you were always on my mind marie rose

i always carry trucks of stuff around with me. its either a bag full of books, the 5 pairs of shoes, the usual bikini & towel for the midnight swimm - it's milk and bread and butter and a pack of sugar.
but the most important thing i carry around with me is my "to-do-list". the list doesnt contain anything of the importance of "calling mum to say i am sorry", "report back to boss", "polish bike" or all the other naff stuff one should write onto a list (and really do in life).
nah. my list contains dishes i want to.... - no! - dishes i have to cook.
you'd find a new version of a brownie (cuz really at then end of the day it's all about the brownie) or that meatdish i had at the restaurant that makes me go think: "hell yeah, i can do this myself!" on that list.
with the constant cooking - and most importantly because i am greedy by nature - for my job i can tick off most of the dishes on that list in 1,2,3.
for some reason the "marie rose sandwich" mark never got ticked off. for like months.
i admit, it had alot to do with the fact that there is such a thing called bikini i'd like to fit it withouth scaring everyone around me (also i dont only swimm around midnight...).
marie rose comes with loads of ketchup. and that wonderful thing called mayonnaise. doesnt really match with the word "bikini". for sure.
oh but maybe it was all just destiny - i'd like to think - that i saved this wonderful, easypeasy little dish for today. coming back home from a day straightoutta hell ("calling mum to say i am sorry" still needs to be ticked off) i was in for some good soulfood. just gimme that goddamn bottle of ketchup and mayonnaise and life will be sweet and juicy again.


and when i was just tucking into my marie rose sandwich, with the sauce all over my fingers and running down my chin (cuz that's how it goes, doesnt it?) this elvis song came back to my mind:

*i just never took the time -*
*you are always on my mind.*

thank god for elvis.
and marie rose.
i am sorry it took me so long...


This is an adapton of the original recipe. you'd usually serve it with lettuche and leave out the peppers & cucumber. since i am trying to become a leftover-queen i mixed those veggies into this sandwich. it makes it super-juicy & fresh & also adds some colour!

RECIPE
3-4 hand full of cooked shrip (take the tiny ones)
crunchy bread

for the sauce:
mayonnaise
creme fraiche or plain yoghurt
a tiny dash of tabasco
some worcestershire sauce
loads of ketchup
lemon juice
salt & pepper

some red pepper, finely cubed
fresh cucumber, finely cubed

mix all ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. make sure it's all gonna turn out pink & quite ketchupy. lemon juice will make it taste more fresh - add more mayonnaise & the stuff will turn out rich and fabulous. - wash & dry the shrip & add to the sauce. halve the bread, add rose marie-mix, then scatter with pepper & cucumber, then top with remaining bread.
serve with napkins!

naughty drink

when it comes to naughty drinks i am real rookie. i know what a gin tonic is, order a shandy every now and then and i do know how to spell the word *c-h-a-m-p-a-g-n-e* but when it comes to the hard stuff: just dont ask me nuthin' about it.
so when a dear friend gave me a holler to ask if i could mix up some summery naughty drinks for her upcoming wedding i thought "no biggie" and promised to come up with some recipes.

- little did i know...-

i started mixing with what i still had in my fridge which was some berries and fruitjuices and peppermint and lemon balm. two hours, a wasted bottle of vodka, no clue what to do with tequila and some generous sips later i wasnt just a teeny weeny bit tipsy but actually liked what i accidentally mixed together.

so really, this recipe is an accident. i do have a couple of friends who can prove by now it's not gonna hurt though...



RECIPE

makes enough for 12 modest drinkers - or 3-4 total lushs.

250g sugar
3dl water
juice of 5-6 lemons
500g cherries, blueberries or raspberries
2 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar (just mix sugar with cinnamon)
1/2 liter vodka
1-2 bottles sparkling mineral water
fresh peppermint
lotsa ice

mix the cherries (or berries) with the cinnamon-sugar and let marinate for about an hour or so. heat (plain) sugar with water in a pan and remove from heat as soon as you reach the boiling point (give it a good stir to make sure the sugar has dissolved). let cool.
mix cherries (or berries) with the sugar sirup, lemon juice in a big bowl, add vodka.
fill glasses with ice, add berry-mixture (only halfway up, thanks!), spring of peppermint, then fill up with mineral water.

Chocolate Pistaccio Biscotti & an increasing waistline

dont get me wrong here. i am not complaining about my job. being a food editor comes with a lot of rewards. a free cookbook on my desk every now and then, a house filled with hungry people (who all love my sparkling personality and not - Godforbid! - the champagne bottle & steak on my table) , flirting costermongers, glam days dressed in an apron and a spatula in hand - pretty much: welcome to cupcake heaven and roastbeef bliss.
but apart from being a food editor there is such a blunt thing as life. and life comes with things like a bikini to fit in. comes with dresses that cost so much that my credit card caught fire when i paid for them. life as a food editor comes with an increasing waistline. it's steak and brownies on your ribs. and woe is me when that zipper is stuck partway.
the week i was working on biscotti recipes for my radioshow i had buttons exploding on my summerdress. life as a food editor can be such a bitch!
at least at the end of the day you can bite into a decent chocolate biscotti (cover with chocolate icing, dont miss!) which can be blissfully satisfying. they are nourishing enough to serve as a proper dinner. - zipper, go explode! i am so keeping that job!



RECIPE:

310g flour
25g cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
320g chocolate chips
230g pistaccios (unsalted!), shelled
4 large eggs
310g sugar
ready made chocolate glaze

preheat the oven to 180 °c, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

pulse flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, 1/2 of chocolate chips & pistaccios in a mixer until chocolate chips have the size of small peas.

in a bowl attached to standmixer whisk eggs with sugar until you end up with a fluffy mixture, switch to paddle add flour-mixture and rest of chocolate chips, beat until just combined.

turn dough out on a lightly floured surface, divide into 3 parts, shape into a 40m long, about 7-8cm wide and 1,5 cm high log. sprinkle with a little sugar if you like.

bake for 30-40 minutes in the middle of the oven (rotating the sheets after 15 min) until the log is kinda crispy. let cool on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes.

place logs on cutting board. using a serrated knive, cut into 1-1,5cm wide slices. put slices cutting side up on baking sheet, then bake for another 12-15 minutes until biscotti are crunchy. let cool on a cooling rack.

glaze with chocolate glaze, let cool a bit. then serve with icecream or coffee.

they keep in an airtight container for about a week (yeah, like as if...)

raspberry lemonade

happy times demand happy drinks. summer is here! the raspberries are simply irresistible and days are best spent outside - hang on the porch (ok, it's a balcony only but a girl can always dream...), read a book. share a laugh. have a sip. raspberry lemonade is perfect for this.

easy as pie & a big hit with my peeps! - all the naughty ones mix it with a drop or two of vodka or white tequilla. i am not the one to argue, it's just that it's only lunchtime over here...


RECIPE

about 250g fresh or defrosted raspberries
juice of 10 lemons
550g sugar
1,5 cold and/or sparkling water
fresh peppermint, to garnish
crushed ice, to serve

mix raspberries, lemonjuice & sugar in a pot and mix very well. you want to punch out all the juice ouf of those raspberries. then strain through a sieve, making sure you get the last drop of juice. then add cold (sparkling) water, mix.
put crushed ice in glasses, then fill up with sirup and garnish with peppermint.



more lemonade bliss over here at smittenkitchen. deb is doing an AWESOME watermelon lemonade.