Sunny's Kitchen (40 page)

1
Muddle the mint.
In each individual glass, add a quarter of both the mint and sugar. Using a muddler or wide handle of a wooden utensil, crush the sugar into the mint to bruise it and make it fragrant.

2
Add the liquid and serve.
In a pitcher or liquid measure, stir together the orange juice, mango juice, lime juice, rum, orange slices, and ice. Stir very well for about 5 seconds. Pour into each prepared glass and serve.

 

tip!
If serving a group and trying to stretch your beverages, add 12 to 24 ounces of lemon-lime soda or tonic water.

i
remember my parents being into beer in the ’80s. I love it now and cook with it often. This punch surprises beer lovers and others who say they don’t care for beer, much less beer with fruit. I always say that if you don’t like something, you just haven’t had it the right way. It’s a bit sweet, but has bubbles. It’s pretty festive too. And great with bratwurst.
SERVES 6 TO 8

1
Macerate the berries.
In a medium bowl, combine the strawberries, blueberries, sugar, grenadine, and lime juice. Stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, stirring a couple times to help create juices.

2
Combine and serve.
When ready to serve, scoop equal amounts into lowball glasses. Pour 6 ounces of beer into each and give a gentle stir. Drink!

t
his recipe is dedicated to my late great-uncle, Uncle K. He lovingly called me his alcoholic niece, not because it’s true, but because it seemed to him that every time he saw me on
Cooking for Real
, I was making a drink or having some wine. That wasn’t the case either, but the moniker stuck and my family got a kick out of it. Now when I enjoy a drink, if my mind is in the right place, I think about him ribbing me and I toast his memory. So for him, this is a drink without alcohol, but it would taste great with a shot of vodka.
SERVES 4 TO 6

1
Blend the watermelon and cucumber.
Put the watermelon and cucumber chunks in a blender and puree until liquid. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl. Pour the liquid into the sieve and allow the juice to slowly drip into the bowl, without forcing through any of the pulp. Discard the solids. This should yield about 3 cups of juice.

2
Blend and serve.
In a pitcher, combine the sieved juice, lemon juice, and tonic water. Stir, taste, and sweeten with sugar until it’s how you want it. Fill highball glasses with ice and pour the lemonade evenly over each glass. Garnish with cucumber, watermelon, and/or lemon slices in each glass.

i
first learned of the curing qualities of the “hot toddy” when I moved to Detroit for a radio job. The worst winter in years hit in 1998 and I immediately got sick. Everyone’s remedy for me was to make a toddy and enjoy the restorative values of alcohol. Not a soul mentioned conventional medicine. It sounded funny then, but I tried it, and years later, I enjoy a good toddy at the first sign of the sniffles.
SERVES 4 TO 6

1
Prep the orange.
Stud the orange pieces with 2 cloves each.

2
Steep the ingredients.
In a medium saucepan, bring the cider, cinnamon, and orange pieces to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

3
Assemble and serve.
In each coffee cup or mug pour 1 shot (or 2) of brandy. Ladle in the hot cider and top with a generous dollop of whipped cream.

 

tip!
Add a 1-inch disc of peeled ginger while steeping for a warming bite.

the friends:
Jeff Bromberger, Monique Mackey, Victor N.O.R.E. Santiago, Talib Kweli Green, Christina Tuschen, Charlie Batch, Fiona Byrne, Kesha McLeod, Bushman, Hassan Rasul, Kevin Saunders, Eric Brown, Rosanna Scotto & the Scotto family, Sara Gore, Anthony Freeman & the Freeman family, Derek Pearson & family, RL Altman, Evan “Supalawya” Freifeld, Bruce Seidel, Dupré Kelly & family, John Singleton, Columbus Carey & family, Fiola & staff at Shantzii’s.

the bosses:
Preston Jones, Chad Starr, Mr. Gerry Procter, Larry Gilliam, Ernest James, Lebron “LBJ” James, Lance Panton “what conflict of interest?”, Nate Bell, Tamara Knechtal, Tracy Cloherty, Barry Mayo, Bob Tuschman & Allison Page—thank you for so much, Michael Smith, Brooke Johnson, Beth Burke, Kandy Klutch.

