Tag Archives: martha steward

Celebrate Memorial Day with these Great Recipes

barbecue pics

Although in San Antonio, we’re never short of reasons to celebrate, Memorial Day is the perfect time to don your chef’s hat and impress your friends with a menu of yummy dishes, but ones that aren’t too complicated either. What’s the point if you don’t get to relax a little too?! This is our ideal Memorial Day cookout:

COCKTAIL – Fizzy Ginger Lemonade

Kick-off the party with a refreshing drink. We found a fun recipe for a Fizzy Ginger Lemonade that you can also make a little boozy for adults by adding your spirit of choice.

Ingredients

2-inch knob ginger, peeled and cut into small chunks

1 cup fresh juice from 10 to 12 lemons

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch salt

1 cup cold water

2 cups (1 pint) club soda

1 quart ice

Directions

Combine ginger, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and water in a blender. Blend on high speed for 1 minute. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher. Add club soda and ice and stir to combine. Serve immediately in ice-filled glasses.

APPETIZER – Spicy Deviled Eggs

These may not taste like Grandma’s, but you’ll love them just the same!

Ingredients

12 hard-cooked large eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Minced fresh cilantro

Directions

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks; set whites aside. In a small bowl, mash yolks. Add the mayonnaise, chipotle peppers, capers, mustard, salt and white pepper; mix well. Stuff or pipe into egg whites. Refrigerate until serving. Sprinkle with cilantro.

MAIN COURSE – Barbecued Short Ribs with Cucumber & Orange Salad

Nothing screams Memorial Day like cooked meats, but why not try something different. Leave those chicken thighs and sausages in the freezer. Your family will thank you!

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon ground red pepper

2 1/2 pounds bone-in short ribs

Cooking spray

1 navel orange, thickly sliced

4 Persian cucumbers, shaved paper thin (about 2 cups)

1/4 cup thinly shaved shallots (about 2 shallots)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 habanero chile, seeded and thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, grated on a rasp or Microplane grater

1 tablespoon uncooked long-grain white rice

Directions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients. Pat ribs dry; rub with spice mixture. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Heat grill to medium heat.

3. After preheating, turn left burner off (leave right burner on). Coat grill rack with cooking spray. Arrange ribs on left side of grill rack; grill, covered, 3 hours or until tender and a thermometer registers 200° (maintain grill temperature at 325°). Place ribs on a cutting board; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 10 minutes.

4. Increase grill temperature to high. Place orange slices on right side of grill rack; cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until charred. Cool slightly; coarsely chop. Combine orange and next 8 ingredients (through grated garlic) in a large bowl.

5. Cook rice in a skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until the color of toast, stirring frequently. Place rice in a spice grinder or mortar; finely grind.

6. Remove rib meat from bones; discard bones. Cut meat into thin slices. Place cucumber mixture on a platter; top with rib meat. Sprinkle with ground rice.

Now that you have the menu, why not let us help you create the perfect house for all of your future holiday parties?! Call us at 210-494-5400 to set up a consultation. If you wish to be added to our private email list to receive our newsletter, please sign up here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips for Bringing Spring Mojo into your Home this Easter!

Courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

Courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

Now that spring is here, it’s about time to start implementing some of our New Year’s resolutions, which may include sprucing up the house, or what we often call (yes, the dreaded) spring cleaning. However, before you resign yourself to rolling up those sleeves and digging out the Comet, let’s take a moment to appreciate the ways we can celebrate spring for spring’s sake–without all the chemicals.

History has handed down several traditions for celebrating the vernal equinox, the official start of spring in the Western hemisphere, a day which normally falls around March 21. This particular day has different names in various cultures. We often call this day Easter, but in Iran for example, it’s called No Ruz, which is a time for mending, repairing and gathering flowers; and in Greece they celebrate Hilaria, a word which was originally used to denote any day or season of rejoicing.

At Stone Creek Custom Homes, we love to see our customers enjoy every opportunity to celebrate life, loved ones, and a beautiful home. What better time to appreciate life than spring? So no matter how you celebrate this upcoming holiday, here are some tips for bringing some fresh spring mojo into your home.

Tidying Up

A bit of (literal) wiping the slate clean goes a long way. Throw out the Valentine’s day trash, sweep up the porch, wipe off the countertops. Although spring cleaning can perhaps call to mind a military task force armed with Swiffers, we recommend making things easy for yourself. Make a list of tasks you haven’t had the time or energy to address – such as cleaning out the garage or organizing that box of family photos that’s been sitting in the corner of the living room for 6 months – and put it somewhere you can see each day, like on the door of the fridge. Commit to knocking out just one item on your list each week. Before you know it, you’ll have nothing left to do but sit on your patio sipping margaritas!

Fresh Foods

This may seem like common sense; eating well is for every day, but taking a moment to recharge and appreciate the new opportunities open to us in spring while munching on a healthy snack of nuts, seeds, and spring fruit (strawberries, honeydew, and mango to name a few), is good for the head space. Now that there are so many new farmers markets popping up, such as the brand new one at Trinity, it’s much easier to find fresh produce in SA.

Colorful Eggs

Taking some time with the kids in our lives (or the kid in you) to decorate eggs is a wonderful way to be reminded yourself of the newness and miracle of life. Boil some eggs from 10-12 minutes, or hit your local art store for wooden or plastic eggs, and gather markers, glitter, stickers, and just have fun. Get crazy and creative, but if you want a bit more sophistication this holiday, we recommend a gorgeous Martha Stewart marbled egg-decorating recipe

 The air is brimming with fresh starts and new beginnings: Carpe Diem, as the poets say! Call us at 210-494-5400 if your spring includes a new custom-built home. To join our newsletter, click here.

Happy Spring from Stone Creek Custom Homes!