Few pleasures evoke childhood like the sticky sensation of licking popsicle juices off your fingers.
Whether enjoyed while lazing on a shaded veranda or dangling off the back of a speedboat, the frozen treat refreshes and revives the most heat-stricken of souls. Just in time for the Fourth of July, why not create your own with a grown-up twist? Scads of pop-up (no pun intended) shops have emerged in the past couple of summers to create eclectic new flavors, such as tangerine basil from King of Pops in Atlanta or chocolate gelato pops from popbar in New York City.
In honor of the classic pairing of that most American of spirits (bourbon) and ginger, I decided to blend the two for my popsicles.
The key for summer recipes is to stick with those that don’t keep you in the kitchen too long and away from the fun. So in the lazy spirit of the season, I went with a quick, effortless formula.
The exact measurements will depend on the size and type of popsicle molds you’re using. For my four pop container, I used two tablespoons (one ounce) of bourbon to eight ounces of ginger ale. You’ll want to adjust the servings for your particular mold, but the general proportion should be one part bourbon to eight parts ginger ale. As tempting as it may be, make sure not to overdo the alcohol content or the popsicles won’t freeze as well.
Mix the two ingredients together in a small bowl, and perhaps add a sprinkle of water to taste. (This also depends on the spiciness of your ginger ale. If you have access to a quality regional ginger ale such as Kentucky’s Ale 8 One or South Carolina’s Blenheim Ginger Ale, put it to good use.) Pour your mixture into the popsicle tray and freeze.
After a few hours in the icebox, the pops will be ready to serve at your next barbeque or porch party. So kick back, cool down, and don’t let any of those juices go to waste!
===
EDITOR’S NOTE: In the initial version of this story, due to an editor’s mistake, we used mistakenly a picture taken by Sarah Stewart Holland, whose bourbon popsicle recipe has been cited by several online sites. The author of this piece was unaware of this mistake or the Holland article.
By John Y. Brown III, on Wed Jul 3, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Travel tips for visiting NYC.
If you are meeting three male friends who are highly educated and they ask you to meet at MOMA at 5:30pm, you may have troubles if you assume too much.
I assumed that since it was 5:30 they wanted to eat dinner, albeit a bit early.
I further assumed, rather excitedly, that my friends had suggested an Italian restaurant. Pronounced MO-MA. Like Italian, I assumed, for MAMA.
I imagined big homemade meatballs from an Italian family recipe.
Then there is the problem of asking cab drivers to take you, please, to “Moma’s restaurant.” The first taxi driver pulled away without letting me in. I assumed he thought it was only a few blocks away and wanted a bigger fare.
Finally, when my exasperated taxi driver gave up on finding a Moma’s restaurant, he dropped me off at The 21 Club. I asked the kind doorman if there was a “Moma’s restaurant” nearby and apologized for not going to 21 Club. He politely told me one block over. Finally!!
And there I saw my three friends…although running a little late and by this time quite hungry. We were outside MOMA’s–which seemed to be more than just a restaurant (in fact it was big and long and seemed to include works of art as well). “Nice!” I thought to myself.
I asked someone working beside the entrance where the restaurant was. He laughed and said, “Restaurant?! This is the Museum of Modern Art! There’s no restaurant!!” And laughed again.
I alerted my friends they had mistakenly chosen an art museum that lacked a restaurant.
The friend who suggested MOMA’s said, “Oh, I’m not hungry.”
And it was about this time that I put two and two—really more like one and one–together.
We weren’t going to an Italian restaurant with homemade meatballs like I told my wife. We were going to the Museum of Modern Art. Which didn’t even have a concession stand.
By John Y. Brown III, on Thu Jun 27, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Peanut butter and honey sandwiches on toasted grain bread and I have been going strong now for 47 years….and have yet to tire of one another.
There’s not many foods that I can say that about. Except spaghetti and possibly fresh squeezed orange juice (which I was tricked into liking as a boy because one of my father’s friends– George Baker—told me it would grow hair on my chest after I asked him how he got so much hair on his chest (and back) when he took off his shirt at the pool when I was about 8 years old. I thought it looked manly and was something I’d like to have on my chest and back. Finally, after several years of drinking lots of fresh squeezed orange juice and no new hair appearing, I decided he was fibbing to me when I was about 11.) But by then it was too late. I was already hooked on fresh squeezed orange juice and still am.
