Drunken Vodka Gummy Worms

Tweet

Do this.



It's magic how it works.  You take a container of gummy worms, dump a mickey of vodka over top, close the lid and refrigerate for 24 - 48 hours, and - VOILA! - the gummy worms soak up the vodka and you have delicious vodka gummy worms.

I realized that I just used the word 'mickey' to describe how much vodka to use, and should probably define this 'Canadianism' for any non-Canadian readers.  A mickey is a Canadian term used to describe a small 13-ounce (375 mL) bottle of any hard alcohol.  Read all about it at this cool website that I saw that translates some common Canadian terms - America's Guide to Canadianisms.  Do you know what a 'chesterfield' is?  How about a 'toque?'  My mind was just blown when I learned that 'Kraft Dinner' is a Canadian term...they don't call it that anywhere else?!  My friend from San Francisco was razzing me for calling our new garburator just that, a 'garburator.'  Apparently they are called garbage disposals in other parts of the world.  We also don't say 'soda,' we say 'pop,' we don't say 'whole milk,' we say 'homo milk (the short term for homogenized, people!),' and we don't say 'candy bar,' we say 'chocolate bar.'  Also, our new 100-dollar bills smell like maple syrup.  I'm not even joking about that - Google it.  I personally think that they taste like chicken.

Cantaloupe Gin Cocktails

Tweet

I know what my mom wants for Mother's Day...

 

I seriously almost can't even concentrate on the cocktail at hand because of the stunning view in the background.  Just a 40-minute ferry ride away from downtown Vancouver is paradise at my friend Cleary's vacation home in Sechelt, BC, where she, my friend Ashley, and I spent last weekend sipping on these Cantaloupe Gin cocktails.  There were dolphins out swimming around (I couldn't see them - I can never easily find cool stuff in nature when people point things out to me - but my friends told me they were there), the temperature was nice and toasty (and it's only Maaaaaaaay!), and we were enjoying some girl time and these Gin Cantaloupe Cocktails in front of a beautiful view of British Columbia (mountains, ocean, trees - oh my!).

White Wine Sangria Jello Jigglers

Tweet

Remember Jello Jigglers?  These are the even more fun version.

Why didn't I think of this before?  I love Jell-O Shooters.  I love Wine.  Why not make Wine Jello Shooters, or even better...White Wine Sangria Jello Jigglers?

Bacon Night!

Tweet

Friday night was intense.  Saturday I had a major bacon hangover.  Sunday I ate more bacon.

Here's the line-up from our bacon-themed Supper Club night.  And yes, even the dessert had to contain bacon:

• Bacon-infused vodka Caesars with bacon stir sticks and all of the other necessary Caesar accoutrement
• 
• Bacon and caramelized onion dip with veggies and tortilla chips
• 
• Spinach salad with bacon
• 
• Boursin and bacon stuffed chicken wrapped in prosciutto
• 
• Bacon hasselback potatoes
• 
• Brussels sprouts with bacon, garlic, and shallots
• 
• Gluten-free bacon brownies topped with chocolate sauce, walnuts, and vanilla ice cream.
• not pictured here because by this point it was wayyyy too late to care about taking pictures.    You can actually see the deterioration of the pictures as the night goes on in the series above.

Holy crap it was good.  I love Supper Club.

The 1-2-3-4-5 Caesar

Tweet

The 1-2-3-4-5 Caesar!

What more could a good Canadian kid (over the age of 19) want on a hot long weekend summer day?

For those non-Canucks who may not be as familiar with this cocktail, I will let you into the club.  A Caesar is a tasty mixture of Mott's Clamato juice (tomato juice mixed with clam nectar and seasonings), vodka, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and spices, garnished with a spicy bean, celery-salted rim, and a lime.  No, no no no, it is nothing like the Bloody Mary.  A Bloody Mary is thick and tomato-soup like, and a Caesar is like a fairy princess magical unicorn ride.

This drink happily sits on the cocktail menu of every restaurant and bar in Canada, and I have noticed lately that this little Canadian gem may be working its way into the hearts of Americans. While you could never ever find Clamato juice in the USA a couple of years ago, now they even sell it by the warehouse pack at the Costcos across the border.   I also was able to enjoy a couple of Caesars on our Mediterranean cruise, which made me very, very happy.  Back in Canada, I saw a 'Caesar Starter Kit' at the grocery store the other day...awesome!!  At the liquor store last night I noticed that there are now four brands of pre-made Caesar coolers on the market, and picked up the Franks Red Hot Sauce version for a camping trip this weekend.

While the Caesar is Canada's cocktail, even a proud Canuck might be wondering what exactly the 1-2-3-4-5 Caesar is.  Well, I'm glad you asked!

Peach Bellinis

Tweet

While in Italy earlier this month, I sampled some of the local bebitas (a very important Italian word that I got very well-acquainted with, meaning...drinks!); wine, beer, and even a bellini.  Ok, two bellinis.  But it was happy hour so technically with every drink purchased I saved more and more money.  It's basic financial management.  Plus...talk about delicious.

Back on this side of the globe, a few girlfriends from work and I have started a Supper Club, and last Saturday night was our first dinner.  The idea of Supper Club is that we get together every couple of months, sometimes with spouses and sometimes just the girls, and eat and drink.  Everything I love.

We all take turns hosting, and the host makes the main course, while the others take a turn at a course such as appetizer, soup/salad, dessert, and drinks.  We pick the theme and divvy up courses ahead of time by throwing names and theme ideas into a hat.  Themes can be anything...cuisine of a certain country, breakfast for dinner, all-meat, all-garlic (ok, that's just my dream theme)...anything goes.

Last Saturday's theme was...ITALIAN!!!!

The course I was put in charge of was...DRINKS!!!!

I'm on it, girls.

I found this Giada De Laurentiis recipe for bellinis online, and it was a major hit with the girls at Supper Club.  It's very simple to make, and a fun, tasty, 'something different' drink to serve at a girls night.

Egg Nog Supreme

Tweet

Note: 'Supreme' means boozy! Egg nog is one of my favourite things about Christmas. I first made this Egg Nog Supreme recipe last Christmas, and what wasn't slurped up on Christmas Eve by my family was quickly spooned into our Christmas morning coffee. This year I made it as a punch to serve at our New Years Eve party, and crossed my fingers in hopes that everyone wasn't completely sick of egg nog already. Turns out that if you put booze into anything, our friends will drink it (and that's one of the things we love about them most)! Here is the recipe...it's definitely a must try!! Enjoy!