How you doin’? Did you know that Cucumbers are not only good but good for you? Cucs are low in calories and high in water content, making them excellent for hydration and weight management. They also provide vitamins and antioxidants that may help with digestion, blood sugar control, and skin health.
 
Just when the summer heat is at its peak, cucumbers ripen on the vine to save the day. After being out and about working up an appetite in the summer sun, the thought of heavy food is completely unappealing.
 
My Japanese Cucumber Salad is made Asian-style with just cucumbers, sugar, rice vinegar, and salt—that’s all. Just stir it all together and serve. I love making this salad because it’s so quick and it goes with everything. It will awaken your palate before the meal begins and between courses.
 
You can use any kind of cucumber for this recipe. If you are using thin-skinned Persian or Japanese cucumbers, you can leave them unpeeled. If you are using standard cucs with thicker skins, you can peel them if you want to.
 
Sometimes I like to leave thin strips of peel running the length of the cucumber, creating little bits of green around the slices. If using mature cucs with big seeds, cut them in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp.
 
If you want to take it up a notch, add a handful of halved cherry tomatoes and some chopped cilantro for color.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Yield:  4 servings, about 5 cups
 
Ingredients
1/2 cup Japanese rice vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large cucumbers
2 trimmed and sliced green onion tops
 
Directions

1. Add the vinegar, sugar and salt to a large bowl and stir together. The sugar will dissolve while you slice the cucumbers.
2. Peel the cucumbers, if preferred, and thinly slice.
3. Give the dressing another stir to ensure the sugar dissolves, then add the cucumbers and green onions.
4. Toss and serve or cover and refrigerate until it’s time to serve.
5. This will hold refrigerated for up to 3 days.

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ChefSecret:  English cucumbers have a mild and slightly sweet flavor. They are often described as being refreshing and crisp. Japanese cucumbers, on the other hand, have a more pronounced and vibrant taste. They are known for their bright, melon-like flavors, which add a unique twist to salads and other dishes.

Quip of the Day:  Q.  What do you get when you cross a pickle with a deer?  A.  A dill doe.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Salad #SideDish #JapaneseCucumberSalad #SummerCucumberSalad #EnglishCucumbers #JapaneseCucumbers #RiceVinegar #PerspectivesOnFood #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
                                                                                     ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? Several years ago Perspectives created 54 (yes, count 'em!) different chocolate ice cream formulations for one of our clients. Each of these flavors started with a 22% butterfat base… that’s a good 6% to 10% more richness than most ordinary commercial ice creams. 
 
Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been sweetened with either sugar or an alternative, and a flavor, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. My recipe chooses to go for an explosive flavor of chocolate—creating Quadruple Chocolate Ice Cream.
 
The origins of frozen desserts are murky at best, although several accounts exist about their history. Some sources say the history of ice cream began in Persia in 550 BC. A Roman cookbook dating back to the 1st century includes recipes for sweet desserts that are sprinkled with snow, and there are other Persian records from the 2nd century for sweetened drinks chilled with ice.
 
Ice cream production became easier with the discovery of the endothermic effect. Prior to this, cream could be chilled easily but not frozen. The addition of salt to water lowered the melting point of ice, drawing heat from the cream and allowing it to freeze. Pretty neat, huh?
 
The technique of freezing was not known from any European sources prior to the 16th century. By the latter part of the 17th century sorbets and ice creams were all the rage made using this process.
 
Marco Polo is often credited with introducing sorbet-style desserts to Italy after learning about them during his travels to China. According to a legend, the Italian duchess Catherine de' Medici introduced flavored sorbet ices to France when she brought Italian chefs with her to France upon marrying the Duke of Orléans (Henry II of France) in 1533.
In 1686, Italian Francesco dei Coltelli opened an ice cream café in Paris, and the product became so popular that during the next 50 years, another 250 cafés opened in Paris.
 
