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Rachel Getting Merry: Grapefruit Margaritas (+ a giveaway!)

by Rachel on December 6, 2011

I distinctly remember the night in college when I discovered that grapefruit juice covers the taste of alcohol better than any other mixer.

I had only been in London for a few days for study abroad. We decided to drink in our flats that night so we hit the liquor store and all picked up our favorite options, each traveler bringing his or her own tastes to the party. One of my new friends bought vodka, grapefruit juice, and Sprite; as soon as I tasted the combo — and only tasted grapefruit and Sprite — I was sold on grapefruit’s magical properties. (And I probably went on and on about this in a really loud voice to anyone who would listen.)

I’ve always liked grapefruits, but honestly, they are one of those foods that I rarely eat because I just cannot make them like my grandma can. She can peel/segment/juice them so perfectly, leaving the shreds in a cold, pink, juicy pile in a bowl that makes for a perfect breakfast treat. I just make a big sticky mess. So while I love eating them, I avoid buying them. But grapefruit juice? As a mixer? Well, that makes sense to me.

And I’m pumped about a grapefruit cocktail because I love citrusy in holiday recipes. I collect vintage cookbooks and Christmas ones are a special treat. One of my favorite things about the cookbooks from the 1950s and 60s is their use of Christmas pastels (so many pistachio-colored cakes!) and citrus fruits. There’s just something about the whole palm tree/coconut/Santa Clause/oranges/grapefruit motif that I love.

So last week, the people who represent Florida grapefruits contacted me (yes, grapefruit has a PR rep; honestly, it’s nice to see real foods get some PR lovin’ once in a while) about talking about the benefits of grapefruit and doing a giveaway. Turns out, the fruits go well in Christmas recipes because Florida grapefruits are actually in season this time of year.

As I was reading all the health benefits of grapefruit that they shared with me, all I could think was, “So…I’m going to have to negate all the awesome health benefits by mixing it with alcohol.” But then I thought, “…or I’m going to negate the effects of the vodka with all these awesome health benefits!”

I’ll take my margarita with salt and Vitamin C, thank you very much.

Grapefruit Margaritas

(Makes two drinks; serves…one if you’re me)

2 shots triple sec

2-4 shots tequila

12 ounces (ish) of pure grapefruit juice

A few tablespoons of sugar for rimming

Wet the rims of the glasses and dip in sugar. Add a shot of triple sec, 1-2 shots of tequila (oh just make it two; it’s the holidays!), and 6 ounces of grapefruit juice to each glass.

I made this the other night to have with tacos and it was delicious. And strong. Except it didn’t taste strong because grapefruit juice is magical like that! I know tequila makes people think “Spring Break,” but this totally feels like something from a fancy 1950s Christmas cocktail party.

And now that I’ve had some tequila, it’s fitting that I’d start giving it up!

I have ten prize packs to give away; each includes a Florida grapefruit reusable tote bag and a Florida grapefruit water bottle. To enter to win, just leave a comment on this post telling me your thoughts on grapefruit. Like it? Hate it? Have a good story on mixing it with alc to share? Just leave it in the comments to enter! You have until 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011 to enter.

CHEERS!

{ 101 comments }

Rachel Getting Hungry: Lasagna Soup

by Rachel on November 15, 2011

Last week, Leah ran a little contest on her blog and invited readers to submit a soup for her Season of Soup challenge. She sent me one of the recipes she got that she didn’t choose and I was all over it.

I mean…lasagna soup?! CHEESY YUM??!! Why am I just now hearing about this for the first time??

I made sure to get all the ingredients at my next trip to the grocery store and then I made it that same night. The end result was a bowl of incredibly delicious soup.

(Quite a few people sent Leah versions of this recipe from around the Interwebs, so I’m not entirely sure where to give credit, but I know it appeared on A Farm Girl’s Dabbles and Claudia’s Recipes as well as an issue of At Home With Kawalski’s magazine.)

This Is How We Do It

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add 1 and 1/2 lbs ground Italian sausage, breaking up into small pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups chopped onions (I used frozen) and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add 4 cloves of garlic (minced), 2 tsp dried oregano, and 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add 2 Tbsp tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add one 28-ounce can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 2 bay leaves, and six cups of chicken broth. Stir to combine and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine 8 ounces ricotta, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 1/4 tsp of salt, and a pinch of freshly ground pepper. And make sure you have 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese handy, as you’ll also need that for serving. (I found this new artisan whole milk mozzarella cheese from Sargento and it’s so good! Way better texture than your standard shredded cheese in a bag.)

Add 8 ounces of uncooked pasta (I used ditalini, but small shells would work too) and cook until al dente. This should only take about 7-9 minutes and it’s a good idea to remove the soup from heat at that point, as overcooking will make the pasta mushy. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped basil and season the soup to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To eat, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top, and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

You guys…THIS SOUP IS SO GOOD. The pasta and melty, gooey cheese make it total comfort food and it tastes a lot like lasagna (better, actually, if you ask me) but it’s a hell of a lot easier to make. It’s also more fun and interesting than a lot of other easy Italian recipes (I’m looking at you, spaghetti). I served it with French bread and butter and Caesar salads and it was just this totally hearty meal that made me wish I was coming in from cold weather and wearing a sweater because I think that would just send it over the top. I can see it becoming something I make again and again, mainly when I want to impress people with my comfort food skillz. Definitely worth making!

