Posted by Susie on Saturday, May 18, 2013
We kept gawking at Sydney Harbor and tracking the boats and ferries as we walked by with our guide, Margaret. She suggested that a great way to get out into the harbor and also see a bit of the residential side of Sydney was to take a ferry to Watsons Bay, and while we were there we could grab lunch at one of her favorite places, Doyle’s on the Beach.
We purchased tickets and joined the line waiting to board the ferry. After scrambling on board cameras in hand we found spots near the railing. Soon, with sea spray in our hair and grins on our faces, we were scooting past the Prime Minister’s house and the lovely residential areas that border Sydney Harbor.
We piled off the boat at Watsons Bay and immediately spied Doyle’s…you can’t miss it, it’s right at the end of the boardwalk. We were lucky enough to get a table outside and were immediately immersed in the harbor scene. Couples strolling by hand in hand, children playing peek-a-boo with the gentle waves, families loading their boats to go out for the afternoon. We exhaled all of the stress of the city and inhaled the laid back, sunny atmosphere.
Doyle’s is known for their seafood, so it should come as know surprise that’s what we ordered. Though I have to say, I tried to be good and ordered my fish grilled and later regretted it when I saw the crisp, golden fish and chips delivered to the next table! Memo to self, (if a place is know for their fried fish, get the fried fish.)
They are also known for their Sangria, though theirs is way different from mine. But, it got me to thinking about Sangria and the warm summer days ahead and all the guests that I’d like to invite over for Sunday Supper. Sangria is perfect paired with summer and friends.
Soon we were in a happy food coma and on our way back to Sydney which seemed like a world away, but as you can see, was surprisingly close.
I’ve made this simple recipe for years and have tried adding this and that which made the flavor more complex, but no one liked it as much as the original.
The secret to my Sangria? First, NEVER make and serve Sangria. This is something that needs to sit and let the flavors blend for at LEAST 8 hours, but preferably overnight. The other secret? Take all of the lovely rinds that you’ve just squeezed the juice from and put them BACK in the pitcher. Then, after they’ve had a nice long stay in the fridge, strain this mixture into another pitcher, add a few slices of fruit and/or mint for decoration and serve. It will just glow with citrus flavor and is pretty to boot.
Now, I personally like white Sangria, but some folks love red wine…if that’s you, please go right ahead and substitute red wine…and you don’t need to buy the best bottle… a nice, modestly priced, fruity wine will do. For mine, I like to use Sauvingon Blanc.
Susie's Simple Sangria Recipe
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
A fruity, fresh drink for a sunny day.
Ingredients:
1 bottle fruity white/red wine
2 oranges (I use organic) washed
1 lemon (also organic) washed
1 lime (also organic) washed
3 tablespoons simple syrup
10 oz. soda water
Slices of oranges, lemon, lime and mint (optional) for garnish
Directions:
In a large pitcher add wine. Squeeze the juice of the oranges, lemon and lime into the pitcher. I use an old fashioned juice squeezer to do this, but you can use an electric juicer or by hand is fine. Add the rinds from all of the fruit. Add the simple syrup and stir. Now, pop it into the fridge and hopefully you can wait 24 hours...if not, at least 8.
To serve: Strain Sangria into a new pitcher. Fill 6 glasses with ice, pour in an equal amount of soda into each glass, then pour in Sangria. Garnish with slices of oranges, lemon or lime and mint (optional).
Enjoy!
Posted by Susie on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
I’d like to thank all of you who are checking in again to view this post as it was meant to be seen last Sunday. Next week, I’ll be back with more tales from Down Under.
I have had a love affair with Charleston, South Carolina all of my adult life . I was swept off my feet in an instant while walking beside the elegant, architectural matrons on the Battery, peering like a voyeur into the walled, moss covered gardens filled with languid camellias and trickling fountains. Oh, and let’s not forget the food! I was a novice to sweet oysters and rich she crab soup till then, which became the prelude to many culinary adventures. I fell hard for Charleston, and the romance continues to this day. Many years later I share my love with someone who just might love Charleston even more than I do, my daughter Dana.
She was a little girl on her first visit and we thought that she would enjoy a carriage ride. Now, not every carriage gets to go to the “must see” areas. At that time, your tour locale was picked by chance. That morning, the driver turned to the cute, dark haired girl at the front of the carriage and asked her to pick a name out of his hat and as luck would have it, Dana picked the desirable Battery and College of Charleston tour. We drove through Charleston’s lush beauty and listened to its history. Little did we know at the time, our personal history would be entwined with this special city forever.
