Kir-Royale-Popsicle

Top 10 Champagne Cocktails for New Year's Eve

What”s the best part about New Year”s Eve? Spending time with friends, reflecting on the great times of the year past, dressing up in fun outfits? NO! It”s drinking champagne until you black out, obviously.

In honor of the year-end holiday encouraging America to drown all its sorrows and joys in an everlasting river of champagne, here are ten of my favorite champers recipes I”ve found floating around the Internet, including some memorable champagne posts from ES days of yore.

Happy new year!

10. Watermelon Champagne Cocktail from A Fabulous Fete

Watermelon Champagne Cocktail

9. Champagne Jell-o Shots from SheKnows

Champagne Jello Shots

8. Berry best online casino Pear Champagne Cocktail from Polka Dot Bride

Berry Pear Champagne Cocktail

7. Blackberry Prosecco Popsicle from Bakers Royale & Endless Simmer!

Kir-Royale-Popsicle

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Apple Bourbon Pulled Pork Stuffing

stuffing

If you ask me, it is NOT a holiday meal without stuffing. Nothing says celebration like cooking some old bread up with an unreasonable amount of butter and fatty meat. Honestly, I don’t even care if we have a bird. Whether it’s turkey, goose or even ham on the Christmas table, I’m expecting stuffing on the side.

And this year I’m pretty proud of my new invention: stovetop stuffing amped up with apple bourbon slow-cooker pulled pork, walnuts and apples. YEP.

Apple Bourbon Pulled Pork Stuffing

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ES-Approved Holiday Gift Guide for Food Lovers

Still looking for that perfect gift for the epicurean in your life? Try one of our suggestions! Thanks to the internet, there’s no shortage of cookbooks and kitchen goods out there, but we’ve cut through the boring stuff and picked out a handful of ideas that are sure to please. Stick one of these under your tree and treat yourself to a drink – holiday shopping is hard work!

 

From Scratch Food Network

From Scratch: Inside the Food Network
We love some Food Network as much as the rest of the country, but we’re also  suckers for a good celeb chef snark sesh, and this new book from Allen Salkin looks like it will provide plenty of ammo.

 

Christmas HomeMade Gin Kit

HomeMade Gin Kit Holiday Blend Christmas Refill
I reviewed the HomeMade Gin Kit last holiday season (and gave it two thumbs up, I think it’s a super fun project and makes a great gift for any cocktail lover). Now they’ve released a special holiday edition. According to Gin Kit co-founder Joe Maiellano, “We’ve toned down the citrus and summery flavors in the original gin infusion blend and laced the new one with cinnamon, clove, ginger, and rosemary. We came up with a cocktail recipe for the new gin using cranberry juice, orange liqueur, and a rosemary sprig that testers say looks and tastes like Christmas in a glass!” The refill is only $10, so it makes a nice stocking stuffer for anyone you got the original kit for last year.

Magical Unicorn Salt

Magical Unicorn Salt
Truth time: part of the reason we picked this one is because of its majestic name. Besides that, though, this stuff sounds great: a mix of pure ocean salt, smoked paprika, garlic, rosemary, and celery seed. The seasoning possibilities are endless! The manufacturer, Beautiful Briny Sea, doesn’t have a full online store, but you can check out their current offerings and contact info on their Facebook page, and right now, just in time for gift-giving, Magical Unicorn Salt is selling on Fab.

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Detox Drinks

Top 5 Post-Holiday Detox Drinks

Detox Drinks

I realize Thanksgiving was almost a full week ago, but I”m still in full-on recovery mode. Everyone knows a good streak of Thanksgiving-level eating stretches all the way through Black Friday and into the weekend. After all, those leftovers aren”t going to devour themselves! Anyway, after an accomplished 4 days of pigging out, I usually feel pretty sluggish and ashamed (also proud! But also, there is some shame).

Wondering how to get back on track, or at least wean your body off the idea of getting stuffed with gravy and butter every second of the day? I have a couple secret weapons and tricks up my sleeve that I use to help me (and my poor, poor digestive system) feel better in no time. That photo above is a snapshot of my desk on the first day back to work after my large weekend. My living area basically looked like the beverage aisle at Whole Foods.

1. Coconut Water
Taste the tropics, y”all! This stuff is so great for refreshment and rehydration! It has just as much potassium as bananas plus tons of important electrolytes. You can basically think of it as nature”s gatorade. I first gave coconut water my official ES endorsement back in January 2012 and this miracle drink retains my loyalty to this day. My favorite brands are Zico (try the pineapple flavor!) and O.N.E.

Zico and Kombucha

2. Kombucha
Oh my dear, sweet kombucha! This fermented tea drink might sound funky, but just give it a try. It will help you balance your pH, cleanse out toxins and impurities, and really move your digestion along. Plus kombucha has trace amounts of alcohol! So it”s not like you”re completely depriving yourself, just trick yourself into thinking it”s a health cocktail or something. If you”re freaked out by the idea of fermented tea, try a bottle of GT Dave”s Synergy, which comes in delightful juice-blended flavors like guava, • individual health insurance companies could drop you for being sick or stop treating you when you reached annual or life-time limits. gingerade, and my personal fave, trilogy.

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Thanksgivingkuh Leftovers: Mashed Potato Latkes

DSC_0175-332-x-5001

How to celebrate the last few days of Hanukah while using up your Thanksgiving leftovers? Come on, this one’s obvious:

Mashed Potato Latke Recipe

Leftover City: Pumpkin-Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yet another recipe involving pumpkin from yours truly. What can I say, it’s Thanksgiving time! If you’re wondering what you’re going to do with all that leftover pumpkin puree from your Thanksgiving pumpkin pie recipe, I have one for you. It’s easy, cheap, tasty, and healthy without tasting particularly like a health food. You can serve a couple of these as a main course, or use one as a nice, hearty side with your turkey leftovers. Either way, you’re looking at a complete protein, fiber, veggies, and a little bit of savory indulgence (blue cheeeeeese!) all at once. Win win win.

Pumpkin-Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

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Holiday Long Read: The Man at the End of the Line

FINAL-colour-traderjoes-1

While you’re waiting in that godforsaken, winter-weather-ridden, full-of-grumpy-people calamity known as an airport the day before a national binge festival holiday, just be glad you’re not at the most crowded grocery store in the country.

The Man at the End of the Line is the story of one truly brave dude who stands between a seamless checkout experience and edible Armageddon at an especially frenzied outpost of Trader Joe’s.

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