Honeysuckle Lemonade for Cook the Books April/May Pick: "Honeysuckle Season"

For once, I actually finished our selection for Cook the Books (our bi-monthly virtual foodie book club) a couple of weeks before the deadline. It just took me some time to decide what to make and then to order in some dried honeysuckle tea to make a simple syrup for a summery Honeysuckle Lemonade. But, before we get to the lemonade and syrup, let's talk about the book.

Honeysuckle Season by Mary Ellen Taylor is this round's book pick, selected and hosted by Debra of Eliot's Eats. (You can see her announcement post here.) It's a great book for the spring into summer months and what I always think of as "fresh start" books, where the main character picks up and moves somewhere (often back home) to start a new chapter in their lives. In Honeysuckle Season, it's Libby who is dealing with miscarriages, a divorce, and her father's recent death, and has come back to her home town to restart a career as a wedding photographer. An important gig shooting a wedding has her connecting with the venue owner, Elaine Grant, who hires Libby to document the restoration of the greenhouse and grounds of Woodmont Estate. There's lots of secrets, both in the estate's history and in Libby's life, and a dual timeline of WWII and present day. The story is told primarily from the perspective of Libby and two characters from the past Sadie (a local girl and daughter of a moonshiner barely, whose family barely scrapes by) and Olivia (the new young British wife of a wealthy local physician). 

Overall, I enjoyed the book and the characters. Although it was a bit predictable in terms of the story, it was a good journey to get there and untwist all the secrets it the characters' lives. I would have liked to read more about Libby's best friend, Sierra and the cafe and sandwich shop she is opening with Libby's support, but hopefully that will be a follow up book some day. ;-)  

There was plenty of food in Honeysuckle Season. Mentions included coffee, scrambled eggs, strawberries, wedding cake, hibiscus tea, biscuits stuffed with Virginia ham, herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, string beans, chardonnay, freshly baked bread, cookies, roasted chicken, pasta noodles, potatoes, salad, iced tea with sliced lemons, cheese and crackers, hummingbird cake, roast turkey, lemon cake, oat cereal and milk, bananas, cinnamon and apples, cinnamon rolls, ginger ale, mint chocolate ice cream, potato salad, corn on the cob, carrots, sans peas, squash, lavender, flour, sugar, and lard, hamburgers, bacon and coffee, vodka, bourbon, wine, sandwiches, barbecue and beer, pepperoni and cheese pizza, Diet Coke, fried chicken with corn bread, cupcakes, lemonade, beans, peanut-butter-and jelly sandwiches, and Popsicles.

For my bookish dish, I decided to combine the lemonade mentioned in the book with the honeysuckle syrup used in the moonshine. Since honeysuckle flowers are not easy to come by here, I ordered some dried honeysuckle flowers from Amazon.  There's a recipe for the syrup in the book but I kind of did my own thing in terms of proportions. I also made a very tart lemonade to mix with the syrup--just so it wasn't over-sweet.

Honeysuckle Syrup

By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen with Inspiration from Honeysuckle Season by Mary Ellen Taylor

(Makes About 1 1/2 Cups)

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup dried honeysuckle blossoms

1 cup sugar

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove pan from heat and add the dried honeysuckle blossoms. Steep about 10 minutes then strain out the blossoms. Return pan with honeysuckle tea to stove over medium heat. Add sugar and stir until it is completely dissolved. Reduce heat to simmer and cook about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 1 hour, then place in a glass jar in the refrigerator and chill overnight.

Tart Lemonade for Mixing

By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

(Makes about 6 Cups)

2 cups fresh lemon juice (about 10-12 lemons), strained
4 cups water
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste

1. 1. Pour the strained lemon juice into a large container. Add water and sugar, then stir until the sugar dissolves. Chill at least 2 hours in refrigerator.

To make Honeysuckle Lemonade: Fill tall glasses with ice. Mix Honeysuckle Syrup and Tart Lemonade to taste. (I used 1/3 syrup to 2/3 lemonade). Garnish with lemon slices and enjoy. 

Notes/Results: I am not normally a huge fan of floral flavors but I liked this much more than I thought I would. It tastes like I imagine a Southern summer day would--sweet, tart, flowery. You can of course adjust it to be sweeter, less sweet, more honeysuckle, etc. I will happily make it again. 

I'm sharing this post with the Weekend Cooking event  being hosted by Marg at The Adventures of An Intrepid Reader. It's a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. Here's a link to this week's post. 