A few years passed and our next visit was when Dana was looking at colleges. Within the first 10 minutes, Dana announced that the College of Charleston was where she wanted to go. We went on to visit the “backups”, but we all knew that she had fallen under the spell of Charleston and her best Christmas gift that year was her acceptance letter.
If you’re not familiar with the College of Charleston, then you wouldn’t know that graduation is on Mother’s Day weekend. The year of Dana’s graduation there was a new President at the College and he announced that something that had never happened in the 200 plus year history of the school was about to take place. We were wondering what that might be, when staid, classical music began the procession of new graduates from the stage… all of a sudden it was replaced with the Beatles “Roll over Beethoven”…and then, very appropriately they were playing “Charleston.” The whole mood lighten and it was befitting when some students began dancing off the stage. The “Charleston” (song and dance) will always be associated with this lively city and of course, the Jazz Age.
So, in honor of the many special Mother’s Days I’ve spent in Charleston, for this week’s Sunday Supper I’d like to raise a glass to mothers everywhere, a glass filled with a cocktail that might have been served during the Gatsby Era…the Pink Lady. There has been a resurgence in classic cocktails lately, this one looks so demure, but don’t be fooled, back in the Roaring Twenties the main ingredient was bathtub gin!
Charleston Pink Lady Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Jiggers Gin (I recommend using Hendrick's Gin)
- 1 1/2 Jiggers Heavy Cream
- 1 Jigger Applejack
- 1 Teaspoon Grenadine (I recommend using Jack Rudy Cocktail's Grenadine)
- Handful of ice
Preparation
- Pour ingredients into cocktail shaker or jar with lid. Shake vigorously. Strain into cocktail glasses. Serve.
3.1
http://www.returntosundaysupper.com/2013/05/charleston-pink-lady-coctail-recipe.html Return to Sunday Supper
Enjoy!
Posted by Susie on Sunday, April 28, 2013
G’day friends!
My family and I have been dreaming about traveling to Australia for a long, long time. We’ve wanted to travel there ever since our Australian exchange student, Hayley, arrived years ago telling us stories about koalas in her backyard and penguins on her beach. In Australia, many backyards flow right into the bush making sightings of kangaroos and koalas as common as squirrels and robins in Chicago.
Our journey did not start in the bush though. We landed in cosmopolitan Sydney and were lucky enough to stay right smack in front of her most recognizable icons: the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge.
Day 1, we were led through the historic area known as “The Rocks” by our extremely knowledgeable guide, Margaret. She introduced the tour by saying that she would like to “thank America!” For what, we wanted to know? It seems that the American Revolution put a damper on British plans to make the U.S. a penal colony. When we were no longer available for that task, Britain decided to send its criminals to Australia instead.
After an extremely long and horrible sea voyage, the convicts (or should I say offenders because some did nothing more than steal a loaf of bread) were unloaded upon the unforgiving “rocks.” What followed was a life of incredible hardship and hard work by the men AND the women. Eventually, some of the prisoners became gentry…some were kind, some were not, but Australia was born.
Looking at the city today, what you see is a bright multinational conglomerate of sights, sounds and culture. Our first stop was at an Italian café for cappuccino and pizza…not what I thought would be our first meal in Australia!
Like any big city, the food scene varies. We are not much for high end “sit on your hands” meals that are highly touted and very expensive…we’d rather search out the hidden gems where locals eat. Since we were in the middle of the tourist mecca, this wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be, but thanks to local recommendations, including our guide Margaret, we found our way to Fish at the Rocks. There we found bright flavors and a casual atmosphere.
Of course, seafood was the focus, but presented with a bit of Asia flair. Dana had a dish similar to this for her entrée (which in Australia is your appetizer); your main course is fittingly called your “main.” Even though it is Autumn in Australia I think that this dish would be perfect for a warm Spring Sunday supper with your family and friends.
Curried Crab Salad with Apple and Fennel Recipe
Yield: 4 dinner servings, 8 appetizer servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
A light fresh salad with a touch of curry, apple and fennel.
Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (use remaining juice from lemon to squeeze over apples slices)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon curry powder
1 pound can of fresh crab meat (pick over to make sure there are no remaining bits of shell)
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced
1 large bulb of fennel, sliced
1 stock of celery, minced
fennel tops for garnish
Directions:
After slicing the apples, squeeze the remaining lemon juice over them to prevent browning, stir to coat them evenly.
