cocktail

Felix Felices

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

Harry Potter Halloween week continues with something for the adult witch and wizard!

I found a Buzzfeed article on cocktails inspired by my favorite books and excitedly found one that looked like something I’d enjoy. A champagne based beverage!

For those of you unfamiliar with Harry Potter, Felix Felices is a potion mentioned in The Half Blood Prince. It is commonly referred to as “liquid luck.” The drinker can be expected to have a day in which all his endeavors come easily and successfully. (How was that for zero spoiler alerts!)

Felix Felices | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.comAfter making the cocktail, I ran into a problem. Felix Felices is supposed to be the color of molten gold. Mine was essentially clear. I thought about simply naming it as a different potion, but then my mom had the idea to add a splash of orange juice. The OJ gave it a nice golden hue and didn’t much alter the taste of the drink.

No joke – I think I’ve discovered my new favorite cocktail! My husband has been on a Moscow Mule kick so we always have ginger beer in the house, and with affordable mini bottles of champagne available in the grocery store, I know I’ll be making this time and time again!

Felix Felices

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 oz simple syrup (1/4 C sugar disovled in 1/4 C water over low heat)
  • 1/4 oz lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 oz ginger beer
  • champagne
  • orange juice

Steps:

  1. Pour simple syrup, lemon juice, and ginger beer in a champagne flute. Top with champagne. Add just a splash of orange juice to create a light golden color.

Felix Felices | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

#FreshTastyValentines: Roshambo

~ lk529 ~ 24 Comments

LogoWelcome to day one of #FreshTastyValentines, a blogging event headed up by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. To kick off the week I’ve made a cocktail perfect for your Valentine’s Day brunch (and a bonus recipe for pancakes).

When UncommonGoods signed on as one of our event sponsors I knew I wanted to make a cocktail because they have an incredible selection of gifts to keep any home bar and kitchen uniquely equipped (here). UncommonGoods (www.uncommongoods.com) is a web-based marketplace offering creatively designed, high-quality merchandise at affordable prices. One of the incredible prizes to win during this week’s event is a $150 gift certificate at their site. With your shopping spree you can find incredible glassware in which to enjoy my Roshambo cocktail or your favorite bottle of wine (here) or discover ways keep your drinks cool without watering them down (here).

Because we’re celebrating Valentine’s Day this week I limited my cocktail recipe search to red or pink beverages. With a big move approaching in the Spring I also added another restriction so as to not buy any new liquor. The discovery of the Roshambo couldn’t have been more perfect. It is a sparkling wine based cocktail which fits in beautifully with Valentine’s Day. This cocktail is a beautiful accompaniment to your Valentine’s breakfast.

This recipe makes two servings.

Roshambo

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/2 C water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 C apple juice
  • 1/2 C cranberry juice
  • prosecco or champagne

Steps:

  1. Place sugar, water, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Allow simple syrup to cool completely. Remove cinnamon stick.
  2. In a small pitcher combine 1/4 C cinnamon simply syrup with the juices. Keep cold until ready to serve.
  3. Pour juice mixture into glasses and top with prosecco.

*This recipe is adapted from Eva at http://1bigbite.com/2013/11/roshambo/*

Roshambo for #FreshTastyValentines from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more Valentine’s recipes today:

Thank you to #FreshTastyValentines sponsors for providing bloggers with samples and products to use for #FreshTastyValentines recipe development without additional compensation. All opinions stated are those of the bloggers.

This blog post also comes with a bonus recipe for pancakes!

Cinnamon Sour Cream Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 C whole wheat flour
  • 1 C all-purpose flour
  • 4 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 eggs
  • 8 oz sour cream
  • 1 C milk
  • 1/2 stick butter, melted

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  2. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, sour cream, milk, and melted butter.
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry.
  4. On a hot buttered griddle drop 1/2 C of batter into pancakes. Flip pancakes when batter starts to set and bubble form in the center of the pancake. Cook until both sides are golden brown.