the companies and coworkers:
Sonic Drive-in, USAF, KSAT-12, Emmis Broadcasting, Clear Channel Radio, Cox Communications, Radio One, Montgomery Broadcast Company, Salem Broadcasting Company, Al Wissam Clothing, Rancho Cucamonga Library, Sirius/XM, Scripps Networks,
People
magazine,
Clean Eating
magazine,
Hip Hop Weekly
magazine,
Food Network Magazine,
Rachael Ray Show,
the
Today
show, Rainey Farrell, Bianca, Lish & team,
Good Morning America, NY Live, The Katie Show, The View, Anderson Cooper Live, Good Day NY, Access Hollywood Live, Covino & Rich Show, Martha Stewart Radio
—Jon Costantino, Steve Gonzales, Lisa Mantineo, Liz Aiello, Neil & the staff at Petite Abeille on Hudson, Suzanne at Chip Shop in Brooklyn, Rawia & family at Tanoreen in Brooklyn, Mother’s Restaurant in New Orleans, Stone Park Café in Brooklyn, Feeney’s Bar in Brooklyn, Spa Belle’s on 23rd in Manhattan, WME Entertainment, Jon Rosen, Jason Hodes, Jeffrey Googel, Strand Conover, Dorian Karchmar, Jenni, Julia, Liz, Suzanne, Ross, Andy McNicol, Beth Dick, Clarkson Potter, Emily Takoudes—my editor, Jessica Freeman-Slade, Jane Treuhaft, Ashley Tucker, Pam Krauss, Donna Passannante, Doris Cooper, John Lee & his photography & styling team, Ray Gomez (George Michael!!), Darren Wylie, Donna Cruz, DJ Fingers, LT. Dre, Angie Martinez, DJ Enuff, DJ Camilo, DJ Greenlantern, Mister Cee, Megatron (R.I.P.), Uptown Angela, Koren Vaughn, DJ Kayslay, Reggie Hawkins, Rodney Morandi, Barbie Anderson, Patrick 9th Wonder Douthit, Jen Darrow & the team at High Noon Entertainment, Al Roker Productions, Craig Anderson & the team at Concentric Productions, Oksana Pidhoreckyj, Hadiiya Barbel & team, Mylah Morales, JJ Makeup Artist & team, Preston Ciriani, TJ Rudy, Lashawn Browning, Venos V-Man Ford, Ryan Scott, Food Network & Cooking Channel—Susie Fogelson, Irika Slavin, Lauren Mueller—LaLa I miss you, Robert Irvine, Kelsey Nixon, Justin Warner, Geoffrey Zakarian, Jeff Mauro, Eden Grinshpan, Gabriele Corcos & Debi Mazar, Simon Majumdar, Guy Fieri—your advice from the start has held true, Bobby Flay, Aaron McCargo Jr., Melissa d’Arabian & your lovely family, the Neelys, Santos Loo aka Santo Lee, Jacob Schiffman & family, Marc Istook, Food Network Kitchens, Marketing, Sales, Programming & Online, Karen Grinthal & the entire sales staff, hardest working in the biz with a smile!, Philip Radiotes—the one man web team!, Lee Schrager, Jevon, Mark & Gordon—the trio of fun & all things good on TV.

the family:
Williams and Anderson, Uncle Rodney.

the believers:
“Sunny” at
FoodNetworkFans.com
—thank you for your support from the start & I hope as you watch down on all I do that I make you smile, Rob Love & family, Lisa Ellis, Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, Styles P, Kendall Freeman—for the Jeezy check, Havoc—for the flight & casino, Skip Dillard, Jay Eidt & the entire
Cooking for Real
crew, Cordell Patrick, Tre Black (RIP), Henry Amore, Monica Starr, Jason Cruz, Spike Mendelsohn, Michael Newman (Newman!), Ernest James, David Cummings, Karen Katz, Frankie Darcell, Patty Jackson, Joe Kardel & family, Dr. Ian Smith, Elina Brown, Colby Colb, Shelley Wade, Adam Nettler, Lia Aponte, Remy Martin—I’ll make you mac ’n’ cheese any day, J.C.—thank you for teaching me to DJ, Frau Richter—my German teacher, Ms. Valentine—my English teacher, Rachael Ray—words just ain’t right here, you are a shining example and I intend to make you proud, Emily Reiger, Veda, Rebecca Soldinger’s team (Bridget and Brittany), RRShowCooks (STANK TURKEY!), Eddie, Sreal, Andrea, Jimmy, Dom & the entire RRShow field team, Janet Annino, Joe Hahn (same time, same place), Sam Oropesa, Lys at
CookinginStilettos.com
, Jen, Badlands Booker, Dr. Bob & Al Jaffee, your influence is in these pages (see
tribute
), the city of Vidalia, GA … thank you for allowing me to mispronounce your city’s name with love.

All publishers, editors, producers, people I’ve met throughout the years on my journey of life, if I forgot your name specifically please don’t charge it to my heart. I am truly aware life is a series of moments that add up to my present. What a present it is, thanks to you. I appreciate you for being there along the way.