"ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN's KISS" CHOCOLATE MARTINI - Bartender Quality Drink

Well, it's 5 o'clock somewhere... But at Noon, on Christmas Eve, Jackie and I celebrated like it was 1999. After an Amuse-Bouche, a snack, an appetizer and a soup, it was time to enjoy a cocktail.

Just in case you aren't paying close attention, I am posting my Christmas Eve dinner with my wife. We decided to recreate our culinary journey through restaurant quality meals. So far, you have missed...

• 8 AM - Asiago / Blue Cheese Crisps - RESTAURANT QUALITY Amuse-Bouche

• 9 AM - BLUE CHEESE SAUCE over Homemade POTATO CHIPS - Restaurant Quality Appetizer and 7 things about ME!!!
  
  
• 10 AM - WELSH RAREBIT - Restaurant Quality Appetizer
  
  
• 11 AM - Creole SHRIMP and ARTICHOKE SOUP - Restarant Quality Soup

And now it's noon and time to open the bar!

While you may not believe this, I have a few marketable skills. Among them, I am a trained mixologist, Cocktalian or Bar Chef. A few years ago, I attended (and graduated) from bartenders' school. It only takes a couple weeks 4 hours a day, or a month of night classes. I highly recommend taking a class if you get a chance.

Sadly (actually, fortunately), there is no actual alcohol used during classes. Trainees use colored water to practice mixing. But the basics of how to build a drink, what makes a great drink and finally innovation of new drinks is covered. While it is nearly impossible to really be the first to create a 2 ingredient cocktail (someone must have done it), to my knowledge, I have never seen this recipe printed anywhere in any bartender guide nor, after searching for a bit on the many web based mixology sites could I find this recipe. So, until I am told different, I get to name it and you are the first to hear about how to make ...

"ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN's
KISS"
CHOCOLATE MARTINI

Ingredients:

1 shot Godiva White Chocolate liqueur
1 shot Vodka
shaved Dark Chocolate for accent
1 Hershey's Chocolate Kiss for garnish

OK, the art of mixing a drink is a beautiful thing when done right, and an embarrassment when done wrong. It is also one of the easiest things to learn. First, you need a cocktail shaker. Personally, I prefer a Boston Shaker. It is a two-piece shaker consisting of a metal bottom and glass or plastic mixing glass. The mixing container and bottom are inserted into each other for shaking or used separately for stirring or muddling. A separate strainer can be used for this type shaker if crushed ice is used. Most professional Bartenders (me) prefer to strain by narrowly separating the two pieces after shaking and pouring the drink through the resulting gap. Many of you have a Cobbler Shaker. This is a three-piece cocktail shaker that has tapers at the top and ends with a built-in strainer and includes a cap. The cap can often be used as a measure for spirits or other liquids. the photo shows both kinds. If you are new to mixing drinks, A cobbler works just fine... But using a Boston shaker makes you look much more debonair.

The most famous MARTINI drinker of our time: Bond, James Bond, has done more for popularizing the martini than any one since The Great Gatsby. Just for fun, here is the ACCURATE version of how Mr. Bond orders his martini in the very first appearance of the character, the novel CASINO ROYALE...
As described by Bond in the novel: ‘A dry martini,’

‘Just a moment...
Three measures of Gordon’s,
one of vodka,
half a measure of Kina Lillet.

Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold,
then add a large thin slice of lemon-peel. Got it?’

He goes on to say: “This drink’s my own invention. I’m going to patent it when I can think of a good name.’

This drink is now known as a Vesper, named for Bond's love interest in the story. Seasoned (experienced... dare I say pickled) martini drinkers would have HATED this drink. The 1950's recipe for kina lillet was very bitter and filled with VERY STRONG citrus flavors. the formula was changed in the 80's, and the Ian Fleming drink is lost to history. While current versions of lillet are much less bitter, the flavoring will still over power the gin. It is not a bad drink, but a "classic" (gin) martini drinker would not like this. James Bond in the movies has caused two more "sins" among classic martini drinkers... First, he popularized vodka martinis to the point that classic martini drinkers must specify a gin martini, or they will receive a vodka martini. Until the late 60's, it was the other way around. A martini was always made of gin, while a vodka martini could be made, it had to be special ordered.