The secret English recipe for making ice cream was written as follows:
 
Take Tin Ice-Pots, fill them with any Sort of Cream you like, either plain or sweeten'd, or Fruit in it; shut your Pots very close; to six Pots you must allow eighteen or twenty Pound of Ice, breaking the Ice very small; there will be some great Pieces, which lay at the Bottom and Top: You must have a Pail, and lay some Straw at the Bottom; then lay in your Ice, and put in amongst it a Pound of Bay-Salt; set in your Pots of Cream, and lay Ice and Salt between every Pot, that they may not touch; but the Ice must lie round them on every Side; lay a good deal of Ice on the Top, cover the Pail with Straw, set it in a Cellar where no Sun or Light comes, it will be froze in four Hours, but it may stand longer; then take it out just as you use it; hold it in your Hand and it will slip out. When you wou'd freeze any Sort of Fruit, either Cherries, Raspberries, Currants, or Strawberries, fill your Tin-Pots with the Fruit, but as hollow as you can; put to them Lemmonade, made with Spring-Water and Lemmon-Juice sweeten'd; put enough in the Pots to make the Fruit hang together, and put them in Ice as you do Cream.
 
Enough about ice cream’s long and glorified history, let’s make my favorite dessert—ice cream—now!
 
All of your favorite ice cream toppings can go on Quadruple Chocolate Ice Cream, however, there's enough white, milk and dark chocolate chunks in this ice cream recipe that you might not want any toppings at all!
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Chill time: 20 minutes
Freezing time: 4-24 hours
Yield:  Serves 6-8
 
Ingredients
6 cups whole milk
1-1/4 cup sugar
12 large egg yolks, beaten
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped and melted
3 cups whipping cream
3 ounces chopped dark chocolate
3 ounces chopped milk chocolate
3 ounces chopped white baking chocolate
 
Rock salt and crushed ice for ice cream makers, if using.
 
Directions

1. In a large saucepan combine 3 cups of the milk, the sugar and egg yolks.
2. Cook the custard over medium, stirring constantly with a heatproof rubber scraper, until the custard coats the back of the scraper.
3. Remove from the heat.
4. Whisk in melted bittersweet chocolate until combined and smooth.
5. Transfer to a large bowl.
6. Whisk in the cream and the remaining milk.
7. Let cool for 20 minutes.
8. Cover the surface of custard with plastic wrap.
9. Chill 4 to 24 hours.
10. Freeze the chilled custard in a 4- to 5-qt. ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s directions.
11. Add the chopped chocolates during the last few minutes of churning.
12. Transfer gelato to a freezer container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

ChefSecret:  If adding particulate to your ice cream, freeze the inclusions before adding them to the near-frozen custard. They will deliver better texture in the finished product.

Quip of the Day:  Q. Did you hear they passed a law banning ice cream?  A. Don’t worry, it was ruled un-cone-stitutional!.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Dessert #IceCream #ChocolateIceCream #HomemadeIceCream #QuadrupleChocolateIceCream #BittersweetChocolate #DarkChocolate #MilkChocolate #WhiteChocolate #IScream4IceCream #WeAllScream4IceCream #SummerFun #PerspectivesOnFood #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  
                                                  ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? My happy hour cocktail of the week is the Cubana 1930 Cocktail. It tastes like a vacation in Little Havana in Miami, Florida with origins all the way back to the 1930s. What was going on in the US in the ‘30s? Prohibition. On the other hand, liquor was running freely in Havana along with beautiful Latin women.
 
The origins of this cocktail may have come from Cuba’s most famous bar, El Floridita, known as writer Ernest Hemingway’s favorite haunt for over 20 years. Along with the long bar at Raffles in Singapore… it seems that old Ernie had lot of favorite haunts around the world.
 
The Cubana Cocktail is a 1930s Cuban classic made with aged golden rum, apricot liqueur or brandy, fresh pineapple juice (if available), lime juice, and simple syrup.
 
