Tervis Tumbler and Blueberry-Lemon Tom Collins

As part of the FoodBuzz Tastemakers program, I was able to test out one of Tervis' Tumblers. According to the Tervis website, these Tumblers are made from high-quality polymer and are so impact resistant that it is very difficult to break them. They are sturdy enough to withstand heat or cold, can be used indoors and out and can be used in the dishwasher, microwave and even the freezer. I haven't done any tests with mine to see if these claims hold up but I'll take their word for it.

There are lots of different designs to chose from. Check out the Tervis website for more information. I had never heard of Tervis so I was surprised to see they have been around for 65 years. A lot of their Tumblers have designs printed on them. The one I received had FoodBuzz Tastemakers logo emblazoned on it. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the design. I prefer simplicity and a clean appearance to my kitchen ware. I guess it's not that much different to having a design on your coffee or tea mug. So maybe it just takes some getting used to.

I used my Tervis tumbler to make Blueberry-Lemon Tom Collins. Most Tom Collins are made with lemon juice and served with a lemon slice. Some are topped off with a maraschino cherry. In my recipe, I enhanced the traditional Tom Collins by adding some freshly squeezed blueberry juice and some whole blueberries for garnish along with the lemon juice and lemon slice. It was delicious! My photos don't show the ice but please do put ice in the drink to keep it cool. My Tervis tumbler had just enough room to make one delicious Blueberry-Lemon Tom Collins. One thing I noticed is that I couldn't feel the cold of the drink when I held the tumbler in my hands. It's very insulated!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of fresh blueberries

1 tbsp of sugar

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1-1/2 ounces of dry gin

soda water

ice

lemon slice & blueberries for garnish

You'll need cheesecloth for this.

Rinse your blueberries. Set aside a few for garnish and add the rest to a piece of cheese cloth and twist into a bundle. Hold the bundle over your tumbler and squeeze the juice out. It's okay if some pulp gets in. Wipe the tumbler's sides in case any blueberry juice spilled.

To the bottom of the Tumbler add the sugar, lemon guice and gin. Stir then add a couple ice cubes and fill up with soda water. Give it a quick stir then garnish with blueberries and a lemon slice. Enjoy while cold!

Dark Cherry Limeade and Blueberry Lemonade

These recipes were originally posted on my Thoughtful Eats column on the Woburn Patch.


Dark Cherry Limeade

Ingredients:
juice of 20 limes
2 cups of sugar
2 limes sliced for garnish
handful of dark cherries, pitted and halved
12 cups of filtered water

In a gallon pitcher, add the lime juice, sugar and water. Stir. Take a handful of dark cherries, pit them with a cherry pitter and cut them in half. If you don't have a cherry pitter, just cut two pieces of the cherry off the pit with a paring knife. Stir again. Serve with ice and lime slices as a garnish. This will keep for up to 2-3 days in the fridge.

Blueberry Lemonade

Ingredients:
8 lemons juiced
1 lemon sliced for garnish
1-1/2 cups of blueberries, or 1/2 cup of blueberry juice
2 cups of sugar
12 cups of filtered water

You can buy blueberry juice but I prefer to make this with fresh blueberries. Take the blueberries and rinse them. Put them in a shallow container with a flat bottom and mash them with a potato masher. Then add the blueberry mush to a large piece of cheesecloth and squeeze all the juice out with your hands. Make sure you have a separate bowl underneath to catch the juice. You can also just push the mash into a fine-meshed sieve.

Add the lemon juice, sugar, water and blueberry juice into the gallon pitcher. Stir. Serve with ice and lemon slices as a garnish. This will keep 2-3 days. Don't keep any longer than this because it will go bad fairly quickly.

Tip: To make either of these drinks a "fizz", fill up a glass about 3/4 of the way with the limeade or lemonade and then top off with some soda water. Stir once with a spoon.

Mint Lemonade

I recently got some Mint Lemonade at Bittersweet in Woburn. It was so delicious and refreshing and the perfect blend of tart and sweet. The very nice ladies that work there told me they sweeten theirs with honey. I tried to recreate it but not matter how much honey I put into it, it wasn't sweet enough. Oh well!

