City Called Las Cruces

Exhausted, yes.  But also energized by the taste of red chile enchiladas, sight of fuschia Crepe Myrtle, cacophonous sound of the practice hall, arid feel of desert sunshine, and the unmistakeable smell of the choir room.  And strangely nostalgic for all that heartache associated with my struggle to finish a music degree.

After years of cutting my jazz teeth on Chicago stages, I was invited back to New Mexico State University for the Jack Ward Invitational Choral Festival last weekend.  I remember my junior year of high school, my Concert Chorale was invited way back in 19--- er, in the 90's, and the excitement of sharing the stage with real college music students.  At that time of my life, I didn't plan on going on to study music.  I guess I eventually came around. 

Every year during music school, we did this festival.  Invitees were NMSU Choir alumni with successful careers in opera or education.  Although I tried my hand at both, I rested assured that I would never be invited back for either discipline.  The genesis of this invitation was actually a newspaper article about my knitting.  My university choir director, Dr. Alt read between the lines, and recognized that in addition to knitting up a storm and becoming a marketing maven in Chicago, I was also still performing.  We chatted on email and she invited me to do the concert.  We focused on gospel selections, including my favorite song to sing, Josephine Poelinlitz's arrangement of City Called Heaven.  Both the Deming High School Choir and NMSU Choirs were outstanding in their performances, and all came together for the gospel tunes.  There are no words to describe what it is like to sing that song with a strong choir of 100 behind you.  Religious or not, you're gonna feel the spirit.  As an encore, my university voice instructor Chris Sanders, and my dear friend Della Bustamante joined me onstage for our rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Water/This Little Light of Mine.  To be found on the stage with those two ladies, the greatest talents I know--I'm starstruck and the luckiest girl in the world to collaborate with them. 

I was truly honored to be invited back to my alma mater, give some lessons, and hopefully impart some knowledge to high school and college music students.  Thank you Dr. Alt and NMSU Choirs for having me.  True to my rebellious fashion, I will not include recordings, or even pictures of  the show, but a recipe from my reception.  Enjoy!

Carrot Ginger Soup

Soup:
4 lbs carrots, diced

1 large sweet onion, diced

4-6 cups vegan bouillion ("Better Than Bouillion" is best)
1/3 c. grated ginger
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Yogurt:
1 c. plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. honey
5 sprigs of thyme, chopped
Optional sunflower or pumpkin seeds to garnish

(The yogurt is best when made 24 hours before serving) Add thyme and honey to yogurt, mix thoroughly, and refrigerate overnight.

Sweat onion in a large stockpot with olive oil, until translucent. Add carrots, ginger, and bouillion. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until carrots are soft. Puree soup with an immersion blender. Return to stockpot and warm over low heat.

Serve soup with a schmear of yogurt and a sprinkle of seeds, and impress the heck out of your guests!

Funky Fresh Beets

Addendum: on 6/12/10, I made changes to improve this recipe.  See bottom of blog for details.

I love beets.  They are easily my favorite vegetable.  And to think, I almost wrote them off as yucky after a crash diet with my mom in the late 80's.  I don't remember much from that diet, except egg whites and canned beets.  Anyone would hate beets after that three-week massacre.  

Then my whole life changed.  The first roasted beet I ever had was the night before my wedding in 2006.  Marky and I shared a plate of salad with goat cheese, beets, pine nuts, and anise seeds.  There was a whole dinner and dessert afterwards, but all I wanted was more beet salad.  After the wedding, we ate from a buffet three times a day on our all-inclusive honeymoon resort.  And there were beets!!  When we got home, I learned how to roast my own beets, and proceeded to eat a beet every day for approximately two years.  

