Boulevardier Cocktail

It's just fun to say!
Try it, let it roll off your tongue.
Bo UL le var de A
Welcome to my phonetics, I just made that up.
Add a little French accent twist when you say it, and I think you got this down.

If you like Manhattens, or Old Fashions, then I think you will like this.
A Lot.
Apparently this is the same as a Negroni (but no gin), which is exactly why I like it better. Though this one is pretty good, Amaro Negroni
Wikipedia says it's similar to an "Old Pal".

Makes 1
Ingredients

1 big jigger rye whiskey (or bourbon)
1 sm jigger Campari
1 sm jigger Sweet Vermouth (red)
Orange twist
A marschino cherry (not traditional, but recommended)

Fill up a shaker with ice, pour all the booze over the ice.
Shake, shake, shake.
Twist your orange peel over the glass and pour the boulevardier over the top.

NOTE- You can also serve this over the rocks (ice cubes) instead of straight up in a martini glass.

Enjoy!

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The Old Pal Martini

I read a hilarious article in Elle Decor which matched cocktails with your Zodiac sign.
Hahaha, I thought it was ridiculous, until I read what they matched me with.
Perfect!
Here's the article, if you are interested.
It said I was Loyal, Straightforward and Ambitious, just like this cocktail!

Makes 1 large cocktail

Ingredients

2 oz. rye whiskey

1 oz. Campari

1 oz. dry French vermouth (white)

Lemon twist, for garnish

Stir whiskey, Campari, and vermouth in an ice-filled shaker. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass; garnish with lemon twist.

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Breakfast Cookies- Coconut, Almonds, Chocolate and Zucchini

I've been wanting to try breakfast cookies for a while, because you know...
breakfast cookies!
Yay!
I would be happy to eat healthy cookies to start my day.

I found so many recipes online, with all sorts of ingredients, but I love coconut and I had some zucchini that I wanted to use.  Perfect!  I found this recipe on this cute blog, and only added one thing, nuts!  I felt this needed a bit more crunch, so I added slivered almonds, but walnuts or pecans would be great too. 

Makes 24 large cookies
Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 Tbsp coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup shredded zucchini

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup slivered almonds

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (mini chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut oil and sugars, mix until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract. Next, add the shredded zucchini. Mix until combined.

Slowly add flour mixture until just combined. Stir in oats, nuts, coconut, and chocolate chips.

Drop cookie dough by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are slightly golden around the edges and set. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

I got 24 cookies, and yes, I DID eat a little dough!

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Baked Crab Rangoon

I think we can all admit, crab and cream cheese are awesomely delicious, especially when baked to a crispy perfection.  I'm fully aware Crab Rangoon is one of those American "Asian" appetizers...  and didn't originate in Burma at all. I've been thinking of making this recipe for some time, but really needed a reason to do it. 

Last month, we had a family birthday with a Korean theme menu- my sister made some fantastic chicken bulgogi and my mom brought her famous kimchi.  I was supposed to bring an appetizer. Hmmmm, that's kind of tricky,  you know?  I can't name a Korean appetizer off the top of my head, but maybe you can?  So, I settled on Crab Rangoon.  I

n the below picture, you can see I used canned crab.  I love fresh crab more, of course, but honestly, this is cheaper, easier and pretty darn good!  We bought this at the Business Costco for $9.99 for a 1 lb can (it's sold refrigerated, but it lasts a long time), but unfortunately, we have not seen it at a regular Costco.  I highly recommend this canned crab, just think how easy Baked Crab dip would be if you had one of these in your fridge?

I baked my Crab Rangoon because I think deep frying things is messy and tedious, plus it's certainly more healthy to bake these. 

Makes a bunch, serves a crowd
Ingredients

1 pkg og won ton wrappers
1 lb crab (I used canned)
8 oz pkg of cream cheese, softened
1/2 can of water chestnuts, chopped or substitute 1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp soy sauce
Salt & Pepper, as needed
Toasted sesame seeds (optional, garnish)

Dipping sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp garlic hot sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
Make the dipping sauce by mixing all the ingredients above together.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all the filling ingredients together, being careful to not over mix the crab and break it into a "mush", it's nice to have some crab lumps in there. Taste the filling, adjust seasoning as needed.

You will need small tart tins, as muffin tins will be too big.  Spray, or oil, the tins and set near your work area.

Take two wonton wrappers and cross each layer like the photo below.

Use a tablespoon, or small cookie scoop, and add the filling in the middle of the wonton.
The amount shown below is a bit much... might want to do a bit less. Carefully pinch it together using  your thumb and 3 fingers and push into the tart pan.  It should "flower" up on the sides and look nice!

Here they are all ready to go in the oven.  In this case, I brought them to my sister's house like this to bake there.

Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, or until hot and crispy.  Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Here's some pictures of the family dinner ready to be served up.  This was a buffet as we had about 20 people for dinner that night. Below, a couple of Asian-like salads with a slaw and a marinated cucumber salad.  Mom's kimchi was a hit.

Marinated chicken thigh bulgogi was SO good.  All my sisters are great cooks. 
You may notice that my sister also has the same Villeroy & Boch china that I have to, in case you are wondering!