But peanut butter and honey sandwiches on toasted grain bread are different because I didn’t have to be induced into ingesting them in the hopes of chest hair growth. I just liked the taste of them and still do.
Spaghetti was something I liked naturally, too, without any increased potential for chest hair growth being part of the appeal. But I didn’t like it as much as peanut butter and honey sandwiches. Which makes peanut butter and honey on toasted grain bread a little more special to me, personally.
PS. I finally did get some chest hair in my late teens but only a little. Not sure what food I ate then should get the credit. Probably pepperoni pizza given my age. But I still prefer PB&H and have never missed any chest hairs I didn’t get because I ate a lot of PB&H instead of whatever food (or juice) grows chest hair. It was worth the sacrifice. And my view of the appeal of chest hair has waned over the years. Today when I see a guy take his shirt off today and he has a hairy chest and back I wonder if he wishes he’d a little more PB&H himself.
Note: I’m very excited to begin a food column for The Recovering Politician. From recipes to restaurant trends to chef interviews, this space will be devoted to all things gustatory. Check back regularly for updates!
Most people would not call my father a foodie. His diet revolves more around salmon and nuts than bahn mi or foie gras corn dogs.
Every morning, he pulses kale, spinach and other nutrient-packed ingredients into a murky green concoction he calls a smoothie. The potent quaff, which has yet to tempt my palate, appears to have a life of its own.
And yet, he has a point. A physician, he espouses the life-changing qualities of eating well at his busy medical practice and has had meaningful success with his patients.
But the example he sets is more than just about health. The biggest imprint his eating lifestyle has had on me is his dedication to and appreciation of good, quality food.
Growing up, I watched in wonderment as he skinned freshly caught fish in the backyard, slicking the scales off with a look of great intensity.
I would scrutinize with the closest attention the reddeningorbs sprouting in the strawberry patch he had planted near my play area. The towering asparagus edging the fence appeared to me like a jungle, but one I knew better than to explore.
Today, cucumbers, peas and onions are ripening in his backyard forest of green, and the basil is ready to be freshly picked for his smoothies. If it’s a Saturday morning, you’ll find him culling pokeweedto sauté with bacon (really the only way to eat pokeweed, if you’ve ever tried it).
At this time of year, other dads may covet grilling tools, a well marbled steak, or an aged bottle of scotch. For my dad, those gifts would be met with a bewildered stare.
But. He has a weakness. I hate to share his secret so publicly, but every hero has his sweet spot.
For my dad, that weakness is jelly thumbprint cookies. A specialty of my mother’s made only a few times per year, the cookies offer the perfect guilty pleasure. Gently sinking his teeth into a freshly baked, piping hot cookie lovingly imprintedby my mother’s own thumb, he needn’t say a word to express his bliss. The delicate sweetness of the treat is heightened by the velvety texture of the blackberry preserve topping.
This Father’s Day, you’ll find my dad savoring each bite of his cherished cookies, eyes closed. The memory will have to tide him over until Christmas, the next special occasion worthy of the splurge. But until then, he will relish this moment.
Luckily, you don’t have to wait as long as my dad to have a taste. I coaxed the recipe from my mother’s dog-eared treasure trove just so I could share it. You may just find that your father, or any other special man in your life, may enjoy it just as much.
If you want to get creative, use the cookies as a canvas for a variety of fillings, from jams to honey to Nutella.
Or if you’re short on baking time, I’ve included a few other ideas that will satisfy any man’s appetite:
Reflective of a modern but simple Southern sensibility, the Lee brothers share delectable fixings such as smothered pork chops and kumquat gin cocktails.
A mouth-watering array of cured meats such as capicola, finocchiona and even saucisson au chocolat are available by mail-order from this salumiera based in Portland, Oregon.
For the Gardener: Heirloom Seeds from Southern Exposure Food Exchange
From butterbeans to collards, Ira Wallace’s seed collection spans an impressive range of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, with more than 700 varieties.
For the Red Wine Lover: Wild Horse 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Central Coast
For a classic California wine that doesn’t break the bank, Wild Horse provides a fruity, medium-bodied flavor that pairs well with steak.
Dee Dee’s Jelly Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup butter softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolk
2 2/3 cup flour
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter in bowl until creamy.
Add sugar; mix until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla; mix well. Add flour gradually, mixing just until moistened.
