Derby Day Cocktail Recipes

Today is the big day! Enjoy the Run For The Roses with the traditional Mint Julep or the girlier "Oaks Lily" drink.

Official Mint Julep
2 fluid ounces Early Times® Kentucky Whisky
1 tablespoon simple syrup
Mint sprigs
Crushed ice

Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 bunch fresh mint sprigs

Directions
Crush a few mint leaves in the bottom of an 8-oz. glass, then fill with crushed ice. Add one tablespoon of simple syrup and one tablespoon of water. Add 2 ounces of Early Times. Stir gently until glass frosts. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig, sip and enjoy. Hint: I like to add a bit more syrup to mine and maybe a splash of tonic or soda to take the kick out!

Simple syrup directions: Combine sugar and water. Boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Pour mix over a handful of mint leaves, and gently crush the mint with a spoon. Refrigerate overnight in a closed jar. Remove mint leaves, but continue to refrigerate. Stays fresh for several weeks.

Finlandia Oaks Lily

1 oz. Finlandia Vodka

1 oz. sweet & sour mix

3 oz. cranberry juice

Splash of triple sec

Serve over crushed ice with an orange and cherry garnish!

Shower Power: Recipes from my Southern Style Bash

I am totally a semi-homemade girl. I am envious of my super-hostess friends that create amazing things like roasted red peppers on french bread with lemon caper butter but let's face it - that is just not me. When I threw Lauren's shower last week I got home from work at 6:30 and guests started coming at 7 so I did lots of prepping the night before.

One thing that made it more simple was picking a "theme" for the food. I often go with Tex-Mex because it is easy, colorful, and everyone loves it. I like to choose dishes that require some of the same ingredients so I have less to buy at the store. For Lauren's shower I served:

• Homemade Black Bean and Corn Salsa
  
• Pinwheels - tortillas, cream cheese and the bean and corn salsa
  
• Chicken Enchilada Dip - chicken, more cream cheese and a few other things
  
• Taquitos - just throw in the oven and serve with a trio of interesting dips
  
• Chuy's Chips and Jalapeno Ranch dip - that stuff is so good there is a Facebook Fan Club for it
  
• Simple Sangria Wine
  
• Hey Cupcake! cupcakes from a bakery here in Austin, topped with my personalized cupcake toppers
  

Everything went well together and with a few added dishes from the girls we had quite a feast! Here are the recipes for some of our favorite book club treats:

Chicken Enchilada Dip

• In a skillet, mix 2 cans white meat chicken (drained) with 8 oz cream cheese and a sprinkle of taco seasoning
• Once cream cheese is melted, add 6 oz mayo, 4 oz can of diced green chilies and diced tomatoes if you wish
  
• Put in casserole dish, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 25 min on 350
  
• Serve with Fritos. Tastes amazing - like a creamy casserole you can scoop with a chip!

Mary Catherine's Hot Artichoke Dip

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

1 can (14oz) artichoke hearts, quartered

3/4 cup mayo*

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. Tabasco

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Mix all of the ingredients and place in a greased au gratin dish. Bake at 500 for 10 minutes until browned and bubbly.

*You can totally use reduced fat/ low-fat mayo if you want. That's what I always do and I still think it tastes good.

Simple Sangria

I have shared this one before but people always ask me how I made it and although I wish I could lie and say its so hard, its not. Just mix 1 part Sprite (Diet works, and so does orange soda) with 2 parts Carlo & Rossi Sangria. Add sliced oranges or apples for color. Serve over ice and watch guests drink pitchers of it!

Tuscany in Texas

This past weekend was the long awaited "Girls Wine Weekend 2009." I took a group of friends out to our ranch in Lometa, Texas, for some food, fun, friends and fine wine. About an hour away from Fredericksburg, the ranch was a great get away for us and very relaxing. After a long night on Friday, we headed out to visit some wineries on Saturday. For those of you in the area, Fredericksburg is a great little town and the wineries around it are the 2nd best wine destination in the country, behind Napa. I would highly recommend it for a girls weekend, bachelorette party or romantic get-a-way with the significant other.

We started off at Woodrose Winery, where one of the Husbands fraternity brothers is the wine maker. We had an amazing time, complete with private tour and tastings straight out of the wine barrel! I would highly recommend it to anyone, they have a large patio set in some shady trees and will soon have a dance hall for some late night fun!

We also stopped at Becker Vineyards, where I am a big fan of the Muscat Canelli. It was there that I spotted this gorgeous tin bar. I have been lusting after a piece of old tin for the wall just like it and just had to take a picture for future reference:


The ranch is a great little place to get away and it is also home to some of my more rustic craft projects. I created this wooden sign to look like the one at the Dixie Chicken in College Station using some simple 2 x 4's, a dremel tool and some outdoor latex paint. I has been hanging from the porch for a few years and is starting to have that old barn wood look.


Also hanging out there is this Texas flag I made. I hand stitched the flag from some fabric. Then I added some stitching along the seams to make it seem more handmade. I used a wood burning tool to burn the Rockin' BS logo onto the star and finished it off with a soak in some water with tea bags to add an aged look. I framed the flag in an inexpensive barn wood frame from Hobby Lobby. I gave both the creations to my in-laws for Christmas.


So, if any of your are in the area, I encourage you to take a weekend and go visit the wineries and all Fredericksburg has to offer. You might just get a little tast of Tuscany in Texas!

Everyone is Swapping!

So, last week I posted this about an accessories swap party I hosted. If you didn't read it last week, you should, it was a big hit with all the friends.

Well, today, the BF called me to tell me she had read an article in Real Simple Magazine about hosting a swap party! I couldn't believe it, I have been wanting to have one for years and here they go laying out all the rules and sharing with everyone! They even have a custom E-vite template you can use to send out to guests!

So, now it can not be any easier for you to host your own party. So get to Swapping and see what you come up with, just remember you heard it here first!