Drinking the Blues Away

 What’s cooking? Blue Butterfly Pea Tea, Blue Lemonade, Blue Margaritas

Is this not the coolest looking drink you've ever seen? Stay with me... 

My grandson, James has a favorite color: blue. Blue shoes. Blue shirts. We’ve made snickerdoodles together – he wanted his blue. I’ve made dinosaur cookies for him more than once; they, too, have to be blue. And it turns out, this predisposition puts him in the forefront of fashion this year.

Are you aware that there’s a color of the year? True, true. It sounds almost ridiculous, but we all know that certain colors rise and fall in the world of fashion and decor. Remember when avocado green was all the rage? But that was before Pantone – the color company – decided to exert some control over our collective imagination.

Every year, Pantone’s color experts choose and promote a Color of the Year (COTY). Combining trend analysis and new color influences, they consider various cultural and social icons, take the temperature of the collective psyche, then look deeply into their crystal balls, and issue a proclamation. This year, the COTY is Classic Blue.

Amazingly enough, the color you see here on your screen might not even be the true Classic Blue. Why? Because color is one of the great and conspicuous weaknesses in display technology. In fact (according The New Yorker magazine, which never lies), the range of colors available on the latest digital devices is more restricted than on color television screens from the 1960s.

Pantone’s poobahs say that Classic Blue is “a timeless and enduring blue hue, elegant in its simplicity. Suggestive of the sky at dusk, the reassuring qualities of Classic Blue offer the promise of protection. Classic Blue brings a sense of peace and tranquility to the human spirit, instilling calm and confidence and offering refuge.” Golly, I feel better already.

So as a foodie, what can one do with the Classic Blue? Not too many blue foods, although blueberries are very close to Pantone 19-4052, and a lot easier to remember. I once made the mistake of tossing some purple new potatoes into a fish chowder, and it turned the fish a nearly electric shade of blue. For a while, I thought some strange bacteria had infected the fish until I realized it was the potatoes; but at that point, I couldn’t really bring myself to eat the chowder and I threw it out. It just looked too weird.

But the Kitchen Goddess has made a discovery. Among the strange food-related items I’ve purchased since the lockdown began is a bag of Butterfly Pea Flower Tea. I know, it’s a mouthful. But other than blueberries, it’s one of the few true blue foods that exist in nature.

The tea flavor has that light earthiness of a green tea. Made from the flowers of the Clitoria ternatea plant, it isn’t technically a “tea,” but a tisane – a caffeine-free herbal beverage. It’s been around for centuries, originating in Southeast Asia, where its color-changing properties make it popular also in desserts and cocktails. Yes, you heard me right: color-changing. Are you intrigued? Read on...

So... is it also healthy? So glad you asked. Butterfly pea flower tea (also referred to as “pigeon-wing” tea) is chock-full of the antioxidant proanthocyanidin, which promotes collagen growth and skin cell elasticity and helps prevent chronic diseases, and acetylcholine, which promotes brain function and memory. These two factors alone should be enough to get us all mainlining the stuff.

The tea, on the other hand, is not just healthy – it’s really, really fun. It starts out deep blue, but if you add lemon or a bit of other citrus juice, the blue changes to purple. Now, isn’t that fun? The color goes from blue to purple when the pH level changes, in much the same way that a gardener can encourage hydrangeas to bloom blue by adding an acidic organic mulch. But this change happens before your eyes. Like magic!

I found my Blue Butterfly Pea Tea at amazon.com (where else?), but you can also get some from the very excellent tea company, Tea Forté, or at many of the other tea stores online. I bought the dried flowers and the powder version, but have not yet played with the latter.

Brewing Guide

■ For hot tea, use 1½ teaspoons of loose butterfly pea flower tea to 8 ounces of water heated to 205-210 degrees. Steep 3-4 minutes.

■ For cold brewing, use the same ratio of tea to cold water and steep 12 hours.

Butterfly pea flower tea isn’t as tricky to make as black or green tea in that it doesn’t get bitter if you brew it for too long. As I mentioned, it doesn’t have a strong distinctive taste on its own; the KG always adds lemon and/or honey, but you can make a blue tea latte by adding milk and sugar. And now, the Kitchen Goddess presents you with two other perfectly delightful ways to enjoy it.

Kitchen Goddess note: The recipes here are ones I found on other blogs as I rattled around the web. The originators are both food bloggers, and their blogs, which you can reach through the links posted in the attributions, are both well worth a visit – good writing, beautiful photos, and inspiring recipes.

