Caipirinhas at the Hotel Monte Vista, Flagstaff, AZ

As summer 2011 draws to a close, I feel like capturing its most joyous moments-- moments that have reenergized me for a new year in the classroom teaching 9th grade English. Of course, many of the best memories of the summer involve gathering with friends to fellowship with food and drinks.

Having not taken a summer vacation since 2005, one of my New Year's resolutions this year was to vacation, and vacation I did! (Boy, I'd been missing out.) In the month of June, I visited my friend Jessie in Arizona. Quality "girl time" with Jessie and the majestic landscapes of Jerome, Sedona, Flagstaff, and the Grand Canyon renewed my spirit immeasurably.


In Flag, Jessie and I feel in love with a little coffee shop/bar in the lower level of the Hotel Monte Vista Jessie would have me pay hommage to their delicious and comforting "white elephant" chai tea latte-- it was tasty indeed. I, however, was delighted with the Monte Vista's update of the ciapirinha, the national drink of Brazil and potentially my favorite cocktail.

A traditional caipirinha is made by addling chungks of lime with cain sugar, crushed ice, and a Brazilian liquor called cachaca. At Hotel Monte Vista, your caipirinha will come pretty and sweet with the following ingredients:

Lime juice and pulp -- use 3/4 to 1 full lime per drink

Simple syrup -- to taste, depending on how sweet you want your cocktail

Crushed red grapes -- about 5-6 per drink

Ice -- 3/4 of the glass should be filled

Cachaca -- about 2 shots

The crushed red grapes add sweetness and a wonderful splash of contrasting color to this already delicious and refreshing beverage.

Look at the September edition of O: The Oprah Magazine or the following linkes for more cocktail recipe ideas involving cachaca: ToHu Swizzel, O Peixinho Morto, The Carnivale, Brazilian Tourist, Edison's Medicine.

Cooking & Dreaming Fearlessly with Student U

"How was it?" Mr. John hollered over the rumble of the bus engine.

"Awful," Morgan growned.

"Awesome!" corrected Rahim.

Minutes earlier, the crew of high school students-- Morgan, Rahim, and Jayda-- stood in the kitchen of the Durham Catering Co. (http://http//www.durhamcatering.com/) wielding butcher knives and slicing through whole chickens. The chickens needed to be halved and marinated in preparation for Monday's lunch. Morgan, disgusted by the process, claimed she'd never eat chicken again. "She'll be eating chicken strips this afternoon," Rahim teased.

Before working on the chicken for Monday's lunch, Morgan, Rahim, and Jayda put the finishing touches on Friday's lunch, slicing cooked pork roast and mixing orange kool-aid. They explained to me the process they had used to prepare Friday's menu: pork roast, mac n' cheese, and bread. They marinated the pork in lemon zest, oil, and "leafy stuff;" braised it on the grill; then baked it for ten minutes. For the mac n' cheese, Jayda boiled the noodles. Then the cheese sauce had been created by mixing a roux with the melted cheese. Finally, the students added the noodles to the cheese sauce and baked it.

Morgan, Rahim, and Jayda are part of a program in Durham, NC called Student U (http://http//studentudurham.org/). The program, which is free for all participants, provides support for students throughout the school year, and in the summer it kicks into high gear with six weeks of summer academics, character building, and fun. Morgan, Rahim, and Jayda, who have been attending Student U for four or more years, are now rising 9th and 10th graders. They look forward to coming back to Student U each summer.

They described the past lunches at Student U as less-than-tastey. After several summers of complaints about the food, the program directors began exploring other options. When they approached Durham Catering Co. with the idea of providing lunch for one week of the program, the catering company zealously offered to prepare meals for the entire summer. The company even agreed to host a handful of high school "interns" from the program, teaching them the ins and outs of food preparation. Thus Morgan, Rahim, and Jayda earned their summer positions as chefs-in-training.

During the first week of Student U's summer program the new lunches were a big hit. Students asked for seconds and thirds, and the interns were proud of their work.

When I asked the interns what their best meal was, Jayda bragged about the shrimp scampi they had prepared. One of the values Student U hopes to instill in its students this summer is "dreaming fearlessly." For Jayda, the value of dreaming fearlessly comes to life in the kitchen of the Durham Catering Co. each day; one day, Jayda hopes to become a chef.

If you want to contribute to Student U and help students like Jayda "dream fearlessly," you can send donations to:

Student U

3116 Academy Road

Durham, NC 27707

This summer's lunches cost $2 per student per day. By donating $10, you can help feed one student for a week.