And finally, the famous line, "shaken not stirred". Shaking introduces microscopic air bubbles, which lend a cloudy appearance, which isn't exactly conducive to that gorgeous, crystal clear look that the "classic" gin Martini pulls off so well. I will assume the bartender is at the top of his form and uses the coldest ice possible yes, there are degrees of coldness in ice. Ice fresh from a freezer will be colder than ice at the top of an ice bucket that has started to warm, and is coated with a thin layer of melted water. Should the bartender be going through the motions and uses ice from a bucket, he is in fact watering down the drink, making James Bond a terrible, wimpy drinker. If you want to get really technical, James Bond was ordering a Bradford (which is specifically shaken) and not a martini.

And isn't that more than you ever wanted to know about a fictional character's drinking habits? But, for my drink, know that it is a martini in name and look only. It is not gin, it is shaken and it is flavored with equal parts flavoring (Godiva white chocolate) to the base (vodka).

OK... lets get back to the spotlighted drink...

Have shaved dark chocolate at the ready

Spear a Hershey's kiss like you would an olive for a garnish.

Add 4 LARGE ice cubes fresh from the freezer to your shaker. It is best to NOT use crushed ice, as it melts very fast and will water down your drink ALOT,

Add a shot of vodka (when using a strong flavor (like Godiva White, or cranberry (Cosmopolitan Martini), or Pomegranate (Oprah's favorite cocktail)... i could go on, but I digress)... When using a strong flavor, it is OK to use cheap vodka. Unless you are a real connoisseur, you will not be able to taste the difference.

Add a shot of Godiva White Chocolate

Close up your shaker of choice and...

Shake

Shake

Shake

And strain into your martini glass.

Be careful not to drop an ice cube in, and the drink is done!!!

but, there are ways to make it pretty...

Sprinkle a bit of the shaved Dark Chocolate.

Put your chocolate "olive" where it will be seen. You may want to melt the base just a bit so that it will stick to the side. Or, add a second kiss inside the drink (because it is not see through, it will be a bonus to your loved one), and balance the speared kiss on top of the hidden kiss.

And there you go... Any bar in the country would be thrilled to serve this (and charge you $8 to $12 each). It is a professional bartender quality drink, it tastes wonderful, looks wonderful, has a lot of preparation PANACHE!

And ladies, if you will forgive me for my indelicacies... for the 3 male readers of this... If you surprise your lady fair with one of these, it will get you ... Nah I just can't say it... This has been such a beautiful post, such a beautiful lady-pleasing drink, to say it would "get you laid" is just too vulgar, so I won't say it.

Let's just say that your lady fair would appreciate this drink. Perhaps she will appreciate it so much that she will kiss your cheek.

So, have a drink, come back tomorrow when I start the afternoon cook session for my Christmas Eve dinner!

Creole SHRIMP and ARTICHOKE SOUP - Restarant Quality Soup

Good morning and I need a little bit of advice... it's an experiment... What do you think of the colored lettering? Tough to read? I have quite a bit on my sidebars, and I like the idea of having my posts distinctive and separate from the minutia. I would appreciate some feedback.

Next, I am VERY interested in finding other food bloggers from the Kansas City area... Any one within say 100-150 miles of Kansas City, please drop me a comment or an email. I have a project in mind... Also, if there are bloggers who know of other KC area bloggers, drop me a note and direct me to their blogs.

And now, it's day 4, the 11 AM hour of my romantic Christmas Eve meal. Quick recap...

• It was just Jackie and myself. A perfect opportunity for nostalgia (and to stretch my cooking chops).
• Each hour throughout the day I would work on a single course. I was not after a HUGE gut busting meal, each course became special.
• Each menu item would be an attempt to recreate a memorable experience we had shared at a restaurant from our past.
• Not only the taste, but the presentation and look of the item would be attempted. I wanted each item to be restaurant quality.
• If you want to read over the previous 3 hours worth of dishes (Cheese Crisps, Potato Chips with Blue Cheese Sauce and Welsh rarebit, Click HERE and start scrolling down.
  

OK, that was my plan and goals. Here's what I did starting at 11 AM...

Soup!