Prep time:  4 minutes
Yield:  1 cocktail
 
Ingredients 
1-1/2 ounces dark aged rum (I prefer Bacardi)
1/4 ounce apricot liqueur (or brandy)
1 ounce pineapple juice
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup (50/50)
Lime wheel, for garnish
 
Directions

1. In a cocktail shaker, shake all the ingredients (except the garnish) together with ice until well‑chilled around 20 to 30 seconds. Shake it like you mean it!
2. Double‑strain into a chilled coupe or a flute glass.
3. Garnish with a lime wheel.

ChefSecret:  I like to see a little white foam on top of this cocktail. This is best achieved with an egg white. If you feel more comfortable you can use a pasteurized egg white or a purchased cocktail foamy.    

Quip of the Day:  I asked my Cuban friend if he wanted a mojito. He said, “I’m all in for a mint condition!”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Cocktail #HappyHour #Cubana1930Cocktail #Rum #ApricotLiqueur #PineappleJuice #LimeJuice #Hemingway #Raffles #ElFloridita #HappyHour2025 #Cheers #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  

                                                                            ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? In previous posts you already know that Joan has been asking me to develop more salads and healthy recipes. Well, here is a Wisconsin Salad—just as Joan has asked—and it’s even from her native Milwaukee!
 
It’s a heaping bowl of chopped apples, Snickers and Payday pieces with a  burnt caramel drizzle. It’s time to Make America Fun Again (MAFA)!
 
Long before “candy salad” was a trend on social media, Midwesterners were dressing chopped-up fruit with whipped cream and pudding, adding in diced candy bars, and calling it “salad.” This one is one of the greatest of them all.
 
We can debate the merits (and I am sure I will have to) of calling anything dressed in whipped cream and topped with caramel a “salad,” but what’s not up for debate is how delicious this cool, creamy treat is and how perfect it is for midwestern potlucks and parties.
 
Unlike some other popular dessert salads like Ambrosia salad or Jello salad, Wisconsin Salad doesn’t have a clear origin story—maybe it just came out of my dreams. Some sources say it’s from the influence of Scandinavians who may have adapted their beloved römmegröt—a sweet porridge of cooked flour, milk and sour cream, often served with fresh fruit and nuts—with ingredients that they had in the American Midwest.
 
Couple that idea with a general trend towards convenience foods like instant pudding mix and Cool Whip in the 1950s, and dessert salads like this one were born.
 
I prefer vanilla pudding, but you can also try this recipe with other instant pudding flavors—cheesecake, chocolate and butterscotch are popular alternatives. As for whether the apple truly makes this dish a salad or not, Wisconsin Salad really depends on “which end of the table it is served on.”
 
Wisconsin Salad is made with just a few ingredients. It is a crunchy, creamy, sweet-and-tart dessert that will become at least once a year family favorite.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      credit: Simply Recipes 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Chill time:  1 hour
Yield:  10 servings
 
Ingredients 
3/4 cup whole milk
1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix (I prefer Jell-O brand)
3 medium chopped Granny Smith apples (about 1 pound total)
4 full-size Snickers candy bars
3 full-size Payday candy bars
1 (8-ounce) container thawed whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)
1/2 cup homemade burnt caramel sauce, for serving (see recipe below)
 
Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and stir until smooth. Set the pudding aside while you core and chop the apples and Snickers and Payday bars into bite-sized pieces.
2. Reserve about 1/2 cup of diced apples and Snickers and Payday for topping the salad.
3. Fold the whipped topping into the pudding mixture until mostly smooth.
4. Add the apples and Snickers and Payday pieces and stir to incorporate.
5. Chilling the “salad for about an hour until the pudding set completely.
6. Just before serving, sprinkle with the reserved diced apples and Snickers and Payday pieces on top
7. Drizzle with homemade burnt caramel sauce.
8. This salad holds really well refrigerated for about 2 days.

