Emily - - Page 28

by Emily

Ho Ho Ho, Here Comes Santa Claus… Melon

We all know I have a strange and deep love affair with melon and love discovering new varieties. Well, I’m BACK with another wonderful summertime discovery: the Santa Claus melon.

What? Santa? In June? Yep. Apparently it’s also called a Christmas melon because it lasts forever, from when it’s ripe in the summer “until Christmastime” according to produce lore (yes, “produce lore”—although I’d love to see if that statement is actually true given our sizzling hot Texas summers). It did keep in the fridge for about a month, I’ll give it that much – we found this guy at our local Central Market several weeks ago and them forgot about him until the other night, when I was digging through the bottom of a drawer in the fridge.

Anyway, this Santa can’t tell if you’ve been naughty or nice, but it can delight your tastebuds. While it kinda looks like a watermelon on the outside, it’s actually from the cantaloupe family and has a similar texture and goopy center of seed pods. I would kind of call it… a honeydew plus cantaloupe combo, super juicy and soft (but not in a gross, mealy way).

If you see a Santa Claus melon at your grocery store or farmers market, don’t be intimidated. Take it home and get into the holiday spirit. I just ate it plain but it would be great with some prosciutto and feta, maybe a little mint… okay, too many good ideas, I need to pick up another one!

in Rants & Raves 0 comments

by Emily

The Incredible, Edible… Ips

These days, people are really trying to watch their carbs yet somehow snack their faces off. I”m not criticizing at all—I, too, love a crunchy, salty snack but feel pretty guilty after mowing down half a family-sized bag of Cheetos in one sitting (and yes, whatever, that”s a thing that has happened in my past, let”s not dwell on it).

I usually stick to Pirates Booty and Terra Chips (although, really, how much healthier are those? I don”t know, better than Ruffles but it”s not like you”re eating a salad, let”s be real) BUT! There”s a new kid in town, and he”s made from… egg whites?!

by Emily

Cocktail O’ Clock: Tropical Vietnamese Cocktail

Summer! It’s time to bust out the festive tropical flavors. Austin Vietnamese restaurant PhoNatic is taking this idea to a whole new level with their Vietnamese tropical fruit cocktail, using unique ingredients like lychee, longan, and jackfruit. While these might sound exotic and hard to find at first, they’re really not – just check out your local Asian market.

While this isn’t our traditional cocktail – it’s a fruit cocktail, not a booze cocktail – you could easily spike it with a couple shots of light rum to get the party started. ES recommends this, of course.

Vietnamese Tropical Fruit Cocktail

in Drinks / Recipe 1 comments

by Emily

The Secret to Awesome Cheater Guacamole

It’s time… I’m about to divulge one of my dirtiest little secrets. It’s lazy, it’s cheap, it’s way too easy, and it’s definitely not authentic.

But it tastes weirdly awesome and only uses two ingredients and zero chopping versus a million ingredients and lots of chopping, so know what, I ain’t too proud. This cheater guac is amazing and I don’t care who knows it.

(Yes, that photo is lazy and quick, just like this “recipe” …. I’m being authentic here!)

My friend Joe introduced this shortcut to me when we were camping a few years ago. Just because you’re roughing it, that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve the luxurious, velvety touch of fresh avocado on your tongue whenever you crave it. Who wants to bring a ton of vegetables, a chopping board, and knife to a campsite, though? Not me!

Enter the unexpected savior of this guacamole dilemma: Huy Fong Garlic Chili Sauce.What?! That’s Asian! And isn’t guacamole… Mexican?! What’s going on here?! How can this BE?

Stop asking questions. Just relax and enjoy the revelation.

Take one large, ripe avocado, cut it open and scoop out the insides into a bowl. Now take your Garlic Chili Sauce and scoop out a generous spoonful. Mash and mix the two together. If you like guac spicy and garlicky, obviously use more… if you just want a subtle kick, use a small amount. This is basically the opposite of rocket science.