Ingredients:
Juice of 6 lemons
a few mint leaves
6 cups of filtered water
1 cup of sugar
a sprig of mint and a lemon slice for garnish

Mix all the ingredients except for garnish. Add to a glass with ice cubes and top off with mint and lemon slice. The mint leaves start to fall apart so fish them out after a few hours. The mint flavor will stay there. To make this into a gallon to fill a gallon pitcher, just double the recipe.

If you are in the Woburn area, please go visit Bittersweet! They make some of the best desserts I've ever had.

Dinner with Mad Men ~ Blue Hawaiian Cocktail

Every July and August since 2007, I've been watching new episodes of Mad Men. I don't watch much TV but I sincerely love this show and will go out of my way to make time to watch it. This year there is no new season of Mad Men. To fill the void, I watched every single episode from the pilot to the last episode in Season 4. Mad Men is on my mind a lot this summer. I love the elegance, the style and the food. I've been taking careful notes about the food that is eaten and the many, many drinks that are had and will be trying to recreate them.

A while ago, I got the Mad Men Cocktail Culture app for the iPhone. At the time it was free and you could only make one cocktail, the Vodka Gimlet, with it. Now it's $0.99 and my free version merged with the paid version (I still haven't paid), and I can make virtual 60s style cocktails. The game has you read a recipe for a cocktail, then go through the steps of making it based on memory. It's pretty neat. You can skewer olives, pour the alcohol, shake the mixer, blend with a blender, etc. At the end, you can virtually drink it too and have as many as you'd like without worrying about getting drunk. Swell!

I was really curious about making the Blue Hawaiian which was inspired by the Elvis movie Blue Hawaii. I made it virtually a few times on the app but decided it was time to make it for myself in the real world.

 

 Blue Hawaiian Cocktail

2 oz blue Curacao

2 oz of light rum

2 oz of cream of coconut

4 oz of pineapple juice

2 cups of ice

slices of pineapple

maraschino cherries

Makes two cocktails

Add the 2 cups of ice to the blender. You can get it a few early pulses to get it going. Add the blue Curacao, light rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice. Blend until smooth. Pour into cocktail glasses and garnish with a slice of pineapple and a maraschino cherry.

Notes: If you are going to make this drink, make sure you are set on making it. I had to purchase a liter worth of blue Curacao because that's the smallest bottle my local liquor store had. After using a couple ounces, I don't know what I'll do with the rest of the bottle. I guess lots of Blue Hawaiians are in my future!

I didn't have any maraschino cherries because I forgot to buy a bottle. However, I had some black cherries so I took one, cut a slice in it and added it to the rim of the cocktail glass. It worked, but the result was not as pretty as it would have been with a bright red maraschino cherry.

Use cream of coconut. You can find it either in the Asian or Goya section of your supermarket. Don't think of substituting it with coconut milk or coconut water. You need cream of coconut which is thick and has the consistency of pudding.

I bought a large can of pineapple rings in juice. I used the juice for the cocktail and the precut pineapple rings for the garnish. I don't think it's worth buying a can of pineapple juice and a package of fresh pineapple rings (or a whole pineapple) when 1 can with both juice and rings is already available. It's cheaper too. Outsets the cost of that humongoid bottle of blue curacao!

Do you love Mad Men? Do you have the Mad Men Cocktail Culture App? Would you make a Blue Hawaiian cocktail?

Raspberry Limeade and Strawberry Lemonade

These recipes were originally posted on my Thoughtful Eats column on the Woburn Patch.



