Happy ValenWine's Day!

Hey guys! I'm blogging over on my publisher's (Lark Crafts) blog today, writing about adapting cookie designs to fit different holidays and themes.

Pop on over to see where the inspiration comes from for these Valentine wine bottle (ValenWINE) cookies!

Cheers! 

Pineapple Coconut Mojitos and a Staycation at Woodlands Resort

Ah, does anything say summer like a cocktail sipped poolside under a big umbrella?
{Recipe at the end of the post.}

When the resort in your town asks if you'd like to stay for the weekend as a family staycation, you first contemplate letting them know you can stay ALL SUMMER, then you decide that you don't want to scare them off, and just answer with a, "yes, please."


The Woodlands Resort...I've been to wedding receptions here, school fundraisers here, Thanksgiving dinner here, but I've never actually stayed here.  Now that the resort has undergone a 60-million dollar renovation, it seemed like the perfect time.


With multiple pools, waterslides, and a (brand new!) lazy river, it's easy to forget that you're in the suburbs of Houston...it feels like you're someplace tropical.  (The heat helps, too.)

The golf course looks beautiful, too, although we didn't play.  I took golf in college and it ended up to be my lowest grade from all 4 years.  Ugh.  Just thinking about it makes me shudder.  I would love to go out and WALK the course, though.  OK...enough about golf.


My favorite moments from our stay:

• a welcome as soon as we checked in: big chocolate chip cookie, ice cold milk, and Texas beers delivered to our room,
• getting up and out to the pool early.  It's quiet and peaceful, and a great time to take in the beautiful grounds,
• eating breakfast and lunch poolside...we were really impressed by the food from the poolside Cool Water Cafe,
• a massage at the Spa.  Probably the best massage I've ever had,
• watching kiddo and a friend go down the waterslide,
• late night spins around the lazy river with the boys,
• totally "getting away from it all," but still being close to home.

Where are the photos of us in our bathing suits?  Well, if you must see...

(F J Mortimer/Getty Images)

I also fell in love with a cocktail while there.  I knew at first sip, I'd have to try to recreate this at home.  Join me for a Pineapple Coconut Mojito, won't you?  I think it's a fitting way to cheers a happy summer!

Pineapple Coconut Mojito

{makes 1}

flaked, sweetened coconut
fresh mint leaves
1 lime slice
1/4 cup coconut rum
3/4 cup coconut-pineapple juice (or regular pineapple juice if you can't find it)
splash sparkling water or club soda

In a small pan, toast up the coconut until lightly browned.  Pour onto a cutting board and let cool.  Chop into smaller pieces and set aside.

Place 2 mint leaves and the slice of lime in the bottom of a pint glass.  Use a muddler or the back of a spoon to twist the leaves and lime a few times until the mint is fragrant.  Don't mash it to bits.

Top the muddled mint/lime with ice about 2/3 up the glass.  Spoon 1 TBSP of the chopped, toasted coconut on top of the ice.

Pour the rum and juice into the glass and stir.  Top with a splash of sparkling water or club soda. Garnish with mint, pineapple chunks, tiny umbrellas, and a straw...or not.  Cheers!


If you're staying in the Houston area, or live here already, check out the The Woodlands Resort.  Love pools, spas, golf, cocktails?  I think you'll like it!

{Disclosure: My family and I were treated to a weekend at The Woodlands Resort free of charge.  All opinions are my own.} 

Oh hello, summer.

We had friends over for dinner a few weeks ago.  I'm not sure why this is such a rare occurrence.  No matter where we lived growing up, my parents belonged to a dinner club...my favorite was called "Grub Club." Our house was frequently filled with people, or were heading somewhere, to share a meal.  I'm convinced this is because it was in the days BEFORE Martha Stewart Living and Pinterest.

{Don't get me wrong, I love me some Martha and have spent approximately 192,000 hours of my life on Pinterest.}

OK...so, back to us actually having friends over.  I did not take pictures of the food.  Except for this one of margarita making in progress with my phone:

It looks really pretty on my phone, not so much on the computer.  I thought about waiting to post this recipe until I had "real" pictures, but then thought...you NEED margaritas.  Like, pronto!  There is no waiting.  It's summer!!!

Make-Ahead Margaritas for a Crowd

{serves 8-10}

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 cups freshly squeezed lime juice (approximately 74 limes, ha!)
2 cups tequila (100% agave)
1 cup Cointreau

sugar-salt rim:
1 TBSP granulated sugar
1 TBSP kosher salt
zest of one lime (preferably grated with a microplane)
lime wedges

Heat the water and sugar together in a small saucepan until the sugar has completely dissolved.  Set aside to cool.

In a large pitcher, combine the cooled sugar syrup, lime juice, tequila, and Cointreau.  Stir well.  Refrigerate.

Make the sugar-salt rim.  On a small plate, stir together the sugar, salt, and lime zest.

To make the margaritas, run a lime wedge along the edge of a glass.  Dip the glass into the sugar-salt mixture.  Fill the glass with ice.  Stir the margarita mix and pour over ice.

{recipe adapted from Martha Stewart & Food Network}


PS. You may want to double this recipe...we ran out!  
That's the sign of a good dinner party (not poor planning on my part), right?!? 

Cocktails, anyone? Presenting the CUPCAKE Lemon Drop

It's Friday.  Not that you can't make this cocktail on a Monday...and some Mondays call for a cocktail...but Fridays are an excellent excuse to break out the cocktail shaker.


