Sinless Cocktails & Milagro Tequila Review

So the wonderful people over at Sinless Cocktails had sent me some free samples to try and blog about. So here's what I thought!

So biggest FAQ-
Q: What exactly are Sinless Cocktails mixers?
A: Our Sinless Cocktail mixers are non-alcoholic mixers that are All Natural, Sugar Free and have ONLY 5 Calories per serving sweetened with Stevia Extract! Other similar cocktail mixers on the market have anywhere from 60-80 calories for the same serving size.

My Pros:

• um 5 calories per serving duh! Move over Bethenny (From their FAQ page: Did you know that an average glass of the "Skinny Margarita" mix has about 24 grams of sugar? Seriously! That doesn't sound very skinny to us. How much sugar does an average glass of the Sinless Margarita mix have? ZERO of course.  24 grams of sugar vs. 0 grams of sugar? We don't know about you, but we think it may be time to rethink the meaning of skinny.)
• their design/name is catchy and fun
• variety of mixers- Margarita, Strawberry Margarita and Sour Mix
• all ingredients listed are pronounceable and you know what they are
• no need to add anything except the alcohol
• you can make SO many different drinks with just these three mixers- go check out their recipes on the website!

My Cons:

• it was a bit on the sweet side for me (the Margarita Mixer)- but then I just added more tequila ;)
• needs to be kept refrigerated- now this is a pro and a con- reason it needs to be kept refrigerated all the time (con) is because of the all natural ingredients they use (pro).  They say that keeping the mix refrigerated will help maintain the mix's flavor, color and taste.  I asked them what if it was left out of the fridge for a while and they said the mix is still good- but it might alter the flavors a tad bit.
• I really can't say anything else- they have an awesome product!

I love the concept and the people over at Sinless are awesome- and Sorry again guys for taking just about forever to right this blog. 

So go check out their Website
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I also just want to comment on the tequila I purchased.

Milagro Tequila is my new fav. It is a great quality and was cheaper than the higher end tequila that EVERYONE thinks is the best.  I like to get behind stuff like this- good quality that doesn't need every artist singing about to be good.

Honestly all tequila tastes similar to me- but this was smooth (but still has a bite to it- because it IS tequila after all).  Another important factor is that it didn't give me the wretched hangover like other tequilas, or really any hangover at all.  The bottle design is amazing (on all of their lines!)-it has a cork top-super surprised about that! Straight awesomeness! Just go look at their line of tequilas. I cannot wait to try the coconut one. 

Maybe they'll send me some samples too ;)

DIY Italian Bistro Lunch & Cocktails

So to celebrate my Mom's 39th birthday (again) she wanted some Italian themed food.  I like when the whole family comes to our house instead of going out- we can relax, stay as late as you want, drink as much as you want and most importantly watch the Giants game ;)  There are 6 of us usually and they come with the booze and I'll cook up the meal- having a great time + saving money + everyone pitching in = a normal family gathering for us.

My mom is a bruschetta fanatic- it is always a must have.  So to change it up I made homemade focaccia bread instead of just regular Italian bread- which came out perfect and is oh so good.  Here's the menu run down:

Appetizer

Homemade Focaccia with Bruschetta
Romaine and Fennel Salad
Raspberry Bellinis

Main Lunch

Paninis!
Caprese- Homemade pesto, mozzarella and tomatoes on Italian artisan bread
Proscuitto, arugula, and provolone on roasted garlic artisan bread
Genoa Salami, hot capicola, homemade roasted red peppers, provolone and arugula on whole wheat artisan bread

The last panini combo was the favorite!

Dessert

(Healthy) Lemon Semifreddo with raspberry and almond topping



Wow- this seems like such a lot of work when I actually typed it out! But it really wasn't- just some good planning and prep can make your party easy and enjoyable.

First things first: food shopping the day before.  I basically made the deli counter lady crazy.  I ordered all the meat and cheese pre-sliced so all I needed to do was put on the bread and fry.  I also picked up frozen bags of raspberries because they were on sale and of course all the other fresh ingredients I needed.

When I got home from food shopping I made the pesto, roasted red peppers (you can also just pick up a jar of them no biggie), and the lemon semifreddo.  By the way, semifreddo is like an Italian sherbet.

Fast forward to the day of- I made the focaccia in the morning (which you could have done the night before but I wanted it super fresh and it made the house smell wonderful), pureed the raspberries in the blender, and made the bruschetta (which could also have been made in advance).  When we were all done with the appetizers I just assembled the sandwiches and fried them up. Simple!