The deadline for this round is today and Debra will be rounding up the entries for Cook the Books on the website in a day or two. If you missed this round and you like books and food and foodie books, join us for our June/July pick 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman, hosted by Simona of briciole. 

 

Cajun Shrimp Chowder: Summer Pleasures for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Memorial Day weekend means it's summer and summer means chowder. I will never turn down a big bowl of chowder like this Cajun Shrimp Chowder I have had saved on Pinterest for a while now.

I adjusted the recipe slightly--adjusting the heat, adding some creole spices and putting in some corn. The shrimp I had was the smaller size, but it works well here as you get more sweet shrimp per bite of chowder. 

Cajun Shrimp Chowder 

Slightly Adapted from Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice 

(Makes 6 Servings)

1 Tbsp butter
1 med sweet yellow onion, diced (I used these frozen sauteed glazed onions)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp smoky paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne, or to taste
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/2 tsp celery seed

(I added 1 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning Mix)
1/3 cup sweet tea vodka or white wine
4 cups low-sodium chicken or veggie broth (I used non-chicken stock)
2 cups milk (I used 2 cans coconut milk for all of the milk)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 lbs red potatoes, peeled & diced or baby red potatoes, halved

(I added 8 oz frozen sweet corn, defrosted)
1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled & de-veined (I used 52-60 size)

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. When the butter is melted, stir in the onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, paprika, cayenne, red pepper flakes, and celery seed and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.  

Stir in the vodka and allow to simmer for two minutes. Add the broth, milk, cream, brown sugar, bay leaves, and diced potatoes. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. 

When the chowder comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium and continue to cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the corn and shrimp and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are just cooked through. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Notes/Results: Lots of delicious flavor and just the right amount of kick for me. I really do like the smaller shrimp in this one--even if it meant I had to shell twice as many! ;-) I thought the corn as a nice touch and would probably throw in some red pepper next time too. As usual, I used coconut milk to cut down on the saturated fat and still get a thick, creamy broth but you can use any milk you want. I will happily make this again.  

Tina is in the Souper Sundays kitchen this week!

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor has been cooking up a storm while camping, including these Burgers. She says, "It's been incredibly hot and when the sun bakes the area where we set up the grill and camp kitchen, I move indoors. ... Here's a grilled burger with tomato, cheese and onion trimmings for one of our lunches."

 

 

Thanks Tina for hanging out with me this week!

 

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter 

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

Ina's Chilled Cucumber Soup with Shrimp for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

I usually wait until after Memorial Day to slide in a few chilled soups for the summer but the heart and stomach want what they want and I wanted cold cucumber soup. 

The trade winds died down this weekend and it's 80 degrees F., and so not having to turn on an oven or stove today was appealing. I chose Ina Garten's Chilled Cucumber Soup with Shrimp as today's recipe because the shrimp make this soup more substantial and satisfying. Crab or smoked salmon would be equally delicious on top. 

Chilled Cucumber Soup with Shrimp

From Ina Garten, Cook Like a Pro via Food Network

(Yields 9 Servings)

2 (17-oz) containers Greek yogurt

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

3 hothouse cucumbers, unpeeled, seeded, and chopped

3/4 cup chopped red onion

9 scallions, white & green parts, chopped

2 Tbsp kosher salt, or to taste

1 Tbsp black pepper, or to taste

1/4 cup fresh dill

3/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (about 6 lemons)

3/4 lb cooked large shrimp, halved

thin slices of lemon, halved, for garnish

fresh dill for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yogurt, half-and-half, cucumbers, red onion, scallions, salt, and pepper. Transfer the mixture in batches to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until cucumbers are coarsely pureed and then pour into another bowl. Continue processing the soup until all of it is pureed. Fold in the dill, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until very cold. 

Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice. Serve chilled, garnished with the shrimp, lemon, and fresh dill.

Notes/Results: Tangy and refreshing from the lemon and yogurt I could almost feel this soup rehydrating me with every bite. The herby notes of the dill and sweetness of the shrimp are a nice contrast. I followed Ina's recipe mostly although I used my high-speed blender instead of dragging out my food processor and found I needed less salt (and pepper) than called for between the yogurt and the lemon. I love cucumbers in the summer and this soup makes the most of them. If you don't have a lot of experience with eating cold soups, I think cucumber is a good one to start with and this soup is quick and easy to make and would be perfect enjoyed al fresco with some crusty bread. I would happily make it again. 

Linking up with I Heart Cooking Clubs where the theme is Picnic Prep this week--recipes good for picnics and outdoor dining. 

