Modern Hostess

Cupcakes are everywhere. While the yummy, sweet ones I now leave to the masters at Clementine Cupcakes and Occasional Cakes, I had to find a new use for my cupcake pans! I came across several tasty, savory ones. Whether you are up for Mexican, Asian or comfort food these cupcake size treats are perfect for your next summer party on the patio, or Sunday brunch.

For Cinco de Mayo tomorrow, try Taco Cupcakes by The Girl who ate Everything along side a pitcher of Margaritas. You could easily try these with ground pork, turkey or make them vegetarian, and maybe add some sliced jalepenos too.

For brunch try Quiche Prosciutto Cups from Epicurious. I might try a green olive tapenade in place of the black olives. Do I hear mimosas calling?

Asian Chicken Salad in Wonton Cups by The Food in my Beard. I really like the look and flavor of the shredded carrots, cucumber and shallots in this recipe.

The crab filing for these Mini Crab Cake cupcakes from Epicurious can be made the day before. I love that the “crust” is made with panko bread crumbs, which are lighter and crispier than traditional bread crumbs.

For colder nights these Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes by Bev Cooks look super easy. I’d like to try them in a cast iron cupcake pan over a summer campfire.

These Mango Curry Shrimp Wonton Cups from Epicurious are packed with flavor and would go great with your favorite Sauvignon Blanc or dry Riesling.

Cheers! Chris

Halloween is just a few days away. Whether you are hosting a huge party or just having a few families getting together before walking the neighborhood to go trick-or-treating – Here are a few grown up “treats” for the big, spooky night! From cocktails to beer and wine, Enjoy.

Bloody Eyeball Martini from What to Drink, complete with radish-olive eye ball tutorial.

Midori Melonball from Midori-world.com. There are tons of ghoulish green drinks to choose from if this one isn’t quite to your taste.

Kah Tequila for shots, sipping or cocktails in Dia De Los Muertos style, in Blanco, Anejo, Reposado and Extra Añejo.

Vampire Kiss Martini from Real Simple, wouldn’t be complete without a garnish of Vampire teeth.

One of my top 10 favorite beers, Dead Guy Ale from Rogue Brewing is lightly sweet but still complex and to-die-for delicious.

Punkin Ale from Dogfish Head is a brown ale with, with a little pumpkin and lots of spice.

Moonlight Brewing’s Bony Fingers is not for a faint of heart, a black lager with dark, burnt flavors and a strong bitter finish. For a slightly lighter style dark beer, try Moonlight’s Death and Taxes Black Beer.

Damnation by beer lover’s cult-favorite Russian River, is a Belgian style strong Golden Ale.

Forever Red wine by Dearly Beloved available now at Trader Joe’s for under $10.

Jaqk Cellars Bone Dance Merlot

Banfi Rosa Regalo Italian, sweet, lightly sparkling red available at Wine.com and Bevmo is the perfect witches’ brew.

Valley of the Moon Pinot Blanc is tasty light white wine that will go perfectly with your cheese trays and Halloween appetizers. Available at Wine.com and Bevmo.

Cheers, Chris

Yes, some days I have it rough and we have to do a little wine tasting at work. Unlike other days, a few of our offices got together for a wine and cheese tasting party.  I designed a simple invitation and everyone was invited to bring cheeses to share.

This Cheese Tasting Kit has plenty of tags, enough for several parties! I pick this one up at my favorite kitchen store Sign of the Bear

Designing this was a nice break from my normal routine at work.  These invitations went out via email, and made it a little more personal than the office calendar invitation typically found in your inbox.

Cheeses included Nicasio Valley Organic Reserve, Triple Creme Brie, Morrano Dutch Gouda, Spanish Manchego, Petit Basque, Chevre Fluerie and Aged Blue Cheese.
We rounded out the trays with grapes, water Crackers, mini toast and delicious Raincoast Fig and Olive Crisps.

I made simple wine tags, printed with conversation-starters, such as
“Favorite in-law story?” and “First Job?”

My favorite of the wine of the day? Sivas Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cheers! Chris

Have any of you had “one of those weeks”? Or maybe it’s just too hot and happy hour can’t come quick enough today. I found this post over at {every}nothing wonderful about easy cocktails using only lemon or limeade plus one ingredient.

Chances are you have a combination of these ingredients on hand and can make a summer happy hour happen on a whim. Keep this in mind for your next summer get-together to keep your cocktails simple, versatile, and perfect. Happy Friday! Hop over to {every}nothing wonderful for the details.

Like many couples with young children your life begins to revolve around them. Sometimes we begin to lose sight on what brought us together in the first place. I’ve been there and here’s my solution. Date night! My husband and I decided it was time to bring date night back. No kids, just a few hours of alone time together. I vow not to even mention one of my adorable little munchkins during our date (that’s a hard task for this proud mama). So this week we headed out on Saturday night at 6:00 on the dot. Seriously…..as soon as the babysitter walked though the door Tad and I bolted for the car. Ha! We started the evening off wine tasting in the Paso Robles square. We had a quick bite to eat at our favorite Sushi spot then headed over to the Pour House in Paso Robles. My husband is a huge beer fan. He brews, drinks and talks beer…..it’s basically his 2nd love. The Pour House is awesome! Great live music and wonderful beer selection. It brought us back to the days when we first met. It’s this awesome tap room in an industrial park decked out with these cool Beer Garlands like this…….

Being the Modern Hostess that I am….I couldn’t help but think how great these would be for a party!

A friend of mine told me our husbands should be called the ‘Modern Hostages’. Isn’t that the perfect name for them? They have stood by us all and I’m thinking they need a little recognition (Modern Hostess style). My mind is already going with ideas, stay posted……

Happy Monday everyone!

Cheers!

~Steph~