Forrest Gump

Instructions

Pour all ingredients into two ice-filled glasses and stir briefly. Garnish with lime wedges.

Instructions

Soak shrimp in salted water-- this helps thaw the shrimp (if they're frozen) and also lightens any residual fishiness.

While your shrimps are soaking, heat oil and butter over medium in a sautee pan and gather your base ingredients.

Add your holy trinity of onion, pepper and celery to the pan and cook until vegetables are softened and onions are caramelized. Stir frequently so that nothing burns.

Add the garlic and spices, stirring briefly. Follow that up with flour and toss with the spiced veggies until the smell of raw flour dissipates. Deglaze the pan with a glug of wine and stir until starting to thicken. Add the stewed tomatoes, bay leaf, broth and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 7 minutes until sauce thickens. See below for desired consistency.

Remove the shrimp from their salt water bath and peal away any shells/tails-- drain on paper towels. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook for about a minute until pink, flipping as you cook. If you allow the shrimps to completely curl up, they'll be overcooked!

Remove bay leaf, and finish off with hot sauce, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve shrimp creole over hot rice and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

That... that's about it.

Instructions

Get them peas and carrots, and quickly whisk the honey, mustard, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add carrots, salt, and pepper and toss until well-coated in butter, about 2 minutes. Add water, lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half (4 to 5 minutes).

Add mustard vinaigrette to the pan with carrots, followed by the peas. Cook, stirring frequently, until peas are warmed through and sauce clings to veggies, about 5 minutes more.

Serve warm, with more cracked pepper and lemon zest on top.

Instructions

Beat whipping cream in a mixing bowl on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. Add sweetened condensed milk to another smaller bowl and stir in vanilla extract and bourbon. Pour the condensed milk mix into the whipped cream and carefully fold together with a spatula.

Pour into a 9x5 bread loaf pan and smooth the top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 8 hours.

When ready to enjoy, scoop ice cream into ice cream cones and thank all the gods you still have two legs.

And if you don't, you can always get some made out of space ships. MAGIC legs.

Instructions

Only a few ingredients needed for these (phew!).

Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until it simmers. Pour over chocolate and butter in a mixing bowl and allow to sit for several minutes. Add vanilla extract and stir until completely incorporated and smooth.

Place a strip of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the chocolate (this will prevent beads of condensation from collecting) and refrigerate for at least an hour and a half.

While you wait, prep your fillings! Add three 1/4 tsp of dollops of jam to a small piece of parchment paper, spaced about an inch apart. Freeze for at least an hour until stiffened. Then grab some some chopped walnuts and toss in a small skillet with sugar and cloves, toasting over medium heat until just caramelized. Lastly, collect some sweetened coconut and pulse quickly in a mini food processor until you get a finer texture.

Using a spoon, scoop out 9 equal portions of chocolate (each about a tbsp of chocolate). For the first three, roll into balls and then roll into a mound of your shredded coconut.

Place frozen jam balls into the center of 3 more of your chocolate mounds and mold the chocolate around them. Roll these three truffles in cocoa powder, lightly tapping so that excess powder falls away.

With the final three mounds-- roll in finely sugared walnuts.

When ready to serve, if you're EXTRA committed, find a little chocolate box and some teeny truffle papers for your chocolates.

I do NOT advise sitting on a park bench and using the chocolates as a conversation starter with strangers. Only Tom Hanks can get away with that.