From the great Guy Fieri, the first Next Food Network Star who actually has made it big. Highly entertaining, and a good cook too.
3/4-ounce vodka
3/4-ounce melon
3/4-ounce peach schnapps
Splash orange juice
Splash grenadine
Ginger ale
In a bucket glass, fill with ice, add liquids, shake, and serve.
Sparky's Notes
I was using a shot glass to measure, so it was one shot of melon, peach schnapps and vodka. A splash of OJ and grenadine, shake with ice and serve.
Now this is something that I kind of agree with, since I can almost never tell the difference between Grey Goose or Stoli or Smirinoff, especially after the 3rd or 4th drink, but the Consumerist told a story about a Businessweek reporter who had a fun blind taste test of a bunch of vodkas. How does one get this job exactly?
Pass the Lairds would you!
This could be one of the final chances for Senator Clinton to get out in front of an audience of supporters and give a victory speech, as the fiasco that the Democratic Party calls Primary season, winds its way towards Kentucky and Oregon. And yes, Senator Clinton can still finagle a way to sneak into the presidential nomination, but unless you really count Puerto Rico as a contest, Kentucky could be her last confetti and balloon moment until the whole carnival gets to Denver.
The reason for this is after probably getting a comfortable 10 to 15 point win in the Bluegrass state, the voters of Oregon will start the "Na Na Na" singing to Senator Clinton, giving Senator Obama a comfortable win in one of the liberalist states on the map. And while she will win Puerto Rico, he will end up getting Montana and Idaho, or Montana and a Dakota, or whatever two Big Sky states that are left to vote on June 5th and the math will still show her behind. Plus really, when was the last time Senator Clinton had 80,000 people showing up to see her at a rally? 
Though she did get a tour of Makers Mark, which is something I would sure like to do someday.
On a side note, if this was a discussion about college football instead of politics, a game between the University of Kentucky and either of the big time football schools in Oregon would be an exciting one.
My brain is at least a tad fried around the edges right now, but not fried enough to at least manage to mention this wedding in Pittsburgh.
Now, I am going to stay away from the obvious Pittsburgh jokes, sometimes I do not like bothering taking the easy way out. But, what truly scares me about that story is the fact that the groom, who was obviously ossified, is also a dentist? I am thinking Little Shop of Horrors dentist here.
The most comical part was the fact that the groom clunked his wifes head against the door frame. And then she managed to kick him. Now that takes some flexibility. Though I do think they will still be a couple that will stick together, because they united when it came to attacking the police.
This weekend, a renewal of a Pacific Northwest Rivalry occurs. The Oregon Ducks (see that Rhet) take on the University of Washington Huskies. If you ask an Oregon fan, there are 2 big rivals, the Huskies and the Oregon State Beavers. Usually, by the time UO plays the Beavers, the season is already set. The boys in Green are playing in the Holiday/Sun Bowl and the Beavers are fighting to play in some bowl game. So, honestly, there is little animosity with Oregon State, because they usually beat someone that helps us.
Now, University of Washington, there is hatred. Hatred that almost gets violent. And if nothing else arises in some great jokes at the Fuskies expense.
Q: What do Paris Hilton and UW have in common?
A: They both got screwed by a guy named 'Rick' (The Uw Rick is cheater ex-coach Rick Neuheisal)
Q: What's the difference between the Huskies and a dollar bill?
A: You can still get four quarters out of a dollar bill.
Q: What do the Huskies and possums have in common?
A: Both play dead at home and get killed on the road.
Q: What do the Huskies and Billy Graham have in common?
A: They both can make 60,000 people stand up and yell "Jesus Christ."
Q: What do a Husky cheerleader and a Husky quarterback have in common?
A: They both spend a lot of time on their backs.
A big thank you to HuskiesSuck.Com and a big thank you to UW for being such good comedic fodder.
