Drink of the Month
Patio Punch
Perfect for April! Serves 10-12
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups Tres Generaciones silver tequila
- 1 cup Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao orange liqueur
- ½ gallon orange sherbet
- 2 liters ginger ale
- 6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
- orange slices for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Place the orange sherbet and frozen orange juice concentrate in a large punch bowl and allow them to thaw for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Once it has thawed, stir in the ginger ale, tequila, and orange liqueur. When serving, garnish the glass with the orange slice.
Appetizer of the Month
Baked Oysters with Bacon, Greens, and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 8 ounces smoked bacon, diced
- 1 large onion, diced (1 ½ cups)
- 3 medium garlic cloves, chopped (1 Tbsp.)
- 3 cups thinly sliced Lacinato kale or collard greens (from 1 bunch)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely shredded (about ¾ cup), plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 24 oysters on the half shell
- 1 (4-lb.) pkg. rock salt (ice cream salt, such as Morton Salt)
- Lemon wedges
Directions
- Heat a large skillet over medium. Add bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add kale or collards. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and tender, about 8 minutes for kale or 12 to 15 minutes for collards.
- Add butter to skillet. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until melted, about 20 seconds. Add flour; cook, stirring often, 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add whipping cream and Parmesan. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and pasty, about 45 seconds. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice, red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Transfer to a bowl; chill until mixture is cool and starts to firm up, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450ºF. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon bacon-kale mixture onto each oyster. Pour rock salt on a baking sheet, and arrange oysters evenly on salt so they sit level. Bake until bacon-kale mixture is bubbly and golden brown and oysters have started to curl and are cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool 5 minutes. Garnish with additional Parmesan, and serve with lemon wedges.
Meal of the Month
BLT Pizza
DELICIOUS and EASY!
INGREDIENTS:
- Pizza crust: This recipe does just fine with a convenient prebaked pizza crust. However, if you want to make one yourself, we have a great recipe for homemade pizza dough.
- Miracle Whip: The sweetness and spice in Miracle Whip taste great in this pizza sauce, but you can use regular mayo if you prefer. Here are our Test Kitchen’s picks for best mayonnaise.
- Seasonings: We season Miracle Whip with basil, garlic and onion to make the base pizza sauce.
- Bacon: Use your favorite style and cut of bacon. And sure, turkey bacon counts! Here’s how to cook bacon for perfect results every time.
- Cheese: We use equal amounts of shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Cheese that you grate yourself always tastes and melts better than pre-shredded cheese, but pre-shredded is perfectly fine (and easier) to use.
- Lettuce and tomatoes: It wouldn’t be a BLT without these. Use shredded crisp romaine or iceberg lettuce to top the pizza, or go a different route with pretty leafy greens like kale and baby arugula. For tomatoes, use ripe on-the-vine tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes if they’re in season, or halved cherry or grape tomatoes.