                                Choclatique Homemade Burnt Caramel Sauce
 
In just 12 minutes with only sugar, butter, and cream, you'll have the best caramel sauce you've ever tasted. By burning the sugar, you get a more nuanced flavor just like we used to make at Choclatique. Making your own caramel sauce from scratch is a lot easier than you might think! It takes practically no time at all.
 
To make caramel sauce, first you start by heating white granulated sugar in a deep, thick-bottomed, sturdy pan. As the sugar heats, it will melt and start to "caramelize" changing color and creating caramel flavors. Bring it up to the burn until it starts to smoke a little.  Once the sugar has dissolved and turned dark brown, add the butter. The heat of the burnt sugar will melt the butter and create even more wonderful flavors. After the butter has melted, carefully add the heavy whipping cream. This will turn the caramel mixture into a creamy sauce.
 
When you add cream to the caramel mixture the hot caramel will bubble up. You want to make sure you have a pan that will not overflow when this happens.
 
Safety First!  Be extra careful while cooking the sugar, as with any candy making process. Once the sugar has melted it is much hotter than boiling water.
 
Cook time:  12 minutes
Yield:  1 cup+
 
Ingredients 
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
 
Directions

1. Have all ingredients ready to go—making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait while you look for ingredients.
2. Heat the sugar on moderately high heat in a deep, heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. The sugar will begin to melt in a minute or two. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. The sugar will form clumps and will start to melt at the edges of the pan.
3. As the sugar starts to melt, lower the heat a bit to keep the sugar from really burning.
4. Keep whisking until all of the sugar has melted. It will clump up quite a bit but just keep stirring. Once all of the sugar has melted, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want.
5. Use a wet pastry brush to mop down the sides of the pan as the sugar melts, ensuring every crystal is incorporated.
6. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark brown in color, almost burnt), add the butter to the pan.
7. Whisk until the butter has melted. If your caramel clumps up after adding the butter, keep stirring it over the heat until it’s smooth again before adding the cream.
8. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat.
9. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. When you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. This is why you must use a pan that holds at least 2 quarts, preferably 3 quarts.
10. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth.
11. Let the caramel cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a clean, dry glass mason jar and let it sit to cool to room temperature.
12. Cover and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
13. To reheat the caramel, microwave for 30-second intervals, heating just until warm and pourable.

ChefSecret:  If you are having problems with sugar burning before it is all melted, you might try adding a half cup of water to the sugar in the beginning of the process. This will help the sugar dissolve and heat more evenly. It will also take quite a bit longer to caramelize the sugar.

Safety First!  Be extra careful while cooking the sugar, as with any candy making process. Once the sugar has melted it is much hotter than boiling water.
 
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Quip of the Day:  I had a disturbingly long dream that I was making a salad—I was tossing all night!
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Salad #Dessert #WisconsinSalad #CaramelSauce #Choclatique #BurntCaramel #Snickers #Payday #Pudding #GrannySmith #CoolWhip #PerspectivesOnFood #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
                                                                                ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? I wait all year long for corn to come into season locally. This is one of my favorite summer vegetables no matter how it is prepared. Corn is always a hit among a big crowd of hungry friends, no one doesn’t like fresh sweet corn.
 
I love cooking corn on the grill in its natural husk. I also like to cover a cob with mayonnaise and seasonings, wrap it in foil and cook it in the oven or on the BBQ. I have even served corn breaded and fried in corn oil. Another old Southern corn trick— which adds richness and brings out the corn's natural sweetness— is Corn on the Cob, Tennessee-style. My old Southern method for making corn on the cob is simply boiling it in milk and butter.
 