It's just me in the Souper Sundays kitchen this week, but come and join me sometime with a soup, salad, or sandwich post. Details for joining in are below.

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

Simple Creamy Tomato Soup for Dipping and for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

There's a craft and gift fair every third Saturday near my house and I usually treat myself to some dim sum offerings and I also buy a slice of spinach and sun-dried tomato stuffed foccacia bread from another local vendor.  I decided that today's soup would be a simple creamy tomato soup, perfect for dipping my sandwich into. 

There are a ton of tomato soup recipes on this blog. I just used my own simple one that I made with a bottle of Mutti Tomato Puree "passata" that I had purchased on a deal on at my local grocery store. You could use another pasatta, tomato sauce, or another can of tomatoes if you can't find this one. I also like coconut milk in my creamy tomato soup, but you can use a milk or cream of your choice.

Simple Creamy Tomato Soup
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen 
(Serves 4)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped or these frozen sautéed glazed onions
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano 
1/2 tsp celery seed
2 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted tomatoes & their juices

1 bottle Mutti Tomato Puree
2 cups non-chicken broth
1 can coconut milk or 1 to 1 1/2 cups milk of choice
2 tsp brown sugar
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onions until soft and add the garlic, herbs and spices, and the crushed red pepper,and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. 

Remove from heat, and (in batches if you don't have a high speed blender), puree in a blender until smooth.  Return soup to the pot, stir in the coconut milk and brown sugar and heat through. Season to taste with sea salt and fresh pepper as needed.

Notes/Results:  Just a simple creamy soup, perfect for dunking in a grilled cheese or a stuffed focaccia. The coconut milk makes it ultra creamy and the tomato puree add sweetness. Simple and good and it just poured down rain for a few minutes, which is what you want for a tomato soup and sandwich day. I'll happily make it again. 

Let's see who is here in the Souper Sundays kitchen this week: 

Balvinder of Simple Gluten Free Kitchen joins us for the first time this week with a pasta dish that can be enjoyed as a pasta salad the next day. She says, "This insanely delicious creamy tomato spinach pasta is simple to make, tastes great, and is the perfect dinner for busy weeknights. As I am the one who handle all the garden and household chores the dinners I make during summer are usually quick ones that take an hour or less. And also that use ingredients which I have on hand. There are days and times for fancy recipes with fancy ingredients, but there’s nothing like a simple meal with simple ingredients that tastes fancy. And this Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta is exactly the kind of recipe that checks all the boxes from taste to ease of making."

Judee of Gluten Free A- Z Blog shares this Quinoa Confetti Salad, saying "This colorful quinoa confetti salad, trimmed in curly red lettuce, is a tasty salad for a spring or summer day.I often make quinoa and use it as a simple warm side dish, a filling for stuffed peppers, or as an addition to a salad. ... I diced up cucumber, red pepper, parsley, black olives, celery, green onion, and red onion. I then tossed it in a salad with chickpeas blanched almonds, and cooked quinoa- making it a high protein vegan meal." 

Thanks to Balvinder and Judy for joining me this week.

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
• Although we are pretty wide on what defines a soup, sandwich or salad, entries that are clearly not in the same family (ie: desserts, meats, random main or side dishes that aren't salads, etc.) are meant for another round up and will be deleted. 

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a happy, healthy week!

 

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review & Excerpt From "The Stepsisters" by Susan Mallery and a Few Sparkling Wine Cocktail Recipes

I am happy to be today's stop on the TLC Book Tour for The Stepsisters, a new novel by Susan Mallery. With my review I have an excerpt of the book and a couple favorite sparkling wine cocktail recipes, plus one from the author.

Paperback: 416 Pages

Publisher: MIRA; Original edition (May 25, 2021)

Publisher's Blurb:

Once upon a time, when her dad married Sage’s mom, Daisy was thrilled to get a bright and shiny new sister. But Sage was beautiful and popular, everything Daisy was not, and she made sure Daisy knew it.

Sage didn’t have Daisy’s smarts—she had to go back a grade to enroll in the fancy rich-kid school. So she used her popularity as a weapon, putting Daisy down to elevate herself. After the divorce, the stepsisters’ rivalry continued until the final, improbable straw: Daisy married Sage’s first love, and Sage fled California.

Eighteen years, two kids and one troubled marriage later, Daisy never expects—or wants—to see Sage again. But when the little sister they have in common needs them both, they put aside their differences to care for Cassidy. As long-buried truths are revealed, no one is more surprised than they when friendship blossoms.

