National Tequila Day… A little history and a tequila recipe round up

Seems every day these days is some sort of National Food Day, and I'm the first to admit that I don't really pay much attention.  However… National Tequila Day???  Totally caught my attention!

Being a "Margarita Girl" for some 20+ years I've had my fair share of the spirit, but as I've aged I've ditched the calorie-filled cocktails and simply stuck with pure, straight tequila.  Enjoying a bit of a bite and a squeeze of lime, I wouldn't call myself a tequila connoisseur but I've definitely improved my palate and I've come to appreciate tequila in all areas of cocktails and food.

Tequila's history dates to the 16th century, with roots back even further.  A decedent of Pulque - a beverage fermented by the Aztec's from the sap of the maguey plant and later the agave plant - and Mezcal (the first distilled beverage in North America), the concoction first went by the name of "Mezcal Wine" or "Agave Wine", finally taking on the name of a small town in Jalisco, Mexico - Tequila.

Distilled from the sap of the hearts of the blue agave plant, the first licensed manufacturer is a name most people will recognize, Jose Antonio Cuervo. Receiving the rights to cultivate an agave-filled parcel of land by the King of Spain, the rest is history.

By the mid 19th century Curevo's fields held some three million agave plants, and Cuervo was selling 10,000 barrels of tequila in Guadalajara alone. Cuervo is still one of the largest tequila manufacturers along with other familiar names including Srs. Herradura and Sauza.

Today tequila can be found at nearly any price point and has gained a somewhat trendy following leading many to ask the question "Is Tequila the new Vodka?".  With celebrity-owned tequilas ranging from Casamigos (George Clooney) to 901 (Justin Timberlake) to Cabo Wabo (Sammy Hagar), tequila seems to be on the road to even more popularity.

And now we celebrate July 24th, National Tequila Day!  What's your favorite brand, or do you have a favorite tequila recipe??  We'd love to hear your thoughts!!!

But... in case you're in need of a recipe we've got a few favorites in our National Tequila Day Roundup

Cheers!

Roasted Jalapeño and Pineapple Infused Tequila - Liv Life

Tequila Lime Watermelon Granita - Recipe Renovator

Strawberry Mango Tequila Sunrise - The Girls in the Little Red Kitchen

Triple Citrus Pomegranate Margaritas -  Spicy RD

Mango Coconut Margarita - Snappy Gourmet

Strawberry Margarita Punch - The Cookie Rookie

Champagne Margaritas - The Kitchen is my Playground

Mexican Martini - Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine

Strawberry Habañero Margaritas - Spabettie

Coconut Creamsicle Margaritas - DrinkedIN

Strawberry Mango Margarita -  Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine

Frozen Watermelon Margaritas - Liv Life

Super Skinny Margarita -  Family Fresh Meals

Mango Passion Fruit Margarita - Laylita's Recipes

Key Lime Raspberry Margarita - Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Frozen Peach Margarita - Miss in the Kitchen

Spicy Cucumber Margaritas - A Cozy Kitchen

Colada Margarita - Cooking on the Front Burner

Rhubarb Paloma - The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen

Mango Strawberry Margaritas - Wine and Glue

Blueberry Lime Margaritas - Heather Christo

Layered Margarita Popsicles - The Cookie Rookie

Tropical Tequila Sunrise Popsicles -Real Food by Dad

Margarita Lime Jell-O Cubes - Liv Life

Ocean Margarita Jelly Shots - Delish

Strawberry Margarita Jell-O Shots - Liv Life

Mexican Coffee - Diethood

Margarita Cupcakes - Love From the Oven

Margarita Lime Sherbet - Around my Family Table

Margarita Lime Cheesecake - Liv Life

Watermelon Margarita Cupcakes - Cooking with Curls

Frozen Margarita Lime Pie - Liv Life

Margarita Hint-of-Lime Cupcakes with Margarita Buttercream -  The Kitchen is my Playground

