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Posts tagged ‘chicken’

Mar 26

21 Comments

Chicken Cacciatore With Gnocchi

I imagine that just about everyone is experiencing “shelter in place” right now, limiting going outside unless absolutely necessary and maybe getting a bit antsy being cooped up in your homes. Trying to turn this into a positive for me means spending a lot of time cooking. I recently made chicken cacciatore and it brought back some really wonderful memories, it has been a long time since I made this dish and after the first bite I understood why I liked it so much and wondered what took me so long to make it. I wish you all good health, stay inside as much as possible, wash your hands, a lot! We will get through this and things will be back to normal (maybe a new normal) Much love, be safe and be well.

What have you been cooking? Let me know.

Chicken Cacciatore

Serves 4-6

4-6 chicken thighs bone in, skin on or a whole chicken cut up

1 large green bell pepper sliced

mushrooms (sliced) as much or as little as you like

2 shallot chopped

2 cloves garlic (smashed)

1 26 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

splash of red wine to deglaze the pan

flour to dredge the chicken

Gnocchi (I didn’t make it used De Cecco

Dredge chicken in flour and set aside. Heat large cast iron or heavy fry pan (with lid) with high sides with enough olive oil to coat the pan generously. I used a Staub cast iron multi use pan with enamel coating (its awesome)

When pan is hot place the chicken in the pan careful not to crowd the pan skin side down. Cook approximately 4-5 minutes on medium high heat until nicely browned, turn over and repeat. Remove from pan.

On medium/high heat add shallots and green pepper and cook until softened. Add the mushrooms and garlic and continue cooking until soft but not caramelized. Remove and set aside, add the red wine to deglaze the pan, add the chicken, vegetables and tomatoes, season to taste. Put lid on, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 or 2 hours stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom.

When done add the gnocchi directly to the pan, no need to boil them first. Let them simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes until done. Garnish with some chopped parsley and grated parmigiana or Romano cheese.

 

 

Dec 16

42 Comments

One Skillet Chicken With Orzo, Tomato And Spinach And Percy

It has been a while again! I am pretty active on Instagram and recently posted this dish from a great cook @halfbakedharvest.  I follow her on Instagram and when I saw this dish I knew I had to make it immediately! Its easy to make, is everything you need all in one pot or skillet and is incredibly delicious. I did make a few changes. I used dried sage and thyme on the chicken instead of oregano and paprika, oven roasted tomatoes rather than sun dried and for umami added a generous splash of Worcestershire. I love a one pot or skillet meal and I am a big fan of orzo, all the components spoke to me and it did not disappoint. You can see the original recipe, its hyperlinked above. I will not post her recipe without her permission so please visit her site. You can do as I did and make it your own its very easy to customize and still have excellent results. I am bringing this to Fiesta Friday #306, it’s been a long time since I have participated in the party and figured its about time to get back in the swing of things.

On November 5th my sweet Percy passed away, it was sudden, completely unexpected and has literally torn my heart in half. Percy was the sweetest, most well behaved and amazing boy. I miss him every minute of every day. I would have had Percy for 4 years on February 13th. I have a very difficult time even typing this because my heart is broken. I will post a tribute to my dear Percy soon, but  right now I am trying to come to terms with his death. RIP angel boy 06/16/2005 – 11/5/2019

Jun 6

77 Comments

Quick Butter Chicken- Murgh Makhani

 

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I had butter chicken for the first time only a few months ago at a local Indian restaurant. It was wonderful and I have wanted to make it ever since I tried it. I am sometimes hesitant to make Indian dishes because spicing and I do not see eye to eye, balanced spices is a challenge for me, I follow and have had help from great Indian cooks like Sonal, Aruna, Chitra, Sandhya to name a few.  The other day I received an email from Food and Wine Magazine and it contained a recipe from  Andrew Zimmern’s for Butter Chicken, now Mr. Zimmern is a great chef, daring eater and fun to watch on TV. I trust his palate and thought I would give his recipe a try, it looks so easy all you use is vindaloo prepared spice, no tempering, toasting, grinding etc…. I did not have vindaloo spice mix so I ordered from Penzy’s and can’t wait to try it.

