Romantic Valentine’s Day Stay-cation: Paris
The City of Love & Lights (Paris) Stay-cation Destination is for the lovers of love to fair l’amour en Francais.
Tickle your valentine’s palate with bubble cocktails.
Kir Royale
- Ingredients:
- Crème de Cassis
- Moet & Chandon Champagne
- Preparation:
- Combine 1 part Crème de Cassis and 5 parts champagne in a champagne glass.
French 75
- Ingredients:
- 1 oz. Tanqueray gin
- ½ oz. fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz. simple syrup
- Moet & Chandon champagne
- lemon twist for garnishing
- Preparation:
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup, and shake.
- Strain into a champagne flute, then top with champagne.
- Garnish with a lemon twist.
Plan a romantic “picnic” by the Seine-style menu starting with a Fromage – French breads and a selection of the main types of French cheese.
I used one Brie for my soft cheese, Comté for the hard, and Roquefort for blue.
Make his and her cassoulets of your choice – a Traditional French Cassoulet or a Vegetarian Cassoulet.
Traditional French Cassoulet
- Ingredients:
- 16 oz. white beans (soaked overnight and washed)
- 4 chicken thighs (sautéed skin side down)
- 4 duck sausages (or hot dogs)
- 3 sprigs of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, tarragon)
- 4 strips of fried bacon
- 1 small onion (finely chopped)
- 3 whole cloves of garlic
- 6 cups of chicken stock
- bread crumbs
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preparation:
- In a small bowl, mix thyme, rosemary, and tarragon. Set seasoning mixture aside.
- In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. In batches without crowding, cook chicken, adding more oil if needed, turning occasionally, until browned lightly on all sides, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the browned chicken to a plate. Add sausage to the pot, breaking up with the sides of a wooden spoon, until it loses its pink color, about 8 minutes, while separately frying the 4 strips of bacon.
- Remove sausage from pot and drain some of the grease. Add onions and garlic to the pot.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 6 minutes. Add chicken stock and stir. Add chicken, sausage, and fried bacon.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over and mix well. Bring to a simmer, then add beans.
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Transfer to ramekin, then sprinkle bread crumbs over it.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Using a wooden spoon, gently press the thin crust that has formed on the cassoulet down under the surface.
- Continue baking until the cassoulet is simmering and a second thin crust has formed (about 30 minutes).
- Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Vegetarian Cassoulet (serves 6)
- Ingredients:
- 3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only)
- 4 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch-wide pieces
- 3 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch-wide pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 2 parsley sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 (19-ounce) cans cannellini or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 quart vegetable stock
- Preparation:
- Halve leeks lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces, then wash well and pat dry.
- Cook leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil with herb sprigs, bay leaf, cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in beans, then water, and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender but not falling apart, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Toss bread crumbs with oil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a bowl until well coated. Spread in a baking pan and toast in oven, stirring once halfway through, until crisp and golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Cool crumbs in pan, then return to bowl and stir in parsley.
- Discard herb sprigs and bay leaf. Mash some of beans in pot with a potato masher or back of a spoon to thicken broth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer to ramekin and sprinkle with garlic crumbs and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Using a woden spoon, gently press the thin crust that has formed on the cassoulet down under the surface.
- Continue baking until the cassoulet is simmering and as econd thin crust has formed (about 30 minutes).
- Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Of course a French picnic spread wouldn’t be complete without macarons! You can order them online at Dana’s Bakery! The one’s pictured above are from Dana’s Valentine’s Day Box.
To spark a twinkle in your lover’s eyes, set the mood with lighting by putting small candles in a mason jar with rose petals and play my Amazon Playlist below!
Bipartisan Election Night Party
On election night, don’t just sit around watching TV… get involved in your ‘party’ which ever side of the isle you sit.
Grab your friends and neighbors and host your own Bipartisan Election Night Party, complete with berry patriotic foods and drinks and even political games to keep things lively between commercial breaks.
Patriotic theme is the way to go on election night and is a great opportunity to use any left over 4th of July party supplies and decorations!
The red, white, and blue theme is simple, yet classic and inexpensive. Starting off your decor with a plain white tablecloth, all you have to add are touches of red and blue with plates, napkins, silverware and candles. No political party would be complete with out balloons and confetti to celebrate your Party’s victory.