Margarita Cookies with Salty Sweet Tequila Glaze - Love From the Oven

Roasted Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa - Recipe Renovator

Tequila Lime Chicken Fajitas - Persnickety Plates

Girls Night Guacamole - Love From the Oven

Tequila Lime Fruit Salad - Taste of Home

Honey Lime Tequila Shrimp Tacos - Tartine and Apron String

Tequila Lime Fish Tacos - Love and Lemons

Mole Chicken Wings with Tequila Lime Marinade - Eat the Love

Tequila Lime Flank Steak Fajitas - How Sweet it is

Tequila Lime Shrimp and Quinoa Salad - Iowa Girl Eats

Frozen Watermelon Margaritas in Celebration of National Tequila Day!

We all identify with some holidays more than others.  For instance, I have a friend who lives Christmas nearly all year round while I struggle to get into the spirit for just a few weeks in December.  Other friends pine for Valentines Day and still others are all about the red, white and blue of the 4th of July.  Me??  I tend to prefer holidays that somehow revolve around food with Thanksgiving right up there on the top of my list.  Another favorite though, has to be National Tequila Day.

Not quite a Hallmark Holiday, July 24th, or National Tequila Day, can be celebrated year round.  Whether you prefer your tequila straight, with a squeeze of lime, or blended into a tart margarita, there are a plethora of choices out there and something for most everyone.

Years ago I was known as a "Margarita Girl", but as I aged matured my preferences changed.  I've always liked a strong tequila taste, and this somehow morphed into actually preferring tequila straight rather than sweetened in a Margarita.  Find me a good sipping tequila and you have my cocktail of choice.

As such, you can imagine my sheer joy at receiving a box, actually a day after my birthday, filled with samples of Casa Noble Tequila!  We det all sorts of blog mail here at Liv Life, but this has to rank up there as one of the most fun.

With summer in full swing and a neighborhood gathering on the horizon, a tequila cocktail seemed to be in order, and that perfectly ripe watermelon from the farmer's market just begged to be included.  Making both rocks and blended frozen margarita versions, I positively shocked myself by preferring the simple frozen concoction which simply burst with summer brightness.

Using the Casa Noble Crystal (I love the name!), the first requirement is definitely to sip.  Pure, clean and crisp, the Crystal lives up to its name and is truly a delight.  Mixed with a few simple and fresh ingredients, our Frozen Watermelon Margarita is slightly sweet and smooth, and might I say the perfect libation by the pool on a hot afternoon.

How will you celebrate National Tequila Day??  We'd love to hear your favorite recipes!!

Frozen Margarita Lime Pie

Say the word "Margarita" and you have my attention.  A self-proclaimed margarita snob, I like my margarita tart and strong with a heavy dose of lime.  Being somewhat particular, I've been known to send drinks back time and again when they boast only a sweet, somewhat limey and no tequila flavor.  With some 25+ years of margarita experience, I finally know what I like.

And what I like more than the drink itself just may be this Frozen Margarita Lime Pie.  Going against all of my rules, this pie is creamy, somewhat sweet with only a very, very faint hint of tequila (and that might only be because I doubled the ingredient in my pie...).  It does however bring a fabulous lime punch that brings a smile of approval to my face and makes the most perfect summer dessert.

Taking part in the ever popular Pass the Cook Book Club (where we reach to use the sometimes neglected cookbooks already on our shelves, or at least on Kita's shelf), Kita has once again chosen a winner, and another one that I personally don't have on my shelf but after trying this recipe I just might have to buy.  Slushed!: More Than 150 Frozen, Boozy Treats for the Coolest Happy Hour Ever, by Jessie Cross, boasts an Amazon bargain price of under $6.78 (that's under 5¢ a recipe!) and if this Frozen Margarita Pie is a sign of the rest of the book, I'm sold.

Using low-fat cream cheese in my version, no one was any the wiser and my calorie guilt reduced.  The addition of lime juice and zest (we did add a little lemon too) brought a wonderful margarita flavor that combined beautifully with the little bit of tequila and Grand Marnier.  Reminiscent of a cheesecake, I actually preferred the pie a bit less frozen, though others liked the fresh from the freezer texture.

