Iced tea and vodka go together like peas and carrots

Up first, ICED TEA FLAVORED VODKA. This is a discovery made at the raw bar at Martell’s Tiki Bar a few weeks back. We usually go straight for the fresh squeezed and vodka, but the bartender recommended Sweet Carolina, which they’re plugging pretty hard, and with good reason. Iced tea + booze all in one. It just makes so much sense that you wonder how it got to be 2009 and we’d never been exposed to this on a mass scale here at the Jersey Shore.

The basic formula is about as simple as can be, lots of ice, two fingers of the stuff, and soda water and lemon or lime wedge. The end result is a light and refreshing bubbly version of iced tea that tastes more like real brewed tea than the powdered stuff. Google search brought up a Chow hound thread where someone suggests a little simple syrup if you like it a little sweeter. Good idea. You can also go the Arnold Palmer route and put it in some lemonade.

I picked up two bottles last weekend for some taste testing. The first didn’t make it through the weekend, and the latter my father-in-law apparently took a liking to during the week here, so it looks like I’m heading back for another. Sweet Carolina ($18) was a little cheaper than Firefly ($21). There wasn’t enough differentiation between them that I wouldn’t just grab the cheaper one.

This is perfect for putting in a pitcher and serving at a party, or sneaking onto your beach in a plastic jug if you have the misfortune of having a beach that doesn’t allow you to drink. And what’s more American than iced tea?

Dale's red, white & blue can is 4th-friendly

My second pick is Dale’s Pale Ale that comes in 12 pack ($18), which is a part of a new-ish trend of craft and microbrewed beers coming in a can. Mostly because it’s good, but also because of it’s 4th-friendly red, white and blue can (ok, so my Americana theme is a little weak here, so what).

Dale’s tastes a bit like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, only leaning a bit more in the India Pale Ale direction, a little darker and more bitter of a finish, but not in a bad way. It’s brewed by Oscar Blues in Colorado. I’m into this “Canned Beer Apocalypse” they’re touting. Keep the micro-can-craft beers coming! And we’ll go back to Chow again for an article on Canned Beer That’s Actually Good.

Details magazine said: ”Canned beer has many virtues. It weighs less than bottled beer, chills faster, and stays fresh longer. Unfortunately most of it is also plonk. But not the pale ale from the smart folks at Oskar Blues brewing company in Lyons, Colorado. It’s supremely thirst-quenching, as canned beer should be, yet bitter enough to keep things interesting.”

I’m going to be packing the beach cooler with these all summer!

Marshmallow, graham cracker, Hershey's and one surprise ingredient...perfection.

When planning a 4th of July barbecue, look no further for a dessert to serve than everyone’s favorite campfire treat. It’s actually a sneaky way to push some of the work of entertaining onto your guests, which should be every good hostess’s goal. (Forgive me, Martha.)

I can think of no better s’more tutorial than the one Ham Porter gives Scotty Smalls in The Sandlot:

Ham Porter: Hey, Smalls, you wanna s’more?
Smalls: Some more of what?
Ham Porter: No, do you wanna s’more?
Smalls: I haven’t had anything yet, so how can I have some more of nothing?
Ham Porter: You’re killing me Smalls! These are s’more’s stuff! Alright now pay attention. First you take the graham, you stick the chocolate on the graham. Then you roast the ‘mallow. When the ‘mallows flaming… you stick it on the chocolate. Then cover with the other end. Then you scarf. Kind of messy, but good!

(courtesy of IMDBso please pardon any misquotes. note: if you ever say “You’re killing me, Smalls” to a friend who has just asked a dumb question or made some inane remark and you are met with a blank stare, un-friend that person immediately.)

We had an impromptu s’more party on Tuesday in the middle of an impromptu shower. Despite having no experience with the Boy Scouts, Little Brother is our designated firestarter and was skilled enough to get the job done in the rain.

Even amid the raindrops, we bring the fire.

While the firepit is a nice touch, you can make these over the grill or even inside on the stove. You bypass the smoke and need to actually ignite pieces of wood, which can be good or bad, depending on your opinion of the smell of smoke. After our MDW patio fire, my hair smelt like a campfire for days despite numerous shampooings. However, reeking of the woods is a small price to pay when you like your marshmallow absolutely charred like I do.

Look at that beautiful burnt shell. Mmmm.

The beauty of the s’more is that it’s like a blank canvas. Yes, the traditional s’more consists of the trinity that our friend Ham discusses – graham cracker, chocolate, toasted marshmallow – but you can let your imagination run wild. When we ran out of Hershey’s bars, we slapped Nutellaon the graham crackers instead. My favorite is the traditional trio with a shmearof peanut butter on the cracker. Baby bro and I had a brainstorming session and came up with some sweet ideas, which can – and should – be wholesale lifted and sampled.

-PBJ S’more: marshmallow, peanut butter and jelly (obviously)

-The Elvis S’more: marshmallow, peanut butter and banana slices

-Thinly sliced apple, caramel sauce and marshmallow on cinnamon graham crackers

-Thinly sliced strawberries, chocolate and marshmallow

-Oatmeal raisin cookies instead of graham crackers

-White chocolate bars on marshmallow chocolate graham crackers

-Substitute a Reese’s peanut butter cup for a regular Hershey bar

It goes on. Actually, we may now change our life plans and open up a s’morecafe. My mom keeps the cabinets perpetually stocked with the all-American s’more trio: Jet-Puffed ‘mallows, Hershey’s chocolate and Honey Maid graham crackers – probably the perfect dessert to cap any Independence Day celebration. TJ, the author of the Declaration himself, would be pleased.