Hot Chocolate (Cocoa) with Ancho Chile - Today is National Hot Chocolate Day! A small holiday I know, but since I love chocolate and the nights are cold, I wanted to celebrate. I found this recipe for Hot Cocoa + Pumpkin, and it gave me an idea for adding something a little spicier: ancho chiles. Ancho chiles are dried poblano peppers and […]
Green Jalapeño Margarita: Go Green on Cinco de Mayo - Here’s a trend I’ve been seeing lately: adding spinach to smoothies, grating zucchini into brownies and stirring pumpkin into soup and pastas. This may sound crazy, but these are all good ways to get more nutrients into our diets, which most of us need! And, they really do taste delicious…or, rather, I should say they […]
Mom’s Margarita Wine Punch - Ever since I found a cake stand that doubles as a punch bowl, I’ve been excited to serve wine punch like my mom used to do back in the ’70s. I remember her as fabulous in her polyester pant suit, hair piled high, serving pretty punch in a gorgeous glass bowl at parties my parents […]
Better than Green Beer: Fresh Green Smoothies for St. Patrick’s Day - One way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is with (artificially) green-colored food and drinks: green beer, green eggs, green cupcakes, green milk…and the list goes on and on. This makes for some fun-colored eggs in the morning, which probably contain chemicals, and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to eat green gravy. Instead, how about […]
Sparkling Holiday Champagne Punch - This is a delightful winter holiday punch with pears, cranberries and Sparkling Wine. You can use Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, Crémant or any other type of bubbles you can find—we especially love all the latest Central Coast Sparkling Wine. If you use a drier sparkler, just use less ginger ale. You can also adjust the amount of […]
Vin Chaud: Heavenly Mulled Wine - I once attended Christmas Eve Mass in an old cathedral built in the 1100s in Lausanne Switzerland. What I loved the most about this was the musty, mystical feel of the church filled with villagers in the cold night, the fact that I could understand much of the sermon in French, and the vin chaud […]
Cooking Light Recipe Makeover: Low Fat Piña Colada - Written by Liz – The June issue of Cooking Light features a recipe makeover for that refreshing summertime treat: Low Fat Piña Coladas, shown above (photos by Randy Mayor, recipe and content by Cooking Light). They use Carnation evaporated milk to help lower fat but keep the creamy flavor: “You’ll like our way of losing […]
Creamy Healthy Smoothies Perfect for Summer - I love healthy smoothies. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve been obsessed with mixing up green concoctions for fruit smoothies and margaritas! But, creamy, green smoothies are one of the best ways to drink your greens. They are my favorite thing to drink on a warm summer morning, and also just after a run. […]
Summer Cocktails, Pitcher Drinks & Cool Sips - You may remember from previous posts that I love a little herb in my desserts – well, I also love a little herb in my drinks. Especially basil. And cilantro. And rosemary…ok I love them all. Give me a fennel-infused bloody mary with a touch of cilantro plus all the fixins and I’m a happy […]
Happy New Year Cocktail: Spiced Apple Cider - When I saw this recipe for Spiced Apple Cider, it reminded me of the Vin Chaud (mulled wine) I’d had and loved in Europe during the holidays. I could often smell it wafting from doorways of small restaurants and upon entering friends’ homes or churches. Even places like train stations and gas stations served it, which […]