Cosmopolitans...and a Little Sex

Ha ha - I knew that title would get your attention.

My sisters and I went to the opening night of Sex and the City. We bought tickets ahead of time for the 7:00 show. There was a Mexican restaurant across the street, so we thought we'd get some appetizers and drinks before we went to the movie. I don't think we planned out our time enough, because 40-30 minutes before showtime, we were just getting our food. I told my sisters that I would go wait in line, so we could get some decent seats. I quickly finished my margarita on the rocks and walked over to the movie theater.


I guess it must have been the margarita, because somehow I wandered into the 7:45 showtime line (I swear the sign said 7:00).
10 minutes of waiting in line, I finally realized my mistake, and saw that the 7:00 showing was already seating. I dashed into the theater only to discover it packed with estrogen-filled-Sex and the City lovin' ladies. They were either dressed in cute dresses and pink stilettos, or they were wearing Sex and the City tank tops.
I have no idea how long these women had been waiting in line. It seemed obvious to me that they were PUMPED up.

I found four seats, in the third row, on the right side of the theater. My sisters showed up, and I hung my head in shame. We had to hold out heads straight back to see the screen.

When the movie started, the theme song came on. All of the women started cheering and clapping loudly. I looked over to my sister, bewildered.
I'm a fan of the show, but this was something else.


I don't want to talk about what happens in the movie, because I don't want to ruin it for you. But one thing. I heard somebody dies, but nobody did. I kept waiting and waiting...but no.
This wasn't an Academy Award-winning movie (of course), but overall I was satisfied with it. There's lots of fashion, glitz, glamour and drama. Exactly what I was expecting. It's good to see the girls back together. I wish this show was still on...it makes me sad.

Here's the basic formula for a good cosmopolitan. Drink one of these with your friends before you watch the movie, and you'll feel like the gals themselves. Just don't wander into the wrong line at the movie theater.

Cosmopolitan (Recipe by Emiline)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces vodka
3/4 ounce triple sec
1 1/4 ounces cranberry juice
1/2 ounce sweetened lime juice

Directions:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
Combine vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and lime juice in cocktail shaker, and shake well to combine.
Strain into a martini glass and serve.

Yield: 1 serving

Sex and the City image from Businessweek

Blueberry-Honey Sweet Tea

The oven is fixed! I haven't made anything yet, so just hold your horses. My baking rhythm has been thrown off from all of the tornadoes, I think.
I feel like there's a lot going on lately, so I bring you this boring tea recipe. Ohh, it's so boring. Who needs a recipe for tea? Nobody. Whatever. I don't care. I like the pictures...so I'm posting it.
I love, love iced tea. I drink a huge pitcher of it in less than a week. The water in the Ozarks tastes like hillbilly, so I like to mask the flavor with tea, and other flavors. Like blueberry juice and honey!

P.S. Go David Cook! Representing the great state of Missouri since January 2008.

Blueberry-Honey Sweet Tea (Recipe by Emiline)

Ingredients:
3 quarts water, divided
3 family-sized tea bags
3/4 cup blueberry juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:
In a large saucepan, bring 1 1/2 quarts water to a simmer. Remove pan from heat, add tea, and steep for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags; add blueberry juice, sugar, and honey, and stir until combined. Add mixture to a pitcher, then stir in additional 1 1/2 quarts water.

Raise your glasses to...The Mango Mojito!

It's time for another Royal Foodie Joust! This month the contest is being ran by Ben of What's Cooking, because Jenn is getting married/honeymooning. Last month's winner, Michelle of Thursday Night Smackdown chose this month's ingredients: Mango, Brown Sugar and Cardamom.
So go run over to the forum and join in on the fun.

It's been so warm the last couple of days, I thought a mojito sounded refreshing. This is a twist on the classic. Cheers!

Mango Mojitos (Recipe by Emiline)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cardamom pods
1 (12-ounce) mango, peeled and pitted
6 ounces rum (or more)
1/3 cup lime juice
1 cup packed fresh mint sprigs
Seltzer water
Ice

Directions:
Whisk together water and sugars, in a small saucepan, over medium heat, and bring mixture to a boil, whisking frequently. Remove pan from heat and stir in cardamom pods; cool for 10 minutes.

