‘Tis the season for apple cider! Every year, I make sure to pick up some store-bought apple cider to enjoy. But this year, I wanted to try to make my own Fresh Juiced Apple Cider using my Hurom Juicer (paid link) and was surprised with how easy and delicious it was to make!
You can make this fresh juiced apple cider with whatever your favorite apple is, but I suggest aiming for a sweeter apple, like Honeycrisp.
I like to add rye to my cider to make a spiked cider. You can also add bourbon, spiced rum, or drink as is for a non-alcoholic beverage!
Ingredients (makes about 6 cups, multiply as needed):
12 apples, cored and sliced
10 whole black peppercorns
8 whole allspice berries
5 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
the zest of 1 orange
the zest of 1 lemon
9 oz (or 6 shots) rye, bourbon, or spiced rum (omit to make non-alcoholic)
Note: I was sent a Coyote Outdoor Grill to participate in the #CoyoteChallenge. All opinions are mine alone.
I am absolutely loving my Coyote OutdoorGrill; I have been grilling anything and everything I can find! To see some of my other recipes I’ve made using my beloved grill, check them out here. This time, I wanted to branch out and find recipes that you may not necessarily consider making on the grill.
I kept to the recipe for the most part, but added in some peaches for extra flavor because my husband loves all things peach and ended up with this recipe for Grilled Peach Old Fashioned Cocktail. I also substituted in Rye Whiskey to suit our personal tastes. Feel free to use your favorite bourbon of choice instead.
My friends and I loooooove Old Fashioned’s so I was thrilled to find a new version of our favorite cocktail. I make a mean Fizzy Old Fashioned that is a perfect “punch” for groups of friends; it’s not nearly as strong as a typical Old Fashioned, but the bourbon taste is still very present.
Ingredients:
1/2 orange, cut into slices
12 pitted cherries
1 peach, cut into quarter slices, with the stone removed
1 (750-ml bottle) rye whiskey (such as Bulleit Rye)
1 liter club soda, cold or blood orange soda, cold
ice
A quick note for my gluten-free friends. Rye whiskey, obviously derived from rye, is gluten-free. The distilling process removes the gluten proteins. So drink away!
This Sunday is the beginning of the end of Mad Men. Sniffle. I have been a huge fan of the show for years and am sad to see it end. But that doesn’t mean I can’t still throw a little party of my own in celebration of the final premiere!
All week, bloggers have been featuring their own spins on Mad Men-inspired recipes to gear up for the premiere this Sunday, when we will have a Virtual Mad Men Finale Party!
I adapted some recipes from The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook: Inside the Kitchens, Bars, and Restaurants of Mad Men by Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin. I wanted to cheers to Mad Men in style, so I made a version of Trudy’s Rib Eye in the Pan, Individual Potatoes au Gratin, and Perfect Manhattans.
If you’re a Mad Men fan, you probably remember Trudy calling Pete at the office early into their marriage asking what he wanted for dinner. His response: “Rib eye, in the pan, with butter.” So Pete, this one’s for you! This version is a pan-seared New York Strip Steak with cognac butter. (I made New York Strip Steaks instead of Rib Eye, because that would have just been way too much meat for me.)
The steaks are paired with an adapted version of Julia Child’s Potatoes au Gratin, served in individual crocks.
And what’s a Mad Men Party without a cocktail?? I decided to make a more modernized version of a classic, called a Perfect Manhattan, which refers to using equal parts sweet and dry vermouth.
If you want to also Party Like a Mad Man, you’re in luck! I also have a copy to give away! Details after the recipes.
Adapted from The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook
Ingredients:
Steak in the Pan with Butter:
4 boneless New York Strip Steaks, ~1 inch thick
4 teaspoons canola oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 oz cognac
8 tablespoons butter
Potatoes au Gratin
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 pound raw potatoes (about 2-3 large potatoes), peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, crumbled (I used Valley Thunder from Valley Shepherd in Reading Terminal)
Perfect Manhattan
8 oz rye whiskey (I prefer Dad’s Hat’s version that is finished in Vermouth barrels)
