Recipe: Mango Margarita

A little salt or sugar around the rim, a touch of citrus and sweetness, and a big tequila bite -- how can something so simple taste so good?

  

Mango Margarita from Mexican Fiesta Show

From the Capital Cooking Cookbook

1 shot of tequila

1 shot of Cointreau

1 shot of lime juice

2 oz of sweet and sour mix

¾ C of partially frozen mango

Sugar

Place ingredients in blender.  Pour smooth mixture in glasses with rims of sugar.

Holiday Starter: Baked Brie

Photo by Emily Clack

You'll love our Starters chapter in the Capital Cooking Cookbook.  Everything you need to get ready for the holiday cooking.   

Get the Capital Cooking Cookbook for only $20 from now until Christmas by using this code:  5KCP7TEC.
   

1 large sheet of puff pastry dough

1 round or wedge of Brie cheese

Raspberry Jam

Brown sugar

1/4 cup of maple syrup

Sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a cookie sheet, lay out the puff pastry; put brie round or wedge on top. Spread jam on brie, and drizzle maple syrup and place a handful of brown sugar on top. Fold over dough and flip folds to the bottom. Brush top with butter and sprinkle the almonds on top. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers and fruit.

This recipe is perfect for a holiday party, birthday party or any entertaining occasion.

Thanksgiving Cocktail: Cranberry Sangria

Photo by Kristen Finn

We're giving a fall twist to a fiesta favorite!  Try this Cranberry Sangria.  You'll love our Cocktails chapter in the Capital Cooking Cookbook.  After taking a look, you'll be prepared for any party. 

Cranberry Sangria

- 2 cups red wine (Vinbev.com)
- 1 cup Prairie Organic vodka
- 1/4 cup Mount Gay Eclipse spiced rum
- 2 1/2 cup Cranberry Juice
- 1/2 cup grapes, sliced in half
- 1/4 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 lime, sliced
- 1 orange, sliced
- 1 apple, sliced
- 1 cup Piper Sonoma  sparkling wine

In a large punch bowl, add all ingredients except for the sparkling wine and chill. Just before serving, add the sparkling wine. Perfect for a any fall fest! Who doesn’t love sangria?!

Thanksgiving Side: Mom’s Cheesy Vegetables

Photo by Shauna Alexander

From the Capital Cooking Cookbook

8 ounces carrots

8 ounces broccoli (frozen)

8 ounces mushrooms

1/4 cup Velveeta cheese

½ stick butter

2 bouillon cubes

2/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons of Miracle Whip

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 packs Town House Crackers

Peel and cut carrots into small rounds.  Boil carrots for 20 minutes in a large pot of water with 2 bouillon cubes.  Then add 1 bag frozen broccoli to the water and cook for another 10 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Slice mushrooms and sauté with butter, salt and pepper until soft. Drain all vegetables and set aside in a large bowl.  Melt butter and Velveeta in a separate sauce pan until smooth.  Add 2/3 cup mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons miracle whip and lemon juice.  Blend together.  Pour over vegetables and stir to coat the vegetables.  Put in a 13 x 9 greased pan and top with crushed Townhouse crackers.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie Martini

This martini is so good that I usually make pitchers of it for Halloween. It tastes just like pumpkin pie, but much more fun! This recipe and more are available in the Capital Cooking Cookbook. I'll be shaking some of these up at the Metro Cooking Show on November 13th and 14th!


Serves 1 (Multiply as necessary)


1 shot 360 Vanilla Vodka (infused with pumpkin)


1/2 shot Cinnamon schnapps


1 tablespoon canned pumpkin


Splash of cream


Splash of Pumpkin spice


Crushed graham crackers


Whipped Cream


Infuse vodka overnight with canned pumpkin. Strain into a shaker full of ice and add the cinnamon schnapps and cream. Pour into a martini glassed rimmed with graham cracker crumbs and splash pumpkin spice on top. Garnish with whipped cream in the center. Is this a martini or dessert?

Recipe: Cranberry Chutney

Photo by Emily Clack

You'll love our Starters chapter in the Capital Cooking Cookbook. Get your copy today!

Cranberry Chutney

12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

¾ cup water

1 apple, chopped

1 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin spice

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

Cream Cheese

Crackers

Combine the first seven ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir the mixture continuously and reduce heat.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes until apple is tender and mixture thickens.  Cool.  Serve over cream cheese with crackers.

You could also use it to make Baked Brie in place of the raspberry jam. 

Thanks for the Review!

Check out the review from Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce!


I've been a cookbook junkie for a long time, yet the country's recent explosion in interest in eating well has been followed by an increasing number of mediocre cookbooks. The Capital Cooking Cookbook, however, is refreshingly different. I picked it up after catching Ms. DeSantis's D.C.-produced television show on Colours, a small network on Dish. The book stands out from most cookbooks for a couple of reasons. First, it is not just a cookbook, but also follows the story of the Capital Cooking show and how Ms. DeSantis, the host and producer, started it as a creative outlet from her day job as a lawyer. That alone may inspire readers who have dreamt of a creative world outside of their nine-to-five. It also features some beautiful, as well as a few humorous, pictures of Ms. DeSantis and the Capital Cooking crew hard at work.

