Fourth of July Cocktails

When throwing a party, one thing I try to incorporate is a signature party cocktail.  That way, along with beer wine and non-alcoholic drinks, a cocktail is available and there is no need to stock a full bar.  

Herradura's Red, White and Blue Berry cocktail  might be the ticket for your Fourth of July BBQ.  

Herradura’s Red, White and Blue Berries

Ingredients:

·         1½ oz. Herradura Silver

·         2 ½ oz. coconut water

·         ¼ oz. agave nectar

·         ½ oz. lime juice

Place all ingredients in to a cocktail shaker filled with cubed ice. Shake hard and strain over crushed ice in to a tall glass.  Garnish with raspberries and blueberries.

Bohemia Fireworks

Ingredients

·         2 strawberries

·         1.5 oz Bohemia

·         1.5 oz spiced rum

·         .5 oz simple syrup

·         ½  oz lemon 

Muddle the strawberries and add the rest of the ingredients. Shake all ingredients and pour over ice in a collins glass. Top with Bohemia beer

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FIFA World Cup Cocktails

I'll admit, I'm not a huge soccer fan but when the FIFA World Cup comes around and it's in my Mom's homeland, Brasil, I am totally into watching and cheering not just for USA, but for Brasil and Portugal as well.  As of this morning, Portugal lost their match and Brasil plays tomorrow....hoping for the best!

We just returned from a Las Vegas weekend and coconut vodka cocktails were the theme of the weekend while enduring the 100 degree poolside temperature.  While in the Sports Book, at Mandalay Bay, FIFA excitement was all around. so when CIROC sent over these fantastic looking party cocktails that contain both coconut vodka and 2014 FIFA theme colors of yellow and green this morning, I felt inspired to share them with you.

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Recipes to Make Dad Happy...

The count down to Father's Day...just a few days away.  What's your plan for the day?  Maybe incorporating these Stout Beer Ice Cream Mini Floats will float his boat......

Stout Beer Ice Cream Mini Floats

Photos and recipes courtesy Pillsbury

Ingredients

1

 cup premium vanilla ice cream

1/2 

cup stout draught beer, such as Guiness or a chocolate stout

3 

tablespoons chocolate-flavor syrup

Directions:

Using small ice cream scoop {about 1 T each}, place 2 small scoops in each of 8 shot glasses.  Slowly pour about 1 T beer into each glass.

Drizzle each with about 1 tsp chocolate syrup.  Serve immediately with small spoons.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Pizza

Ingredients

Cookie Crust

1

roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated sugar cookies

1/4

cup unsweetened baking cocoa

1/4

cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted, cooled

Toppings

1

package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/4

cup sugar

3

tablespoons creamy peanut butter

3

tablespoons milk

1

tablespoon sugar

1/4

cup hot fudge topping

1

cup frozen (thawed) whipped topping

12

miniature chocolate-covered peanut butter cup candies, unwrapped

3/4

teaspoon coarse sea salt, if desired

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 12-inch pizza pan. In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir or knead in cocoa and melted chocolate until well blended. With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust.

Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until set but not firm. Cool on cooling rack 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Spread over cooled crust.

In small bowl, beat peanut butter, milk and sugar with whisk until smooth. Drizzle over filling from outside edge of filling to center of crust, using small spoon. In small microwavable bowl, microwave fudge topping uncovered on High about 20 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over peanut butter.

Spoon 12 dollops of whipped topping around outside edge of crust. Place candies in dollops. Sprinkle with sea salt. Store covered in refrigerator.

Mixed Berry Cream Tart

Ingredients

2

cups sliced fresh strawberries

1/2

cup boiling water

1

box (4-serving size) sugar-free strawberry-flavored gelatin

3

pouches (1.5 oz each) Nature Valley™ roasted almond crunchy granola bars (from 8.9-oz box)

1

package (8 oz) fat-free cream cheese

1/4

cup sugar

1/4

teaspoon almond extract

1

cup fresh blueberries

1

cup fresh raspberries

Fat-free whipped topping, if desired

In small bowl, crush 1 cup of the strawberries with pastry blender or fork. Reserve remaining 1 cup strawberries.

In medium bowl, pour boiling water over gelatin; stir about 2 minutes or until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir crushed strawberries into gelatin. Refrigerate 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, leaving granola bars in pouches, crush granola bars with rolling pin. Sprinkle crushed granola in bottom of 9-inch ungreased glass pie plate, pushing crumbs up side of plate to make crust.

In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and almond extract with electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Drop by spoonfuls over crushed granola; gently spread to cover bottom of crust.

Gently fold blueberries, raspberries and remaining 1 cup strawberries into gelatin mixture. Spoon over cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until firm. Serve topped with whipped topping.

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BBQ Rib Tips for Father's Day

Father's Day is on Sunday and normally we have a family BBQ and a family favorite is most definitely RIBS.  This year we'll be whoopin' it up in Las Vegas for Father's Day so the BBQ will need to wait.  If you're planning on barbecuing for Father's Day, maybe the following tips from Pitmaster, Mark Roper of Morgan's Barbeque, NY will help you with your ribs....

Photo and tips courtesy Morgan's Barbecue

1. Choose the right ribs for the occasion. A St. Louis cut (or Spare rib) provides the most meat and juiciness per serving, so be sure to ask your butcher for a few racks of these.

2. Apply your preferred rub to the ribs.  Morgan’s uses a salt and pepper-based rub, which delivers a nice crust to the ribs, while lightly infusing the meat to give the ribs the perfect flavor.  Be generous with whichever rub you choose, on both sides of the racks. Be sure not to apply your rub to the ribs too far in advance, for the salt will act as a curing agent to the meat, and leave you with dry, overcooked ribs.

3. If you are working with a standard charcoal grill (the classic Weber, for instance), you will want to build a bed of hot coals on one side of the grill, fill an aluminum pan with water, and place directly above the coals.  

4.Next, is adding the wood.  You can find wood chips at most grocery stores, but you’ll want to look for a type of wood that provides some moisture (or, soak the wood chips in a water bath for an hour before using).  Adding wood to the coals is a crucial step in the process of creating the smoke flavor to your ribs.

5. Once the ribs are prepped, place them on the grill on the opposite side of the hot coals and water pan (providing indirect heat).  The ideal temperature of your grill should be approximately 225 degrees. 

6. To obtain the perfect tenderness, smoke the ribs for about three hours (depending on their size), wrap in aluminum foil, and place back on the grill for another hour.  

7. Once the ribs have been smoked for three hours, you can unwrap the racks of ribs and finish on the grill up to another hour.   Depending on personal taste, you can apply a light mop of barbecue sauce to the ribs, and finish on the grill for 2-3 minutes.

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