Shape by tablespoonfuls into balls. Place on greased cookie sheets. Make indentation in each cookie with thumb.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
After removing from oven, place cookies on drying rack for cooling.
Once they have cooled, cookies may be filled with homemade jam or jelly.
Note: My dad prefers Blackberry preserves, but there are a variety of tasty fillings you can use. My favorite is a vanilla-orange flavoring. Here’s how you make it: In a medium saucepan, melt 1/3 cup of butter, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 6 tablespoons of fresh-squeezed orange juice. Whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk ½ cup of powdered sugar into the liquid. Then spoon the frosting onto each cookie.
We can learn a lot about innovation by observing the social behavior of honeybees. Who hasn’t been riveted by devastating stories of colony collapse? This is serious stuff. From a honeybee’s perspective watching 35% of your fellow Apis mellifera get wiped out is no joke. From a human perspective, think of it this way, one out of every three mouthfuls of food we eat is dependent on honeybee pollination. Bees are responsible for about $15 billion in U.S. agricultural crop value. Colony collapse really matters. It’s worth paying attention to bees.
The term colony collapse disorder was first applied to a drastic rise in the number of honeybee disappearances in 2006. It’s an eerie phenomenon where one day worker bees swarm together in great numbers and the next they are gone, poof they just disappear, leaving behind an empty hive. It’s not as if they leave to join another colony. They leave to die alone and dispersed which is strange given the social nature of honeybees. Scientists have been working feverishly to determine the etiology of colony collapse disorder.
I read with great interest the recent announcement that researchers collaborating from academia and the military had found the answer. I am a sucker for a good collaborative innovation story where unusual suspects tag team across silos to solve a problem that neither of them could solve on their own. This one is a classic. Army scientists in Maryland working with academic entomologists in Montana solved the mystery. They applied proteomics-based pathogen screening tools to identify a co-infection comprised of both a virus and a fungus. They found the combination of pathogens in all of the collapsed colonies they tested. Hopefully their findings will quickly lead to pathogen mitigation strategies dramatically reducing the incidence of colony collapse disorder.
While I am glad the mystery is solved I can’t help asking, what is it about organizing in colonies that prevents bees from innovating themselves. And closer to home, aren’t bee colonies like hierarchical corporate structures? Maybe understanding the social behavior of bees in their colonies will help us understand why corporate structures are also vulnerable to colony collapse.
Read the rest of… Saul Kaplan: Innovation Lessons From Bees
“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
– Vince Lombardi
What is the difference between dedication and commitment? As one of my best clients I ever had told me years ago; the difference between commitment and dedication is like the difference between the bacon and eggs. The chicken is dedicated, dedicated to hatching eggs for all of us that love eggs. However, the pig is committed. committed to the cause and willing to sacrifice their life so all of us can enjoy the great taste of bacon.
So here is what I have done:
1. Given you a visual of the difference between being dedicated to something and being committed
2. Completely over-dramatized the difference between both dedication and commitment and bacon and eggs
3. Introduced my next piece on how to become committed
Extra Credit: Hopefully I made you chuckle…just once.
Let’s bring it back down to planet earth now. Commitment is a huge part of success in anything, not just fitness. However, without commitment to the cause, the results will become hindered and adherence to exercise maybe damaged. So lets first look at some common reasons that challenge people’s commitment to fitness.
1. Time- We live in a world that goes from 0-60 the moment your feet hit the ground. It is easy to use the excuse of “I don’t have time.” Here is the hard truth, we are all given the same amount of time everyday, how we use that time is on us. An hour of exercise a day is 4% of your day. Honestly, in some cases you could get by with 10-20 minutes of exercise. So now you are telling me you don’t have time? Dedication versus commitment.
2. Cost- Money is always an issue in things that are perceived to cost money. Gym memberships, personal trainers, fitness clothes, organic food etc. can sometimes interfere with people starting and/or continuing a fitness program. Truth is fitness can be free. With the wealth of information out there (ie my blog) that is free one can start and continue a program without really having to shell out any cash. However, if buying a gym membership and maybe a personal trainer (come see me!) is what you want to do but are scared of the cost remember value versus cost. If you see value in something you can always budget for it but if you look at it as a cost it will always be just that, something else you have to pay.
