Sparkling Strawberry Champagne Cocktail

Sometimes even the best laid plans go awry, don't they?  Take Mother's Day for instance.  I had plans of being unabashedly spoiled by my family.  Think pancakes prepared for me (not by me), someone else doing the dishes, a nice long nap and then dinner with my own mom.  Sigh... all the makings of a "perfect" leisurely day, yes?

Alas, the fantasy somehow doesn't always quite unfold as planned, and now I find myself questioning, "What really is prefect, anyway?".

Liv adding in a last minute dance competition on Mother's Day found me up at 4:50AM making pancakes to fuel her for the morning.  Rushing, we just made our 5:15 departure with hair and makeup done, costumes in hand, and lunch prepared and packed for the day.  Luckily our travel time to San Diego took a mere 26 minutes getting us to UCSD early, however I had left the kitchen strewn with the remnants of pancake and lunch prep along a list waiting for me to finish before my parents arrived later that evening for dinner.  

My Liv... :)

Competition days are exciting and bring me complete joy as I watch my confident, beautiful girl up there on that stage, however, after some 6 hours surrounded by blaring music and hundreds of teenage dancers one's head can begin to ache a bit.

Arriving home by 2PM and with only 2 1/2 hours to get dinner on the table I set to cleaning the kitchen from the morning mess and I'll admit to feeling a bit miffed that no one stepped up to help.   It was Mother's Day after all, wasn't it?

Hours later with a tidy kitchen, freshly made garlic and sundried tomato bread (my mom's favorite - recipe coming soon!), dinner prepared and dessert baked, Mom and Dad arrived and I shared a beer with my dad completely forgetting to prepare the Strawberry Champagne Cocktail I had planned.

After a lovely dinner, my husband and I cleaned up the kitchen again and I longed for a bath and bed when my son called in needed help with an issue at college.  Just finishing the call, Liv came down needing help with her homework and my husband commented that his uniform shirts weren't ready for him to head to work in the morning.  Sigh.

Feeling tired, overlooked, and even a little unappreciated, I finally found that bath.  Easing my tired back my phone beeped as my son texted a thanks for helping him along with "Looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks.  I have a few friends I hope you'll be able to meet."  Wow... he really wants me to meet his friends?  My heart lifted.

Popping in later to tell Liv goodnight she said, "Come here..." and enveloping me in a huge hug it was the "Mom... I'm so lucky God gave me to you.  You're the best mom ever.  I don't know what I'd do without you!" that completely melted my heart.

Heading to bed my husband also embraced me whispering, "You were amazing today... thanks for holding our family together."

It was then that I reflected that yes... my day had indeed been perfect after all.  I spent Mother's Day doing exactly what I love.  Being a mom.  And I wouldn't change a thing.

And so the spoiling was left for today when Stacy of Food Lust People Love completely spoiled me with her version of this fabulous Strawberry Champagne Cocktail.  May's Blogger Clue Series (#BloggerClue) prompt of "Berries" transported me to the other side of the world where I perused Stacy's incredible recipes and learned a bit about her life in Dubai.  With her lovely smile and kind heart, Stacy references her many travels and warms my heart with her love of her girls, husband and adorable boxer, Beso.

Choosing from a  plethora of luscious berry recipes including Blueberry Muffins, raspberry treats and even more strawberry muffins and breads,  this Strawberry Champagne Cocktail had been meant for Mother's Day, but ended up being the perfect complement to a spontaneous Day After Mother's Day brunch with my husband as we laughed and completed the photo shoot together.

So here's to Stacy, a mom like me who gets by day to day and loves her job as much as I do.  Cheers my friend!  Thanks for spoiling me today.

And now won't you join me as we discover what the rest of our lovely Blogger Clue Society brings to the table?

• Blackberry Yogurt Muffins by Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch
• Blueberry Bars by Lora from Cake Duchess
• Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake by Heather from girlichef
• Blueberry Lemon Bars by Christiane from Taking on Magazines
• Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Muffins by Alice from A Mama, Baby and Shar-pei in the Kitchen
• Blueberry Sour Cream Cake by Jean from Lemons and Anchovies
• Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes and Frosting by Kelli from Kelli's Kitchen
• Irish Blackberry Cobbler Cocktail by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Italian Jam Cookies by Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Lemon Cheesecake Parfaits with Raspberry Sauce by Rebekah from Making Miracles
• Raspberry Muffins by Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Raspberry Oat Bars by Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Strawberry and Coconut Tartlets by Anna from annaDishes
• Strawberry Champagne Cocktail by Kim from Liv Life
• Strawberry Fool by Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme
• Strawberry Lemon Marmalade by Debra from Eliot's Eats
• Strawberry Margaritas by Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Strawberry Mousse by Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Tapioca Cream Strawberry Parfait by Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
• Vanilla Roasted Peaches with Mascarpone and Raspberries by Kathleen from Bakeaway with Me

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!!