Cut mango into pieces, and add to a blender. Strain syrup mixture into blender; Add rum and lime juice, and pulse until well combined.

Muddle the mint sprigs in 4-6 glasses. Pour mango mixture into each glass, followed by seltzer water (stir to combine) and ice.

I'm hosting a blogging event!

It's March 1st, and do you know what that means? I'm hosting my first blogging event! I've been planning this event for some time. Remember how I kept hinting and hinting about it?
I wanted it to be a food blogging event, revolving around St. Patrick's Day, and alcohol, since I have Irish blood.
So I introduce to you, my....

St. Paddy's Day Pub Crawl Blogging Event!

To participate, cook and post a savory or sweet dish, using beer, wine, or hard liquor/liqueur, (Or all of the above!) between March 1st and Monday, March 17th.
Send me your entry at sugarplumblog(at)yahoo(dot)com with the following information:
1. Name
2. Blog name
3. Blog URL
4. Post title or Name of dish
5. Post URL
6. Picture

I will post all of the entries on Thursday, March 20th, and we'll have a little pub crawl with all of the boozy food.

This isn't just a blogging event, it's a blogging contest!
Myself and a panel of judges will pick a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. I'll make a big fuss over you entry, and give you lots of attention.
The 1st place winner also receives a prize:
A copy of Entertaining with the Sopranos

and...

The Ultimate Book of Cocktails.
(I just bought them from Borders, tonight!)

I will be judging on the following criteria:
Creativity-50%
Use of & type of alcohol-35%
Presentation-15%

This is a cooking & baking contest, not a drink-making contest. I can't wait to see your entries! There are some really talented bloggers out there.
Now get ready....set....go!
SHOW ME YOUR BOOZE!


This is a cocktail that I made, to celebrate my new contest.

Kumquatini (Recipe By Emiline)

Ingredients:
1 ounce rum
1 ounce Malibu Banana liqueur
2 ounces pineapple juice
2 teaspoons Meyer lemon juice
Ice
2 kumquats, thinly sliced

Directions:
Combine rum, Malibu, pineapple juice, lemon juice, and ice, in a cocktail shaker, and shake to combine. Strain liquid into a glass, place a few slices of kumquat into the drink, and garnish the sides as well.
Serves 1

Spiced Apple Cider

In my family, Thanksgiving is all about the food. Oh- and giving thanks, family, friends, yada yada blah blah....
Back to the food. Oh, the food. I dream about this meal all year long. This time of year I smell hot buttered rolls, candied sweet potatoes, and sage dressing in my nose, when there isn't any in site. I am anticipating our great feast.
(Don't get mad that I called it dressing! We've always called it dressing, not stuffing. We're kind of Southern.)

This year we will have roasted turkey, smoked turkey breast, gravy, mashed potatoes, more gravy, dressing, *cough* even more gravy, candied sweet potatoes with those tasty little marshmallows, cranberry salad, rolls from the place where I work, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and maybe we'll throw a vegetable in there. I think this year, I'm going to set up a little drink station and play bartender. Tips welcome.

My close family will be here-my dad, mom, sister Rachel and her husband Jeremy, sister Kristin and her finace Mike, my little sister Hannah, Grandma H, and our new guest: Baby Jayden. He has his own supply of food, this year.

Together we will sit around the fire, drinking big mugs of spiced apple cider, sharing jokes and stories, quilting, passing around the fiddle, and smoking corncob pipes. Well...not really...but close.
We drink beer and play pool.

Nobody likes apple cider, either. Except my little sister, and I. We drink it and shiver in all of its delicious glory.

Spiced Apple Cider (Recipe by Emiline)

Ingredients:
1/2 gallon apple cider
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
A few strips of orange peel
1 cinnamon stick
A few whole cloves
1 star anise

Directions:
Stir together the apple cider and brown sugar, in a large saucepan, over medium heat. Add the rest of the ingredients, and heat mixture (stirring occasionally) until it starts to bubble slightly. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until ready to serve. Ladle into mugs, straining out the spices.

Yield: 6-8 servings