Read the rest of… Josh Bowen: Bacon or Eggs – Part One
When asked about the art of pairing bourbon with food, the James Beard finalist for best chef: Southeast, Edward Lee of 610 Magnolia, offers valuable advice. “If you don’t eat with bourbon, you’re gonna get real drunk.”
This tongue-in-cheek maxim aside, Lee articulates an oft-overlooked truth about the meaning of Southernness, something many bourbon drinkers appreciate. “Being Southern is not geographical; it’s an emotional connection.”
The same could be said about bourbon. Contrary to popular belief, not all bourbon is made in Kentucky. The Bluegrass State, however, is the predominant source, creating 95% of the beverage. And many would say it’s done best here.
There’s no doubt that no one throws a bourbon party like Kentuckians. Case in point: The Bourbon Classic, a two-day event celebrating all aspects of the libation. Organized by The Bourbon Review and FSA Management Group, the revelry took place from March 22-23, 2013, at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville near the famed Whiskey Row. In its inaugural year, The Bourbon Classic provided a chance for attendees to sample bourbon in many forms: served neat at tastings, mixed into cocktails, or cooked into savory hors d’oeuvres.
Guests had a chance to sample multiple innovative dishes from some of Kentucky’s finest chefs on the Bourbon Classic’s opening night. Pairing up with master bartenders, chefs participated in a “Cocktail Challenge,” which required each team to provide a coordinating beverage and small plate featuring bourbon. Along with Chef Lee, judges included Joy Perrine, author of The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book, and Noah Rothbaum, editor-in-chief of Liquor.com. A buzzy crowd of serious connoisseurs and curious imbibers mingled over glasses of Seviche chef Anthony Lamas’ Tuna Old-Fashioned and Jonathan’s Chef Jonathan Lundy’s bourbon banana pudding.
Other highlights of the Bourbon Classic included a master distillers roundtable featuring the patriarchs of bourbon, who shared lore and described the craftsmanship of their storied products. Breakout sessions provided a range of ways to experience the brown nectar, from pairing chocolates with bourbon (courtesy of Holly Hill Inn chef Ouita Michel) to concocting a cocktail called the Boulevardier to listening to tales of historical bourbon barons.
After two days of tastings, after-parties, and after-after-parties set at local hotspots, participants walked away well-fortified with mash and a collection of new friends.
If you’re already salivating for next year’s event, we have something to tide you over. Bourbon Classic 2013 Grand Champion Jared Schubert of the Monkey Wrench in Louisville kindly provided his recipe for the “Dust Bowl Smash,” which snagged the award for best Contemporary Cocktail. Schubert’s tipple provides a taste of bourbon in the new era, while maintaining that quintessential Kentucky flavor.
Dust Bowl Smash
2 ounces Four Roses Single Barrel
½ ounce Honey Syrup*
1 dash Bitterman’s Hellfire Shrub
2 dashes Peychauds Bitters
6 large mint leaves
Combine ingredients in a shaker. Shake vigorously, and double strain into a double old-fashioned glass with ice. Garnish with a leaf of mint.
* To make honey syrup, combine two parts honey with one part water. Stir until thoroughly combined.
(Cross-posted from The Local Palate, Photography by Weasie Gaines Photography)
By Erica and Matt Chua, on Mon May 13, 2013 at 10:00 AM ET
I like vegetarians, they taste good. Nowhere else is this better understood than in South America, where meat isn’t just part of a meal…it’s the meal. Balanced diet? That’s when your plate has an equal amount of meat on all sides, right? Vegetables? We feed those to the animals, so it’s pretty much in the meat, right? Seemingly ridiculous to say at home, a proper South American parrilla (or asado) ignores the Surgeon General’s warnings about eating healthy for meat, meat, and more meat.
.
.
Where’s the beef? Such a question doesn’t even make sense to South Americans who love their beef with sides of chicken, sausage, fish and anything else that once moved under it’s own volition.
Read the rest of… Erica & Matt Chua: South America’s Must-East Meal
I made my RP debut with a story of overcoming adversity through social media and peanut butter. For those who did not indulge in the “tail” (if you search the archive, you will gain further understanding of this spelling), it was a collection of events that prompted a wake-up call in my life through very surprising channels and/or “ingredients”.
