Stir Fried Pineapple & Shrimp Quinoa

Hello flavor, your namesake must surely be this dish. I love nothing more than tricking myself into believing I'm overindulging in something when the reality is that I'm packing in tons of good nutrition. Try to mess this dish up, I dare you. You can't because it's too easy. Lots of ingredients are involved, this is true, but I promise by the time you're done eating you'll want to come back to this again and again for an easy go-to dinner. Plus, you'll have enough cider left over for a dinner drink! 

Stir Fried Pineapple & Shrimp Quinoa: (serves 4)

Quinoa:
1 c. Crispin Cider's Cho-Tokkyu
1 1/3 c. quinoa
1 2/3 c. veg/chix broth
Add Ins:
1 large shallot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small fresno chili, minced
1 red pepper, chopped
3 green onions, sliced thin
1 egg
2/3 c. roasted nuts (almonds, cashews, or pistachios-salted or not)
1 1/4 c. diced pineapple
1/2 c. peas
1/2 c. dried currants (raisins would work too, just a touch sweeter)
About 2 c. 41/50 ct. shrimp, cooked (or as much as you want!)
Fresh cilantro and more green onion to garnish
Sauce:
4 Tbsp. amino acids or soy sauce
1 Tbsp. chix/veg stock
3 Tbsp. cho-tokkyu cider
1 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground coriander

1) Cook your quinoa: bring cider, stock, and quinoa to a boil in a small pot. Stir for 30 seconds,
    lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the grain is tender. This
    is a great time to prep your veggies and make the sauce. For the sauce, simply whisk to combine
    the ingredients.
2) In a large wok, heat 1 Tbsp. oil at medium-high and cook for one minute: shallot, garlic, chili,
    pepper, and green onion. Add the egg, stirring to incorporate 1 minute more.
3) Add in the sauce mixture and stir to incorporate. Turn the heat up just a little and add the shrimp,
    pineapple, peas, and currants, cook for 2-3 minutes, keep the mix moving.
4) Add the quinoa and cook one minute more, toss in the nuts and stir to mix them in. Remove from
    heat onto a platter and garnish with a good amount of cilantro and green onion. Eat up!

Not your typical dinner dish perhaps, but a promised welcome addition to your table. So much flavor, so much goodness, what's not to love? Give it a try and tell me about it! Oh, and if you've never tried the Cho-tokkyu before, you're in for a treat, it goes great with this dish! 

An Ode to Soup

 Every now and then I just get the urge to make something super healthy and delicious. Perhaps it's a way for me to glaze over the fact that my day-to-day eating habits are borderline devious, or that I consume more sugar on average than someone who lives in Candyland. Either way, times call for health, veggies, and wellness, and this was surely one of those times.

Spring Cider Soup: (serves 4-6)

For the Meatballs

1 lb. ground chicken

1/2 c. panko bread crumbs

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. fresh chopped thyme

1/4 tsp. fresh cracked pepper

One egg

For the Soup

1 bottle Crispin Original 

5 c. chicken broth

1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

2 small rutabagas, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch chunks

4 large carrots, peeled and chopped

12 spears asparagus, cut in quarters

20 green beans, cut in thirds

1 large garlic clove, minced

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

4 bunches thyme

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Juice from 1 lemon, or 2 Tbsp. 

Salt & Pepper to taste

1) Start by making the meatballs. Combine  all of the ingredients for the meatballs together in a 

    bowl and mix well. Form 1 inch round balls and set aside. 

2) In a large dutch oven, heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs carefully to the 

    pan, cook on all sides until well browned, then reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to 

    cook until they are cooked through. Remove the meatballs and set aside. 

3) In the same pan, heat up another Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat and sauté garlic, ginger, 

    and scallions about 3 minutes. Add the cider, and using a spatula, scrape up the bottom of the 

    pan to loosen any bits that may have stuck. 

5) Add the chicken stock, rutabaga, carrots, fennel, thyme, and bay leaves. Allow to come to a
    simmer and cook until the rutabagas and carrots are just tender. 

6) Add in the meatballs, return to a simmer and cook 10 minutes more. Then add in the green 

    beans and asparagus and allow to cook simmering for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and 

    add lemon juice and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, or any additional seasonings you'd like. 

Now that's good eating. Fresh, so good for you, and delicious! I ate that soup up reeeeaall quick like. As you should too, with the addition of asparagus and green beans, the soup doesn't hold up that well for long. It still tastes great, but the green veggies will lose their color, so if you're making it to impress you should do it on the spot. As long as you prep all the veggies/meatballs, it's a snap to throw together. And just think of how impressive you can look, just whipping up some homemade soup all nonchalant.
Eat soup and be merry! 

