• Blog
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Nav Social Icons

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Hospitality
    • Cooking
    • Hosting
    • Household Management
    • Celebrate
    • Basics
  • Lovely Living
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Favorites
    • Hobbies
    • Parenting
    • Personal Care
    • Reflections
  • Recipes
    • Appetizer
    • Main Dish
    • Sides
    • Dessert
    • Breakfast
    • Beverage
  • Chronicles
    • The Lovely Archives
    • Family
    • Hurley House
    • Ina
    • Journals
  • Shop
    • Beauty
    • Closet
    • Cookbooks
    • Gifts
    • Home
    • Kitchen
    • Library
    • Needlepoint
    • Organization
    • Table
  • Blog
  • About
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

    Connect

    Search

  • Hospitality
    • Hosting
    • Household Management
    • Cooking
    • Basics
    • Celebrate
  • Lovely Living
    • Fashion
    • Favorites
    • Hobbies
    • Parenting
    • Beauty
    • Personal Care
    • Reflections
  • Recipes
    • Appetizer
    • Main Dish
    • Sides
    • Dessert
    • Breakfast
    • Beverage
  • Shop
    • Beauty
    • Closet
    • Cookbooks
    • Gifts
    • Home
    • Kitchen
    • Library
    • Needlepoint
    • Organization
    • Table
  • Chronicles
    • The Lovely Archives
    • Family
    • Ina
    • Journals
    • Hurley House
  • About

Summer Cookbook Club: Week 1

June 10, 2022 · In: Cooking, Hospitality, Video

This week I kicked off the Summer Cookbook Club, and if you are participating, I hope you had as much fun as I did! As I have mentioned before, despite having cooked all of Ina’s recipes from her other eleven coobooks, I have not cooked a single thing from Modern Comfort Food. I am so excited to jump in and discover some new favorites this summer.

The recipes slated for this week were Spicy Pimiento Cheese Spread (page 51) and Frozen Palomas (page 35). I thought this week was a huge success, and I am excited to share my thoughts on these recipes, as well a short video summary my cooking process from the week.

SPICY PIMIENTO CHEESE SPREAD
What a wonderful rendition of pimiento cheese! I particularly enjoyed the nuance of flavor between the sharp white cheddar (worth seeking out and grating by hand), the pickled heat from the jalapeños, and the subtle back notes from the granulated onion, celery seed, and grated garlic. Everything melded together wonderfully, and I did not find the heat level to be overwhelming.

This recipe makes quite a lot of pimiento cheese, but it will last for a week, making this an easy snack to keep on hand for summer pool-side nibbling. One night I used some of the leftover spread to make Spicy Pimiento Cheese grilled cheese sandwiches, and they were a hit. Highly recommend!

FROZEN PALOMAS
Stop the presses! I have found my signature cocktail! The color. The texture. The flavor. All of it was a yes for me. These are a breeze to whip together, and while they do require an overnight freeze, I can think of no better strategy then to stock my freezer with batches of the base so that I can whip up a round of this delightfully delicious cocktail at a moment’s notice.

I made three notes on this recipe for next time.

First, grapefruit juice can vary in flavor from ripe and sweet to almost bitter. My grapefruits yielded a slightly bitter juice, which could easily be remedied by adding more simple syrup. So next time I will give it a taste before freezing to make sure the sweetness level is to my liking. I might also take a handy shortcut and purchase grapefruit juice next time.

Second, the recipe calls for processing the mixture in batches, but I found I could fit the entire thing in my Vitamix blender at once. Next time I will not mess around with trying to divide it up.

Finally, Ina says this makes four cocktails, but I found the yield to be closer to three, or at least three abundant piles of slush teetering to the tip top of my glass. I suppose you could get four smaller servings, but in my book, cocktails should be ample, particularly the frozen variety.

WHAT I LEARNED.
Isn’t it wonderful to make a plan, gather groceries, and execute recipes? I feel like this week was a call back to the rhythm and routine of cooking, even if the recipes were simple and straightforward. Cooking requires planning, and it is often in the context of simple recipes where I find it easiest to hone my skill of thinking through details such as making sure the cream cheese is room temperature, making sure I have simple syrup ready, and allowing for an overnight freeze.

I particularly enjoy the way cooking inspires me to create a reason to gather and connect. As I was sipping on my Frozen Paloma and enjoying the Spicy Pimiento Cheese Spread, I instantly wanted to throw a Paloma and Pimiento Cheese Party. Doesn’t that sound fun? I could make the spread ahead, freeze the cocktail mix in batches, and invite a couple of girlfriends over for a summer catch up session. I pictured setting up an ice-filled cooler on my back porch, plugging in my Vitamix next to the cooler, and mixing up batches of the Frozen Palomas on demand. I would round out the Spicy Pimiento Cheese Spread with a variety of fresh vegetables for dipping, and let the evening unfold in a wonderfully relaxed pace.

This is the beautiful thing about cooking. We always learn something, and we oftentimes remember the power that food has to bring people together.