Suffice it to say, I cannot get bored of beets.  I will eat them no matter how extravagant or plain.  When I saw this recipe in a used copy of In Style in the gym, I tore it out of the mag, and went straight to Edgewater Produce (advertised previously on Piece Fleet's blog).  This recipe is de-li-cious.  We didn't have any watercress, and next time, I think I might skip the crème fraîche mixture, and do a straight up Greek yogurt thing. And don't forget to prepare a lovely salad and toasted bread on the side. Anyway, here's the recipe, straight from the January edition of In Style:

Beet Soup with Horseradish Creme Fraîche, Apples, and Watercress

2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp sherry vinegar, divided
1 Tbsp plus 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 Tbsp sugar
1 lb small red beets, trimmed
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c chopped shallots
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 c vegetable broth
1/4 c crème fraîche
1 Tbsp prepared horseradish, drained
1 tsp lemon juice
2 apples
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Watercress sprigs and extra olive oil, for garnish

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 6 cups water, 1 Tbsp vinegar, 1 Tbsp salt, and sugar. Reserve 2 Tbsp of liquid. 2. Add beets to saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer from 45 minutes or until beets are tender. Let cool to room temperature, then peel and dice. 3. In saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add shallots, remainnig 1/2 tsp salt, and ginger. Sweat until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Do not brown. 4. Add beets, broth, 2 cups water, and 1 Tbsp vinegar to saucepan. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine crème fraîche, horseradish, remaining vinegar, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use. 6. With a melon baller, scoop out about 12 balls from the apples, leaving peel intact. Toss apple balls with reserved liquid. Set aside. 7. Working in batches, puree soup and oil in a blender until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper and ladle into individual bowls. 8. Garnish with apple balls, creme fraiche mixture, and watercress. Drizzle with olive oil.

The second time I made this recipe, I simplified it.  Skip the horseradish.  Boil the beets in water and 1 Tbsp vinegar until fork tender.  Saute shallots and about 2 Tbsp of fresh ginger in olive oil.  Peel and dice beets.  Add beets and broth to shallots, saute a little longer.  Add 1/2 tsp lemon zest and 1 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice to 1/2 c Greek yogurt.  Scoop out apple balls and cover with water and a little lemon juice. When beets are tender, blend until smooth.  Serve with a small scoop of yogurt and a few pieces of apple.   

Memorial Day Cook-In

Rain.  Screw the rain.  We'll barbecue in ponchos.  We need a grill.  Fresh out of grills at Target.  Screw the grill.  We'll go to Harvest Time and get crazy produce and meat and make a feast that will challenge Bobby Flay! 

Simple Slaw

1/2 head of green cabbage, cored and shredded
1/2 medium carrot, shredded
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

Whisk together vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Toss in cabbage and carrot, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Toss in olive oil and serve.

Dill Potato Salad
3 large red potatoes
2 green onions, sliced thinly
2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped finely
3 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Place whole potatoes in pot of salted water. Bring to a gentle boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and leave potatoes in the hot water for another 20 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove potatoes from water and let cool. Mix all other ingredients in a medium bowl. Once potatoes are cool, slice into 1" chunks and fold into dressing mixture. Add more salt or pepper to taste.

Cheesy Onion  Surprise Burgers

2 square ciabatta rolls

3/4 lb ground chuck

1 sweet onion, caramelized

1/4 lb horseradish cheddar cheese

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin to taste

Lettuce, tomato, mustard, mayo to taste

Heat a panini/George Foreman grill to medium high heat.  Preheat toaster oven or broiler to high.  Divide meat into 2 equal parts.  Mold the meat roughly into a doughnut shape, but don't make a hole, just an indentation in the center.  Place an ounce of cheese and onions in the center of each, and press the meat gently over the top to seal the holes.   Flatten each patty when sealed, and place in the grill.  Close grill and sear until desired temperature.  Slice ciabatta rolls in half, place remaining cheese on open faced bread, and place in toaster/broiler until cheese is melted.  Dress each burger with remaining onions, lettuce, tomatoes.  Enjoy!

