Eddie V's Introduces New Cocktails

Sammi Park at Eddie V's sent me an email the other day and told me about some new cocktails added to their menu.

They have just added 10 new cocktails that incorporates ingredients that aren't found in your every day cocktail such as cucumber, thyme and violet syrup! Sammi was very excited about these new cocktails and wanted to let everyone know about these exciting additions and personally invites you all to come in and give them a try.

Along with the new cocktails they will be rotating a few seasonal selections and as always Eddie V's has a fabulous Happy Hour which is the perfect time to sample these cocktails!

So, join Sammi at Eddie V's and have one of those wonderful cocktails. The one pictured at the top is called the Bluebonnet Tea. Doesn't it look refreshing?

You can visit them at 2 wonderful locations:
EV 5th Street
301 East 5th Street
Austin, TX 78701
512.472.1860 P
512.477.9794 F
Open daily at 4:30pm

EV Arboretum
9400 B Arboretum Blvd.
Austin, TX 78759
512.342.2642 P
512.342.2645 F
Open daily at 4:30pm

Recipe: Fabulous Fast Shrimp

If you like shrimp and want to serve something quick and easy, this is the dish for you.

Ingredients
1 tbsp. butter OR margarine
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 lb. fresh large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
1/2 cup water
Generous dash ground red pepper
Hot cooked regular long-grain white rice
Paprika

Directions
1. Heat butter in skillet over medium heat. Add celery, green pepper and green onions and cook until tender. Add shrimp and cook 3 to 5 min. or until shrimp are done.
2. Add soup, water and red pepper and heat through. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with paprika.

Serving Suggestions
Serve with a Caesar salad. For dessert serve sliced bananas drizzled with chocolate sauce.

Balsamic Glazed Salmon

I think you will really enjoy this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

8 fresh salmon fillets, 3/4-inch thick (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp. olive oil
4 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. grated orange peel
Orange slices for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
Place the salmon in an 11 x 8-inch (2-quart) shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with black pepper and drizzle with oil. Bake at 350°F. for 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Stir the cornstarch, stock, vinegar, brown sugar, orange juice and orange peel in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat to a boil. Cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens.

Place the salmon on a serving platter and serve with the sauce. Garnish with the orange slices.

Campbell's Kitchen Tip: When grating citrus fruits you'll want to avoid rubbing too deeply into the peel. There's a white layer between the outer peel and the flesh, called the pith, which can be bitter.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a brown and wild rice blend and steamed cut green beans. For dessert serve vanilla ice cream with almond cookies.

Serves 8.

The King of Coffee - Food

The King of Coffee - Food & Drink - FOXNews.com

According to The National Coffee Association, 54% of American adults, roughly 150 million people, drink 3.3 cups of coffee every day. To whom do they owe a debt of gratitude for their daily drink?

I can tell you that I love coffee. My wife will often ask me, "How can you drink a hot cup of coffee with the outside temperation above 100?" I could drink coffee even if the temperature was a 125 degrees.

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Save 90% off Gift Certificate Purchase at Restaurant.com

Grilled Proscuitto Wrapped Asparagus

Grilled Proscuitto Wrapped Asparagus

Ingredients
2 pounds asparagus spears
14-16 slices of proscuitto
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil black pepper

Directions
Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
Trim ends off of asparagus. Cut proscuitto slices in half.
Place half of one slice onto each asparagus spear. Add minced garlic to olive oil and brush each spear with oil.
Season with black pepper and place onto grill and cook for 4 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove from heat and serve.

UP & RUNNING!

After a little over a week, www.foodandflame.com is back up and we are getting ready for another Fall season of tailgating and fun recipes.

I would like to thank the technical staff at Namesecure (www.namesecure.com) for resolving the technical issues. It was a difficult one, but they rose to the challenge and got things moving. THANKS!

34th Street Café Gives Local Diners Something to Smile About

34th Street Café Gives Local Diners Something to Smile About with New Weekday Happy Hour:
Neighborhood Favorite adds Inspired Menu Items, Welcomes Return of Lounge 34

(August 25, 2009) Austin, TX - 34th Street Café, a longtime favorite for a sophisticated yet casual dining experience, is giving Austinites another reason to celebrate good food and great wine all day long. Beginning September 8, 34th Street Café will extend dinnertime hours on Fridays and Saturdays, and add weekday happy-hour specials from 4 to 7 p.m. Featured happy-hour specials include half-priced appetizers such as 34th Street Café's delectable homemade pizzas, and a variety of tempting cheese and charcuterie plates. Happy hour wine and beer specials will change daily and may include specialty wine cocktails, half-price wines by the glass and deals on select beers. Happy-hour specials and café menus will be available on the restaurant's newly redesigned website, which launches in early September.