So, for Pick your Poison and in the interest of fair play, it is one drink that is purple and 2 drinks that are green (Fuck you, I am a Ducks fan, I am being nice including one purple drink)
Purple People Eater
2oz Gin
1oz Vodka
6oz Cranberry Juice
6oz Grape Juice
Mix Liquor and Juice in a tall glass
Serve on Ice if requested.
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Martian Martini
2oz Gin
1oz Midori Melon Liquer
Combine Gin and Midori in Shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into a martini glass. Enjoy.
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Green Flash
2oz Dark Rum
1oz Blue Caracao
.75oz Amaretto
2oz Pineapple Juice
2oz Orange Juice
Shake well with ice, garnish with pineapple wedge, cherry, and float of rum.
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Enjoy and tune in at 7:30 eastern time on your local Fox Sports Channel for one of the best rivalries of the year.
In honor of Kentucky's monumental game tomorrow against the juggernaut of college football, LSU, we are going to be throwing out a few drink recipes that center around the official liquor of the Blue Grass State, bourbon. Its a tribute to the Wildcats, plus its my favorite alcohol. And if nothing else, it will give Kentucky fans a few ways to drown there sorrows when they get blown out.
Black Tooth Grin
2 oz Bourbon
6 oz Coca Cola
In a glass, with ice already in it, add one shot of bourbon and 3 shots of coke. Drink, make more.
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Mint Julep
4 sprigs of fresh mint
2.5 oz Bourbon
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
2 teaspoons water
Muddle mint leaves, powdered sugar, and water in a collins glass. Fill glass with shaved or crushed ice and add bourbon. Top with more ice and garnish with a mint sprig. Serve with a straw.
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Louisville Slugger
2 oz Bourbon
1 oz Dry Vermouth
0.5 oz blackberry brandy
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Fill a shaker half full with ice cubes. Pour all ingredients into shaker and shake well. Strain drink into a Cocktail glass, garnish with a Lemon Peel Twist, and serve. Lemon peel twist is optional, who really has time to make a Lemon Peel Twist??
Wow, I can not believe this is the 52nd week. Well I actually can believe it, Im just saying.
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Now, while these recipes are no where near as good as what is being cranked out by Dragon's Kitchen, when there are over 244,000 recipes, something has to be good. So, from Recipezaar, here are my Thirteen Favorite Recipes. 1.Chicago Style Hotdogs-Though I did not use Vienna Franks, they have always kinda skeeved me out. 2.Emeril's Lobster Cheesecake-Filling as all get out, even if you use imitation Lobster. 3.Fannie Farmers Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese-Want Creamy, Use Velveeta 4.McDonald's Shamrock Shake-Get Passed the green color and its great. 5.Tangier Island Baked Crab-I liked it, tasted like a big crabcake, Mrs Duck did not like the consistency. Use 2 eggs not 1. 6.Crab Rangoons-Delicious and easy. 7.Kung Pao Chicken-Anything with peanuts, I am all over! 8.Moroccan Chicken-I mentioned this one in Twitter, so I just had to share. 9.Shrimpin Dippin Broth-This was a great recipe for when Mrs Duck was just eating clears. 10.Smoky Mountain Chicken-Fantastic 11.PF Changs Chicken Lettuce Wraps-This is one of Mrs Duck's Favorites and also it can be like a salad, just serve over shredded lettuce. 12.Garlic Beef Enchiladas-When the recipe reviews say they take forever, they are not kidding, but it is one of my favorite recipes on this site. 13.Singapore Street Noodles-When Mrs Duck took her leftovers to work, I got 6 requests for the recipe. One Bonus-A few weeks ago I mention Jack in The Box and I got some questions about there tacos, and this is what I found. Hungry yet? Damn Im starving! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!) |
Ah yes, the return of a few new ways to get "your sauce" on this weekend.
The Pink Poodle
grenadine
sugar
2 oz vodka
4 oz pink grapefruit juice
1 cup ice cubes
1.Run grenadine around the rim of a long glass then dip it in sugar.
