Spring Cocktails and Recipes
Spring showers bring…edible spring flowers? Floral cocktails that may just help the quarantine blues. And a dandelion potato salad.
It has taken me some time to write this post because I wanted to get it right. Did you know that many flowers and weeds are edible? They are high in nutrition and add a very sophisticated taste to your food and drinks. Always choose wisely, because not all flowers and weeds are edible. Make sure they are free of pesticides and herbicides (weed killer). Here is a great source to edible flowers. And, here is a great source to edible weeds. I can’t stress enough that they must be ORGANIC and free of pesticides and herbicides (weed killer). My choices for today’s recipes are elderflower, rose, and dandelions. I feel like these are easy to get in any area. Here is the menu of today’s recipes:
Cocktails
Let’s begin with Elderflower…I always have this cordial on hand. Elderflower cordial gives a really nice, floral taste that is also sweet and sophisticated. You can make a Gin Fizz with it. So refreshing! My cocktail I present today:
Elderflower White Wine Spritzer
Ingredients:
4 oz of dry white wine (like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc)
1 oz of Elderflower cordial or liqueur
squeeze of fresh lemon wedge
1 strip of lemon peel
Directions:
Fill your glass with ice. Add 4 ounces of dry white wine. Then add 1 ounce of elderflower cordial or liqueur. Add a squeeze of a lemon wedge. Then top with mineral water or club soda. I have tried both and honestly the mineral water is way better with this recipe! Stir in the glass to mix together and to chill with the ice. Take your lemon peel, just a little strip…you can use a carrot peeler. Squeeze gently to work up it’s oil, then rub the rim of the glass and add to your drink!
To make a pitcher, you will need to quadruple the recipe.
1 bottle of white wine, 4 ounces of elderflower cordial, 1 whole lemon, 4 strips of lemon peel, and probably 1 bottle of mineral water (yes!) or club soda. Add all the ingredients together in a pitcher, with the exception of the lemon peel, then use lemon peel when poured into the glasses. This would make 4 servings.
For a quick spritzer, you can also buy Elderflower lemon soda from Trader Joes and mix it with the wine instead of the other ingredients. Also Belvoir sells an elderflower soda that you can buy online here. Personally, my favorite is the recipe because there is more carbonation, which to me just tastes more refreshing!
Now for the rose. This one took me longer than the others! I tried soooo many rose water options to make the perfect drink! I am a Kentucky girl, so the best option, challenge rather, was to make a bourbon cocktail with rosewater. I chose Mint Julep, a Kentucky classic cocktail. The bourbon I chose was, of course, Four Roses for its smooth, floral, and honey notes. Wow!! This cocktail worked stunningly!
Rose Mint Julep
Rose Mint Julep
Ingredients:
2 oz chilled (very very cold) Four Roses Bourbon
4 mint leaves
dash of sugar, preferably turbinado sugar, or granulated sugar
1 lemon wedge
4-6 tbs chilled (very very cold) rosewater (recipe below)
1 tbs raw honey or regular honey for the rosewater
glass full of crushed ice (can use a blender) you want to exaggerate the amount, like almost snow cone level :)
Directions:
In a small bowl or muddling bowl, rip up your mint leaves to release the oils for flavor. Add a squeeze of lemon wedge, 1 tbs of rosewater, and a dash of turbinado or any granulated sugar. Then muddle. You can use a wooden spoon if you don’t have a muddle, and I don’t haha!
To a glass (these would be perfect for this occasion), add your 2 oz of very cold bourbon. If you have any more juice in your lemon wedge, add that. It’s perfectly okay, though, if you used it all in your muddling concoction. Then add your 3-5 more tbs of rosewater (recipe below). I say 3-5 tbs because, depending on your bourbon taste preference, you might like the strong taste of bourbon with the 3 tbs, or the stronger rosewater taste that comes through with 5 tbs. My husband liked both actually, but said that people who like more of a bourbon-y taste would prefer 3 tbs haha! I love husband input! Add your muddle concoction. Then add only half of that ice you just crushed in the blender. Then stir. Once mixed, add the rest of your ice to give your drink that mint julep snow cone effect. Top it with a mint leaf stem if you’d like.
Rosewater Recipe:
Buy organic roses. I get these on Amazon and they are easy and work perfect for this recipe. You can use fresh ones too, just make sure they are organic, very important! If you decide to do fresh roses, here is a recipe for fresh.