This photo is of Stage 2 -- after the citrus addition but before stirring.

But it's also the prettiest.

Blue Butterfly Pea Lemonade

Adapted from the blog, Love & Olive Oil, by Lindsay Landis 

Makes about 48 ounces or 8 servings.

Ingredients

5 cups filtered water, divided
1 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
½ cup (¼ ounce) dried butterfly pea flowers
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (should take 8-10 lemons)

Directions
In a small saucepan over low heat, stir the sugar into 3 cups of the filtered water just until the sugar completely dissolves. Add the butterfly pea flowers and stir enough to combine. 

Bring the mixture to a simmer – no more stirring! – then cover the pan and let it steep off the heat for 10 minutes. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the mix and discard the flowers. Refrigerate to cool.

In a separate jar or glass measuring cup, combine the lemon juice with the remaining 2 cups of water. Kitchen Goddess note: If you don’t want to make so much at one time, just refrigerate the syrup and add lemon juice and water in a 1:2 ratio (e.g., for a single serving, use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to ¼ cup of water).

To serve, fill tall glasses with ice. Pour the butterfly pea syrup to about the halfway mark of the glass.

Here you are: Stage 1: Just the syrup over ice

Stage 3: Presto change-o! What was blue is now mauve.

To fully experience the color-changing magic, pour the lemon-water over the ice slowly, and... voila! Where the lemon meets the syrup, the color will slowly change from blue to mauve. Stir to combine the two mixtures until the color has completely turned.

* * *

I started working on this post mid-summer, and it’s almost karmic that today is Dieciséis de Septiembre, which for Mexico is the country’s 4th of July. So as we celebrate their Independence Day with our neighbors to the south, what better way than to mix up a color-changing margarita? It’s not just tasty, it’s a fiesta all to itself.

Blue Magic Margarita
Adapted from Meghan, who writes the blog, Fox-and-Briar

Makes 4 drinks.

Ingredients

For the infused tequila:
1 cup Silver Tequila
8 Butterfly Pea Flowers (dried)

For the margaritas:
4 ounces Butterfly Pea Flower Infused Tequila
2 ounces (¼ cup) lime juice
1½ ounces (3 tablespoons) triple sec or other orange liqueur (I used Paula’s Texas Orange)

1 ounce (2 tablespoons) simple syrup [For simple syrup: In a clean saucepan, stir together equal parts water and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Remove it from the heat and store.]

Instructions
First, make Butterfly Pea Infused Tequila. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the tequila and dried butterfly pea flowers. Let the mixture sit overnight or for at least 2-3 hours. Use a fine-mesh strainer to remove the flowers. The tequila will keep for... well, mine has lasted two months without a problem. Which means I’m clearly not making margaritas often enough.

Stage 1: Butterfly-pea-infused tequila alone over ice. 

For the Blue Magic Margarita, first rim your glasses with salt (optional): either (1) dip the rim of a glass in a shallow saucer of water or lemon or lime juice, or (2) moisten the rim using a slice of lemon or lime. Then dip the rim in a saucer of salt.

Fill the glass with ice, and add the butterfly-pea-infused tequila.

Stage 2: See how it changes as you're pouring? Notice that the syrupy ingredients are now

what's being poured, so they end up at the bottom of the glass. For the lemonade, the syrup

was already in the glass, so the citrus stayed on top.

In a separate jar or cocktail shaker, mix the lime juice, triple sec, and simple syrup. (If you like a less sweet drink, just reduce the amount of simple syrup.)  Shake well. Slowly pour the mixture into the tequila, and watch the drink turn from blue to mauve. (As with the lemonade, the fun is in pouring slowly, to better watch the color change. Stir to fully combine before drinking.  Garnish with a thin slice of lime.

And wish any of your Latino friends “¡Feliz día de Independencia!”

Celebrate Something!

What’s cooking? Black Bean/Avocado Tacos and Avocado Margaritas

Cinco de Mayo is here, and all I can think is, “Thank goodness for something to celebrate.” St. Paddy’s Day was all but lost in the confusion over who was sheltering in place and who wasn’t. We spent so much time cancelling flights and theatre tickets – I waited a full hour to speak to someone at United Airlines, and felt lucky to get them at all – that any thoughts of wearing green got mowed over by the need to wear masks. Easter came and went with online church services and only virtual hugs from my children and grandchildren, who were supposed to be hugging me in person. I didn’t even get to wear my new shoes.