Get your guests involved in the party with fun and clever activities… Map it Out! and Presidential Trivia.
Map it Out! is as easy as downloading and printing out blank maps of the U.S., then leave a pile of red and blue crayons or markers for out so guests can color in each state as winners are declared. If you really want to rile things up, make your red friends color in only the blue states, and vice versa. As the winners in each state are declared, you check them off and the person with the most correct states wins! It’s kinda like political bingo…
If you want to SUPER SIZE the fun, go for ‘Pin Tail on the Political Trail”. Using a large wall map of the US, follow along and keep track of the states each candidate wins by pinning a political donkey or elephant (Donkey = Democrat & Elephant = Republican) to represent the party who wins the electoral vote for each state. Total up the electoral votes on a separate note pad and the winner is…
(if you don’t want to print/cut out 50 donkey and elephants, you can use two different colored Post-it Notes to keep score)
For other interactive maps got to NY Times website - http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/electoral-map
Keeping things lively during the commercials is paramount to keeping the party momentum going. Through out some Presidential Trivia during the commercial breaks and test your guest’s knowledge about past and current Presidents.
Who awarded Rosa Parks the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
- Bill Clinton
- Jimmy Carter
- Lyndon Johnson
- Barack Obama
(Answer: A)
Who is the only President to earn his Masters of Business Administration?
- Bill Clinton
- George H.W. Bush
- George W. Bush
- Woodrow Wilson
(Answer: C)
Which President was the first to use an armored limousine, and who ‘donated’ it for the President’s use?
- Woodrow Wilson; from Henry Ford
- Harry Truman; from Howard Hughes
- Dwight Eisenhower; from Winston Churchill
- Franklin Roosevelt; from Al Capone
(Answer: D)
(Download full list of trivia questions here)
Bipartisan Buffet
Whether you are for Romney or Obama, your in the Tea Party or the Green Party, layout a spread so there’s something for everyone! I approach my menu is very much like how I plan my Super Bowl Party. There are two candidates representing their respective states where each candidate made their political mark: Obama was the Governor of Illinois and Rommey was the Governor of Massachusetts
I choose popular Chicago foods with a Hawaiian twist for Barack VS Boston favorites for Mtit.
- MYO Hot Dog Bar
- Chicago is known for their hot dogs and while Chicago-style hot dogs usually consist of all the trimmings (mustard, onion, relish, and pickle), this “Make Your Own Hot Dog Bar” will include Hawaiian inspired toppings as well. (ex. Pineapple, avocado, mango salsa)
- Deep Dish Pizza
- Chicago is the home for deep-dish pizza. You can serve deep-dish pizza and if you want and Hawaiian deep-dish pizza to go the extra mile!
- Lobster Rolls & New England Clam Chowder
- Lobster rolls are a popular dish made from one of the staple foods in New England
- New England Clam Chowder is an iconic creamy soup served with oyster crackers
- Boston Cream Pie
- Boston cream pie is the official dessert of Massachusetts and is named after its birthplace.
A truly Bipartisan party snack is a classic Campaign Trail Mix
- 8 cups air-popped popcorn
- 1 cup roasted peanuts
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
- 7 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt and black pepper
Chicago & New England flavored popcorn with classic seasonings from across the political isle could bring about a heated debate: Click here for my Super Bowl Popcorn recipes:
Can’t have a victory celebration with out a celebratory cocktail, that is if you candidate wins… Berry Patriotic Champagne Cocktails
Red Romney Refresher
Ingredients:
- 3 Strawberries
- 1 oz. Ketel One Vodka
- 0.5 oz. Simple Syrup
- Moet & Chandon Champagne
Instructions:
- Muddle 2 strawberries.
- Using a shaker, add the muddled strawberries, vodka, and simple syrup. Shake vigorously, then strain into a champagne glass.
- Top with champagne and garnish with a strawberry slice.
Blue Obama Bubbly
Ingredients:
- 10 Blueberries
- 1 oz. Ketel One Vodka
- 0.5 oz. Simple Syrup
- Moet & Chandon Champagne
- Small Bamboo Skewer
Instructions:
- Muddle 7 blueberries.