The recipe is very easy to make and I love how quickly it all comes together. Whenever I make a new recipe I try to follow the instructions, I didn’t want to add a stick of butter, not that I don’t like butter (love it) it just seemed like a lot, I threw caution to the wind and used a full stick, the other ingredient I had a hard time with is the spice the vindaloo mix, the recipe calls for 1/4 cup +2tbs, I have a very very light hand when it comes to spices and really wanted to only add 2 tbs but followed instructions and added the full amount.  I did not use chicken thighs, instead I used boneless skinless breast tenders, it’s what I had. Now the butter chicken I had at the Indian Restaurant was almost orange in color. Mine looks like the one in the photo at Food and Wine I guess the color doesn’t matter but I would like to know why some recipes that I have seen are almost a bright orange, is it maybe an addition of some chili powder?

It was tasty, a bit too spicy for me, but I am a real wimp when it comes to heat. I would probably make it again putting my own spin on it. I don’t like adding meat without sauteeing first, so I would do that, I would use less spice because it was a bit too spicy for me, would use less butter, half a stick rather than a whole stick, I would possibly thicken with cashew cream rather than heavy cream or even coconut milk. Well, I guess it’s not the same recipe then. It was very easy, took less than an hour to make and that I love.

What I learned making this recipe:

  1. There is a reason they say to use thighs I think they are sturdier, the breast tenders fell apart in the marinade when left overnight, I had to sieve so it is smooth.
  2. I think it would be worth it to mix your own or have someone custom mix the vindaloo spice mix to tailor to your taste, less of the super spicy stuff.  I like this it’s good but I think there are some things I would change to suit my taste. I thought I might have tasted cloves and I was right, I checked the list of spices and cloves were there albeit a small amount it was the last one mentioned.
  3. Although this is tasty I prefer to layer flavors, searing or sauteeing the meat adds a lot of flavor IMHO.

Butter Chicken

Andrew Zimmern for Food And Wine

  • 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vindaloo spice (see Note)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
  • 1 stick salted butter
  • 2 large yellow onions, finely chopped
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • One 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 2/3 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Basmati rice, cilantro sprigs and chopped salted roasted cashews, for serving
  1. In a large bowl, mix the yogurt with the vindaloo spice and lemon juice. Add the chicken thighs and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  2. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
  3. Add the chicken and its marinade along with the crushed tomatoes and stock to the casserole and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly, 20 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer until the sauce is flavorful and the chicken is cooked through, 
10 to 12 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper and serve with basmati rice, cilantro sprigs and chopped cashews.
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Jan 29

82 Comments

Chicken And Vegetable Roast For Fiesta Friday #104

Chicken and vegetables

Chicken and vegetables

This was a quick meal I made for yesterday’s dinner using what I had on hand, this really isn’t a recipe, you know how it is when you don’t really know what exactly to make and start putting things together.  I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, red micro potatoes, shallot, baby orange, red and yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes and garlic and before serving finished it with a parsley/garlic/lemon gremolata of sorts. Because I used boneless skinless breasts I made everything separately rather than roasting the vegetables in with the meat the entire time. You have to be careful how long you cook those breasts as they can dry out rather quickly and I wanted the vegetables to brown and caramelize. You can change the vegetables to suit your taste, add some spice if you like, harissa would be delicious, use chicken with skin and bones if you like. The whole meal took me about an hour and a half from start to finish and because I did most of it in the oven I didn’t have to babysit a pan on the stovetop.

