweet Tea Recipe

3 Family size tea bags – ( I prefer Luzianne)
2 Cups of cold water
1 Cup of sugar

Place the two cups water in a saucepan or teapot and add the tea bags. Bring to a boil, do not continue boiling.

Remove from heat and let steep. Pour warm tea into empty pitcher. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Fill remaining pitcher with cold water.

If that is just too much work for a relaxing beverage,  there are some great ready-made options waiting in your grocer’s chiller in gallon jugs. In fact, my favorite is a no-calorie option that lets me indulge without the guilt- Milo’s Sweet Tea sweetened with Splenda.  Milo’s was introduced to Little Rock and other southern markets  last summer.  It’s been an Alabama favorite since the 1940′s.  Their company history is worth a read. ( Not to mention it is certified as  a woman owned company)   The taste is amazingly crisp and  one would never guess it is (hush yo mouth) sweetened with splenda.

www.milostea.com

Now if you love sweet tea so much, you, like me, think you can bathe in it,   well guess what –  you can!   Elizabeth W.  Indulgences from San Francisco makes a line of sweet tea body wash, lotion, bath salts, and home fragrances to. die. for.

Starting mid May until Labor Day,  I soak away my summer days in a tub full of the Elizabeth W Sweet Tea Bath Salts, followed by a good slather or Sweet Tea Body Cream.   The aroma is “gracious, spirited, elegant. An enticing marriage of oriental black teas, juicy fresh Amalfi lemons, and the sweetness of almond honey”.

www.elizabethw.com

ANd if you think,  ”this tea is so delicious, I could eat it with a spoon”,  again you are in luck.    Martha Hall Foose,  a great southern culinary /storytelling wonder,  has a cookbook just for you.   This gorgeous book is riffled with stories of the south and recipes that would make a “bulldog hug a hound and a preacher lay his Bible down”.  In other words,  they are yummy!   Especially her Sweet Tea Pie Recipe which makes purchasing the book well worth it.

I would be remiss, if I did not disclose perhaps the greatest beverage discovery since… well sweet tea.   For those of you who like a little more sass in your sweet tea,  let me introduce you to my friend Jeremiah Weed.     JW is well  known among the Air Force for his bourbon.  Last summer,  he became quite a hearthrob amongst my  southern girlfriends when he created Jeremiah Weeds Sweet Tea Vodka. Adding 1 1/2 ounces Sweet Tea Vodka to 6-8oz of lemonade makes a fun, delicious cocktail.  Served with a wedge of lemon in a crystal ice tea goblet, I’m convinced Carrie Bradshaw can keep her cosmo.

Lastly,  if I haven’t given you enough reason to enjoy a cool refreshing beverage,   tea contains antioxidants that have been linked to improved immunity against diabetes, cancer, and arthritis.  A slice of lemon ( the asorbic acid) helps increase the antioxidant absorption.    So what are waiting for,  it’s the weekend.  Kick off those manolos, sit a spell,  and relax with a hot bath and ice cold sweet tea  (vodka optional)

Cheers y’all!

P.S.

~ Enjoy a little music by listening to my sweet tea playlist below

When I was growing up, my mother had a standing appointment at the beauty shop.  And her mother – my sweet Ma’am-ma –  had her standing appointment at the beauty shop.   Every Friday these ladies , like many Southern women,  would have their hair washed and “set” for the week.   This might explain my penchant for make-me-pretty services.  I come from a legacy of well-coiffed women.    So, years ago, when a local beauty school ( rumored to have given Priscella Presley a “do” or two back in the day)  was revamped into a gorgeous new eatery in  Midtowne Memphis,  I had to give it a whirl.  Beauty + food.  Count me in!

The Beauty Shop was one of the first restaurants which introduced me to southern fusion cuisine nearly a decade ago.  One of their signature dishes – and a fave of mine –  is an appetizer of wings and watermelon –  A mix of sweet chili lime sauce over chicken wings, topped with blue cheese crumbles,  served with slices of chilled watermelon.  The juxtaposition of flavors is amazing.

Given my appointment book doesn’t include a trip across the Mississippi River anytime soon, plus the fact, half of a watermelon  from July 4th celebrations was hanging in my icebox, I was inspired  to create this dish on my own.  I found a Tyler Florence recipe that I tweaked a bit.    WOW!  The results were scrumptious and it makes a gorgeous presentation as well.   As long as watermelons are in season, it looks like we’ll have a weekly standing appointment with this pretty little dish.  It’s definitely a beauty “do”.

Chili Lime Wings  + Watermelon

3-4 pounds chicken wings

optional:   For HOT wings add  1/4 cup of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

Half of watermelon, chilled,  sliced into wedges

One of my favorite summer side dishes is this colorful coleslaw. The rice vinegar is a “family secret” which gives the slaw a smoother flavor with less bite than cider or white vinegar.  Opting for canola oil instead of mayo makes this less prone to illness inducing bacteria such as salmonella and perfect for picnics.    Not to mention, the monounsaturated fats in the canola oil are great for your heart.    Some of you may wonder why I didn’t use olive oil.  While olive oil is definitely another great monounsaturated fat source,  the olive flavor may overpower the cripsness of these summer veggies.   The goal is to keep this crisp and refreshing!   Chopped yellow squash, zucchini, or any other veggies you have fresh from the garden or farmer’s market would make this dish even more vibrant and nutritious.    Crazy coleslaw is crazy delicious  alongside steaks or burgers fresh from the grill.   Add this salad to your celebration this weekend for a little colorful fireworks on your plate.  Your taste buds and your family will thank you.

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup Rice Vinegar

1/2 – 2/3 cup Canola Oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 tsp celery seed

1 tsp salt

fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

1 head of cabbage, shredded  or 1 bag of coleslaw cabbage mix

1 bell pepper, chopped

5 green onions, chopped

1 cup of grape tomoatoes, halved

1/2 jalepeno, seeded and sliced thin (optional)

Whisk the  sugar, vinegar, oil,  garlic and spices together.   Combine cabbage, onions, peppers, tomatoes.  Pour dressing over vegetables and toss well.   Chill for 20 minutes before serving.

Bon Appetit, Y’all!

HOT summer days have arrived ahead of schedule, and we are all searching for the perfect way to cool off.   Years ago,  a dear friend was expecting the mid summer arrival of her twins.  While the rest of us could partake of an icy mexican beverage to beat the heat, she sat sweltering drinking her water.   I surprised her with this recipe and it’s been a favorite of  hers and mine ever since.

It’s a perfect finish to a summertime meal from the grill.   The reduced fat ice cream  makes it more likely to enjoy your place by the pool.

Cheers!

Margarita Pie

1/2 cup butter

5 oz pretzels

1 TBSP granulated sugar

1/4 cup tequila

1/2 gallon of low fat vanilla ice cream, softened

3 oz can of frozen limeade concentrate, thawed

3 TBSP Grand Marnier/ Triple Sec

1 whole lime, – juice  ( about 3 TBSP)

1 Tbsp of lime zest

Garnish:   Canned whipped cream,  round slices of lime.

Note:  Prepare night before or hours before serving.

In food processor, crush pretzels with sugar and butter.  Press into bottom and sides of 9 in round pie plate.  Freeze one hour.    In a large mixing bowl, mix remaining ingredients until well combined.   Pour into pie crust and freeze.   Top each slice with a round slice of lime a dollop of whipped cream.