So now that we’ve gotten used to the new normal, and are even enjoying various aspects of it, along comes a day without much heavy lifting, unless you count the energy it takes to raise a glass. As many of you may know, the celebration honors the Mexican Army’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. And who can object to that?

As it happens, the Kitchen Goddess has been experimenting with a couple of Mexican-ish dishes, which I’m happy to say are amazingly good, given their simplicity. And if you don’t have all the ingredients today, there’s always “mañana.”

The first dish is a vegetarian taco that uses black beans as the foundation. Folks, these are not your standard issue black beans, and – miracle of miracles – they start from a can. (Even the best chefs have the occasional recipe that uses canned beans.) But it’s the treatment that produces the magic. The source is Kendra Vaculin, who is a staff writer for Epicurious, and who refers to this concoction as The Very Best Black Beans In The World (her caps, not mine, but well deserved). You use the entire can, including the liquid, and “a bit of doctoring,” as Ms. Vaculin puts it. The entire process – including any chopping and measuring – took me less than a half hour. She describes the flavor as “vaguely Cuban,” which is close to Mexico, so I dove in.

Smokey and creamy, with a tiny bit of sweetness – those beans... let me just say that I’m not sure I will ever be able to eat canned black beans any other way. I used them to make tacos for my Prince and me, then bogarted the leftovers for my lunch the next day. And I can hardly wait to make them again. I'll just put it on my list, which is somewhere...

I saw a photo of the tacos and knew I had to make some. I’ve included the ingredients, but you can use whatever you have or what you like. They can be eaten hard or soft. We had them using soft corn tortillas because, as you may remember, the Kitchen Goddess doesn’t do deep frying. (Too hot, too messy.)

The second dish I bring you today is a version of margarita I came across in... (drum roll, please) Hawaii. Go figure. My hubby and I were on the island of Kauai, in a small town called Kapa‘a, at a tiny but inspired restaurant, "jo2," where the chef-owner makes whatever he feels like each day and the waitstaff adjusts. We were served these stunningly beautiful avocado margaritas, and, of course, the KG had to have the recipe.

In the restaurant, the bartender muddles the avocado with the cilantro, but the Kitchen Goddess thought a blender would be faster. And so it was. And when you are waiting for a margarita – especially in these COVID-19 times – fast is important.

But we have to make the food first. So here you go...

The Very Best Black Beans, in Black Bean/Avocado Tacos

Adapted from Kendra Vaculin on Epicurious, April 2020

Kitchen Goddess note: As with most taco recipes, the mix and quantity of ingredients is extremely flexible. This quantity of beans should be good for a dozen tacos (3 each for 4 people). I probably used a couple of tablespoons of beans for each taco. After that, I added two slices of avocado, a tablespoon each of the corn and bell pepper (so 2 tablespoons of the mix if you combine them as I did), and shredded lettuce, salsa, and cilantro. A list of other possibilities is below.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

For the black beans:

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sofrito 

½ cup diced (¼-inch) onion (about 1 small onion or ½ medium onion)

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup diced (¼-inch) red bell pepper (can substitute roasted red bell pepper from a jar)

1 15-ounce can black beans

½ can chicken/vegetable stock, or water plus ½ teaspoon Knorr chicken/vegetable bouillon powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

For the tacos:

corn or flour tortillas (KG thinks corn tortillas work best here, but your choice)

frozen corn, thawed (or freshly cut from cobs if you have it)

diced red bell pepper

shredded lettuce

salsa

cilantro

Other possibilities could include diced jalapeño, red onion, shredded cheese (Monterrey Jack, Pepper Jack, queso fresco, or queso blanco), lime, and/or a dollop of sour cream. A note of caution: With too many ingredients, you risk masking the flavor of the beans, which would be sad. So try not to overfill.

Directions (for the beans)

Make the sofrito (the Mexican equivalent of mirepoix), by heating the oil in a heavy, medium pot or skillet over medium heat, and adding the onion, garlic, and red bell pepper. Stir occasionally until the onion and pepper are soft, about 5-6 minutes. If the sofrito starts to brown or burn, reduce the heat. Don’t let the garlic burn.

The sofrito. Notice that I used red onion. You should use what you have -- I did.

Add the beans and any liquid from the can into the skillet. Pour in an additional ½ can of water or stock, swirling it in the actual can so as to incorporated any bean pieces left behind. If you use water, also add the bouillon powder. (If you don’t have bouillon powder or stock, don’t worry. Just add the water.)

