By Tanya Manus

One of the great pleasures of summer is picking berries and eating them, sun-warmed, straight from the vine.

When I was little, a visit to my grandparents’ house in Bremerton, Wash., was never complete without picking blackberries and raspberries with my grandmother. Their 1/4-mile-long driveway was lined with berry bushes, and after we picked them, my grandmother washed them and seasoned them lightly with sugar. We’d eat them by the bowlful for breakfast. I’d love another one of those mornings.

My passion for blackberries is shared by the entire city of Bremerton which, every summer, hosts a Blackberry Festival. I had the pleasure of attending it a few years ago and left with mini cookbook chock full of ideas for enjoying blackberries. Some of the recipes from the Blackberry Festival are perfect for us in the Midwest because they make use of frozen berries.

One of my favorite uses for blackberries, because they are scarce here, is to use them as garnish and show them off. A few fresh berries from the grocery store - and maybe a pesticide-free pansy or two from the garden - nicely dress up a lemon cake. I’ve also used individual berries as simple, colorful decorations on coconut cupcakes.

Or douse some fresh berries and fruit in wine and make yourself a nice sangria (recipe follows).

Getting a berry craving yet? Try these, from the Blackberry Festival’s “A Berry Nice Cookbook.”

For frozen berries:

Blackberry Cobbler

4 to 6 cups frozen blackberries

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

1/3 cup cornstarch

Bring to a boil in a saucepan, stirring constantly. Pour into a 10- by 12-inch baking pan. Drop topping by spoonsful onto berry mixture.

Topping:

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup oil

1 cup buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients together. Add liquid. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.

For fresh berries:

Black Sangria

Cherries, blackberries and seedless black grapes

1 strip of peel from a whole lemon

1/2 cup strongly brewed black tea

1 bottle dry red wine

club soda (chilled to taste)

Place fruits and lemon peel in a 2-1/2-quart pitcher. Add the tea and enough wine to cover. Chill remaining wine. Before serving, pour remaining wine in the pitcher. Stir and add ice and club soda to taste.

By Tanya Manus

A friend of mine and former Journal colleague is expecting a bouncing baby boy any minute now, so I’m helping her mother plan and host a baby shower this weekend.

We’ll be serving guests an array of hors d’oeuvres and a luscious chocolate-raspberry cake. But I didn’t want just any ordinary sherbet and 7-Up punch to go with the menu; my friend has more sophisticated, and healthful, tastes than that. And obviously, cocktails with alcohol are out of the question.

So I’ve opted for a fun, fruity “mocktail,” courtesy of Rachael Ray. It’s refreshing (try it on a hot summer day!), easy and festive - perfect for toasting the arrival of little David Alexander.

Mango-Ginger Mocktails
4 cups ginger ale, chilled
4 cups mango nectar, chilled
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, plus lemon slices for garnish
Ice
  
Just before serving, mix together the ginger ale, mango nectar and lemon juice in a large pitcher. Pour into tall glasses filled with ice and garnish with lemon slices.

Okay, it’s here. The “Sex and the City” movie is opening tonight. Unfortunately, my girlfriends and I won’t be able to go out and paint the city pink for the occasion. We are all busy with other things…but we might go next weekend.

I’ll just have to convince them it’s a good idea.

Honestly, I’m relieved. This way I won’t have to stand in line on opening night and I might even get to pick where I sit in the flick. But one question about the evening out remains: Where will we go to dinner before the flick?

Normally this wouldn’t be a tricky one. But It looks like we will all be dressed up. And I mean cocktail dresses and high heels dressed up, not just jeans with no holes dressed up.

It may be clear from my past blog about dining out that I am the CASUAL dining type. So I don’t really have any ideas. I realize that if all else fails the Colonial House will work. In fact, the Besharas (the owners of the Colonial House) are eccentric enough that it might be especially delightful to go there.  But I thought I’d let all of my food friends weigh in…

Just be nice.

Now that we’ve had our Spring blizzard it feels like it is officially May. This year May brings more to Rapid City than psychotic weather; May 30 “Sex and the City” opens in theaters across the nation — including theaters in Rapid City.

