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

Sandra Lee Apple Sour Cocktail

Sandra Lee’s Apple Sour Cocktail (pg. 142 Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time) is a just right mix of sweet and sour flavors.

This is just what I needed after a day of schlepping around, measuring windows, visiting fabric stores, Home Goods store (which I love), and the big box store, Lowe’s.  Lowe’s is where I finally found something perfect for a kitchen window in my camp – nothing fancy, but definitely not kitschy. Ok, before I get too carried away, here is the recipe for the Apple Sour cocktail, courtesy of Sandra Lee.

Sandra Lee Apple Sour

• 1 1/4 oz. green apple flavored vodka
• 1/4 oz sour mix

In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka and sour mix.  Add ice; cover and shake until very cold.  Strain into prepared glass.

OK, back to me. I selected a Levelor cordless cellular shade that the Lowe’s associate trimmed according to the measurement I made- and I might say she insisted that it had to be cut 1/2 inch smaller than my inside window frame measurement. More on that later.

Anyway, the manufacturer claims that this shade can be installed in 15 minutes. Are you kidding? It took me 20 minutes to find the drill (for the pilot holes), and a phone call and add’l 10 minutes to find the proper bits and put them in the drill. So that’s 1/2 hour so far. Then I had to place the 2 thingees on the window to measure where to drill the holes (another 10 minutes as I had to climb on a counter and the light wasn’t that great). But I have to say the actual drilling of the pilots took only 4 minutes. So, now I’m into this for 44 minutes.

Who knew drilling screws in an upward direction was so hard? Is there a trick to not stripping the darn screws? Half way through, I got a regular screwdriver to finish up and that was actually easier than the dang drill. (this step easily took me 20 minutes). So far, 64 minutes.

Then I had to fuss with the endcaps for 5 minutes. BUT THEN, the directions virtually stop, merely saying ‘shade attachment’ with a very vague picture. OK, this took me a full 20 minutes. Now having done this step, I see that it would only take a minute next time. But this first installation took me 89 minutes! An hour and a half!

They look great, but then I stepped back and decided the Lowe’s associate should not have trimmed an extra 1/2″ – I think her machine thingee already compensated for the raising and lowering of the shade, cause it sure would look more finished with the extra 1/4 inch on each side. Hoo Boy! It still looks pretty good.

T-Cee reviews Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time

Now, those of you who have been following my blog know that I did manage to squeeze in a trip to the liquor store (it was right next to the fabric store!) for my Sandra Lee semi-homemade cocktail ingredients. The Apple Sour cocktail was a breeze to make and truly took only 5 minutes to make. Perhaps I should stick to what I know best?

OK. Does the Apple Sour get a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT, LUSH IT A LOT, or LEAVE IT? This delightful easy end to my day definitely rates a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT A LOT!

Try it yourself while you’re enjoying the new Fall TV shows, and let me know what you think in a comment below.

Salude!

T-Cee

Sandra Lee Happy Homemaker Cocktail

Here’s a Happy Homemaker Cocktail (pg. 143 Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time) for all you stay at home moms.  Don’t get up in tizzy – if you’re not a stay at home mom, you can enjoy this cocktail too.  But today I want to celebrate the stay at home moms who are putting the pride back into the housewife.  And then need a little wind-down! (recipe below)

That’s right.  I said it.  Pride in being a housewife – I’ve had several corporate, well paying jobs, and let me tell you – there is nothing with more staying power than the pride  you get from the full time job of helping your family be a family!  Now that my family is getting older, I am entertaining other opportunities, but I salute all the new mom’s entering the housewife foray.

I think Sandra Lee has the right attitude (though she certainly is NOT a stay at home mom).  Her attitude is make it look great, taste great, and don’t knock yourself out doing so.  While I do enjoy cooking healthy foods from scratch (as opposed to Sandra Lee’s semi-homemade meals), I definitely partake in the ‘make it great, treat yourself right’ attitude.