Tonight, as I was decompressing, a very enlightening thing happened along the same lines…
Why Inspiration and Insight Can Be Simple, Sweet, Social, and Seafood Related
I have since gained great responsibility at my new job. Being the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed gal that I am, I typically prioritize with this kind of self-communication:
Carpe Diem the heck out of life and your job, Christie.
Wait, what’s on our list today?
Gain respect by being respectful.
What can I cook that I can post a pic of on Facebook and further my obnoxious obsession with the “likes” it gets?
Okay, the list again.
RULE #1: Don’t watch viral videos. They are funny and they are TOXIC for productivity.
Prank call Mom for a quick laugh. No more Mountain Dew. They’re toxic too.
Stop it! The LIST!
Communicate effectively, lead by example, and work hard to showcase the hard work of others so that they may receive the credit they deserve.
Meet deadlines + make clients happy + get more clients + make everything happy for everyone = Satisfactory time spent in your twenties = CARPE DIEM NOW and CARVING OUT THE FUTURE DIEMS WITH LESS OF THE CARPE.
I may be a little scattered, but I mean well and I try to prioritize my focus as much as I can, what, with all these distractions these days and all.
That being said, I had the most monstrous day today. Truly, it was one for the record books. I’ve never felt so proud of my focus and distribution of energy; so eager for more, sad for the day to end, so excited for tomorrow….so…..
Exhausted.
Then, I look at my Facebook for the first time all day. Already so proud of my lack of engagement with my typically welcome distraction, I post the most random and unrelated statement to my current situation:
“Isn’t it cool how uncooked shrimp are all grey and sad looking, and when you throw them in the pan, they turn pink and look all happy? I’ve never seen anything like it! They’re like, ‘COOK ME! EAT ME! LOVE ME!’”
I got the comment:
“Don’t forget “DIP ME!” which prompted me to think about things on a very casual and uninhibited philosophical level. I then posted:
“Recipes for success in food and in life…I’ll let you determine what the “life” definition is…”
And then, when I was deep in a pensive stare into the distance, pondering the creation of the stars in the sky and contemplating my navel, the most beautiful thing brought me back to Earth.
My sorority sister – one whom I’ve always admired for her unbelievable spirit and ability to find the “sweet” in the sourest of hours posted the most endearing thing. She said:
“I’m pretty sure the shrimp would disagree with you…”
Attached was a YouTube clip of the song “Les Poisson” from The Little Mermaid.
I clicked on the video from my phone, as us Gen Y kids do, and was immediately transported back to my childhood. I grinned, then I giggled, then I gawked at my own terrible behavior towards prawns. Then I pressed PLAY again.
I continued to do this until I could remember ALL of the words in this animated clip of Disney nostalgia. Then, I remembered a few more things to put on my list of responsibilities:
It is okay to watch videos. Not stupid ones or negative ones, but one a day less than 2 minutes that will enable you to rock the “Carpe Diem” mantra.
It’s okay to spread this joy. New thought? VIRAL JOY.
Prank “text” Mom instead with some viral joy. Streamlining, and yet still as funny.
By adding this simple step, it could even help in communicating effectively, leading by example, and maybe, just maybe, it’s okay to showcase your youth sometimes when you are trying to empower those around you.
Meet the deadlines, get the clients, make everything happy….Carpe, Carpe, Carpe….STOP. Successful time spent in your twenties is also carving out time to laugh, too.
There you have it, folks. “Carping” and “Diem-ing” without killing any “carp” or “shrimp”. List also went from 10 to 5. It’s neat sometimes how much easier life can be when you take some of the stupid out and add a little joy.
So I live to seize another day of the twenties; restored by reminiscing on the wee-days, reserving the right to laugh and post and post and laugh, all while preserving some future R&R for the thirties and beyond.
Thank you, Shannon for your revitalizing and effervescent spirit, thank you Little Mermaid, and once again – thank you Facebook. Oh, and I’m sorry shrimp – but you still are really good when I eat you, and with a growing career, I need to maintain a healthy diet.
* * *
No cartoon shrimp were harmed in the writing of this piece. But I ate a few real ones…
The exact measurements will depend on the size and type of popsicle molds you’re using. For my four pop container, I used two tablespoons (one ounce) of bourbon to eight ounces of ginger ale. You’ll want to adjust the servings for your particular mold, but the general proportion should be one part bourbon to eight parts ginger ale. As tempting as it may be, make sure not to overdo the alcohol content or the popsicles won’t freeze as well.
