Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Holiday Mini Shot Cocktails


Holiday Mini Shot Cocktails




White Cocktail:  Candy Cane Martini

Ingredients
1 shot vanilla vodka
1 shot white chocolate liqueur (recommended; Godiva)
1 shot peppermint schnapps

Directions
add all liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a candy cane or rim your glass with the crushed candy cane. Enjoy!


Blue Cocktail:  Blue Snowball Martin

Ingredients

1 shot of Limoncello
1 shot of Blue Curacao

Directions

pour all liquids into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a martini glass rimmed with fresh coconut.

to make this drink a little frozen.....  makes a nice presentation.


Ingredients
1 shot vodka (recommended: Blue Ice)
1 shot blue fruit and cognac liqueur (recommended: Envy)
1/2 shot orange liqueur (recommended: Cointreau)
1 cup ice cubes

Directions
Add all ingredients to blender and blend on high until smooth.  Pour into martini glasses rimmed with fresh coconut and serve with straw.


( I apologize that the drink pictures are a little blurry. Tasting was fun....need I say more?)

Brown Cocktail:  Pumpkin Spice Martini
Ingredients

2 oz Pumpkin Spice Liqueur
2 oz Hazelnut Liqueur
2 oz Vanilla Vodka
2 oz White Chocolate Liqueur
1/4 tsp. freshly grated Nutmeg or ground Nutmeg
Ginger Snaps ground
Cinnamon Sticks
Note: If you can't find Pumpkin Spice Liqueur, you may use this combination:

2oz. Buttershots
2 oz. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum

Directions

Dip you martini glass in honey and then in the grounded ginger snap cookies.
Combine all liquids into a martini shaker.
Add ice to the shaker and shake
Strain and pour into a martini glass
Grate with fresh Nutmeg or sprinkle with ground Nutmeg
Garnish with Cinnamon Stick
Enjoy!

One more blurry picture?

(laughing) 
There you go!  However, it did make a nice presentation if you are not looking at them cross eyed! I guess I was just so excited in taking the pictures that I could not hold my hand still AND everyone wanted to taste!

Hope you get to try these!

Keep Inspiring!!




Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Parfaits

Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Mini Parfaits



Need a quick dessert with a special elegance to it?  These Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Mini Parfaits were soooooo easy!

Everything here is semi-homemade. I used a chocolate mousse mix which required 3/4 cup of skim milk.  I didn't have any skim milk but had 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream and regular milk. So much for watching the calories, uh? Mixed it together until it had a thick consistency and placed it in a pastry bag.


Next I had a package of Dream Whip and just enough milk to make up my whipped cream. Placed the whipped cream in a pastry bag.

Took the mints and smashed them in a bag and placed them in a bowl.

Assembly Time!!!


I started with the chocolate mousse....... then a layer of whipped cream....... sprinkled the whipped cream with the crushed peppermint candies.  Repeated the layers until my vessel (which I used tall shot glasses) was filled to the brim!



I just love using these glasses!  So many different ways of making an elegant dessert and a grab and go party.


These mini gems was such a special treat to the guests.........





....... and a very pretty presentation, don't you think?




I saved this one just for you!


They also went well with the mini shots!


Click HERE for the recipes.

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Monday, December 26, 2011

Merry Christmas!

WARNING........... PICTURE OVERLOAD

Merry Christmas!

OK, I know, day late.....dollar short. I hope that each and everyone of you had a wonderful Christmas!
Things here in WV are starting to settle down. We did the Mother/MIL exchange yesterday and had a wonderful time just spending time with families. This year I hosted both Christmas Eve and Christmas day, so I was quite busy!

I didn't get to share with you the rest of my Christmas tour, so please, grab a libation and enjoy the pics.

Be safe for the remaining holiday season and Happy New Year! (in case I am a little LATE in telling you)


 During the fall if you remember, I had decided to clean out my china  hutch and had found a NEW decorating place. Here it is all displayed for the Christmas Season. I am really glad I decided to do this. You can find that post HERE.






This mushroom soup tureen was a new added item to the collection. I think it is just adorable. It blends well with the Hope, Peace. Believe and Grace plates along with the Morgantown Rub Red Golf Ball Stemware.


This year I had decided to do a more casual, simple table. All of the elegance was in the living room and my family are solo cup/plastic plate type of people. When they had seen the plates, it put them in the world of "tense moment". Growing up is what my family used and really didn't understand why the china was put away...why we didn't use it. For that matter, why have it if you are not using it. I use mine all the time.


These are Christmas Ornaments that I used as place markers. This one was for Mother (MIL). I also used them as gift tags. ( I did these cut outs with my cricut machine. It is an awesome machine..great investment)


 Their place marker was around a bottle of olive oil that I covered with jute and this was their gift.


I found these acorn ornaments at PB and thought they would make  some sparkle to the napkins. You girls know I like bling!


Everyone had a cheese board that had an appetizer on it. Each plate from Johnson Brothers "School House" was sitting on a 12 x 12 tile. Click HERE to see the cheese plate idea.


I had some red wind stemware that I also frosted to match my brandy snifters. Click HERE to see the tutorial of frosting stemware.




 A Christmas Ornament was used at each place setting to hold some fresh greenery. Here I used Rosemary.
I hot glued a washer on the bottom so the ornament would not roll around once filled with water.






My Christmas Tree in the dining room. It is a candy theme and will use this theme until the lights blow, and then I will change the theme on it.


 Appetizers for Christmas Eve was my Cheese ball Snowman and Cajun Crab Dip......


 ..... and a Cheese ball Tree


Lots of fresh veggies....


 and some Bacon Wrapped Bread Sticks..  YUM YUM!




 Dinner we had Ham and Turkey, Mac n Cheese, Cocktail Meatballs, and Green Bean and Potatoes.
On Christmas Day I added a Stuffed Pork Tenderloin wrapped in Puff Pastry and Roasted Potatoes.


A little blurry but the salad and dessert table and beverage station.
There were potato salad, deviled eggs, water gate salad, jello salad, home made cookies and candies AND a coconut cake. With lots of wine and eggnog to tantalize our taste buds to the max.







 AND some mini shots if you dared.... (did you notice that once we got to the drink pictures that they got blurry?)


This little vignette is by the coffee station. I didn't do a whole lot on the counters for the simple reason is that I don't have much room here. Just something a little simple.

Phew!  I think that wraps up the kitchen/dinning room tour. If you missed the living room tour. please click HERE.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and took time to enjoy family and friends. We all are so blessed that we have each other for there are so many who don't.
I have a few days before the New Years so hopefully I will get the outside pics posted.

I am joining:   Marty's party Tabletop TuesdayThe TablescaperTablescape Thursday

Until the next time,

Keep Inspiring!