Maybe that’s why I’m enjoying reviewing the Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time book so much.   So after a busy day of appointments, chauffeuring, cleaning, and shopping, I made and enjoyed this delightful Happy Homemaker cocktail.  And thank goodness I brought it to tennis last night, cause I lost, lost, lost, and I hate, hate, hate that.  OK, here’s the recipe, courtesy of  Ms. Sandra Lee.

Happy Homemaker cocktail

• 2 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• 1 1/2 oz. white rum (I used Bacardi)
• 1/4 oz lime juice
• fresh mint (optional)

In a cocktail shaker, combine pineapple juice, rum, and lime juice.  Add ice; cover and shake until very cold.  Strain into a chilled martini glass.  Garnish with mint (opt’l).

T-Cee cocktail reviews

Does the Sandra Lee semi-homemade HAPPY HOMEMAKER cocktail get a T-Cee Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT, LUSH IT A LOT, or LEAVE IT?  This delightful cocktail is a sweet little shot at the end of a hard, or hot, or exhausting, or frustrating, or happy, or whatever day, and I give it a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT!

OK, all you wonderful housewives, try making this cocktail for yourself and your pals (or hubby) and let me know what you think!  Oh, and my tennis buddies too – leave a comment below.

Salude!

T-Cee

PS – for those of you following the Real Housewives of New Jersey, Caroline, one of our favorite housewives, was just deposed in the Danielle Staub debacle.

Blue Lagoon Cocktail

The Blue Lagoon cocktail (pg. 122 Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time) is another summer mix drink made with blue curacao. This BLUE LAGOON however is also made with gin which is not a particularly favorite cocktail ingredient of mine.

It is interesting however, that I made the BLUE LAGOON on the same day that I was surrounded by a ‘sea of blue’ – I’ll explain that later, but first, here’s the mix drink recipe, courtesy of Ms. Sandra Lee.

Blue Lagoon cocktail drink

• Superfine sugar (I used regular sugar)
• 3/4 oz gin (I used Seagram’s)
• 1/4 oz. vodka
• 1/4 oz. blue curacao
• 1 splash lime juice (I used Rose’s)

Wet the rim of a (tall shot) glass with water.  Dip rim in sugar.  In a cocktail shaker, combine remaining ingredients, add ice cubes.  cover and shake.  Strain into glass.

Note:  Use a tall shot glass for this – the small quantity gets lost in a cocktail glass unless you fill it with ice first.

OK, now you’ve got the recipe, go ahead and make one and enjoy my ‘sea of blue‘ story .  Actually, it’s not a long story.  I was simply taking my son to practice at the school which is being renovated. Not only is the school campus a mess, the streets surrounding it are also a mess – some streets are blocked off entirely and entrances and exits to various parts of the campus have been changed.

So, I decide to follow the two cars in front of me that are going down a street next to the school. They appear to be driving with no hesitation, so I figured they knew where they were going. Zip, Zip, around the corner – no problem. Zip, Zip, into a parking lot which I assumed they must know is a back way through the construction.

WRONG. Those two parked their cars and the officers in each of the cars got out and made a bee line for the building – apparently they were late for work and the parking lot was the precinct back lot. And of course the split second I realized this, an iron gate slammed behind me locking me in the parking lot. Now I look around and realize I am surrounded by a ‘Sea of Blue‘, so I burn rubber racing around the parking lot to catch up with the last officer entering the building, roll down my window,and yell “hey, do you know how I can get out of here?” She looks at me like I’m from mars and says “how’d you get in here?” I indignantly reply “I followed you”. (I’m thinking, I’m a taxpayer and what the hell kind of security is this? – but I wisely keep this thought to myself). So, the officer has to get on her talky thingee and get some guy to remotely open the gate, and I make my escape. Not bad for 7AM! I wonder what else I’ll do today.

T-Cee reviews Sandra Lee cocktails

I really didn’t get into any other trouble that day, but that evening, I did make the BLUE LAGOON cocktail in honor of my Blue Sea adventure.