Definitely a keeper, this recipe will be making the rounds this summer everywhere we need to bring a dish.  Thanks Kita!  (I just ordered the book...)

Football Food - Super Bowl Food is here!

Around the first grade my boy discovered football.  After his first touchdown pass at the Y his head was filled with dreams of becoming a famous quarterback, and collecting football cards by the dozens became an all consuming obsession. Simply throwing the football with Daddy could go on for hours after Daddy's arm gave out, and the Super Bowl?  Well, it became the pinnacle of life.

Since throwing our first Super Bowl party some nine years ago, times have changed.  The first party found a couple of 6 year old boys dressed in their favorite jerseys embracing the game with their dads, and deeming the day "Our Day of Eating Junk Food".  Pringles, M&M's, and sugar-filled soda filled the tables and everyone was happy.

Fast forward nine years and those cute little boys have transformed into handsome young men with car keys.  Their football interest, however, has waned and now they don't even show up for the game, preferring to spend their afternoons at the beach surfing.  While the parents may have matured slightly as well with a little extra gray in our hair and more pronounced smile lines around our eyes, we can still rock a football jersey.

At its peak, the Liv Life Super Bowl Party had no less that 50 guests squished into our average-sized family room around our old-fashioned, non-HD TV with pieces of Becky's Famous Football Stromboli in our hands.  Those Pringles and M&M's have remained a staple on our football table, but these old favorites are now accompanied with some higher end football food choices such as homemade sushi, Coconut Shrimp, Margarita Jell-O Shots and of course my husband's old family Queso recipe (shhh... don't tell anyone, but it's cream cheese melted with a can of Hormel chili - we have it once a year.).

Unfortunately, this year my husband's schedule has him out of town on Super Sunday, and as such we will not be hosting our special group of friends for what has become a tradition for the last 9 years.  As he flies off to some far away city, I think I will be a bit sad in my empty house, but the special memories of years past will carry me through.  As a change of pace... maybe Liv and I will actually go shopping.

Over the years we have lived an evolution of our Super Bowl Party and have discovered what works well along the way.  With just a little planning you too can have a table set for a feast and perhaps even outshine those 49ers.

Planning your Party

First of all, don't try to undertake everything yourself - have your guests bring a dish.  In the past we organized guests and assigned salads, main foods, desserts, etc., but with our Super Bowl Party Evolution came a more relaxed attitude and we simply asked everyone to bring whatever they deemed their favorite Football Food.  Yes, some years we had lots of chicken wings and stromboli.  Other years though, brought an even balance of all things football.  Either way it was alway fun.

The Party Store.  While I'm not usually a paper/plastic disposable product fan, I do allow myself to be a little less green on Super Bowl Day.  Football themed appetizer plates and napkins from the Party Store don't cost much, save lots of cleanup time and bring a football party flair to the table.

Plastic cocktail sized cups save broken glass on the floor during those inevitable dropped cup moments, and a cheap, football emblazoned plastic table liner makes cleaning up a breeze.

Liv Life Note:  I couldn't bring myself to drink wine out of a plastic cup, so real wine glasses are always on our football table.

Soda and water - always popular with kids as well as adults, however buying full sized cans of soda often left me with half full cans scattered around my yard and house at the end of the day.  Our Super Bowl Party Evolution had me buying litre bottles of soda in place of full sized cans and supplying plastic cups (place a sharpie in the cup area for people to write their names on the cups).

For water I placed pitchers of tap water around the food table and drink area, and filled the cooler with the smaller, almost kid-sized, single serving water bottles which I found would more often be emptied than the larger sized single servings. 

Cocktails.  Each year our Super Bowl Event featured a special cocktail in addition to beer and wine.  Margaritas are always popular and our Sunny Citrus Blush was also an oft requested libation.  The goal though, is to not have the host also be bartender, hence spending nearly the entire game filling drink orders.  Coolers of beer become self serve with an attached a bottle opener to the side of the cooler and a stack of those familiar red solo cups.