Simmering vegetables in buttery milk is an easy way to end up with tender, perfectly seasoned vegetables such as lima beans, green beans, potatoes, and yes, even corn. The lactase (a kind of sugar) in the milk tenderizes the vegetables and imparts a subtle sweetness. The butter adds a rich flavor, so your guests don’t even need to add extra butter. After only about 6 minutes in their buttery milk bath, the cobs of corn are good to go.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  15 minutes
Yield:  6 servings
 
Ingredients 
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
6 ears shucked corn
salt & pepper, to taste
Parsley for garnish
 
Directions

1. In a heavy-bottomed sauce pot or Dutch oven, heat enough water to just cover the corn along with 2 tablespoons kosher salt.
2. Remove the corn and bring the water to a boil.
3. Add the milk, butter and corn.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 6 to 10 minutes, until the kernels are bright yellow and tender.
5. Remove the cobs from the liquid and serve steamy hot with a parsley garnish.

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ChefSecret:  Use whole milk rather than two percent or skim so you get the richness of the milkfat. If you like your corn super sweet, add a teaspoon of granulated sugar. Don’t toss out the water… use it in creamy soups and chowders or as the liquid in cornbread.
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Quip of the Day:  “Billy, stop swallowing the whole corncob, or you might get corn-stipated!”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.
 
#SideDish #CornOnTheCob #TennesseeCornOnTheCob #SweetCorn #BBQSide #PerspectivesOnFood #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
                                                                                 ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? Howdy partner! In Dallas there are two favorite cocktails--Bourbon & Branch and Texas Ranch Water, which might sound a little sketchy, but it will soon be your new favorite cocktail.
 
While Texans might disagree about where you'll find the best barbecue brisket or which Buc-ee's snack food is the best (the answer is Beaver Nuggets), I'd reckon that they'd almost all agree that the cocktail they want to drink when it's so hot you can slice the air is Texas Ranch Water.
 
It's easy to customize Texas Ranch Water however you wish. Feel free to skip any measuring altogether, relying on your eyeballs instead. I provided a ratio below that can get you started on a perfect basic Texas Ranch Water. Texas Ranch Water is a simple, three-ingredient cocktail that is nearly impossible to mess up. Think of it as something like a skinny margarita, but even easier. And although the drink itself is unfussy as can be, the name is obscure enough to confuse the uninitiated.
 
Texas Ranch Water is easy to make with simple and readily available ingredients: blanco tequila, fresh lime juice, and Topo Chico.
 
A bunch of people out there refer to it as Texas Ranch Water because cowboys are out there working hard all day, and they want a good drink of water. But they want it a little bit special.
 
Here are a few of my favorite ways to easily tweak an already great cocktail: Add a splash of grapefruit juice, rim the glass with chili-lime salt, give it a dash of Grand Marnier, or muddle a couple jalapeño slices at the bottom. Punching up the drink with some added spice is a popular modification. For real cowgirls, just add a couple of pickled jalapeno slices. "Yee haw!"
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Yield:  1 cocktail
 
Ingredients 
3 ounces Blanco tequila
1-1/2 ounces fresh lime juice
Chilled Topo Chico
Fresh lime wedge for garnish
 
Directions

1. Fill a rocks glass with ice—really, whatever glass you have on hand is okay.
2. Add the tequila and fresh lime juice.
3. Top with Topo Chico (carbonated mineral water)
4. Add fresh lime wedge to the rim of the glass. Enjoy!

ChefSecret:  The amounts of tequila and lime juice can be halved to fit a smaller cocktail glass or to be less boozy in general. Just use a ratio of two-parts tequila to one-part fresh lime juice. Some people say that Topo Chico is a nonnegotiable in a Texas Ranch Water cocktail. That's because the sparkling water packs an extra-bubbly punch that adds sparkle to every sip. But is it critical? Technically no. Remember, the breezy nature of the drink means that anything goes.
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Quip of the Day:  I found out I’m allergic to tequila. Every time I drink it, I break out in handcuffs.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Cocktail #HappyHour #TexasRanchWater #BlancoTequila #TopoChico #LimeJuice #HappyHour2025 #Cheers #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                                                ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? It’s summertime and the weather is beautiful. If you’re like me, you resist cooking in the oven or on the range top. In fact, I really don’t want to cook or eat anything hot… when it’s hot.  The good news is there’s nothing better than a wonderful, colorful chilled entrée salad for lunch or dinner.
 
