A Girl's Gotta Eat!

The weather has finally turn (barely) cooler, and while many have their knickers in twist over all thing pumpkin, I'm all about the apple. In light of a soggy, wet weekend, we decided to try a new cocktail to welcome the new fall season. It was simple, delicious, and refreshing, requiring minimum ingredients. Spiked Apple Cider (compliments of Aaron McCargo Jr.) 1/4 gallon apple cider 1/2 cup dark rum 1/2 cup cinnamon schnapps Mix together in a pitcher or large bowl. Chill until ready to serve. Serve in glasses over ice. Garnish with chopped apple on a skewer. Happy Fall, Y'all!

And now for a quick hit in honor of Cinco de Mayo. We already had dinner plans, and limes are in shortage, making it difficult to make fresh margaritas, but I've been in the mood for pink grapefruit (see my birthday cupcakes entry) and decided to Google Grapefruit Margaritas. There are actually quite a few out there, but when I saw this one from the Barefoot Contessa , I was sold. We bought fresh pink grapefruit and juiced them, adding a little bit of powdered sugar to make up for the fact we didn't use bottled. We also didn't have white tequila, so used the gold tequila we had instead.  I do agree with Ina's original post...the salt definitely adds a necessary dimension, so sprinkle some in the shaker if you don't rim the glass. We'll be making these again during the summer...they were so refreshing on the deck! Pink Grapefruit Margaritas 1 lime cut in wedges, optional Kosher salt, optional 1 cup ruby red grapefruit juice ½ cup freshly squeezed li...

Hello again! This is a short one, but I wanted to share now while I was think of it. Mike and I occasionally like to try a new cocktail or beverage.    When were out to dinner with my parents last week for their anniversary dinner (Happy 44 Years, Mom and Dad!), I noticed a Spiced Pear Martini on the menu at Olive Garden. I didn't get one for dinner, but the idea of stuck in my head. I Googled "Spiced Pear Martini" later, and I found a recipe that seemed tasty and easy to whip up.    I would say it tastes more like Christmas cookies than pear, but it's still delicious and very holiday-inspiring. The original recipe places one maraschino cherry at the bottom of the martini glass, but we omitted that as maraschinos are not something we keep on hand, nor would we finish a jar bought for this purpose.   We would make this again, though I think I might look for pear vodka (which I feel certain I've seen before) to see if the outcome would be mo...

 Dad's cupcakes (The tray looks like a glove.)   Last Tuesday Dad turned 60...a momentous occasion indeed. We wanted to do something special for him, so my sisters, Mom, and I decided to throw a surprise party! (My sisters and I also surprised both parents by flying Tony in for the weekend...very exciting indeed.) Rest assured...food was plentiful. We had pork and chicken barbecue, salsa ranch dip, Buffalo Chicken Dip, Green Goddess Dip, chips, veggies, cupcakes, German Chocolate Cake, and who knows what all else. We also had beer, margaritas, and today's recipe, Sippin' Sangria. I have made this before, and knew it was both tasty and easy to double. Hope you enjoy it as much as our partygoers did :) Sippin' Sangria 1 (1.5-liter) bottle cabernet sauvignon or merlot (I used 1 (750-mL) bottle of each) 1 cup vodka 1 cup orange juice 1/2 to 1 cup sugar (to taste) 1 teaspoon (about) ground cinnamon 1 apple, chopped 1 each orange and lemon, thinly sliced a...