- Using a shaker, add the muddled blueberries, vodka, and simple syrup. Shake vigorously, then strain into a champagne glass.
- Top with champagne and garnish with 3 blueberries on a bamboo skewer.
Election Night Beer Cocktails
Georgica Peach
Recipe from from the Georgica; Wainscott, NY
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Ketel One vodka
- Fresh peach puree
- Simple syrup
- Champagne
Method:
- In a cocktail shaker full of ice, add Ketel One vodka and peach puree
- Shake vigorously until chilled and strain into a champagne flute
- Top with champagne and enjoy
Celebrity Spotting: Sofia Viagra celebrated her engagement to Nick Lobe at Georgica
For more of Mark’s “Chic-rets” to Hamptons Celebrity Entertaining, click here!
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Mother’s Day on Access Hollywood LIVE
When it comes to celebrating Mother’s Day, remember that the best present you can give is time together that is well spent. Here are Mark’s entertaining ideas to help you create a memorable event for your Mom. All you need is a delicious meal of her favorite foods, elegant drinks and cocktails and her favorite people around the table to make her smile.
For all of my Mother’s Day recipes and tips, click the links below:
Salmon Three Ways
Grilled Salmon Salad Niciose
Salmon Cakes Eggs Benedict
Salmon Ceviche
Bellini Bar
Mother’s Day “Love Chain” Card and Setting the Table
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MYO Bellini Bar
Greet the guest of honor with a pretty Bellini, made with Peach puree and Prosecco. Creating a Bellini Bar with juice mixes, Prosecco and garnishes served in tall champagne flutes, where guests can mix and match to make their own bellini flavors is a special way to start the celebration.
Classic Peach Bellini
- 1 oz White peach puree*
- 3 oz Prosecco
White Peach Puree:
- 1 pound of frozen white peaches or 4 fresh white peaches
- 1/3 cup simple syrup
- 1/3 cup water
- Method: Place the fruit in a blender or food processor. Add the water. Add the simple syrup. Blend until the mixture is super smooth. Taste the purée. If you need to, add a touch more simple syrup until the purée is properly sweet.
New Fashionable Bellini
Using an assortment of Stirring’s fruit juices with Stellina di Notte Prosecco or sparkling apple cider/grape juice for kid friendly beverages, to concoct the NEW Fashionable Bellinis.
- Flavors to include:
- Pomegranate
- Blood Orange
- Apple Crisp
- Watermelon
- Lemon Drop
For more of my Mother’s Day recipes and tips, click here!
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Gold St. Patrick’s Day Cocktails
Golden Champagne Kiss Cocktails
- Ingredients:
- 1 oz Elderflower Liqueur
- Splash of lemon juice
- Top off with Moet & Chandon Champagne
- Method:
1. To make the gold glass rim: mix 1 tsp edible gold dust with a few drops of elderflower liqueur to form a thick liquid
2. Dredge the rim of the martini glass in the liquid to coat edge making sure the gold liquid is thick enough so that it doesn’t drip. To thicken, add more gold dust and to dilute, add more elderflower liqueur
3. Pour the elderflower liqueur and lemon juice and 1/2 tsp of edible gold dust into a cocktail shaker and shake until well chilled
4. Pour into gold rimmed martini glass and top with chilled Champagne or Prosecco
Pot o’ Gold
- Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Ketel One Citroen
- Dash of lemon juice
- 6 oz. Prosecco
- 1.5 tsp. Edible Gold Dust
- Method:
1. To make gold rim on a martini glass; mix 1tsp edible gold dust with a few drops of vodka to form a thick liquid.
2. Dredge the rim of the martini glass in the liquid to coat edge making sure the gold liquid is thick enough so that it doesn’t drip.
3. To thicken add more gold dust and to dilute add more vodka
4. Pour the Ketel One Citroen and lemon juice and 1/2 tsp. of edible gold dust in to a cocktail shaker with ice glass and shake until well chilled.
For more of Mark’s St Patrick’s Day recipes and tips, click here!
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Romance Rendezvous with your Valentine – Mark Addison on The Better Show
Valentine’s Day is about showing your lover how much you love them. What better way to celebrate than with a romantic rendezvous? I have curated three different rendezvouses to romance your Valentine: A Shared Romance, Romance On-the-Go, and The Ultimate Romance. I have decided to go beyond the norm of greeting cards, flowers and chocolate and shows you how to romance your Valentine the right way!
