Crushed Orange cocktail

I’m assuming that the Crushed Orange cocktail (pg. 150 Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time) is in the October section of Sandra Lee’s cocktail book because it is orange colored.  But other than that, it’s not very “Halloweeny”.

Or even orange tasting.  If you’re  looking forward to the crisp orange taste from the Orange Crush soda from days gone by, than this is not the drink for you.  But if you know ahead of time, that the CRUSHED ORANGE cocktail is not orange flavored, you can certainly whip up a batch and enjoy the sweet iciness of this cocktail. Here is the recipe for the CRUSHED ORANGE cocktail, courtesy of Sandra Lee.

CRUSHED ORANGE cocktail

• 1/2 cup ice cubes
• 2 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice
• 2 oz. cranberry juice
• 1 1/2 oz. orange flavored vodka

In a blender, combine all ingredients; blend.  Pour into a chilled glass.

To make the CRUSHED ORANGE cocktail more “Halloweeny”, I poured it into my Halloween glass that I got from a fun Halloween gift exchange that one of my friends hosted.  Now THAT was a fun night.  Who knew how many creative Halloween gifts there were to be found in the $15 range?  And isn’t it funny how many ‘steals’ can be made to own such fun items – just goes to show – gifts don’t have to cost a lot to be fun!

T-Cee reviews Sandra Lee semi-homemade cocktails

Anyway, the CRUSHED ORANGE cocktail is a yummy treat.  Does it get a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT, LUSH IT A LOT, or LEAVE IT?

The cranberry juice nicely balances the sweetness of the pineapple juice, keeping this cocktail just this side of getting too sweet.  Which gives the CRUSHED ORANGE cocktail a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT A LOT. And really, it couldn’t be easier to make.

Get your blender (or in my case, the Margaritaville machine) out, make an ORANGE CRUSH for yourself and let me know in the comment box below what you think of it.

Salude!

T-Cee

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie cocktail

This Chocolate Pumpkin Pie cocktail (Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time pg. 148) is such a heady combination of liquors and spices, that I hardly know where to start in describing it.

So, as usual, I will tell you of how it reminded me of the tennis match this morning.  I am happy to report that all was quiet on my court.  The INCIDENT occurred  on the next court over. And of course it involved a line call. It went something like this:

Player 1: “Out”

Player 2:  “You’ve got to be kidding” (note to self – Is John McEnroe on the court?)

Player 1:  “It was Out”

Player 2:  Screeeeeeching ….. “CHEATER”

I have no idea who eventually got the point, but play resumed.  40 seconds later, Player 1 who had been called “CHEATER” whacked the ball into the face of Player 2.  A coincidence, I am sure.

Well, Sandra Lee’s CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN PIE cocktail is somewhat like that wake up ball in the face,  but in an infinitely better way.  The cocktail has a delightful aroma and a creamy rich blend of chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and pumpkin flavors, followed by a slight kick from the cayenne pepper.

Seriously you have got to try this CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN PIE cocktail.  Here is the recipe, courtesy of Sandra Lee:

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie cocktail

• 3/4 oz. vanilla vodka
• 1/2 oz. Irish Creme liqueur
• 1/2 oz. coffee liqueur
• 1/2 oz. creme de cacao
• 1/8 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• Pinch cayenne pepper

In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, Irish Creme, coffee liqueur, creme de cacao, pumpkin pie spice, and cayenne pepper.  Add ice; cover and shake until very cold.  Strain into a chilled martini glass.

T-Cee reviews Sandra Lee semi-homemade cocktails

OK.  I whipped up a batch of the CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN PIE cocktail and am bringing it to tennis tonight.

Hopefully, the only kick tonight will be from this fabulous drink.

Rating time!  Does this Chocolate Pumpkin Pie cocktail get a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT, LUSH IT A LOT, or LEAVE it.  You better not call me a CHEATER when I tell you the CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN PIE cocktail gets a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT A LOT!

This cocktail is a MUST MUST TRY!  Leave me a comment in the box below and then click on ‘submit comment’  below to tell me what you think of it.

Salude!

T-Cee

It’s Hump Day Kudos time, so let me tell you about LIBRIVOX.

I love to read. And I enjoy my monthly book club immensely. But as I have been crazy busy lately, and needed to ‘catch up’ on my reading of “Pride and Prejudice” for this months book club meeting, a friend of mine suggested that I check out a site called LIBRIVOX.

