Sugarcrafter » drinks

Strawberry Rhubarb White Wine Sangria

Tracy — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:57:48 +0000

Dear Mother Nature,

I’m not really sure what’s going on out there, but in case you forgot, it’s supposed to be spring. I was not supposed to wake up and see this. Yes, I realize that it’s upstate NY, and we usually have winter 9 months out of the year. But you see, you’ve spoiled us with all the nice weather we’ve been having all winter long – and well, the mini snow storm we had yesterday? Not cool. So today, instead of enjoying some of this delicious sangria I made a couple days ago when it was still spring, I’m hitting up my Keurig for hot cocoa. On behalf of very cold northerners everywhere, I humbly request that we all move past this pesky little storm as quickly as possible and get on with spring. I’ll even share my sangria. Deal?

Sincerely,
Tracy

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Cake Vodka Martini

Tracy — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:28:40 +0000

I hope you all had a very happy Easter! We definitely did, especially since we changed things up this year and instead of our traditional Easter dinner, we did it up Polish-style. We had fresh kielbasa and sauerkraut, my mother-in-law and I made pierogi using her family’s recipe, and my babcia, my mom, and my sister made so many cabbage rolls that we barely put a dent in them. Everything was delicious, and of course one of the best parts about having all that food is that our freezer is full of the leftovers!

Hosting for nine people was a lot of work though…and sadly I feel like I spent more time in the kitchen than anywhere else. At the end of the day Sunday, I had a nice big glass of wine to relax. Having recently fallen in love with Three Olives’ cake vodka though (it really does taste like a slice of white cake!), next time I will definitely make one of these. I’ve even used Kahlua in place of the chocolate liquer since I love my coffee, and it was pretty darn good. Hope you enjoy it, too!

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Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

Tracy — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:20:17 +0000

While we were in San Diego, I fell in love with a soup & salad bar called Souplantation. It was one of my favorite places to visit for lunch, and now that we’re back on the East coast, I find myself wishing the chain stretched just a little further to reach us (I think the closest one is in North Carolina – road trip)! Not only were all the soups I tried delicious and the salads fresh, but the hubby and I fell in love with their strawberry lemonade (you can barely see it in the photo I took on my phone of my lunch one day, but it’s there in the upper left-hand corner):

It was so refreshing, and I loved that I could see little strawberry seeds in the lemonade! I decided that I needed to recreate it at home, although I toned down the strawberry flavor just a bit to make more of a pink lemonade for spring. There’s really nothing like fresh, homemade lemonade, and I hope you’ll give it a try! Have a great weekend!

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Shamrock Shakes

Tracy — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:56:15 +0000

I’m not normally a huge fan of mint, but every spring when the Shamrock Shake advertisements begin flooding in, I find myself craving one. Fortunately, they are incredibly easy to whip up at home! I’ve provided a link to my homemade vanilla bean ice cream recipe in the ingredients list, but you can certainly substitute store-bought if you don’t want to make your own. I adapted my recipe from Michelle’s Homemade Shamrock Shakes since I think she found the perfect thickness for these shakes, and because the minty flavor isn’t at all overpowering, which is important for someone who doesn’t really love mint. I also enjoy changing things up and making chocolate Shamrock Shakes, simply by adding in a bit of chocolate syrup…a trick I learned from a friend and fellow Shamrock Shake addict last year. Either way, you can’t go wrong with this tasty treat. Have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day this weekend!

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Irish Coffee and Luck of the Irish

Tracy — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:00:05 +0000

When we visited San Diego, I had a list of places I wanted to visit, and one of them was the Japanese Friendship Garden. In college, I did my Language Arts Concentration in the Japanese language, and so I thought it would be really neat to see a beautiful, Japanese-style garden.

Not being used to the traffic, I got lost several times on the way there…and when I finally made it to the park and made the long walk from where I was to the garden (I wasn’t sure where to park, so I was about a mile away), it had begun to drizzle. As I approached the counter to purchase my ticket, I stopped short as I saw the sign with pricing information, and realized I was a dollar short and had no credit cards on me. Feeling defeated, I had just turned to leave when the woman at the counter asked me if she could help.

