Laurie’s Cobalt World Blog

Yesterday, I was making myself one of my favorite breakfasts. I was enjoying the anticipation of having something delicious when disaster struck. Okay, that was a little overly dramatic for breakfast. Let me rephrase. I was disappointed to realize that I was out of a main ingredient.

I teach my children to read their recipe first and make sure that they have all of the ingredients before they begin cooking. I wish I could follow my own advice better!

One of my favorite breakfasts is steel cut oats with apricots and almonds. I was out of apricots. They really make all of the difference in this dish.

My aunt told me recently that she’d had a similar dish at a brunch and really enjoyed it. Yes, it’s great to serve on special occasions, but you deserve to be pampered for no reason at all.

I admit that I go through periods when I won’t take the time to make a favorite. But there have been long periods of time when I’ve made this recipe two or three times a week, too.

Preparation time is about 20 minutes. I’m worth that. So are you. It’s amazing how a little indulgence first thing in the morning can set you up for a great day.

I start with good steel cut oats. Yesterday, I used John McCann’s Steel Cut Oat Meal. One of the things I love about this oatmeal is that it comes in a resealable tin. That way it stays fresh, even if I skip a few weeks making steel cut oats.

These oats are imported from Ireland. The can itself is interesting to read. It includes awards and exhibitions that the oats were part of dating back to 1851. Impressive for a lowly oatmeal!

Per serving:

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup steel cut oats
• scant 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 (or 2) tablespoons toasted almonds
• 4 or 5 dried apricots, diced
• 1 pat of butter
• sweetener to taste (honey, sugar, brown sugar, sugar substitute)
• 3-4 tablespoons milk or cream

Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the oats, stirring. Bring to a boil again and reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally and cook for 15 minutes (the instructions on the John McCann’s can say 30 minutes, but I like mine with a nuttier texture).

Remove from the heat. Add the almonds, apricots, butter, and sweetener. Pour into a small cereal bowl. Top with milk or cream.

If you can’t find the time to treat yourself during the week, try this recipe on a Saturday or Sunday morning, whichever is your most leisurely. And if all else fails and you just can’t find the time, serve it at your next brunch.

Laurie

I’m reading four books right now - a book on ecommerce, a book of etiquette, War and Peace (it’s great!), and 91 Mistakes Smart Salespeople Make by Tim Connor, bestselling author of Soft Sell. The first third of the book is strictly about attitude and it applies to everyone, not just salespeople.

Mistake #20 is “Being out of Balance.” The author divides our lives into eleven areas:

Last evening we hosted an informal cocktail tasting party. I invited a small group over to help us test some non-alcoholic cocktail recipes. It was a lot of fun.

You might ask why I wanted to focus on non-alcoholic cocktail recipes. The answer is simple. There are many sources for alcoholic cocktails and many of those recipes are tried and true.

There are fewer resources for non-alcoholic cocktails. But there are many people for whom an alcoholic cocktail is not an option or is not preferred. Consider the following:

1. Pregnant and nursing women
2. Recovering alcoholics
3. Those on medication not compatible with alcohol consumption
4. Those who know they don’t hold alcohol well (two drinks and it’s lampshade time)
5. Under 21’s
6. Those who have a religious belief about alcohol consumption
7. Those with medical conditions that are aggravated by alcohol consumption
8. Those who never learned to enjoy the flavor of alcohol

To prepare for the party, I researched recipes I wanted to try. I made my grocery list and stocked up on cream, grenadine syrup, cherries, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, passion fruit juice, peach nectar, lemon lime soda, strawberries, cream of coconut, and lots of ice.

Preparation was easy. I made some simple syrup ahead of time. We set out freshly popped corn, some pistachios, and chips. I arranged a bowl of oranges, lemons, and limes. The blender, shakers, glasses, strainer, and measuring implements were on hand. And I put all of the juices into ice chests so they would be at hand and so we wouldn’t be constantly opening and closing the refrigerator all evening.

I gave the guests a choice between some of my favorite cobalt blue cocktail glasses and a clear wine glass. Everyone chose the cobalt blue ones, of course. They were just so appealing. (By the way, I have some new margarita, wine, and martini glasses coming in soon. I can’t wait!)

I started out bartending, but luckily some of our guests enjoy the job as well, so no one person got stuck making drinks all evening.

The first cocktail was the Bobby Cocktail. It was an instant hit with all but one guest. No one could believe that she didn’t like it. But each to her own. The Bobby Cocktail is a cream and citrus beverage that reminds me of a fine lemon mousse.

Our second beverage of the evening was a non-alcoholic cosmopolitan. The reactions were pretty hilarious and none of them were good. You will not find that recipe listed here or on the Laurie’s Cobalt World website. It failed to please anyone. Some comments were, “Curls your toes,” and “Will grow hair on your chest.” Enough said.

The next cocktail - Unfuzzy Navel - was a huge success. Some guests noted at the end of the evening that it was their favorite. The flavor is very robust - nothing wimpy or watery about it. Peach and orange flavor comes first and you finish with a lovely pineapple aftertaste. You really want to try this one.