By: Katherine Sasser · In: Cooking, Hospitality, Video

you’ll also love

My Favorite Roast Chicken Supplies
How I Store Childhood Memorabilia
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jennifer W. says

    June 10, 2022 at 3:35 pm

    Loved both the recipes too! I admit on the pimento cheese I was a little worried about the wetness of the jalapenos and peppers so I patted them dry (probably unnecessarily). I have not used celery seed in a recipe before and was surprised by the deliciousness it brought to the dish. I also used the entire tablespoon of Siracha–which made me nervous but agree it was the perfect amount of heat! I will definitely make this again and yes both are perfect for nibbles around the pool!

    Reply
  2. Debbie Hilliard says

    June 11, 2022 at 1:57 pm

    Loved both recipes! I agree that the Frozen Palomas will be in our freezer this summer. I used fresh grapefruits but will also try bottled next time. My husband even liked the Spicy Pimento Cheese – probably because of the jalapeños – he usually doesn’t like anything with cream cheese or sour cream.

    Thanks for this great idea encouraging us to try new recipes!

    Reply
  3. Michelle R. says

    June 11, 2022 at 2:15 pm

    Thank you for this fun summer project. I’ve pretty much stopped cooking since becoming an empty nester and decided to join this club to get back into it. Week 1 was a success! I loved the frozen Paloma’s! Delicious!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Next Post >

Needlepoint Resources

Primary Sidebar

Search

Featured Posts

Spring Favorites

New Cookbooks I Am Really Enjoying

My Favorite Pie Baking Supplies

Latest on Instagram

katherinesasser

katherinesasser


See those brass tacks holding my canvas onto that
See those brass tacks holding my canvas onto that wooden frame? 

The wooden frame is made from stretcher bars, and there is a cool little tool I use to install the tacks. The whole set up isn’t complicated, but if you’re a visual learner like me, I made a little video tutorial for you over on the blog!

Elevating the everyday is not about fussy, braggad
Elevating the everyday is not about fussy, braggadocios gestures. It’s about imputing dignity and beauty into otherwise mundane or ordinary occurrences. 

It’s not about perfection. It’s about discovery. 💗

Felt right to wear a dress for Tag Sale Day! Bring
Felt right to wear a dress for Tag Sale Day! Bring on the tablecloths and tea sandwiches…let’s elevate the everyday!

Week Two of the Summer Cookbook Club is complete,
Week Two of the Summer Cookbook Club is complete, and this week was a doozy! Two big recipes with very different results. 

Check out the blog post and video for all the details!

This season’s hottest new accessory is the Ring
This season’s hottest new accessory is the Ring Pop Popsicle! 

Fantastically frosty, subtly sweet, and available in shades sure to make you salivate, this is the seasonal bling you’ve been craving. 😉

Breakfast Salad has become such an integral part o
Breakfast Salad has become such an integral part of my routine that I made it an official blog post, complete with back story, testimonial, and a recipe! Salad for breakfast? Yes please!!


Load More...



Follow on Instagram


Browse by Category

Hi, I'm Katherine

Hi, I'm Katherine
hello!

I share lifestyle content through the lens of hospitality. If you are interested in learning about the beauty that creating space can bring, you've come to the right place!

Read More

Connect

Recent Posts

Summer Cookbook Club: Week 3

Stretcher Bar and Tack Kit Tutorial

Archives

Follow Along

@katherinesasser

See those brass tacks holding my canvas onto that See those brass tacks holding my canvas onto that wooden frame? 

The wooden frame is made from stretcher bars, and there is a cool little tool I use to install the tacks. The whole set up isn’t complicated, but if you’re a visual learner like me, I made a little video tutorial for you over on the blog!
Elevating the everyday is not about fussy, braggad Elevating the everyday is not about fussy, braggadocios gestures. It’s about imputing dignity and beauty into otherwise mundane or ordinary occurrences. 

It’s not about perfection. It’s about discovery. 💗
Felt right to wear a dress for Tag Sale Day! Bring Felt right to wear a dress for Tag Sale Day! Bring on the tablecloths and tea sandwiches…let’s elevate the everyday!
Week Two of the Summer Cookbook Club is complete, Week Two of the Summer Cookbook Club is complete, and this week was a doozy! Two big recipes with very different results. 

Check out the blog post and video for all the details!
This season’s hottest new accessory is the Ring This season’s hottest new accessory is the Ring Pop Popsicle! 

Fantastically frosty, subtly sweet, and available in shades sure to make you salivate, this is the seasonal bling you’ve been craving. 😉
Breakfast Salad has become such an integral part o Breakfast Salad has become such an integral part of my routine that I made it an official blog post, complete with back story, testimonial, and a recipe! Salad for breakfast? Yes please!!
Yesterday in The Lovely I wrote about how I am not Yesterday in The Lovely I wrote about how I am not good at what I call summering.

Summering is when we embrace a season of rest. I am good at daily and weekly recharging, but an entire season of rest? Ummm, not my strong suit.

And so, when faced with something I am not yet good at, I approach it the same way I approach anything else I want to learn. I dive in and do the thing!

If you need me, I will be actively summering. Flubbing it up, figuring it out, and knowing that learning by doing is the way forward.
Lillian chose a smoky purple. Norah went with a pu Lillian chose a smoky purple. Norah went with a punchy pink. And I stuck with my favorite red. Let flip flop season begin!

Copyright © 2022 ·