For a change I thought I would bring a main course rather than dessert to Fiesta Friday. Join in, bring a dish and remember to link to Fiesta Friday, Angie’s old blog The Novice Gardener is no more it’s all in one place now. Angie and her lovely co hosts this week are  Mila @ milkandbun and Hilda @ Along The Grapevine. 

See you at the party!!!

Chicken and vegetable roast

Serves 3 or 4

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 lemon

3 small cloves garlic smashed

12 micro potatoes cleaned and cut in half

6 baby peppers of assorted colors halved, seeds and membranes removed

12 cherry tomatoes cleaned and cut in half

1 shallot cut in half

1 cup chopped parsley

Pre heat the oven to 375 degree’s. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place the tomatoes, peppers and shallot, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and set aside. Place another sheet of parchement and add the potatoes, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes. Set aside.

Heat oven to 425 degree’s. Rub the chicken with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and thyme. Heat cast iron skillet or heavy pan on stove top, get it good and hot. Add some olive oil and the chicken breasts, sear until lightly browned. Remove from heat source. Add the garlic cloves, squeeze half a lemon onto the chicken, cut the lemon half in two and throw in the pan. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes remove from the oven, and take the lemon quarters and garlic out of the pan, set the garlic aside and discard the lemon, (NOTE: If there is a lot of liquid or oil in the pan remove all but a few tablespoons before adding the vegetables) add the potatoes and other vegetables and arrange arround the chicken breasts. Return to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes, the internal temperature of the chicken breast should be 165 degree’s. While the chicken and vegetables are in the oven chop the parsley, cut the soft garlic and add, squeeze the juice of the remaining half lemon on and season with salt and pepper.

When ready to serve, garnish with the parsley mixture.

Oct 22

68 Comments

Creamy Chicken Tenders

Chicken Tenders In Cream Sauce

Chicken Tenders In Cream Sauce

This recipe is so simple and delicious. I have been meaning to post it for a while but never got around to it until I saw the Whole Foods recipe contest is stovetop chicken recipes and I decided to enter it. This can be a quick weeknight supper or an elegant entree for a dinner party. Because I use chicken tenders it’s a very quick cook, including prep it’s less than 30 minutes. I like to serve with plain rice but it’s equally good eaten alone with a vegetable or salad on the side. I’ve been making this for years and I can’t honestly remember where I got the recipe, it’s quite possible I created it myself. The sauce is rich and so flavorful.  You can omit the heavy cream altogether for a light sauce increasing the white wine to 1/2 cup and maybe add a tbs of butter.

Serves 3-4 depending on serving size

    • 8 chicken tenders
    • 1 shallot peeled and chopped
    • olive oil for pan
    • 1/3 cup white wine
    • 12 cherry tomatoes cut in half
    • 1/2 cup heavy cream
    • 6 basil leaves divided (3 and 3) cut chiffonade or 1/4 tsp dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Heat enough olive oil to coat your saute pan, add the shallot and cook until tender and translucent, add the chicken tenders and sear, remove chicken from pan and add the white wine to deglaze the pan, let reduce by 1/4 (approximately 3 minutes on med/high heat) add the cherry tomatoes and let cook until the tomatoes soften. Now add the heavy cream, worcestershire sauce and 3 of the basil leaves that have been cut. Add the chicken tenders back to the sauce and let cook for approximately 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens a little. Before serving add the rest of the basil chiffonade.

Mar 2

32 Comments

Retro Recipe Redux-Chicken And Dumplings

Chicken And Dumplings

Chicken And Dumplings

Retro recipes fascinate me and this is one I have been meaning to re-create. Honestly, I never had it growing up but had heard about it and always thought it sounded delicious. When Food52 announced the latest contest, Your Best Cheap Feast, I felt this recipe fit perfectly. Chicken and Dumplings was created sometime during the Great Depression and was a great way to feed a family for very little. You basically have a big pot of chicken soup that you drop biscuit dough in and this creates a thick and hearty stew. I updated the dumplings by adding herbs and lemon zest, this gives another layer of flavor. There was leftovers, both the biscuit dough and the stew and I repurposed by making a couple of pot pies, I added some frozen peas, put in a ramekin and covered it with the dough, this was meal number two. The whole meal cost less than $20 and when broken down it’s less than $5 a person. Good food on the cheap!!

