How you doin’? You’ve worked hard all day and it's time to unwind and leave the job behind. That's right, it’s happy hour… that hour or two you allow yourself time to relax, decompress, sit down and indulge with great drink.
 
Happy hour doesn’t have to be reserved for drink specials at your local saloon. Though that is where those few hours in the afternoon and late evening get their name, there is no reason you can't enjoy a happy hour cocktail at home with a few friends.
 
While the saloon specials are designed to lure (and hopefully stay after they end) you in with cheap prices, you'll often find that you can save more money by making drinks at home. Beyond the cash you'll save, many drinkers prefer to keep the drinks simple during happy hour at home. For many, this isn't the time for fancy cocktails with hard-to-find ingredients who are often too tired and worn out from the day to put any effort into much of anything.
 
Most of our favorite happy hour drinks are the simplest, easily to mix drinks that come together in seconds, not minutes—just a simple pour of liquor, a mixer and maybe a garnish.
 
The Lounge Lizard is nothing more than a full shot of dark rum (or two), a short pour of amaretto and cola. It's the rum and amaretto addition that makes it even more compelling. It goes down easily and is very refreshing.
 
Prep time:  3 minutes
Yield:  1 cocktail
 
Ingredients 
1-1/2 ounces dark rum
1/2 ounce amaretto liqueur
4 to 6 ounces chilled cola, to taste
Maraschino cherry, or lime wedge for garnish

Directions

1. In a Collins glass filled with ice, pour the dark rum and amaretto.
2. Top the drink off with chilled cola.
3. Stir well.
4. Garnish the drink with a cherry or lime wedge.
5. Serve and enjoy.

ChefSecret: The amount of cola you pour will depend on how tall your glass is, how much ice you use and if you want a stronger or lighter drink. Most people use Coke or Pepsi for convenience, but some of the lesser-known colas work just as well. RC Cola is my favorite, though a wonderful brand is Q Kola (the bartender’s cola), which is unlike any "cola" most of us have seen. Some recipes suggest just 1 ounce of rum if you want a lighter drink. 

Quip of the Day: “There's naught, no doubt, so much the spirits calm as rum and true religion.” ~ Lord Byron
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide .
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

#Cocktail #HappyHour #LoungeLizardCocktail #Rum&Cola #Rum #Amaretto #Cheers #2022 #Cheers# QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

​                                                 ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

How you doin’? What’s your favorite cut of steak—Sirloin, Filet, New York or Ribeye? For the last 35 years our test kitchen has been churning and turning out a wide variety of foods. We don’t usually have a hard time getting people to sample our efforts. The two most popular categories are steak and chocolate (not together, of course, except for one recipe for prime rib that is peppered with cacao nibs). Ribeye steaks are a particular favorite of mine because of the marbling of the fat. Ribeye Steaks can be prepared in a variety of ways.
 
Here’s a simple one.  Close your eyes and imagine a big, juicy Ribeye Steak and potatoes—the perfect combination of familiar, comforting and still a bit fancy. We cooked this steak recipe in a hot cast-iron skillet, starting with the potatoes. The process is quite simple—get the oil hot and start the potato wedges, salting them generously. Let the potatoes cook for ten minutes before you flip them. This creates golden-brown potatoes with a light, crispy crust on the outside and a perfectly creamy interior.
 
For the steak, we like a couple of USDA Prime Ribeye steaks. As they’re cooking, we melt some butter in the pan, throw in some garlic and baste the steaks with the buttery goodness. Basting gives the steak a fantastic sear, especially in a cast iron skillet. With the combination of the cast iron skillet and the butter the steaks develop deep, golden brown crust and crispy edges.
 
Of course, during the cooking process, the steak’s juices mingle with the garlic butter. Add a little lemon and some parsley, and you’ve got a wonderful buttery pan sauce. Potatoes love fat, too! So, of course they taste amazing drenched in the bright, buttery sauce. The Ribeye Steaks, infused with the aromatic butter, slice up tender, miraculously juicy and super flavorful every time.
 
