Bright (and also Enormous) Lights, Mini-apple City . . .

The Tiger Oak studio, glamour imminent . . .(Yes, that light IS the size of a German economy car!)

Those of you that follow JSTK on Twitter (jstestkitchen) may recall the tweet regarding our meeting with  the delightful Sarah Baumann, editor of Edina Magazine in early May.  Recently, I spent the better part of an afternoon at Tiger Oak Publication's swanky Minneapolis office with Bret and Tate, respectively the art director and photographer for the article.  For those residing outside the Twin Cities, Tiger Oak publishes Edina Magazine and wide array of really gorgeous, glossy local-content driven magazines, as well as targeted publications for business and bridal in several metro areas nationwide.

The photo shoot was a fascinating experience . . .

More »

Memorial Day Musings . . .

White Wine Sangria beckons . . .

We stole a quiet moment over the long weekend to reflect on the next candidates for gelatinization.  Hmmmm, something summery, light and fruity . . .

To aid in our mental gymnastics, Amy (JSTK Annie) had prepared a beautiful white wine sangria with lots of sumptuous fruit (and a shot of Cointreau!).  It was quickly apparent that White Wine Sangria would be an ideal entrant to the Halls of Gelatin.  More to come . . .

Cheers,

Michelle (JSTK Julia)

P.S.  What are your favorite summertime cocktails?  

More »

Jelly Shots on Parade . . .

Last weekend, it was Jelly Shots all around! We attended our fantastic girl-tastic book club on Saturday afternoon, and later a summer kick-off bash on Saturday evening hosted by friends M and S (also members of the original core group of JSTK testers!).  For book club, we prepared tiny Jelly Shot squares for sampling, as we are all responsible adults with weekend agendas . . .  For the party, however, I took things a few steps further.  Photos follow - you must forgive the low tech, non JSTK Annie quality photos, as I was flying solo with only my Blackberry camera!

Long Island Iced Tea Jelly Shots, skewered and sassy with a lemon peel

French Lemonade Jelly Shots (why yes that IS a Chambord layer - YUM!)

Fan favorite, Vodka Pink Lemonade Jelly Shot rides again!

More »

Mixology 101

A glass of delightfulness, compliments of Bradstreet Crafthouse Restaurant

Tuesday evening, I attended a mixology seminar at Bradstreet Crafthouse Restaurant in Minneapolis.  For those who have not visited Bradstreet, it is something special, a big-city bartender-y oasis here in our little hamlet.  And what fun it was. . . on the tasting menu were four classic cocktails - Gimlet, Dark and Stormy, Margarita, and Old Fashioned, which had been stripped down to their chassis and rebuilt with house-made bitters, syrups and pristine fresh juices per the cocktail stylings of our hosts: Toby Maloney and Jason Cott of Alchemy Consulting.

More »

Oh the Glamour, Part II . . .

Aviation Jelly Shot, blissfully unaware of  its narrow escape from rampant authorial editorializing

In our last post, we covered the creative process and its sometimes unfortunate effects on our fashion choices, and but only touched on its effect on our grasp on reality/appropriate humor, etc.  (Don't worry, this is not a PG 13 post.)

More »

Oh the Glamour . . .

Hello there JSTK-ers, just a quick note from the Test Kitchen. We miss you and are looking forward to impending manuscript due date, after which life can return to a regular old frenetic pace, rather than a crazy lunatic frenetic pace.

Lest any of you picture Amy (aka JSTK Annie) and I awash in luxury and plushy bathrobes, sipping negronis as we bask in the creative process, weilding fluffy feather-quill pens to deliver our oh-so-eloquent Jelly Shotting thoughts to paper, I need to come clean and strip you of any romantic misconceptions of the author's life:

More »

Finally, We Share the Big News!!!!!

 

Hello JSTK-ers!  You may have noticed that our posting has lapsed from to bi-monthly to sporatic.  Some (i.e. those who know us well) may cite sheer unadulterated laziness.  We say "not so!" -  and supply viable support for our intermittent "radio silence":

Drum roll please . . .

More »

Lucky-tini O' the Irish

 

Lucky-tini Jelly Shot, with edible gold leaf garnish

Presenting the Lucki-tini Jelly Shot, just in time for St. Patrick's Day.  The liquid cocktail inspiration, (a Pear Melon Martini) is featured on the Royal Caribbean cruise line's cocktail menu.   (One of us recently sampled this yummy cocktail on the Oasis of the Seas during an enviable week of sun and snorkel!)

As a special holiday and springtime treat, we wanted to share the recipe with you , dear JSTK readers  . . .  We hope the Lucki-tini Jelly Shot adds a dash of Gaelic cheer to your celebrations! (Recipe follows . . .)

More »

The Great Debate

 

Attention Freedom Fighters:

The Cuba Libre Jelly Shot

Cuba Libre?   One of us here at the Test Kitchen, and I will not say who, had never heard of this rather exotic sounding cocktail, and seached for the recipe only to find that . . . well, it was determined that a Cuba Libre is a rum and Coke with lime.

So which is it for you, dear readers, Cuba Libre or Rum and Coke? 

Whichever side you fall on in the great debate, clearly rum, Coke and the optional lime makes an exceptionally refreshing jelly shot.    The perfect accompaniment the next time you are hatching revoluntionary plans.

Cheers,

JSTK

More »