The Weekly Nightcap - The Giada

i am taking a break from the lemonade and st. germain (one of which seems to be in every cocktail i make lately) to tell you a little story . . .

my bff and i met giada delaurentiis last weekend at wegmans in hunt valley. it was a lot of time waiting and about 30 seconds of talking to her but i'm still glad we did it. we were actually spoiled because i was able to get VIP tickets from wegmans thus enabling us to bypass the line and taste some of her recipes from her new cookbook - weeknights with giada.

Laurs and i were lucky enough to be 4th in line and i asked her what her favorite cocktail is. she hesitated a bit and said, "you mean my current favorite?" she said she was really into tequila at the moment and loved to have some tequila poured over orange slices, muddled together with ice.

of course i had to try said concoction.

if you like tequila, you will like this drink. it's strong and it's one to sip - slowly, but it was surprisingly refreshing and crisp tasting. of course i had to come up with a name. i hope giada won't mind me naming it after her.

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so here's to you giada - may you survive your no doubt exhausting trek around the country signing books and meeting fans. as a personal chef, i have always enjoyed your shows, your recipes, your overall zest for life and obvious love of good food - cheers!

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The Giada
makes 1 cocktail

1 1/2 ounces tequila
1/2 orange, sliced into rounds and halved
ice

add orange slices and 2-3 cubes of ice to a glass. muddle orange slices and ice with a muddler or the back of a spoon. fill glass 3/4 full with ice and pour tequila over ice into glass. stir and enjoy!


side note - i ended up squeezing the juice of the rest of the orange into the drink because dang is it strong!

Thursday Latelies - April 5th

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- st. germain elderflower liquor (you can most likely find it at your local liquor store)

- patricia wexler M.D. instant de-puff eye gel, found at bath and body works

- macadamia oil shampoo, found at target

- paint color is martha stewart washed denim (i used home depots behr paint plus primer and color matched it to the washed denim) the color in the video is not really the true color. it's closer to this color:

- earrings! some of my recent finds:

| anthropologie | francescas (similar) | forever 21 (similar) | banana republic |

Bleu Cheese and Tomato Stuffed Fish

there is just one more friday left in lent and i have saved one of the best fish recipes for you. i am posting to now so you have time to get the ingredients for good friday. it's a no fuss, easy, weeknight dinner recipe. if you like fish and bleu cheese, you will love this recipe.

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i know fish and cheese don't often go together, but this recipe just works. (for the record, so does this parmesan and horseradish crusted fish recipe.) the richness of the bleu cheese pairs so well with the sun-dried tomato pesto. you can use either store bought sun-dried tomato pesto or you can use this recipe - i used the first 5 ingredients and 1/4 cup parmesan and it was delicious!

this dish came together quickly and only took 20 minutes in the oven - just enough time to saute up some garlic green beans. i used fluke, but flounder would be great as would any other thin, mild white fish.

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Bleu Cheese and Tomato Stuffed Fish
serves 2

2 fluke, flounder or other thin fish filets
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbs sun-dried tomato pesto
1 tbs panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese (i used buttermilk bleu)
salt and pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup white wine

preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. add shallot and garlic and saute 2-3 minutes, until tender. remove from heat and stir in pesto, panko, and bleu cheese. spoon half mixture onto each fish filet and wrap fish around stuffing, securing with a toothpick.

place each filet on a foil-lined and greased baking sheet and squeeze lemon juice over each piece and season with salt and pepper. pour wine into bottom of dish and bake 15-20 minutes until fish is cooked through. serve immediately.