Espresso Martini with Homemade Coffee Liquor #CocktailDay

Welcome to Cocktail Day, a multi-blogger event co-hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic, Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake, and Donna of Cookistry. We are raising our glasses to toast you all with some unique and delicious cocktails and mocktails in anticipation of the Big Game and Valentine’s Day. Be sure to bookmark or pin these creative beverages for your next gathering. We hope you enjoy this marvelous event and the incredible giveaways from our generous sponsors. Cheers!

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How do you like your martini??  Shaken?  Stirred?  Traditional with gin or perhaps vodka and possibly flavored?  In a proper martini glass or a simple tumbler??

Apparently the perfect martini is somewhat elusive and best served with quality ingredients in a delicate martini glass.  It's been said that a proper martini is made with gin and one part vermouth, then strained into a chilled stemmed martini glass - anything else must have an adjective to describe the martini, such as a Vodka Martini, etc.

As for me, I'd just like to like any martini.  Having grown up on James Bond movies, I most certainly would order my martini shaken and not stirred, and as James prefers the Vodka Martini, I would want the same.

Hence, some 20 years ago that's exactly what I ordered, and heavens that is one strong drink - especially for this lightweight!  Tasted to me only of alcohol, and I didn't find a single thing pleasing about the experience with the exception of the shaker and the glass.

To this day, I'm not really fond of martinis, but because I love that sexy glass so much, I keep trying.  And today I have a martini I've enjoyed, though I'm not sure it would classify as a proper martini, as it's made with homemade coffee liquor, espresso and vodka.

Following a recipe I found online, the finished product was the most pleasing martini I've enjoyed, but for myself I'd take away some of the sweetness, allowing more of the pure espresso flavors to shine through.  Coffee Liquor is, for the most part, fairly sweet.  Hence, creating this cocktail allows you to follow your sweet tooth, or lack there of by mixing around the ingredients until you find your perfect version.

But before we reach for the shaker, take a peek at this fabulous giveaway in honor of #CocktailDay!

Our sponsors for Cocktail Day are Molecule-R, Page St. Publishing, Race Point Publishing, Fair Winds Press, Microplane, and Not So Simple Syrup. Molecule-R can be found on facebook, and YouTube. 

Molecular gastronomy can be defined as the fusion of food science and culinary arts. Molecular gastronomy by Molecule-R is a cookbook with stunning recipes explained and illustrated with the intelligence and aesthetic beauty that defines the MOLECULE-R brand.  Mojito R-Evolution teaches you how to deconstruct your mojito into floating mint caviar and spectacular foams or encapsulate your favorite cocktail into a sphere that will explode in your mouth.  Margarita R-Evolution teaches you how to create a margarita slush topped with a fresh lemon mousse, add a splash of colour by creating blue azure suspended pearls or encapsulate your margarita into an edible cocktail! Cosmo R-Evolution teaches you how to add a molecular twist to your traditional cosmo sure to awe your guests.  Serve a cosmopolitan bubble on a spoon that will pop in your mouth, top off your cocktail with a light fluffy cranberry foam or suspend citrus caviar in your drink.

Microplane can be found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Microplane is a division of family-owned Grace Manufacturing Inc., a long-standing company specializing in the crafting of precision thin metal parts for home and industrial use.  The versatile Ultimate Citrus Tool features Microplane’s surgical grade stainless steel Fine blade. In addition, the Ultimate Citrus Tool features two decorative garnishing blades in a large (.300-inch diameter) and small (.180-inch diameter) size. The blades are made in the USA and are dishwasher safe. Microplane’s sleekly designed and multi-functional Bartender’s Garnishing Tool easily opens bottles, effortlessly zests oranges, lemons, limes, and other types of citrus fruits, and is dishwasher safe.

Not So Simple Syrup can be found on Facebook, and Twitter. Not So Simple Syrup is a a small, local maker of simple syrups. Heidi and Barbie's passion is to create all natural syrups that inspire and stimulate your pension for amazing mixed drinks as well as iced teas and non-alcoholic beverages too. They pride themselves on individual service. When you purchase a NSSS product, you can be sure that it received their personal stamp of approval. The Not So Simple Syrup Survival Gift Basket has two flavours of delicious all natural Not So Simple Syrup, a muddler for the perfect Mojito you might want to create, two glasses and a bar towel.