Raspberry Limeade
20 limes' juices
2 limes sliced for garnish
1 pint of raspberries, rinsed
2 cups of sugar
12 cups of filtered water

Strawberry Lemonade
8 lemons juiced
1 lemon sliced for garnish
1 pint of strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cups of sugar
12 cups of filtered water

Add the lime/lemon juice and sugar into the pitcher first. The acid will help start dissolving the sugar. Then slowly add the filtered water, stirring ever so often to mix the sugar into the water. Drop in the slices of lime/lemon and add your raspberries/strawberries. Stir a couple more times but not too much because you don't want to break the fruit. Let chill for about an hour in the fridge. Make sure that you drink this within a couple days of making. The raspberries and strawberries will continue to macerate. 
For those of you who like your limeade and lemonade with a bit of a kick, try 1-1/2 cups of sugar. If the bite is a bit too much, add 1/4 cup more. You can also leave in the slices of lime or lemonade to continue adding some acidity to the beverage. Once you customize this recipe to your taste, it'll become second-hand nature to you and you'll be making this all the time!

Cheater's Magnificent Melon & Lime Margarita

If you can find yourself some Magnificent Melons, buy them! Immediately. Magnificent melons are a type of cantaloupe that is sweeter than it's more standard counterpart and a bit less juicy. They are at their peak during our late winter and early spring and eating one is like having a taste of summer months before it arrives. Considering I've been fairly depressed this winter, these melons have been a source of joy for me lately. I came up with this Margarita drink which has become a new favorite in my family. They are ridiculously easy to make, easy on the alcohol and high on the flavor. It's quite a refreshing drink to have after a meal.

Ingredients:

5 or 6 large ice cubes

1 small bottle of Jose Cuervo Lime Margarita Mix

1 cup of chopped Magnificent Melon

This makes two small margaritas or one really large one.

In your blender, crush the ice until no chunks are left. Scrape the inside of the blender so that the crushed ice is at the bottom. Add the Margarita Mix and the melon and puree until very smooth. Serve chilled in glasses and with a slice of melon as a garnish. Because the ice, fruit puree and margarita mix start to separate pretty quickly, use the slice of melon to stir it to keep the original consistency. Enjoy!

Yoplait Smoothie Review and Giveaway

I saw so many other blogs reviewing and giving away this Yoplait Smoothie pack that I was upset that I didn't get the opportunity. However, Yoplait heard my Tweet of complaint and went to MyBlogSpark about it. I was snuck in at the last minute. Thank you Yoplait and MyBlogSpark! You made this smoothie-loving gal very happy.

Yoplait Smoothie packs come in your grocery's freezer section. The 7.5 oz bag contains chopped frozen fruit and frozen balls of yogurt mix. You add the contents of the bag into your blender, pour in one cup of your milk of choice (cow's milk, soy milk or almond milk) and blend blend blend. It comes in Strawberry Banana, Blueberry Pomegranate, Triple Berry and Strawberry Mango Pineapple flavors. At my local grocery store, it costs $2.89 per bag. This seemed pretty high to me but then I figured the cost of getting yogurt, fresh or frozen fruit, or even buying a prepared smoothie at my local Panera is about equal. If you wanted to make smoothies once or twice a week, this is definitely worth it. If you wanted to make smoothies every day, I would suggest buying lots of frozen fruit and a big tub of plain nonfat yogurt and making it yourself.

I tried the Strawberry Banana Smoothie thanks to both Yoplait and MyBlogSpark. Our blender didn't care for the frozen yogurt balls and I had to stir the mixture with a wooden spoon several times to get it to blend evenly. Once it was blended, it filled up one large glass to the very brim and it was absolutely delicious. Carlos and I shared the glass and we both noted how good the flavor was. The texture was really great too. I know that when I make smoothies they don't come out quite so smooth. Sometimes you chew on a bit of fruit even after you've blended it to death. This smoothie was smooth as silk!

Pros

very convenient, takes almost no time to make

only 220 calories for one smoothie, as a breakfast this is pretty light

good flavor and smooth texture

Cons

one bag = one glass of smoothie

price tag

not terribly blender friendly

Giveaway time! 

Yoplait and MyBlogSpark have provided me with the opportunity to giveaway one of these fabulous prize packs. The pack includes a drawstring backpack, a water bottle, a diet & fitness journal and 1 VIP coupon for a free bag of Yoplait Smoothie. Here's how to enter!

