Thursday, January 31, 2013

Valentine's Day Pancakes

Valentine's Day is right around the corner... and what's more special than breakfast in bed?? Start the day with your honey the right way by making them these delicious blueberry sour cream pancakes... or end it.  Either way, this is a treat you don't want to miss! 








Blueberry Sour Cream Pancakes
Recipe by Chef Laurence Agnew









1 1/2 cups blueberries
2 tablespoons sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 3/4 cups milk


Sift the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a wire whisk or electric beater until foamy. Add the sour cream, melted butter and milk. Beat briefly to combine ingredients.


Gently fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture, being careful not to overmix. It's okay if there are a few little lumps in the batter. You don't want to mix too vigorously or your pancakes will be tough. You can cover the batter and refrigerate tit for a few hours, or use it right away.


Preheat a griddle. It should be hot enough for drop of water bounce on it. Lightly grease the griddle with a little butter and form pancakes on the griddle. Don't flip the pancakes until several bubbles pop on the top surface. Flip them once, using a spatula, and cook until golden brown on both sides. 
Don't press down on the pancakes with your spatula or they'll lose some of their light texture, and don't overcook them or you'll have a great thing turn into a bad thing.

VOILA! Enjoy all you lovers out there.




"eat, drink and be merry"

Friday, January 18, 2013

What to Look for in 2013

2012 seemed to be a whirlwind of trends... 

 - Navy blue, pink and cream color combos with wildflowers or some form of wooden accents


 - DIY, DIY, DIY... and more DIY: Etsy.com and Pinterest played huge rolls in this last year

 - Bacon: sweet and savory, and on EVERYTHING... from pies to your sandwich


- Bitters: Old-Fashioneds and Mixology drinks galore

 - Tiny Bites and Late Night Snacks such as sliders, hot dogs, and our ever famous pretzel bar





Some of those I'm sure we will see again in 2013... but for now, these are the trends we are expecting to see a lot of in the coming year!



1.  MINT



     This color is beautiful... it is fresh and fun and young and flirty.  It can stand alone as a main color, or it can be used as an accent color -- completely your choice.  It's versatility goes so far as to be used as the actual wedding dress color.



2.  PORK



    It's not just the bacon people are after in 2013... oh no, they want the whole HOG!  Who doesn't love a good pork tenderloin or even a great pulled-pork sandwich?  There are all kinds of pork things you can do though... like roasting the whole pig on one of these awesome La Caja China Pig Roast Boxes.  It cuts the roasting time in half, and the website provides you with guidelines on how long and what you should do to roast the meat you're trying to eat (see what I did there??).  Also, pork won't be limited to just the same ol' barbecue flavors that have grown to be an American staple... be prepared for some Asian, Cuban, and many more flavor varieties on this delicious dish!



3.  SOUR



    It's not enough to be sweet nowadays... people want sour! Fermented and pickled foods, bitters and aperitifs. Sort of contorts your face just thinking about it, huh?



4.  MOCKTAILS



    That's right... remember those things you thought you would only drink in middle school so you could feel like a cool, adult that got to drink really pretty blue drinks? They're back (well, they never truly left)... but they're here! In the adult world!  These are great for before your ceremony or even during a Sunday afternoon reception.  The fun thing is that guests will try and go home and remake their mocktail they had at your wedding.



5.  THE ROARING TWENTIES



    Hollywood has the Roaring Twenties fever with "Gangster Squad," "Downton Abbey," and my personal favorite "The Great Gatsby" all coming out this year... and the fever has been caught by brides.  Expect to see the romantic lace and glamorous ivories will decorate weddings small and large for a "Gatbsy" ol' time! (see what I did there... again?!)



From all of us at CIE, thanks for a great 2012.. and we can't wait to see what is in store for us in 2013!! Hang on, it's going to be a sweet ride!



"eat, drink & be merry"