Serves 6-8 depending on serving size

The Chicken And Vegetables:

  • 1 whole chicken approx 3-5 lbs
  • 8-10 cups water (If you happen to have stock you can use that instead of water)
  • 2 carrots peeled and sliced into rounds or at an angle
  • 1 large onion chopped into small pieces
  • 2 stalks celery sliced
  • 1 parsnip peeled and sliced into rounds or at an angle
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Wash the chicken and place in pot or dutch oven, pour in water, season and bring to a boil on high, reduce heat to med/high and low boil until chicken is tender, it takes approximately 1-2 hour. Note: If using water I boiled the chicken for about 2 hours so that the broth is tastier.
  2. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool, pour broth into a container. Add a small amount of olive oil to the bottom of the pot, add the onion and saute until they soften, add the celery, carrot and parsnip and saute until the vegetables begin to soften. The onion will be translucent. Add the broth back in the pot and simmer for approximately 30-40 minutes, just until the vegetables are tender.
  3. While the vegetables are cooking in the broth remove the meat from the chicken, remove the skin also and set aside covered and start the biscuit dough.

The Dumplings And Finishing The Dish:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon + 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening
  • 2 tablespoons cold butter (I used salted but unsalted is fine)
  • 1 tablespoon snipped chives
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 cup milk (whole is preferable but 1 or 2% is fine)
  1. In mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, herbs and lemon zest, cut in the vegetable shortening and butter until it resembles peas. Add the milk and mix just until combined. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, knead for a minute or two and pat into a disc approximately 1/2 inch thick. I use the smallest biscuit cutter or a cordial glass and cut into small round shapes.
  2. Bring the broth and vegetables to a boil and drop in the dumplings, Don’t over crowd as you don’t want the dumplings to absorb all the liquid (you can always bake the remaining biscuit dough or make pot pies from the leftovers). Boil the dumplings in the broth for approximately 10-15 minutes they will thicken the soup substantially and will partially break down a bit.
  3. Season to taste with salt and pepper, add the chicken and serve. I like to garnish with chopped parsley.
Chicken and dumpling pot pie

Chicken and dumpling pot pie

May 15

16 Comments

Jerk Chicken Kebobs -I am a Whole Foods Finalist!!

Jerk Chicken Kebob

I just found out that my recipe is a finalist at Whole Foods in Boulder. If you don’t mind voting for my recipe I would really appreciate it. I am so excited and thankful that Whole Foods picked my recipe. Here is the link to Whole Foods Boulder Thank you so much everyone!!

Serves 4-6 depending on serving size

Jerk Sauce

1 scotch bonnet pepper chopped (for less intense heat remove seeds)

2 jalapeno peppers chopped

1 tbs fresh thyme

4 cloves garlic

2 tsp jamaican allspice (whole)

3 tbs packed brown sugar

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp powdered ginger

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

zest of one lime

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 lbs chicken breast and thigh meat cut into chunks

Chop your peppers (remove seeds if desired) In mortar smash the jamaican allspice. Add everything to blender and blend until everything is incorporated. To a large ziplock bag add the chicken and enough of the jerk sauce to completely cover the chicken. Smash it around in the bag so that the sauce covers every piece of chicken, Refrigerate at least 4 hours, overnight is even better.

To grill the chicken you will need enough skewers, if using bamboo make sure to soak in water for a few hours before using them. Skewer your marinaded chicken and grill,  basting with the remaining jerk sauce while they are grilling. You can grill either outdoors on the BBQ or pan grill (I highly recommend outdoor grilling for these. Serve with Caribbean Rice and Peas and enjoy!