2.Place the vodka and grapefruit juice in a cocktail shaker over the ice.
3.Shake, then strain into the glass
I will be honest, I did not do the rim around the glass thing, I added a tablespoon of grenandine to the drink before serving instead. But it does look pretty.
Banana Cream Pi
2 oz coconut rum (Malibu or whatever)
2 oz banana liquer
6 to 8 oz pineapple juice
This drink can be mixed with ice added, or put into a blender with ice, to be crushed. Combine all ingredients and serve, or blend and then serve.
I have had meme tags all over the place that have just been slipping by the wayside. Now, of course, I should not be ashamed of this, because it means that I am truly popular, but it also means that I am slow as molasses. The Gal at One Gals Musings tagged me for this one, with the little tidbit that she thought I was Sparky Clarence Duck.
I debated, I stalled, I hemed and I hawed. Could a duck really be Clarence? No, the imagination could not come up with something, at least with that many letters in it. Oh wait, you are wondering why I would care about letters? well read on folks read on.
1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
So, that means 4, folks will get tagged. Of course, thats after we talk some more about me.
J-Joker. I don't think I am exactly a joker, I am more a sarcastic joker. So, sometimes people just don't find me that funny. But, there is no accounting for there lack of intellect. See, sarcastic joker.
O-Olives. The best thing in a martini is Vodka, Olive Juice and of course Olives. I used to be just a beer kind of guy, but as this duck has gotten older, I have refined my tastes. Its ok to sip a cosmo and it is certainly OK to have a dirty martini with olives.
H-Heart. Apparently I wear my heart on my sleeve, or so the wife tells me. She can tell when I am trying to be fake happy because something is bothering me, or when I can't even fake it and I just get depressed. But she also loves the joy she can see in my face when something really great happens or surprises me. Its not macho to be emotional, so the heart on the sleeve thing I try to reserve for the house. I am not always successful.
N-Nosy. I like to get the dirt on things. I like to have secrets, because I am so good at keeping them. So, I have become a professional eavesdropper and a shoulder to cry on. Part of reason I am good at it is because of the H, but also I because I like to be in the know.
Yep, so this duck has a lame middle name like John. Quaint really.
But, now the tags:
Tiff-Because she is like my tag go to girl.
EC-Because there has to be something cool between the E and the C
Local Girl-Hell, her first name is Kailani, enuff said.
Momish-Maybe she can plug her new blog as well.
Though a caveat, I would have tagged Bleeding Espresso, because I bet the meme would have been cool, but she is taking a blogging siesta. And, I would have tagged Tiggerprr, especially since its her blogging anniversary. But then I saw she tagged Kailani too when she did this meme recently, so now its just a race!
A normal weekend feature here at Philly Transplant is the Pick Your Poison feature, where I share some drink recipes to pep up your weekend. Well, today, its only one, and you probably had to start it yesterday to enjoy it as you enjoy the blogathon, but I will do a toast to you when I have some of this later.
Blackberry Vodka Cordial
32 ounces blackberries (fresh or frozen)
16 ounces sugar
2 cups vodka
1. Combine all ingredients in a jar/ container.
2. Place the jar in a cool dark place for 24 hours, turning occasionally to combine.
3. Strain into a bottle.
4. Store in refrigerator.
5. Serve with soda water.
6. Discarded berries very good over ice cream!
Ok, I have been on a coffee jag so far, but I know I am going to need it, so whats wrong with talking about it. And those of you who are regular readers know how much I love Trader Joe's. It used to be this nice little treat to go there when my parents lived out in Arizona. But now, TJ's has started to make a presence felt in the Philly suburbs. And while it is no where near as good as the Trader Joes in Center City, the one in Willow Grove did allow me to find one of my favorite Trader Joe's coffees, Joe's Bay Blend.