But not just any soup, this is a delicious recipe Jackie and I learned when we attended the NEW ORLEANS SCHOOL OF COOKING! We have been to the school several times during our many trips to the Big Easy, Classes take three hours, each day a different menu. You will leave with a full belly (lunch is included), and a history of how food helped forge the city, and many recipes for foods that you can not wait to make at home. If you visit New Orleans, DO NOT HESITATE TO TAKE THEIR CLASSES (reservations encouraged). Click the photo below to get to their website with more information.


I made a couple of alterations in their recipe. the recipe below is my recreation.

Here's what I did...
As always, assemble the ingredients...

24 ounces quartered artichokes
1 quart Chicken Broth
1 cup sliced thin green onions
1 tablespoon Thyme Leaves
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
1 quart Heavy Cream
1 pound medium sized Shrimp (pealed, deveined, tails removed)
3 Tablespoons
Cajun Spices if desired (I do, Jackie doesn't, so I add to individual bowls),
Cayenne Pepper to taste

If needed to get the right thickness desired (remember I am going for restaurant quality look as well as taste, add a bit of Corn Starch

For garnish (optional)
Parsley
Additional Green Onions And here is how to make the soup...

• Combine Artichoke, chicken stock, green onions, Cajun spices, thyme leaves
  Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 12 minutes.
  
  
• Combine butter and flour to make a roux
  Stir in heavy cream to roux and whisk til mixed
  
  
• Add the roux/cream mix to the simmering pot...
  Continue simmering for 10 more minutes
  
  
• Add shrimp and simmer for 3 minutes only (shrimp cooks FAST)
  
  
• Serve with Green Onions and parsley for garnish...
  Add a little extra heat (Cayenne Pepper) if desired.

It occurs to me that I have talked about making a roux several times, without giving details. So, here's some details (and a chance to show off a new photo collage skill I picked up).

A roux is a base for many sauces. There are many ways to make a roux, but what I do mostly is just equal parts butter and flour (by weight). After the butter is melted, add flour a quarter at a time and whisk until blended. Cook over low heat. DO NOT BOIL THE BUTTER. It takes 5 minutes to get your first color change. The photo montage above shows the color changes from start to about 15 minutes. The longer it cooks, the darker it gets. As the roux forms correctly, you will smell a nutty odor.

It is very important to continue stirring
throughout the entire process.

If your roux burns, it gets a nasty odor and taste. Don't answer the phone, don't kiss the babies and don't walk away.

Not Just a little bit... In every way that you measure soup, this fits the bill. THICK, RICH, Full of shrimp and vegetables (the artichoke) in every bite. It has a regional, Creole taste and depending on the spices is incredibly flavorful.

For just a shade extra kick (OK, a LOT of extra kick), added a tablespoon of CAJUN POWER GARLIC SAUCE. I picked up a bottle of this when I visited New Orleans this year, and I am just about out. I am rationing this stuff like it was gold, but in this soup, it really shines! It is available mail order from the CAJUN GROCIER, and well worth the extra effort... And BTW, with Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras coming up in a month, now is a great time to start planning your parties.

As I said, when the soup was done, Jackie and I relived several of our memories from New Orleans... I did several posts of my vacation which you can read the all by clicking HERE, and scrolling down. My very favorite post I did was the overview of How I single handedly rebuilt New Orleans,One Sazarac at a time!

So, It's noon somewhere... Can you guess what we enjoyed next for our Christmas Eve meal? Come back tomorrow and see.

WELSH RAREBIT - Restaurant Quality Appetizer

Such decadent deliciousness! Today I am posting a recipe for a rich, thick, cheesy - yet rarely made anymore delight. Reduce the recipe down to it's basics, and it is just an open faced toasted cheese sandwich. It is to laugh...

Here's my story of my very first Welsh Rarebit...

8 years ago, I had an opportunity to visit England on business. I worked for a few days, and then Jackie and I enjoyed a vacation. I did quite a bit of research on what to do and especially where to eat. One of our evenings I was trying to capture the feel of Charles Dickens and a true Olden Tymes London meal. I found that meal at RULES restaurant. Established in 1798, Rules advertises itself as the oldest restaurant in London. The restaurant owns an estate in the high countryside where they source their wild game that the menu is famous for. the restaurant is conveniently located near several West End theatres. We dined before a show, and enjoyed the experience so much that we returned after the show for our dessert and coffee.

