Pineapple top shelf margs

It was warm and sunny today; a balmy 65 ºF at the end of January. That's winter in the south my friends. The hubs is on dinner duty tonight (chili cheese enchiladas!) so I pulled out some pineapple from the fridge and made margaritas.

The fresh pineapple and freshly squeezed orange juice is really killer. However, they could easily be subbed with frozen or canned pineapple, and commercial oj. I bought a sample pack of bitters (lime, cardamom, chocolate, and grapefruit), and the lime bitters made a tasty addition. However, I would've just added lime juice if I didn't have them.

On a side note, this weekend was spent exploring some nearby hometown digs. The Sloss Furnaces
in Birmingham were visited, followed up with a visit to Avondale Brewing Company. The Sloss Furnaces are a historic site with preserved intact post-industrial steam furnaces used to make iron and pig iron. I learned why Birmingham is called the Magic City, and that it was founded at the junction of two railroad crossings. The iron factories would operate all day and night, and when the iron was being poured out it would light up the budding Birmingham skyline a gleaming orange. That, coupled with tremendous growth, caused Birmingham to rapidly change, as if magic had miraculously expanded the city.

Avondale beers have a distinct flavor. They have a jolly rancher-esque tang that permeates the saison-styles, and is on the nose of many of their other beers. The hubs enjoyed a few pints of the oud bruin, a Flemish-style red, and I liked the Miss Fancy's Belgian-style tripel. It's always fun to hear the Flemish words pronounced in the American way. Oud sounds like ode, when it should be the "ow" that you hear in town; bruin was pronounced "broon,"  but should be said like it's English translation, "brown." Duvel gets it the worst. Everyone here thinks Duvel is French and pronounces it the French way, but (alas and sigh) it's Flemish and is said like "doovle" and not "du-VEL" with the emphasis on "vel." Alright folks my snobby self is leaving you with these margs: which is said exactly like it's spelled.

Pineapple Top-Shelf Margs
Yield: 2 margaritas for 2 greedy people, or enough for 4

Ingredients:
1 cup, fresh pineapple chunks (frozen pineapple would be great)
Juice of 2 medium oranges or approx 1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup tequila (I used Don Julio)
1/4 cup triple sec
2 T brown sugar (or 2 T simple syrup)
lime bitters (optional), I used Scrappy's Lime Bitters, but feel free to sub in fresh lime juice
ice
pineapple wedges for garnish

Directions:
In a blender, add all of the ingredients from the pineapple to the ice. Blend on high speed until fully blended. Pour into mason jars, or festive glasses, garnish with pineapple chunks, and a swizzle stick. If you don't have a swizzle stick, a single chopstick works well. The margarita tends to separate into 2 distinct layers, so a swizzle is nice.

Of course, you can substitute rum for the tequila, and some coconut milk for the orange juice, for a top-shelf colada.

Jewelry Cork Boards

Somehow, my favorite jewelry pieces always end up getting tucked into drawers. Necklaces come up  intertwined and tangled, a single earring when I need the pair. I wanted a quick way to store jewelry, but also show it off so I could remember what pieces I had. The other day I was perusing Michael's on  a Friday evening when I saw cork boards (yes, you read that right - sigh - Michael's Craft Store on a Friday evening). I was trying to find frames, and instead came up with an idea for turning the cork boards into lovely jewelry holders. 

I picked up a set of cork boards that are advertised for dorm rooms, a few frame holders, and a box of clear tacks. The idea is to set the cork boards on the frame holders, place tacks on the board randomly, and hang jewelry from the tacks. When I came home, I realized that the cork boards were a bit messy. They flake very easily leaving cork dust everywhere. I had some Modge Podge and foam brushes at home, and I used the Modge Podge as a seal for the edges. The cork boards I picked up were 12" by 12." Find wide frame holders with a tall back. This way, they won't tip over when you set all your jewelry on top. Since I was really feeling the creative streak, I repurposed beer bomber bottles into bangle holders. This project costs about $20.00 for all the items. However, it may be a bit more expensive if you need to find yourself some beer bombers. But then you have the best craft night ever. (craft + beer = duh). 

Jewelry Cork Boards

Yield: 2 boards, or as many as you like

Items needed:

2 cork boards 

2 frame holders

50 clear tacks

Modge Podge

a foam brush

Directions:

1. Lay out some old paper on a table. The cork boards tend to shed everywhere, so I like to brush off the edges and seal them with Modge Podge to keep them from shedding on my dresser. 

2. Next set each board on the frame holder. Dip a foam brush in some Modge Podge and place a layer along the edges of the cork board. This will seal the edges and prevent the board from crumbling excessively. Leave the cork boards on the frames to dry. I did 3 sides, let them dry for a day, then finished the last side. They dry easily when they are mounted on the frame holders.  

3. Once dry, lay the cork boards flat and arrange the tacks all around the board. Place the cork boards on the frame, and start displaying your favorite jewelry. 

Autumn quiche

This quiche, baked up from seasonal CSA kale and escarole, was among some of the better things I baked up this past fall, hence the name autumn quiche. If you don't bake the quiche, at least tuck the French tart dough recipe into your web archives. It is that good.















Autumn Quiche
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 recipe French Tart Dough
olive oil
6 large eggs
splash milk
3 cups chopped raw kale and raw escarole
1-2 cloves chopped garlic
3 tbsp kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, or a goat cheese would be very good)
1/4 cup chopped basil
2-3 spring onions, chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste
pinch nutmeg

Directions:
1. Prep the tart dough. Allow it to cool before using. This tart dough is one of the best out there. I have used it to make lemon tarts, chocolate tarts, almond-pear tarts, and now quiches. It never fails. It's simple, it's easy, it's my favorite.
2. Once your quiche (tart dough) is cooling, heat up about 1 tsp of olive oil in a large skillet. Once it's hot sauté the kale, escarole, and garlic in the olive oil. Add a few tbsp of water to the pan if the greens start to stick.
3. Turn the eat to low and let it wilt down. Turn the heat off and set aside.
4. Prep the oven to 350º F or 180º C.
5. In a small bowl, combine the chopped olives, shredded cheese, and herbs.
6. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs and milk with a whisk. Add the remaining ingredients to the egg mixture and season with salt and pepper, and nutmeg.
7. Add the egg mixture to the quiche dough, and bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until done. Let stand about 1 hour before serving. Stores well and makes excellent leftover lunch where you can brag to coworkers about how the escarole melts into the quiche.