So the focaccia recipe is again Anne Burrell's but I this time I used a bit less flour and a bit more yeast.  Can't deny the fact that this is a great simple recipe.

Then you slice the small squares again through the middle and make a small little bruschetta sandwich!

Pesto

• 1 big bunch of basil leaves (about 1-2 cups)
• handful of parsely
• 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese (Or pecorino)
• 2-3 tablespoons of pine nuts
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 of a lemon, juiced
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Throw everything into a food processor or blender except the oil.  Get everything chopped then slowly add the oil to make a pesto as thin or thick as you like. Freezes wonderfully- but mine never makes it to the freezer ;)



Bruschetta Recipe

• 4 large tomatoes, diced (I have also used canned diced tomatoes before- just drain them well)
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, grated
• 1 bunch of basil, torn or chiffonade
• Extra virgin olive oil- about 1/3 cup
• salt to taste

Combine everything and let sit to marry the flavors.

Romaine and Fennel Salad
I wanted something light and crunchy to go along with my focaccia and bruschetta

• 2 heads of romaine, sliced
• 1/2 bulb of fennel (aka anise), sliced paper thin- save a couple fronds for garnish (the green leafy stuff on the top of the bulb)
• orange zest (optional)
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt and pepper

To make the dressing combine the lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper, then whisk in the oil until it looks like a dressing.  Toss the romaine and fennel together and zest the orange on top for garnish as well as the fennel fronds.  I served the salad undressed, then had everyone pour the dressing on their own salad.  Just don't overdress the salad or it will make the lettuce heavy.  (I also made the salad ahead- if you do this definitely do not add the dressing).  Thinly sliced red onion would be nice in this salad too.

Raspberry Bellinis

So a Bellini is a classic Italian cocktail made with peach and prosecco.  I decided to change it up with raspberries. 

• 2 bottles of good Prosecco (or any sparkling wine/champagne)
• 1/2 bag of frozen raspberries
• 1/2 cup of triple sec (this is really just to help the raspberries in the blender- you could omit or just use water or another flavored liquor)

Blend the raspberries with the extra liquid of your choice until it is a puree.  You can choose to strain out the seeds and pulp- I was in a rush and forgot but they were still good.  You can either make the drinks individually by adding a bit of puree to the bottom of each glass or (like I did) make a pitcher- one bottle at a time.

Panini

Panini is just a hot squished sandwich.  I do not have a panini press- but I do own a cast iron skillet.  If you don't own a heavy pan you can just weigh it down with whatever you have- a large can of beans or tomatoes etc.  One thing about paninis is that it is a good idea to make sure you have a piece of cheese directly on the bread on BOTH sides- so it acts like glue to stick everything together

Caprese: is the classic combo of basil, mozzarella and tomato.  Just slice the bread, slather both sides with pesto, top with cheese and tomato and put in a skillet with a bit of oil and pop the cast iron skillet on top of the sandwich to weigh it down. 

Prosciutto: I used sliced prosciutto, provolone and arugula in this sandwich on a roasted garlic bread. Same technique as before

Salami: This one was the best! And everything you can get right at the deli! Genoa Salami (which is a sweeter salami), Hot capicola is another type of salami-which is from the shoulder or neck- they even have sweet versions, Roasted red peppers , arugula and provolone.  Pile everything up, squish down and fry until the cheese is melty and delicious!



Did this the night before. Oh and check out my new magnetic knife holder I got for Christmas!

 Onto the dessert....

Ok so I basically followed Anne Burrell's Lemon Semifreddo recipe but of course I forgot to buy heavy cream- so I had to improvise (and pray it worked) and then when it did work out I got to call it "healthy" hehe.  This needs to set for AT LEAST 6-8 hours- so I suggest you do this the day before.

• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
• other half a bag of frozen raspberries left over from the bellinis
• 8 eggs- yolks and whites separated
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 3 lemons, zested and juiced
• 2 pinches of salt

Start by prepping the pan- take a loaf pan or even a small casserole dish and line with plastic wrap (for easy removal later!) then in the bottom (which will eventually become our top) coat with crushed raspberries and nuts. 

