Regular readers have seen me mention Atlanta Mom, one of my oldest friends and my cooking partner in crime. Atlanta Mom is the one I called when I was overwhelmed with having an eight week old baby and a 3 year old, and DH was going to be gone overnight. Despite the fact that she lives 4.5 hours away, has 2 children of her own, and her husband was also out of town, she said she could arrange child care and school carpool, and come help me that night.
Was my response "thank you" or "wow that would be great" or "you're amazing"??
No!
My response was: "Ok, but I think I really need you for two nights."
And because that's the kind of friend she is, she rearranged her own life and came to Savannah for 2 nights in the middle of the week to take care of all of us.
Atlanta Mom - since I didn't say it then: Wow. Thank you. You are amazing.
She's our guest-blogger today, and with any luck you'll see more of her. Happy eating! (Or rather today, happy drinking!)
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At night, after the kitchen is cleaned and the kids are tucked into bed, I have an agenda that involves one activity: plopping on the couch to watch TV. Most of what I watch comes courtesy of my DVR (how did we live without these?), and one show that I thoroughly enjoy watching and never tire of is The Barefoot Contessa. I eagerly anticipate new episodes and frequently watch repeats. Ina Garten’s motto is to make familiar dishes the very best they can be. Her cookbooks are beautiful and generously include lists of her favorite ingredients, products, and kitchen tools. She has no secrets—she is happy for everyone to cook as well as she does!
Remarkably, I recently stumbled on a recipe in her Barefoot Contessa Parties! cookbook that I hadn't previously noticed. I immediately filed this listing for Real Margaritas in the “to make soon” section of my brain. When we had had friends over for dinner a couple of weeks later, I blended a batch of this happy hour treat. It is easily my newest favorite Ina recipe. While the recipe calls for 1 cup of each liquor, I thought, as did those with whom I was sharing the pitcher, that it was a bit too strong. Reducing each to ¾ c. produces a much better balance and an only slightly less potent cocktail. See what you think. I’ve made this recipe three times and now fondly refer to them as Ina-Ritas.
Ina’s Real Margaritas
Serves 6
1 lime, halved
Kosher salt
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4-5 limes)*
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)*
(*I have the same electric juicer Ina recommends and uses on her show. I love it! I also use it for her Tequila Lime Grilled Chicken, which is yummy. I see a theme here…)
¾-1 cup Triple Sec
3 cups ice
3/4 -1 cup Blanco (white) Tequila
If you like margaritas served in a glass with salt, rub the outside rims of 6 glasses with a cut lime and dip each glass lightly into a plate of kosher salt.
Combine the lime juice, lemon juice, Triple Sec, and ice in a blender and puree until completely blended. Add the tequila and puree for 2 seconds more. Serve over ice.
If you prefer frozen margaritas, halve each of the ingredients, double the ice, and blend in two batches. Serve with a cut lime.
And I love her introduction to this recipe: The keys to this recipe are to use fresh lime juice and inexpensive tequila.
I’ll toast to that! Cheers!