I told her my story…and to my delight, she graciously offered me the student discount – which was one dollar less – and let me right in. By that time, the drizzling had stopped and the sun was poking out from behind the clouds. Feeling refreshed and thankful for my good fortune, I enjoyed the peace and beauty of the garden.

Today, International Delight has asked me to write about a time when good luck was on my side. For St. Patrick’s Day, they are throwing a Luck of the Irish Contest on Facebook! One grand prize winner will win a trip for two to Ireland, and fifteen runners up will win a year’s supply of International Delight. I don’t know about you, but I could do a lot with a year’s supply of creamer – for instance, in making this delicious Irish coffee. You’ll need:

1 cup freshly brewed coffee
2 Tbsp International Delight Irish cream creamer
2 ounces Irish whiskey
Whipped cream, for topping

Pour the coffee into your favorite mug. Stir in the creamer and the whiskey. Top with whipped cream. Makes one serving.

To enter the contest, all you have to do is join the conversation and tell me about a time when good luck was on your side! Also, for a chance to win a Keurig coffee maker and a year’s supply of International Delight creamer:

Share the Luck of the Irish Facebook Contest with your friends.
Leave a comment letting me know that you’ve invited your friends to enter the contest, and also describe a time when good luck was on your side.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the International Delight Brand. Official Contest Rules. Official International Delight Facebook Contest Rules.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Tracy — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Note: This post was originally published on September 1st, 2009. I have since revised the recipe and instructions for a much easier-to-make syrup that is even better than the original version. I hope you enjoy the syrup, and I hope you enjoy saving money on pumpkin spice lattes!

As far as I’m concerned, as soon as September 1st hits, it’s fall. I absolutely love fall. The leaves changing, the cool, crisp air, jeans & hoodies, and of course, the wonderful flavors of fall, including pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. However, while I love the coffee, I do NOT love shelling out almost $5 per latte. So, I set out to make my own pumpkin spice syrup. I tried it in a latte I made using my espresso machine at home, and I really couldn’t tell the difference between mine and the “real” ones from Starbucks. It was like tasting pure autumn comfort – try it and see!

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Jamba Juice Strawberries Wild Smoothie, My Way

Tracy — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:13:51 +0000

When hubby and I travel, we often find ourselves in the vicinity of a Jamba Juice. Of course, we always have to go, since we both love their smoothies and wish that Jamba Juice would get their act together and open up a shop near us! Alas, they have yet to grant our request, so when I was craving my favorite smoothie the other day, I decided that I’d just have to whip up my own at home. Using the description on their website, which said that the Strawberries Wild smoothie is a “creamy blend of apple-strawberry juice, strawberries, bananas, nonfat frozen yogurt & ice,” I created this recipe. It’s easy, refreshing, and healthy; no extra sugar is required. Try it today!

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Eggnog

Tracy — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:56:28 +0000

Eggnog might seem a little strange for this month’s Flavor of the Month – a tribute to John Hughes – so let me explain. Every year around Christmas, we have certain traditions. With my family, it’s always been to watch It’s a Wonderful Life and to get up early on Christmas morning and open presents, after which my mom would always make an amazing breakfast. Now that hubby and I are married, we share the traditions of both our families, as well as some of our own. One of our traditions started during our college years is to watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, so I decided that my tribute just had to have something to do with this movie. What I love most about the movie is the dry humor that Chevy Chase delivers without flinching, and one of my favorite scenes in the movie is when Clark and Eddie are drinking eggnog out of moose mugs. Clark says, “Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?” It has me rolling on the floor every time.

Unfortunately I don’t have moose mugs in which to proudly display my eggnog, so a regular coffee cup will have to do. The eggnog really wasn’t all that hard to make though, so I’m glad I now have this in my arsenal for the fast approaching holiday season!

4 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 pint milk
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar until the mixture becomes crumbly.

In a medium saucepan, scald (bring to almost boiling, but not quite) the milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract.

Pour a bit of the hot mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly as you pour in order to temper the eggs. Then, pour the egg mixture into the saucepan, and cook on medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream.

Let cool, and then move to the refrigerator to chill. Or you can drink it warm, if you’d like – I enjoy it both ways! Serves about 4.