My Summer Salad is the perfect base making it possible to add so many other ingredients to gussy-up your Summer Salad. I like a lot of texture in salads… consider croutons, crisp bacon, jicama, onions and even potato chips. If your taste goes to the sweet side consider sliced ripe mango, little Mandarin oranges (I prefer Cuties) or even chilled chunks of watermelon. There are so many choices you can make and have a little different salad every day of the week.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients
For the salad
3 medium avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 whole tomato sliced
1/2 cucumber peeled, 1/2-inch slice, quartered
3/4 cup fresh corn kernels
1/3 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
1/3 cup crumbled queso fresco
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
 
For the dressing
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
 
Directions

1. Peel, pit and chop the avocados.
2. Combine the avocado chunks, tomato, cucumber, corn, bell pepper, queso fresco, jalapeño and cilantro in a large bowl.
3. Blend the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lime juice and salt in a small bowl.
4. Toss the salad ingredients with the dressing.
5. Top with more chopped cilantro, if desired.

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ChefSecret:  If you have leftover chicken or steak bring it on! The add protein makes it seem more like an entrée.
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Quip of the Day:  Scientists are saying salads will be a thing of the past. Lettuce romaine calm.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Entree #SideDish #SummerSalad #Avocados #Tomatoes #Cucumber #Jicama #QuesoFresco #SweetCorn #PerspectivesOnFood #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                                                 ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? When I was a kid the only soft drink I indulged in was Dad’s Old Fashioned Root Beer—over ice or as a root beer float with vanilla ice cream. A Root Beer Float Cake is the retro dessert of my dreams.
 
Sodas have been more than a great drink since the first “soda jerk” put a little flavor into a glass of fizzy refreshment. When flavored sodas and soft drinks became popular in the United States in the late 1800s, home cooks found creative uses for them in the kitchen. You can pop open a can and enjoy everything from Coke Pork Carnitas to a 7-Up Cake and many others.
 
But the hit of the last century was Coca-Cola, and one of its most iconic uses is in Coca-Cola Cake. That would have been the same Coca-Cola Cake I introduced at Disneyland in 1991. It developed a following with Mouseketeers back then and is still going strong since it first appeared on the menu.
 
Why are cakes made with flavored sodas so craveable? The herby root beer flavor complements and deepens the chocolate flavor, and the carbonation in the soda acts as a leavening agent in the cake. The shiny, crackly glaze, also flavored with another hit of root beer, is the perfect contrast to the fudgy, moist interior.
 
Make sure to use natural cocoa powder in this recipe, not Dutch-process cocoa. Natural cocoa is more acidic than Dutch-processed and is needed to react with the baking soda and root beer to create optimal rise.
 
Serve my root beer cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream to make this an official Root Beer Float Cake.
 
Prep Time:  20 minutes
Bake time:  30 minutes
Cool & Frost Time: 15 minutes
Set Time: 1/2-2 hours
Yield:  12 servings
 
Ingredients 
For the cake
Nonstick cooking spray
1 (12-ounce) can Root Beer (I prefer Dad’s Old Fashioned or A&W)
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder, plus more for dusting the pan (I prefer Guittard natural cocoa)
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fine grind kosher salt
3/4 cup room temperature sour cream
2 large room temperature eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
 
For the icing
1 (12-ounce) can Root Beer
1 stick (4 ounces) cubed unsalted butter
1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine grind kosher salt
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350° F.
2. Spray an 8- or 9-inch Bundt baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, dust with cocoa powder; set aside.

