Beer-poached Salmon

I don't know if there is a real recipe like this, but it's quick and easy and it comes out very well. It's a variation on my usual fish and rice recipe.

Oven preheat to 400F

1lb Atlantic Salmon fillet (presumably it'll work with any "red" fish)
1 cup white rice
1/2 cup barley
a few pats of butter
1 cup beer
1/3rd pkge frozen corn
2 cups water

Pour the rice, corn, and barley into a 9x13 pyrex dish. Distribute pats of butter on top, and lay the salmon fillet (thawed) on top. Pour the water and beer over the top.

Cover with tin foil and bake for 1hr.

The rice will cook while the fish cooks, and it'll absorb flavors from fish and beer. The fish absorbs the flavor from the beer and ends up fall-apart tender.

For the alcohol-sensitive, like me... there is probably not enough alcohol content left to bother with after being heated to 400F for an hour like that. At any rate, I had no response to it, and even the alcohol content of shrimp scampi will make me sleepy.

Vanilla Extract

You know those tiny lil 6 dollar bottles of baking vanilla at the grocery store? Rip off! Front a little more and order some vanilla beans from online or from your local wholesaler co-op. Then do as follows:

Take a small bottle of vodka. Cut a slit in 2 dried vanilla beans, lengthwise. (or more beans for larger bottle). Let the beans soak in the vodka for about two weeks, occasionally shake the bottle a little. The longer it sits, the more flavorful!

Bake with it, add it to cola for some vodka-vanilla coke. Pour it into pretty bottles and give it away as gifts!

Strawberry Summer

Grown up BBQ drink with just a hint of a kick.

Strawberry Summer

7 cups water
1 (12 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate
2 cups sugar
2 (10 oz.) bag of frozen strawberries
4 cup sized tea bags
2 cups tequila
1 (2 liter) Sprite

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Pour over the tea bags and allow to steep until the liquid is totally cool. Remove tea bags. Blend lemonade, strawberries and tequila with the tea mixture, cover and chill for 8 hours. Stir in soda before serving.

Firewater

This is my absolute favorite drink. It’s good at room temperature or chilled. And definitely makes the most cold or boring SCA events nice and toasty after a mug or two. Making it is kind of like a guessing game.

Firewater

1 gallon of water, minis 2 1/2 cups
2 cups Absolut Kurant Vodka
powdered lemonade mix equal to a little under a gallon worth of flavoring

Cap it and have some fool shake the jug. Make sure that he's sober enough to not squeeze the cap off.

Acapulco Cooler

If you ever go to New Orleans to the Black Angus Steak House and order a Calypso Cooler, this is it. They will tell you it’s non-alcoholic, but don’t believe them. They seem to think that if you drink more, you’ll eat more steak when actually all you do is appreciate the salad more and realize that no, you can’t stand after sucking down the drink because they have no a/c.

Acapulco Cooler

2 cups pineapple juice
2 teaspoons lime juice
4 oz. tequila
2 cups orange juice

Angel's Kiss

This is my kind of martini. I like sweet, sassy and not at all tasting of olives.

Angel's Kiss

Equal parts Frangelico and vodka, shake with ice, strain and served in a martini glass. Garnish with a twist of orange. If the drink is too strong add a splash of coke.

Hot Shot

I don't drink very much, but when I do it needs to be interesting. Here's an eye opener.

Hot shot

1 part Frangelico
1 part black coffee
Whipped cream

Layer the shot and toss straight back.