That means party time for a lot of single gals in the area. Almost every “Sex and the City” fan I know is planning on dressing up and getting cocktails either before or after the flick. My sweet friend Alexa even wanted to try to have a little pre-movie party to commemorate the flick.

Unfortunately, an hors d’oeuvres and cocktail party at 5 p.m. on a Friday doesn’t really work for a bunch of working girls like me and my friends. So Alexa’s plan probably won’t happen the way she had hoped, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t daydream about it a bit.

If I had all the time in the world I would throw one heck of a “Sex and the City” pre-party. I would have at least four hors d’oeuvres (one for each of the show’s special ladies) and a selection of cocktails from and inspired by the show. I even went to the trouble of collecting cocktail recipes, so I thought I’d share.

Absolut Hunk
In honor of Smantha’s beau Smith — and his beautiful billboard — Absolut vodka created a drink with the same headline as Smith’s Billboard: the Absolut Hunk.
2 shots vanilla vodka
½ shot lime juice
½ shot sugar syrup
¼ shot pineapple juice
Shake all ingredients well with ice and fine strain in to a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime twist or slice.

Tartini
I don’t know which episode this one is from, but it was in the show somewhere. Plus, I love respberry and lime and as far as I’m concerned all those ladies had a little bit of “Tartini” in them — oh, Stanford had some “Tartini” in him too.
1½ shots raspberry vodka
½ shot Chambord
½ shot cranberry juice
¾ shot lime juice
Shake all ingredients well with ice and fine strain in to a cocktail glass.

Cosmopolitan
Everyone knows that the cosmo was the cocktail of choice for Carrie and her crew at different stages throughout the show. This is one of the more complex “cosmo” recipies I found, but I figure, if you’re going to be cosmopolitan about it you had better go all out. 
1½ shots citrus vodka
½ shot Cointreau
¾ shot cranberry juice
½ shot lime juice
2 dashes orange bitters
Shake all ingredients well with ice and fine strain in to a cocktail glass. Garnish with a flamed orange zest.

Flirtini
The “Flirtini” was the drink of choice at the drag-queen barbecue Samantha held to make peace with her transvestite neighbors. With pineapple and champagne involved it is a tangy, bubbly treat.
2 pieces fresh pineapple
1/2 oz. orange liqueur
1/2 oz. vodka
1 oz. pineapple juice
3 oz. Champagne
Muddle the pineapple pieces and orange liquor in the bottom of a mixing glass. Add vodka and pineapple juice and stir. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and top with champagne. Garnish with a cherry, and serve in cocktail glass.

Perfect Manhattan
Because Manhattan is where the ladies lived — of course!
4 1/2 ounces rye or bourbon whiskey
1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 Maraschino cherries
1 twist orange peel per glass
Fill a pitcher with ice and add the whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. Stir vigorously until the outside of the pitcher is thoroughly beaded with sweat and is extremely cold to the touch.
Place a maraschino cherry in each cocktail glass. Strain the drink over the cherries and serve immediately. Rub the cut edge of the orange peel over the rim of the glass and twist it over the drink to release the oils but don’t drop it in.
Variation: No bitters. Substitute a twist of lime for the cherry and orange. Hold the lime twist in a lighted match over the drink and then drop it in. The heat really zips up the lime flavor.

Staten Island Iced Tea
Every time I hear anything about Staten Island or ice tea I think of Charlotte the morning after she had far too many “Staten Island Ice Teas” screaming to her friends, “I’ve been dating for 20 years, where is he?” Just remember not to drink too many or you will wind up like Charlotte saying, “My hair hurts.”
1 part Rum
1 part Gin
1 part Vodka
1 part Peach Schnapps
1 splash Cola
1 splash Sweet and Sour Mix
1 wedge Lemon
Add the Rum, Gin, Vodka, Schnaps, and sour mix, shake it up, the pour into glass add the coke and the lemon, then drink. Serve in a highball glass.

So, is anyone planning anything big for the big-screen premiere of the SATC girls? Heck, let me know if you have a better recipe than these. The hard part about cocktails is finding good recipes that you can make a whole pitcher of. So if someone has a pitcher recipe let us know. Someone might be able to throw a “Sex and the City” party even if my girlfriends can’t.