*This recipe is modified from Kelley at http://www.mountainmamacooks.com/2015/11/creme-fraiche-pancakes/*

 

#SundaySupper: Red Carpet Party

~ lk529 ~ 29 Comments

Today #SundaySupper is having a party perfect for any red carpet event! There’s an awards show on tonight. I think it’s the “big one.” I wouldn’t really know because I’m not all up to snuff on my Hollywood trivia. I do like Neil Patrick Harris though, so I will be watching. Or rather, I’ll have it playing on the TV screen. I don’t know how much I’ll be paying attention. (I’ll be participating in a Twitter chat after all! – See end of post for details.) I haven’t seen any of the movies up for nomination and I don’t know the who’s-who of actors.

Katie of Ruffles and Truffles is hosting this star-studded gathering so be sure to scroll past my recipe for a list of party worthy drinks and eats!

Thank You Peary Much | Sew You Think You Can Cook

I decided to create a very simple signature cocktail for the event. Because what party for the stars wouldn’t be complete with an original concoction involving champagne? I wanted to go with something gold in honor of The Oscar. It’s a gold award! Hey, at least I knew that!

This cocktail would be welcome at any brunch table.

An Original Recipe

Thank You Peary Much

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/2 C water
  • 1 2″ piece ginger root
  • pear nectar
  • champagne
  • crystalized ginger (optional)

Steps:

  1. Make ginger simple syrup: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat combine sugar, water, and ginger until sugar completely disolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  2. Assemble cocktails: Put a little ginger simple syrup in the bottom of a champagne glass. Top it with pear nectar and champagne. (The ratios are completely up to you – do you like it mostly bubbly with a touch of juice or are you a juice fan with a hint of bubbly?) Drop some crystalized ginger into the glass and watch it fizz!

Thank You Peary Much | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Nominees for Best Supporting Appetizers:

Nominees for Best Course in a Leading Role:

Nominees for Best Supporting Sips:

Nominees for Best Delectable Desserts:

Nominees for Best Dressed Table:

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Boo-tini

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

To finish off ghost week I present to you a cocktail. If you’re throwing a party tomorrow add this martini to your bar menu. Or, maybe you want something with a little kick to sip on while you’re handing out candy to the little ghosts and goblins knocking on your door.

Do kids really dress up as ghosts and goblins anymore? These days it’s all about wanting to be their favorite movie character – I challenge you to count the number of Elsas and Olafs. (Hey, this cocktail could easily be redone in the winter as a melted snowman!)

Boo-tini

Ingredients:

  • 2 parts vodka
  • 1 part vanilla simple syrup
  • 1 part cream
  • 2 parts seltzer

Steps:

  1. Combine martini ingredients in a large pitcher and gently stir. Pour into martini glasses. If only making one, 1 part = 1 ounce.

*This recipe is adapted from Janelle at http://www.hgtv.com/entertaining/liquefied-ghost-cocktail-recipe/index.html *

Boo-tini

#10DaysofTailgate: War Eagle Sangria

~ lk529 ~ 19 Comments

Tailgate Logo

Today marks the beginning of #10DaysofTailgate! If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you might have noticed some sneak peaks of things coming your way. I was really honored when Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla invited me to be a part of this great adventure.

To kick off #10DaysofTailgate, I wanted to pick a recipe that would highlight my favorite team – the Auburn Tigers. My husband and I both graduated from Auburn University – and our combined three siblings also graduated from or are currently attending Auburn.

I decided to make a sangria using blueberries and oranges – complete with AU ice cubes! I followed the recipe for my Red, White, and Blue Sangria that I dish out on the Fourth of July. I used a little bit of my blueberry syrup in place of simple syrup too.

War Eagle Sangria 2

An Original Recipe

War Eagle Sangria

Ingredients:

  • 1 bottle white moscato wine
  • 2 tbsp blueberry syrup
  • 2 oranges sliced into rings
  • 3/4 C frozen blueberries
  • 1 bottle champagne

Steps:

  1. In a pitcher combine wine and syrup. Add orange slices, leaving some for garnish, and blueberries. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
  2. Before serving add the bottle of champagne. Garnish with orange slices.

