Pimm’s Lemonade for a Nashville Potluck Dinner… E.A.T. #9

August 7, 2013August 18, 2013 ~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 14 Comments

Nashville’s Third Thursday Potluck rolls around very month & I always seem to be at a loss of what to take…what should be my offering for this fun event?

When in doubt I make cocktails…seasonal cocktails, libations, tonics, pick-me-ups…whatever I decide to concoct it always includes seasonal fruit or vegetables, an interesting alcohol or two or three & is suitable to the month.

Maybe a Pimm’s Cup? Wanting to make this classic British refresher even more summer-like with the addition of fresh lemonade & some local summer fruits I got to work.

Here is what I used:

1 quart of fresh Lemonade, 2 cups Pimm’s Liqueur, 1 cup Limoncello Liqueur, a handful of blackberries, sliced apples, pluots or plums, peaches, cucumbers, orange slices & lime slices & fresh mint.

It is as easy as this:

1. Mix together in a large pitcher or jar the Lemonade, Pimm’s & Limoncello. Stir well.

2. Add cut up fruit to the pitcher filling pretty full. Cover & chill at least 2 hours before serving. Pour mixture along with some of the fruit over ice in glasses with a sprig of mint. The fruit is deliciously tasty, crisp & cold after steeping in the mixture

Printable Recipe Here

It’s summer, Drink your fruit! (It’s Gluten Free!)

“Cilantro Limeade Rum Cooler for Third Thursday July Pop-Up Potluck”

July 29, 2012August 13, 2013 ~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 23 Comments

“Cilantro Limeade Rum Cooler”

It seems that the “Third Thursday Potluck” here in Nashville, started by lover’s of good foods and good deeds Nancy Vienneau (Good Food Matters) & Gigi Gaskins (HatWRKS), is getting quite a bit of buzz. Relish Magazine (relish.com) is now running a regular monthly column on this wonderfully social, local & edible event. Writer, Nancy Vienneau shares with readers interesting, seasonal recipes as well as tips on how to start your own community potluck dinner club. Third Thursday is always one of my very favorite evenings of each month. I love the food, the camaraderie, the ever-changing parade of guests as well as the stalwart friends.

For a few years now Third Thursday Potluck has been hosted by Nancy and Gigi. One month at Nancy’s house, the next at Gigi’s, both in the Hillsboro/Belmont neighborhood of Nashville. This July they decided to shake things up a bit. They asked me to host a “Pop-Up Third Thursday Potluck” at my house in Historic Germantown, downtown Nashville. It was lots of fun, well attended, the food & drink abundant & outstanding. It was a hot night….perfect for lots of fresh local foods & homemade peach ice cream, not to mention a large jar of my ice-cold “Cilantro Limeade Rum Cooler” made especially for the evening.

First a quick recipe for “Cilantro Limeade Rum Cooler for Third Thursday July”

1 1/2 cups Raw Sugar

1 bunch fresh Cilantro

1 cup Water

2 cups fresh squeezed Lime Juice

2 cups (or to taste) White Rum

1/2 cup St. Germain or other Elderflower Liqueur

Lots of Crushed Ice, Seltzer Water, Lime wheels for Garnish

1. Make a “simple syrup” by putting the raw sugar & water into a saucepan on med heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to melt sugar. Remove from heat, stir in fresh cilantro sprigs, cover & let cool. When cooled, strain out cilantro & discard. Pour syrup into a large pitcher or jar when ready to serve.

2. Add fresh lime juice, white rum & liqueur. Mix and adjust taste if needed. Fill pitcher or jar halfway with crushed ice. Fill the rest of the way with seltzer water. Serve with additional crushed ice, lime wheels & cilantro sprigs.

Photo Gallery of “Third Thursday July Pop-Up Potluck Dinner”

Hosting Third Thursday Dinner stack of plates & napkins — Getting ready….Plates, plates and more plates…

Dill Fresh Fig Branches White Tulip Centerpiece — Flowers….there must be flowers.

Bar set-up for Third Thursday Dinner — A makeshift bar….there must be a bar.

Vintage Tablecloth Outdoor Decor — Tables, chairs….

Vintage tablecloths for Third Thursday Dinner — …and more tables & chairs!….yes you are correct…to left is a little table (stool) and a wooden box (stool) to sit on…

Everything is ready…

Great people, lots of laughter, conversations, fresh good food…

We ate outside, inside and on the steps!

Then there were desserts…pies, cookies, ice cream, berries & cream, bread puddings.

Do you have room for dessert? I think so…..

Bon Appetit.

Spring Green Tonics

March 19, 2011 ~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 9 Comments

“Spring Tonic”

To celebrate Daylight Savings Time, St. Patrick’s Day and the Spring Equinox

On the third Thursday evening of each month I attend a dinner hosted by friends, Nancy Vienneau and Gigi Gaskins. It is appropriately called “Third Thursday” and is a potluck dinner party made up of many folks whose common love of interesting, healthy, local foods is the common thread.

March’s Third Thursday Dinner fell on St. Patrick’s Day. As you can imagine there were lots of dishes honoring “green”. Spinach, green beans, basil, avocado dishes were plentiful. For this occasion I created a “Spring Tonic”. With cucumbers & lime juice as the main ingredients this “tonic” was the essence of “all things green”.

This tonic is easy to make, beautiful, refreshing, not too sweet and is like drinking a glass of spring.

What you will need:

To make approximately 1/2 gallon of Spring Tonic:

About 8 fresh cucumbers, 5 or 6 limes juiced, a piece of fresh ginger, 1 to 1.5 cups of raw sugar, 2 to 3 cups of your favorite white rum, about 1 cup of Midori liqueur and seltzer water or club soda. (Adjust to taste as you mix.)

Trim and peel cucumbers. Scrape seeds out with a spoon. Cut into chunks and place in food processor. You may have to do this in batches. Process until cucumbers are pureed with no chunks. Pour puree into a colander lined with two layers of cheesecloth or into a fine sieve sitting over a bowl to catch the cucumber juice. Use a rubber scraper to press the puree through the cheesecloth to get out most of the liquid.

When finished you should have about 3 cups of liquid.

This color of green is so beautiful like spring grass.

To make Gingered Simple Syrup: Peel ginger & cut into slices. Place ginger pieces, raw sugar + 1.2 cups of water in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a low boil, cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat to cool.

As I was taking my Spring Tonic to a dinner party I made labels for two 1 qt containers to share the ingredients with guests.

To mix Spring Tonic:

Into each 1 quart container add half of the Cucumber liquid, half of the Midori, half of the fresh Lime Juice, half of the Gingered Simple Syrup with ginger pieces & half of the White Rum. Stir mixture in each container until well mixed. Cover and chill until ready to drink.