To make the cake

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the root beer, butter and cocoa powder.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently to make sure it doesn’t boil over, until the butter is melted and the ingredients are well-combined, about 7 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
4. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
5. Pour the warm root beer mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until no dry streaks remain.
6. Whisk in the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
7. Transfer the batter to the prepared Bundt baking pan, spreading it into an even layer.
8. Bake until the edges of the cake begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached; 28 to 30 minutes.
9. Remove the pan from oven and let it cool in the baking pan on a wire rack while preparing the frosting.
10. Remove the cake from the pan while still warm and set it on a frosting rack.

To make the frosting

1. In a large saucepan, bring the root beer to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil, undisturbed, until the root beer has reduced to 1/3 cup, about 12 minutes.
2. Add the butter and cocoa to the reduced root beer and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the butter is melted and the cocoa is thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the powdered sugar and salt and whisk until smooth.
4. Pour the frosting over the warm cake, spreading it into an even layer.
5. Let the frosted cake rest until cooled to room temperature and the frosting is fully set, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
6. Slice, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and serve.
7. Store any leftovers (without the ice cream) in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Do not refrigerate.

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ChefSecret:  Do not use Dutch-processed cocoa powder in this recipe. The acidity of natural cocoa powder is needed for the baking soda to react. Spreading the frosting over a hot cake may seem unusual, but the heat allows it to spread easily over the cake’s surface, drip down the sides and gives the frosting a shiny sheen.

Quip of the Day:  Why was the root beer float always invited to parties? It knew how to mix things up!
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Baking #Dessert #Cake #RootBeerFloatCake #RootBeerFloat #DadsOldFashionedRootBeer #A&WRootBeer #VanillaIceCream #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  
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                                                                                  ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? This refreshing classic cocktail is a modified Greyhound (gin or vodka with grapefruit juice) differentiated by the drink’s salted rim. But that salt gives this drink its own distinct identity.

The Greyhound dates to the 1930s, when it appeared in Harry Craddock’s “Savoy Cocktail Book” as a simple cocktail combining gin, grapefruit and ice. Since then, the Greyhound has stayed largely the same, minus the greater public’s predilection for subbing vodka for gin over the years—a phenomenon that also impacted other historically gin-based classics like the Gimlet and the Martini. Eventually, the Greyhound received a salted rim and a new moniker to describe its savory cousin.

The Salty Dog was likely created in the 1950s as a way to dial down the grapefruit’s tart and bitter notes. Salt isn’t only for seasoning food… it is a flavor enhancer. It’s also a popular convention for cocktails, and when applied to rims or dashed into drinks like the Salty Dog, Margarita and Paloma, it brings the constituent parts together.

​Choose your ingredients wisely when making a Salty Dog. With only two liquid ingredients, the quality of your preferred spirit and the grapefruit juice is crucial. Use a good vodka, as the base spirit will remain present with each sip. Fresh grapefruit juice yields a better drink full of rich, flavorful citrus, absent the cloying sweetness or artificial notes present in many canned and bottled juices.

Ingredients
Kosher salt for the rim glass prep
1-1/2 ounces vodka (good quality)
3 ounces freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
Pink grapefruit slice garnish

Directions

1. Wet the rim of a highball glass and dip it in coarse kosher salt.
2. Fill the glass with ice, then add the vodka and grapefruit juice and stir gently to combine.
3. Garnish with a pink grapefruit slice.

ChefSecret:  As noted above, you can substitute gin for vodka.

Doggie Quip of the Day:  A dog walks into a job center. ‘Wow, a talking dog,’ says the clerk. ‘With your talent I’m sure we can find you a gig in the circus.’ ‘The circus?’ says the dog. ‘What does a circus want with a plumber?’
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Cocktail #HappyHour #SaltyDogCocktail #Vodka #GrapefruitJuice #KosherSalt #HappyHour2025 #Cheers #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  

​                                                                               ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? Rice is nice... especially when it's wok-fried with lots of flavors and ingredients.

