Cool off with a Watermelon Cocktail on National Watermelon Day

It's National Watermelon Day and we're in the midst of a heatwave. Other than a cold slice of watermelon, the thing I'll be looking forward to at the end of the day is a watermelon cocktail. This riff on the Americano combines Campari, sweet vermouth, bottled watermelon juice and Dry Sparkling Watermelon. Proportions are dialed back…

ByMichelleAugust 3, 20170Comments

Beverages Recipes

Celebrate Pixie Tangerine Month with a Whixie Sour

April marks the tail end of citrus season and if you live near Ojai, California, it's also Ojai Pixie month. Pixie tangerines are gorgeously sweet, seedless and easy to peel. If you don't live close enough to celebrate with local restaurants and hotels, you can get your Pixies at markets across the US, and shake up…

ByMichelleMarch 31, 20170Comments

Beverages Entertaining Recipes

The A-/B+: Maple Cider Bourbon Smash

Sometimes a cocktail is born of what you have around. Last Sunday as we were settling in to an afternoon of football, I realized we were low on vodka, which put a damper on our Moscow Mule plans. I'm constantly looking for ways to learn to enjoy bourbon and this maple cider cocktail might just be…

ByMichelleNovember 18, 20160Comments

Beverages Recipes

The Cocorano – Coconut Gin Fizz with Dry Sparkling Serrano Pepper

Linger in Denver, Colorado knows how to do brunch. The food is always fantastic, but maybe more importantly they've got a small, but solid selection of brunch drinks. The coconut gin fizz is the kind of brunch cocktail you could lose a Sunday to, so good you can't stop throwing them back. I'm not usually a big…

ByMichelleJune 24, 20160Comments

Baking Entertaining Recipes

Mini Parmesan Popovers

It's hard to resist things that are mini -- Mini M&Ms, mini cupcakes, mini doughnuts, Mini Coopers. You can add these mini parmesan popovers to that list. Perfect for holiday get togethers, they're fast and easy to make -- you just whirl up the ingredients in a blender and bake in a well-greased mini muffin…

ByMichelleNovember 15, 20110Comments

Restaurants Travel

Portland (PDX) – Part 3: Clyde Common

A little before 6 pm on a Friday night, Clyde Common is packed with people enjoying happy hour. It's connected to the Ace Hotel, one of the modern boutique hotels in Portland (parodied on Portlandia as the Deuce Hotel. BTW - a show worth checking out on Hulu). The dinner menu starts at 6 and I nabbed a seat against the windows, ordered a glass of the Crowley Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley and waited. By the time I was ready for my second glass, a spot had opened up at the bar. I was flying solo as my husband had come down with something and wasn't in the mood to go out. I have no problem eating by myself, but knew it might be a challenge on a Friday night at a place with a hoppin' happy hour.

ByMichelleJune 18, 20110Comments