A little bit more about me here, I love the Pacific Northwest, I love visiting there, I love the fact Portland has beer in there malls and I love the fact that Seattle has a coffee shop on every corner. And Joe's Bay Blend just seems to be from the Emerald City. If you need a pick me up, I highly reccomend picking some up.
Hopefully I will not be doing anymore rambling posts, at least in the next hour or so!
ahh Summertime, a time of pools, beaches, sun and Rum. Plus, I tried to take care of a request for Rhia for one of the drinks. I hope it fits the bill. One other note, even if you are not a drinker, slide past drinks to see another spectacular meal presented by Dragon's Kitchen.
Remember, 2 ounces equals one shot glass
Columbia Cocktail
0.5 oz lemon juice
0.75 Raspberry Syrup
2 oz light rum
Fill a mixing glass with ice and add all ingredients. Shake and strain the mixture into a martini or margarita glass and enjoy.
The Jack Sparrow
2 oz Spiced Rum
2 oz Tennesee Whiskey (like Jack Daniels, though I used bourbon)
2 oz vodka
combine all ingredients in a highball glass with a few ice cubes and enjoy.
I gotta give credit to recipezaar, where you can get this recipe set up in the form of a shot.
And now on the food front, thanks to a suggestion from Hyperion, Dragon posted her Dragon's Sausage and Potato Gnocchi. This meal was absolutely, positively fantastic. It was very easy to make and it was a big hit not only with Mrs Duck, but also with her co-workers when they got to sample some of the left overs the next day. Stop by Dragon's site, she has some fantastic things besides the two I have talked about already.
Sausage and Potato Gnocchi
1 18 0z package of Potato Gnocchi
3 smoked pork sausages (turkey sausage works great too), sliced
1/4 cup of chopped onions (Hyperion, you can skip this part)
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of butter
pinch of hot pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tablespoon of fresh oregano, chopped
1 cup of frozen peas, run under water to thaw
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste
1. Prepare the gnocchi according to package instructions.
2. While the gnocchi is cooking, heat up a skillet with 2 tablespoons of butter and add the sausage and onions. Cook until sausage is browned and onions are soft.
3. On medium heat, add the garlic, hot pepper flakes (optional), thyme and oregano. Cook for 1 minute or until the garlic is softened.
4. Drain the gnocchi, reserving a little of the cooking water. Add the gnocchi to the sausage mixture. Shake the skillet so the gnocchi doesn't stick. Its ok if the gnocchi browns a bit on the bottom.
5. Add the peas and remaining tablespoon of butter. Salt and pepper to taste. If needed, add a little of the cooking water to thin out the sauce.
6. Top with parmesam cheese. Let the cheese melt slightly before serving.
A little bit late, but you could mix one of these bad boys up for Pops, if you were so inclined.
The Disney Kungaloosh
1 cup strawberry daiquiri mix
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup spiced rum
1/4 cup blackberry brandy
1. Toss it in a blender.
2. add enough ice to make it slushy.
3. Blenderize do not liquify.
4. You want slushy.
I got this one from recipezaar, a really good recipe website.
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Bacardi Volcano
1/2 juice of one lime
6 oz coca cola
4 oz light rum
2 oz everclear or vodka
put the lime juice and rum in a shaker with ice. Mix and then pour into a glass. Top with the coca cola and then stir lightly. Top with the vodka or everclear. If using everclear, apparently you can set it on fire. I don't reccomend it though.
As a public service and also to help you get your weekend kicked off in the right direction, we at Philly Transplant are going to post a couple of drink recipes every Friday. Not necessarily the drinks you have heard of like mojitos and margaritas, but something fun and different. 2 ounces equals one shot glass
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Shark
2 ounces Vodka
2 ounces Tequila
2 drops of tabasco
Mix in a glass and then drop and ice cube or two into a lowball. Sip and enjoy.
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Limoncello Martini
2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce limoncello
ice
stir together in a shaker and serve in a Martini glass. As with all martinis, shaken not stirred silly.
Salud!