The list of prizes for Cocktail Day: 2 Individual Copies of Molecule Gastronomy by Molecule-R Cookbook 1 Set of Mojito R-evolution (Molecular Mixology Kit) 1 Set of Margarita R-evolution (Molecular Mixology Kit) 1 Set of Cosmo R-evolution (Molecular Mixology Kit) 1 Copy of The Architecture of the Cocktail sponsored by Race Point Publishing 1 Copy of Apothecary Cocktails sponsored by Fair Winds Press 1 Copy of The Best Craft Cocktails and Bartending with Flair sponsored by Page St. Publishing 1 Not So Simple Gift Basket 1 Microplane Bartender’s Garnishing Tool 1 Microplane Citrus Tool

***This giveaway is intended for each prize to have a separate winner! No person can win multiple prizes. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only . Winners will be chosen by random draw. The winners will be notified via e-mail, and have 3 days to respond or another winner will be chosen.***

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The Origial Caribbean Killer SkinnyTini

Can you see it??  Crystal blue skies, warm turquoise waters and palm fronds swaying gently in the onshore breeze.... it's the Caribbean!  And I've been living the tropical life for the last 14 days.  Celebrating our 20th Anniversary, my husband and I enjoyed a rare two weeks alone as we sailed the Caribbean waters on the Seabourn Sojourn and enjoyed ports including San Juan, St. John, Antigua, St. Barts and the fabulous Isla Catalina in the Dominican Republic. 

As I embark on the travel posts of the trip, I owe a great deal of thanks to my newfound friend and local San Diego girl, Teresa Howes.  You see, thanks to Teresa, I'm heading to the Caribbean, new bikini packed in my carry on bag along with a new confidence to don the costume that I've not had in years.

Stumbling across Teresa's 30-Day Juicing Challenge just over a month ago, she gave me the kick I needed to drop those few pounds that have been hanging around my middle for the last few years.  Beginning the challenge, my husband and I began our mornings with a plethora of juice concoctions (his favorite continues to be the Coconut Lime Detox Drink) and added servings of fruits and veggies to replace plates of pancakes while also increasing our exercise.  Some six weeks later, we're ready for the beach, and I'm ever so thankful to Teresa for the inspiration to get moving down a healthier path.

Chatting with Teresa we agreed to swap guest posts, and she suggested a bringing us a SkinnyTini.  Hmmm... SkinnyTini?  The phrase sounded so familiar.  And then it hit me, she was that Teresa, the one who wrote the book sitting on my girlfriends bookshelf and the one that we've used ever so often.  SkinnyTinis: :All the Fun for Half the Calories, is a skinny cocktail makers dream and one that suits my lifestyle.  Frequently I try to mix my beverages with non-caloric mixers, or will simply drink a premium tequila over ice with a squeeze of lime in place of a margarita with the sugary mixings... all in the name of saving those calories which have been tending to reside on my hips more often the older I get.

Today, to kick off our vacation to the Caribbean, Teresa brings us the Original Caribbean Killer SkinnyTini, the one that actually inspired her to write the book that we love so much.  Teresa, thank you for this celebration post, and thank you for inspiring me to drop those pounds.  I'm heading to those blue waters and won't be hiding under my coverup as I hit the beach.  Cheers!!

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The Original Caribbean Killer SkinnyTini

Well while Kim is off in paradise perusing the Caribbean, I’m more than happy to fill some of her airtime with the story of the original SkinnyTini.  It’s so fitting, as I made my very first recipe ever on the beach in Antigua in the winter of 2006.  Well, not physically on the beach, but you get the picture.  It was actually the winter body, on the beach that inspired the skinny cocktail concept!  If you flash back 7 years, you may recall a time when there was no such thing.

I had headed out on a voyage for some fun in the sun to ring in the New Year with a girlfriend on the remote south side of the island.  I was coming off a few months of too much fun, but since it was seasonally chilly, I don’t think I really noticed how the alcohol residue had collected on my tummy, hips and thighs.  But strip that tan-less, chubby body down into a bikini and put in on the beach and the dilemma was all too clear.  But we were on vacation!  Not a time to start a diet. So I vowed to find a compromise, we would only drink our sun-kissed cocktails with zero calorie mixers.  As I read nutrition labels on the local juices and of course sodas, I realized we could easily cut our calories in half!

But it was 2006, and we were on the remote side of the island, where there wasn’t much to offer by way of zero calorie mixers beyond soda water or diet coke – which is not very clever or all that interesting.  We had just traveled clear across the country and then some, and I noticed in my toiletry bag a bottle of pink grapefruit Airborne.  I checked the nutrition label and what luck!  Not only could we color our cocktails with something interesting and boost our health, it had only 5 calories per tablet! Viola, the original SkinnyTini, the Caribbean Killer was born!

This is a true story!

So when I got home, in early 2007 I got a little obsessed with finding fun, creative zero or ultra low calorie mixers and created concoctions that were literally “All the Fun for Half the Calories.”  After a year of playing mixologist in my kitchen, my friends and coworkers encouraged me to “write a book.”  And so I did. And to my surprise, Wiley bought it and published it! In the spring on 2009, “SkinnyTinis – All the Fun for Half the Calories” was published, and will always stand proudly as the original low calorie cocktail book.