1. First Entry: Tell me in the comments which flavor of Yoplait Smoothie you are excited to try.
2. Second Entry: Like Thoughtful Eating on Facebook . Leave a separate comment telling me that you either liked the page or have already liked it.
3. Follow me on Twitter @thoughtfuleats . Leave a separate comment telling me you followed me or you are already one of my followers.

Contest starts today and ends March 26th. Winner will be announced on March 27th (Sunday). US participants only (sorry Canada & Sweden!).

Four Simple Drinks for Ringing in the New Year

Check out my latest article with four recipes for alcoholic drinks that are simple to make and perfect for ringing in the New Year. Don't you hate it when a cocktail recipe has a laundry list of fancy and expensive liqueurs that you don't have and don't really want to get? Well, these four drinks are simple, easy to make and you probably already have the booze necessary for them. Hot Toddy with Rum, Peppermint Schnapps Hot Chocolate, Peach-Raspberry Sparkling Sangria and Cranberry Mimosa.

Four Simple Drinks for Ringing in the New Year

Peach-Strawberry Almond Milk Shake

I've switched from milk to Almond Breeze's Almond Milk and my digestive system has thanked me for it. On occasion, I buy a small pint of milk for recipes that call for it but if I can manage to use Almond Milk instead I will. Almond Milk is smooth and light with a mild flavor. I'm never going back to Soy milk again. Make sure you get Almond Breeze. I'm vouching for them not because they told me/paid me to but because in comparison to Silk's Almond Milk, it's far better.

It's almost August which means it's prime time for Peaches. Make sure you try out this shake. It's absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:

A handful of strawberries hulled

1 peach, peeled and sliced

1 cup of Almond Milk

6-8 ice cubes

This makes 3 small glasses or 2 large size ones. 

Add the ice to your food processor and pulse until the ice is crushed. Add your peach slices, strawberries and almond milk. Pulse until smooth. Drink while it's nice and cold.

Mango-Ginger Lassi

When I used to live with my parents, I had free access to their food processor and blender and would make Mango-Ginger Lassis on a regular basis. My tiny apartment kitchen has no space for a blender and can barely hold the new Cuisinart I just purchased. So needless to say, I really missed these Lassis since I couldn't make them at home. To break in my new Cuisinart, I decided that it was time to revisit this delicious drink. If you have a blender, please use that instead of your food processor but I'm using my Cuisinart because that's all I got.

Ingredients:

6-8 ice cubes

2 small containers of plain low-fat yogurt

1 mango

1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

2 tablespoons of honey

Instructions:

Peel and grate your ginger.  Remove the meat from the mango. 

In your blender or food processor, add the ice cubes and pulse until they are somewhat crushed. Do this to get the drink started so that you don't end up with chunks of ice in your Lassi.

To your blender or food processor, add the grated ginger, mango, yogurt and honey and pulse until smooth. Serve immediately.

It's the perfect combination of sweet and spicy!

Greyhounds & Carlos' Birthday Dinner

Tuesday was Carlos' birthday and we celebrated by having a quiet dinner at home. The menu consisted of Carlos' favorites. Pastel de Choclo, a Chilean casserole with beef, chicken, eggs, olives, raisins and a special corn topping. For dessert, it was Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread. For an after-dinner drink, I made Carlos' favorite cocktail, the Greyhound. These were very easy to make and were absolutely delicious. So delicious in fact I may have over indulged a bit. If you make these, please drink responsibly because they are pretty strong.

Greyhounds

Ingredients:

2 parts vodka

5 parts grapefruit juice

ice cubes

Add the vodka and grapefruit juice shaker with a few ice cubes thrown in. Shake shake shake. Pour into highball glasses that have a few more ice cubes in them. Or you can serve them in cocktail glasses with or without ice.