This is a perfect dinner for two. It’s easy and fast enough for an ordinary weeknight and special enough for a romantic celebration. Add a shaved baby kale and artichoke salad, a bottle of robust red wine and grilled fruit for dessert.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  20 minutes
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
 
Ingredients 
For the potatoes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound medium Yukon Gold or red potatoes, cut into ¾” wedges—think steak fries
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
 
For the steak and garlic butter
2 12-oz 1”-thick ribeye or New York strip steaks
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more as needed
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
 
Directions
To make the potatoes

1. Heat the oil in a 12” cast-iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the potatoes cut-sides down, sprinkle with salt, and cook undisturbed until the potatoes are golden brown and release easily from the pan, about 10 minutes.
2. Using tongs, flip each wedge to the second cut-side and cook until browned and tender, 10 to 15 minutes more. Transfer the potatoes to a serving platter. Wipe out the skillet… you’ll use it to cook the steaks.

To make the steaks

1. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels.
2. Season all over with salt and set aside.
3. Add the olive oil to the skillet and return the skillet to high heat until the pan starts to smoke, just a bit.
4. Carefully place the steaks in the hot pan and sear until enough of a crust has developed that the steaks no longer stick to the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes. Flip and sear the second side for 2 minutes.
5. Carefully add the butter to the pan.
6. Tilt the pan so the butter pools on one side… and add the garlic to the melted butter. Using a large spoon, baste the steaks with the garlic butter. Flip the steaks and continue to baste and cook. Begin checking the internal temperature of the steaks at 6 minutes into total cook time. Note: Medium-rare is between 125° and 130°.
7. Remove the pan from the heat, transfer the steaks to a clean cutting board — reserving the juices in the pan — and let the steaks rest for about 5 minutes.
8. Stir the parsley and lemon juice into the pan juices. Let the sauce cool for a few minutes, then taste and correct the seasoning with more salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed.
9. Cut the steaks across the grain into half-inch thick slices and place them on top of the potatoes.
10. Drizzle the steaks and potatoes with the pan juices and serve immediately.

ChefSecret:  Allow both the potatoes and steaks to sear to a crust before trying to move them around the skillet. This will allow a crisp crust to develop on both.

Quip of the Day: “When you’re talking, you’re only repeating what you already know. But when you’re listening, you may learn something new.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

#Entrees #Dinner #Beef #RibeyeSteak #WedgePotatoes #Filet #NewYorkSteak #YukonGold #RedPotatoes #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

​                                          ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

​How you doin’? For my generation there were lots of wonderful memories with some of mom’s or grandmother’s cooking—today’s kids may not have the same recollections. If you have a family favorite you might want to document now so it can live on as a family legacy to share with your current and future mini me’s.
 
When I think back to my childhood most of the great baking came from my Aunt Esther and I have shared several recipes of hers with you on this blog. And then there was the yeasty waffle recipe from Aunt Waffle (actually, Aunt Ethel). My mother’s recipe… not so much. I once featured on one of my restaurant menus, “Apple Pie like mom used to make $2.95; Apple Pie like mom thought she made $5.95.” That being the case, I have a fascination with other moms’ great recipes.
 
I recently read in Allrecipes that James Beard shared his mother's recipe for shortcake with a friend.  James Beard claimed that his mother’s secret ingredient in baking her shortcake was finely crumbled hard-boiled egg yolks, which enrich the dough without toughening it. Even before Beard was the famous award-winning James Beard who wrote 20 cookbooks, hosted cooking shows and changed the game of modern cuisine, his mom was whipping up one seriously delicious—yet delightfully strange—shortcake recipe. Thanks mom!
 
When I was in Melbourne several years ago, I worked with an old-world German pastry chef and he, too, used finely crumbled hard-boiled egg yolks, which enriched the dough without toughening it contributing to the baked cakes' perfectly tender crumb. The technique has also appeared in recipes from The Great British Bake Off in 2018. What I found out is that this method is common in Northern European baking, where savvy bakers discovered that the small egg yolk bits prevent too much gluten from forming in the dough, keeping the baked goods (like shortcakes) ultra-tender.
 
