Slurp

Drinks and Light Fare, All Day, All Night

by Nina Dreyer Hensley, Jim Hensley, Paul Lowe

Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-6990-0
ISBN-10: 0-7407-6990-1
Format: Paperback
Size: 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 in.
Page Count: 176 pages

Whether your tastes run to carrot and ginger juice, Captain Nemos, or blueberry and mint coolers, Slurp: Drinks and Light Fare, All Day, All Night (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $16.99) offers the best quenchers around and delicious dishes to eat with them.

This splashy book by Nina Dreyer Hensley, Jim Hensley, and Paul Løwe includes more than 100 recipes for drinks and food presented by the time of day they would best be served. Alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks are included, along with recipes for tasty appetizer pairings and tips on entertaining. And, last but not least, hangover remedies provide help for the day after.

A sampling:

• Morning: Watermelon, Lime, & Lemongrass Juice paired with French Toast with Banana & Passion Fruit (pages 25 & 49)
• Daytime: Mint Daze with Chicken & Grapefruit Salad and Yogurt Dressing (pages 83 & 95)
• Evening: A Flirtini alongside Shrimp with Coriander and Lime (pages 140 & 150)

You’ll want to check out the list of “five drinks that all girls love and all boys need to know how to make” (and vice versa, all on page 136). And don’t miss the tips for making clever garnishes, having the perfect party, choosing glassware, and much more.

Ten good reasons to have a cocktail party

1. An anniversary.
2. You quit smoking six months ago.
3. Inauguration of a new kitchen.
4. It’s Wednesday!
5. New episodes of Ugly Betty.
6. It’s Gandhi’s birthday (October 2).
7. First day of winter.
8. You got a pay raise.
9. It’s a full moon.
10. You really have nothing else to do!

A cucumber can be used for more than just salads!

Cut up the cucumber into 2- to 3-inch (6 to 7 cm) pieces. Use a teaspoon or a melon baller and hollow out the top portion of each cucumber piece. Put the cucumber pieces on a plate and fill with vodka or other alcohol. Use a few cucumber strips as stirrers. After drinking the vodka, you can eat your glass . . . not bad!

2/3 cup (100 g) peeled, cubed honeydew melon
2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey
Juice of 1/2 lime
6 mint leaves, plus additional for garnish
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) plain yogurt
6 ice cubes
Lime slices, for garnish

Serves 2

Put the honeydew melon, honey, lime juice, 6 mint leaves, yogurt, and ice cubes into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the smoothie into a glass and garnish with lime slices and reserved mint leaves.

14 ounces (400 g) penne pasta
14 ounces (400 g) fresh tuna
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
10 ounces (284 g) fresh spinach, rinsed
1 pound (454 g) sugar snap peas
12 cherry tomatoes, halved

Dressing:
6 tablespoons (90 ml) olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 ml) balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
Zest of 1/2 lemon, grated finely
Salt and pepper

Serves 4

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and let the pasta cool under cold, running water. Rub the tuna with salt and pepper. Sear the tuna in olive oil over high heat, about 30 seconds on each side. Remove from the heat and cut it into chunks. Mix the pasta, tuna, spinach, sugar snap peas, and tomatoes in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dressing and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing over the salad and serve.

1 ounce (30 ml) vodka
0.35 ounce (10 ml) apricot liqueur
0.35 ounce (10 ml) cranberry juice
0.35 ounce (10 ml) pineapple juice
Ice cubes
Champagne
1 strawberry, for garnish

Serves 1

Place the vodka, apricot liqueur, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, and ice cubes in a shaker and shake well. Strain the cocktail into a martini glass and top off with champagne. Garnish with the strawberry.