The restaurant is stunningly beautiful. the setting, the decor and certainly the menu lived up to my every expectation. I was on a bit of a cheese kick during this vacation. I was thrilled to see cheese trays on many dessert menus (sadly usually absent on US menus). But at Rules, they featured this fancy dancy toasted cheese sandwich as an appetizer paired with a soup.

And oh my gods... I never forgot that first taste!

And so, this is now my third installment of my romantic Christmas Eve meal. I am hoping to nudge some of you to consider a similar culinary experiment for any possible romantic day in your life. An Anniversary, birthday or Valentines Day would be perfect. A couple days ago, I told you about the 8 AM hour, when I made Asiago / Blue Cheese Crisps, and why that menu item was romantic for my wife and me. Yesterday, I made BLUE CHEESE SAUCE over Homemade POTATO CHIPS - Restaurant Quality Appetizer and 7 things about ME!!! And they were VERY VERY good! Again, we spent an hour reliving a few romantic moments during the 9 AM hour while I prepared the dish!

So, it's 10 AM... And it's time to get international...

I actually have FOODYCAT (an Australian blogger I have only recently started to follow... Love her) to thank for giving me the idea for the Christmas jaunt down memory lane. Way back on November 9th, she posted her recipe for Welsh Rarebit. It triggered the memory of RULES, and started my mind wandering to the idea of a meal made just of recreated restaurant memories. You can see her recipe (along with a wonderful sounding Carrot soup) by clicking HERE.

OK, enough set-up, let's get to the recipe. WELSH RAREBIT has existed for over 300 years. Many of the earliest English cookbooks feature a recipe for the dish. There are many legends for the origin of the name, but the truth is lost to history. The one I like to believe is that the dish did indeed originate in Wales. the Welsh people were poorer than their English cousins. While Englanders would dine on Rabbit, the Welsh would have to make a meal of cheese. Those same talented Mrs. Cratchits' of the 17oo's that gave the world Yorkshire Pudding, also gave us this dish. A classic case of necessity being the Mother of "culinary creative" invention.

The word "rarebit" has no other use or meaning in the English language. In a snooty 1926 edition of the Dictionary of Modern English Usage, H. W. Fowler (who has no real sense of humor) claims: "Welsh Rabbit is amusing and right. Welsh Rarebit is stupid and wrong." Well, amusing or stupid...

Here's what I did... I followed Foodycat's recipe pretty straight forward...

Welsh Rarebit

4 slices of good, sturdy bread

1tsp butter
1tsp flour
1/2 cup brown ale
grated cheese (I used a mixture of mature chedder and parmesan)
worcestershire sauce
cayenne pepper
Dijon mustard

In a small pan, make a roux of the butter and flour. When it starts to bubble, gradually add the ale, stirring constantly until you have a smooth sauce. When the sauce comes to the boil, gradually add the grated cheese, stirring constantly while it melts.

How much you need is a matter for you and your cardiologist - I used about 150g. When the cheese is almost melted, taste and season with a splash of worcestershire sauce, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and a teaspoonful of mustard.

Place the slices of bread in a shallow baking dish (I used parchment paper). Pour the hot, smooth cheese over the slices of bread, and put the baking dish under the grill (broiler) for a couple of minutes (watching closely) until the cheese colours and bubbles.

One other change I made, I used thick slices of Italian bread for this. I decided to fry them up (both sides) in some olive oil, so the cheese was poured over toast. As I read foodycat's recipe, she puts the un-toasted bread into the broiler. I certainly liked the texture of the crispness of the toast.

In no way did this disappoint. It was rich and hardy. Very thick and had all those amazing flavors. the texture with the toast was wonderful. It certainly held up to the added liquid. I believe the toast helped to keep this from becoming mushy bread.

Restaurant quality... You bet, in every way. the taste texture and look were exactly what I remembered and was what I wanted to achieve.

This Welsh rarebit recipe, like Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way." Jackie and I spent the hour talking over memories of that vacation. So, memories and a fancy dancy toasted cheese... Not just practically perfect in every way , but absolutely perfect in every way.

And hey... After this hour, it's only 11 in the morning... LOTS of recipes to follow!

BLUE CHEESE SAUCE over Homemade POTATO CHIPS - Restaurant Quality Appetizer and 7 things about ME!!!