The next time you’re in the produce section of your local supermarket and see all those beautiful, aroma-blessed fresh strawberries, pick up a couple of baskets (or flats) and then walk right by the packaged, convenience spongy bun shortcakes and go home to make your own home-baked shortcake pastry following the recipe below.
 
Prep time:  30-40 minutes
Bake time:  15 minutes             
Yield:  6 Servings
 
Ingredients 
For the shortcake pastry
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling
1 tablespoon, plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
2 hard-boiled egg yolks, pushed through a small mesh sieve
3/4 cup heavy cream, chilled
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
 
For the strawberry topping
3 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and halved
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange liqueur
 
For the whipped cream topping
1 cup chilled heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
mint sprig (garnish)
 
Directions
To make the shortcake pastry

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and all of the baking powder.
2. Mix in 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt.
3. Add the chilled butter cubes and using your fingertips, work the butter into the flour mixture until it has the consistency of coarse crumbs.
4. Stir in the sieved hard-boiled egg yolks.
5. Slowly add the cream and almond extract in small increments, blending into the mixture until absorbed before adding more; gently mix until the dough just comes together. Do not overwork the dough.
6. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and gently knead into a smooth ball (about two or three turns). Gently pat down the dough to make a flat 1-inch-thick slab.
7. Using a lightly floured 2 1/2-inch-round biscuit cutter, cut straight down to create 6 shortcakes.
8. Place the shortcakes on a plate lined with waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
9. Preheat an oven to 450°F.
10. Just before baking brush the tops of each shortcake with melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
11. Transfer the chilled shortcakes to a parchment-lined sheet pan.
12. Bake on the center rack of the oven until golden and firm to the touch, about 15 minutes.
13. Remove from the oven and let cool.

To make the strawberry filling

1. While the shortcakes cool, prepare the fruit filling and whipped cream.
2. Place the strawberries in a large bowl, gently fold in the sugar and orange liqueur and let sit until macerated (make soft by soaking in the liquid).

To make the whipped cream topping

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the chilled heavy cream on low and gradually increase speed until it begins to thicken.
2. Reduce speed, add sugar and the vanilla extract and begin to slowly increase the speed until the whipped cream is thickened, about 4 minutes.

To assembly the strawberry shortcakes

1. Using a fork or serrated knife, split the shortcakes in half horizontally. Place the bottom halves on plates and generously spoon the macerated strawberries and juices over them.
2. Top with a heaping dollop of whipped cream. Top with the other half of each shortcake and more whipped cream. Garnish with fresh mint.
3. Serve immediately.

ChefSecrets:  The secret to tender shortcakes is to not overwork the dough.

Quip of the Day: “Why were the little strawberries so upset? Because their parents were in a jam!”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

#Desserts #StrawberryShortcake #Strawberries #EggYolks #JamesBeard #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup
​
                                           ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

How you doin’? It’s Friday—Happy Hour time. I was watching the football games from the new USFL over the weekend and heard that most games this season will be played in Birmingham, Alabama. That’s where the Alabama Crimson Tide play during the college football season. I thought it might be appropriate to introduce an old Crimson favorite, The Old Alabama Slammer… and a slammer it is with slow gin, Southern Comfort and Amaretto. Let’s just hope the new Birmingham Stallions don’t overindulge before the game.
 
Legend has it that the Alabama Slammer was invented at the University of Alabama in 1975, although further details about the drink’s origin are hazy—just like you may be after a couple of these . Speculation about its inventor is iffy… neither the bartender who first concocted it or the bar that first served it are known.
 
So, pad-up and get ready to scrimmage with your brain.

