Yummm! Groovy Goodies for a Girls Night In to Remember!!!

There is nothing greater than hanging out with the homegirls, getting tipsy, catching up, reminiscing and laughing until you're hoarse! During the winter months, it's hard to plan a girls night out because frankly, it's too damn cold to be looking fly in your cute shoes! LOL

What better way to get some much needed time with the girls, without ruining your duds in the snow than to have a Girls Night In!?!?!?



All you need is a living room, a group of your best girlfriends, a t.v., some girl-power movies on D.V.D, and these recipes for treats and cocktails, guaranteed to make it a great night in!

Funky Garlic Cocktail

Recipe Courtesy of Drinks Mixer

Ingredients:

32 oz white wine
32 oz Coca-Cola®
32 oz Sprite® soda

Directions:

Chill all ingredients prior to serving. Pour into a highball glass, and stir well.

Garlic Shrimp Bruschetta

Recipe Courtesy of Woman's Day

Recipe Ingredients
24 thin slices French bread
Olive oil cooking spray
1 cup diced plum tomatoes
1 T bsp olive oil
3⁄4 tsp minced garlic
1⁄4 tsp each salt and pepper
24 medium shrimp
1⁄4 cup pesto
Garnish: small basil leaves

Recipe Preparation
1. Heat broiler. Place bread on baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Broil 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until lightly toasted.

2. Put tomatoes, 1 tsp of the oil, 1⁄2 tsp of the garlic, and the salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss to coat.

3. Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add shrimp and remaining 1⁄4 tsp garlic. Saute 2 minutes or just until shrimp are cooked through. Remove from heat.

4. To assemble, spread each piece of toasted bread with 1⁄2 tsp pesto. Top with about 1⁄2 Tbsp tomato mixture, then one shrimp.

Tip: You can prepare the toasted bread and the tomato mixture 2 hours before serving.

Grilled Chicken Skewers with White Wine Garlic Sauce

Recipe Courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces coconut oil or 1 1/2 ounces butter
3 onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed As always, adjust garlic according to taste
250 ml dry white wine
salt
pepper
1 ounce flour
1/2 pint milk
1 kg chicken

Directions
1 Melt 1/2 oz (15gm) coconut oil in a pan, add the 1 chopped onion and cook gently until soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the wine, turn up the heat and reduce the volume a bit. Remove from heat.
2 In another pan melt the remaining 1 oz (30 gm) of butter. Add the flour, stir and cook for about five minutes.
3 Now add the milk to the flour. Add the milk slowly while continuing to stir! You will end up with a nice thick sauce.
4 Mix in the onion and garlic and the sauce is ready.
5 Cut the chicken into rectangles as much as possible. Shouldn't be too thin so it can go onto the skewer, but too thick and it takes a long time to cook, I'd say 3/4 inch (1cm pieces).
6 Put the chicken into the sauce and let sit in the fridge over night. (If your in a rush, 2-3 hours in the fridge.:).
7 Cut the remaining onions into pieces.
8 Skewer the chicken/onion. (You can other veggies here if you like, depending on what your side will be).
9 Grill and enjoy!

Crab Cakes with Lemon-Dill Sauce

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, Food Network

Ingredients
Lemon Dill Sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
Crab Cakes:
3 tablespoons butter
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
Cayenne pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 pound white or claw crabmeat, picked free of any bits of shell
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions
To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Refrigerate until chilled. The sauce will thicken as it chills.

To prepare the crab cakes, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until the pepper is limp, approximately 3 minutes. Add the cream, mustard, 1 egg, parsley, cayenne pepper and 1/2 cup bread crumbs, to taste, and mix well. Gently fold in the crabmeat.

Form the mixture into 8 patties, about 1/2-inch thick. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of bread crumbs with the Parmesan. Pat this topping onto both sides of the patties. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Using a skillet, combine the oil and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Saute the crab cakes in the hot oil-butter mixture for approximately 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. These crab cakes can also be baked for 7 to 10 minutes in a 400 degree F oven.

To serve, spoon a dollop of the lemon dill sauce along side each crab cake

Chocolate Sorbet

Recipe Courtesy of Ina Garten, Food Network

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup very good cocoa powder (recommended: Pernigotti)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups water
1/4 cup brewed espresso (1 shot)
11/2 tablespoons coffee liqueur (recommended: Tia Maria)

Directions
In a large saucepan, mix the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in 2 cups water and the espresso. Cook over low heat until the ingredients are dissolved. Off the heat, stir in the coffee liqueur. Transfer to plastic containers and refrigerate until very cold.