Whisk the mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest and curry together till well blended. Fold in crab meat, apple, fennel and celery.
Chill, garnish with fennel tops and serve. I prefer to chill overnight to let the flavors really blend, but it can be served immediately if you need to.
Enjoy!
Posted by Susie on Saturday, March 30, 2013
I found this little “recipe” written on a creased, well worn 3 x 5 note card tucked into my mother’s recipe file under “miscellaneous”. I thought that it would be perfect to share with you on this Easter Sunday. I hope you agree that this recipe is the perfect treat to serve your family and friends today and every day.
A heaping cup of Kindness
Two cups of Love and Caring
One cup of Understanding
One cup of Joyful Sharing
A level cup of Patience
One cup of Thoughtful Insight
One cup of Gracious Listening
Mix ingredients together
Toss in Smiles and Laughter
Serve to Everyone you know
With Love forever after
Wishing you all a very special Sunday supper with your family and friends today.
Enjoy!
Posted by Susie on Saturday, March 23, 2013
Sometimes great food memories don’t happen in your own kitchen, they happen a block away at your best friend’s house. One of my best friends is Kathy. In our grade school years after class sometimes we’d go to each other’s house to goof around when we were supposed to be doing our homework…perhaps you can relate.
Now Kathy and I shared a great love of music and when we grew up there was no shortage of new bands with great hits. Kathy would always buy the albums before anyone and she would have the lyrics memorized before the rest of us even knew the titles of the songs. So in our “tweens” we would race to her house after school to listen to the latest release, especially when it was from the Beatles.
Another reason to race to Kathy’s house was if her grandmother was there. Not that her grandmother was a fan of pop music, but because her Grandma K was one of the best cooks/bakers EVER! My fondest memory is of her donuts. She would have them ready to go right before we scrambled in the door…then plop, plop, in they went and instantly came bobbing up in the bubbling pot like life preservers in a choppy sea. Then deftly she’d whisk them out, douse them with sugar, and we’d enjoy the world’s best after-school snack…fresh, warm, homemade donuts and a tall glass of cold milk. We’d sit at her kitchen table and wallow in the yeasty, doughy, sugary goodness. Then in our lovely sugar coma we’d listen to hmm…maybe Paul McCartney singing Yesterday.
And that brings us to this post…I know, it took long enough. I was reading in a magazine recently that Paul’s oldest daughter, Mary has just come out with a cookbook called Food. In the article she tells how the family converted to vegetarianism and that her mother, Linda Eastman, always made sure that they had simple, tasty meals that were long on flavor and short on fuss. Mary seems to be following in her mother’s footsteps, not only because she’s a great cook, but because she is also a much admired professional photographer. So reading that article made me think of her dad, which made me think of listening to the Beatles music at Kathy’s house, which of course made me think of donuts…have I lost you yet?
It’s obvious that Mary has many great food memories and recipes to share and I can’t wait to take a peek at her cookbook. Her lemon cake recipe in the magazine reminded me of a loaf my mother used to make many years ago, so I pulled out my mother’s recipe and decided that this is what I’m going to be serving at Sunday’s supper for my family and friends. It seems like the perfect ending to a Spring meal.
Lemon Loaf Cake with Lemon Glaze
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 - 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
A light lemon loaf perfect alone or with fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream.
Ingredients:
Loaf:
1/2 cup unsalted room temperature butter (1 stick)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon zest (approximately zest from 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (approximate juice from 1 lemon)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup half and half or milk
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
Directions:
Loaf:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a standard loaf pan.
In a large bowl, cream the room temperature butter and sugar together.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla till frothy. Whisk in lemon juice and lemon zest.
Slowly beat the egg mixture into the butter mixture.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
Then gradually fold the dry ingredients into the butter/egg mixture alternating with the half and half or milk till combined.
Bake for 40 - 45 minutes till golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
While loaf is baking prepare glaze.
Glaze:
In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Add optional lemon zest if you'd prefer more lemon flavor.
Place loaf on cooling rack and let cool for 5 minutes then remove loaf from pan and spoon on glaze.
Enjoy!
In our hectic world, most of us can't commit to having dinner with our family/friends every night, but maybe we can start to put aside Sunday to be together and share our lives and good food. Let's join together to inspire others to celebrate our old traditions and create new ones. 
