Lemon Mint Rosé Cocktail

A dry rosé wine fortified with vodka and some muddled mint, lemon and sugar makes a beautiful cocktail, extending the drinkability of rosé into the autumn months for rosé summer-only purists. 

Pink wine snob reversal
Until I started dating my future husband, I knew very little about wine. I don’t remember either of my parents drinking wine, except for a phase when my mom would buy Cold Duck – a sort of sweet pink sparkling wine made by mixing red wine with bubbly - or Mateus, a Portuguese labeled rosé that, even as a child, I understood was less than stellar in the wine category, the fancy bottle notwithstanding. As I reached an age where I could order wine in a bar, I always went for a crisp dry white, with the theory that a cheap white was usually more palatable than a cheap red, and wine-by-the-glass back then was invariably of the cheap variety. When we moved to Paris, I was shocked to find that the good-wine obsessed French drank pink wine during the hot summer months! And that it could be dry and not sweet. I became a fan of the pink.

As the summer days are waning and the autumn is coming on, unused bottles of summer rosé can be transformed into cocktails, extending their welcome refreshment into the next season.

Ingredients
Several fresh mint leaves
1 lemon wedge
1 oz or 30ml vodka
1/2 cup or 120ml rosé
1/2 – 1 teaspoon sugar (or more, depending on your taste for sweet drinks)
Ice

Optional garnish: sprig of mint

Method
Place mint, lemon and sugar in a glass and muddle well.

Add several cubes of ice to your glass and then pour in the vodka.

Add the rosé and stir. Garnish with sprig of mint, if desired.

Enjoy!

Saucy Pulled Pork Cornbread Muffins #MuffinMonday

Pulled pork with barbecue sauce is a great savory filling for cornbread muffins, perfect as a take-along for tailgating parties or game day buffets. 

I made slow cooked pork in the crockpot a couple of weeks back. Nothing remarkable about it except that I did use a cloudy apple juice with ginger that I buy in my nearby supermarket. And I hummed in a few ounces of raspberries from a punnet that was getting past its best. As it turns out, apples, ginger and tart raspberries all make delicious slow cooked pork shoulder. We ate the roast the first night sliced, with mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts. 

Then I shredded the leftovers and added homemade barbecue sauce and we enjoyed barbecue sandwiches on lovely Portuguese rolls, coleslaw on the side, another night. Which left about one cupful of saucy pork as leftover leftovers. I was fully prepared to eat that with a spoon. I warmed it up the next morning and took a bite, but I just couldn’t get over the idea I’d had in the middle of that night before. My husband laughs because there is always a small part of my brain that is planning a meal or working on a recipe, no matter what else the rest of my brain seems to be concentrating on. I put the spoon down and put the bowl back in the refrigerator to chill. 

I had to use that pork to fill some cornbread muffins. 

Ingredients

1 cup or 180g fine yellow cornmeal

1 1/2 or 190g cups flour

4 teaspoons sugar 

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup or 355ml milk

2 eggs

1/3 cup or 80ml canola or other light vegetable oil plus more for the pan

Filling: One cup or 250g pulled pork with barbecue sauce

Optional for garnish: Small pickles or slices of pickle

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F or 190°C. Prepare your 12-cup muffin pan by oiling it liberally with canola or non-stick baking spray. 

In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. 

In another smaller bowl, whisk together your milk, egg and oil. 

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and beat until fairly smooth, about one minute, making sure to scrape bottom and sides well.  

Divide about two-thirds of the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Add a generous teaspoon of the chilled pulled pork to each. 

Top with the remaining batter.

Add the pickle garnish if using. Mine were the little French cornichons. I drained them on some paper towel, sliced them partially through twice with a sharp knife and fanned them out. A slice of dill pickle would work as well. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned on top and on the sides. 

Remove to a wire rack to cool a little before eating. Do be careful with the first bites because the pork will be quite hot inside. 

Serve with coleslaw on the side to complete the saucy pulled pork muffin experience. 

Enjoy! 

Baked Zucchini with Spicy Tomatoes

The application of a little caramelizing heat brings out the best in these tender baby zucchini making sure they can still compete with the spicy tomatoes and feta cheese baked on top.  This dish is great as a vegetarian main or as a side dish. 

What’s your weakness?
I love a Cheeto or Dorito as much as the next person. Okay, okay, you’ve got me. I probably love them more. I’m not a big sweet eater so fatty and salty are definitely my dietary weak spots. That said, if I can add cheese to a vegetable dish – everybody saw my Sunday Supper potato chard bake a couple of weeks ago, right? – then my needs are satisfied in a much healthier manner.