So does the BLUE LAGOON cocktail get a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT, LUSH IT A LOT, or LEAVE IT? The BLUE LAGOON cocktail drink was not particularly tasty – even a bit bitter. Although the BLUE LAGOON cocktail was a tad better when I threw it in a glass of ice, I have to give it a Semi-HomeTested rating of LEAVE IT. Sorry Ms. Sandra Lee.

Salude!

A youthful combination of berries

The Mixed Berry Daiquiri (pg. 124 Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time) is a cocktail full of anti-oxidant rich blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. So it was a fun Girl’s Night and an exercise in creating a youthful appearance!  We were certainly feeling younger by the end of the evening.

My friends and I do not rely on Science for this, we just know what we know and we know when we are feeling younger.  Any questions?

Mixed Berry Daiquiri (feel younger cocktail)

• 3 oz frozen mixed berries
• 1 3/4 oz sweet and sour mix
• 1 1/4 oz spiced Rum (I used Cpt. Morgan)
• fresh mixed berries (for garnish)

In a blender (I used my Margaritaville) combine ice, frozen berries, sweet and sour mix, and rum.  Cover and blend until smooth.  Garnish with fresh berries. Pour into a chilled glass.  Serve with a straw.  (We decided it was too thick so I added another 1/2 oz of the sweet and sour mix).

Be sure to make a blender full when you have a group of friends over.   And modify the ingredients for thickness – if you use more frozen berries and more ice for example, you will have a thicker cocktail.  Add more sweet and sour mix as I did, and you will have less requirement to use a straw.  Then let the party begin.

T-Cee review of Sandra Lee cocktails

OK, time to rate this cocktail. Do I give the MIXED BERRY DAIQUIRI cocktail a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT, LUSH IT A LOT, or LEAVE IT?
Because the MIXED BERRY DAIQUIRI cocktail was delicious and made us feel so youthful, it gets a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT A LOT.

So, invite your friends over and mix up a blender full of Mixed Berry Daiquiri cocktail. Leave your comments below to tell me what you think of this anti-oxidant rich youthful cocktail. (don’t forget to click on ‘submit comment’)

Salude!

T-Cee

Bankrupt but shopping?

This week on RHONJ Teresa was still spending like crazy in Venice. First she ditched the guys ’cause she had to skootch on her heels to find Chanel. Which as Caroline dryly stated – there is a Chanel store right in NYC where they can shop everyday. But did this deter Teresa? NO. But amazingly enough Chanel was closed – shop owners apparently close the entire store to have lunch. Now I know this is true for little shops, but Chanel closing down for the lunch hour? Is this true? So Teresa manages to go into a jewelry store to buy some humongous green ring – not really sure what kind of stones it was, but hopefully, it was costume jewelry – isn’t Teresa supposed to be bankrupt?

Anyway, I normally like Teresa a lot, but during this Venice vacation, she was a tad annoying – insisting on doing what she wanted regardless of what anyone else wanted, even dumping her kids on Caroline and Albert for the day. But it was her non stop chattering that was over the top this week. Teresa was so busy talking that she almost bonked her head going under the bridge on the gondola – she needs to pay attention and sit down on the gondola! Uh oh – don’t tell Teresa I said that. Don’t want her flipping tables again.

And Joe. Joe looked super stressed. OK, Teresa and Joe filed for bankruptcy, and now here they are in Venice having what appears to be a very expensive vacation. Well I guess they also have to get over the stress of Joe being pulled over for driving under the influence. Joe’s story, and he’s sticking to it, is that he was really tired and he took a REALLY BIG YAWN and that’s what made him swipe 4 trees and crash his car. Joe’s story continues that he was so stressed afterwards that he walked to a (friend? relative?) house right from the accident and downed 3 or 4 scotches. And THAT’S when the police came and gave him the breathalyzer which of course Joe failed.

Oh Really! Well stranger things have happened and I guess we’ll have to let the New Jersey Police decide this one.

In the meantime, enjoy a Ciroc Blue Ocean cocktail (pg. 122 Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time) and then tell me if you think Joe yawned or maybe passed out a little bit.

T-Cee