Mexican Fiesta!

Tonight I'm having some girlfriends over for a mexican fiesta!  Our group used to get together almost once a month, but once kids arrived it made our gatherings hard to coordinate.  So tonight will be a fun night of laughs and catching up.

The menu:Pink Cadillac Margaritas and Iced Mango Sweet Tea

Chili Lime Mixed Nuts

Three Sisters Salad

Spanish Rice

Chicken Enchiladas

and Sopapilla Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate and Coconut Ice Creams

I like putting menus in frames - it makes the event seem more formal and is a fun touch. 

Each place setting had a dark chocolate bar with the name of each guest.

And where there is mexican food, there is tequila!

The enchiladas can be made in advance and refrigerated. I made mine yesterday - just take them out of the fridge for a bit before putting in oven.  

Three Sisters Salad - perfect dish for a dinner of sorority sisters!  Corn, butternut squash and beans make up the sisters.  I snuck a taste and it is delicious!

And to give the party another fun touch... premixed margs in mason jars and labeled with guest names.  Just add some ice and shake!

I have to thank Southern Comfort magazine (August 2012 issue) for this great menu.  And also want to thank Trader Joe's for their amazing (and super spicy) chile lime mixed nuts.  Addicting.

Click on the image below to enlarge the recipes.

Hurricane!

Today our beloved Dawgs played LSU in Louisiana.  To say this was a painful game to watch is an understatement.  At least both teams colors are purple and gold so no matter what happened there was a lot of school spirit!

In honor of Louisiana I made a huge batch of Hurricane cocktails.  I have had a hurricane or two in New Orleans and they are super tasty, super fruity and super strong.  I mean, super strong.  Nothing like almost two full bottles of rum mixed in with grenadine to get a hurricane swirl'n!

Thanks to Emeril Lagasse, the king of southern cuisine, I had a mega batch of hurricanes to bring to our friend's Dawg watching party!  Warning, many of the guys thought the drink was a tad sweet, nothing a splash of club soda couldn't resolve.  But the rest of us loved it.  So much that it was almost gone!

Mix the batch in advance in a large pitcher and place in fridge to get very cold.  Serve over ice and with a wedge of orange.  This is a great party recipe because it makes a lot of drinks at once.

Click here for Emeril's recipe. 

1st Day of School Teacher Gift

I've heard all about 'Welcome Back to School' gifts for kids.  But what about the teachers?  My son is heading to kindergarten and already has a new backpack, lunchbag, clothes and shoes... he doesn't need another gift!  Though we thought his teacher might appreciate a little something.  And after a visit to the Walmart near our cabin I found a perfect idea that didn't break the bank, a $3 insulated beverage cup that looks just like the ones sold at Starbucks and Tullys.  

So I combined the insulated cold drink holder with two packets of cold brew ice tea and two Starbucks Via iced coffee packets.  Add some cello and a tag and it looks pretty fancy! 

Now to figure out what we'll do for C's preschool teacher.  I mean teachers!  I had no idea there would be two teachers for her class so now I've got to get creative... But darn... that might mean I get to keep the other insulated cup! :)

Pretzel Chicken and a John Daly

I saw a blog article discussing a killer chicken dish which involved pretzels.  Yup, pretzels.  The dish is served at an NYC restaurant called City Bakery and has a loyal following.  To make the dish work, you must buy thick, hard, sourdough pretzels.  I found large pretzel bites and thought they worked fine.  The end result was a nicely flavored chicken with a perfectly crunchy shell.  I did find that even though the pretzels I used had salt, most of it was lost in the blender, so you may find that you need to add a touch of salt to the finished chicken to maximize the flavor.

The kids loved this meal and so did we.  We'll definitely make it again!

The chopped pretzels ready for chicken...

The mustard sauce...

And the cocktail to go with dinner on a hot, sunny day...  An 'Arnold Palmer' (half ice tea/half lemonade), but the grown up version...using sweet tea vodka and lemonade!  This is technically called a 'John Daly'. Yummmmm.  This is a sweet drink, but you can play around with the vodka/lemonade ratio and can also add a splash of club soda to help cut the sugar.  Oh, and random thought... A Shandy is lemonade and beer - also a good summer drink but not something you'll drink all night.

Pretzel Chicken, courtesy of City Bakery in NYC and Food & Wine Magazine
1/2 lb hard pretzels, coarsely crushed (4 cups)

1/2 c. canola oil
1/2 c. whole-grain mustard
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 c. water
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a food processor, pulse the pretzels until coarsely ground; you should have coarse chunks and fine crumbs. Transfer to a large, shallow bowl.

Wipe out the food processor. Add the oil, whole-grain and Dijon mustards, water and vinegar and process until smooth. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.