Stir the beans and liquid into the sofrito until well combined. Add the seasoning mix (cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, and pepper), and stir well.

Bring the bean mixture to a simmer over medium heat and continue to stir often. As the mixture cooks down, which will take 10-12 minutes, use a wooden spoon or spatula or some other weapon with a broad flat bottom (the Kitchen Goddess used a Pyrex measuring cup) to mash about half of the beans, which will also thicken the mix. (It should still look plenty chunky.)

As you stir, you’ll want to make sure the mixture isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan. If you need to lower the heat, do so slightly. When the mixture looks thick enough that you can scrape a trail across the bottom of the pan with a spoon, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the honey and vinegar, and let the mix sit for a few minutes before serving, as it will set up some as it cools.

Of course, you have to have something to wash these tacos down, so here it is.

Not quite as striking as the ones at the restaurant, but equally delicious.

Avocado Margarita

Adapted from jo2 restaurant in Kapa‘a, Hawaii

These quantities make 2 drinks, which is about all I can serve these days.

Ingredients

½ small avocado

2 tablespoons cilantro

3 ounces tequila (We used Don Julio Tequila Blanco.)

1 ounce orange juice

1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 ounce simple syrup*

1 ounce Cointreau or other orange-based liqueur (We used Paula’s Texas Orange.)

Sugar or salt for rimming the glasses (I used a combination.)

Garnish: thin slices of avocado and small bright flowers if you have them

*Kitchen Goddess note: Simple syrup is one of those things I like to have always in the fridge. It’s indeed simple but supremely helpful for sweetening all kinds of cocktails, iced tea, iced coffee, lemonade, and other cold drinks. As a liquid sweetener, it’s much easier to blend into cold beverages than regular sugar. To make it, gently heat equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the syrup promptly once the sugar is dissolved, and store it in a sterilized jar in the fridge. Simple syrup made and stored this way will keep for at least a month.

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender, and blend the crap out of it. While the blender is running, rim the glasses by dipping the rims in a shallow plate with about ⅛ inch of water in it. Spread the sugar/salt in another plate and when the rim has been moistened, carefully dip the rim of the glass into the sugar or salt or sugar/salt.

Add ice to the rimmed glasses and pour in your beautiful avocado margarita. Toast with “Salud, amor, y pesetas, y tiempo para gozarlos.” (“Health, love, and money, and time to enjoy them.”)

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo in Germany

What’s cooking? Dulce de Leche and Spicy Pineapple-Tequila Sorbet

Yes, the Kitchen Goddess is in Germany, but that doesn’t stop her from wishing you a happy Cinco de Mayo! I’m not really sure if they recognize May 5 as having any special significance where I am – we’re just getting over celebrating King’s Day with the people in Amsterdam, and one national festival in a week is quite enough for me.

King's Day Revelers in Amsterdam

King’s Day in the Netherlands is a celebration of the King’s birthday, and the entire country parties, but nowhere as intensely as in Amsterdam. Everyone wears something orange, and many dye their hair orange, in  honor of the House of Orange-Nassau, which rules over the Netherlands. Orange plastic hats, orange synthetic leis, and orange wigs are everywhere – it’s sufficiently well-known that the population of Amsterdam doubles on that day. A day filled with eating and drinking and singing and drinking and parading in the streets and drinking and even a bit of marijuana smoking in the streets... Let’s just say that, unlike the Kitchen Goddess’s Dutch ancestors, these Dutch know how to party. The fellows in this photo are typical of the sort of over-the-top costuming that takes place.







By contrast, Cinco de Mayo isn’t nearly as significant of a holiday in Mexico as it is in the States, where it has become widely recognized by Mexican-Americans as a celebration of their heritage. And since the rest of us enjoy a good celebration as much as anyone – especially if it involves food and alcoholic beverages – you’ll find a large number of non-Mexican-Americans joining in the fun.

There’s nothing like dessert to help you celebrate. I served these at a recent group dinner party where the theme was Mexican cuisine. I give you two ways to make dulce de leche [pronounced DOOL-say day LAY-chay], which is sort of like the Mexican version of Nutella – a delicious caramel spread made from (1) milk and sugar, or (2) sweetened condensed milk. The second way is so easy it’s almost laughable, but being the KG, I of course had to try it both ways. The first produces a deeper, darker, thicker caramel, but given the ease of the second way, I’ll probably choose that when I do it again.

