Easy Recipe: Horchata

Have you ever heard of horchata? No, I am not insulting you. Horchata is a delicious, milky beverage which is actually not always made with milk, but often rice or nuts ground into a "milk". It's nearly always spiced with cinnamon, and is often sweetened. It's common in Mexico, and common enough in New Mexico that I have become quite intimately knowledgable of the stuff.

Photo via flickr member sstrieu

Now that you're intrigued...how about making some horchata?

It's so easy and tasty that there's no reason for you to say no. And I'd bet that it's pretty likely you have a lot of the ingredients on hand already!

There's nothing to lose. Make it now. This version does have milk, which I think makes it extra-nice. You don't have to add it if you don't wanna. And oh, if you wanna get really naughty, add some rum!

Easy Horchata

Makes 2 servings

• 1/2 cup long grain white rice, UNCOOKED
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup whole milk* (see note above)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sugar

1. In a blender, combine the rice and water. Mix on high for about 1 minute.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients right to the blender, and let it steep for 3 hours at room temperature. This is letting the flavors come together in a very pleasant way.
3. Strain the mixture, and pour it into a pitcher. Serve chilled (I prefer to chill it in the fridge rather than serving with ice, as I feel that it dilutes the mix).

Enjoy!

Homemade Grapefruit Soda

Grapefruit via Flickr member danzen

I am a seltzer FIEND. This is a fact.

So when Cascade Ice offered to send me some samples of their new flavored sparkling water line, I was happy to try them out. 

Very-very-very happily, one of the new flavors is grapefruit--I think this tart flavor is beautifully suited to sparkling water.

Of course, it's even better when you sweeten it up a bit. Here's a recipe for an easy homemade grapefruit syrup which you can mix into your seltzer as desired for a sweet "better than soda" treat! 

Homemade Grapefruit Soda

• 4 ruby grapefuits, juiced 
• Zest from said grapefruits
• 2/3 cup honey
• seltzer

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, combine the grapefruit juice, zest, and honey. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by a third, stirring frequently. 
2. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. It will become quite viscous. Strain the syrup through a cheesecloth or fine strainer to remove any large zest or pulp debris. Let cool completely, and put in a jar or airtight container to keep in the fridge. 
3. To enjoy your soda, combine 1 part syrup with about 3 parts sparkling grapefruit water. You can increase the syrup ratio if you like it sweet. Either stir, or shake (in a covered container!) to combine. 

What's your favorite sweet beverage?

Sweet Treat: Baileys Root Beer Float Recipe

Image: Cocktails.Lovetoknow.comOh, you guys.

Ever since I've been a recipe and Friendsgiving correspondent for Baileys, I've been coming across all sorts of great recipes and ideas for using the Irish Cream liqueur.

But one of my favorites? The Baileys Root Beer Float. It beautifully combines childhood nostalgia with adults-only booziness, and certainly hits many notes of deliciousness.

Here's a recipe I found, which couldn't be easier to make, and in return for your minimal effort, you get maximum deliciousness. Everyone wins!

Irish Root Beer Float

Recipe found here

This may be the simplest root beer float cocktail recipe, but it's incredibly tasty. Follow the directions the first time you make it, and then experiment with the ratio of Baileys to root beer to find your perfect flavor blend.

• Baileys Irish Cream
• Your favorite root beer
• Ice

Using a tall mug, fill it 1/3 full of crushed ice. Next, add the Baileys approximately 1/4 of the way up the glass. Fill the rest of the glass with the root beer and give it a little stir with a swizzle stick.

Sweetly Intoxicating: Christmas Cookie Cocktail Recipes

Everyone knows that the winter holidays are the most intoxicating time of the year.

Wait--that wasn't quite right. What I meant was, the holidays are the best time of the year to get intoxicated. (I mean, let's be honest) And what better way to get toasted--and stay toasty--than with Christmas cookie-inspired cocktails?

