CHEESECAKE FACTORY® PINEAPPLE PISCO SOUR

Cheesecake Factory® Pineapple Pisco Sour

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Menu Description: "Our version of the 150-year-old classic with Pisco and pineapple juice. Served on the rocks."
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Pisco is a South American grape brandy produced in Peru and Chile. Frothee is a drink-foaming ingredient found at liquor stores and bar supply outlets

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1-1/2 ounces pisco
1-1/2 ounces pineapple juice
1-1/2 ounces sweet-and-sour mix
3/4 ounce grapefruit juice
3/4 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
2 to 3 squirts Frothee

Garnish
pineapple wedge
lime wedge

Fill cocktail shaker with enough ice to fill a 16 ounce wine glass.

Add all drink ingredients to the shaker and shake well.
Pour drink into a wine glass.
Garnish with a wedge of fresh pineapple and a lime slice on the rim of the glass. Add two cocktail straws,
Makes 1 drink.

IN-N-OUT® DOUBLE DOUBLE®

In-N-Out® Double-Double®

1 plain hamburger bun

1/3 Pound ground beef

salt

1 Tablespoon Kraft Thousand Island dressing

1 Large tomato slice (or 2 small slices)

1 Large lettuce leaf-iceberg

4 Slices American cheese (Singles)or- 2 slices real American cheese

1 whole onion slice (sliced thin)

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Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.

Form beef patties by dividing beef into two even portions, flatten between two pieces of waxed paper. Press patties very thin and slightly larger than the bun, as shown in picture.

Lightly toast the both halves of the hamburger bun in skillet.

Lightly salt beef patties and cook 203 minutes. Flip patties and immediately place two slices of cheese on each one. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
To Assemble the Burger:

bottom bun

thousand island dressing

tomato

lettuce

beef patty with the melted cheese slices

onion slice

beef patty with the melted cheese slices

top bun

CLAIM JUMPER® WHISKEY CHICKEN

Claim Jumper® Whiskey Chicken

3/4 stick butter
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
1/4 tsp. plus 1 pinch white pepper
10 oz. sourdough croutons
1-1/2 Granny Smith apples, diced
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
4 double chicken breasts, skin-on
1 cup apple juice
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup whiskey
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 pinch fresh tarragon leaves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
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Melt butter in a saucepan. Sauté celery and onion until translucent. In a separate pot, place 1-1/2 cups chicken stock, thyme, basil garlic and 1/4 tsp. white pepper; simmer 15 minutes. Pour chicken stock mixture over the onions and celery; simmer 15 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine croutons, 1 whole diced apple, dried tarragon and parsley; add to stock mixture. Mix well. Spread mixture on a cookie sheet to cool.
Place chicken breasts skin side down on a cutting board; flatten and score thick spots. Place a 3-inch ball of stuffing on the chicken breasts; roll the ends over the ball to cover it completely. Place each rolled up chicken breast on a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet. Pour a little water in the baking sheet. Bake chicken in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until the chicken's internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
In a saucepan, combine 1/2 apple, 1/2 cup chicken stock, apple juice, brandy, whiskey, sugar, fresh tarragon, allspice, nutmeg and 1 pinch white pepper; simmer 20 minutes. If needed, thicken with a slurry of 1 Tbsp. cornstarch and a little water.
Serve chicken over a bed of stuffing. Drizzle sauce over chicken before serving.

NEIMAN MARCUS CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

You can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes, so here is another one for your files.

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen cookies
1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 Cup light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Large egg
2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
1-3/4 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 Teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
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Preheat the oven to 300F.
Prepare a cookie sheet with about 2 tablespoons of shortening or use a non-stick spray.

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Using an electric mixer cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed until mixture is fluffy, about 3- seconds. Add the egg and vanilla and beat about 30 seconds longer, until well combined.

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In another bowl sift together sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on lowest speed slowly add the flour mixture, mixing for about 15 seconds. Stir in chocolate chips and espresso powder and mix for about 15 seconds longer.