Spicy Pineapple and Tequila Sorbet

Adapted from Max Falcowitz at SeriousEats.com

For this sorbet, there’s nothing tricky at all and you will love the sweet-tart flavor of the pineapple-lime combination. I reduced the amount of sugar from the original recipe and doubled the lime, but you should play with the flavors however you like. The KG couldn’t really taste the tequila, even after doubling the amount called for in the original recipe (on the theory that you can never have too much tequila), but the alcohol does help keep the sorbet from freezing too hard.

Makes 4-5 cups.

Ingredients
2 pounds peeled, cored, and chunked ripe pineapple (about 1½  pineapples before trimming)
kosher salt
¼ cup water
¾ cup sugar
1½  teaspoons Aleppo pepper
2 tablespoons silver tequila
Juice of two limes (or to taste), plus zest of one of the limes (using a rasp)

Directions
KG note on pineapple: I had no problem finding already trimmed, ripe pineapple at my grocery, but if you are not so lucky and find only semi-ripe pineapple, apparently you can toss it with ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt and bake it at 450º in a glass baking dish for 1-2 minutes, or until pineapple is sweet and aromatic. Do not overbake.

Load the pineapple chunks with the water into a blender and purée until very smooth (at least 2 minutes). You should have about 4 cups of juice. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until sugar dissolves. Add salt to taste.

Pour the purée into a bowl or plastic container and cover tightly. Chill in refrigerator for at least two hours, or until very cold.

Process in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Chill in an airtight container in your freezer for 2-3 hours before serving.

Dulce de Leche (two methods)

Adapted from Epicurious.com

I served this as a dipping sauce with churros – the Mexican equivalent to doughnuts, but you can also stir some into your coffee, or drizzle it over ice cream, or spread it on toast. You may find yourself eating it straight with a spoon – that’s okay, too.

Makes 1¼-1½ cups

For the classic method:

Ingredients
4 cups milk
1¼ cups sugar
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
In a large (3-4 quarts) heavy saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, and baking soda.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat enough to simmer the liquid, uncovered, for 1½ to 1¾ hours, until it thickens and caramelizes. For the first hour, you will need to stir only occasionally and make sure the mix doesn’t settle on the bottom. After that first hour, the milk will begin to caramelize more intensely, and you’ll need to stir more often, to avoid burning.

After 30 minutes...

After one hour...

After 90 minutes.

When the mixture is well caramelized, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

Kitchen Goddess Recipe for Disaster: If you are making dulce de leche in the condensed milk method and asking someone – like your darling husband – to pour the water into the pan for the water bath, be sure to let them know that it goes into the larger, roasting pan and not the pie pan containing the milk. Because there’s no way to cook it down enough to get rid of all that extra water and you will end up with a small marital crisis on your hands and no way to get a picture of the final product unless you start over with another can of milk, which you might not have. Just saying.

Sweetened condensed milk method:

Ingredients
One 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk (not the same as plain evaporated milk, which has no added sugar)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Move one of the racks to the middle of the oven.

Pour the contents of the can of sweetened condensed milk into a 9-inch pie pan (deep-dish if you have one) and place it in a roasting pan with sides at least 2 inches deep. Cover the pie pan tightly with foil. Add enough hot water to the roasting pan to reach halfway up the pie plate.

Bake the milk in the middle of the oven for 1½ hours, checking the water level at the 45-minute mark and adding additional water if necessary. Check milk at the end of the 1½ hours – if it’s not thick and brown, replace the foil and cook another 15 minutes.

Once the milk is thick and brown, remove pie plate from the water bath and cool, uncovered. Makes about 1¼ cups.

Dulce de leche will keep for a month, refrigerated. You can also freeze it. Even better, make Dulce de Leche Ice Cream, from this epicurious.com recipe.

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

¡Olé! It’s Cinco de Mayo, Time to Celebrate What’s cooking? Simply Savory Guacamole and Crazy Margaritas

I don’t know why EVERY holiday catches me by surprise, but there it is. I’ve just realized that Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow – ack! now it’s today, because it took me so long to put together this post. And let’s not even discuss the fact that this coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. Ever since our sons graduated from the school system, I no longer have markers like Columbus Day and Spring Break to remind me of time passing. When you’re retired, every day is Saturday.