Champagne is synonymous with Valentine’s Day. I have decided to incorporate three different gift sets from Moet Hennessey to pair with your romantic type, shared, on-the-go, and ultimate as well as a sweet treat to share with your sweetie and a gift or gadget to “wow” your significant other on Valentine’s Day.
Click the links below for more information on the three romantic types
A Shared Romance
Romance On-the-Go
Champagne Cupid Cups
The Ultimate Romance
24K Gold Creme Brulee
Check your local listings for dates and showtimes!
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Romance Rendezvous #1: A Shared Romance
A shared romance is for the couple who shares everything and loves to spend all their time together.
With this romantic type, I have chosen Moet Hennessey’s Ruinart One-For-Two. The Ruinart Rose is a charming treat that two can enjoy. Each set contains a 750 ml bottle of Ruinart Rose and serving spoon to pour two glasses of champagne simultaneously. The Ruinart Rose, which is presented in an elegant package, retails for $75.00.
Whoopie Pies are the new cupcake. Cranberry Island Kitchen bakes adorable whoopie pies in the shape of X’s, O’s and hearts for Valentine’s Day which allow you to spell out your desires; xoxo = hugs and kisses, xx = kiss kiss, and xxx = sex. The cream in the whoopie pies come in four different flavors, Vanilla, Chocolate, Chambord and Champagne. These delicious treats pair perfectly with the Ruinart Rose!
Hook -Link Bracelets are the perfect accessory for the couple that is attached at the hip! These magnetic love bracelets now allow this romantic couple to now be attached at the wrist! Hook-Link Bracelets retail for $30.00.
For more of Mark’s tips and tricks, “Like Us” on Facebook or “Follow Us” on Twitter!
Romance Rendezvous #2: Romance On-The-Go
Romance On-the-Go is perfect for the active couple that likes to take their romance to the beach, park or rooftop.
For this romantic type, I have chosen Moet Hennessey’s Krug Flanerie with leather carrying tote. The Krug Flanerie is the perfect on-the-go Champagne. The original and unique carrying tote sports an interior cooler that will keep your Krug Flanerie at the ideal temperature of 50 degree Fahrenheit. This gift set retails for $200.00.
When bringing your romance on-the-go, what better way than to pack an intimate picnic for two. I have found these great eco-friendly picnic boxes from Boxsal that come in a variety of great designs. For Valentine’s Day, The Paint By Numbers picnic box is the perfect fit! The picnic box is broken down into sections to house your food, such as cheese and crackers, fruit, mixed veggies and a cold bottle of sparkling water, and come equipped with compostable dinnerware. The Boxsal picnic boxes retail for $25.00.
The perfect dessert to share during your romantic picnic is the Cupid’s Champagne Cup. This delicious treat is easy to make and is perfect to pack in a picnic box because it will not spill!
The 3M Mobile Projector is the perfect travel gift. The mobile projector allows you to take videos and pictures and project them from wherever you are with the battery operated devise . The two hour batter life makes is perfect to show a feature film or your favorite home movies. The 3M Projector streams content from your iPhone, iPad or iPod and with the option of an additional adapter for other media players. The 3M Projector retails for $299.99.
For more of Mark’s tips and tricks, “Like Us” on Facebook or “Follow Us” on Twitter!
Romance Rendezvous #3: The Ultimate Romance
The Ultimate Romance is for the couple that feels you can’t put a price on love.
For this romantic type I have chosen Moet Hennessey’s Dom Perignon Side by Side. This gift set is a limited edition with two bottles of Dom Perignon with two different levels of maturation. These bottles were created for one to enjoy a new experience and an unforgettable champagne tasting experience. This gift set retails for $459.00.
24K Gold Creme Brûlée, made with edible 24K Gold and Silver Leaf is the ultimate dessert for this amazing couple! Each creme brûlée is adorned with a gold or silver gilded white or dark chocolate truffle.