Really, is there much better than homemade potato chips? How about homemade, but topped with a Blue Cheese Sauce!!! You betcha!

I am continuing my series of romance... Possible suggestions or brain nudges for a Valentines Day event for your special day. I made these on Christmas Eve. Yesterday I told you about the 8 AM hour, when I made Asiago / Blue Cheese Crisps!

Read over yesterday's post, Asiago / Blue Cheese Crisps - RESTAURANT QUALITY Amuse-Bouche, to get the details of what I did, but the basics are... My wife and I spent New Year's Eve recreating memorable restaurant meals. We not only cooked the menu items together, but we spent time at each course reminiscing about our memories together.

One of our favorite appetizers is found at J Gilberts Wood Fired Steaks, in Overland Park, KS. Kansas City is well known for their steakhouses. Every top ten "steak houses in the country" list usually features at least one or more KC restaurants. I have eaten at most, and J Gilberts is by far my favorite. The restaurant is beautiful, romantic lighting and a huge fireplace set the mood, but the star of the show is always the food. Jackie and I have spent many nights at this wonderful place. If you live in the KC area, or plan to visit, add J Gilberts to your list of "must eat" places! And BTW, they also have locations in Glastonbury, CT and McLean, VA and Worthington, OH. Looks like the same menu at all, so hunt them down for a great dining experience. One of the few place I can say that we have eaten at dozens of times, and NEVER been disappointed!

While there are many options on the menu, we ALWAYS order a plate of their Potato Chips and Maytag Blue Cheese. When planning our Christmas Eve menu, this was an obvious choice.

Making potato chips is very easy. I have used the slicing blade on my food processor in the past to get the slices, but this time, I used one of those funny little devices that seem to collect in our gadget drawer. It worked just fine to slice up a couple of potatoes. I fried them in canola oil, and resisted the temptation to snack on them til I made the Blue cheese sauce...

A Blue cheese sauce is much more complex than just breaking up some chunks of Blue Cheese. You need a base to the sauce, a thickener and of course, blue cheese as a flavor.

Here's what I did...

"First you make a roux"

It's not exactly a French or Cajun recipe. But knowing how to make a roux sure does come in handy. Equal parts (by weight) of a fat and flour, heated and stirred for 10 to 30 minutes (it gets darker the longer you stir) produces a wonderful nutty smelling base for many sauces. For this, I used 2 ounces of flour and 2 ounces of butter. I stirred constantly for about 10 minutes (didn't want a dark roux), till I could begin to smell the nutty aroma... A sign the roux is ready.

I added a cup of buttermilk, and 1/2 cup of blue cheese crumbles and let it all blend over medium heat. It was a little thick, so I added about 1/4 cup of 1% milk to thin the sauce.

I recently found a few ketchup squeeze bottles at a garage sale. I loaded one of them up with the sauce, and poured away!

Although it does not show, I poured this over hot potatoes. By the time I photographed them and took them to Jackie, the Blue Cheese sauce had melted a bit and oozed even down to the bottom layer. Every bite had a bit of the sauce!

And the verdict... A little time consuming, prep and cooking time took a full hour. But the look and taste were exactly what I wanted. Restaurant quality... You Betcha! I miss the ambiance of J Gilberts, but I think I did a very good job of capturing the look and the taste of their specialty appetizer.

Jackie and I spent a bit of time remembering our time at J Gilberts... We have two stories that are legendary around our house.

• One, unfortunately is not good without the visuals, but there is a photo in the men's room, right over the urinals. I force everyone (men and women) to take a look at the photo as I swear it is a photo including a nude well tanned white woman crashing the "First annual Bathing Beauty Contest held at Ruppert Stadium in 1939 during the Championship Baseball contest between the old Negro leagues baseball teams, The Kansas City Monarchs and the Chicago American Giants". Years and years ago, Jackie was able to find this old panoramic photo and gave it to me as a gift. It hangs proudly in our bedroom. Now I don't have to force women into the men's room.
  
• Next, is a bit of a name dropper... I ate at J Gilberts with CHEWBACCA. You may not know the name, Peter Mayhew, but you know his most famous character he has played in 4 movies and one ill-planned TV Christmas Special... Chewbacca himself (well, sadly, I could not convince him to wear the costume, so I just had dinner with the actor who played Chewbacca... Not quite, but almost as good!

