Fabulous Summer Fun

Diva-tini time!!

With summer quickly approaching, it is time to think swimsuit, sunscreen, floppy hats and, most importantly, poolside refreshment!  I was recently introduced to this delicious beverage and am glad that I was. 

This diva-tini is easy to prepare...

• Fill a poolside appropriate glass with ice


• Fill 1/3 of the glass with Effen Cucumber Vodka


• Top with soda


• Add a twist of lime and leave in for garnish


• Place one slice of cucumber on the rim for an added touch

Chink, chink, mes amis!  Enjoy!

~c~

Fun

Happy St. Patrick's Day...you can either look at this as belated or a jump start for 2013 (it's never too early to plan).  This past Saturday, I was fortunate enough to attend the birthday party of a very Irish friend of ours.  It was at this gathering where I was introduced to a new St. Patrick's day refreshment, the Irish Car Bomb (not the best choice of names, but interesting nonetheless).  For those of you feeling a bit adventurous, give it a try:

1/2 shot of Irish Cream

1/2 shot of Irish Whiskey

1/2 pint of Guinness

Pour the Irish Cream and the Whiskey together into a shot glass.  Pour the Guinness into a pint glass.  Drop the shot glass into the pint glass and chug-a-lug. 

Try to drink it right away, as it does not look pretty in the glass.  When all of the alcohols mix, it looks as if the Irish Cream curdles.  The taste is delightful; it reminds me of dark chocolate.

And until the next Car Bomb blows: 

 

Sláinte agus táinte.

"Health and wealth!"

Fun

Happy Lundi Gras!  Let the festing begin!


Tomorrow is Mardi Gras 2012 and people all over the world will partake in various festivities to commemorate the day. The real purpose of Mardi Gras is to clean out the house from all of the food and beverages that are forbidden during the Lenten season.  Modern day Mardi Gras is less about the religious aspect and more about the beer, boobs and beads; in other words the big party.  


The traditional beverage of New Orleans is the Hurricane, typically from Pat O'Brien's piano bar on Bourbon Street. It is a delish rum based drink that hits you, well, just like a hurricane: 

Ingredients:

• 2 oz light rum
• 2 oz dark rum
• 2 oz passion fruit juice
• 1 oz orange juice
• juice of a half a lime
• 1 Tbsp simple syrup
• 1 Tbsp grenadine
• orange slice and cherry for garnish

Preparation:

1. Squeeze juice from half a lime into shaker over ice.
2. Pour the remaining ingredients into the cocktail shaker.
3. Shake well.
4. Strain into a hurricane glass.
5. Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.

(This recipe compliments of http://cocktails.about.com/od/atozcocktailrecipes/r/Hurricane.htm) 

I have also found this recipe from www.drinkoftheweek.com to add to the debauchery of the day. It will be featured at my house tomorrow night along with our traditional jambalaya and King Cake...hopefully I will not get the baby!

King Cake Martini

• 1 ½ oz Absolut Citron
• 3 oz Pineapple Juice
• ¼ oz Agave Nectar
• ½ oz Chambord
• Green Confectionery Sprinkles

Combine Absolut Citron, Pineapple Juice and Agave Nectar in an ice filled mixing glass. Shake and Strain into a cocktail glass rimmed with green sprinkles. Take a bar spoon and drizzle ½ oz Chambord so that it settles at the bottom of the cocktail glass.

Serve with a beaded necklace and a smile!

Most importantly friends, enjoy the day and Laissez les bons temps rouler!!! 

~c~

Fun

Chink, chink!  It is time for another Diva-tini!  In less than 24 hours, our house will be full of screaming, dramatic little girls anticipating an entire night of movies, popcorn and pizza; in other words, we are having a slumber party.  As I was combing the internet earlier for party ideas, I just happened to stumble up on this and I thought that it would be a wonderful coping mechanism for mommy... I have provided the recipe, feel free to indulge with me or make one for yourself and empathize...  
Either way, santé!!
~c~


The French Kiss

• 1 oz. Chambord 
• 1 oz. vodka 
• 1 oz. dark crème de cacao 
• 1.5 oz. half and half 
• Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Isn't it Pretty in Pink?  Perfect for a slumber party or for  Valentine's Day. 

Compliments of Marie Clair and the list of 104 Holiday Drink Recipes. 

Fun?

Envy.  That is probably the best word that I can come up with when I watch the show House Hunters International on one of my fav channels, HGTV. We all know the show: people's lives are so stressful that they need to find an escape. Not just any escape... an escape abroad. If only.

Now, there is the rare show where a family is being relocated from the good ole' USofA to Bahrain or Bangkok, but on most of the shows that I have seen, people more or less throw a dart and choose a new country in which they are going to start fresh or get back to their roots. The budgets are, for the most part, ridiculous. These people will not have to worry about the airfare to get them, and their young children, to France, Latvia or Costa Rica. I also think it is a riot when these people don't speak a lick of the language spoken in the country...how do they survive once the cameras are off and their lives in their new home country begin?