LIBRIVOX was started by Hugh McGuire in Montreal, Canada.  Wikipedia has an excellent description of what you can expect from LIBRIVOX, saying “LibriVox is an online digital library of free public domain audiobooks, read by volunteers. In December 2009, it had a catalogue of 3,000 unabridged books and shorter works available to download. Around ninety percent of the collection is in English, although LibriVox recordings are available in 26 languages altogether.”

Not only can you listen to the recordings on your computer, you can also download MP3 files to your IPOD  and go out for wonderful walks in this amazing Fall weather.  This is GREAT for people such as myself who have the attention span of a gnat and can only equate the cardio portion of exercise as excruciatingly dull and boring.  I have tried reading on cardio machines before, but can not keep my eyes focused on the page when going at anything faster than a snails pace.  Uggh – I would have to spend 1/2 the day in the gym to get any kind of cardio result at that rate!

So, now I get to be outside, exercise, and ‘read’ fabulous books that I’ve downloaded from LibriVox – all in one hour!  And all for free!!

YIPEE!  An hour of brisk walking with a good book is pure heaven!

So, Thank you and . . .

HUMP DAY KUDOS TO LIBRIVOX and Hugh McGuire

Pic from the LibriVox website

Sandra Lee Ciroc Lola cocktail

The Ciroc Lola cocktail (pg 150 Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time) is a simple cocktail to make.  Much like the  simple morning I spent in court.

Let me explain.  I had jury duty.  Why is it that no matter where you live, you get summoned to the furthermost possible court to carry out your jury duty obligations?  There is a courthouse 5 minutes from my house, but NO.  I get summoned to one 45 minutes away.

So, having been eligible to defer this duty twice before, it was now my turn to be a good citizen.  So off I go.  Through, school traffic, work traffic, road construction.  Got there early.  Dutifully filled out form to donate my $6 compensation. (Seriously – $6 – who makes this cr*p up?).

Then we’re all sitting on benches in the hallway, and the clerk proceeds to call names of people who were due in court – one name got called 3 times, so I figured that was one case we wouldn’t be hearing. Then the clerk comes back and in a loud voice says ‘all people due for trial go into the court now’ – and 1/2 of all the potential jurors stand up to go in.  The poor clerk, then has to explain ‘NO, only people who have a trial today need to go inside, all the jurors stay out here for now.

OK people – these are the people who will be deciding your fate – good luck, we haven’t even gotten to the hard stuff yet!

Luckily for us all, once we were called into court for jury selection, the judge explained that of the 4 cases scheduled, one was a no show, and the rest had been resolved prior to this morning.  YEAH!  The potential jury of your peers almost got up in unison to cheer. And we got to keep our $6 (or or favorite charity did).

So jury duty was simple, and so is making the Ciroc Lola.  Here is the recipe, courtesy of  Sandra Lee.

CIROC LOLA cocktail

• 1 1/2 oz. pomegranate juice
• 1 oz. vodka (I used Skyy instead of Ciroc – so maybe we should rename it the Skyy Lola
• 1 splash Champagne
• Very thin apple slice (for garnish)

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.  Add pomegranate juice and vodka.  Cover and shake vigorously.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Top with champagne.  Garnish with apple slice.

T-Cee reviews Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time

Simple to make.  But good?  Did I give this a T-Cee Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT, LUST IT A LOT, or LEAVE IT?  I gave the CIROC LOLA  cocktail a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT.  Really, it is just pomegranate juice and vodka, so it was good, but not knock your socks off great.

Try it yourself and let me know what you think in the comments below.  Or try one of my Semi-HomeTested Originals and tell me what you would do differently.

Salude!

T-Cee

Sandra Lee Mango Madras cocktail

The Mango Madras (pg. 134 Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time) couldn’t have come at a better time. As the economy gets worse, the desire to return to comfort foods, drinks, and clothing from days past returns with a vengeance. Part of the return to past clothing trends is illustrated by designers latching on to the tried, tired, but never really gone PREPPY LOOK. We’ll get back to how to look (or drink) like a preppy, but first, here is the recipe for the MANGO MADRAS, courtesy of Sandra Lee.

MANGO MADRAS COCKTAIL

• 2 oz. cranberry juice (I used diet)
• 2 oz. orange juice
• 1 1/2 oz. mango rum
• ice cubes, orange wedges, and maraschino cherries*

In a glass, combine cranberry juice, orange juice, and rum.  Add ice.  Garnish with orange wedges and cherries.