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Using a 1-ounce scoop, or using a 2; tablespoon measure, drop the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet in dollops about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into 2-inch circles; there should be room on the sheet for six or eight cookies at a time. Transfer to the oven in batches and, bake for about 20 minutes or until the cookies are nicely browned around the edges. Bake for a little longer for crisper cookies
Servings: 24

DOUBLETREE CHOCOLATE CIP COOKIES

When we had a Doubletree in the nearby city we would often run in and pick up a couple of these delicious cookies to eat on the way home.

Some notes:

This recipe calls for 3 cups of chocolate chips, if you feel this is too much cut the amount down to 2 cups. This cookie is best if the dough chills overnight before baking.

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Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 Cup oatmeal

2-1/4 Cups all purpose flour

1-1/2 Teaspoons baking soda

1 Teaspoon salt

1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon

1 Cup (2 sticks) butter softened

3/4 Cup packed brown sugar

3/4 Cup sugar

1-1/2 Teaspoons vanilla

1/2 Teaspoon lemon juice

2 eggs

3 Cups semi sweet chocolate chips

1 ½ cups chopped walnuts

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Preheat oven to 350. Grind oats in blender until very fine. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl.

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Cream butter, sugars, vanilla and lemon juice in separate bowl with electric mixer. Add eggs, mixing until smooth. Add dry mixture, blend well. Add chips and nuts, mixing well.
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Spoon rounded 1/4 cup portions onto ungreased cookie sheet. Place 2 inches apart. Do not press flat.

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Bake 14-18 minutes until light brown but soft in middle. Store in a sealed container when cool to keep soft.

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Yield: 20

STRAWBERRY CREAM LEMONADE

Strawberry Cream Lemonade

When Life hands you lemons and you just happen to have strawberries and cream on hand, make strawberry cream lemonade.

You will want to check the tartness of your lemonade and add more sugar if needed. Bakers Sugar by C&H is found in grocery stores all over and is a super fine sugar. If you have this I would suggest using this fine sugar for ease of dissolving. If not granulated sugar works just fine. Depending on the yield of juice from your lemons you may need to adjust the amount of water a bit.

STRAWBERRY CREAM LEMONADE
Serves4
12 lemons (about 3 cups juice)
1/3 cup- 1/2 cup, granulated sugar (or Baker’s sugar) – or to taste
1/2 cup, heavy or whipping cream
6-8 strawberries, puree dice for serving.
3-3 1/2 cups cold water
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Cut the lemons in half and squeeze out all the juice.
Pour the juice into a large jug. Add the sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolved.
Add three cups of cold water and whisk again to blend. Add the cream and the pureed strawberries and whisk until all ingredients are well combined. Pour over ice into tall, 12-ounce glasses.

Click here for a few more Lemonade recipes from Meemo's Kitchen, including some with "adult content"(some with and some without alcohol)

Click here for some great burger recipes, from Meemo's Kitchen to serve with your lemonade

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE 4TH OF JULY 2009!

HARD ROCK CAFE® PIG SANDWICH

Here's the super secret recipes version of Hard Rock Cafe's most popular sandwich, to serve with the Hard Rock Cafe® Cole Slaw and Bar-b-que Beans recipes posted earlier this week.

Hard Rock Cafe® Pig Sandwich


Marinated Cabbage
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
4 Cups thinly-sliced cabbage
4 Cups hickory smoking chips
Spice Rub
2 Tablespoons kosher salt
2 Teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 Teaspoon paprika
1/2 Teaspoon onion powder
1/2 Teaspoon ground sage
1/2 Teaspoon thyme
1/4 Teaspoon cayenne
1 boneless pork loin roast (3 to 4 pounds)
vegetable oil
Sauce
2 15-ounce cans tomato puree
1 Cup white vinegar
3/4 Cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 Teaspoon onion powder
1/2 Teaspoon liquid smoke (hickory)
1 Clove garlic, minced
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
8 Kaiser rolls
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One day before making the sandwich, make the cabbage to allow flavors to develop. day prior to building your
sandwiches.