You & Yours Signature DNA Rings are the perfect personalized gift for the person who has everything. These rings bring a new meaning to sharing your DNA. With these rings, you are able to give your loved one your DNA to treasure for the rest of their lives. Signature DNA Rings are an intimate reflection of a one-of-a-kind person and the one that means the most to you. These rings retail at $400.00/each.
For more of Mark’s tips and tricks, “Like Us” on Facebook or “Follow Us” on Twitter!
Cupid’s Champagne Cups
Ingredients:
- 1/2 bag Wilton Light Cocoa Candy Melts
- 2 cups boiling water, divided
- 2 packages (3 oz. each) JELL-O Raspberry Flavored Gelatin
- 1 cup cold Moet & Chandon Champagne
- 1/4 cup Chambord
- 1/4 cups cold water, divided ice cubes
- 1 cup thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping
- Decorations, assorted Valentine sprinkles and candies
Method:
- Make heart candies using by squeezing melted chocolate out of a piping bag onto parchment. Place in refrigerator until hardened, approximately 10 mins.
** Helpful Tip: When making the hearts, pipe multiple layers on top of each other allowing time to set in between, this will help prevent breaking! - Add 1 cup boiling water to 1 package gelatin mix in a medium bowl, stir 2 minutes or until mixture is completely dissolved
- Stir in 1 cup cold water and mix thoroughly
- Pour into champagne cups, refrigerate 1 hour or until gelatin is firm
- While JELL-O is firming in the refrigerator, add remaining boiling water to remaining gelatin mix, stir for 2 mins until completely dissolved.
- Mix remaining water and Chambord and add enough ice to mixture to measure 1 cup. Add to gelatin and stir until thickened.
- Stir in Cool Whip, spoon over gelatin layer in cups
- Refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm
- Decorate with chocolate hearts and Valentine’s candies or sprinkles
How to melt chocolate: Place Wilton Candy Melts in a piping bag and microwave on high for 1 minute, mix until chocolate is completely melted.
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Mark’s Holiday Must Haves
Three of my “Holiday Must Have’s” this season are Champagne with the accompanied by a great homemade cordial to mix a signature champagne cocktail and a selection of Scandinavian inspired homemade chocolates.
I had the pleasure of sharing my Holiday Must-Haves with Audra and JD from The Better Show at their Holiday Special at Rockefeller Center. The holiday special will air on December 23rd, 2011. Check your local listing for scheduled show times in your area.
Click the links below for recipes, tips and holiday must haves.
Holiday Must Haves:
Champagne and Sparkling Wine for the Holidays
MYO Holiday Haute Chocolaut
MYO Holiday Cordials
For more of Mark’s tips, recipes, and trends, “Like Us” on Facebook or “Follow Us” on Twitter.
Champagne and Sparkling Wines for the Holidays
We all know Champagne is a staple during the holidays – nothing says celebration like the sound of a cork popping!
Champagne is great to serve at a party as well as to share as a gift, but the choices can be overwhelming. Champagne comes in many different varieties and price points. I have narrowed down the playing field to to include my favorite Champagnes and sparkling wines covering three different price points, $10, $20 and $40.
Varietals of Champagne
1. The drier, less sweet classification is called BRUT
2. The slightly sweeter classification is called DRY
3. The sweet classification is simply called SWEET
There are different price points of Champagne. For this holiday season I chose some of my favorite Champagnes and Sparkling Wines with a range of price points.
- $40 – Moët and Veuve Clicquot
- $20 - Cava and Prosecco
- $10 – Barefoot Bubby
Champagne 101
Champagne is a sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle secondary fermentation of the wine to effect carbonation. The term “Champagne” is used to refer to wine produced exclusively within the Champagne region of France from which it takes its name.
Champagne first gained world renown because of its association with the anointment of French kings. Royalty from throughout Europe spread the message of the unique sparkling wine from Champagne and its association with luxury and power in the 17th, 18th and 19th century. The leading manufacturers devoted considerable energy to creating a history and identity for their wine, associating it and themselves with nobility and royalty. Through advertising and packaging they sought to associate Champagne with high luxury, festivities, and rites of passage. Their efforts coincided with the emergence of a middle class that was looking for ways to spend its money on symbols of upward mobility.