Pour half of the dressing into a large shallow bowl, add the chicken breasts and turn to coat. Dredge the chicken in the pretzel crumbs and transfer to a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Slice the chicken and serve warm or at room temperature with the remaining mustard dressing.

Skinny Girl Disappointment

I'm not afraid to admit this.  I watch the Real Housewives of New York and Orange County.  I also watch Bethanny Ever After and have been intrigued by Bethanny's 'Skinny Girl Margarita' since watching her order it over and over on RHNY.  This week I looked up the pre-mixed beverage online and found that it was available in our local liquor store; and then made Tony pick up a bottle on the way home from work.  Yes, my poor husband had to walk in to the manly liquor store and buy a $15 bottle of Bethanny Frankel's Skinny Girl Margarita.  Not a very masculine task if you ask him.

I was uber excited to try the cocktail that contains a quarter of the calories of a typical restaurant margarita, and to find a margarita that was so easy to make that all I needed to do is twist open a bottle and pour.  I even went the extra step of shaking the drink with ice before pouring in to two glasses. 

First sip reaction?  Hmmm, this isn't too bad. 

Second sip reaction?  Maybe a slice of lime will help.

Third sip reaction?  I don't think I like this and it tastes tinny.  A slight 'diet' drink after taste. Severly disappointed.

Final outcome?  Tony drank his because it was a margarita.  He agreed it wasn't good, even with a half a lime squeezed in to our glasses.  I was disgusted by it.  I really wanted to love this drink because sometimes I get tired of juicing 20 limes for my killer margs.  But, I'd much rather make a Costco trip and stock up on limes than need to drink this premade margarita again.

I'll admit.  I tried it again today at dinner.  Even worse the second time around.  It killed me to pour out a margarita.

I won't hold it against you Bethanny.  I like that you came up with a margarita that is so low in calories (who knew restaurant margaritas were SO bad for you!?), the label is cute, and you made a few bucks off of me.  I think I'll just stick to watching your show with my own margarita recipe.

If anyone wants to try this marg let me know.  I've got over half a bottle left and I refuse to drink it.

Pink Grapefruit Cocktail

What happens when you buy a giant bag of pink grapefruits from Costco and you can't possibly eat any more?  You start googling grapefruit recipes.  You then ignore all the tasty grapefruit sauced salmon dishes and go straight for the cocktail recipes!

This is basically a take on a Vodka Greyhound but with some extras.  I didn't fall in love with this cocktail, probably because my orange liquor is a cheaper brand, or the orange and lemon took away from the grapefruit flavor I was craving. That, or I just prefer an old fashioned Vodka Greyhound or a Salty Dog (Greyhound with salted rim).

Boy, am I glad I registered for a juicer when we got married.  That bad boy has been put to good use with making fresh juice cocktails!

Pink Grapefruit Cocktail

3 1/2 oz fresh pink grapefruit juice, plus wedge for garnish

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz orange liquor

2 oz vodka

Shake all the ingredients along with some ice in a cocktail shaker.  Add a dash more of whatever to suit your taste, if needed.  Strain in to a martini glass and garnish with wedge.  For extra oomph, sugar the rim of the glass before pouring the drink in.

Bellini

Take two RIPE white peaches. (there are some good ones right now!)

Peel and pit them, then put in a blender and puree the life out of them.

 Pour the puree through a strainer.  You may need to push it through with a strainer.

Pour a tablespoon or so in a champagne flute.  (add some simple syrup if you prefer sweet, like me)

 Fill the rest of the glass with chilled prosecco.

This is one tasty cocktail.  Two peaches will be enough for one bottle of prosecco.  Enjoy!

Got Milk?

Coolest thing ever!  Well, for chocolate milk lovers, anyways.  These special 'straws' turn regular milk in to chocolate milk as you sip!  They run about $2 for a 5 pack, and come in a variety of flavors.  I bought ours at our local grocery and finally gave one to Blake today as a reward.

He thought it was so cool!  The milk in his glass was white, but as you suck the milk through the straw, the little chocolate beads turn the milk to chocolate flavored.  He let me have a sip because I was very curious, and I thought it tasted really good.  Whoever came up with this idea was pretty clever.

The straw has seals at both ends so the flavor beads don't fall out.  Very genious, and great for travel if you wanted a little treat and don't want to pay for chocolate milk. 

The straw lasted for one big glass of milk. 

Dirty Hippy

I'd like a tall, iced, nonfat, vanilla, dirty hippy chai latte please!

Translated? A soy chai latte with a shot of espresso and vanilla.

If you like chai but find the flavor too sweet, ask for a dirty hippy chai latte (soy) or a dirty chai latte (milk).  This is my absolute favorite coffee shop drink ever!  I dislike the flavor of coffee and the chai masks it perfectly.  Unfortunately, this bad boy (or dirty hippy) in Tall size will set you back about $4.25 at most of the big chain shops.  It is usually less at the independent spots due to either lack of knowledge or better pricing.  Or both...

