Tipsy Tuesday: [wo]Man's Best Friend

Warning: 'Hair of the Dog' remedy may be necessary the morning after indulging in these sweet cocktails!
Pink Puppy
Cracked ice
Champagne
Crabapple juice
Vodka

Fill champagne glasses 1/2 full with cracked ice. Add champagne & 4 teaspoons crabapple juice. Stir. Float 2oz vodka on top - like a breezy, boozy cloud.

[this recipe comes from the Five Oaks restaurant in Greenwich Village circa '69]

Muffin Top

Marge & I are dividing our springtime between the park and the kitchen. This morning we're making muffins. Blueberry-Lemon muffins. With oatmeal topping. It smells pretty perfect in our house!Here's a similar recipe gleaned from the pages of Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book (c)'65

Best-ever Blueberry Muffins
1 3/4 cups sifted enriched flour [we went hippie and used whole wheat]
2 tablespoons sugar [we amped that up to satisfy our sweet teeth, to about 1/2 cup]
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 well-beaten egg [make like Steven Segal and kick that egg's ass]
3/4 cup milk [we went w/skim to make up for the sugar -- right]
1/3 cup salad oil or melted shortening [opted for pure, delicious butter here, we heart dairy]
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Sift dry ingredients into mixing bowl; make well in center. Combine egg, milk and salad oil. Add all at once to dry ingredients. Stir quickly and only till dry ingredients are moistened. Gently [who would beat-down a blueberry?] stir 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries into muffin batter. Fill greased muffin pans or paper bake cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. Makes 12.

[This morning I added 1/2 cup of quick-cook oats and a dash of both lemon juice and cinnamon, then made a quick, crunchy topping with 2T melted butter, 1/2 cup oats, 2T brown sugar & another pinch of cinnamon. Follow my lead, if you like...]

Couture on the Couch

What are you doing tonight?I'm getting an eyeful of the Oscars. Who do you have your eye on?

[p.s.: i.o.u. dinner this week, stay tuned...]

WTF?! Weenie stringer.

So, wtf is going on with the weenies this Friday?

Well...per the Better Homes & Gardens Barbecue Book (c)'65, the most clever way to marinade and bbq wurst for a crowd is on a string. And hanging them them from a wire hanger [ouch! wire is a conductor] in some fashion similar to, and familiar like, a mobile makes for symmetrical grilling.

So before your gent puts his Johnson[ville] on the grill this season, suggest he string the old boys up!

Have a helluva weekend!

Stan's the Man!

I got a cheap thrill when Marge opened up the mailbox today and a beautifully lettered and smartly wrapped package was peeking out. It was a goodie from NYC [I have such big apple love/envy] and my kitschy kindred spirit friend Stan [aka the elegant thrifter]!

I got a little hitch in my giddyap when I opened it up [thx for the Gene Autry postcard enclosure] and found this:

The Greenwich Village Cookbook (c)'69

I can't wait to page through it on the deck this afternoon - I can only imagine the funky fabulous recipes I'll find, groomed from Greenwich restaurants in the 60s! This gift of thrift made my day so much better than okay!

WTF?!? Friday is the Wurst

WTF is this guy doing?!
Is your head spinning [from the dizzy picture]? Mine too. Find out this afternoon...

Ladies Luncheon

Perfect for daintily lunching on during your bridge game, just before they bring out the jell-o mold from Good Housekeeping's Book of Salads (c)'58...Egg Fan-Tans
Allow one chilled, peeled tomato for each serving. Slice tomatoes in vertical slices [oooh-la-la, this is the French way, by the way] not quite through; fill as below:

Use deviled eggs. Cut eggs crosswise instead of lengthwise; put halves back together; refrigerate. Slice crosswise; insert several egg slices between tomato slices.

OR if you don't care to tackle this ocd egg-slicing project, follow my lead and make a quick egg-salad and stuff the mix into your chilled, French-sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with paprika and call it lunch!