Recipes | Book Chatter

First off, doesn’t this drink look delish? See the little slice of cucumber? I’ve never even heard of Pimm’s before but it’s gin based and tastes of spice and citrus. When I saw this on NPR the other day, I felt the need to share it. The traditional Pimm’s Cup includes lemonade, but the photo that I included shows a variation made with pomegranate juice. Yum! I could totally see myself sipping that drink with a great book in my hand. You can view the recipe here. Thanks to NPR for the photo and the recipe.

My brain is in summer mode, but unfortunately, when you work full-time, that luscious feeling of summer doesn’t really hit you in quite the same way. I’ve been a tad stressed with the morning routine lately. Getting the little one off to day camp is difficult when she is so darn exhausted from all the fun she had the previous day. What a bear!! So by the time I get to work, I am ready for a break, but no, the boss doesn’t seem to agree so the projects keep coming.

What I’ve been trying to do is pack a nice lunch so that I can sit outside and read or hole up in somewhere to catch-up on The Hills. Yes, I watch that show and am quite addicted. If I manage to do that, the day passes nicely.

As for the weekends, I try to make it as summery as possible. Cook-outs, lots of reading, cold refreshing drinks (like the one above, which I have yet to try BTW). Anything that puts me in a summer mood because the work week sucks! There is no other word that describes how I feel. I like my work and all that but please, it’s SUMMER! Lighten-up a bit. Life will go on.

If you are in the same boat, wanting to kick-off summer in a big way but can’t do it large-scale because work or other commitments interfere, then let’s promise to do something this weekend that’s just for us. You know, something to put us in a summery mood. You can make the drink I shared above, or you can get all girly and paint your toes some hot, summer color, or you can hit your local Starbucks (book in hand) to enjoy one of their However You Want It Frappes. The Light Soy Strawberry Frappe (no whip) is yummy! I’ve indulged in a few.

Sound like a plan? I’m not quite sure what I plan to do myself but it’s happening because this girl needs a pick-me-up!

In my Sunday Salon post from the other day, I mentioned a pool party that I was going to and that I was bringing Bacon Wrapped Club Crackers and Green Chile Corn Casserole. Many of you have asked for the recipe to one or the other so here they are!

Bacon Wrapped Club Crackers

Ingredients:

Keebler Club Crackers (plain)
A package of thinly sliced bacon. Center cut works well. Must be thin!
Parmesan cheese (the kind in the green container not the real stuff).

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 250.

Slice the package of bacon in half. Usually you will get about 22-24 slices this way. If the bacon is not really thin, use a rolling pin to roll it out a bit so it is.

Lay out 22-24 club crackers (depending on the slices of bacon you have).

Sprinkle each cracker with Parmesan cheese until it is somewhat covered.

Wrap each cracker in a half slice of the raw bacon. Just wrap it right around the cracker but not too tight. Try not to overlap too much or it won’t get crispy when you cook it.

Set all of the wrapped crackers on a baking sheet WITH a rack. This is very important because the grease must drain during the cooking process.

Pop in the over at 250 degrees for about 2 hrs. They should be crispy and the cracker part should be brown and toasted but not burned. Keep an eye on it the last 15 min as ovens vary. The end product looks like little bow ties as it cinches in the cracker right at the middle.

Surprisingly, these do not have to be heated up again before eating. They actually taste better at room temp. I made two batches of these and they were gone in no time.

Green Chile Corn Casserole

Ingredients:

1 (8.5 ounce) box of corn bread mix like Jiffy.
1 (15 ounce) can of corn (drained)
1 (14.5 ounce) can of creamed corn
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can of diced green chiles
1/2 cup of melted butter

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Throw all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix to combine.

Pour into a buttered or lightly oiled 9×9 pan.

Pop it into the oven and cook for about 35-40 minutes. It should be golden brown but very moist in the center. A toothpick test to the center should come out slightly sticky.

This dish is more like a corn pudding and makes a nice side to just about anything. You can even add cooked shredded chicken or beef at the mixing stage to make this a quick and easy dinner. My kids love it because it’s sweet.

This can be served hot or at room temp.

This will make about 6-8 side servings.

Enjoy!

Chatting with friends about books and life…