Champagne Etiquette
Champagne is usually served in a Champagne flute, whose characteristics include a long stem with a tall, narrow bowl, thin sides and an etched bottom. The Victorian coupe (according to legend, designed using a mould of the left breast (signifying a giving from the heart) of Marie Antoinette as a birthday present to her husband, Louis XVI) is not recommended as it disperses the nose and over-oxygenates the wine. Champagne is always served cold, its ideal drinking temperature at 7 to 9 °C (45 to 48 °F). Often the bottle is chilled in a bucket of ice and water before opening, which also ensures the champagne is less gassy and can be opened without spillage. Champagne buckets are made specifically for this purpose, and often have a larger volume than standard wine-cooling buckets (to accommodate the larger bottle, add more water and ice).
For more of Mark’s tips, recipes, and trends, “Like Us” on Facebook or “Follow Us” on Twitter.
MYO Champagne Ice Bar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcIHIAZc_OI
- Barefoot Bubbly - Moscato, Brut Cuvee, and Extra Dry
- Orange Liqueur
- Melon Liqueur
- Raspberry Liqueur
- Peach Liqueur
- Pomegranate Liqueur
- Hazelnut Liqueur
- Peppermint Liqueur
- Cinnamon Liqueur
- Blue Curacao
- Limoncello
- Elderflower Liqueur
- Orange Juice
- Pineapple Juice
- Cranberry Juice
- Grenadine
- Pomegranate Juice
- Grapefruit Juice
- Apple Cider
- Pear Juice
- Peach Juice
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Lavendar
- Drunken Cherries
- Drunken Cranberries
- Strawberries
- Grapes
- Lemons
- Oranges
- Raspberries
- Apples
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Drink Umbrellas
For more Luxurious Holiday Destination Party ideas and recipes, click here!
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Blue Hawaiian
- 1/2 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
- 1 oz Pineapple Juice
- 4 oz Barefoot Bubbly Extra Dry
In a 6 oz champagne flute add blue curacao and pineapple juice. Fill with Barefoot Bubbly and garnish with a cube of pineapple and a drink umbrella.
For more of Mark’s Luxurious Holiday Destination Party ideas and recipes, click here!
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Melon Mimosa
- 1/2 oz Melon Liqueur
- 1 oz Orange Juice
- 4 oz Barefoot Bubbly Brut Cuvee
- Splash Pineapple Juice
in a champagne flute, first add the melon liqueur then add the Barefoot Bubbly. Top off with orange juice and garnish with a slice of cantaloupe.
For more of Mark’s Luxurious Holiday Destination Party ideas and recipes, click here!
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Pink Pebbles
- 4 oz Barefoot Bubbly Brut Cuvee
- 1/2 oz Elderflower Liqueur
- 1 oz Grapefruit Juice
- 6 Pomegranate Seeds
In a champagne flute, first add elderflower liqueur, pomegranate seeds, and grapefruit juice Top off with Barefoot Bubbly.
For more of Mark’s Luxurious Holiday Destination Party ideas and recipes, click here!
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Cos – Moscato
- 4 oz Barefoot Moscato
- 1 oz Cranberry juice
- 1/2 oz Orange liqueur
- A squeeze of Fresh lime juice
In a champagne flute, combine cranberry juice, lime juice and orange liqueur. Top off with Barefoot Bubbly and garnish with a slice of lime and drunken cranberries.
For more of Mark’s Luxurious Holiday Destination Party ideas and recipes, click here!
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Amber Mimosa
- 4 oz Barefoot Bubbly Extra Dry
- 2 oz Apple Cider
Dust the rim of a 6 oz champagne flute with cinnamon and sugar, combine the apple cider and then add the Barefoot Bubbly. Garnish with an apple slice.
For more of Mark’s Luxurious Holiday Destination Party ideas and recipes, click here!
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Champagne Cranberry Cocktail
(serves 1)
- Three Ketel One vodka soaked cranberries
- ½ oz Elderflower liqueur
- 6 oz of Moet & Chandon Champagne
Vodka Soaked Cranberries Recipe:
Mason Jar
Frozen Cranberries
Orange Flavored Vodka
Using a mason jar, add frozen cranberries and orange vodka. Let sit for 2 weeks.
Muddle three cranberries in the bottom of an 8 oz champagne glass. Add the Elderflower liqueur and top off with 6 oz of brut champagne
For links to all The Golden Harvest recipes and tips, click here!