If you want to get extremely fancy and you have a lime sitting around, feel free to squeeze some fresh lime juice in there. If you have a pinch of salt, that’ll make things extra delicious. Promise me you’ll try this next time you’re trying to make some fresh guac on the cheap/quick. So, so, so much better than lugging a plastic tub of store-bought guac to your next camping trip or picnic.

in Recipe / Veggie 0 comments

by Emily

Cocktail O’ Clock: Fusion Margaritas!

I love fusion food. You take one cuisine you like, combine it with another cuisine you like, and what do you get? A cuisine you love! One of my favorites is Korean tacos, a food truck staple from LA (and there’s lots of great ones in Austin, too). One thing I’ve never had before, though, is a Korean-Mexican drink hybrid. Until now, that is!

This cocktail recipe combines Korean gochujang seasoning with classic marg ingredients like tequila and lime juice. The result is a sweetly spicy beverage—a margarita with a slightly foreign kick to it. Enjoy with your favorite tacos… or Korean BBQ… or, of course, both.

Spicy Gochujang Margarita

in Drinks / Recipe 0 comments

by Emily

Meaty–Yet Meatless–Spicy Lettuce Wraps

Between Cinco de Mayo two weeks ago and an especially booze-soaked girls’ getaway last weekend, my body is pissed. I’ve been stuffing myself with melted cheese, guacamole, and tequila for two straight weeks now and I’m not feeling my finest, on the inside or outside.

SO! What does this mean? Back to basics. Making a conscious effort to cook at home, using healthy ingredients. I’m trying to cut back on the meat and carbs for the next couple weeks, so it’s up to me to make eating tons of fresh vegetables interesting. The other night I cooked Asian lettuce wraps for boyfriend Rob (an ultra-carnivore) and our roommate Dayna (a vegetarian) and… the impossible was achieved! Everyone loved this dinner. Probably because it’s flavorful and meaty, yet meat-free and light.

The secret is my new fave vegetable protein, made by Gardein. Normally I don’t like packaged frozen foods, but I’ll make an exception for quick, healthy options like Amy’s, Kashi and certain Trader Joe’s entrees… and now I can add Gardein to the list. Luckily, their meatless meats are made from all-natural vegetable proteins (soy, wheat, and pea proteins plus vegetables and complex grains) so I don’t feel guilty about splurging on a little frozen shortcut. Apparently nobody else in my house minds either!

Meatless Spicy Lettuce Wraps

in Recipe / Veggie 3 comments

by Emily

Fake Plastic Mason Jars

Okay, what… is this? I know that mason jars are ultra-popular right now, and I support it. Full disclosure: I’m actually drinking some juice out of a mason jar right now as I write this. I swear it was unintentional. At least I live in the south, which I feel makes my mason jar drinking somewhat authentic?

Anyway, whatever. They’re good to use for drinking when you have a lot of liquid that you want to drink out of a wide-mouthed glass receptacle. Some people think they’re too hipster and some people don’t. All this is fine, and I don’t really care. But as I said in the beginning: what… IS THIS?!

Now mason jars are so popular that we can’t even take the time to buy real ones, we need to stock up on plastic ones in the beverage aisle at the grocery store? Here’s a secret: you can pick up mason jars and other “vintage” looking canning gear of all shapes and sizes for about $2-4 at your local craft store or kitchen goods shop. You do NOT need to be spending $10 on one plastic jug with a built-in straw. Yeah, they advertise that they’re BPA-free, but guess what, SO IS GLASS, which is what the original jars are made out of.

Look at these ones. Complete with fake metal lid. So stylish. So perfect for your picnic. Much better than the original glass. Probably worth the $10. Everything I just typed in this paragraph has been sarcastic. The only reason I could see someone needing one of these is if they planned on drinking so much booze out of a mason jar that they’re afraid they’d drop a glass one and shatter it everywhere, but even then, dude, just drink out of a normal keg cup like the rest of us.

Ugh.

in Rants & Raves 11 comments