If you would like wine at your party, place a few bottles out along with the glasses and put the opener within reach.

For our mixed cocktail of the day, our only requirement was that it must be mixed ahead of time.  My husband obtained a not-so-pretty but ever-so-useful plastic blue camping jug which made its appearance every year on my "pretty" buffet table, but which also gained a reputation for always containing something worth trying. 

Chips and Dips.  In the early years I found that I over did the food.  I worried that someone might not like a certain type of chip or dip, hence I provided several choices which filled up our table and ended up leaving decent portions of each remaining at the end of the game.  Evolution brought tortilla chips with one or two dips along side and then empty bowls and less waste.

Hot food.  Keeping hot food to a minimum allows the hostess to spend more time with her guests rather than cooking in the kitchen.  With as much prep work done in advance as possible, I would have a dish or two that could to be popped into the oven in a flash, then simply served when done.  I would usually plan a hot dish (stromboli, shrimp, wings) to be ready as people arrived, then prepare another to be ready at half time as the half seemed to bring on a sort of grazing frenzy with everyone fueling up to get through the 2nd part of the game. 

Pools and Betting.  Betting pools are always popular and seem to increase interest in the game.  Everyone, even those not really interested in football, would be watching scores and keeping track of plays as they checked their numbers.  Lucky to have a neighbor takeover this responsibility, we had the simple "square" pool which scored on the game quarters and finish, in addition to a trivia/luck pool. 

With the trivia/luck pool, the first page included 6-10 historical trivia questions (amazingly, someone always seems to know things like "What player has won the most Super Bowl MVP awards?"  - Just FYI, it's my man Joe.).  The back page included more luck-type questions like, what type of commercial will be first?  Will the first score be from a pass, run or other?  Will the winning team win by more than 10 points?  etc.

Liv Life

Football Food and Drinks

With the Evolution of our Super Bowl parties, or perhaps simply our maturing ages, our tastes have changed (I would say improved!) and have included all of the following "football food" over the past few years

- click the title to be taken to the recipe -

Roasted Jalapeño and Pineapple Tequila

Margarita-Lime Jello Cubes

Lemon Drop Jello Shots

Strawberry Margarita Jello Shots

Citrus Blush

Waleska's Sangria

Becky's Famous Football Stromboli

Caramelized Onion Dip

click here to see Becky's (Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves) version of this dip including sun-dried tomatoes!

Coconut Mango Chicken Cups

Blue Cheese and Walnut Spread with Pears

Savory Stuffed Sourdough Baguette

Hummus with Garlic, Cumin and Lemon

Classic Peanut Butter Criss Cross Cookies

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake

Chocolate Red Wine Cake

Margarita Lime Jello Cubes (Shots)

Years ago, when I was hip and young, staying home on New Years Eve was "totally not cool".  For my more mature self in 2012, however, a nice quite night home with the kids was just what the doctor ordered.  Snuggled on the couch with puppies on our laps we rang in the New Year watching the classic It's a Wonderful Life and finding gratitude in the Life we "Liv". 

Our last minute change in plans however, left us with a gorgeous batch of Margarita Lime Jell-O shots... a use my dad probably had not envisioned when he brought over a Trader Joe's sized bag of limes from his tree, though a use he is probably wishing he had been a part of.

Tart and potent, these jiggly cubes of margarita go down easy, especially when dipped into a sweet lime sugar that brings a definite "Pow" to the senses when popped into your mouth.  Unflavored Knox Original Gelatin allows true margarita flavors to shine through uninhibited by the usual flavored Jell-O.

Combined with fresh squeezed lime and lemon juices, a touch of sugar and a splash of Grand Marnier, these little guys can become somewhat addicting.  Note to self:  when photo shooting said Margarita Shots in the morning, perhaps one should not eat all the scraps from trying to make perfectly shaped cubes...

