Hi folks.
I am so thrilled to share this week's Burning Down The Kitchen with you. I have a special treat and a special guest.
My life has been so hectic lately and I keep thinking about that book "If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What am I doing in the Pits". My mom was such a huge Erma fan. I love her humour. I love her book. I love cherries.
So what do Erma and cherries have to do with today? Well today's special guest reminds me of the wise cracking, witty Erma. She is sharp as a tack, funny as hell and sweet with just a hint of tart. Anita from Hungry Couple was my willing victim this week and let me just say any time you work with her it's going to be a blast. You're also going to get responses that make your family think you're in the office watching bloopers on youtube cuz you burst out laughing with each new email. This woman makes me giggle and you all know I love a good giggle. Almost as much as I love cherries.
I met Anita through the now defunk Foodbuzz. Foodbuzz is how a lot of us food bloggers met. It used to be such a fun place to connect with other foodies. People like Anita. Now Foodbuzz has morphed into something else entirely and I don't use it any more. But my friendship with Anita is intact and for that I'm grateful to the site that introduced us.
When I think of Anita I think "queen of the cocktail". Don't get me wrong, that is not all she does. She whips up great desserts and meals too. But she's very known for her drinks. I always enjoy seeing what she has concocted. I can't drink due to my illness. It's my biggest trigger, to the point that I cannot touch alcohol at all. If I do I pay for it for days to come. But I love looking at gorgeous drinks and think there's something so sexy and seductive about a martini or daiquiri. I wish I could partake but it's just not in the cards for me.
I went around and around Anita's site looking for a dessert recipe. She has so many amazing treats on her site I could not decide which one to make. I was going to make her Lushest Creamist Cheesecake Ever, then I eyed her Chocolate Chip Scones, then moved on to her Flourless Cake, then almost settled on her Orange Cranberry Bread, then almost dove into her Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crunch Cake. Then it occurred to me that I should be a grown up and make one of her meal recipes. I fell in love with her Wheatberry, Wild Rice and Butternut Squash, and then got sidetracked by her Shepherd's Pie until I saw her Most Tender Meatballs Ever before I moved on to Pasta with Sweet Italian Sausage then flipped out over her Veggie Lasagna Roll Ups. Then I realized I should just be a serious grown up and make a cocktail. Minus the alcohol cuz I have a sissy tummy. I kept going back to her Key Lime Daiquiri. The drink just looks all kinds of refreshing. I like lime, it's fab with so many other things. One of those things is cherry. I'd made a Shirley Temple before and then the idea of sort of combining the daiquiri and Shirley Temple came to mind. Then I googled cherry daiquiri cuz I wasn't sure if they existed. They do and I was sort of mesmerized, er, stunned, er, horrified, that there are people named Cherry Daiquiri on twitter and facebook. But let's not go there. The visions still haunt me at night. Let's just say cherry daiquiri's exist and are drinks and not strippers. Yah, that's right. Just drinks.
Okay so that's how I came about deciding what to make. But you're all here to read silly Q & A with Anita, so let's do that first then we'll get to the stripper drink recipe after the interview.
Rapidfire Q & A with Anita of Hungry Couple:
Anita and Hadley on Cape Cod!
I always tell my interviewee’s that if there’s a question that doesn’t make sense for them to let me know and we can replace it with another. I had asked Anita something that didn’t really apply to her. So since we have a jokey sort of friendship this is what I sent her to replace it:
- 4 oz cherry juice (any kind)
- 8 oz sprite
- 1 oz maraschino cherry syrup
- 2 oz grenadine
- 2 to 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 4 cups ice
- maraschino cherries
- lime
- Pour everything into your blender and mix it up.
- Pulse until the ice breaks up.
- Pour into a pitcher or glasses.
- Serve with a big old cherry smile!
Thank you so much to Anita for allowing me to the pleasure of torturing her this week. It was so much fun to get inside your head a little bit. There’s nothing quite like getting to know your fave bloggers on such a personal, silly level. I enjoy the heck out of this series. It’s people like you who keep me inspired.
A quick note to the readers:
I apologize for any wonkiness with this post. This one seems to be giving me a run for my money with formatting. I've posted it intact but it needs tweaking when I'm calm and don't want to throw my laptop against a wall. Sometimes these interview posts get off kilter while cutting and copying info. I'll tweak the post tomorrow so it looks normal.
CCU
I simply adore The Hungry Couple, I LOVE her blog 😀
And delicious delicious job with this cherry daiquiri 🙂
Cheers
CCU
Kim Bee
Thanks, I had a ton of fun with this one.
Ramona
I love these burning down the kitchen posts... I especially like hearing about photography and stuff. I learn so much from these. It was great getting know Anita. 🙂
Kim Bee
Thanks Ramona. I am the same. Really love finding out about what people use for cameras and whatnot. So interesting. So glad you like reading them. I'd love to have you do one. Maybe we can talk and work that out for the new year.
CJ at Food Stories
Great post ... Loved learning more about my foodie friend, Anita 🙂
Kim Bee
Thank you. Anita is amazing, was fun to work with her.
Susan
I love Anita and your recipe reminds me of all the Shirley Temples I used to drink as a kid!