“The Black Rose” — Recommended by Morticia Addams
Morticia
Morticia, the beautiful wife of Gomez Addams and mother to Wednesday and Pugsley, enjoys spending her time in the garden, cutting the heads off her roses and leaving only the stems.
Cocktail:
The Black Rose
5 oz Champagne Flute
Ingredients:
1 oz Smirnoff Vodka
1 oz Pom Juice
½ oz Rose sherbet
Splash of Moet & Chandon Rose Imperial
Measure 1 oz of Smirnoff Vodka, 1 oz Pom Juice and ½ oz Rose sherbet into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until the vodka and juice are blended. Strain the contents into a champagne glass and fill with Champagne on the top of the glass.
Food Paring:
Jack-O-Roons
Pumpkin flavored macaroons decorated with whimsical jack-o-lantern faces
Ingredients:
Payard Pumpkin Macaroons
Wilton Ready to Use Icing Tubes – Available in numerous colors
Purchase your favorite Pumpkin Macaroons from Payard or a local bakery. Using Ready to Use Icing Tubes from Wilton, decorate each macaroon with a whimsical jack-o-lantern face.
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Halloween Fun: Mad Scientist Bar
Halloween is by far one of my favorite holidays for throwing parties – Halloween Parties are all about creating entertaining spaces that are as much about setting the stage and putting on a show. Which, by the way we should be doing throughout the year –minus trying to scare and gross-out our guests!
I am fascinated with mixology and I am known for my WOW tables; so as a frightful focal point to my Halloween party I created a WOW bar, The Mad Scientist Bar. (evil laugh)
[Watch my Mad Scientist Bar on Better!]
I’ve used some everyday items, classics beverages and foods, along with some of my Hollywood-style special effects to create a laboratory entertaining space. Put on your lab coat and goggles and follow along as I show to make creepy concoctions and powerful potions that will surely be a scream at any Halloween party.
Mad Scientists collect all kinds of specimens to do their experiments on. With that inspiration, I created Specimen Punch. This is a lot of fun to put together and I am using a three-tier beverage jar with a spout. In my first tier are my specimens – guts and a brain glowing in a purple Formaldehyde (cauliflower, cellophane noodles and glow lights in purple colored water). For the punch in the center of the tier I have frozen cadaver hands keeping the Radio Active Punch frightfully chilled (colored water frozen in latex gloves). Finally on top, I have a collection of nasty, but tasty gummy bugs, worms and eyeballs to garnish each drink with! A mad Scientist Bar would be complete with out specimen jars of failed experiments (canning jars filled with everyday food items in colored water; boiled eggs, white asparagus, cooked spaghetti, mushrooms, ginger roots.)
Halloween doesn’t always have to be scary or gross… it can be down right manipulative as well (another evil laugh)! To create my Secret Potions… I took the essence of classic champagne and wine, and boiled them down in to liquid spells that with a little dropper full, transforms these mild mannered glasses of champagne and wine into liquid spells for infatuation, mind control and sedation.
These cocktails are based of iconic cocktails that I dissected down to the very essence, then recombined them, fortified and more powerful then ever to create The Antidote! – I have found the cure to a boring Halloween Party. With the Antidote, I can transform these unsuspecting glasses of soda water, ginger ale and orange juice into new creations – The Cape Fear, Creepy Old Man and Ta-Kill-Ya Sunset!
I’ve taken my signature Alien Secretion cocktail created for this year’s Oscars and recalculated composition to turn them into cocktails that are truly out of this world for Halloween. These three unique cocktails have pose an very interesting dilemma when drinking… you have to eat the Alien Skin (flavored gelatin discs) off of the top in order to access the secretion below; classic alien secretion, galactic serpent, Martian sunrise!
Find more great ideas for a killer Halloween party here.
Recipes for Mad Scientist Bar below…
Specimen Punch
· 1 part Midori Melon Liqueur
· 1 part Dark Rum
· 1 part Light Rum
· 2 part White Cranberry Juice
· 1 part Unfiltered Apple Juice
· 1 part Simple Syrup
- Ice Hands – To Make Frozen Hand:
Add food color to water until you reach desired color. Fill glove with water, fastening end with a twist tie or rubber band. Hang glove from a shelf in the freezer and freeze overnight. When frozen, pull glove from ice and place “hand” in the punch.