Freeze the mixture in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer's directions. The sorbet will still be soft; place it in a plastic container and freeze for 1 hour or overnight, until firm enough to scoop.

Claret Lemonade

Recipe Courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients:

3/4 cup lemon juice (fresh is best)
orange slice
1 quart red wine (Bordeaux, Merlot, or Shiraz)

Simple Syrup
2 cups sugar
2 cups water

Directions:

1 Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan over high heat.
2 Reduce the heat to medium-low.
3 Simmer, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved, 6 to 8 minutes.
4 Let cool completely.
5 Half fill a glass pitcher with ice cubes or cracked ice.
6 Add the lemon juice and a few slices of orange.
7 Fill the pitcher nearly full with claret and add sugar syrup to taste.
8 Let stand 20 minutes to blend and ripen.
9 Serve over ice. Garnish each glass with Lemon or Orange slice and fresh raspberries (optional)

Now that we have some tasty treats for FANTASTIC Girls Night In, all we need are the friends and of course some great movies. What would be on YOUR movie list?!?!?

Cinema, Cuisine and Cocktail : "Frida"

This upcoming Tuesday November 2nd will be Los Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead). The holiday, which is celebrated by many in Mexico and by some Mexican Americans living in the United States and Canada, is to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.



I've learn in my research that the holiday was a favorite of Frida Kahlo. I've loved Frida for many many years (since I was a child and I saw one of her paintings at a museum once), so I can't think of another way to celebrate Los Día de los Muertos than to watch "Frida", drink some tequila and enjoy some yummy yummy Mexican food... making sure I fix up an extra plate for Frida and Diego!!!

Chicken Escabeche

Recipe Courtesy of Group Recipes

Ingredients

6- boneless, skinless chicken breast
1- cup white wine vinegar
2 medium onions cut in half
3 carrots
1 celery stalk
1 bay leaf
1 sprig freah thyme
1 sprig fresh oregano
salt and pepper to taste

For the Sauce:
2 - onions , peeled and sliced
5 -carrots , peeled and sliced
10- garlic cloves
1/2-1 cup- olive oil
3 -bay leaves
4 - sprigs fresh oregano
3 - sprigs fresh thyme
2- cups white wine vinegar
1/2 - cup water
How to make it

Directions:

Combine the chicken breasts with the 1 cup vinegar, 2 medium onions, 3 carrots, celery stalk, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.
add water to cover and cook until nearly tender.
while the chicken is cooking , make the sauce;
saute the onions, carrots, and garlic in the oil until the onion is translucent.
add the herbs and saute a minute longer.
add the vinegar and water and simmer for 10 minutes
when chicken is cooked through, remove from the cooking liquid and discard the liquid.
add the chicken to the sauce, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes.
remove from the heat and let the chicken in the sauce cool a bit before serving. Can be served warm (with rice)or cold (with salad).

Calaveras De Dulces ( Mexican Sugar Skulls)

Recipe Courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients:

1 egg white (essential for hardening of the sugar)
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
7 cups confectioners' sugar
2 cups cornstarch
vanilla extract or anise extract or cinnamon extract (if you plan on eating these - optional)
food coloring

Directions:

1 You will also need candies, for decorating the eyes.
2 Combine the egg white and water until foamy.
3 Add extract (if using) and corn syrup.
4 Add confectioners sugar; you'll end up having to use your hands to incorporate all of it.
5 Sprinkle 1 cup of the cornstarch on a work surface and knead the sugar paste in the cornstarch until it's smooth.
6 Form a ball and wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap; chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
7 Pinch off some of the sugar paste to use with food coloring for decorations.
8 With the rest of the paste you should have enough for about 8 skulls; they don't have to be very big, less than the size of a small fist.
9 Sculpt the piece of sugar paste into a skull shape, smoothing the surface as you go and forming eye sockets, etc.
10 (You can find some really good examples on various sites on the internet--).
11 You'll find that the paste gets softer and softer the warmer it gets-- if it sticks too much, add more cornstarch.
12 Add food colors (and extracts, if using) to the sugar paste that you set aside; generally the brighter the colors the better.
13 If you wish, you can add enough water to form more of an icing and it can be squeezed onto the skulls, if not, forming decorations by hand is okay, too.
14 The skulls are generally"cheery" looking and colorful, not particularly scary.
15 Finish by using candies in the eye sockets.
16 Now your skull is ready to dry.
17 Simply let it sit out in a dry, warm place for a few hours or up to a couple of days based on weather conditions.
18 When dry, it's ready to display.