Pouring the prepared gelatin into a prepared baking dish and then cutting eases the prep and cost of those little plastic shot cups, and a simple topping of a tiny lime wedge sure catches the eye.  Sugar mixed with grated lime peel adds an attractive and sparkly addition to your serving plate with its pretty green flecks contrasting with the golden hues of the cubes as it brings an additional layer of flavor to the shot.

Margarita Lime Cheesecake

Cinco de Mayo ranks right up there in holiday food with Thanksgiving.  Frankly, we frequently have Southwestern Thanksgiving's complete with a Cinco do Mayo flair in place of total tradition.  Who says margaritas don't go with turkey??

My real celebration though, usually begins on Tres de Mayo.  You see, some 21 years ago I met my husband on Tres de Mayo, yes, in a Mexican restaurant.  Who knew that the chance encounter with me living in Northern California and he in the Air Force, based in Enid, OK, would lead to the lives we live together today?  Somehow we breached those many miles between us and it was meant to be.

As margaritas have always appealed to both of us and with those same sweet/tart beverages being a part of our first meeting, a creamy Margarita Cheesecake seems to be a fitting way to begin our Tres de Mayo celebrations.  With a little fore-planning I even made an extra so we can continue the Celebrations all the way thorough Cinco!  (That an my neighbor begged!)

Lower in fat cream cheese provides a rich, creamy base that doesn't at all suffer in either taste or texture from the loss of those unneeded calories.  Light sour cream and a generous helping of Margarita "fixn's" - lime, tequila and my beloved Grand Marnier - complete the package bringing a light yet brimming with flavor, creamy confection to your celebration.

Oft requested, this is one of those desserts that ranks up there with our all time favorites.  A staple for summer picnics or a bright treat in mid winter, it is worthy of any special occasion.

Roasted Jalapeño and Pineapple Infused Tequila

Crisp, vibrant, tart Margaritas have always been my cocktail of choice, the stronger the tequila bite the better.  However, after I reached that 40 year mark and watching calories has become a bit more of a requirement, I've tried to reduce sugars.  Realizing that a smallish size margarita can pack as much as 300 calories along with a cupful of those dreaded sugars, I began following the advice of Jillian Michaels and have left the mixers behind, enjoying my tequila straight.

Even in those college days when we were thinking that Cuervo 1800 was "the good stuff" the amber libation appealed to me.  As I've aged (matured??) I've found that there is some really "good stuff" out there, and that the 1800 really isn't it!  A few of my current favorite sippers include Tres Agaves, Corazon, Partida, Casa Noble (it's organic!) and a new Costco find (and better priced!) El Agave.

Seeking something "more" from my sippers, Brandon's, Kitchen Konfidence, post of a Roasted Jalapeño Blackberry Margarita piqued my interest with his infused tequila.  Weeks later, a visit to a local Mexican restaurant, Las Olas, had me perusing the margarita menu and an item with Roasted Pineapple and Jalapeño Tequila quickly caught my eye reminding me of Brandon.

Asking our server about the infused tequila, he smiled and said, "I'm the one who makes it!"  Eagerly retrieving a sample for me he quickly had me hooked.  Slightly sweet but with a spicy kick, the tequila went down easily.  After taking far too much of his time asking all sorts of questions I ventured to Trader Joe's and picked up my own pineapple.  Jalapeños from a friend's plant provided some spicy peppers and we got to grilling.

The pineapple and pepper aromas emanating from the grilling fruits were enticing!  As these peppers were exceptionally hot, I seeded them before dropping them into the infusing jar, then adding the pineapple spears and the tequila we were infusing in a flash.  Within hours the aroma of the roasted jalapeño wafted to our noses as we sniffed the concoction, the pineapple taking a few more days to appear.