Lemon Drops: they're the perfect combination of lemon, vodka, sugar and syrup. 

Let me tell you about this Cupcake Lemon Drop Cocktail...it's sweet and citrus-y, heady with vanilla...like a lemon cupcake with a definite kick.

You'll need this:


The syrup in this drink is Cupcake Syrup...it's a beverage syrup like one you might have in your morning latte.

I ordered mine directly from Torani.  Feel free to substitute vanilla syrup here (but I promise you'll smile every time you see cupcake syrup in your cabinet).


The finishing touch is a splash or two of sparkling lemon soda.  Don't get hung up on a precise brand here...anything will work.  I tested quite a few of these (*ahem* all in the name of research and recipe development).  Sparkling lemonade, Italian lemon soda, even a Limon Izze...all work well here.


So, are you ready for cocktail hour?  Hop on over to Imperial Sugar where I'm sharing the recipe.

Cheers! 

I'll miss you, my imaginary friends!

This Friday (tomorrow) will be a sad day in my life.   

What Not to Wear will air its final episode.

After ten years, the show is ending...and my dream never came true.  What dream?  Oh, to be on an UNTELEVISED version of WNTW, complete with drinks out every night with Stacy and Clinton.
{I swear, I was really holding out hope that it would happen.}

Since drinks with S & C never happened, we're going to make one.  Not quite as fun.  More on this later...

...I even broke out my vintage cocktail glasses.  Side note: maraschino cherries in the bottom of a glass?  The best. 

A. Stacy and Clinton.  I love them.  Love.  When people have been your imaginary best friends for 10 years, it's hard to capture it in one bullet point.  From Stacy's "Shut the front door" and Clinton's "Turtle Lady" song, what can I say?  They complete me.

B.  Ted. Oh my GOSH!  Ted!!!  I want Ted to be my next-door neighbor and maybe I could trade him baked goods for hair advice.  Ted has this amazing eye for what color and cut will really flatter.  He has a gift. (And, hello, he's from Texas!)

C. Carmindy. You know the part when Carmindy says, "take a look at you..." or something similar?  That's where the water works start.  I don't even have to see the person.  Tears. On Cue.  Plus, love the "Carmindized" face...and how she brings out people's natural beauty! 

Despite the fact that I still own a few too many pairs of capri pants, here's what I've learned from Stacy and Clinton over the years...

• COLOR, TEXTURE, PATTERN, and SHINE
• completer pieces make an outfit,
• you can mix metallics (this was HUGE for me!),
• fit trumps pattern,
• outfits and accessories should "go," not match (ah...so can I go back and re-do the 80s?),
• emphasize the smallest part,
• saturated tones (no oatmeal),
• dress for the size you are, not the size you were or want to be,
• your clothes should make you happy!

Still, I need Stacy & Clinton's help.  Still, I need a major closet intervention.  But, I do hear their voices in my head as I'm shopping.  And this kind of hearing voices, I think (?), is a good thing.

 
The WNTW Manhattan
{serves 2, adapted from Clinton Kelly's Stinton}

3 ounces bourbon
1 ounce port
4 dashes bitters
maraschino cherries
seltzer


In a shaker filled with ice, combine the bourbon, port, and bitters.  Shake well.  Strain into glasses over a few maraschino cherries.  Top with seltzer.

Cheers to 10 seasons of What Not to Wear!  Cheers to Stacy, Clinton, Ted, and Carmindy!  Friday nights won't be the same without you!!!

---

In case you're needing more Stacy and Clinton (like me), I really enjoyed Stacy's latest book, The Truth about Style. It's a great read. Clinton has a new book out, too!  It's called Freakin' Fabulous on a Budget.  It's brand new, so I haven't read it....but feel sure that it's, well, fabulous!  Cheers!

His + Hers Cocktails

Mr. E is not a fan of the cocktail.  Unless the cocktail looks like this:

Maker's Mark, ice and a glass.

Maker's Mark is his favorite, so we always have it in the house.  Untouched by me.  If I were to drink whisky on the rocks, I believe you'd find me hours later, lying on the bathroom floor to feel the cool, cool tiles on my face. <*insert college flashback here*>

So, when we were at PF Chang's recently inhaling massive amounts of potstickers nibbling upon appetizers, I was happy to see a cocktail on their menu that maybe I could recreate at home...and share in a little of Mr. E's Maker's Mark.  It's romantic to share. ♥

I call it....a Honey of a Whisky Sour.

It's made with honey simple syrup, which sounds really fancy, but it just honey heated up with water.

You'll also need this stuff:

Maraschino cherries are a MUST in my cocktail book.  And, you'll want need some OJ and a lemon.

Honey of a Whisky Sour
{inspired by PF Chang's Twisted Whisky Sour, makes 1}

for the honey simple syrup:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup water

for the cocktail:
1/8 cup Maker's Mark Whisky
1 TBSP Cointreau
3 TBSP honey simple syrup
3 TBSP orange juice
1 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 dashes bitters
maraschino cherries

For the simple syrup, combine the honey and water in a small saucepan.  Bring to just a simmer, then remove from heat and let cool.  Store in the fridge.

For the cocktail, whisk all of the ingredients, except the cherries, in a bowl (or use a cocktail shaker filled with ice).  Pour over ice.  Add cherries, they're mandatory.

Perfect for New Year's Eve, Birthday Eve, or Saturday Eve! 

From Mr. E & me to you....CHEERS!  May 2013 be your best year yet.