My favorite part of the whole show is the family that is willing to move into a fixer-upper "so that we can make it our own".  Last week I watched the family that was moving from D.C. to Morocco who appeared to be utterly disgusted when being showed the 1200 year old riad that they were contemplating "fixing up".  I have included the link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSHwjpH2hVc ) because this is the first episode where I was so appalled at the buyers' attitudes that I almost, almost, changed the channel.  

The one that I am watching at the moment is the 40 something single woman who is experiencing "desconectar" and longs for her Spain, the place where she needs to escape her 15 hour a day LA work life. REALLY??  Wow, what I would do to pack up my kids, husband, house and just plop ourselves into some 800 year old farm house in the French countryside. For now, I have to settle for watching the HHI episodes and reading amazing books written by these people who have the means to relocate to amazing places and hope that green is a color that suits me. ~c~

Here is the French country house that is currently for sale. Looks like a bit of a project, but nothing we can't handle...right?

Fun and Food

In a bind, one can be very creative.  Last night, I witnessed a flash of creativity (and brilliance, I might add); my son needed dessert, and he found a solution to the lack of sweets in our house.  My little boy has a sweet tooth, but really, should that be a huge surprise to anyone?  Don't most children have at least a teeny, tiny bit of a sweet tooth?  In a desperate craving for something sweet, he took it upon himself to create this fun, tasty and easy dessert.  After watching him go through the cupboards to see what he could find, I suddenly saw a glimmer in his eye when he shouted out, "S'mores, I can make s'mores!"  Up to this point in his life, we have always made s'mores on a campfire at the lake.  But I tell you, this little boy was on a mission and he was going to have himself (and treat the rest of us as well) some s'mores.

I have put his recipe here, with his permission, of course (and only 3 ingredients).

We call it "Campfire Not Necessary S'mores":

• 1 bag of mini marshmallows
• Nutella
• Graham crackers, broken in two parts

• Spread a nice layer (or just glob it on) of Nutella onto both halves of the graham cracker
• Place several mini marshmallows onto one half
• Place one half of the graham cracker onto the marshmallow side and you have yourself a tasty treat to curb that sweet tooth after dinner.

It really was a nice finish to dinner, and there was no gooey mess to scrape off of fingers.  We all enjoyed them so much that he decided that he is going to take a plate down to a neighbor who is hosting a dinner party this evening.  Fingers crossed that we have a chef in the making!!
~c~

Fun

Chink, chink, it's time for another festive diva-tini.  This one is called Frosty's Going Down:

• 1 part vodka
• 1 part chocolate liqueur (it's a good excuse to buy some Godiva liqueur)
• 1 part Irish cream
• splash of cream
• chocolate shavings for garnish

Put all of the liquor into a cocktail shaker over ice and shake.  Strain into a chilled martini glass.  Gently drizzle the cream onto the drink and shave chocolate on the top.

I found the original recipe on the bottom of this adorable Lolita martini glass (since retired), but I had to tweak it a bit. 

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
~c~

Fun

If you are looking for a family adventure, a bit out of the ordinary, during the holiday season, you need to travel to Williams, Arizona to experience The Polar Express. WOW!  After seeing the movie, The Polar Express, some genius at the Grand Canyon Railway came up with the idea to create their version of this magical train.  The best part?  Everyone is encouraged to wear their pjs for the trip to the North Pole!  The Grand Canyon Railway employees have every detail covered: the hot chocolate served by chefs, the snickerdoodles made lovingly for the passengers by Mrs. Claus herself, the songs and, most importantly, a visit from the big man himself, Santa.  As we traveled to the North Pole, we were treated to a reading of The Polar Express.  It set the mood for what was to come.

We were delighted to be taking our trip to the North Pole in a vintage train, similar to those that have been traveling to the Grand Canyon since 1901.  The velvet seats, wooden aisle, and beautiful brass trim throughout the car made us feel as if we had jumped back in time one century. 

Now, the North Pole set up was a bit cheesy, but that wasn't the point. The kids on the train ooohh-ed and ahhhh-ed as the train inched up to Santa's village.  As we pulled through the North Pole village, Santa and his lead elf, Bernard, were standing next to the tracks waving at the train as we passed by.  The kids on the train could hardly contain their excitement.  The train stopped briefly, due to reindeer on the track, but the next thing we knew, Santa was visiting our train car.  It was simply magical to watch Santa greet each child on the train and hand each one a large silver bell from the strand of bells on his reindeer sleigh.

This was an experience that every child (and adult) will remember for the rest of their lives.  It is definitely something that will create special family memories and will make adults feel just like children again.
~c~