I especially liked the Alice Cocktail. Several guests thought that the cocktail was strawberry-based, but in actuality, there was no strawberry in it. It’s a creamy cocktail flavored with a generous portion of grenadine syrup, a pomegranate-flavored syrup.

I made an error that affected the next recipe. I put the cream of coconut into the ice chest with the juices. That caused the cream to congeal, making it a little difficult to use. I put the coconut cream and milk into the microwave and melted it enough to stir before using it. It was a pretty funny moment when we opened the can!

Luckily, my boo-boo didn’t affect the recipe at all. And the Virgin Strawberry Colada was another hit. This drink is a frozen cocktail. Make sure that you don’t make it too thick. Late in the evening, the drink was repeated (I told you it was a hit). But this time, it was too thick. When I tried to drink it, a lump of beverage broke loose all at once and I got it on my nose! Not elegant. Not at all.

We ran out of evening before we tried all of the recipes I had in mind. My family and I tried Safe Sex On the Beach - the cocktail by that name, that is. It was nice. It’s a good choice for someone who doesn’t like their cocktail too sweet but doesn’t care for too sour either.

• 1/4 cup peach nectar
• 1/3 cup cranberry juice
• 1/3 cup orange juice

Mix all ingredients and then pour over ice. Garnish with a cherry, if desired.

If you like to pucker up a bit, try the Yellow Jacket. We made this twice and adjusted the recipe the second time. It was much preferred in this version:

• 1/3 cup pineapple juice
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Fill a shaker half full of cracked ice. Pour all ingredients into the shaker. Shake until the cocktail is very cold and the ice just begins to melt. Strain into two martini glasses and serve.

The last non-alcoholic cocktail recipe we tried is a Tequila Meadow. No, there’s no tequila in it, of course. It’s crisp and light, and sweet, but not overly sweet.

Tequila Meadow

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1 T. cranberry juice
• 3/4 tsp. grenadine syrup
• 1/4 cup lemon-lime soda

Fill a shaker halfway with cracked ice. Add all ingredients except the soda. Shake well and strain into a glass. Add the soda and stir gently.

While it is fun to have formal parties, informal evenings can be so entertaining. I highly recommend getting some of your friends and family together to cook together, taste something together, or otherwise have a shared experience. It’s worth it.

Laurie

I really must be a slow mover - at least in some areas. I’ve been thinking about hosting an afternoon tea in honor of my mother for several years now. This year, I’m actually going to do it.

I am so excited about it. It will be held on Mother’s Day and the guests will include our local family.

Following the English example, this tea will include both male and female guests. We often think of matrons with floral dresses and large hats sipping tea, but teas were originally for everyone.

Before I go further, let me say that a tea need not be elaborate. Tea and cookies or tea and scones is enough. But I’ve decided on quite a bit more for this tea.

It will be a full tea and an afternoon tea, but not a high tea. I’m setting it at 5:00, about as late as you want to schedule an afternoon tea. Since there are other mothers on my guest list, I want to give them as much time as possible for their other Mother’s Day activities.

If this were a high tea, the menu would resemble a full meal much more.

Since it is a full tea, we will be having three courses: scones, tea sandwiches, and sweets.

I’ve decided to make apricot scones and I will serve them with homemade lemon curd, raspberry jam, and clotted cream.

Clotted cream is not available in my town, or even in the next town. But I do know a place in Winston-Salem, the closest city, where I can get it at a gourmet market.

I’ll probably be trying out my lemon curd recipes between now and then. The last time I made it, it was a little too tart for my taste. Once I’ve settled on the best one, I’ll post the recipe either here, in my newsletter, or on my website.

The next course will be tea sandwiches. I’ve decided on turkey with cranberry mustard and my favorite tea sandwiches. These tea sandwiches are cream cheese-based, a popular choice.

I first made these sandwiches in 1979. Since it wasn’t a tea, I made the sandwiches a little bit bigger than finger size. In fact, I used two different colors of bread (pumpernickel and rye, if I recall correctly) and made an alternating design.

First I froze the bread. Then I used a sturdy, sharp cookie cutter to cut the bread into decorative rounds. Using a smaller cookie cutter, I cut out a design in the middle of half of the slices. I believe it was a simple flower shape. I popped out the centers and switched them. Then I assembled the sandwiches using a solid bottom and a decorative top.

The filling is simple to make, but will get a lot of attention from your guests. It’s really good.

Favorite Tea Sandwich Filling Recipe

2 3-oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1 oz. bleu cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 tsp. minced dried onion flakes
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup mayonnaise (not salad dressing)

Mix all ingredients well. Place in the refrigerator for several hours to blend flavors. Bring to room temperature before filling sandwiches. Lightly spread bread with a thin coat of butter before filling.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of filling.

I’ll be able to make those sandwiches a day ahead of time, carefully wrap them airtight, and store them in the refrigerator until about 1/2 hour before serving time.

We’ll talk about the sweets, tea, flowers, invitations, and music another day.

Laurie