Antidote Shots (Syringes) – Deconstructed Cocktails
- Cape Fear – Cranberry Juice, Vodka & triple sec
- After Midnight – Black Vodka & Pomegranate Juice
- Alien Secretion – Melon liquor, Pineapple & Rum
- Creepy Old Man – Burbon, dash of vanilla, triple sec
- Ta-Kill-Ya Sunset – Tequila, triple sec & Grenadine
- Gin Ricketts – Gin & Lime Juice
MIXERS – Soda Water, Tonic Water, White Cranberry Juice, White Grape Juice, Ginger Ale, lemon lime soda
Secret Potions (Medicine Jars w/ Droppers)
- Infatuation – Pom Juice & Eldeflower Liquor
- Revenge – Brandy & 151 rum, pineapple juice
- Mind Eraser – cognac, triple sec
- Sedation – lavender infused gin, lime juice, simple syrup
- Adrenaline – pear vodka, pear puree
Hallo-Tinis
- Bloody Cosmo
- White Cosmo w/ strawberry glazed rim
- Orange vodka
- White cranberry juice
- Triple sec
- Lime juice
- White Cosmo w/ strawberry glazed rim
- Black Magic
- Black cosmo w/ dark kayro syrup & orange sugar rim
- Blavod Black Vodka
- Pomegranate juice
- Triple sec
- Lime juice
- Black cosmo w/ dark kayro syrup & orange sugar rim
- Poison Apple
- Spike cider with caramel rim
- Apple Vodka
- Hard Apple Cider
- Goldshalager
- Spike cider with caramel rim
Mother’s Day
This Mother’s Day will be fun for the whole family. Kids and Moms (with Dad’s help) can create easy, fun, and unexpected variations on the classic French Toast, because now, there are two ways to enjoy your favorite breakfast – sweet and savory! For more interactive fun, create your own sparkling drinks that are full of all your favorite flavors. Mom will be happy to wake up for such delicious quality family time!
Lay out your french toast with as many toppings as you can think of, from syrup and brown sugar to nutella, peanut butter, fruit, and even more unexpected flavors like shrimp, ham, and cheese that will dazzle the taste buds of everyone in your family. There is no limit to the number of toppings, as long as you have enough french toast to try them all!
Get more creative than sliced white, there are too many beautiful and delicious types of bread not to experiment. Try challah, baguette, cinnamon raisin, and seven grain. The different flavors each bring to the table will prompt even more ideas for toppings.
I created a french toast croque monsieur and topped it with a poached egg, as well as one of my new favorites, the french cajun toast, a delectable mix of sauteed shrimp, remoulade sauce, fresh cracked pepper, and an egg.
On Mother’s Day, play around with something sweeter than syrup, after all, who’s sweeter than your mom? I’ve topped baguette french toast with lemon curd and whipped cream, chocolate sauce, fresh fruit and sliced almonds.
I call these stackables. Fill your french toast sandwich with whatever you like, including fresh fruit, nutella and confectioners’ sugar, or something more traditional like PB, honey and banana. Maybe you can convince mom to put one in your lunchbox…
Orange juice is out! Fill your glass with something more exciting. Use champagne, sparkling cider, or juices for a base, then add sprinkle rims, lemon twists, and essences like rose sherbet to create unique flavors. To make this really exciting, use the Twist n’ Sparkle to make any drink a sparkling one!
Floral Drinks for Easter
In keeping with my blossom theme, I’ve created some delectable drinks that sing Spring with every sip.
The Lavender French 75
An elegant spin off a classic cocktail.
Start with a sugar cube that will beautifully bubble up from the bottom of the glass, add 1/4 lavender infused Hendrick’s Gin, and 3/4 Barefoot Bubbly champagne. Garnish with two sprigs of dried lavender for aromatic and aesthetic bliss.
The Rose Blossom
Beautiful and polished.
Add champagne to the unique flavor of Elite Naturel’s Organic Rose Sherbet, a juice that is created from rose petals. Is there anything more decadent? For added interest, I drop in a few rose petals that glint with the bubbles they catch in the champagne.