Separate the egg yolks and whites into two separate bowls- set the whites aside.  Add the sugar, lemon zest and juice and one pinch of salt to the yolks and whisk to combine.  Now we need to set up a double boiler.  In a sauce pot, that will snugly and comfortably fit your bowl with the yolks (obviously the bowl must be glass or metal), fill the pot with just an inch of water and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.  Put your yolk bowl on top and continuously stir the eggs until the temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.  This takes about 10 minutes.  DO NOT STOP STIRRING or you will end up with scrambled eggs.  When it reaches the correct temperature take off the heat and set aside. 

I didn't use a snug fitting bowl and it took SOOOOOO long- don't let the steam escape!

Back to egg whites: Add the other pinch of salt and beat until tripled in size and have stiff peaks.  You beat the eggs until it becomes like a whipped cream almost.  Stiff peaks refers to the fact when you dip your whisk in the egg whites, pull it out, hold vertical over the bowl for a second, then turn horizontal, and what is on the end of your whisk should look like small little mountain peaks of egg white foam.



Staight Old School- with Grandmas Hand Crank Egg Beater



Combine the egg whites with the egg yolks in three installments.  The first installment try to cut the whites into the yolks with a spatula.  Next two installments gently fold in the whites as to not let all the air out of them.

Fill your loaf pan- I had a bit left over- don’t worry I'll show you a dessert you can make right away with the extra for the cook ;) After you fill your loaf pan wiggle it around so there are no air bubbles and everything will freeze evenly.  Pop in the freezer over night until solid but still soft (like a sherbet!)

To serve- use the plastic wrap to help you pull it out of the pan and then slice and serve! Super delicious, refreshing and pallet cleansing!

Try one or try them all! Buon appetito!


Oh so back to the extra left over from dessert- now this is not brain surgery- but you are going to have to eye ball it- depending on how much egg mixture you have left- sprinkle some flour into the batter- mix as gently and as little as possible to incorporate the flour (sifting would really help here).  Mix until the batter looks like it has a thicker texture.

Now in another loaf pan or I used these cute ramekins- grease the pan, pour mixture in and top with raspberries.

Pop then into a preheated 375 degree F oven until golden on the edges.  Depending on how much flour you put in you might not be able to rely on the "toothpick method" but hey whatever comes out is at least going to taste good for a quick dessert.  It came out almost like a really moist sponge cake.  I think I baked it for about 20-30 minutes.

Before she went in the oven

Obviously we all had a great day!

Margharita² (Lemon Margaritas & Margherita Pizza)

First of all I would like to thank TopShelf Network, Inc for giving me the opportunity to join the family.  I know only good things come from a compilation of great minds and ideas (and food recipes of course).  Check out their site for "entertainment on every level", from everything from fashion, to sports, to True Blood and more.  I wanted to feature this recipe combo first because I felt it would be appropriate to celebrate the cross promotional worlds of food and entertainment.

This blog is a fun combo of Margaritas and Margherita Pizza.  (And YES I know the title is spelled wrong- it is just a combo of both words).  This recipe would be so fun to use if you were throwing a cocktail party or just as an appetizer.  I mean, booze and pizza are a match made in heaven- but this makes it feel a bit posh while you're getting on your slosh. The lemon isn't overwhelming it pairs nice with the fresh light pizza.  I first learned how to make pizza because I felt the price for delivery pizza was truly outrageous (truly truly truly outrageous, oh oh oh).  Anyway, it turned out to be super easy, just something you need to think about an hour before hand- which turns out to be most likely the same amount of time you would wait for delivery anyway.  Margaritas are always fun, they have their own glass and you can make them straight or frozen (mmm frozen, perfect for summer!)  I absolutely love margaritas, and this won't be the only time you see them on my blog.  I already have tons of ideas floating around with what to pair them with.  Since we're having pizza, I wanted to keep it an Italian theme.  Limoncello is an Italian liqueur made with lemons, alcohol (traditionally grain alcohol or you can use vodka), sugar and water.  I'm not using Limoncello liqueur but I did want to let the lemon flavor really shine, without having to buy a whole bunch of different liquors.  Don't worry it won't be super tart, that's why we add sugar to the mix :) 

Margherita Pizza is a classic that was "first made in 1899 when Queen Marghereta visited Napels to escape a cholera epidemic in the north of Italy. The ingredients used to make a Margherita pizza, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil, imitate the colors of the Italian flag. Queen Margherata liked the pizza so much that she wrote a thank you letter to Esposito, who decided to name the pizza after the Queen." (http://www.recipepizza.com/toppings/margherita_pizza.htm)

We'll start with the pizza dough recipe.  If you are pressed for time, or just don't feel like getting your hands dirty, most supermarkets carry fresh pizza dough now, or you can always go to your local pizzeria and buy pizza dough for cheap. 