Frida and Diego's Love Potion

Recipe Courtesy of Darboven Trading

Ingredients:
1 part Frida Kahlo Tequila Blanco
1 part limoncello lemon liqueur
1 part champagne
Mint

Directions:
Add ingredients in a lowball glass with ice. Garnish with mint and enjoy!

Yummm! Frightfully Festive Halloween Party Recipes for Grown-Ups!

Most of us attended a Halloween Party or two as kids. The Halloween Parties I remember were catered with hot dogs-a-plenty, puffy cheese doodles, potato chips, blood red kool-aid and all the candy required to have me and the other guests bouncing off the walls! And I loved every moment of it! LOL

I am a bit older, and I'd love to throw a Halloween Bash for friends and family sometime. However, the hot dogs and candy menu seems a bit..... meh. So I took to the internet to look for the makings of a Posh, Chic, and FUN AS HELL Halloween Party Menu.




Photos courtesy of HostesswiththeMostess.com - this site is DOPE, y'all!!

Steak Bites with Bloody Mary Dipping Sauce

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, Food Network

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup vodka
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
1 rounded tablespoon prepared horseradish
Salt and pepper
1 1/3 pounds beef sirloin cut into large bite-sized pieces, 1 by 2 inches
Steak seasoning blend or coarse salt and black pepper
6 to 8 inch bamboo skewers

Directions
Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and onions and saute 5 minutes. Add vodka and reduce by 1/2. Add Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce and horseradish. Stir to combine the dipping sauce and return the sauce to a bubble. Add salt and pepper and adjust seasonings.

Heat nonstick skillet over high heat. Coat meat bites lightly in oil. Season with steak seasoning blend or salt and pepper, to taste. Cook the meat until caramelized all over, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer dipping sauce to a small dish and place at the center of a serving platter. Surround the dip with meat bites and set several bamboo "stakes" or skewers along side meat.

Crispy Cheese Chips

Recipe Courtesy of Yum Sugar

Ingredients
30 wonton wrappers
Nonstick cooking spray
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions
Use a sharp knife to cut wonton wrappers diagonally in half to make 60 triangles.
Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange one-third of the triangles in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. If desired, for ruffled chips, line baking sheet with foil. Shape foil to make ridges. Lightly coat foil with cooking spray. Place wonton triangles on foil, draping over foil ridges.
In a small bowl stir together the olive oil, garlic, and basil. Lightly brush the wonton triangles with one-third of the oil mixture; sprinkle with one-third of the cheese.
Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 8 minutes or until golden. Cool completely on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining wonton triangles, oil mixture, and cheese.

Makes 60 chips.

Cauldron Curry

Recipe Courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

FOR THE CURRY PASTE (MAKES 1 CUP)

1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds, toasted
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, toasted
1 teaspoon coarse salt
3 serrano chiles, sliced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, trimmed and chopped (1/2 cup)
8 garlic cloves, minced (1/4 cup)
2 scallions, chopped (1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest (from 2 limes)

FOR THE STEW

2 ounces spinach (1 cup)
1 can (14 ounces) unsweetened regular coconut milk
1 can (14 ounces) unsweetened light coconut milk
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1 inch thick (21/4 cups)
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup fresh basil
Serrano chiles, thinly sliced, for garnish
Lime wedges, for serving

Directions
Make the curry paste: Grind coriander, cumin, peppercorns, and salt with a mortar and pestle, or with the bottom of a heavy skillet. Add remaining ingredients, and grind until a paste forms. (Curry paste can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.)
Make the stew: Puree 5 tablespoons curry paste, the spinach, and 1 cup regular coconut milk in a blender until smooth. Reserve remaining curry paste for another use.
Bring remaining regular coconut milk and the light coconut milk to a boil in a medium Dutch oven or heavy stockpot. Reduce heat, stir in curry-spinach mixture, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add zucchini, and cook until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until zucchini is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add basil, and garnish with serrano chiles. Serve with lime wedges.