Try one.  They're pretty amazing. 

Today, after my oh so good dirty chai, I kept the cup and replaced all the contents with a Los Brisos cocktail.  Yes. I turned my Tully's cup in to a 'Traveler'. (Traveler - cup for alcoholic beverage on the go)

We don't do glass by the pool, and I haven't washed our acrylic glasses... still in the box!  So, a Tully's cup will do.  And, I think I have now found the perfect way to camouflage a cocktail during a tailgate party, trick-or-treating or any other random event.  No, I do not have a drinking problem.  But there are occasions where a cocktail with friends would be nice, like a concert at the park!

Blue Kus (pronounced: Blue Koos)

One of my favorite cocktails on a hot day? A Blue Kus of course.  A glass of ice, shot of blueberry vodka (or two), and topped off with club soda.  Garnish with blueberries skewered on a cocktail stick or toothpick.

I ran out of blueberries this morning, so just pretend that strawberry is a big 'ole blueberry! :)

Margs and Ribs

Today I surprised Tony with homemade margaritas and slow cooked ribs.  It turned out he was having a rough day, so this was the perfect pick-me-up.

What I like to call margarita eggs...

Ribs.  Oh heaven.  Just rub your favorite bbq spices (I'd have to kill you if I shared my secret recipe) on the ribs the night prior.  Start up the bbq (and yes, you can use gas, charcoal, or smoker) on low so the meat will have indirect heat. No direct heat please!  Slowly cook until the ribs are tender - depending on your cooking method it can take anywhere from 4-8 hours.  I mop the ribs every 30-45min with a apple cider/apple vinegar/water mix to help keep them moist and add a slight 'crust' to the spices. When meat starts shrinking back from end of the bone you know they're getting close to done.

Serve with your favorite bbq sauce and sides.  I prefer my ribs 'dry' with only the rub.  But, if using sauce I prefer using B-Man's BBQ or Pete's BBQ (both are local and available at QFC). Oh, and a fresh margarita of course!

Los Brisos (or Las Brisas?)

My mom's infamous cocktail.  It is so refreshing and so deadly - you can't taste the alcohol... And one is never enough.  I believe the correct spelling is Las Brisas (the breeze in spanish - though if you Google this version there is a totally different drink recipe), but it is my mom's drink so she gets to name it whatever she wants!

There really isn't a recipe, just a list of ingredients:

Limeade concentrate

Anejo Rum

Splash of club soda or water

Wedge of lime

Place above ingredients in a glass with ice and enjoy!

Rosemary Lemonade

I've talked about this recipe before, and have to post it again.  It is that good.  I made this rosemary lemonade recipe for our pool party.  Its a nice change from the usual yellow or pink lemonades, and a little more adult oriented (kids don't always love the rosemary taste).

I finally used our electric juicer.  We received it as a wedding gift and I have NO idea why I haven't used it until now.  I mean, its only been in our pantry for almost five years!

Making the simple syrup and adding rosemary to flavor the mixture only takes a few minutes.

Rosemary Lemonade2 c. sugar

2 c. water
4 large sprigs of rosemary
2 c. fresh lemon juice (do not use store bought lemon juice)
4 c. water
rosemary sprigs for garnish

Stir together sugar and two cups of water in saucepan to make simple syrup.  Add rosemary sprigs.  Stirring constantly, bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Strain syrup.  Mix together syrup, lemon juice and four cups water.  Add fresh rosemary sprigs.  Chill.  Serve with ice.

Drinks Anyone?

Who can forget about margaritas on Cinco de Mayo!? I have the all the stuff made and ready to go: simple syrup, freshly squeezed lime juice, and freshly made lime-salt-sugar for rimming. The lime-salt-sugar is not only tasty, but it adds a fun kick of color to the rim. Oh yeah. Its 5 o'clock somewhere, right? 

These margaritas will be a staple cocktail around our home.  These may even beat out my 'Blue Kus' as #1 cocktail in my book.  Now that is saying somethin'!

Margaritas
Ice cubes
3 ounces tequila
2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
1 ounce Simple Syrup, recipe follows
1/2 to 1 teaspoon orange liqueur
1 tablespoon Lime-salt-sugar, recipe follows
Lime slices as garnish

Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add tequila, lime juice, and Simple Syrup. Cover and shake until mixed and chilled, about 30 seconds. Place Lime-salt-sugar on a plate, and moisten rim of glass with edge of a sliced lime. Press the rim of a rocks glass into the mixture to rim the edge. Strain margarita into the glass. 

Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Lime-salt-sugar
Zest of one lime
2 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 Tbsp sugar

Blend together lime, salt and sugar in a small blender or mini food chopper.