Did you know that the earliest record of fried rice is found in the Sui dynasty (589–618 AD) in China?
 
Fried rice is a common street food in Asia and other parts of the world. In some Asian countries, small restaurants, street vendors and traveling hawkers specialize in serving fried rice. In Indonesian cities it is common to find fried rice street vendors stationing their food carts in busy streets or residential areas. Many Southeast Asian street food stands offer fried rice with a selection of optional garnishes and side dishes.
 
Many varieties of fried rice have their own specific list of ingredients. In China, common varieties include Yangzhou fried rice and Hokkien fried rice. Japanese chāhan is considered a Japanese Chinese dish, having derived from Chinese fried rice dishes. In Southeast Asia, similarly constructed Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean nasi goreng and Thai khao phat are popular dishes. In the West, most restaurants catering to vegetarians have invented their own varieties of fried rice, including egg fried rice. Fried rice is also seen on the menus of non-Asian countries’ restaurants offering cuisines with no native tradition of the dish. Additionally, the cuisine of some Latin American countries includes variations on fried rice, including Ecuadorian chaulafan, Peruvian arroz chaufa, Cuban arroz frito, and Puerto Rican arroz mamposteao.
 
Make sure to use leftover, day-old rice when making fried rice. Freshly made rice will produce mushy fried rice.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  15 minutes
Yield:  4 side servings / 2 entrée servings
 
Ingredients
8 ounces small peeled and deveined raw shrimp
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons peanut oil, canola oil, or rice bran oil
3 large eggs, beaten
2 chopped green onions
4 cups leftover rice, grains separated well
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus more to taste
3/4 cup frozen or fresh peas and diced carrots
1 teaspoon dark toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
 
Directions

1. In a medium bowl, sprinkle the shrimp with salt, pepper, and cornstarch, and toss to coat. Set aside to sit for ten minutes at room temperature.
2. Heat a large sauté pan or wok (a seasoned cast iron pan or hard anodized aluminum works well; they're relatively stick free and can take the heat) on high heat.
3. When the pan is very hot (a drop of water instantly sizzles when it hits the pan), swirl in one tablespoon of the cooking oil to coat the pan.
4. Add the shrimp to the hot pan, spreading them out quickly in a single layer. Let them fry in the pan without moving them, for 30 seconds.
5. Flip the shrimp over and let them fry on the other side for another 30 seconds or until they are mostly cooked through. (Do not cook them all the way.)
6. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the shrimp out of the pan to a bowl.
7. Return the pan to the burner and lower the heat to medium. Add a little more oil if needed.
8. Add the beaten eggs and stir them quickly to scramble them while they cook.
9. When the eggs are not quite cooked through, still a bit runny, transfer them from the pan to the bowl with the cooked shrimp.
10. Wipe out the pan or wok with paper towels and return it to the burner.
11. Heat the pan on high and when it is hot, swirl in the remaining tablespoon or two of oil.
12. When the oil is shimmering hot (almost smoking), add the green onions and sauté for 15 seconds.
13. Then add the cold leftover cooked rice to the pan and stir with the green onions to mix well.
14. Spread the rice onion mixture over the surface of the pan and let it fry, without moving it. You should hear the rice sizzle. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.
15. Use a spatula to turn over the rice, and spread it over the pan again. Let cook for a minute longer.
16. Add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce, carrots, peas, shrimp, eggs and sesame oil.
17. Heat everything until sizzling hot. Add more soy sauce to taste, if needed.
18. Transfer to warm serving bowls to serve and top with sprinkle to toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

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ChefSecret:  If you are looking for a spicier fried rice add a tablespoon or two of Asian chili oil.

Quip of the Day:  I once saw a Shrimp finish third in the Olympics... They gave him the Prawns Medal.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, 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, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Entree #SideDish #SesameShrimpFriedRice #FriedRice #ShrimpFriedRice #PerspectivesOnFood #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                                                  ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025