Berry Fizz (adapted from Martha Stewart's Berry Spritzer)
6 oz. fresh raspberries
6 oz fresh blackberries
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c fresh lemon juice
1 c bottled grape juice
1 liter club soda (Can be substituted with champagne, if you're frisky)

In blender or food processor, liquefy first five ingredients.  Pour mixture though a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl.  Use a spatula to press puree through strainer, if necessary.  Discard seeds.  Fill a lovely glass 1/3 full with puree.  Add crushed ice.  Slowly pour club soda to fill glass.  Mix with a swizzle stick and sip until you're happy!

Picks, Pirates, Potables, and Pastry

Today we'll take you on a journey of Craft Night, where girls get together with needlenose pliers and guitar picks.  Mix CD's will be made, pub cheese will be devoured, and the gossip will fly amid Key Lime Cupcakes and Brown Sugar Daiquiris, on this installment of Lifestyles of the Broke and Crafty.  

The lovely and talented Kelly invited us into her home for a Pirate Party.  We listened to iTunes all night, and Kelly made mix CD's for each of us from her vast collection of music.  Dramatic Irony was the craft goddess for the evening.  She brought us guitar picks, beads, findings, and tools to make rock star earrings.  In addition to heavy metal, there was fire involved.  I burned my finger perforating a pick with a hot needle, and feel like that just adds weight to the whole rock star vibe of the evening.  Everyone's earrings turned out beautifully.  I'd say it was one of our most successful Craft Nights.

Aside from sequins and hot glue, the most important ingredient for a good Craft Night is food.  Yes, we like a little drinky, but if there's no pub cheese, we just sit there like lumps at the work table.  Actually, we've never had CN without it, and I shudder to think what would really happen in that instance.  We're all watching our spending habits, and when Kristin showed up with generic crackers, we immediately forgave her.  But each of us had the silent, nagging fear that she made the same choice with the pub cheese.  Not our gal!  Rondelé, all the way!  Crisis averted.  

I had the whole day off, and decided to make cupcakes from scratch.  Harvest Time was having a sale on Key limes, so the choice was obvious.  I found this Southern Living recipe on freshcrackedpepper.com, and made a couple small adjustments:

Bree Lime Cupcakes

1 3/4 c cake flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 c sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 Tbsp Key lime juice

3/4 c milk, with 1 Tbsp lemon juice (substitute for buttermilk--who has buttermilk in the fridge?!)

1 Tbsp finely grated lime peel

Preheat oven to 350˚. Line two muffin pans with liners.  Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder together in a medium bowl.  Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add sugar, beat to blend.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, then lime juice, and buttermilk.  Mixture will be curdled, fear not.  Beat in a third of the flour mixture, then a third of the "buttermilk" until smooth, repeat until ingredients are incorporated, then fold in the lime peel.  Fill liners about 3/4 full, and bake 20-25 minutes.  

Bree Lime Buttercream Icing

1/2 c butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 (16 oz.) package powdered sugar

3 Tbsp Key lime juice

1 to 2 Tbsp milk

1 1/2 tsp lime zest

Key lime slices for garnish

Beat butter, vanilla, salt, and cream of tartar at medium speed until creamy.  Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with lime juice and milk, a little at a time.  Beat at a low speed until blended and smooth after each addition.  Beat in up to 1 tablespoon additional milk, for desired consistency.  Fold in lime zest.  Frost away!

Finally, the brown sugar daiquiris.  So, what do you do with 20 ounces of Key lime juice after you use the 4 tablespoons of juice you need for the above recipe?  You drink it, silly!  Real daiquiris are very delicious and very easy.  It's a 1:1:1 ratio of lime juice, rum, and simple syrup.  Simple syrup is a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water, gently boiled until the sugar dissolves.  You can make a lovely clear daiquiri with silver rum and white sugar, but I chose brown sugar, and although it wasn't picture-worthy (kinda dishwater brown, if you ask me), it was a delightful libation that was gone in an instant.  

