busybee Food

For a simple piña colada mix, combine two 16-ounce cans of crushed or chunk pineapple (including the juice) and one 12-ounce can of coconut cream and blend until smooth. Then add a few tablespoons of lime juice.

This can be used for a whole bunch of things:

• Make it into an actual piña colada by combining 1 shot of rum, 1 cup of mix, and a bunch of ice in a blender and blending until smooth
• Combine with a splash of unflavored seltzer to make a virgin colada
• Make vegan pineapple-coconut ice cream by putting this in an ice cream maker (rum optional)
• Freeze into popsicles using popsicle molds (don’t add rum if you do this or it’ll never set)

There’s a bunch of things out there about the way of making eggs perfectly over-easy, with fully-cooked whites but nice and runny yolks. Most of them involve either basting the eggs with oil, steaming them with a lid, or flipping them with much trepidation.

But my favorite way: heat the oil to medium-high, crack the eggs, wait for the whites on the bottom to set (1-2 minutes), and then set the remaining whites with a culinary blowtorch (Amazon affiliate link).

Perfectly-cooked whites, perfectly-runny yolks, and no breakage in sight!

An easy-to-prepare soup that’s filling and hearty.

Ingredients:

• 7-14 ounces of smoked sausage (kielbasa or similar), diced or sliced
• 1-2 carrots, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1-2 ribs celery, diced
• 1-2 tsp crushed red pepper or ¼ cup chopped green chile (optional)
• 4-6 cups stock or broth
• 1 ½ cups lentils
• 1 can crushed or diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1-2 tbsp crushed or minced garlic
• 1-2 tsp dried oregano

In a soup pot on medium high, brown the sausage. Add the carrots, and cook until carmelized; add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the celery and cook until translucent, along with the chile if so desired. Deglaze with stock or broth, before adding the rest, along with the lentils, tomatoes, bay leaves, garlic, and oregano. Bring to a gentle boil then reduce to low and cook, covered, for 1 hour or until lentils are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Optionally, garnish with sour cream.

I don’t drink booze often but when I do I like it to be nice. Your definition of “nice” may vary.

Ingredients:

• 1 jigger (1.5 oz) of good tequila (I use Herradura Reposado)
• 1 jigger of lime juice
• 1 jigger of agave nectar
• 1 pony (0.75 oz) of triple sec
• 2-3 dashes of habanero sauce (optional)

Place into cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until the ice gets somewhat crushed. Pour into a glass. Salt rim optional.