The perfect drink for a warm summer day

There's nothing better than a cool drink on a warm day, right? Well, anyone who agrees should try this recipe, taken from the May 2009 issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. They're a snap to make and soooooooooo tasty.

Frozen Peach Margaritas

16-ounce package of frozen sliced peaches

3/4 cup tequila

1/4 cup triple sec

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup ice cubes

Throw all of the above ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth. Word of warning: You might need to stop the blender and stir the mixture a bit before it's completely smooth. Serve immediately - and then make another batch (if you're anything like me and David).

Soft and chewy snickerdoodles

Before I actually tried one, snickerdoodles made me yawn. A sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon? Boooooooooring!

Then I tried one. If I'm remembering correctly, it was purchased at Cinnamon Works, an unassuming little bakery near Seattle's Pike Place Market. The business caught my attention because all of its cookies were HUGE--and, honestly, I have a hard time turning down a huge cookie.

Anyway, at some point I tried one of the bakery's snickerdoodles. It was wonderful: Buttery, chewy and just a little bit spicy, thanks to the cinnamon-sugar coating.

I could have eaten one a day and been just about the happiest person on earth, but the thing is, I just don't get to Pike Place very often. So, I had to find a recipe that would allow me to replicate Cinnamon Works' wonderful cookie at home. Luckily, the very first recipe I tried (from Martha Stewart's 2006 Holiday Cookie publication) hit the bullseye.

Snickerdoodles

2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (I tend to use salted butter; if you use unsalted, bump up the coarse salt to 1/2 teaspoon)
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until everything seems incorporated. Set aside.

Put butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar into a large bowl and stir until pale and fluffy. (If you have a mixer, obviously use that instead of wearing out your arm. Using the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes.) Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring until incorporated before adding the next one. Then slowly stir in the flour mixture.

Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and ground cinnamon in a small-ish bowl. Using a large tablespoon or, even better, a medium-sized ice cream scoop, form dough balls that are about 2 inches around (the size of a large golf ball). Roll in the cinnamon sugar, place on a cookie sheet - give them ample room, as they'll spread as a bake - and flatten just a bit with the bottom of a glass.

Bake for about 20 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through, until the cookies are starting to turn golden around the edges. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes and then scarf them down :)

Re-thinking rice

I've made risotto about five or six times before my attempt two nights ago. None of them seemed worth the effort. The recipe below, however, was well worth the effort. The rice was flavorful but not overly broth-y (the main problem of every earlier iteration), and the ingredients I stirred in at the end added just the right amount of depth to the dish.

I have to say, though, as much as I love the basic risotto recipe (below), I love the recipe that follows it (and uses leftover risotto) even more. Both originate from Giada DeLaurentiis.

Pesto Pea Risotto

4 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons butter or oil (or a combination of the two)
3/4 cup finely chopped onion (from 1 onion)
1 1/2 cups Aroborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine*
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2-3 tablespoons pesto (or pesto oil)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

* If you don't have white wine on hand, just use an additional 1/2 cup of broth.

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over a low heat. In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.

Add the onion and saute until tender but not brown, about three minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about three minutes. Add 1/2 cup of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about two minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorbed before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the peas, pesto, Parmesan cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter and the salt and pepper. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl and serve immediately, topped with the toasted pine nuts.

If you can control yourself, set aside about two cups of the risotto and make this dish, which is even better:

Arancini di Riso

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 cups risotto, cooled
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs
2 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt
Marinara sauce (if you're like me, you'll buy a bottle of it and heat it up on the stove)

Pour enough oil in a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of three inches (or pour the oil to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches and turn the arancini after the submerged side has browned sufficiently). Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

Stir the eggs, risotto, Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs in a large bowl to combine.

Place the remaining breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Using about two tablespoons of the risotto mixture for each, form the risotto mixture into 1 3/4-inch-diameter balls. Insert one cube of mozzarella into the center of each ball. Roll the balls in the bread crumbs to coat.

Working in batches, add the rice balls to the hot ail and cook until brown and heated through, turning them as necessary, about four minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the rice balls to paper towels to drain. Season with salt. Let rest two minutes. Serve hot with warm marinara sauce.

My favorite French toast

French toast may just be my all-time favorite breakfast food, which is probably why I make the recipe below so often. I know French toast recipes in general are pretty fail-safe, but this one is especially so--it always turns out wonderfully, and it's a snap to make as well.

I usually top it with a pat of butter and some maple syrup, but a homemade berry sauce (and a good dousing of powdered sugar) sounds like a good alternative, doesn't it?

1 loaf challah or other rich, eggy bread
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups vanilla-flavored soy milk ("regular" milk works too, obviously)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Powdered sugar (optional)
Maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Slice bread crosswise into 3/4-inch thick round slices.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well blended. Add the milk, sugar, zest, vanilla and cinnamon and whisk well.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a large nonstick griddle over medium heat. Dip 3 slices of bread into the custard, turning to allow both sides to absorb the custard. Grill the soaked bread slices until they are golden brown and firm to the touch, about 4 minutes per side.

Transfer the French toast to a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining butter, bread slices and custard.

Transfer the French toast to plates. Lightly dust with the powdered sugar, if that's your thing. Drizzle syrup over and around the French toast and serve immediately.

Sweet simplicity: Vanilla pudding and butter cookies

I'm sure some will think I'm crazy, but on occasion I like to make pudding from scratch. The stuff you buy in the box and mix with milk just doesn't do it for me--it's always too thin and tastes too artificial. The real stuff isn't all that difficult to whip up, and it tastes so much better.

This particular recipe comes from an issue of Everyday Food. I like to pair the finished product with a few simple butter or shortbread cookies, though strawberries or raspberries--and a dollop of whipped cream--sure sound tasty right about now...

Homemade Vanilla Pudding

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted, whichever you prefer)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Have ready a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl.

In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually whisk in the milk, and then whisk in the yolks.

Whisking constantly, cook mixture over medium heat until the first large bubbles form and burst. Reduce heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute more.

Remove from hear, and immediately pour through sieve and into bowl. Stir in vanilla and butter. Cover pudding with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.

Serve with butter cookies and sweetened whipped cream.

Makes about 6 servings.