Thank You, Mrs. Quinn

Two new things today.  I've never posted two blogs in one day--much less posted two blogs about Colin Quinn.  Also, I've never cooked a traditional Irish meal for St. Patrick's Day.  Colin showed up on Martha Stewart today, in honor of his favorite drinking day, St. Paddy's.  I'm pretty sure they're all the same to him, but let's give the man some credit;  He wore a clean green shirt and behaved himself in front of the Great One.   So simple sounded his mother's lamb stew, that I decided to take the recipe home and give it a go.  

When I watch cooking shows, the recipes I'm most likely to reproduce are those I can memorize.  I purchased the ingredients, and threw it all together.  When I tracked the actual recipe down on Martha's website, I realized that I'd inadvertently halved the recipe.  You'll get the half recipe so that I don't blatantly plagiarize the real one.  I also forgot one ingredient.  So while I was ovenning (is that a word?) during round one, I walked to the store, found the forgotten pearl barley, and allowed myself get some of that Kerrygold Irish butter Martha's been raving about all week.  After having a bite, I declared it officially raveworthy.  I fear I might spoil my dinner with butter and bread.

Mrs. Quinn's Irish Lamb Stew

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch squares
4 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 large russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 1/2 lbs lamb stew meat
3 c. homemade beef stock
2 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 c. pearl barley
1/4 c. heavy cream
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325˚.  Heat oil in Dutch oven, and sauté onions until golden.  Add lamb and cook 5 minutes each side.  Add potatoes and beef stock.  Stir, cover, and transfer to oven.  Bake for 1 hour.

Remove Dutch oven, marvel at how good the stew already looks, add carrots, barley, thyme, and cream.  Stir gently and return to oven.  Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until lamb is tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve with a nice loaf of crusty bread and lots of Kerrygold butter!

Who Do I Think I Am, Exactly?

During a conversation about Julia Child, my proclaimed that it's no tragedy that she never had children. Otherwise, she couldn't have become Julia Child, Amercian queen of gourmet cooking. Although I think she should have gotten to have kids if she wanted them, I kinda see his point. She might've had her hands full and not been so possessed to be succeed as a chef. Don't ask me why, but this conversation inspired me to make the greatest holiday dessert ever: Bûche de Noël, or the Yule Log, as it is commonly known. I've seen it lovingly prepared by Jacques Pépin, elongated to ridiculous proportions at Disneyland on a Guy Fieri Christmas special, and mass-produced on Unwrapped. It seems like a smallish cake for all the steps involved in its preparation. But I'm well-versed in all the building blocks. Well, all except for one.

You start with a chocolate creme-filled jelly roll, and frost that sucker. Easy enough. Jacques dotted his lovely chocolate-encrusted Bûche with mushroom meringues (this is really the only way meringues should be made) and white chocolate leaves and branches. So much fun stuff. I wanted to make this confectionary ode to nature it from the ground up, so to speak. The only problem was the sheet cake. I'd never made one, and even Jacques got his from the bakery rather than bothering himself to make it. I trotted down to the House of Fine Chocolates, sure they would be able to hook me up. Although they make sheet cakes all day long, unfortunately, they don't sell 'em. The gal at H of FC told me to just bake a box cake in a sheet pan. Now, the chef at Disneyland said the recipe uses one part cornstarch, one part flour to ensure a springy texture, so a box recipe couldn't possibly work. I tried in vain to contact the Dominick's bakery department, but couldn't find a number. How hard could it be to make a sheet cake? I found a recipe online.

I went home and followed the recipe to a T. It smelled delicious. I never considered the fact that there were no eggs included in the list of ingredients. After a few minutes of baking, the wonderful smell turned to a smoky smell. I opened the oven, and my sheet cake was bubbling over, spilling out into the hot oven, looking like a huge toasted marshmallow. I covered my hands in towels and gingerly extracted the molten mess from the rack. After it cooled, I sang a little hymn, and dumped it all in the garbage. It was time to consult The Joy of Cooking. After much page-flipping, I found a simple recipe for sheet cake. The mixture seemed hardly enough to cover the bottom of the pan, but miraculously, it bubbled and grew like a science experiment. It came out perfect. I started the meringues, which commandeered the oven for two hours, forcing me to steam our fish dinner on the stovetop (which ended up tasting awesome). I found another recipe in the cookbook for Chocolate Crème Patissière (basically pudding, but from scratch), and let everything cool overnight.