*Note:  I would NEVER use maraschino cherries – fresh ONLY please!  In my opinion, Maraschino cherries are right there at the bottom of the food chain along with catfish which eat the scum at the bottom of lakes and rivers, and then people eat them – yuk!  However, in light of the fact that the MANGO MADRAS is the perfect PREPPY cocktail, I must point out that if you add the letter ‘d’ before the ‘r’ in maraschino, you get Madras Chino, which is the perfect PREPPY pants to wear while drinking the MANGO MADRAS.

So, back to PREPPY fashion.

Lisa Birnbach, author of the new book “True Prep” says that “mixing the high and the low, the spiffy new and the comfy well-worn is a prep hallmark that is particularly appealing when a bit of belt-tightening is in order” and goes on to add “Preps are some of the cheapest people I know”.

And thank you Tommy Hilfiger for pointing out that prep on the West Coast is very different from the East Coast (less color and not as much seasonal fabrics on the West Coast), but I must say, while I love your bed and bath items for kids spaces, I have no desire to wear your logo!

So, while  you won’t catch me in madras, or most likely any kind of plaid, I will NEVER NEVER give up my boat shoes when at the lake.  BUT you will never catch me wearing them with a skirt or with slacks in the city.  Which is something a PREP would definitely do.

That being said, I am eternally grateful for ANY designer or trend that gets kids out of the grunge look!

Anyway, if you, like me, continue your quest for quality fashion with a kick (not stodgy) at a reasonable price, take heart.  I am thinking of coming out with my own book, “True Peeps”

T-Cee reviews Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time

In the meantime, you don’t have to want to be a PREPPY or even look like one to enjoy the delightful MANGO MADRAS cocktail.

But be careful, it goes down fast.  If you find it is a tad too sweet for you, just increase the cranberry juice and decrease the orange juice.

OK, rating time.  Does the MANGO MADRAS get a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT, LUSH IT A LOT, or LEAVE IT?  I enjoyed this drink and appreciate the ease of preparing it, so I rate the MANGO MADRAS cocktail LUSH IT A LOT!

Mix one up, slip on your boat shoes (or not), and tell me what you think of this cocktail in the comments section below.

Salude!

T-Cee

Sante Fe Cooler

When I first saw the recipe for Sante Fe Coolers (pg. 132 Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time), I thought  ewwwww.  Because I don’t like beer.  But as I read the ingredients again, I remembered being surprised when I noticed that my much loved wine coolers were labeled ‘malt beverage’.  And my husband assured me that that meant beer.

So, I decided to make the Sante Fe Coolers – we’ll get to how my friends liked this drink, but first I have to pass on to you some information about Red Stripe Beer (an ingredient in Sante Fe Coolers) that Wikipedia provided.  Wikipedia says “With an eye towards the success of  Heineken, Red Stripe for export was packaged in green standard 12 U.S. fl oz bottles.  American consumers … were reluctant to try the brand in the States since it was not packaged in its distinctive squat brown bottle and painted label.”  Red Stripe has since become popular via reggae and other music events.

That’s all terribly exciting, but I used Heineken beer in my Santa Fe Coolers instead of Red Stripe because:

1. I didn’t feel like driving to the grocery store
2. There was Heineken in the fridge, not Red Stripe

Here is the Sante Fe Cooler recipe, courtesy of Ms. Sandra Lee:

SANTE FE COOLERS

• 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
• 2 cups water
• 1 can (12 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate
• 1 bottle (12 oz.) beer (Red Stripe – but I use Heineken)
• 3 1/2 cups ginger ale
• 1 1/2 cups vodka (someone had left a bottle of Gordon’s at my house, so that’s what went in this)
• ice cubes, lime slices (optional)

In a small saucepan,  bring sliced ginger (I peeled it too) and water to a boil.  Remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes.  Strain, reserving ginger water*. In a large pitcher, stir to combine thawed** lemonade concentrate, ginger water, beer, ginger ale, and vodka.  Pour in glasses over ice.  Garnish with lime slices (optional).

*2 notes about this:  1.) I can’t believe Sandra Lee COOKED!, and 2.) I did this step the day before and stored the ginger water in a sealed container in the fridge.

** I did not thaw the lemonade – I found that it easily dissolved when stirred with the other ingredients.

Also if you get Sandra Lee’s semi-homemade Cocktail Time book, you will notice from the photo above, that my cocktail is much darker in color than Sandra’s.  I suspect that is because I used a larger piece of ginger – the ginger water was quite dark. (yum).

T-Cee reviews Sandra Lee Cocktail Time

If you’d like to try a wine cooler without all the sugar and chemical additives, try the Sante Fe Coolers yourself, and let me know what you think in a comment below. Be sure to let me know what kind of beer you used in your cocktail cooler.

Salude!

T-Cee