When is the best time to enjoy the Best Ever Hot Chocolate cocktail (pg. 162 Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time) ?

Well, while that might be debatable, one great time to enjoy the Best Ever Hot Chocolate cocktail is book club night with the girls — where we not only get to discuss the book we’ve read that month, we also get to enjoy fabulous food and beverages!

As I was preparing the Banana’s Foster casserole and a big batch of Best Ever Hot Chocolate, my husband noted that we ladies always seem to eat great food.  To which I explained “that’s because we always cook”. …  Simple, no?

Anyway, before I get into the book discussion/review, let me give you the recipe for Best Ever Hot Chocolate, courtesy of Sandra Lee.

BEST EVER HOT CHOCOLATE

• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet morsels)
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 oz.  vanilla vodka

In a saucepan, combine half-and-half, chocolate chips, and cinnamon.  Heat over medium heat* for 5 minutes or until chocolate is melted, stirring frequently.  (Do not boil)  Pour into mug.  Stir in vodka. Mmmmm.

* I simply put all the ingredients in the microwave, for 5 minutes, stirring after each minute. Easy, breezy.

Now on to the book club discussion. First, of course, we ate great salads and dips, followed by 2 deserts – the aforementioned Bananas Foster, and a fabulous strawberry pudding (made from SCRATCH!) Yum!

We do love our cocktails, we do love our deserts, but we also love our BREAD. But did we get any bread? No, we did not — Ms. J, we not only missed your lively discussion this month, but we missed your delightful homemade BREAD.

Moving, on… the book we discussed was THE LAW OF SIMILARS. Leland Fowler (a prosecutor), whose wife died 2 yrs. ago in an accident, suffers the stress of raising a small child on his own, with a chronic low grade sore throat that conventional medicine has been unable to heal. Leland turns to homeopath Carissa Lake–who cures his sore throat and the two fall instantly in love. Mere days later, one of Carissa’s asthma patients falls into an allergy-induced coma, and questions arise as to Carissa’s culpability. The attorney in Leland takes over, as he aggressively handles the situation, altering records and setting both Leland and Carissa on a path of destruction.

My feeling is THE LAW OF SIMILARS was boring - it contained only one story line and it drrraaaaaggged on forever. This could have been written in a 5 page magazine short story. And I still wouldn’t have liked Leland or Clarissa, or her idiot asthma patient.

But the Best Ever Hot Chocolate? That I liked. A lot. Semi-HomeTested ratings are LUSH IT, LUSH IT A LOT, or LEAVE IT.
The Book – LEAVE IT. The Best Ever Hot Chocolate cocktail however, is a definite Semi-HomeTested LUSH IT A LOT!

So, read a good book – I suggest TESTIMONY – which is our December book club choice, and curl up with a hot mug of the Best Ever Hot Chocolate.

Salude!

T-Cee

Mmmmmmmm.  That’s what I have to say about the Sandra Lee Choco-Mint Martini (pg. 170 Sandra Lee semi-homemade Cocktail Time).  Remember letting an Andes chocolate mint melt on your tongue and delighting in the velvety chocolate mint?  Well the Choco-Mint Martini is all that and more.  It’s so good, you’ll want to dash it down.  BUT, remember it is all alcohol, so sip it and ENJOY the flavors.

Here, courtesy of Sandra Lee, is the recipe for the Choco-Mint Martini.

Choco-Mint Martini

• 2 oz. mint chocolate Irish cream liqueur
• 1/2 oz. vanilla flavored vodka
• Ice

In a cocktail shaker, combine Irish cream and vodka.  Add ice; cover and shake until very cold.  Strain into a chilled martini glass.

So.  Does the Choco-Mint Martini get a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT, LUSH IT A LOT, or LEAVE IT?  As if I hadn’t given this one away … hands down, the Choco Mint Martini gets a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT A LOT!!!

You owe it to yourself to try this one. Let me know what you think by adding a Comment below.

Salude!

T-Cee

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.

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

The Jersey Orange Cream cocktail is like an orange creamsicle without all the cream.  This blend of orange and vanilla vodkas and lemon-lime soda is so easy to make and is  the perfect refreshing finish to a hot summer day.

I spent the hot humid summer day covered in sunscreen and hanging out with family and friends on the Lake. My last day this summer at the Lake. But wait. There’s time for one more cookout with our lake buds. So I take the Wave Runner out for one more spin, race back to the house, fight for my turn for the shower. Ahhh. Feeling refreshed and ready for the next adventure. But wait. Hubby ran out for potato salad to take to the cookout.

So there’s time for a cocktail. Love Cocktail Time. But Wait. What to make, what to make… Hmmm, I spy the bottle of orange vodka, and the rest is history. Here is my recipe for the Jersey Orange Cream.

Jersey Orange Cream

Pour the following over a glass of ice:

• 1 oz. Orange Vodka (I used Smirnoff)
• 1 oz. Vanilla Vodka (Smirnoff)
• 4 oz. Lemon-Lime Soda (I used Fresca)

Does this get a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT, LUSH IT A LOT, or LEAVE IT? The Jersey Orange Cream cocktail gets a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT A LOT!!!

I hope you’re having as great a summer as I am.

Salude!

This cocktail came about because about a month ago, I went to mix up a plain old vodka and cranberry juice, and I had everything BUT vodka in my bar. That was more annoying than going in the pantry to grab a cereal bar, and coming away with just the empty cardboard box. Tres annoying!

BUT, I digress. Anyway there was a bottle of vanilla vodka in my freezer. So, I filled a glass with ice, dropped an ounce of vanilla vodka in, topped it with 3 oz. of DIET cranberry juice, and dressed it with a fresh cut lime. Ummmmmmm!

Thus was born the SKINNY CRANILLA! Everybody that’s tried it has loved this one!

So, LUSH IT, LUSH IT A LOT, or LEAVE IT? The Skinny Cranilla definately gets a Semi-HomeTested rating of LUSH IT A LOT!

Salude!