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Something to Ward Off Winter Blues

So.  Everyone here is sick with colds and flu and has been for some time now.  I was about to go to L.A. for my first real vacation in years and I refused to lose one minute of it to illness. I got a flu shot and had been eating citrus, hot soup and lemon/honey in my tea everyday for weeks.  This last batch of immune booster remedy I found particularly delightful.





A standard of mine in winter, Potato Leek soup is like a great big delicious hug the minute it hits your taste buds.  I start with Julia Child's formula (equal amounts potato and leek added to same total amount of water) and then doctor it up a bit.  I paired it with a fresh grapefruit martini type drink that I made up on the fly.  Enjoy and be well this flu season!








Potato Leek Soup

3 cups potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cups sliced leeks (the light part)
6 cups chicken stock (or water if you are a traditionalist)
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
Blue cheese for garnish
Croutons for garnish

Boil potatoes, Leeks and stock for about 1/2 an hour, until the potatoes are soft.  Add the creme fraiche and Tabasco and use an immersion blender to blend ingredients to your liking (I like some chunks in my soup).

Serve with blue cheese and croutons (recipe below) on top


Croutons:

This is something I'm never particularly set about.  I save all old bread in the freezer for both bread crumbs and croutons.  I season with whatever I have on hand or what might suit what I'm adding the croutons to.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cut bread into largish pieces
Arrange bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and whatever strikes your fancy - this time it was salt and fresh garlic in the olive oil.

Bake for 10 minutes and toss croutons to coat and turn.
Bake for an additional 10 and let cool till hardish.

Fresh Grapefruit Martini for Immune Boost

1 ounce gin
dash dry vermouth
2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice

Place ice and vermouth in a shaker, shake and pour off excess vermouth.
Add gin and grapefruit, shake again and serve in a martini glass with a twist of grapefruit peel

The Start of a New Year Breathes New Life Into Chickfuel

Geez!  It's been almost 3 years since I last posted.  Ugh.  So much has changed.  I became single, sold my house, bought a new one, started fixing it up, closed the physical storefront of of my retail store, recreated it as an online store, renovated my salon, started another business creating and making vaguely naughty purses (I call them Merkin Bags and have them on Etsy), started working on a men's leather line called "Sackle" and lost my beloved poodle Lazlo.  I feel now like it happened in the blink of an eye, but living through it took an eternity.

I'm ready for a fresh start.  Entertaining and travelling have not been a priority in the last two years with everything else that has gone on, even though they are my favorite diversions from daily life.  I have had people over during the holidays and created some new concoctions.   AND I have booked a trip to L.A. for 3 weeks from now. These are my inspirations for the two things that fuel this blog - they are what is CHICKFUEL.

Ingrid came into town for the holidays. Perfect!  Time to lushly entertain!

I made a champagne cocktail and a tray of charcuterie to nosh on while imbibing.  The champagne cocktail came about because I had some less that perfectly fresh fruit I wanted to use up by juicing in my trusty "Juice-O-Matic" and frankly there's more than likely a bottle of bubbly in the fridge at all times, so it's often a big part of my repertoire.

 

In went 2 navel oranges and 2 kiwis for a pulverizing.  They yielded 6 ounces of juice total which was a bit chunky from the kiwi.  I liked it that way, but those wishing for a smoother drink can use an immersion blender (or a regular one for that matter) to make a fine blendable puree.

The juice blend was a gorgeous festive green.

The drinks turned out lovely and are a beautiful addition to any holiday table with their bright color and fizzy texture.  Na Zdarovya!

Champagne Cocktail

makes 6 drinks

1 bottle Prosecco, champagne or any other bubbly.  I like mine dry.

6 ounces fruit juice - today was orange & kiwi

Put 1 ounce juice in the bottom of a champagne glass and fill the rest of the way with bubbly.

Bubbly Mocktail

makes 3 drinks

1 litre of lemon fizzy water

6 ounces of fruit juice

Dash of bitters

Put 2 ounces of juice in the bottom of a tall glass, dash of bitters and fill with fizzy water.

The charcuterie platter above was made entirely of groceries from Trader Joes.

- Smoked Salmon

- Smoked Trout

- Prosciutto

- Sopressata Salami

- Gouda

- Boursin

- Stilton

- Triple Cream Brie

- Salmon Spread

- Horseradish Hummus

- Capers

- Olives

- Honeycrisp Apples

- Pita Chips

- Whole Grain Crackers

- Multi Grain Batard

It's an easy, breezy crowd pleaser with no cooking involved and minimal cleanup.  YAY!

Happy 2013 to all my peeps.  May we share another beautiful year together...

It all started with a drink.

My friend Parvin was home in Ann Arbor, visiting from Venice, CA. We met up for an evening out after I had an exceptionally draining day - we had a lot to catch up on. I decided on the modified vodka martini on the menu, as it was the only cocktail they offered that wasn't sugary sweet, a trend I don't particularly care for.
We fell into an ages old routine of flipping back and forth between analyzing our personal stuff in the conversation and critiquing everything we consumed; what makes the sauce good, how the sandwich could be better, what was missing from the salad... It was inherent to our relationship. Friendship and food. We have always shared everything. From our personal dilemmas to the food we ate because we always wanted to order the same thing.
The next time we went out was to a red Wings game the night before she left to go back to California. We went to Tom's Oyster Bar, my favorite seafood joint in Detroit and usual stop before the game. After some discussion, I came up with our own version and the name "Chick Fuel"...

I just got back from a visit to Parvin's place in Venice, as she is about to move back here for some most excellent opportunities. We ate our way through so many unbelievably good meals and talked about our favorite simple dishes and how easy it is to throw a great party together, provided you keep the right items on hand. We discussed the role of the hostess, the importance of treating yourself to something enjoyable everyday and appreciating the things and people around you and living life to its fullest. Here we will share with you our versions of simple, yet unusual and enticing appetizers, buffet meals, cocktails (always followed by a companion "mocktail"), entertaining tips and general musings. Expect to see a few of our creative amazing friends/experts to put their two cents in as well, as guests in our blog giving a well rounded perspective.

And the Chick Fuel blog was born...

Chick Fuel Cocktail

-3 jiggers Stoli vodka
-Dry Vermouth
-Generous splash of fresh grapefruit juice
-Dash of Angnostura Bitters
-Meyer lemon slice for garnish - Meyer lemons are typically only available in the winter. Use a traditional lemon in summer.

Fill a shaker with ice and pour in one capful of dry vermouth, shake and pour off excess.
Add Vodka, grapefruit and bitters, shake until frothy. Strain into a martini glass and serve with lemon slice on side

Makes 2 drinks.

Chick Fuel Mocktail (pictured above)

-Fresh grapefruit juice
-Tonic water
-Dash of Angostura Bitters
-Meyer lemon slice for garnish

Fill a tall glass with ice and shake a dash of bitters on to the ice. Fill the glass 1/3 with grapefruit juice and fill the rest of the way up with tonic water. Serve with lemon on side

Makes 1 drink.