Well, Partida tequila was kind enough to send on the SpyStaff some tasty tequila samples (also officially marking the first time we've ever received a fedex parcel fulla tequila) and recipes--and here are our two favorites for you to (*hic!*) enjoy.

Seven Layer Cookie (pictured top)

Spy notes: This delectable cocktail confection tastes sweet and goes down almost too easily--but be warned, it's a stiff drink and moderation is key!

• 3/4oz Godiva Liqueur
• 3/4oz Coconut Rum
• 1/2oz Butterscotch Schnapps
• 1/2oz Partida Anejo Tequila
• 1/4oz Frangelico
• 1/2oz Baileys
• 1/2oz Amaretto

Garnish rim of a martini glass with crushed cookie crumbs.  Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice and strain into martini glass. 

Toasted Macaroon

• 1 oz Coconut Milk
• 1-1/2oz Coconut Rum
• 1/4oz Licor 43
• 1/2oz Partida Blanco Tequila
• 1/2oz Frangelico

Combine ingredients in a shaker and shake with ice.  Strain into a glass filled with ice and garnish with toasted coconut shavings on top. 

Sky Rockets in Flight: Afternoon Turkish Delight

Early on in the novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, one of the characters, Edmund, is enchanted and hypnotized by an unusual food: Turkish Delight. 

Now we know that everyone is entitled to their opinions and tastes, but we think Edmund could have done better. Truly, we've just never understood the appeal of the sticky confection known as Turkish Delight. Sure, it's got an interesting history--but in we've always found its texture kind of weird, and it's always seemed to have had a bit of an identity crisis (somewhere between candy, jelly, nougat and fruit roll-ups). However, when we recently came across a recipe for "Turkish Delight Frothy", a kind of nonalcoholic hot toddy featuring the confection, we have to admit we were intrigued, and so we gave it a try.

The recipe had a distinct Middle Eastern feel, what with rosewater, honey, pistachios, and cardamom. This got us all excited--we love Middle Eastern pastries which largely rely on said ingredients.  But would it be enough to make Turkish Delight haters into lovers?

The Turkish Delight Frothy definitely has its strong points. It's warm, spicy, sweet and comforting--like a chai tea latte. However, it's worth noting that rather than masking the flavor of the confectionery, the added ingredients actually managed to heighten it--which we imagine, if you're a fan of the stuff, would be--well, delightful. However, as we sipped we realized that maybe, secretly, brattily, we were hoping that the extra stuff might make frothy might taste like something other than its main ingredient. Le sigh. So while we'll likely stick with hot chocolate and chai as our hot beverages of choice, if you are a fan of Turkish Delight, this one might be worth a try.

Here's the recipe:

Turkish Delight Frothy
Serves: 2

• 2 cups milk
• 2 ounces Turkish delight, cut into small cubes, plus extra for garnish
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons rose water
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• Pinch ground cardamom
• 1 tablespoon unsalted pistachio nuts, finely chopped

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk and Turkish delight. Heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture just reaches the boiling point. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer or whisk to beat the cream, rose water, honey and cardamom until just stiff.
3. Divide the milk mixture between 2 serving cups, then top with the whipped cream. Garnish with additional cubes of Turkish delight and the chopped pistachio nuts.
4. Serve it with a spoon for eating unmelted (and delicious) lumps of candy at the bottom.

-- Recipe from Louise Pickford's "Hot Drinks" (Ryland, Peters & Small), we found it via the Seattle PI.

Carrot Cake Martinis: Tini Bigs

Sure, cakes are sweet and all, but we know that sometimes you need a little bit more than just a sugar rush.

Luckily, Tini Bigs is waiting like a ray of sunshine on a rainy Seattle day with an extra special treat: the Carrot Cake Martini. Made of a mixture of kahlua and jagermeister and topped with sweet cream, carrot shavings and a graham cracker rim, this is one sweet but dangerous little cocktail. It might not classify as a serving of vegetables, but it sure will do your body good.

Not in Seattle? Don't despair; you can buy their book of recipes.