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recipe

Friday drinks

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You may or may not know, I bartend on the side. I’m a back-up bartender at my favorite bar here in Nashville, and boy some of the stories I could tell from behind the bar!

For Friday, though, I thought I’d bring you three drink recipes to possibly use in any weekend “partying” you may do this weekend.

The first is a shot that you can also have as a drink. (Just make more and serve over ice.) It’s something of a go-to for me when I don’t know what else to have or when someone comes to me and says, “What do you suggest?”

Washington Apple

1/3 Crown Royal
1/3 Apple Pucker
1/3 Cranberry Juice

Pour all four into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a shooter glass.

Or, as I said, make it into a drink by shaking and straining over ice.

Baby Guiness
Baby Guinness

My next drink choice is definitely my favorite shot at this time. A friends introduced me to it, and I haven’t looked back since. If you like coffee, trust me on this one and try it. (There are various variations on this shot, but this one is by far my favorite.)

Baby Guinness

2/3 Patron Cafe
1/3 Baileys

Pour the Patron Cafe into a shot glass, then float the Baileys on top. It’ll look like a tiny glass of Guinness!

My final drink comes with a story. Every so often you’ll get “those” customers… the ones you feel you’re never going to make happy.

My night with a couple ladies started with margaritas. We only serve them over the rocks (which, by the way, we don’t use a mix… they’re made from scratch and are, IMO, 1000x better than any margarita mix or any frozen margarita out of a machine!) and that wasn’t what they really wanted. So their next order was Sex on the Beach. No problem. I made them the drinks only to have them later come back and ask for grenadine. I arched an eyebrow. Later they ordered a Malibu Sunrise and made a big show of, “Oh THIS time to you remembered the grenadine.”

There is no grenadine in Sex on the Beach…

Sex on the Beach

1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz peach schnapps
2 oz cranberry juice
2 oz orange juice

 Add vodka and peach schnapps to a highball glass over ice. Fill with equal measures of cranberry juice and orange juice, and stir.(I admit, I usually shake and strain over ice myself.)

I repeat. There is NO GRENADINE in Sex on the Beach. And if anyone reading this asks a bartender for Sex on the Beach and ask for grenadine and gets a weird look… you can’t say I didn’t tell ya…

Happy Friday, ya’ll!!

cooking, health, recipe

Eating healthy is fun!

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Whole wheat french toast with fresh fruit.

I’ve mentioned many times lately that I am on a health kick right now. One of the biggest changes I’ve made is in what I eat.

A suspected milk allergy (I’ve not been tested… I’m just currently experimenting and testing myself) has taken me away from cheese, sour cream, whipped cream, coffee creamer, etc. Things that I loooooooooove to have, but that my body seems to be say nuh-uh to having.

I’ve switched over to vanilla flavored almond milk. It happens to have fewer calories and more calcium that regular milk! And guess what? It’s DELICIOUS. Now I use it in my coffee instead of creamer, and its just as good! And, again, fewer calories and no sinus flare-up from what I am assuming is an allergy!

I am all about fresh fruit… which is fun to eat all its own! I love making myself a little fruit salad at night. Or I put fruit on my cereal (often with a little cinnamon on top.) The other day, I made whole wheat french toast, and I buried it in fresh fruit. Who needs sugary syrup, when the fruit juices soak in instead?

Fresh veggies is my other big favorite. I am all about big salads, with the more goodies on it the better. I can make a bag of spinach leaves last over a week by putting a minimum of those with heaps of mushrooms, carrots, boiled egg, bell pepper, cucumber, and tomatoes on top!  Its refreshing on a top summer day. Low on calories. High in the YUMMY factor!

I’ve also started making a pasta dish using my fresh veggies. A little olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic, onion, bell pepper, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, a few fresh spinach leaves, salt, pepper, and a splash of white wine all sauteed together and poured over spaghetti noodles (either organic or atleast whole wheat, of course).  Sometimes I add some tuna, salmon, shrimp or chicken (go grab a rotisserie chicken at the store and tear it up to add in!). Sometimes I just go veggies. Either way, you end up with something you expect to find in some fancy restaurant.

It’s all SO delicious. Relatively cheap (if you can make your ingredients stretch over several days, the extra cost of the fresh vegetables and fruits is still cheaper than eating out). Makes you feel fantastic. Its FUN. And its all in the name of being healthy.

I’m no medical expect. I’m no fitness guru. I just like to read what is recommended by those people and find what works for me. Do you have any fun, fresh and healthy recipes you particular love? Please share!

PS – I do still love my beer and the occasional side of french fries. But I’m keeping those to a serious minimum. :)