Ingredients
1/2 ounce sloe gin
1-1/2 ounces Southern Comfort
1/2 ounce amaretto
3/4 ounce freshly-squeezed lemon juice
4 ounces orange juice
 
Directions

1. Add the sloe gin, Southern Comfort, amaretto and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Shake well for 10-15 seconds or until the outside of the shaker starts to frost up.
3. Strain into highball glass with ice.
4. Float the orange juice on top.
5. Garnish with an orange wheel and cherry flag.

ChefSecret:  What is the difference between gin and sloe gin? The main ingredient of sloe gin is the sloe berry; gin is derived from the juniper berry. Sloe gin can have a lower alcohol content than gin. Gin is less sweet than sloe gin. Gin is made from traditional distillation processes while sloe gin is made from mixing sugar and sloe berries and steeping in gin.

Quip of the Day: Southern Comfort: “from the backyard to the backcountry, SC is here to help everyone get more comfortable.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide .
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

#Cocktail #HappyHour #AlabamaSlammer #SloeGin #Amaretto #SouthernComfort #CrimsonTide #Birgmingham #USFL #OrangeJuice #Cheers #2022 #Cheers# QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                        ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022​

How you doin’? My hilltop house had a great commercial kitchen. It was time to downsize, and I was very particular about what I was looking for in a kitchen. I was excited to see that all the kitchen equipment in my new condo was Viking—a brand I often specify in commercial restaurant projects. It has always been a great company to do business with and I am not going to disrespect them now except to say available refrigerator space is at a premium. The refrigerator looks so big on the outside, but usable space is kind of skimpy on the inside. I have now become the expert on stacking stuff.
 
I really had to rethink my refrigerator allotment space. I used to tell our kitchen staffs, “if it isn’t cooking or on a plate out to a customer—REFRIGERATE IT!” And I l generally live by that premise—if you want something to stay fresh, put it in the fridge. Fridge freshness depends on two key factors:

• Proper temperature: 37°F is ideal with a range of 33°F - 40°F. Foods should be stored below 40°F to prevent harmful bacteria from growing. Buy a refrigerator thermometer and put it in the potentially warmest spot—that’s usually near the door on an upper shelf.
• Circulation: when stacking and storing, be sure to leave room for the chilled air to circulate properly throughout the refrigerator. If air flow is blocked or the space is packed too densely, your refrigerator will not operate efficiently, and the temperature is likely to rise.

 
I think many of us know that that bread, tomatoes and potatoes should not be refrigerated, but for other items… what are the rules?
 
As it turns out, there are quite a few foods that don't keep well or do not need to be refrigerated. In fact, the refrigerator can cause certain foods to deteriorate prematurely, losing flavor, texture and nutrients. Before you unload your groceries, make sure you're not storing these items in the fridge.
 
Bread
About the worst thing you can do with a loaf of bread is stick it in the refrigerator. Keeping bread in a cold, but not frozen, condition causes the starch to recrystallize and actually makes it stale a lot faster. Buy only enough bread to use in a week and if you must store it keep the bread in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage, bread can be frozen for up to 3 months in the freezer. Be sure the bag or container is airtight.
 
Tomatoes
If you want your tomatoes to be ripe and juicy keep them out of the refrigerator. Tomatoes turn mealy and mushy at temperatures below 60⁰ F. Store whole, fresh tomatoes upside down on a paper-towel lined open container away from direct sunlight. I will refrigerate tomatoes if they age out and are getting a little pruney, but only for a day or so.
 
Potatoes
When stored in the fridge, the starch in potatoes will turn to sugar, resulting in a sweet flavor and gritty texture that's not desirable, even when cooked. Whole, unpeeled potatoes are best stored in a cool, dark place (warmer than the fridge but colder than room temperature) for up to two months. This could include a root cellar, unheated basement, garage, etc. Potatoes can be stored at room temperature in a paper or mesh bag for up to two weeks. If you see a little sprout on the potato, that’s okay… it’s still usable, but when there are more sprouts than potato, you’ve held them a little too long.
 