Their fragile truce is threatened by one careless act that could have devastating consequences. They could turn their backs on each other again…or they could learn to forgive once and for all and finally become true sisters of the heart.

-----

Below is an excerpt from fairly early on in the book: Excerpt: #9

He went into Krissa’s room first. Their daughter opened her eyes and smiled at him.

“Daddy, you’re back! How was the conference?”

He sat on the edge of her bed and smoothed her dark hair off her face. “More important, chipmunk, how are you? Mom said you got sick.”

“Uh-huh. Ben had a virus.”

“And he shared it with you? We’ll have to talk to him about that.”

She sat up to hug him. Lucky must have heard his voice because the yellow Lab came racing into the room, tail wagging. Sheba jumped off the bed and wanted her share of attention. Even the normally aloof feline Nala seemed relatively pleased to see Jordan. At least that was Daisy’s interpretation of her tail flick.

Jordan petted both dogs and spent a few minutes rubbing ears and accepting kisses, then he gathered Krissa in his arms and stood.

“Let’s go see your brother.”

Daisy started to tell him that Krissa should stay in bed, then reminded herself that doing so would cause father and daughter to give her that look they shared, the one that said she hated when they had fun. Which probably wasn’t what they were thinking at all, but was what always came to mind for her. 

They all trooped into Ben’s room, the dogs leading the way. Ben, in bed, playing on his tablet, looked up and grinned when he saw Jordan.

“Dad! You’re back.”

Jordan put Krissa down and hugged Ben. “My man, how are you feeling?”

“Better. Krissa’s sick now.”

“That’s your fault,” Krissa told him, climbing onto the bed and slipping under the covers. Lucky climbed up next to her and Sheba settled on the foot, making the full-size bed suddenly a little small.

Daisy sat at the desk chair, figuring they would all talk for a bit, then she and Jordan would excuse themselves to discuss the next step, so she wasn’t prepared for Jordan to say, “I want you to know we love you both very much.”

She stood and stared at him. “What are you doing?”

He waved his hand in her direction without looking at her, as if brushing her off.

“You know how sometimes there’s too much going on and you need quiet time in your room?” he asked.

Both of their children stared at him, wide-eyed. Ben nodded slowly.

“Jordan,” Daisy said, walking toward him. “We need to talk first.”

“I’ve got this.” He smiled at the kids. “Sometimes parents need a time-out, too.”

She swore silently. “Jordan, they’re sick. This isn’t the time.”

Tears filled Krissa’s eyes. “What are you s-saying?” Her voice cracked. “Daddy, no!”

“It’s okay,” he told her.

Ben’s lower lip trembled and he glanced between them. “Mom?”

She moved close and offered what she hoped was a comforting smile. “It’s okay. You’re going to be fine. We love you, like your dad said. The thing is…”

She paused, mostly because she didn’t know what the thing was at all.

Krissa’s crying turned to sobs and Ben had to brush his eyes. Daisy thought longingly of being strong enough to cuff her husband on the back of his head—an immature and unhelpful wish, but one that was heartfelt.

She shooed Lucky and Sheba off the bed, then sat down and held open her arms. Both kids flung themselves at her. 

------

You can see the list of bloggers with excerpts here. 

My Review:

This is the fourth Susan Mallery book I have reviewed for this blog. I feel like she is one of the summer book bag queens--fairly prolific authors with books about relationships, family and romance that usually publish in the spring into summer months and are perfect for the beach or pool. The Stepsisters brings the family drama in immediately when Daisy reeling from her husband's sudden "time out" from their marriage, her son home sick with the flu, leaves work where she's an anesthesia nurse, trying to get her young daughter home from before the passed on flu bug fully hits. She's too late and is cleaning her daughter up on the side of the road when her estranged stepsister drives by and stops. Sage is back in California, her latest marriage a bust and trying to regroup and she gives a reluctant Daisy a ride home when her car won't start (can anything else happen to Daisy? Of course, it's a drama!). Krissa is shocked to learn she has a sort-of aunt and neither sister is comfortable or happy around each other due to years of taunting from Sage and the fact that Daisy's husband was Sage's first love. Neither woman has plans to get back together when Daisy is dropped off, but that plan changes when Daisy's father calls her to tell her that the youngest sibling, Cassidy, (half-sister to each) has take a bad fall off a cliff in Patagonia and needs to go to Daisy's house (their childhood home) to recover. Through stops and starts, the three sister begin to form a  bond and even friendship, but can they put aside past and present hurts to let it happen?