Strawberry Ginger Turnovers

Flaky, buttery, rich, sugary dough. Sweet, gingery, jammy berries. Breakfast pastries are one of my greatest weaknesses. Can I be blamed? I think the correct answer is obvious. There's no wonder where I get this from, my beautiful Mother can hardly eat anything but sweets with her morning coffee. Just one of the ever-charming traits she's passed down unto me.  

I made these Strawberry Ginger Turnovers with her in mind, although we're separated by roughly 1,750 miles, I know that once she sees these she'll be eating them in her sweet little Mommy heart. 

Strawberry Ginger Turnovers: (makes 10 turnovers)

For the puff pastry: (feel free to use store bought too, cause easy's always great)

2 sticks +2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in. pieces

2 c. flour +more for dusting (or 250g)

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt (or 1/4 tsp. table salt)

1/2 tsp. sugar

75 ml cold water

1 egg (for a wash)

For the filling:

3 c. fresh strawberries, quartered

1/3 c. Fox Barrel's Ginger & Blackcurrant Cider 

1 Tbs. lemon juice 

3 Tbs. crystalized ginger, minced

1/4 c. sugar

3 Tbs. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1) Begin by making your puff pastry, it will need to chill twice. Sift together flour, sugar, and salt 

    in a large bowl. Using your fingers, press butter into the flour mixture until well combined but

    there are still visible bits of butter (it will be pretty wet already). Add water slowly until the dough   

    comes together. Wrap or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 20 minutes. 

2) On a lightly floured surface, mold dough into a large smooth rectangle with your hands. Then

    only rolling lengthwise and trying to keep the doughs shape, roll out to 10x25 inches. Taking one

    end of the dough, fold it up to 2/3 of the way and fold the opposite end over that. Roll the dough 

    out again to 10x25 and repeat the same fold. Cover and refrigerate again for 20 minutes. 

3) Preheat the oven 400. Line two large baking sheets with parchment. 

4) Gather all the ingredients for the filling and combine in a small saucepan. Over medium high 

    heat, cook the mixture until the berries just start to break down and a thick syrup forms, 

    3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool (you can rush cooling by putting it in the 

    fridge). 

5) When the berries are cool, do the final roll-out on your dough. Lightly flour your workspace 

    and roll the dough out to 10x25. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 10 equally sized 

     squares (5x5). 

6) Lightly beat one egg with 1 Tbsp. water. Working one at a time, brush the edges of the dough 

    with the egg wash and place about 2 Tbsp. full of filling right in the center. Fold one corner over 

    and carefully seal the edges together, crimping with a fork. (See pictures below) Some berry goo 

    might try to escape, it's no big deal, just do the best you can to seal them tightly. 

7) Place the sealed treats onto the sheet pans and brush the tops with the egg wash, sprinkle with 

    some turbinado sugar or regular if you don't have it. Bake until the tops have browned nicely and

    the insides appear to be bubbling, about 20-25 minutes. 

I never claimed this was a clean operation. 

So here's to you Momma, my giver of life and love. There isn't a girl as lucky in the world as I, thank you for everything you've done for me in my flippy-floppy life. You deserve a million turnovers and then some. Happy Mother's Day, I love you. 

As for the rest of you, resist if you dare, you surely won't be judged if you can't. At least not by me. 

Make these for someone you love, it's a real good way to get the message across. 

Crisp Cucumber

Ready for some refreshment? I always am. So this one's for you and me, cheers! 

Crisp Cucumber: (makes one drink) 

3 oz. Crispin Original

1.5 oz. Hendrick's Gin

Cucumber

Lime 

 1) In a large mixing glass; combine 2 slices of cucumber and squeeze and drop in 3 lime wedges. 

     (See pic below for size) Muddle together until the cucumber breaks down a little. 

2) Fill the mixing glass with ice and top with 1.5 oz. gin and 3 oz. Crispin.

3) Give the glass a quick shake and serve one of two ways:

     -For a refined look; strain the mixture into a cocktail glass with chipped ice and a couple 

      slices of cucumber and lime. 

     -For less work; insert straw and drink. 

4) Garnish with a lime wheel and slice of cucumber. Well done. 

Chipped ice is fancy and that's a fact. 

Well I hope you've enjoyed this cocktail hour with me. Stayed tuned for more great food, drinks, and sweets- I'm planning on a busy summer! Sign up for emails when I post or be my new bff and follow this blog. If you're into stalking you can also follow me on Twitter @CrispinKatie, just kidding, but seriously...