I melted chocolate for the meringues the next morning. What I didn't use, I spread out on a sheet of wax paper. I melted and added a handful of butterscotch morsels to add some color, et voilà, tree bark! I melted and burned half of the white chocolate. Starting over, I had no more green food coloring, just what was left over after scraping the bowl. I melted the rest with more caution, and created light green leaves and twigs on another sheet of wax paper. The holly berries were stolen from Marky's bag of dark chocolate M&Ms.

I'm going to be completely honest, after my epic cake fail, successfully filling and rolling the cake, creating all the decorations and bark, I'd been working for 2 days. I was mentally drained. The frosting came from a can, okay? Don't judge me. I stuck the bark to the frosting, and stuck the goodies to the bark with melted chocolate.

Now, let's not pretend you're actually going to attempt to make this thing. Just have me over to your house for your next holiday gathering, and I'll make it for you. If you try to outdo my craftiness, I might get my feelings hurt. That's why I'm sparing you from reading every recipe involved. I will, however, give you a tip that you can use for frosting any cake. You know the pesky frosting around the edge of the cake that you can never perfectly wipe off the plate? Well, rather than lining your plate with a big square of wax paper and plopping the cake atop, cut four strips of wax paper, and place them under the north/east/south/west areas, masking off the plate. When you're done frosting, you can just pull them out carefully. No messy frosting.

The cake was truly delicious and a rewarding endeavor. Would I have felt so accomplished if I'd gotten the sheet cake premade? Probably not. I'm no Julia Child, but sometimes it's important not to get what you wished for.

The Bree/Brie Project

After watching Julie & Julia on Friday, I couldn't possibly bring Fritos and onion dip to the party we were invited to on Saturday.

I went to Harvest Time for my usual produce, and there they were. Purple figs in season and on sale! I'm not much of a fig person, but I do have this baked cheese stuffed fig recipe in my pocket. It's ridiculously easy and always a hit at get-togethers. So I bought the figs. We went to Whole Foods to get some cheese, and there I found green figs. We consulted the cheese guy (who whistles beautiful harmonies to the hard rock radio station blaring in the back of the cheese dept), and he immediately suggested brie. Well of course that would work. Brie goes with everything. Last time I made this recipe, I stuck to only very mild white cheeses, and was thrilled when he suggested a stinky blue cheese, and strong smoked gouda. He then admitted that he'd never eaten a baked fig with cheese. I promised to bring him the leftovers. Empty promises. I knew there'd be no leftovers.

You really don't need a lot of cheese to do this. We bought way too much, but can you ever have too much cheese in the house? Side note: Marky and I have cut out dairy (except for the occasional creamer in the coffee) for over a month. The cheese in the fridge is calling to me. All you have to do is spray a cookie sheet with oil, cut each fig in half, scoop the guts out with a melon baller, and place a chunk of cheese in there. Only scoop out a small section. If you go crazy scooping, your fig will disintegrate in the oven, and you want some of that purple color to frame the cheesy goodness. Also, just like filling muffin cups, use a little less than you think you need. These figs can turn into a real mess if you have cheese bubbling over the sides. Aw heck, if you want a crapload of gouda, go for it.

When every fig is filled, place the cookie sheet into a hot broiler, and keep an eye on it. I didn't let this batch get terribly brown. I just warmed them until the cheese melted. If you have a not-so-trustworthy broiler like mine, you could take it a step further and brown the tops with a créme brulée torch.

Try this with your fave cheese. We've also used goat cheese, mozarella, and cheddar. It's a lovely seasonal treat, and a crowd-pleaser.

