Watermelon Splash

I have been a behind in my blogging.  A few weeks ago Marcel made this for me.  It is from Sandra Lee's Cocktail Time book.

Makes 1 drink

3 oz lemon lime soda

1 1/2 oz watermelon flavored vodka, Smirnoff

1 splash cranberry juice

Ice Cubes

In a chilled glass, combine lemon lime soda, vodka and cranberry juice.  Add ice.  Stir to combine.  The first night he made it in a regular glass.  I happen to think it looks prettier in a martini glass.

This tasted just like a watermelon Jolly Rancher.

Lemon Cream Martini

Saturday night Marcel had me pick a recipe out of my Cocktail Time book from Sandra Lee. I picked this Lemon Cream Martini.

Makes 1 drink

Lemon Flavor drink rimmer, Stirrings (I just used plain yellow sugar)
1 oz Vanilla Smirnoff
1/2 oz Lemon Liqueur
Ice cubes
1 splash lemon lime soda

Wet the rim of a chilled martini glass with water. Dip the rim in the lemon flavor drink rimmer. In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka and lemon liqueur. Add ice; cover and shake until very cold. Strain into prepared glass. Add lemon lime soda.



This was a very good drink. It is smooth and not lemony harsh.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Skewers

I have a few packs of boneless skinless chicken thighs in the freezer and wasn't to sure what to do with them. After searching online I found a recipe from Sandra Lee's Money Saving Meals and it sounds yummy. HERE is a link to all of the recipes in that episode.

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb boneless skinless chicken boneless thighs about four thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Directions
Put the vinegar, sugar, reserved pineapple juice and cornstarch slurry into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Reserve half of the sauce in a small serving bowl to be used as a dipping sauce alongside the skewers.

Quarter the red pepper and remove the core and seeds. Slice each quarter into 6 pieces. Cut each chicken thigh into 6 pieces.

Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor grill to medium heat.

On each of the 8 skewers, place 1 chunk of pineapple, then a piece of chicken thigh, followed by a piece of red pepper. Repeat with another piece of pineapple then chicken, then red pepper. Season skewers with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill the skewers on oiled grill, cooking for 4 minutes on each side. Brush the sweet and sour sauce all over the skewers and grill and additional 2 minutes per side. Remove to a serving dish and serve with the reserved sweet and sour sauce, for dipping.

Creamsicle Martini (strawberry)

I picked this recipe out of my Sandra Lee Cocktail time book. I would say this tasted "fair", because I couldn't find the exact ingredients.

1 oz vanilla flavored vodka
1/2 oz strawberry nectar
1/2 oz strawberry liqueur
1 1/2 oz half and half
Fresh strawberry sliced (optional)

Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add vodka, nectar, liqueur, and half and half. Cover and shake vigroursly.

Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garish with a sliced strawberry, optional.

My first problem was that the liquor store did not have strawberry liqueur, well they did but I didn't want to pay $45.00 a bottle for top shelf stuff unless I knew I would like it. I am sure I would...LOL So they suggest the Strawberry Pucker.

Second problem was strawberry nectar. I know I have seen all sorts of different nectars at Publix. Well they only had pear, mango and apricot. So I quickly searched on my phone for a strawberry nectar recipe. All it is is fresh strawberries, apple juice and a bit of water.

The first one I mixed actually was so bland I tossed it. In the strawberry nectar, I added sugar until it sweetened up and added less strawberry pucker. The second drink was way better.

I did a little peaking around online and found strawberry nectar on netgrocer.com and I may try and look for it at Sweetbay. I also found that BOLS does make Strawberry Liqueur. I will try another liquor store for it.

Berry Encore

Here is another recipe from my Cocktail Time book by Sandra Lee. This one was much better than the PB&J Martini.

1 ounce blueberry vodka, Smirnoff
1/2 ounce orange liqueur, Grand Marnier
1 splash sweetened lime juice
ice cubes
fresh blueberries

In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, orange liqueur, and lime juice. Add ice; cover and shake until very cold. Strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with fresh blueberries.

Hot Dates

This recipe also come from Sandra Lee's Cocktail Time book. These came out really good!

1 pkg (8 oz) pitted dates (Sunsweet brand)
1 can (15 oz) pineapple chunks drained ( I cut them in half so maybe the tidbits would have been better)
1 pkg (16 oz) bacon, cut in half. I wouldn't suggest a thick cut bacon.

Preheat the broiler.

Soak wooden toothpicks in water for about 15 minutes.

Cut a slit in each date; stuff with a pineapple chunk into each slit. Wrap each date with a half slice of bacon. Secure with a soaked toothpick.

Place bacon wrapped dates on a baking sheet. Broil dates 6 inches from the heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until bacon is crisp on all sides, turning occasionally. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

PB & J Martini

Marcel bought me Cocktail Time by Sandra Lee for Christmas. The book is broken up into months and I figured I should try something from January. I love fruity martinis so here is the PB & J Martini

Ice cubes
1 oz Raspberry flavored vodka, Smirnoff
1 1/2 oz hazelnut liquer
1 1/2 oz purple grape juice
Fresh raspberries

Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add all the ingredients and shake vigorously. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with raspberries.

Ok this is way funky even for my taste. It is good, but I don't think I could drink more than one.

New Cookbooks!

Marcel and Victoria bought me new cookbooks for Christmas. The first one I opened was Sandra Lee's Cocktail Time, oh boy does it have some great recipes and I can't wait to try some out.

The second one is Back to Basics by Ina Garten and I have been wanting this one since it came out.

The last one, Victoria picked out all by herself. It is Emeril's 20-40-60. I looked through it and it also has some great recipes.