cocktails

Per my previous blog post, you know we had dinner at Atlas last night. While we were there, my husband ordered an interesting drink...

Lime Lychee gimlet (from the Atlas menu)
SOHO Lychee Asian Liqueur, Bombay Gin,
triple sec, and lime juice combined with
freshly muddled limes and sugar .
Topped off with ice-cold sparkling water
and served tall

So when we got home, I decided to create a drink that would mimic it with whatever ingredients we had at home. Here is what I found:

cucumber
lime
gin
simple syrup
granulated sugar
club soda

1. I zested, cut, and squeezed the limes
2. Muddled the limes with cucumber slices and a little less than a tablespoon of sugar--to help bruise the limes and cucumber to develop the flavor
3. Added ice
4. poured a little gin
5. poured a little simple syrup
6. poured a little club soda
7. stirred. :-)

I have no idea what the exact proportions are--you'll have to figure out how you prefer it. 

I have to say, it was pretty good! Nice, light and refreshing. 

Atlas

Last night, my very sweet husband decided that we should grab a bit to eat since I was exhausted and a little slap happy. In my state of "mushy brain-ness" I was completely incapable of making a decision about where I would like to eat. After some discussion and a game of "rock, paper, scissors" we ended up at ATLAS oyster house.
After we were seated, I quickly scanned the menu to see how picky-eater friendly it was. I suppose I should quickly explain that I HATE seafood--it's a texture thing, I don't like things that are spongy. If you, like me, have no love for the water dwelling creatures, this is NOT the menu for you. There are a few steaks, a chicken dish, and a few salads that don't contain seafood, but it is fairly limited.
I ended up choosing the Atlas Farmers Salad. I requested that it come without egg, and it did. So, I really can't complain about my food. My husband ordered fried crab claws and oysters on the half shell. While he appeared to be more than pleased with the quality of the food; he was a bit frustrated to find that though he had ordered a dozen oysters, only six arrived at the table. Looking back, he feels that this may have been for the best given the portion size of the fried crab claws.
All in all, I will give Atlas B+.

http://atlas.goodgrits.com/

Cupcake Success

I am happy to report that the cupcakes were a SUCCESS! I somehow managed to make a German chocolate cupcake smothered coconut/pecan frosting and fill it with toasted coconut cheesecake and it end up not so overwhelmingly sweet or rich that it was inedible after a bite or two. I will keep this recipe... and I will share it... just as soon as I remember exactly what I did.
I have decided that if I choose to make this cupcake again, I will tweak the recipe for the icing a bit. The recipe that I based my frosting on called for evaporated milk with sugar added. This was cooked down to... you guessed it, sweetened condensed milk. So,  in the future, I will skip the 25+ minutes it takes to cook down the milk, sugar, and vanilla and use sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.

Contemplating cupcakes

My brother, my husband, and I all essentially share a birthday--which has come and gone; however, we've not yet celebrated. So, this Sunday, the three of us will finally celebrate our birthday, which leaves me to ponder the question, what to bake???
I gave my brother the choice of any baked good he wants. And, in classic man fashion, he chooses something vague. The cupcake. No specified flavor or filling or frosting, just cupcakes. I've not yet decided if it is a good thing for me to be left to my own devices when it comes to creating a flavor profile. I've come up with countless ideas and flavor combinations. I even have a cupcake book that my very sweet mother in law gave me from which I've gotten even more ideas.
I think I've finally figured out what I want to try... Drum roll please!!

German chocolate cupcakes with a cheesecake filling

I'll let you know how they turn out!

Introductions Please!

My name is Kindle and I am a self professed, life-long picky eater. My mother will tell you that from day 1, I've possessed not only a sensitive palate but strong opinions about what foods I find pleasing and what foods I find impossible to stomach...everyone should ask my mother about her first attempt to feed me scrambled eggs.

Picky though I may be, I have developed quite a love affair with food; I love nothing more than to try a new restaurant or create something in my kitchen. So, I thought I should start writing about all of my new experiences in food that I create and the things I discover from the kitchen of others. But, this is not meant to be a typical food blog. I want to take it another step. When I eat out, I want to know how open kitchens are to altering recipes/dishes to accommodate food allergies, texture aversions, and general dislike of certain ingredients. In short, I want to create a picky eaters guide to food...