Part of the fun of infusing is the tasting... one must taste regularly to know when the infusing is finished!  I must say that I was surprised how quickly the flavors melded into something wholly different than what I had poured into the jar.  After only 48 hours we had a pleasing sense of the spicy peppers on the back of the tongue and a fairly strong smokiness.  Removing the peppers we allowed the pineapple to keep working and 4 days later the sweet flavors made an appearance.   As our pineapple flavor seemed somewhat overwhelmed by the roasted pepper I added a few additional spears to release some fresh juice into the infusion and 24 hours later we had a slightly spicy, slightly sweet tequila that we proclaimed "finished"!

Testing the tequila with a simple Margarita recipe of fresh lime juice, our tequila and a splash of Grand Marnier over ice, we found a wonderful margarita shining with the flavors of the roasted jalapeño, the pineapple however, got lost somewhere in the mix.

Serving the infused tequila at Super Bowl brought mixed reactions.  One guest (our guest poster Dan of Becky's Stromboli) proclaimed that tequila was meant to be tequila, not something else and he promptly returned to the non-infused versions.  Another comment described it as "a very strong yet flavorful cocktail", and other simply smiled with pleasure as the melded flavors sent a pleasant warmth through her body.  Seems this one of those fairly subjective tastes, and you will either like it or you won't.  Our bottle was nearly half gone after the game, so I'm thinking that most people liked it!

For myself, I'm thankful that I didn't put it all out for our Super Bowl event and that I tucked away that other small bottle all for me.  I've dipped into it more than once on those nights when a little "pick-me-up" is in order.

Cheers!

Strawberry Margarita Jell-O Shots

When thinking of Super Bowl foods strawberries don't usually make the cut.  However... mix the strawberries with a little tequila and turn them into a margarita and you are getting closer!  With our sunny Citrus Blush already mixed and in the pitcher we weren't really in need of another cocktail, but when I came across these cute little shots I couldn't resist putting them on my Super Bowl Extravaganza Table.  

Hollowed out strawberries work as a vehicle for a Jell-0 concoction of strawberry gelatin, tequila and a touch of Grand Marnier.  Garnished with cute little wedges of lime these little shots are absolutely adorable!

Strawberry season here in San Diego is a tad behind schedule and I had a bit of trouble finding those beautiful, plump and bright red berries, but we made do with the Farmer's Market offerings and found some that were good enough.  Hollowing out the berry is a bit of a chore, and I pierced the bottom of the berry on more than one occasion.  Note to self:  If there is a hole of any size in the bottom of the berry the Jell-O will flow right through!

The gelatin is mixed with water, 4 oz of tequila and 2 oz of Grand Marnier.  When mixing, the "potion" smelled just like a Strawberry Margarita!  The next hurdle was to actually get the Jell-O into the hollowed out berries... not an easy feat.  Luckily Liv came to the rescue!  Suffering with a sinus infection the pharmacist had filled her antibiotics and given us a baby dropper to take the medicine dose.  Being 11 years old, we laughed at the baby dropper and stuck it in the drawer.  Remembering this little dropper at the last minute, we pulled it out, sucked up about a Tbs of the Jell-O and squirted it into the berry.  Ideal!!

The berries were adorable on the table and garnered "Ooohs and Aaahh's" from the crowd, but upon tasting, most people could not taste anything but sweet Jell-O and the berry.  None of the "Margarita" flavor seemed to make its way onto the taste buds.  So while these little guys are visually perfect for the table, they didn't pack the punch I was hoping for.

The recipe and directions can be found on the Baker's Royale blog and I really think that with the proper tweaking they could pack more of a Margarita Punch.  Definitely worth playing with for the visual impact that they made.  Next time I would probably double (at least!) the tequila (reducing the same amount of water) and see what we can come up with.  To be continued... (someday!)

Edited 2/10/11:  Tamera, in the comment section below, suggests using all liquor in the gelatin mix, no water.  My friend, Becky (of Becky's Football Stromboli) suggested the same thing

Edited 1/26/12:  After the success of our New Years Eve Margarita Lime Jello Cubes, I would fill the strawberries with this tempting concoction! 

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