This dish of baby zucchini topped with spicy tomatoes, feta cheese and crunchy pumpkin seeds was so good that we had it as a main course one night and delighted in it as a side dish the very next night. I was sad when it was gone.

The “unprocessed” challenge
This week Sunday Supper is featuring recipes that forgo the weird chemical ingredients that no one can pronounce, using just whole foods in their mostly natural state, if you don’t count things like pasteurizing milk to kill the harmful bacteria or making cheese out of it. I guess technically those are “processed” but, as far as I’m concerned, that’s in a good way. Our host this week is DB from Crazy Foodie Stunts and he got his inspiration for this theme from Andrew Wilder’s October Unprocessed Challenge. Whether you are willing to take the challenge or not, I'm sure we can all agree that if we can't say the ingredient or spell it, we probably shouldn't be eating very much of it!

These zucchini with spicy tomatoes, on the other hand, we will be eating more often.

Ingredients
1 lb 2 oz or 510g baby zucchini
1 lb 2 oz or 510g ripe tomatoes
1 small onion (about 3 oz or 85g)
2 red chilies
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
3 1/2 oz or 100g feta (I like one that is made with sheep’s milk but use your favorite.)
1/4 cup or 20g pumpkin seeds

Method
Cut the stems off of your little zucchini and then halve them lengthwise.

Chop your onions and tomatoes and mince the chilies and garlic.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a non-stick skillet and fry the zucchini halves until they are browned nicely on both sides.

Put them in a baking dish in a single layer.

Add the other tablespoon of olive oil to the pan along with the onion, garlic and chilies. Sauté for a few minutes until they soften.

Add in the chopped tomatoes, the smoked paprika and the sugar. Cook for about seven or eight minutes over a medium heat until the tomatoes start breaking down.

Spoon the spicy tomatoes over the zucchini in the ovenproof dish.

Crumble the feta over the tomatoes and sprinkle everything with the pumpkin seeds.

Bake in your preheated oven for about half an hour.

It’s done with the feta is nicely browning and the dish is bubbling hot and brown all around the edges.

Enjoy!


Check out all the great “unprocessed” recipes we have for you today!

Alluring Appetizers and Snacks

• Baked Beet Chips by The Dinner-Mom
• Black Bean and Corn Salsa by What Smells So Good?
• Crispy Tex-Mex Quinoa Patties by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Curried Apple Chips by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Homemade Energy Bars by The Foodie Army Wife
• Homemade Fennel-Maple Mustard by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Honey Thyme Chicken by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Raw Salted Chocolate Chip Oat Healthy Bars by Wallflour Girl
• Stuffed Peppadew Peppers by An Appealing Plan

Stunning Sides

• Autumn Panzanella by Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Basic Roasted Cauliflower by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Brioche Dinner Rolls by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Homemade Hash Browns by Basic N Delicious
• Indian Spiced Dal and Sag Aloo by Happy Baking Days
• Roasted Parsnips and Carrots with Maple Syrup and Cardamom by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Spicy Smashed Fingerling Potatoes by Magnolia Days
• Stuffed Acorn Squash by Rhubarb and Honey
• Sweet Potato and Carrot Hash by Fit Foodie Runs
• Sweet Potato Fries by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Sweet Potato Noodles and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Whole Grain, No-Knead Sourdough Bread by Peaceful Cooking

Enticing Entreés

• Authentic Chicken Tinga by Shockingly Delicious
• Baked Zucchini with Spicy Tomatoes by Food Lust People Love
• Chicken and Sweet Potatoes by MealDiva
• Chinese Five Spice Chicken Stir Fry by Nosh My Way
• Coconut Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Dip by Casa de Crews
• Easy Slow Cooker Chili by Amee's Savory Dish
• Fall Squash Soup by Ruffles & Truffles
• Grilled Burgers with Garlicky Arugula by Cooking Chat
• Homemade Gnocchi with Peas and Pesto by Curious Cuisiniere
• Jacket Potato Party by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Mom's Homemade Vegetarian Meatballs by The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Pumpkin & Italian Sausage Pasta by Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Seared Pork Stack by annaDishes
• Stuffed Sweet Potatoes by Momma's Meals
• White Bean Pesto Stew by eating in instead

Decadent Desserts

• Gluten Free Peanut Butter Blondies by Pies and Plots
• Raw Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake by Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Vegan Mini Chocolate Cream Cakes by NinjaBaking.com