I enjoyed Mallery's latest, even though it took the characters time to grow on me. Daisy in once sense is the easiest to like and root for--well off, a loving father but she lost her mother young and the wife and stepdaughter he ends bringing home are both spoiled and cruel. When Daisy's and Sage's half-sister is born, Daisy hopes to have a sister who she can love, who loves her back but when the marriage ends in divorce, Sage and Cassidy move out into a less-rich neighborhood, and Cassidy grows to dislike Daisy. Sage is definitely a piece of work--not a nice girl and not that nice as an adult although she is trying to improve herself and go back to school and stand on her own and I got to like her. (Even if I spent much of the book yelling at her in my head about her life choices). We meet Cassidy the younger sister with broken bones and a concussion combined with an attitude, and so it takes time to get to know and grow to like her. The villains in the story, Sage and Cassidy's mother and Daisy's husband are definitely jerks and very self-serving, although the rest of the surrounding cast; the kids, Daisy's friend and housekeeper, Daisy and Cassidy's father, and the potential love interests of Sage and Cassidy are great. The book is fairly predictable but it goes with the genre and Mallery's writing draws me in and keeps me interested in the story. I wanted to see how things resolved and I enjoyed the process of getting there, so if you are looking for an easy-breezy summer read and like family drama and relationship novels, you should enjoy The Stepsisters. 

-----

Author Notes: No.1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives – family, friendship, romance. She’s known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages. Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur.

You can connect with Susan at her website and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

-----

Food Inspiration:

Susan Mallery generally has some sort of food going on in her books and The Stepsisters definitely had some food inspiration. Mentions included: soup and toast for lunch, pork chop with green beans and almonds, golden beet salad, a grazing plate of olives, cheeses, crackers, apple, grapes and a glass of red wine, Brie on a rosemary cracker, tequila and limes for Margaritas, guacamole and chips, chicken taquitos, chocolate, soufflé', brownie, espresso, coffee, glass jars of yogurt and avocado toast topped with sliced tomato, burgers, cookies, quiche, kettle corn, fruit and cheese, carnitas in the pressure cooker, pizza, sushi, beer, blackberry mojitos, mushroom tarts, fried cauliflower, polenta fries, chicken, macaroni and green salads, Berry Bellinis, chocolate lava cake, chicken taco salad, In-N-Out Burger, chocolate martinis, grilled cheese sandwiches and salad. 

  

I ran out of time to make a dish for this book but my contenders were polenta fries, the avocado toast or one of the drinks--especially the Berry Bellinis that Daisy makes her sisters saying how "easy and yummy" they are. The author includes a recipe for them in the back of the book (along with one for a Bel Air Cobb Salad) just in case you'd like to try them.

Berry Bellinis

From The Stepsisters by Susan Mallery

1 1/2 cup mixed berries

1/4 cup sugar

1 bottle sparkling wine, chilled

Place the berries and sugar in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Taste and add a little extra sugar if necessary. Strain if desired. 

Put about 1 Tbsp of the berry puree into a champagne glass and top with sparkling wine. Serve immediately.

Since I used to make and post cocktails on my blog more often, here's a couple of favorite fruit and sparkling wine combinations. Be kind to the photos--they are from the earlier days of blogging!

Raspberry Sake Sparkler

by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

raspberry liqueur (I used framboise)
sparkling sake (or a sparkling wine or champagne)

fresh raspberries to garnish

In a champagne flute, place 2 Tbsp of raspberry liqueur. Top with sparkling sake and serve, garnished with fresh raspberries.

Limoncello Champagne Cocktails with Mint

Bon Appétit, May 2010

(Makes 2 Servings)

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup limoncello
2 tablespoons sugar plus additional for dipping Champagne flutes
Lemon peel strips from 1 lemon
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice plus 1 lemon wedge
1 cup (about) chilled Champagne or sparkling wine

Place mint, limoncello, 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon strips in blender; blend until mint is finely chopped (lemon peel will be coarsely chopped), 10 seconds. Strain into small cup; discard solids. 

Run lemon wedge around rim of 2 Champagne flutes. Dip rims into sugar. Divide limoncello mixture and lemon juice between flutes. Top with Champagne.

Notes/Results:  I think anyway you go with fruit and champagne, Prosecco, sparkling sake or sparkling wine, you'll end up with a great and refreshing cocktail to enjoy. I'm sure I will be trying out Mallery's Berry Bellinis recipe one of these days!

Note: A review copy of The Stepsisters was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.   
 
You can see the stops for the rest of this TLC Book Tour and what other reviewers thought about the book here.