Pizza Dough Recipe
(this will make two thin crust 16" pizzas, or one thick crust and extra dough for garlic knots)

• 1 ½ cups of all purpose flour
• 2 cups of bread flour (if you don't have bread flour, just use 3 ½ cups of all purpose flour in total)
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 packet of dry active yeast (or about 2 ½ to 3 tsp if you buy in bulk)
• 1 cup of warm water (about 100-110 degrees if you want to get technical)
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

1. Pour the yeast into the warm water and stir to combine.  Let this sit for a couple minutes to reactivate the yeast.
2. In a big bowl combine the flour, salt and sugar with a whisk and make a small well in the middle of the bowl. 
3. Then add the oil and yeast water to the well and combine with a large fork until just combined then use your hands until a sticky ball of dough is formed.
4. If you need to add a little more flour, just add a little at a time.
5. Take out of the bowl and knead the bread for about 5 mins. (Anytime you knead dough you want to sprinkle the counter or work area with flour so the dough doesn't stick) Shape it into a tight ball. Then put back into the bowl and cover entire ball with some oil (I usually just spray it with cooking spray) and cover with plastic wrap where the plastic wrap is touching the dough- not tightly covering the bowl on top, we are just covering the dough from the air so it doesn't form a tough "skin".  You could even drape a kitchen towel over the top of the bowl instead.
6. Let sit for at least 45 mins in a warm place until it has doubled in size.  If you don't have a warm place, turn the oven on to 350 degrees for a couple mins then place the bowl with the dough in there (but obviously shut the oven off- we aren't cooking the dough yet)
7. When it has doubled in size, knead it again for about 5 mins and then divide the dough into two even pieces.  Roll out the dough into the shape of your pan (pizza pans are cheap- I have two: one from Waldbaums, and one from Wal-Mart, but before I had the round pans I just made my pizzas "Sicilian" or rectangle and put on a baking sheet.) *edit* Now I actually have upgraded to a pizza stone. If you make a lot of pizza or really want a quality pizza I HIGHLY suggest you go and spend the $20 on a pizza stone- it will change the way you make pizza, seriously. **  Transfer to your pan or stone and top with toppings.
8. Cook for at least 10 mins at 450-550 degrees.  (Basically crank your oven as high as it will go) Pizza cook time will vary on crust size and what you topped the pizza with.

Margherita Pizza Recipe

• 2 small ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 1 lb of fresh mozzarella, sliced
• fresh basil leaves, about 10 (or about 1-1½ tablespoons of dried)
• salt
• extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Make the dough like I showed you before, and try to roll the dough out thin
3. Drizzle a little oil on the dough and cover evenly with your hand or a brush
4. Top with slices of mozzarella and tomato and basil leaves (if using dried just sprinkle the dried over the top)
5. Sprinkle on salt about a tsp or so
6. Put in the oven for about 10-15 mins. Keep an eye on it. When cheese and crust are all nice and brown its done.  I like to let the pizza sit for a minute or two when I take it out of the oven, I feel it helps set up the pizza a bit.  Then slice and serve!

Please use fresh mozzarella, it really makes a difference. And yea I didn't have fresh basil when I took the photos, sorry!

Frozen Lemon Margaritas
(This makes one serving for a standard Margarita glass.  If you need to make more just multiple the recipe by that number)

• 2 lemons (and the zest of one of them)
• 1 lime
• 2 shots (2 oz.) of tequila
• 1 shot (1 oz) of triple sec (or any other orange liqueur, and if you don't have any you could always use orange juice)
• 1 ½ tablespoons of sugar
• about 1-1½ cups of ice (I used 6 large ice cubes)
• salt or sugar for the rims

1. Zest one lemon into a blender
2. Before you squeeze the citrus- use it to line the rim of the glass and then roll the rim in either sugar or salt. I always prefer salt mmmmm.
3. Then add the juice of the lemons and lime into a blender
4. Add the liquor, sugar and ice. Then blend until slushy.

If it's too tart for your taste, add a bit more sugar. Want it stronger? Add more tequila! If no blender is available- shake it up and pour over some ice.  Oh, and believe me, you're gunna wanna make more than one serving  :) Buon appetito!