So let’s cheers to Kim and her fantasist and well-deserved vacation!

Chocolate Pomegranate Bark and a Champagne Cocktail ~ Celebrating a Year in Pictures

2012... what a year!  Filled with food, travel and my beloved photography, this world has stretched my boundaries and filled my life with the love of good friends combined with the flavors of fabulous food.  I have so much to be thankful for, and as New Year's approaches I'm ready to Celebrate.  Stretching east, my fellow Inspired Plate members are celebrating along with me as we share our final Food Styling and Photography Challenge of the year - Celebration.

2012 Year in Review

With a year of photography challenges under my belt, I took a moment to look back at the work I've submitted during the last 12 months.  While I'm extraordinarily proud of some images, there are a couple that are cringe-worthy.

What brings the most joy though, are not the actual images but the memories of late night chats on Facebook, the supportive comments and critiques of my fellow photographers, and the newly formed friendships that can be found within the members of this special group.

An eclectic group of talented women, The Inspired Plate touches locations across the world.  Starting here on the West Coast of California (I'm in San Diego), the members bring stunning photos to you also from the mid west, the east, Canada and on towards the date line from Perth, Australia.  With varying levels of skills, we have worked together monthly to provide our own interpretations of the given challenges.

Early challenges began simply with "Photography on White" and quickly stepped up the difficulty level with subjects of meat, fish and pasta.  Failing miserably at the "meat" challenge, the Mahi Mahi Tacos we created for the "fish" challenge have become a regular in our meal rotation, and I think I had the most fun writing that particular post.

"Photography on black" proved to be the most difficult to me, while the "pasta" photos took me back to my treasured days in Italy.  My favorite challenge of the year?  Without a doubt ~ The Splash...

The act of freezing time became somewhat addictive and had the entire family participating by dropping objects of all sorts into glasses of liquid.  Relishing the fact that the spilled liquid was not going to make Mommy upset, the splashes grew, and soon the tile of the kitchen floor was slick and the table dripping.  Catching a splash is indeed spectacular when captured properly, however that capture (as shown by my over 500 non-useable shots) is many times elusive.

Bringing back The Splash for our December Celebration Challenge, we bring you a new favorite cocktail worthy of any Celebration and perhaps an ideal libation for your own New Year's Bash welcoming 2013.

Incorporating my very first challenge subject, the pomegranate, we've supplemented a celebratory sparkling wine with a splash of unsweetened pomegranate juice.  Dropping in a few fresh pomegranate aerials we have a festive and flavorful aperitif boasting a few antioxidants with those bubbles.  Bubbles represent happy occasions to me, and whether your bubbles hail from the true Champagne regions of France, the Prosecco versions of Italy, or the sparkling versions of California's Napa Valley, they all exude a similar excitement.

One of the oldest known fruits, the beautiful pomegranate is a native of Persia.  Nutrient dense and antioxidant rich, pomegranates have long been revered as symbols of health, fertility and eternal life.  Also tied to mythology, pomegranates are known as the "Food of the Underworld"...

 The myth of Persephone, the goddess of the Underworld,  features the pomegranate. In one version of Greek mythology, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken off to live in the underworld as his wife. Her mother, Demeter (goddess of the Harvest), went into mourning for her lost daughter and thus all green things ceased to grow. Zeus, the highest ranking of the Greek gods, could not allow the Earth to die, so he commanded Hades to return Persephone. It was the rule of the Fates that anyone who consumed food or drink in the Underworld was doomed to spend eternity there. Persephone had no food, but Hades tricked her into eating six pomegranate seeds while she was still his prisoner and so, because of this, she was condemned to spend six months in the Underworld every year. During these six months, when Persephone is sitting on the throne of the Underworld next to her husband Hades, her mother Demeter mourns and no longer gives fertility to the earth. This became an ancient Greek explanation for the seasons.  (from wikipedia)

With my fingers crossed that each seed I've eaten this year will not commit me to a month in the underworld, our celebration continues with an antioxidant rich Pomegranate Bark.  Dark chocolate and pomegranate combine bringing an irresistible treat that literally pops in your mouth.  Aerials stirred into and sprinkled on top of the melted chocolate literally burst with flavor and bring a double dose of those ever popular antioxidants in addition a simply wonderful dessert.

As we close this emotional year of 2012, I thank my newfound Inspired friends for their never ending advice, professionalism and simple friendship.  I'm looking forward to the challenges of 2013 with excitement (as well as a touch of trepidation), and I'm ever so thankful to be celebrating with this wonderful group today.

Begin a trip around the world with me as I introduce the beautiful Sabrina Wong, a Food Photographer in Perth, Australia and we'll continue our Celebration... summer style!

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.