Kim Bee
I adore her too. I love Shirley Temples. I dig any cherry drink I can find. It's my kryptonite.
Suzi
This is a great interview KIm, I check out Anitas cocktail weekly. Love them. Hope you are feeling better. I have been totally lax in visiting blogs lately, I am trying to get up to speed, but lots of other activity going on lately and a new project. Enjoy your virgin Cherry Daiquiri, I will have mine with a splash of Vodka, thank you, LOL.
Kim Bee
Thanks Suzi. I adore all the drinks she does. Wish I could drink them, makes me feel so weird I can't partake at all.
No worries. I am the same way. My commenting had died off during and after my illness on the trip. Sometimes life just gets in the way. But that's a good thing cuz it means you're out there living and having fun.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
What a lovely post. I'm in love with Hadley. I have a poodle/kcc cross and he's my best friend. I'm pretty sure he'd be anyone's best friend but he's all mine.
I don't often make virgin cocktails but if I did, I'd make this one! I might deflower it and increase the alcohol tempo. 🙂
Kim Bee
I have a little westie. But she's really bad. We used to have a sheltie so the bar was set high. Malia just needs to calm down a little I think. She's just a year and a half now. Still wild. But we're working on it.
I am dying laughing at your comment. I cannot stop giggling. I wish I could drink. Seems so square to make virgin drinks but my tummy just won't allow me any wiggle room on it.
kale
ya i'm not really sure how to jive with the new foodbuzz either... but i am glad that i met your blog through it and that i still come to check it out and find fun and inspiring posts & recipes!
Kim Bee
I didn't join the new one. I keep thinking about it just to reconnect with some folks I've lost touch with. But I don't like the terms in the thing you have to click. I am so thrilled we met though. It definitely introduced me to wonderful people and I'm forever grateful for that. I miss the sense of community it had. No other site seems to compare to the old foodbuzz.
suzanne Perazzini
That drink is so pretty and the interview was interesting especially because I know Anita from the Facebook group but don't actually know her. I love her pup - what a great companion for her.
Kim Bee
Anita is a riot. Some of the stuff that comes out of her mouth makes me fall on floor laughing. She's sharp as they come.
I loved that drink. I actually froze some for tomorrow cuz I have a day of paperwork to do. Figured it would make the time pass better.
Hester @ Alchemy in the Kitchen
Yeah... don't you miss Foodbuzz all the same... sigh! Anyway, lovely interview with Anita, and Hadley is adorable. I'm a cherry-addict too so this cocktail is right up my street.
Kim Bee
I do. I miss the community feeling. And it's hard to keep up with everyone now. They were great at bringing us together. I wish someone would come up with a way to mimic the old fb so we could all connect again.
Thanks. I adore Hadley. I keep thinking she could teach my little Malia some manners.
I hear you. I swear my days are not complete unless I have something cherry to eat or drink. I finally found cherry pepsi locally. I was so happy the day I found it in our town. Sad but true.
Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
Love this. OMG you guys both crack me up SO MUCH.
Becky
I love your interview with Anita, and you are both a hoot! Kim, thanks for letting us see another side of our favorite bloggers.
Anita,
Hadley is so cute! I have a cock-a-poo, who thinks that she's a princess:), but she's still cute.
Kim Bee
Thanks so much Becky. I adore doing this series.
Kim Bee
Thanks Kayle. xx
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love.
I adore Anita (and you too, of course, Kim!)!
Kim Bee
Lol Stephanie. For some reason that had me in fits of giggles. xx
Marina@Picnic at Marina
Hi Kim! What an interview, brilliant! I read it tree times (yes, it's 3) just to enjoy! 🙂 Thanks you both, Kim and Anita!
Now, back to business with Kim. I think I lost my subscription to your blog, don't know when and how it happened, but I don't receive any e-mails alerting me of your new posts. I signed up again, let's see if that would work. I do have you in my Google reader, but I prefer to start my day with a cup of milk while reading what my friends have posted... 🙂 This explains why I am not here every post, and I hope from now on it would be fixed. Kim, I love my morning "dose" of you on this blog! Love you, my friend! 🙂
Emily @ Life on Food
I love reading Anita's posts. Great interview and I had a good laugh at that last answer.
Valerie @ From Valerie's Kitchen
My mom use to whip up all kinds of exotic drinks (with alcohol of course!) but still, this reminds me of her. Thanks for letting us all know a little more about Anita 🙂
Scrambled Megs
loved your interview and the cocktails look divine! x
Jill @ MadAboutMacarons
Kim, great to be introduced to Anita (torturing and stalking her this week? lol...) and love the idea of a cocktail that's so festive looking. Sounds fabulously tasty. Oh yes, know exactly what you're talking about with Foodbuzz. Miss it in that it was so much easier to connect and keep up to date with blogger friends. Cheers to you and Anita!
Lora @cakeduchess
So nice to meet Anita on your blog. Great interview and lots of fun questions. Love this daiquiri recipe, Anita:)
Liz
Haha...you've turned into Barbara Walters with your probing questions! I love both you and Anita and this may be your best BDTK interview yet!