So, there you go, another romantic course and a trip down memory lane under our belts, and it is just 9 AM... Many, many more to come over the next few days...

And hey... SOMEONE LIKES ME.... They REALLY LIKE ME...

Many many thanks to Catherine (who I just can not resist calling Mrs. C.) of LIVING THE GOURMET! Mrs. C presented me with this Kreativ Blogger Award and I could not be more pleased!!! I spend a couple hours a day working on my blog, and trying my best to prepare blogworthy meals and posts. I get so excited when someone notices. Thanks Mrs. C! And BTW, Mrs. C's blog is amazing. She is one of those very tallented cooks who does not need a blog as an excuse to cook better. Wait til you see what she already knows. Always Amazing, go take a look.

Rules for accepting this award:

1) Thank the person giving the award

2) Copy the award to your blog

3) Place a link to their blog

4) Name 7 things people don't know about you

I am supposed to nominate other bloggers to receive the award...

I have two "regulars" that I am really interested in hearing more about...

First, REALLY RAINEY, who in fact, despite the advertisement on her blog is NOT named Rainey, but is Loraine. If she is afraid to use her real name, there must be some skeletons in her closet. I have heard hints of her past that involves boats full of men, and I would like to hear 7 things about her past that we don't know. Rainey lives just a few miles from my sainted Mother. We are working on a blogger meet up in Phoenix later this year.

Next, Joanne, from Eats Well With Others. Joanne must never sleep. She is in a PhD program, runs marathons (she qualified for the Boston marathon later this year), lives in NYC and posts nearly every day on her blog. She has got to have a story in there somewhere

So, I am supposed to name 7 things people do not know about me... HMMM...

Since I am posting a romantic suggestion...

How about my early romances...

1. I have (and always will have) a crush on Annette Funicello.
   
   
2. I am a dues paying member of her fan club, and have an autographed photo of her by my bedside. If I look one way before going to sleep, the last thing I see is Jackie... If I look the other way, the last image I have before falling asleep is of Annette.
   
   
3. I have (and always will have) a crush on Maureen McCormick.
   
   
4. In 1994, I scheduled an unnecessary trip to New york City just to see Maureen perform on Broadway as Rizzo in GREASE! In addition to that thrill, the trip eventually led to me subletting an apartment and living a dream of being a Manhattanite for a time.
   
   
5. I have (and always will have) a crush on Sally Field.
   
   
6. Attending Mass is occasionally difficult as those unrequited thoughts creep into my mind whenever I see a nun in a habit. I do own the Flying Nun Album, and watch BROTHERS & SISTERS just because she is in it
   
   
7. I have (and always will have) a crush on Sandy Mann. She was 6, lived at the end of the lane on Charlotte Street in Pekin, Il in 1963, when my parents forced me to move 4 blocks away (but on the wrong side of the busy street, so I could not visit)...
   
   All I have of Sandy are my memories.
   

What do the kids say... TMI

Asiago / Blue Cheese Crisps - RESTAURANT QUALITY Amuse-Bouche

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

...Yeah, I know, I have a bit of holiday overload myself. But, it is time to start blogging my Christmas Eve meal. For us, this was the "big" meal, with lots of prep work, time in the kitchen and it stretched my talents as a cook. These next several posts will be my Christmas Eve dinner. But, dare I suggest for you to consider these a germ of an idea to help celebrate...

HAPPY VALENTINES' DAY!!!

Christmas Eve is a romantic time for Jackie and I. I have told the story recently, but quickly, Jackie and I made the decision to get married on Christmas Eve many years ago. Since then, we try to remember those romantic times. This year, I wanted to do something special in the kitchen that would remind us that for the two for us, "It's A Wonderful Life".

We made a couple of decisions... First, This was not to be a single BIG elastic waistband dinner. Instead, we would eat and cook courses... many courses, throughout the day. And second, we would spend the time remembering restaurant meals. The places we have been would be remembered and talked about. The memorable dishes we have been served would be recreated and serve as the "Clarence" to remind us, "It's A Wonderful Life".