But back to Cinco de Mayo. Now you may or may not know that the Kitchen Goddess grew up on Tex-Mex food. In San Antonio, where I was born and raised, Tex-Mex is the cuisine du jour not just on the Cinco de Mayo (and how many times do you get to use French and Spanish in the same sentence?), but every day of the year. In the public schools I attended from elementary through high school, Wednesday was Tex-Mex day for all 12 years. Probably still is. In high school, even when it wasn’t Wednesday, we’d haul ass most days over to a tiny Tex-Mex place where we could eat our fill for less than a dollar. And as likely as not, my family would order the stuff to pick up from a nearby restaurant any time my mom didn’t feel like cooking, which was at least once a week.

In San Antonio, tortilla chips with bean dip and chile con queso are de rigueur as party fare. (OMG, English and Spanish food terms with French – it’s a linguistic free-for-all! Can you tell I’m having fun?) In fact, I’ve just returned from a three-day high school reunion there where we had Tex-Mex for dinner on Friday and for brunch on Sunday, and everyone loved it. Salsa is mother’s milk to this group.

Our brunch at La Fonda on Main in San Antonio. Photo by Cindi Bless Bullen.

Historical note: Cinco de Mayo is a celebration – not of Mexico’s Independence Day, which is September 16 – but of an unlikely victory by the Mexican army over the French in the town of Puebla in 1862. In a classic David-vs-Goliath fight, the Mexicans decisively defeated the French, despite having an army about half the size. It took another four years for the Mexicans to finally evict Napoleon III’s army, who were trying to establish an empire that would favor French interests, but the Battle of Pueblo provided an important boost in morale for the Mexicans. Today, Cinco de Mayo celebrations take place all over the U.S., and even in parts of Canada.

The Kitchen Goddess loves to celebrate almost anything, especially if there are some authentic and tasty foods involved. Two of the essentials to any legitimate Cinco de Mayo festivities are guacamole and margaritas. Now I want to say right here that there are a thousand recipes for guac, and probably two thousand for ’ritas. This guac is mine, and it’s so easy I have taught it to my husband, who now thinks he’s a guac expert. I think that’s cute, so I haven’t disabused him of the notion. It’s fairly simple, and you may wish to start with mine and add things like raw onion or cumin or cilantro or jalapeño. The KG doesn’t like raw onion or really hot spiciness, so onions and jalapeños are never a part of our concoction. But we get a lot of compliments on this one, and sometimes simple is best.

The KG has boldly stolen this margarita recipe from friends who grew up in New Jersey, and who said they got it from friends in the South, who got it from other friends. Which only goes to tell you that it’s good enough to pass around. I’d heard about this particular mix, and was, frankly, horrified. But the New Jersey friends made a batch for a recent party and offered the KG one without letting on to the ingredients. Well, friends, let me just say that you must try this before you dismiss it out of hand. Purists will gag at the list and consider burning the KG on a rotisserie grill, but they would be foolish to do so without testing it out. And that’s all I’ll say.

Kitchen Goddess note on buying avocados: If you’re eating them today or tomorrow, buy avocados that yield slightly to gentle pressure in the palm of your hand. Don’t poke them, which causes bruising. Unripe avocados are hard to the touch but will ripen at room temperature in 3-4 days. Avoid ones with indentations, as those are signs of soft spots/bruises. The skin of California avocados (sold both as Hass and as Haas) turns very dark green – almost black – and is covered in small bumps when ripe.

Simply Savory Guacamole

Makes 2 cups.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Hass avocados, ripe but not soft
juice of one lemon (or lime juice, if you prefer), about 3 tablespoons
¼ cup Rotel Tomatoes & Green Chilies (from a 10-ounce can), plus 1 tablespoon liquid (see directions below)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
freshly ground pepper to taste (3-4 good grinds)

Cut the avocados in half, then peel and seed them. Add them to a small but deep bowl and, using either a fork or a potato masher or (Kitchen Goddess’s preference) a pastry blender, mash the avocado to a rough texture. Add the lemon juice and continue to mash until the mixture reaches a consistency you like. (The Kitchen Goddess likes it with small bits of avocado still intact.)

Measure out the tomatoes from the can, using a fork or slotted spoon to avoid the juice, and add the tomatoes to the bowl. Then measure out 1 tablespoon of the liquid from the can and add that as well. Add the garlic salt, and stir well. Taste to correct seasoning, and add pepper.

