Cocktail Time the First

If the Noel Cake disaster was any indication, our first official Cocktail Time was going to be interesting. For the menu we decided to make Potato Souffle, La Romana Tomatoes Gratin, and the jello-infused Berry Amazing Cooler (yes, I said jello).

First to prep was the potato soufflé because the thing takes 60 minutes to cook. This was my first adventure into instant mashed potatoes, and although I wouldn’t make them again, I have to say that once I added water, stirred and heated, they really weren’t too terrible. Fake potatoes aside, everything else was pretty standard. We popped it into the oven with fingers crossed. During the ridiculous amount of time we had to wait for our super processed, powdered potato soufflé we began the cocktail! The berry amazing cooler states it makes 4 servings and contains a myriad of juices, vodka and ….strawberry jell-o. We worried that the mixture would congeal, because we all remember (hopefully) those nasty jell-o shots from the hazy, lazy college days. Luckily Aunt Sandy’s intent is to guzzle immediately. We each hesitantly poured a full glass of the fruity concoction (Ms Lee's flawless pouring technique is impressive and couldn't be matched). Immediately it became evident that this drink did not make 4 servings; the pitcher looked as though none was missing. Ready for a long afternoon, we took the first sip, which was quite tasty! The juices really masked the vodka and the jell-o made the drink slightly more viscous than a typical cocktail. We were happy to sip on our first round of cocktails as we prepped the La Romana Tomatoes Gratin. It sounds fancy, but it’s just tomatoes cut in half, sprinkled with shredded parmesan cheese and crushed garlic (yes, I used the prepared jar garlic she recommends in the recipe), that are then roasted in a 450 degree oven for 12 minutes. This is not a gratin.

Waiting for everything to finish we sat down to an episode of Semi-Homemade, because it was only 2pm. During this time we finished round 2 of the berry amazing cooler and realized that this russsipe (because we were talking like her by this time) did not make 4 servings, but unless Aunt Sandy has mammoth sized glasses, this russipe in fact made 8 servings! I have no idea why Liz and I never questioned the 1 ½ cups of vodka, but 2 drinks in and we were starting to feel like maybe cocktail time wasn’t such a good idea so early in the day. Round 3 exposed patches of jell-o forming in the bottom of the pitcher- a sight we excitedly welcomed because it meant we were almost done.

Finally, after 60 minutes of waiting around for the damn potato soufflé we opened the oven and were super elated that it had risen! Carefully placing it down we went for the tomatoes, which were another story. After 12 minutes in the oven they were still soft and not very roasted. Wanting to stay true to the recipe we took them out and ate.

The tomatoes were too raw, but I could seem them being perfect after another 10 minutes. There wasn’t much semi-homemade about this dish so there is nothing out of the ordinary to critique. The soufflé it had sadly deflated back to its original size by the time we took out the tomatoes. The aesthetics gone, we prayed it tasted good. It didn’t. The potatoes were masked by an overly eggy taste. The speckles of chive added nothing to the dish and Liz couldn’t finish her serving due to its texture.

No one should spend this kind of time waiting around for a packaged potato soufflé when they can make the potatoes and add other flavor themselves. Sadly, the best part of our first cocktail time was sitting on the couch slowly finishing round 4 and enjoying (read: mocking) Aunt Sandy’s Spicy Sports Spread episode with the drunken watermelon sloshtail and festive baseball themed tablescape. I am both excited and frightened for what this summer's weekly cocktail time will lead to for me and Liz.