Addendum to Pink Ladies

Recently we celebrated my sister's 60th birthday.  Yikes, can it be?  She doesn't look a day older than 29.  And in our hearts we will always remain just that.  Her family had a super surprise party for her, dubbing it the Pink Ladies party, though not constrained to ladies or the color pink.  If you read my previous Pink Ladies post, you know it's a dwindling family tradition and my sister's sweet daughter-in-law, of French Canadian descent, wanted to rekindle our love affair with this somewhat disappearing drink concoction. 

Therefore, I'm sharing with you this lovely video in the hopes that someone in each of our respective families volunteers to undertake this bartending task each year.



"Les dames roses sont chaudes, chaudes, chaudes...."

Red Cocktail Sauce for Shrimp ...p13

The only time I buy bottled Cocktail Sauce is when my husband grabs it in the grocery store....this recipe has never failed to be a pleaser and I'm pleased to say tonight, it was extra-special.  Reason being?  My husband made the added horseradish sauce from scratch!

If you've never tried, do!  It's so easy if you have a food processor.  One chunk of horseradish root, a bit of vinegar and salt make about a pint-sized jar.  Radically different from the store bought horseradish sauce that sometimes tastes "funny" - this tasted fresh and pungent.  We learned from the fantastic blog The Garden of Eating that once you blend it smooth, the longer you wait before adding the vinegar, which acts as a neutralizer, the hotter the horseradish.  We opted to wait the full 3 minutes before neutralizing....perfect to our taste!  And perfect when added fresh to this cocktail sauce.

The critic inherited her love of horseradish from her father,

remarking that this was a "generational blessing" as opposed to "curse," so she was the official taste tester:  "YUM YUM YUM," she exclaimed.....

Shrimp, onions, artichokes, and purple potatoes went into the pot along with some seasonings to combine for an "elegant" casual dinner, concocted so that we could comment on the red cocktail sauce.

Hardy Appetit!