Cake
Unless your frosting is made with cream cheese or butter cream, storing cake in the fridge zaps all the moisture out of it and hardens the frosting. Though there are some exceptions, most cakes will taste better stored at room temperature. Frosting-free cakes and cakes frosted with fondant or ganache should be covered and stored at room temperature for up to five days. Cut cakes can also be stored at room temperature, just be sure to cover any unfrosted areas with plastic wrap to avoid moisture loss. Cakes that include fresh fruit toppings or fillings, whipped cream or cream cheese frosting should be stored in the fridge.
 
Coffee
Storing coffee in the fridge actually causes it to lose it flavor quickly. The temperature change from going in and out of the fridge can lead to a build-up of condensation, which diminishes the coffee's flavor. Plus, coffee is known to absorb odors of other foods in the fridge. So, unless you want your cup o’ joe with a hint of green onions, don't store it in the fridge or freezer. Store whole beans and ground coffee in an opaque, airtight container in a cool, dry place.
 
Basil
It seems like basil begins to wilt the minute you bring it home from the store (or in from the garden), but don't be tempted to store it in the fridge. Basil doesn’t like the cold—store at room temperature. To extend the life of your fresh-cut basil, store it in a jar with a few inches of water, and loosely cover the leaves with a plastic bag. Better yet buy a living basil plant and kept it on your windowsill… name it, water it and talk to it—that’s what I do.
 
Honey
Storing honey in the fridge accelerates the crystallization—not a good thing. You’ve never seen bees in the refrigerator, have you? The chemical make-up of honey—acidic with a low water activity—honey is resistant to bacteria growth. In fact, if you were to take a swab with Covid germs the honey would kill the germs within 72 hours (note: that doesn’t mean that honey is a cure for Covid!).  Store honey in an airtight container (the honey bear) at room temperature keeping it away from direct sun or kitchen warm spots. If you see any crystals appear, you can put your honey bear in a cup a hot water and those crystals will likely dissolve.
 
Hot Sauce
Hot sauce can differ from brand to brand, so be sure to check the label before storing it. In general, all that vinegar and salt acts as natural preservatives for hot sauce; there's no need to store it in the fridge. In fact, hot sauce's peppery bite is more potent at room temperature. Hot sauce can be stored in the fridge, but its flavor won't be as strong as it is at room temperature. Store hot sauce in the pantry or cabinet for up to six months after opening.
 
Melons
While it sounds counterintuitive it turns out the fridge can cause the antioxidants in melons—including watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe—to break down. Not to mention, melons are much more flavorful at room temperature. Store whole melons on the kitchen counter, out of direct sunlight, at room temperature for one to two weeks.
 
Onions, Shallots and Garlic
These root crops do not like to be refrigerated. Humid refrigerated whole onions, shallots and garlic absorb moisture and begin to soften, sprout and mold; they also make your fridge stink and that transfers to other foods in the same space. Store veggies in a cool, dry place such as a root cellar, pantry, unheated basement or garage—best at a constant 55⁰ F.
 
Squash
Winter squash including pumpkins, acorn squash, butternut squash, etc. goes to hell in high humidity and cold temperatures of a fridge. These vegetables store well for up to six months in a cool, dry place, between 50⁰ and 55⁰ F.
 
Batteries
Yes, batteries! Someone once told me that general household batteries keep their charge better in the freezer—not true! I checked it out. There is the same amount of electrical poop in batteries kept in the freezer, refrigerator or on the pantry shelf. So, leave the that valuable cold space for foods that really need it. Caveat: rechargeable nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride batteries do last longer when stored under cold temperatures.

ChefSecret:  Don’t leave the refrigerator or freezer door open—close it before you walk away. That keeps the ever-rising energy bill down and prolongs the life of the foods stored inside.

Quip of the Day: Taylor Swift’s lyrics / “We're dancing 'round the kitchen in the refrigerator light. Down the stairs, I was there. I remember it all too well, yeah, yeah, yeah.” [my all-time favorite female entertainer / Taylor used to be my computer screen saver until I was told it was kind of creepy].
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Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

#KitchenTips #DontRefrigerate #Freezer #Refrigerator #FoodSafety #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                            ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022