Herb Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Honeycrisp Sauce

I don't know if you know this about me, but I really enjoy cooking. There is something so unbelievably satisfying about putting out a delicious home cooked meal. Even if it's only me that's around to enjoy it, it's this great feeling of accomplishment every time something comes out the way I imagined it. On my best days I would describe it as almost zen-like. Of course there are the bad days too...pie on the floor, over salted sauce that would have otherwise been amazing, dry chicken. We can't always win right? But today, with this dish, totally winning. 

 Herb Rubbed Pork & Honeycrisp Sauce:  (Serves 2-3, 4 might be pushing it if you plan on seconds)

1 lb. pork tenderloin
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
 1 bottle of  Crispin's Honeycrisp Cider 
 8 oz. chicken stock
 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
 1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
 3 small cinnamon sticks
 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
 1 bay leaf
 9 whole allspice
 1 pod star anise
 1 Tbsp. salted butter

 1) Start with the pork. Mix herbs, spices, and garlic together until blended
 2) Rub 1 Tbsp. olive oil all over the pork loin. Pat and rub the spice mixture onto the pork.
    Wrap with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours. (This is a great make
    ahead for a later dinner party)
3) When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375. Heat a large oven-proof skillet (or if you don't
    have one like me, use a regular skillet and preheat a roasting pan in the oven) with 1 Tbsp. oil
    and sear the pork on all sides until nicely browned. Transfer the pork to the oven and cook about
    20 minutes or until the internal temperature registers at 140-145.
4) Rest the pork on a cutting board and lightly tent with tinfoil 5-10 minutes before cutting & serving.
5) Make your sauce before the pork is finished, I'd put it on the stove right before you start searing
    it. Combine all of the ingredients together in a medium saucepan and cook on high until boiling.
    Reduce to a simmer and cook 30-40 minutes or until the mixture is reduced to 2 c. liquid.
6) Strain the sauce over a fine mesh sieve and return to the pot. Cook again over medium-low heat
    until the sauce is reduced to 3/4 -1 c., about 15 more minutes. Whisk in the butter and serve
    immediately with the pork. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired.

This dish came out so wonderfully. I served it with a celery root and yukon gold potato mash and quick sautéed honey carrots. To die. I was nice enough to feed Chris this night and he exclaimed that it was the best thing he had eaten in a really long time, home or elsewhere. That made me pleased, maybe even pleased enough to feed him again in the near future, but only so long as he promises to help with the dishes... I've always been a dreamer! 

Rhubarb & Pear Margaritas

Our little spring teaser here has really got me going nuts. All I want to do is dig in my yard, bask in the sun, and drink a bunch of margaritas. Is that really too much to ask?! Patience, yes patience, that thing that always seems to be evading me. Well in an effort to grasp at some of that thing called "patience," and to tide me over until the warm weather arrives, I pacified myself with some Rhubarb and Pear Cider Margaritas that I whipped up at a friend's house. It didn't fix my broken little heart, but it sure helped. 

Rhubarb & Pear Cider Margaritas: (per pitcher, 6-8 drinks or 42oz.)

2 bottles Fox Barrel Pacific Pear Cider
6 oz. Tequila blanco
2 c. Rhubarb, sliced into 1/2" pieces
4 Limes
1/4 c. Orange juice
2/3 c. Sugar
1 c. Water
Coarse Salt to rim the glasses

1) To make the rhubarb simple syrup, bring to a boil in a small saucepan; rhubarb, sugar, and water.
     Stir as you go and reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook 10-15 minutes of until the rhubarb has lost
     all of its color.
2) Strain the mixture with a fine mesh sieve and set aside to cool.
3) In a large pitcher; zest two of the limes, and add the juice from all 4 limes. Then add: tequila, pear  
    cider, orange juice, and 6 oz. of the rhubarb syrup.
4) To rim the glasses; fill a plate with coarse salt, run a lime slice around the top of the glass and
    press it into the salt.
5) Serve margaritas in glasses filled with ice and garnish with a lime wheel.

*Note: The simple syrup will make more than needed, but it keeps perfectly fine sealed in the fridge for up to two weeks. Making the syrup ahead of time and preparing the un-iced pitchers prior too, can make this a great fun, easy, and impressive party drink. 

Now there is nothing stopping you from grabbing the day by its nether regions and saying "hey!" "I'm going to enjoy myself here and there's nothing you can do to stop me." Tell em'.