Hard ciders are all the rage right now and it’s not just because Fall is in the air. The artisanal food revolution has led to a boom in all manner of handcrafted libations: boutique wines, craft beer, handcrafted cocktails and, now, hard cider is reclaiming their rightful place in the hearts and on the palates […]
Drinks
FigFest and Ten 5-Minute Fig Recipes
When is Fig Season? To me, figs have always signaled the beginning of my favorite season: Fall. Growing up in the Midwest, it was as if Mother Nature rewarded our survival of the searing heat of August with her most sensuous fruit, the fig. But my fall=fig perception is a result of geographic undesirability. In […]
Four Muddled Cocktails For Your Summer Pleasure
In May, The Bungalow Restaurant, a popular Newport Beach area establishment for over sixteen years, invited all local professional and amateur mixologists and home bartenders to submit an original cocktail recipe for their first quarterly cocktail competition. With warm summer months and seasonal produce in mind, recipes were to include a muddling step using seasonal […]
Summer Chillin’ with Dole Fruit Cup Cocktails
My first time in Austin, Texas – a city known for its unique culture (“keep Austin weird” tee shirts are everywhere), legendary live music, burgeoning restaurant scene, famous barbecue joints and honky tonks; and most of my time was spent on the 6th floor of the downtown Hilton in the food frenzy of BlogHerFood 2013. […]
Smirnoff Sorbet Light Summer Cocktails
Spring and summer parties abound, tis the season for splashing pool parties, boisterous family reunions and peaceful picnics, smokin’ barbecues, fun-in-the-sun beach parties and bonfires, celebratory bridal and baby showers – you name it, enjoy alfresco dining whenever you can. We move away from warm comfort foods and bold whiskeys to lighter fare and brighter, […]
A Tropical Mint Julep for Derby Day
To experience the pageantry of the Kentucky Derby is one of my dreams. A lover of the majestic and beautiful equine since childhood, I’ve visited a few racetracks (with not much luck, but a whole lot of fun), and it’s the whole pageantry and history of the Kentucky Derby that captivates me: the crazy hats, […]
UPscale Small Plates at Charlie Palmer
The celebration of Passover and Easter this past weekend had many of us planning holiday brunch and family get togethers, some in the comfort of your own home and many at favorite special occasion spots. Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza certainly puts on a magnificent brunch – every Sunday, not just Easter Sunday, […]
A Valentine’s Go Red for Women Superfood Smoothie
February celebrates love with Valentines Day, but it’s also American Heart Healthy Month… and I think that’s perfect. So I’m jumping into the fray and joining the Valentine’s Day blitz but, remaining true to my heart healthy ways, with a nutritious superfood magnificently rosey-red green smoothie. Say what – did you catch that? How can […]
Monster Green Power Smoothie
What super foods have you tried? I’m batting 7/8 from this list in a recent article naming the 8 best super foods to boost your mood and energy: maca powder, pure raw organic cacao powder (try these vegan raw cacao truffles), chia seeds, coconut/coconut oil, spirulina, goji berries, hemp seeds and oil, flax seeds and […]
Kentucky Bourbon and an Orange Blossom Special
How to Become a Bourbon Lover in One Night? Simple: attend a bourbon dinner where each course is perfectly executed to entertain your palate with subtle nuances of bourbon and is expertly paired with tastes of premium, aged Pappy Van Winkle, the world’s most elusive bourbon. Foie Gras Apple Bread Pudding | Bourbon dulce de […]