War Eagle Sangria 1

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more tailgating recipes today:


Starters
Loaded Baked Nacho Supreme by Cheese Curd In Paradise
Baked Blueberry Pork Egg Rolls by The Pajama Chef
Gazpacho Shooters with Spicy Shrimp by OnTheMove-In the Galley
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatball Sliders with BlueCheese Aioli by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventure
Dips
Soft Pretzels and Buffalo Cheese Dip by Things I Make (for Dinner)
Cheesy Bean Dip by Making Miracles
Garden Fresh Salsa by Eliot’s Eats
Pineapple Salsa by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
Devilish 7-Layer Dip by Miss Laura’s Kitchen
Sips
Spicy Strawberry Bourbon Shooters by CafeTerraBlog
Iowa Sunrise by From Gate to Plate
Sides
Deviled Egg Potato Salad by Cooking In Stilettos
Mains
El Diablo’d Lamb Lollipops by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Ginger Chicken Kabobs by Summer Scraps
Chili by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Spiced Fig and Garlic Chicken Wings by girlichef
Baked Mac and Cheese  with Bacon Pretzel Topping by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy
Asian Duck Sliders  by Curious Cuisiniere
Pineapple Chile Lime Wings by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches by Love and Confections
Sweets
Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies by The Spiffy Cookie

Shirley Temple Cupcakes

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

In the world of sweets, cupcakes have been the dominating dessert for quite some time now. And one of the popular trends is to turn a favorite beverage into a cupcake flavor. There are countless margarita cupcakes, Guinness cupcakes, and cupcakes using soda.

Kate and I decided to take our favorite mocktail and turn it into a cupcake. It’s such a fun cupcake and would be adorable to use in February for Valentine’s Day, for a summer party, or any little girl’s birthday.

Shirley Temple Cupcakes

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

  • 1 1/2 C plus 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 C cherry 7-up, at room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tbsp maraschino cherry juice
  • red food coloring (optional)

Ingredients for the frosting:

  • 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 1/2 C powdered sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp maraschino cherry juice

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tray with paper liners.
  2. In a bowl, 1 1/2 C flour, baking powder, and salt.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time until incorporated.
  4. Add one third of the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add half of the cherry 7-up. Repeat until dry ingredients and soda are used (ending with the dry).
  5. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.
  6. In a small bowl, mix 3/4 C of the cake batter with the remaining 1 tbsp flour, maraschino cherry juice, and food coloring.
  7. Distribute the red cake batter between 12 cupcakes. Top with remaining batter – do not mix.
  8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool.
  9. Meanwhile, make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and pinch of salt. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, the lemon juice, and maraschino cherry juice. Frost cupcakes.
  10. Garnish with maraschino cherries and a a straw!

*This recipe is adapted from Shanon at http://www.thecurvycarrot.com/2011/06/26/shirley-temple-cupcakes/*

Shirley Temple Cupcakes

CIC: Lemons & Peeps

~ lk529 ~ 27 Comments

CIC-header

This month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge reveal day falls on Easter so our host Dawn of Spatulas on Parade picked the ever popular Easter candy Peeps to be paired up with Lemons!

If you’re wondering where last month’s edition of CIC was, I posted instead my first #BundtBakers recipe on March 20th.

But back to April’s CIC post. The biggest challenge with this month was using an already finished product.

Leave it to the preggo to come up with a cocktail! (Please don’t call child services, but I did taste a sip so I could validate that the recipe works!) I present to you the perfect cocktail for your Easter Sunday – Marshmallow Peeps Lemon Drop Martini. This is definitely what adults want in their Easter basket. If we can’t hunt for eggs, then we might as well sip on something fun!

An Original Recipe

Marshmallow Peeps Lemon Drop Martini

Ingredients:

  • 3 yellow peeps (any color will do, but a yellow lemon cocktail looks best)
  • 3/4 C vodka
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/2 C water
  • 3/4 C lemon juice
  • sprinkles (optional)

Steps:

  1. In a jar soak peeps in vodka for at least 4 days. Remove Peeps from vodka (strain if they’ve fallen apart).
  2. In a small saucepan dissolve sugar in water over medium-high heat. Allow to cool.
  3. Place sprinkles on a flat plate. Run a slice of lemon along the rim of the martini glass and gently twist the glass in the sprinkles.
  4. In a cocktail shaker with ice combine equal parts lemon juice, simple syrup, and Peeps vodka. Pour into martini glasses.