For the dried petals I chose, you will just need 1 tbs of petals and 2/3 cups of filtered water. In a pot, add filtered water and wait until boiling, then add the dried rose petals for about 4-5 minutes or until the petals lose their color. Strain or discard petals and add 1 tbs of raw honey. If you choose the fresh petal recipe, separate 2/3 cup of rosewater, and add the 1 tbs of raw honey.
Sounds like a lot of work right?!! It really isn’t! Especially now you have rose petals to make rose water for skin care or just to sip on. I recommend adding a squeeze of lemon and some stevia if you drink it on the regular. It tastes like a fragrant tea really.
If you just want a quick drink, these worked very well as mixers:
Kevita Watermelon Rose (can get at Whole Foods or local Co-op)
The beauty of this stunning cocktail is that it carries over into the summer quite well! You can add muddled strawberries to the mix, or juice some fresh watermelon. Make it sparkling with mineral water or club soda. It’s really a wonderful Kentucky cocktail that would work nicely at a party or just relaxing on your back (or front) porch. Cheers!
Food
dandelion potato salad
spring roast
Dandelions…
Dandelion greens salad
Oh the possibilities…
So many ways to consume dandelions and dandelion greens with the convenience of your own backyard. These babies are full of nutrition. You can make a dandelion wine. Maybe some day I will try this! I usually just add them to my salads or juice them. I also drink dandelion tea. You must ALWAYS make sure your dandelions are free of pesticides and weed killer. If you are worried about this, your local Co-op or Whole Foods typically sells dandelion green (not the flowers). You also may be able to pick up at a farmers market. You can consume the flowers, all the way down to the roots!
Here is an awesome recipe for a warm dandelion and potato salad.
Doesn’t this look yummy? And resourceful and tasty.
Not only are dandelions a great and resourceful way to eat, they can also be used for medicinal purposes.
Of course, these statements are used for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended for medical advice. Any one reading/watching this, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.
Spring Roast
When you think of roast, usually it’s something you will have for the colder months, but actually it does quite well in the spring and summer. So, if you have any chuck roast or brisket still in the freezer, get it out to thaw. With any beef roast, you can make so many variations. We love shredded beef tacos, pasta with shredded beef, topped on salads, or just by itself with some spring veggies on the side.
Easy Spring Roast
Ingredients:
2-4 lbs chuck roast, brisket, or any roast will do
1-2 cups black coffee (we just use coffee that is leftover)
1-2 cups water
4-6 tbs liquid aminos (really your preference on how salty you would like it to taste)
1 tsp garlic powder (You can use fresh garlic if you have it. This just happened to be what we had on hand)
1 medium onion cut chunky (just for flavor)
Spring herbs-any of these are great-thyme, rosemary, italian parsley, chives
salt and pepper
just enough butter to cover a skillet (preferably a large iron cast skillet like this one.)
optional-carrots for flavor
Instructions:
Set out your roast 15-30 mins before you cook it.
In a large skillet, add just enough butter to coat and turn on high heat, and wait for the butter to turn slightly brown. That is when you will know it’s ready. In the meantime, blot your roast with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. This will help the browning process. Then salt and pepper the side that is going down first in your skillet. Once butter has slightly browned, with tongs, place the salt and peppered side of your roast down into the skillet. While this side is browning (should take 2-3 minutes, and you will see the edges turn crispy and brown, that is when you will know!), salt and pepper the side up before flipping the roast over. Once you flip over, wait about the same time, until the edges are crispy and brown.
In your crock pot add the rest of the ingredients. Once the roast is browned on both sides, throw it in the crock pot. Flip it a couple time to make sure it gets all the yummy stuff on both sides. One thing I have learned is that you don’t want to completely cover the roast with the liquid ingredients. It will take away from the flavor of the actual meat. Plus the meat will make it’s own liquid. So for the liquid ingredients, they really need to be no more than 2 inches deep in your crock pot. Turn your crock pot on the low setting for 8 hours, unless you need it sooner, set on high for 4-5 hours.
That’s it! Just have to wait patiently with all the savory smells in the air. Oh! One thing I wanted to warn you about is when you are browning the meat in your skillet, expect it to be smokey. My husband always says he knows the food will be good based on how smokey it gets in the kitchen! So, you might want to run the fan and open a window! This is a great tasting roast! So much so, that my husband (his name is Joey btw), will request it like everyday, until I say no I am tired of roast every single day! Haha! I taught him how to make it too. So easy!
Well, that’s a wrap for my first recipe post. I hope you all enjoyed it and it inspires you to make interesting things! Have a good rest of your week:)