Pumpkin-Pie Parfaits

Recipe Courtesy of Food Network Magazine

Ingredients
13 gingersnaps, chocolate wafers or graham crackers
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
2 1/2 teaspoons bourbon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
2 cups cold heavy cream

Directions
Put 7 cookies in a resealable plastic bag and crush into crumbs with a heavy pan. Brush the bottoms and about 1 inch up the sides of 6 parfait glasses with the butter. Add a spoonful of crumbs to each and roll them around the insides of the glasses; pour out the excess crumbs and reserve for topping. Refrigerate the prepared glasses.

Put 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, the pumpkin, 1 1/2 teaspoons bourbon and the nutmeg in a food processor. Pulse until smooth, about 1 minute.

Put the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50% power until melted, about 1 minute, stirring halfway. Add to the pumpkin mixture and process until combined. Transfer to a large bowl.

Beat 1 /12 cups cream in a bowl with a mixer until soft peaks form; fold into the pumpkin mixture until smooth. Divide among the prepared glasses and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Beat the remaining 1/2 cup cream with a mixer until foamy. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon bourbon and beat until soft peaks form. Top the parfaits with the whipped cream, reserved cookie crumbs and the remaining 6 cookies.

Photograph by Andrew Mccaul

Okay, it looks like the reigning Queen of Entertaining is the go-to girl for this! Suffice to say, the next few Drink recipes are all courtesy of Martha Stewart's Halloween Central! LMAO

Almond Brownie Coffins

Recipe Courtesy of You-Know-Who

Ingredients

Makes 12 coffins

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 teaspoon coarse salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for marbling
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
8 ounces dark-chocolate-covered almonds, chopped
3 ounces marzipan
Royal Icing and Fleurs-de-lis

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan, and line it with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Butter and flour parchment, tapping out excess.
Combine flour and salt in a small bowl. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sift cocoa powder on top of butter, and whisk to combine. Let cool 3 minutes. Gently whisk in vanilla and eggs, then stir in sugars and flour mixture until just combined. Fold in almonds, then spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
Bake until the top is firm and set, about 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let cool for 20 minutes. Remove brownies from pan using parchment overhang, and let cool on wire rack. (Brownies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
Using the large coffin template, cut out brownies. Dust marzipan lightly with cocoa powder, and mix until marbled dark brown. Roll out marzipan to 1/4-inch thickness. Using the small coffin template, cut out 1 marzipan coffin for each brownie. Gently press a coffin on top of each brownie.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with the smallest plain round tip with royal icing. Decorate marzipan with small dots around the edges, and apply 1 fleur-de-lis to each coffin with a small offset spatula, securing each with a dot of royal icing.

Pina Ghoulada

Recipe Courtesy of You-Know-Who

Ingredients

Serves 10 to 12

FOR THE "BLOOD"
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1/4 teaspoons red food coloring
FOR THE DRINK
20 ounces pineapple juice
1 can (15 ounces) cream of coconut
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup orange juice
10 ounces good-quality rum

Directions
Pour the corn syrup in a shallow bowl. Dip a toothpick into the food coloring, and stir a very small amount into the syrup to combine. Hold a glass by the stem, dip rim into the syrup mixture, and turn glass, coating entire rim. Turn the glass upright, allowing mixture to drip down sides. Dip the remaining glasses. Set aside.
Whisk together drink ingredients. Place 2 1/2 cups ice in a blender, and add 1 cup drink mixture. Blend until smooth; add more pineapple juice if mixture is too thick. Repeat with remaining ice and mixture. Carefully pour into prepared glasses; serve.

Sinister Cider Cocktail

Recipe Courtesy of What's-Her-Name

Ingredients

Makes 1 cocktail

Fine black sanding sugar
1 lady apple, chopped
1/2 lime, cut into wedges
1 ounce maple syrup
1 ounce apple cider
2 ounces vodka
Ice
Club soda
1 thin crosswise slice lady apple, for garnish

Directions
Moisten the rim of a martini glass with water. Place sanding sugar in a saucer and dip rim of glass in sanding sugar to coat; set aside.
In a cocktail shaker, muddle together apple cubes and lime wedges. Add syrup, cider, and vodka; fill with ice. Cover and shake until well combined. Strain into prepared martini glass; top with club soda. Garnish with apple slice and serve.