Caribbean Rice and Peas

1 cup  dried pigeon peas, cow peas or whatever bean you like, soaked overnight

2 cups water

1/2  medium onion chopped

2 cups long grain white rice

2 cups  unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup water or unsweetened coconut water I use Zico

1 cup reserved water from cooked beans

2  whole jalepeno peppers

salt and pepper to taste

After beans have soaked over night, drain and pour them into a med saucepan add 2 cups of water and cook until beans are tender.Season the beans with salt and pepper. Set them aside along with 1 cup of the water that the beans cooked in, you will need that to cook the rice.

To a large saucepan add a small amount of olive oil just enough to coat the bottom of the pan when pan is hot put the chopped onion in and saute until onion is soft and translucent, add rice and cooked beans you judge how much of the beans to add to the rice you don’t want too many beans, stir until rice and onion and beans are combined. Add all the liquid, some salt and pepper to taste and the peppers. Bring to a boil on high flame, cover and reduce heat to med/low and let rice cook until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is done it will take 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat, fluff rice with fork and serve, you can garnish with fresh thyme or cilantro.

Apr 25

6 Comments

Jerk Chicken Kebobs and Caribbean Rice and Peas

Jerk Chicken Kebob

As the weather starts to warm up I’ve got grilling on the mind. I discovered jerk chicken while in Jamaica and it is delicious. When I got home I wanted to try my hand at making it myself so I turned to the internet and found hundreds of different recipes, after pouring over them I took the basic idea and made my own jerk sauce. I love it, its a little sweet, citrusy and spicy. I am the biggest wimp when it comes to heat so I carefully remove the seeds to control the heat. NOTE: Please wear kitchen gloves when working with very hot peppers. I used both chicken breast and thigh meat and instead of grilling on the bone I cut the chicken into chunks and skewered it. The chicken is marinaded in the jerk sauce then brushed with more while its grilling. I like to serve with Caribbean Rice and peas, I totally love this dish. The rice is cooked in coconut milk with whole peppers cooked in with the rice. You can use scotch bonnet if you like and are a lover of heat, I chose to use jalapeno peppers. This is traditionally cooked with pigeon peas, I used cow peas but you can use whatever bean or pea you like.

Serves 4-6 depending on serving size

Jerk Sauce

1 scotch bonnet pepper chopped (for less intense heat remove seeds)

2 jalapeno peppers chopped

1 tbs fresh thyme

4 cloves garlic

2 tsp jamaican allspice (whole)

3 tbs packed brown sugar

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp powdered ginger

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

zest of one lime

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 lbs chicken breast and thigh meat cut into chunks

Chop your peppers (remove seeds if desired) In mortar smash the jamaican allspice. Add everything to blender and blend until everything is incorporated. To a large ziplock bag add the chicken and enough of the jerk sauce to completely cover the chicken. Smash it around in the bag so that the sauce covers every piece of chicken, Refrigerate at least 4 hours, overnight is even better.

To grill the chicken you will need enough skewers, if using bamboo make sure to soak in water for a few hours before using them. Skewer your marinaded chicken and grill,  basting with the remaining jerk sauce while they are grilling. You can grill either outdoors on the BBQ or pan grill (I highly recommend outdoor grilling for these. Serve with Caribbean Rice and Peas and enjoy!

Caribbean Rice and Peas

1 cup  dried pigeon peas, cow peas or whatever bean you like, soaked overnight

2 cups water

1/2  medium onion chopped

2 cups long grain white rice

2 cups  unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup water or unsweetened coconut water I use Zico

1 cup reserved water from cooked beans

2  whole jalepeno peppers

salt and pepper to taste

After beans have soaked over night, drain and pour them into a med saucepan add 2 cups of water and cook until beans are tender.Season the beans with salt and pepper. Set them aside along with 1 cup of the water that the beans cooked in, you will need that to cook the rice.