In addition to the new happy hour, 34th Street Café continues to offer its chef-inspired, three-course prix fixe dinners ($24) on Mondays and Tuesdays, which include either a seafood or steak entrée and a glass of wine. The restaurant's daily menu has also seen a few chef-driven changes. Austin diners have always applauded Chef Justin "Raif" Raiford's innovative and cutting-edge cooking style, and his newest menu creations are sure to be no exception. Drawing from his experience in international cooking and his love of spices and fusion cuisine, Chef Raif has cooked up some new recipes for the appetizer menu. New dishes include P.E.I. Mussels ($12) cooked in white wine and served with chervil, shallots, garlic chips and grilled bread; Ahi Tuna Tartare ($12) in a lemon-basil oil and served with sea salt, tapenade and toasted focaccia; and Pan-Fried Frog Legs ($9) served over roasted sunchoke puree, a delicate combination of saffron and Jerusalem artichokes.

The café's newly updated wine menu also shines with many refreshing and popular summer wines such as Monticello "Verdemar" Spanish Albarino, Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina from Italy, and the in vogue Domaine du Houchart dry rosé from France.

Lunch and dinnertime aren't the only opportunities to revel in 34th Street Café's excellent food, wine and ambience. Beginning Saturday, September 26 and throughout the autumn season, 34th Street Café will bring back its wildly successful Lounge 34. Evoking the characteristics of a comfortable yet chic after-hours club, Lounge 34 will feature specialty wines and delicious gourmet snacks that can't be found at any other late-night hot spot in Austin. Offering a truly unique and stylish vibe, Lounge 34 events begin at 10:30 p.m., with local DJs entertaining guests into the night. An onsite photographer will also be on hand to capture the most memorable and captivating moments of the evening.

34th Street Café is located at 1005 W. 34th St. The café is open for lunch service Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and for dinner service from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The new happy-hour menu specials are available Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. For more information about 34th Street Café & Catering, or the new hours, new menu items or Lounge 34 events, call (512) 371-3400, or visit www.34thStreetCafe.com.

Far Out Foods

Far Out Foods - FOXNews.com

Pizza in a cone? Duck Dogs? These are some of the new far out foods that might make it to your favorite grocery store.

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Chuck Roast on a Grill Pictures

After cooking the chuck roast on the grill, I took some pictures of the chuck roast. I served the grilled chuck with green beans and cantaloupe. You can serve mashed potatoes with a brown gravy. Additionally, I made a creamy horseradish sauce.

My wife said that the chuck roast was so very tender and juicy. I have to admit it was wonderful and tasty.

Recipe for a Grilled Chuck Roast

I know. A lot of you are saying, "Grilling a chuck roast? Jess, you have to be out of your mind." Well, I'm not out of my mind. It is a quick and easy way to enjoy an inexpensive cut of meat without cooking it in a crock pot or in the oven with one of those bag things.

Here's a very easy recipe for you to try out and I'm sure you will like it.

Ingredients
1 (3-5 lb.) chuck roast
1 tsp. meat tenderizer
1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Directions
Sprinkle roast with tenderizer on both sides. Pierce deeply. Let stand one hour.
While the meat is tenderizing, mix the orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce together to create a marinade.
Pour marinade over roast and let stand. Turn and pierce several times. Refrigerate.
Sear on hot flame 10 minutes each side and lower flame and cook 15 to 20 minutes each side.

I think you will really enjoy this method for cooking a chuck. The meat tenderizer breaks down the meat and makes it very tender. Typically, you would cook this piece of meat in a crock pot for so that the slow and low method would break down the meat.

Pork U: A Lesson in Italian Cured Meats - Food

Pork U: A Lesson in Italian Cured Meats - Food & Drink - FOXNews.com

This article is very good and provides you with a wonderful discussion of Italian Cured Meats.

One of my favorite ways of showcasing these wonderful and delicious meats is to create a meat and cheese tray with fresh bread, fruits, vegetables and a great tapenade which is an olive spread.

Here is my favorite recipe.

Ingredients
20 pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp rinsed, drained, and chopped capers
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp anchovy paste (optional)
Fresh cracked black pepper

Directions
Combine Kalamata olives, capers, lemon juice, olive oil, anchovy paste, and pepper. Mix well. Refrigerate and use within two weeks.

Although I said that the anchovy paste is optional, I highly recommend it. It does add a fishy taste to the tapenade at all. In fact, it adds a nutty taste to it and a delicious dimension to the spread. I think you will really enjoy it.

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Study: Organic Foods no Healthier

Recent report shows that organic foods are no healthier than those grown with conventional methods.