May Kitchen Challenge Results: Ginger Ale

So. So. Spicy.

I love it.

I attempted to start my own wild fermentation but, alas, a week later and it was about as lively as a rock. Being that we were literally on our way out the door for Orlando I figured I’d call it what it was (a dead failure) and toss it.

Luckily I didn’t put all my eggs in one basket, opting to prepare a batch of the quicker, yeast-fermented ginger ale as well, which was surprisingly easy. I made 4 bottles total, experimenting with both lemon and lime juices (personally? I’m loving the lime!) as well as both glass (eek!) and plastic soda bottles (no explosions, luckily, although the plastic bottle we felt held a better seal).

The final product is not as carbonated like you expect from commercial soda (although it seems like other participants saw varying degrees of fizz, from barely bubbly to exploding volcanoes). Mine was not incredibly carbonated, but rather delightfully effervescent, with a hint of fizz and a ton of spice from the ginger. If you don’t like it quite as spicy as I do, just cut back on the ginger a bit and you’ll still end up with a deliciously refreshing beverage.

I think I somewhat overestimated the amount of ginger I’d need, buying almost a whole pound of it. Luckily, ginger freezes fantastically, just peel (scrape the skin off with a spoon rather than hassling yourself with a veggie peeler) and seal in a zip-top bag. I’m sure you could also make the ginger juice well ahead of time and freeze that for later use.

But overall? Mission: gingerale was a huge success, and a refreshing (literally) break from the frustration of last month’s challenge. And definitely something I’ll be making again, especially now that the heat of summer is upon us.

Be sure to click through if you’d like my recipe and also see the beautiful, bubbly submissions from readers!

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Quinoa Veggie Burgers with Pickled Red Onions

Is there such thing as burger-induced writer’s block? If so, I have it.

Which doesn’t make sense because these veggie burgers are nothing short of amazing and should inspire me to write epic poetry, let alone a simple blog post.

Alas, the words elude me. Like the thinking equivalent of talking with your mouth full. How about we just say these burgers left me speechless, and I’ll simply tell you about them instead. Straight to the point and without all the fluff. Also: without any meat.

Quinoa, shredded carrot, cheese and breadcrumbs form a surprisingly substantial patty, which is then topped with fresh tomato, arugula, tart pickled red onions and soft, creamy goat cheese.

I put goat cheese on everything.

Just in case you didn’t notice.

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Strawberry Almond Scones

Life is good. You know how I know? The biggest dilemma I was faced with this past weekend was what to do with the rest of my coveted strawberries.

Two batches of jam, three smoothies, and four bellyaches later, there were only a handful of less-than-perfect berries left, crying to be used. Rather then send them into the deep freeze for later use, I threw them into a batch of these delicious-sounding scones.

While the flavors were spot-on, I felt that the texture was not quite as scone-like as I would have liked. Granted, I took them out of the oven sooner than the directions instructed, however if I hadn’t I would have ruined another baking sheet with the singed remains of strawberry ooze. As a result, the texture was almost muffin-like, light and fluffy and soft. Good, no doubt, but not what I’d define as a scone.

I loved the sweet buttermilk glaze, though, and so did the cat. We turned our backs for 5 seconds only to find that she’d broken in to the partially open container and was now madly licking the glaze off the top of one scone like her life depended on it.

I take it back. We DO have bigger dilemmas than just strawberries…

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Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

I give up. Why don’t YOU try to photograph a cheesesteak. The gooier and meltier the better, taste-wise, but the harder it is to photograph.

Disclaimer: I do not live in Philly, nor have I ever actually had an authentic Philly cheesesteak. This is my version, based on a recipe by Julie of The Little Kitchen (who has never been to Philly either). If you are offended by the fact that we didn’t use cheese-whiz or whatever processed cheese product the locals use, please keep your cheesesteak-gospel to yourself. I’ll try a real one eventually (really, I will!) but until then, this is a darn good substitute.

The secret to this sandwich is really the bread. It’s worth the extra effort to hunt down some good-quality hoagie rolls (we were really impressed with the Publix rolls Julie recommended). And don’t skip the steaming. Simply wrapping the rolls in foil and popping them in the oven for a few short minutes allows the juices to permeate the bread, steaming and softening the bread in a marriage of succulent steak and melted cheese.

I’m a proponent of simplicity when it comes to cheesesteaks and thus chose to top mine with just sauteed onions; however, if you need a more fulfilling cheesesteak, feel free to add green bell peppers, mushrooms, or other toppings to them mix.

Actually, I take that back. I’m really tempted to make a “hipster” version, complete with goat cheese and arugula or other toppings that will probably make the cheesesteak-purists out there cringe.

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