To a large saucepan add a small amount of olive oil just enough to coat the bottom of the pan when pan is hot put the chopped onion in and saute until onion is soft and translucent, add rice and cooked beans you judge how much of the beans to add to the rice you don’t want too many beans, stir until rice and onion and beans are combined. Add all the liquid, some salt and pepper to taste and the peppers. Bring to a boil on high flame, cover and reduce heat to med/low and let rice cook until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is done it will take 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat, fluff rice with fork and serve, you can garnish with fresh thyme or cilantro.

Apr 5

6 Comments

Featured Recipes: Finger-Lickin Finger Lakes Chicken and Some Hard Lemonade

Finger Lakes Chicken photo by wssmom

This is probably one of the most delicious recipes for grilled chicken that I have ever tasted. I made this several times and you know the food is really really good when everyone at the table goes completely silent, not a word, only sometimes you can hear a low mutter almost inaudible, “this is so good”, well thats what happens when I serve this chicken. This is a recipe from one of my good friends on food52, Virginia also known as wssmom (her cooks name on food52), is a fantastically creative cook, take at look at her 72 recipes on food52, her recipe, A Bowl of Red was runnerup in the chili contest as was her New Years Day Fresh Ham in the Best Holiday Roast contest. She manages to make each recipe approachable and absolutely delicious.

I have also included one of her many amazing recipes for drinks. She is an inspired mixologist, this is one of many delicious drinks that she has created. Bobby Flay Inspired Hard Lemonade incorporates the best of summers flavors (lemons and strawberries and packs a punch with some silver rum. Try it you will love it! It’s really pretty too. If you are not in the mood for lemonade, try her Peartini and I will personally attest to the greatness of this drink, she brought it to the Food52 cookbook party. One more, I can’t help it I love her recipes, Kicked up Egg Cream how can you go wrong with a delicious chocolate egg cream with some chocolate liquor.

Serves 4

Fresh Herb Aioli:

1 large organic egg yolk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup grapeseed oil

1 minced clove garlic

pinch sea salt

1 cup champagne vinegar (yes, one cup)

1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary sprigs

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano

some more salt

In a suitable bowl, preferably one that won’t spin around, whisk together the egg yolk, lemon juice and garlic. Add the oil a few drops at a time (or have someone do that for you), whisking until it emulsifies. Continue to dribble in the oil, whisking away, until all is incorporated.

Put half the aioli in another bowl, saving the remainder for another use. Whisk in the vinegar, add the herbs and add a tad more salt than you think neccessary, about a teaspoon in my case.

Finger Lakes Chicken:

2 whole organic chicken breasts, split so you have four nice-sized pieces

Freshly ground pepper

Fresh herb aioli

Liberally sprinkle the chicken breasts with freshly ground pepper, put them in a ziplock bag with the aoili, smush so they are covered, and let marinate for at least three hours, or preferably overnight.

Grill, bone side down and covered, over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, then turn and crank up the grill to high to finish, so that the skin gets nice and crispy.

Chill and bring along to your picnic, and serve along with some lovely dry riesling.

Bobby Flay Inspired Hard Lemonade (Inspired by Bobby’s recipe for minted lemonade)

Serves 6

1 1/2 cups sugar

Juice from 10-12 lemons, about 1 1/2 cups

1 pint strawberries

silver rum

3 cups seltzer, chilled

1/2 bunch mint sprigs

Prepare a simple syrup by mixing the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water in a small pan; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve, and let cool.

Stem the strawberries and puree with about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the lemon juice. Put through a sieve to remove seeds and errant bits.

In a large, attractive pitcher, combine 3/4 cup simple syrup with the strawberry-lemon puree and the remainder of the lemon juice. Sample and if desired, add more simple syrup to taste.

Add the mint to the pitcher along with the rum (one ounce per serving) and chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Add the cold seltzer and serve over ice. Kick back and enjoy the fourth race!