Which means I get to stretch my cooking chops. We have eaten very well over the course of our life together. New York to LA: England, Germany and the Caribbean; resorts, cruises and Celebrity Chef restaurants all had to be remembered, researched and recreated to make this work. Jackie and I spent a week playing Mr. Peabody and his boy, Sherman wandering through the Wayback Machine to decide the menu.

First up is an Amuse-Bouche. That's a French term for a pre-appetizer, literally meaning, "mouth pleaser". An Amuse-Bouche is different from an hors d'oeuvres in that they are generally small (only one or two bites), it is the same for all of the guests at a table and it is never ordered. It is offered free of charge. An Amuse-Bouche is an unexpected bonus. The first time we received an Amuse-Bouche was at a fancy dancy casino restaurant in Vegas. I am now a poker player, but in my mis-spent youth, I played a lot of blackjack and craps. In exchange for me paying the entire casino electric bill for a month, they gave me a comp of a free meal at the fancy-dancy place. That was indeed a wonderful trip that Jackie and I remember very fondly (Cirque du Soleil "O" and Sigfried and Roy were also comped... but I digress...).

So, at the crack of dawn I woke up, went to pee (I am old), and went back to bed for a couple hours. Then, at a civilized 8 AM, I had my coffee, and started to work on our Christmas Eve dinner...

For my Christmas Amuse-Bouche, I decided to make a very simple little snack I had first had at a casino in Kansas City. the restaurant is closed now, but I fondly recall the first time we had these little jewels. So incredibly simple and so tasty. I have made these many times, whenever we have a group over, they are always gone by the end of the night. Almost as addictive as blackjack.

Ingredient list for the basic crisp is just grated cheese. Either Asiago or Parmesan works best, You can add almost anything. Olives, minced spinach, bits of diced rib meat leftovers... anything except Brussels Sprouts (see the comments section at OURKRAZYKITCHEN ... click HERE for that discussion... But I digress again).

I chose to use some Blue Cheese and some walnut pieces as my accents to the basic.

It is also very easy if you fire these up on a cookie sheet with parchment paper covering.

Just as easy as it looks... sprinkle a bit into a circle and top with what you like.

I bake at 300 degrees. It took about 10 minutes for the edges to brown up and the center to start bubbling.

In the next few days, I will be tossing around the term restaurant quality and restaurant recreations. I tried to duplicate not only the taste but also the presentation look of the courses I made during the day. When plated, some plain cheese, some with just blue cheese accents and some with just walnut accents; and some with both blue cheese and walnuts... These were both restaurant quality and had the same look that I remembered.

Our bouches really were amused. So simple and so tasty. We spent an hour talking about Vegas, fun shows we saw, Jackie made a few very tasteless jokes about Roy (I made appropriate jokes about Siegfried) and it was a perfect start to our romantic trip down memory lane...

More Restaurant recreations and stories of our life to come over the next few days... We had LOTS of courses.

Despite having no Brussels sprouts as an ingredient, I am linking this recipe up with SIMPLE SATURDAYS at OUR KRAZY KITCHEN.

For some ridiculous reason,
they are collecting Brussels Sprouts recipes today

Latkas and a NEW YEAR'S RANT

It's a New Year (Happy New Year to you all), but for me, it's going to be an old tradition for breakfast. Around my house, Our traditional Holiday breakfast (especially if I over indulged on the Holiday eve) is Latkas.

Many countries can claim these potato pancakes as their "traditional" dish, but, they are the NATIONAL DISH only of Belarus, where they are known as DERUNY. Latka is in fact a Yiddish word. Possibly most commonly associated with celebrating Hanukkah, with the oil used in the frying reminiscent of the oil from the Hanukkah story that kept the Second Temple of ancient Israel lit with a long-lasting flame that is celebrated as a miracle.

Me, I like them on the "morning after" when all the starch and grease help to ease the pain of the growing bile in my stomach. Not a pretty thought, but these tasty little guys really do ease my ache from a night of overindulging. There is no perfect hangover cure, but there are ways to address the symptoms....

Latkas are one of those ways.

The ingredient list is pretty simple. I will give them to you in ratio form, so you can make as many as you need (good rule of thumb, 1 potato per person).

1 potato
1 egg
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 onion
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Canola oil

That is all that is in a traditional Latka. I sometimes add a bit of diced green bell pepper to add some color, but this is certainly optional.