Second, the recipes are diverse but accessible. They range from simple homestyle meals that are not that difficult to make but taste really good (I have already tried several of them at home) to high-end restaurant recipes (for which Ms. DeSantis often provides alternative ingredients/techniques for the common kitchen at home). This style is likely born of the fact that Ms. DeSantis is not a chef by training but has cooked with some of the best chefs in the Washington area and included their recipes in the book. The photography is mostly clean and colorful, and I like the book's relatively smaller size and fewer number of recipes as compared to larger cookbooks. This may seem counter-intuitive, but I often become lost in cookbooks with hundreds of recipes, confused as to which recipes are truly the best to try out and wondering if many of them aren't simply "filler material." Not so with the Capital Cooking Cookbook.

Hopefully we will see additional books from this up-and-coming entertainer, and that a hardcover version is available in the future. The Capital Cooking Cookbook is excellent and well worth owning.

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Capital Cooking on Great Day St. Louis!

Lauren makes a St. Louis Cardinals Cocktail and Warm Prosciutto and Mozzarella Bruschetta.  Segment begins at about 5:43 in.

Learn more about the Capital Cooking Cookbook!

Capital Cooking Cookbook Promo from Capital Cooking on Vimeo.

Video created by Nick Szpara

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$10 off the Capital Cooking Cookbook from today until Friday, August 6th!

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Capital Cooking Cookbook now available at Books a Million!

You can get the Capital Cooking Cooking Cookbook at Books a Million!

Capital Cooking Cookbook Winner: Tanya Sharma

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Capital Cooking Cookbook featured in Duke Law Magazine

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Fabulous Summer Cocktails in the Capital Cooking Cookbook!

The heat is on and the Capital Cooking Cookbook has some amazing summer cocktails to get you refreshed.  You can find this one and more in the Capital Cooking Cookbook.

 

Blackberry Lemonade Cooler

from the Capital Cooking Cookbook p. 94

2 cups of lemon juice
4 cups water
2 cup sugar
1 bag of frozen blackberries
2 cups ice
Lemon slices for garnish
Mint

2 cups of rum

 

In a saucepan boil 2 cups water with sugar, stirring, until sugar is dissolved (simple syrup). Add lemon juice, and remaining 2 cups of water and cool. 

In a food processor or blender puree blackberries and stir into lemonade. Pour blackberry lemonade through a sieve into a pitcher or other container and add in rum, then chill.

Serve lemonade over ice in tall glass, garnished with lemon slices and sprigs of mint.

 

Other refreshing cocktails in the book:

Mango Margarita

Casablanca Cocktail

St. Louis Cardinals Cocktail and more...  Get you copy today!!

Capital Cooking Cookbook on DC on Heels!

 

The Capital Cooking Cookbook

The Capital Cooking Cookbook is the first cookbook from Lauren DeSantis, the host of the nationally televised show Capital Cooking. With over 90 recipes, beginners and advanced chefs are sure to enjoy creating the best recipes from the nation’s capital. A comprehensive representation of the culinary treats Washington, D.C. has to offer as well as Lauren’s favorites from across the country and around the world. The Capital Cooking Cookbook unites readers through an overwhelming appreciation for cooking. The book features over 70 photos and tips from Lauren to help readers create flawless dishes that are sure to become family favorites. Chapters from the book include:

Starters: Every meal should begin with the right starter. Lauren walks readers through elegant and filling appetizers that will provide a delightful preview for the meal they are about to enjoy. Baked Brie, Spinach Balls, and Creamy Butternut Squash Soup—these are just a few of the delicious recipes you will find in this chapter.

Main Dishes: From formal dinner parties to relaxed gatherings with friends, there is a recipe for every event. This chapter focuses on the heart of the meal and bringing guests together. Whether it is Fried Chicken or Oven-Smoked Pulled Pork, any guest is sure to be satisfied.

Cocktails: An integral part of any meal, cocktails, establish the mood of a party. With a cocktail for every occasion and season, there is no reason your social calendar needs to end. In this chapter, you will find cocktails for each of the twelve days of Christmas, as well as drinks that pay homage to DC, like the Cherry Blossom.

Side Dishes: Lauren’s sides are perfectly created to balance any main dish. Learn the best way to eat vegetables by creating Cheesy Vegetables or discover a new favorite mashed potatoes recipe with Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes and Sausage Gravy

Sweet Endings: Whether you are planning an end to your meal or just satisfying your sweet tooth, you cannot go wrong with dessert. Make your own Peppermint Bark for the holidays or a Gooey Butter Cake for anytime of the year.

Menu Planning: Interested in throwing a BBQ or a cocktail party? Lauren provides enticing sample menus to help plan the perfect gathering.

Local chefs have shared their culinary expertise with Lauren and viewers and have created enticing dishes for all to enjoy. Chefs featured in the cookbook are:
Chef Dan Giusti, 1789
Chef Enzo Febbraro, Forno
Chef Paul Stearman of Marcel’s
Chef Travis Timberlake, Art and Soul
Chef Shannon Overmiller, The Majestic
Chef John Manolatos, Cashion’s Eat Place
Christiana Chiang, Ping by Charlie Chiang
Chef Jonathan McArthur, Matchbox
Chef Oliver Friendly, Eat and Smile Foods
Heath Hall and Brett Thompson, Pork Barrel BBQ
Jules Shepard, Nearly Normal Kitchen
Virginia DeSantis and Linda Roth
Mary and David Supley Foxworth, MallowDrama
Chef Domenico Cornacchia of Assaggi
Chef Ana Victoria Mas, Embassy of Panama
Chef Vikram Sunderam, Rasika