What a Tool!

A friend gave me two pounds of fresh cherries.  They are sweet and beautiful, and I wanted to give them a proper burial in my tummy.  So here are the two recipes in which they had a starring role, and the third recipe is what you should drink while baking:

Cherry Almond Focaccia (Tyler Florence's original version here)

Ingredients:

• 
  
  
  
  • 2 teaspoons rapid-rising dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Fine ground almonds for dusting
  
  

  Toppings:
  • 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted 
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/4 cup coarse sugar
  
  

  Directions
  You really don't know the beauty of a cherry pitter until you are staring at two pounds of cherries, thinking about how this tedious paring knife task could ruin a perfect summer day.  Mine was $9.99 from OXO.  It's a fun tool to have in your arsenal, and it works on those pesky Kalamata olives, too.  Follow the directions on the label, and beware stray pits.  
  Proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve. Let stand 3 minutes until foam appears. Slowly add half of the flour to the bowl. Mix with a fork.  Dissolve salt in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil.  Add half of the remaining flour until you have a nice doughy texture. Mix with your hands until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding a little more flour as necessary.
  Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold over itself a few times. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn't form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise over a gas pilot light on the stovetop or other warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
  Coat a sheet pan with a little olive oil and almond dust. Once the dough is doubled and domed, turn it out onto the counter. Roll and stretch the dough out to an oblong shape about 1/2-inch thick. Lay the flattened dough on the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes.
  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Uncover the dough and dimple with your fingertips. Brush the surface with more olive oil and then add cherries, almonds, and sugar. Bake on the bottom rack for 15 to 20 minutes.
  Cherry Almond Ice Cream  
  
  Ingredients:
  • 
    
    • 2 cups half and half
    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
    • 1/4 cup fine ground almonds
    • 1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and chilled
    • Slivered almonds for garnish
    Directions
    It's best to use very cold ingredients.  An ice cream maker is fun to use on a hot day, but can be very disappointing if your ice cream never tightens up.  Also, feel free to substitute heavy cream for the half and half if you prefer a creamier texture. By that same token, you can use skim milk and sugar subsititute for a light ice milk dessert.  Yum.  
    In a large mixing bowl, whisk together half and half, milk, sugar, fine ground almonds, and vanilla extract until sugar is dissolved.  Add mixture to the bowl of an ice cream machine and blend until frozen.  Add most of the cherries to the mixer, reserving a handful for a topping.  Blend until cherries are incorporated.  
    
    Pour ice cream into a 2 quart Tupperware.  Smooth the top, and dot the surface with cherries and almonds.  Place in the freezer for 2 hours, then enjoy!
    
    
    Four Plus One
       
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Ingredients:
    • 3 cups lemon juice

    
    

    
    
  • 
    
    • 1 cup orange juice
    • 1 cup lime juice
    • 1 cup grapefruit juice
    • 4-5 sprigs of mint
    • 3 cups water
    • 3 cups sugar, plus a tablespoon for muddling
    • 750 ml citrus vodka
    
    

    
    
    Directions:
    You will need a LOT of citrus fruit to make this drink.  If you want to just add voddy to orange juice concentrate, be my guest, but trust me, your party guests will never forget this drink if you do it from scratch.  Also this is a chance to learn the beauty of simple syrup.  Make it ahead of time and chill it.  
    Simple syrup:  In a medium pot, add 3 cups sugar and water.  Boil until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally, remove from heat and chill.  
    Pull the leaves off the mint stems, reserving a couple pretty leaves for garnish.  Place the mint and the remaining sugar in a cup or small bowl.  Commence muddling.  Use a proper wooden muddler, or the handle of a wooden spoon.  Dump green mixture into a metal strainer, hold over a large jug, and pour the simple syrup through.  Go slowly.  When you are done, press the last of the minty goodness through the strainer.  Discard green junk.
    Add citrus juice, vodka, and serve over crushed ice.  Try not to fall over.