Marshmallow Peep Lemon Drop Martini

Marshmallow Peep Lemon Drop MartiniMarshmallow Peep Lemon Drop Martini

To see the other bloggers who participated in this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge click on the link below.

CIC: Coconut & Tomato

~ lk529 ~ 16 Comments

CIC-header

I interrupt my recount of Hawaiian food to bring you this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge! This month the task was to combine Coconut and Tomato. Upon seeing the ingredient list I thought I was going to sit this one out as I am allergic to coconut. But then I got an idea and decided, why not! Just because I can’t eat it doesn’t mean my friends can’t be my taste buds.

My original idea was to do a play on the Bloody Mary – either make a virgin version substituting vodka for coconut water, or simply adding coconut water to the cocktail, or even making a “creamy” version with coconut milk, garnished of course with toasted coconut.

This idea was altered slightly when I searched Food Network’s website for Bloody Mary recipes. I’d never had one before! I found Rachael Ray’s recipe for Bloody Mary Shrimp Cocktail and thought, that’s a better idea! And I can serve it with coconut shrimp instead of typical shrimp cocktail. This way also prevents my husband from trying multiple Bloody Marys before I came up with the right recipe. I also bought cocktail shrimp so I could dip in too!

I served this appetizer during last weekend’s football game. We had some friends over and I was given the “this is addicting” nod of approval. I hope this boozy dip makes it to your next tailgate!

Coconut Shrimp with Bloody Mary Dip

Ingredients for Shrimp:

  • Canola oil, for frying
  • 1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp
  • 1 C flour
  • 1/2 tbsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 C panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 C shredded sweetened coconut

Ingredients for Dip:

  • 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp horseradish
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire
  • 2 tsp hot sauce
  • 2-3 shots of vodka, to taste

Steps:

  1. Bring oil to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl combine flour, garlic powder, and onion powder. In another bowl beat eggs and season with S+P. In a third bowl combine coconut and panko. Season shrimp with S+P and dredge in flour, egg, and panko. Fry shrimp 2 minutes on each side. It’s best to do this in batches so as not to decrease the oil temperature too much.
  3. Combine dip ingredients. Serve with celery sticks!

*The shrimp is adapted from The Neelys and the dip is modified from Rachael Ray*

Coconut Shrimp and Bloody Mary Dip 2Coconut Shrimp and Bloody Mary Dip 1

Click the link below to see other blogs that participated in this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge!

recreatedbysrc

Kahlua Coke Floats

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

July 20th is National Ice Cream Soda Day! If you’re an adult or big kid over the age of 21 you have the perfect excuse to try this dessert cocktail. Vanilla ice cream, Kahlua, coke. Done.Kahlua Coke Float

(It’s also National Lollipop Day and Fortune Cookie Day)

Red, White, and Blue Sangria

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

This recipe is a Lauren Everson original!

I was looking for a white wine sangria for the Fourth. I couldn’t find one that matched both my personal taste and didn’t require me to search high and low for some exotic fruit juice. So, I combined the theories and flavor profiles of about four different recipes and created my very own sangria. Red wine lovers even preferred my recipe! I hope you serve this concoction at your next party.

An Original Recipe

Red, White & Blue Sangria

Ingredients

  • 1/2 C pitted fresh cherries
  • 1 C sugar
  • 1 C water
  • 1 bottle white wine
  • 1 diced apple
  • 6 oz raspberries
  • 6 oz blueberries
  • 1 chilled bottle champagne

Steps

  1. Make simple syrup – In a sauce pan, heat first three ingredients until sugar melts, being sure to mash the cherries. Strain and let cool.
  2. Pour white wine into serving pitcher along with the simple syrup and fruits. Let sit 1 hour or over night.
  3. Before serving, pour in the bottle of bubbly!
    Image