Marinated Cabbage
Combine the vinegar and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the
cabbage, stir, cover the bowl and store it in the refrigerator until ready to make the sandwiches.

Preparing the Grill:
Place wood chips in a bowl and cover with water. Soak wood chips
for at least 1 hour.
Arranged charcoal around the inside edge of your grill so your pork will not cook directly over the coals. Light the charcoal.
When the coals are hot, drain the water from the wood
chips and sprinkle the chips over the top of the coals. This will create the smoke flavor for your pork.

The Pork
Combine the spices for the rub in a small bowl and mix well.
Rub some vegetable oil over the surface of the pork roast. Sprinkle
the spices over the entire surface of the roast.
Place the roast in the center of your grill and put the lid on. Let
the pork cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature of the reaches 175 to 180 degrees.
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The Sauce

Combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Set aside.

After pork has cooked, remove from the grill and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes or until you can handle it. Tear or shred the pork along the grain.
Add 2 cups of sauce to a large saucepan and add the shredded pork. Stir to mix and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Serve the rest of the sauce on the side when serving the sandwiches.
Cook pork with sauce until heated through.
Grill the rolls and stack about 1 cup of pork onto the
bottom half of each roll. Add a rounded tablespoon of marinated cabbage on top of the pork, add a tablespoon or so of extra sauce on top of the cabbage, then top off each sandwich with the top half of the roll. Serve with Hard Rock's cole slaw and baked beans along with the remaining sauce on the side.

HARD ROCK CAFE® BAR-B-QUE BEANS

Hard Rock Cafe® Bar-B-Que Beans
If you don't have the pork just skip this ingredient. If you are making the pulled pork recipe that will be posted tomorrow you can use the pork from that recipe.

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2 15-ounce cans pinto beans (with liquid)

2 Tablespoons water

2 Teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 Cup ketchup

1/3 Cup white vinegar

1/4 Cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons diced onion

1 Teaspoon prepared mustard

1/2 Teaspoon chili powder

1/4 Teaspoon salt

1/4 Teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/2 Cup shredded pork

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pour pinto beans, including the liquid into a casserole dish
Dissolve the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water in small bowl. Sir cornstarch mixture into the beans.
Add the remaining ingredients to the dish, stir well and cover.
Bake 90 minutes or until the sauce thickens in a 350 degree oven, stirring every 30 minutes. When beans have baked remove from the oven, let the beans cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Servings: 6

HARD ROCK CAFE® COLE SLAW

Serve this super secret recipe version of Hard Rock's slaw as a side dish or as one part of their famous Pig Sandwich which will be posted in the next few days.

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Hard Rock Cafe® Cole Slaw

Dressing

1-1/3 Cups mayonnaise

3 Tablespoons white vinegar

2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons milk

Dash salt

Slaw

8 Cups chopped cabbage (1 head)

1/2 Cup shredded carrot

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Combine all dressing ingredients in a large bowl and blend until smooth with an electric mixer.
Add cabbage and carrots and toss well.
Cover and chill overnight in the refrigerator.

Serves 6 to 8

CARROT WALNUT MUFFINS

I have been trying to find a recipe like Panera Bread's Carrot Walnut Muffin for anonymous and Miss Ballast. Still no luck. So I am posting a recipe I came up with for Carrot Walnut Muffins to play around with until I can get Panera Breads recipe or something close.

Carrot Walnut Muffins
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1-1/4 Cups olive oil
4 eggs
2 Teaspoons vanilla
3 Cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 Teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon salt
2 Teaspoons baking powder
3 Cups shredded carrots
3/4 Cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Line a muffin pan with muffin liners Spray exposed parts of
Blend all batter ingredients except walnuts. When batter is blended fold in walnuts
Spoon evenly into muffin pan. Bake at 350 F 25-30 minutes.