Back in Carlos' bachelor days, his friends got him a Bachelor-style set from Funusual which contained a shaker, a jigger and two cocktail glasses. It's such a fun set. The shaker has pick up lines printed on it and the cocktail glasses have the male and female symbols. Invite a lady over to your place, mix her a drink, use some of the pick up lines and maybe get a little frisky later. Oh well. Too late for Carlos. He's stuck with me! He never used the set and I pulled it out of the original box and packaging (the receipt was still attached!) and am now putting it to some good use.

Pineapple-Lime Mojitos

I'm really branching out here and I have to admit, I'm a bit proud of myself. Pineapple-Lime Mojitos? No hay problema! (problemo is incorrect Spanish by the way) I found this recipe on Food Network and I like how Ingrid Hoffman incorporated pineapple with the mojito to give it a tropical kick. She also suggests using sugar cane as a stirrer. If I could get my hands on sugar cane during the summer months, I'll make sure to make these mojitos again to have an excuse to use them.


Ingredients:

a bunch of mint leaves (around 24)
8 tablespoons of sugar
2 limes quartered
1 cup of rum
2 small 6 oz cans of pineapple juice
1-1/4 cup of soda water
Ice cubes
4 pineapple rings (I used canned)


Makes 4 mojitos

In the bottom of a pitcher, add your mint leaves, sugar and lime sections. Mash with a wooden spoon and swirl. Add the rum, pineapple juice and soda water and stir. Add ice cubes to four medium-sized glasses. Add a lime section to each glass. Remove the extras from the pitcher. Pour mixture into glasses. Break into each pineapple ring and hang each on the rim of the glass. Serve and drink responsibly.

Mojito

Sparkling Sangria with Raspberries and Peaches

I am venturing out into brand new territory here. I have never made a mixed alcoholic beverage and I really wanted to try one. There is a brand new liquor store that just opened in the same plaza as my favorite Market Basket. The store is run by a sweet older gentleman and it's a cute little store. It's so convenient that it will be really easy for me to pick up wine, rum and other things to test out new recipes with (like those Guiness cupcakes I made recently). The gentleman helped pick out a nice bottle of champagne and I made some sparkling Sangria with it.

My friends Alicia and Dana make a killer sangria which they serve in a bucket and it's alcohol content is so high you are sure to be drunk after one glass. My version is very very tame in comparison. Because this is champagne I'm using instead of regular white wine, you have to make it right before you serve it. Flat champagne is no fun. It's a great dessert too because the fruit soaks up the champagne and it's a nice sweet treat for afterwards.

Ingredients:

one bottle of chilled champagne or sparkling wine
half a bag of frozen peaches
half a bag of frozen raspberries
4 heaping tablespoons of sugar

Serves 2 people

To a pitcher, add your sugar and champagne. Swirl with a spoon so the sugar can dissolve. Add your fruit and gentle stir. Pour into wine glasses making sure you get a good amount of fruit in there too. You can always just add the frozen peaches and raspberries to your glass first and then pour the sweetened champagne.

This isn't rocket science but it was good for my first try. I probably shouldn't have gone with an Extra Dry Champagne but oh well! It came out good anyways.

Sangria

Cocktails and Dessert @ Casablanca

My friend Kevin and I went out to Casablanca in Harvard Square (Cambridge, MA) on Sunday evening for cocktails and dessert. This restaurant/bar is a great local haunt. It's in a great location, because it's situated right below my all-time favorite repertory theater the Brattle, which I talk about incessantly on my classic film blog (Out of the Past). It is very possible to watch the film Casablanca (1942) and then head downstairs to Casablanca to discuss the movie over drinks. I still dream of doing just that one of these days.



I'm new to cocktails, so I've been trying to experiment with different kinds to see what I like. I tried Casablanca's Raspberry Beret which was a very pretty cocktail of crushed raspberries, lemonade, prosecco and some other things I can't quite remember. It was refreshing but still had a punch to it!



Kevin had some profiteroles with ice cream and drizzles with chocolate and caramel sauces. It looked delicious!

This is the second time I've been out and had cocktails and dessert. It seems a fun way to spend an evening, chatting over drinks and sweets and is a little more sophisticated than drinking beer and watching sports!