Cover the finished guacamole with cellophane wrap, tucking the cellophane down into the bowl so that it forms a film on top of the guacamole. This will keep the guacamole from turning brown as it chills. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips or (low-cal version) red bell pepper and cucumber pieces.

Margaritas Locas (Crazy Margaritas)

Makes 8 6-ounce drinks.

INGREDIENTS:

1 12-ounce can frozen limeade
1 12-ounce can or bottle of beer (I use Corona)
12 ounces tequila
12 ounces 7-Up
limes, cut in wedges
kosher salt, about ¼-inch deep, in a saucer or shallow bowl

Pour the first four ingredients into a pitcher, stir, and chill. When ready to serve, use a wedge of lime to moisten the rims of the glasses, then dip the rims into the salt. Serve the margarita mixture over ice in the salt-rimmed glasses. Add a wedge of lime to each glass.

Boozy Blues What’s cooking? Tequila-infused Blueberries

Summer is a season of fruits. Fruit-based ice creams and sorbets, fruit tarts, fruit salads, fruit smoothies, fruit shortcakes, and just plain old fruit. And now, the Kitchen Goddess reminds you of a twist on fruit that you might have forgotten: mixing fruit with alcohol. Really, people, can you think of a better way to enjoy nature’s bounty?

I know, I know, you’ve made sangria, and you’ve poured Triple Sec or some other orange-based liqueur over raspberries or strawberries. This is a new take on that sort of thing, with a combination I’ve never heard of before. I discovered it on one of my foodie newsletters, Tasting Table, and blueberries will never be the same for me. The berries, soaked in a tequila-lime syrup, retain their slightly tart taste, but now have a boozy sweetness added to the flavor profile. And the tequila-lime syrup reminds me of a sort of intense margarita.

A warning from the Kitchen Goddess: It’s a good idea to put the ingredients together the night before (make the tequila-lime syrup, and deposit the blueberries into it), as overnight marination helps the flavors enormously. BUT... you should wait until AFTER breakfast the next day to sample them. The Kitchen Goddess was trying to figure out ways she could tell you to use them, and in the process tasted them, well, two or three times, and oooo-eee, they are mighty fine. But then it was time for a short nap. So have breakfast first. In fact, have breakfast and lunch first – tequila isn’t really a morning drink.

These little baubles take almost no time to make and can be used in a number of ways. If you find one not listed here, I hope you’ll let me know.

■ My husband’s favorite is to spoon the blueberries and a tiny bit of the “juice” over vanilla ice cream. I don’t know why ice cream and this tequila-lime syrup are so good together, but as the singer Iris Dement would say, “Let the mystery be.” Just enjoy it.

■ My personal fave is to muddle a couple of tablespoons of the blueberries, then stir in 2 tablespoons of the tequila-lime syrup and 1-1¼ teaspoons of fresh-squeezed lime juice. Serve it as an aperitif cocktail.

■ Serve the tequila-lime syrup and berries together in a shot glass. But you may want to limit the number you offer per guest. It’s potent stuff.

■ STOP THE PRESSES. The Kitchen Goddess has just discovered her own version of a blueberry margarita. If you rim a small glass with margarita salt, and add ice, the berries and syrup together can be a cocktail on its own. You might even add club soda and see how that goes. So I don’t have a photo of it, but it would be a little like the above photo if I’d added salt and a couple of cubes of ice, and a bit more of the tequila-lime syrup in a slightly larger glass. Okay, so it’s nothing like this photo, but you are a smart bunch and can figure it out.

Tequila-Infused Blueberries

Adapted from the Tasting Table

Chiles de árbol 

1¾ cups tequila, preferably one that is 100% agave (I bought Familia Camarena, $21)
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
4 strips of lime zest (use a vegetable peeler)
2 chiles de árbol (or other milder chile)
2 pints blueberries






Start by making the tequila-lime syrup. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the tequila, sugar, water, lime zest and chiles. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Allow the mixture to simmer 5 minutes. [Kitchen Goddess note: The KG and her hubby go for a minimum of spicy heat, but wanted the flavor of the chiles, so I split them and scraped out the seeds. If you want more heat, leave the chiles whole.]

While the tequila-lime syrup is still warm, add the blueberries and transfer the entire mixture to a 1-quart jar. Seal the jar and let the contents cool to room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator. For best effect, chill at least 24 hours before using.

The blueberries will keep for up to 1 month, but only if you’re not trying. The Kitchen Goddess’s batch made it less than a week before her husband was whining for more.