{ 20 comments }

Rachel Getting Hungry: Pepita Pasta

by Rachel on November 1, 2011

Since yesterday was my favorite holiday, I really wanted to make a special holiday meal! I bought this Halloween pasta from Home Goods a few weeks ago and I was waiting to make a special Halloween dinner with it. Don’t worry — even though Halloween is over and we aren’t using Halloween pasta after Halloween because that’s just weird and wrong you can find other appropriate pastas at the Pasta Shoppe (pronounced “shoppy” around these parts). If you do make this recipe this month — and I hope you do since I’m not typing this up just for funsies — I recommend using the tailgate pasta or maybe the fall leaves pasta. They also have collegiate pasta which I may have just ordered for Eric in an attempt to show him that I care about his interests.

Anyway, I had planned to just bastardize my homemade butternut squash ravioli recipe, but once I got all the ingredients and made some fun/ seasonal/lazy substitutions, I saw Eat, Live, Run’s take on this flavor combo, so I ripped off her fried sage. I also added pepitas because those come from pumpkins and it was Halloween and all.

Here is what you’ll need to make it! (The measurements are pretty flexible; this is totally a “toss everything in and it will taste fine” recipe.)

One package seasonal pasta
1-2 cups cooked chicken (I bought a rotisserie chicken for this)
Two cups peeled and cubed butternut squash, steamed (I don’t expect you to make this recipe if you can’t find the squash pre-cubed…cutting one of those things is a task I don’t wish on anyone)
1/2 stick of butter
Parmesan cheese
about 1/4 cup of pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds; use walnuts if you can’t find them…but then you will have to change the name of the dish)
1 tbsp oil
6-7 sage leaves

Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions. A couple minutes before it’s done, brown the butter over medium-high heat. Drain the pasta and then put back in the pot; toss with the browned butter and add a little salt and a healthy dose of Parmesan cheese. Give it a good stir, then toss in the chicken and butternut squash. Meanwhile, heat the oil and drop in the sage leaves; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until they look crispy.

Put the pasta on a plate and top with a sprinkle of pepitas and more Parmesan cheese and then crumble a little fried sage on top.

Yum! And despite the fact that it feels kinda fancy, it was a super fast and easy weeknight dinner.

Try it! You’ll like it!

{ 7 comments }

Rachel Getting Hungry: Tortilla Meatball Soup

October 5, 2011

Inspired by Leah’s Season of Soup challenge, Monday night, I took on a new recipe: Tortilla Meatball Soup from Cooking Light. I’ll admit: I actually planned to make the soup without really reading the recipe. When looking for recipes, I tend to read the ingredients but disregard the steps involved. Come Monday afternoon, when I was [...]

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Sunday Funday

September 18, 2011

I spent a little time this morning making this delicious lazy Sunday treat: French toast muffins via Sprinkle Bakes. PS I’m happy to report that I’m finally getting the hang of that damn microplane zester that you all recommended. I used it to grate the fresh nutmeng that goes into these muffins and it worked so well. [...]

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Baby, Give It Up to Me: Dassant Baking Mixes

August 18, 2011

Who wants some carbs???? (I know. That wasn’t a serious question.) A few weeks ago, Dassant reached out to me and asked me if I’d like to try some of their mixes. I was all set to receive four free samples, when I realized, “WAIT!!!!” “Can I have some for my friends too?” I mean, [...]

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Hump Day Treat: Pretty Pink Birthday Cake

August 17, 2011

After some discussion, I decided to make my own birthday cake because, really, I just wanted a lovely pink cake on a pretty cake stand for my twenty-sixth birthday and I was going to get over the fact that my mom wasn’t around to make it for me! I took the suggestions from Liz and [...]

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Rachel Getting Hungry: Chicken Kebabs with Creamy Pesto Dip

August 5, 2011

Last night, I got home from work just totally mentally exhausted. It was just a very creative day at work and I was wiped out. Instead of crashing on the couch, I decided to try to relax by cooking. I got the chicken kebab recipe via Cooking Light’s iPad app. The ingredients are simple and there is [...]

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Rachel Getting Hungry: Tequila Lime Chicken

July 21, 2011

With summer in full swing, I’ve noticed a lot of recipes featuring lime zest as a main ingredient. I hate zesting, so I tend to avoid these recipes. But when they go and add tequila to the mix, I can’t resist. After I wrote about my zestaphobia, a lot of people left comments telling me [...]

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Let Them Eat Cake

July 18, 2011

Inspired by their recent trip to Texas, my mom decided to throw Preston a Texas-themed family birthday party. After the cakes she made last year — the volcano cake and rainbow cake — she decided to keep it (semi) simple this year with a state of Texas cake. Never one to settle for too simple, [...]

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