Tipsy Tuesday: Whip It Good in the FP

My dear friend (and recently married woman), Chelsey asked me about the ways I use my food processor. She and her husband were rounding out their registry and Mr. Chelsey thought that an FP was unnecessary... pft!

Poor Chels was using an old blender (or was it an old FP) that didn't have a lid (messy) and smoked when she ran it too long (unsafe, smelly).

(swirly dreamlike holographic kaleidoscopic whatsits wisk you away to the land of FP.)

Something like this:

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Welcome to Food Processor Land. Where everything is possible as long as it fits into a 13 cup basin.

First possibility: Hummus. Chelsey has made this in an FP before, so maybe she'll comment and give us her recipe

My favorite food processor product? Pesto!

I've made pea pesto, Mulit-herb pesto, regular basil pesto and other veggie sauces in mine. All of them are fantastic when mixed into some carbs. Mmmm nap.

Here's my favorite pesto's ingredients (the pea kind)in order of quantity:

Pea Pesto:
Peas
Basil (dried can work here because its not the main ingredient)
Parmesan
Olive Oil (a good one... you wont be cooking it so the flavors must be top)
Nuts of any kind (traditional pesto uses pine nuts, but I've used walnuts before)
Freshly cracked pepper (and some red pepper flake if you're feeling spicy.)
Salt

Dump all into a processor (minus the oil) and start to pulse/blend. Add the oil through the spout at the top in a thin stream. One mistake of pesto-making is adding the oil at the start - the basil and peas have moisture too and can get the sauce going on their own. You add too much oil at the beginning and you end up making your pasta too heavy. Pour in enough oil to just combine the sauce, but not make it runny. Put the sauce over hot pasta and mix. If it's too sticky, add some of the cook water from the pasta to thin. Refrain from adding more oil. (Did I stress that enough?)

Here's a portion of some pea pesto with roasted cherry tomatos and seared scallops.

Via my Pinterest.

FP's can give you drinks too - but be wary of the liquid. Blenders may make a better bet for drinks because their basins are tall and slender and more likely to contain your juices.

But.

I made a smoothie in my FP and it worked out fine.

Smoothie:
Blueberries
Frozen Strawberries
Orange juice

Dump, whirl, pour and sip.

And if you must abide by the rules of Tipsy Tuesday, I'm sure this smoothie would be great with some vodka, rum or even some champagne (frozen champagne drink... it could work, right?).

Flip-It Friday: May I Get You Something to Drink?

Since switching from Ten Tips Tuesday to Tipsy Tuesday, I've wondered more about beverages. Whether you enjoy a cocktail or a mocktail, I'm sure every one of my readers has a go-to drink. Something you make for friends? Something that you look forward to after a long day? Something that perks you up in the morning? A traditional bev around the holidays?

Surprisingly, I grew up in a household that wasn't interested in alcohol for the majority of my upbringing. My dad doesn't drink and my mom has a glass of wine or beer occassionally. We had "kids wine" (read: sparkling grape juice) on Thanksgiving and New Years.

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I guess they kept the stuff out of the house for good reason, because all of their kids have grown up to enjoy a variety of cocktails (in moderation, of course!... unless we've had "bad Mexican" food, and then we cannot be held accountable for our digestive revolt!).

You've seen my staples in this blog: french press black coffee, red wine, and the mojito.

I love to serve a beverage when someone comes into my house - even if it's just a glass of water - for many reasons:

- It's a conversation piece (Oh, this cocktail with maple syrup is delicious... haha)
- It's an icebreaker (sometimes literally)
- It's a show of hospitality
- It gives you something to do while in the kitchen (because somehow, we always end up in the kitchen, right?)
- I like holding a glass in my hands as a "prop", especially when I'm in a new place
- I'm generally parched. Ask S. I leave glasses around the house like Gretel left breadcrumbs. It's a bit like the movie Signs.

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So I ask, what's your go-to for guests?
What do you have every day?
What do you keep stocked in your bar or fridge?

Tipsy Tuesday: Getting Your Ensalada All Dressed Up

My good, Texan friend Maddy (hey Maddy, did you see the southern embrace post?) asked me for some salad dressing recipes. Naturally I overshared obliged.

Making your own salad dressing is easy, healthy and cheap.

Salad dressings in my book are just a ratio of: fat/acid/seasoning. I like mine a bit more acidic than some, so I use equal parts fat/acid, whisk and season to taste.

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Balsamic vinaigrette:
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper
sugar or honey (optional)

Honey Mustard:
honey
mustard (yellow or brown or a mixture of the two)
olive oil
lemon juice (optional)
black pepper

Caesar:
mayo
white vinegar
salt and pepper
a few drops of worchestershire
chopped garlic
Parmesan cheese
a splash of milk to thin it out if you need to
(they say anchovies too, but I've never used them)

*Substitutes for the acid part are: lemon juice, lime juice, pickle or caper brine, other vinegars like rice wine or red

*A sub for the fat can be bacon drippings (great over spinach).

*Fun add-ins for acid are: hot sauce, capers, use season salt instead of regular salt, wasabi paste, fresh/dried herbs... the list goes on.

My New Roots also gave a great corn salsa recipe that would be a delicious substitution for salad dressing. Or you could use the dressing recipe she gives to top the salsa as a salad pairing.


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And the cocktail: Mojito

Ingredients: Mint, rum, soda/sparkling water, simple syrup, lime

Put torn mint leaves, rum (I just pour from the bottle and count to 3 for each serving) simple syrup and squeeze lime halves (squeeze like photo below, using a fork, to get the most juice) into a shaker with ice and shakey-shakey.


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Strain from shaker over ice and top with a couple glugs of sparkling water.

Low cal, refreshing and cheap if you make your own simple syrup and grow your own mint. Ba-da-boom.

I have an abundance of mint growing in a pot on my back deck thanks to my MIL (no, really, thanks!)

Here's to getting all dressy! *clink