You can use a standard box grater to get the potato into the form you need for a Latka. But, a food processor makes fast work for prepping. Grate the potatoes, grate the onion. As you transfer them from the processor bowl, squeeze as much of the natural water out of the mix, and plop into a second bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan on medium setting. Form into pancake shape. You should get two pancakes from each potato you grated.

Fry them in the oil until they are golden brown on each side (takes about 5 minutes per side). Allow them to rest on a paper towel to allow some of the excess oil to wick off.

Serve with either sour cream or applesauce.

Scientifically, these combined with a little hair of the dog (a bloody Mary of mimosa) will indeed help your hangover. Me, the hair of the dog theory just makes me feel worse... But the Latkas make me feel better!

And now my New Year's Rant... These kids today... By god, in my day...

Wait, that's not really what I think. What I do think is that these kids today have a glorious opportunity to seize their day. I have aged disgracefully into an old hippie. In my day (1966), the artist Robert Indiana created the famous "LOVE SCULPTURE" that became a moving force of purpose for a generation. In 1967, John Lennon gave voice to that moving force when he wrote (and the Beatles performed), "ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE". That song was part of the first global link TV broadcast seen by 400 million people in 26 countries. That message created the Woodstock generation, and it inspired us to expand civil rights legislation, end an unpopular war, force ethical accountability from our leaders (Nixon), set us on a course to correct the environmental sins of decades of misuse and led the way to the largest expansion of the middle class that the world is still envies.

But all we (OK, I was only 8 in 1966)... All THEY did was start. Somewhere along the way, the "love" generation failed to followup. No less than President Reagan claimed the message of promise. His "Morning in America" ads (1984) convinced a generation of hippies that the message was more important than the policies. The year President Reagan ran his message of optimism, he won the popular vote in 49 states. The message of optimism of 1984 inspired voters (many aging hippies) to sweep a Republican congress in with the promise of a "Contract with America".

In 1966, we believed we could change the world. The powers that be stood up and took notice. The game was afoot, and the direction of a nation was nudged. But, my generation failed to keep their eye on the ball.

Yes, without the Civil Rights Actions of the 60's, we would not have President Obama in office. Yet, today there is a higher percentage of African American young men who's life will be defined by years in prison (10% in jail) than by years in college (8% have graduated college).

In the 60's and early 70's, our children were asked to sacrifice to the last full measure of devotion in a poorly defined war (I mean police action). Now, we are on the edge of an "escalation", sending thousands of additional young men and women to a war (OMG, it's still a police action) with no defined end goal.

When President Nixon decided to resign, it was for abuses of power, and not his personal life. The respected fourth estate (the media) recognized a "cancer" in the presidency and forced a change. With 24 hour news coverage, we should be examining the details of legislation and the impact. But instead, fueled by the ratings bonanza that a blue stained dress created, the people's airways are filled with sound bite minutia when complicated issues need a comprehensive examination.

In the late 60's, the Cuyahoga River in Ohio was on fire due to pollution from businesses using a public resource as a dump site. Los Angeles was being chocked from air pollution. These serious problems were examined, appropriate legislation to correct the problem passed, and slowly the business community recognized the need for a permanent change in attitude. But now, when the Earth is facing global climate change and the whole world is looking for leadership... Our leaders are silent.

For the first time in the history of "the Great Experiment" (the united States), polls show that our young people do not feel that their lives will be better than their parents. And statistics are backing that trend up.

BUT...

2 years ago, the same artist who brought us the "Love Sculpture" altered the classic image to provide a message for a new generation. President Obama was land slided into office with a promise of the "Audacity of Hope". This new decade needs a Thomas Jefferson, an Abraham Lincoln, A Woodrow Wilson, A Franklin Wilson, A John Kennedy, A Ronald Reagan... At crucial moments in our history, a leader stepped forward and provided hope. A vision of a future better than the present.

On this day, when we look to a new year, and a new decade, I am looking for a new generation to take up the mantle of hope. It's never easy, but it has been done over and over again. There are a lot of us out there that want you to succeed. Some with financial resources to help. We just need to believe. We need hope.

... It's your turn to lead, there is an army of old hippies waiting to follow.

All you need is ... Hope

The Beatles

Lennon/McCartney
From The Blue Album

Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy.

There's nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you
in time - It's easy.