National Margarita Day & Margarita Recipes

Yes, seriously, there is a National Margarita Day, every year on Feb. 22! Wahoo a day to celebrate & drink one of my favorite cocktails, like I need an excuse to drink one! Those delicious margaritas are shaken up with so many different concoctions- Mango, jalapeno, strawberry, raspberry, watermelon-basil, and how bout those cornoritas, this is just a tiny list of those luscious cocktails! One main thing the best margaritas are made with fresh ingredients - no premix or that icky bottled margarita mixer & made with 100% agave blanco or reposado tequilla.

Lime Squeezer

If you don't have one, these lime squeezer are the best! Not just for margaritas, but anytime you need a lime squeezed or even small lemons. No seeds will get in.


Margaritas are so so easy to make - Here's a great recipe for your basic Lime Hand Shaken Margarita

2 oz.Blanco or Silver Tequilla (a good one)
1 oz. fresh squeezed lime, (usually that's about 1 whole lime)
1 oz. 100% Pure Blue Agave Nectar
Lime wedge, for rim rubbing
Kosher salt, for rim
Prep Glass; Whether you are using a traditional margarita glass or martini glass; take lime wedge & rub the rim of your glass. Put some kosher salt on a plate, & turn your glass upside down on it to coat.
Mix It:  Take a shaker, put in your tequilla, fresh lime juice & agave nectar. Fill shaker about half full of ice. Now shake it up about 15 sec. Strain into your prepped glass full of ice! Sometimes I put a little topper of seltzer on drink before serving.
Drink up! Sooo delicioso & fresh!  Makes 1 drink.
* Best ice to use is small or broken cubes (sorry pic above does not show that)
*To spice up your margarita, you can add a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper to your salt for your rims!

Sure you guys know, there are so many wonderful margaritas out there, we all have our fave places to go to get your margarita fix! Chef Rick Bayless, owner of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, XOCO, Tortas Frontera &Frontera Fresco, also is the creator of Frontera gourmet foods & did I mention 8 cookbooks! Besides all this he makes a terrific margarita at his restaurants. This is Rick Bayless' table side margarita recipe

Rick Bayless' Topolo Margarita

3/4 c. fresh lime juice, about 3 large limes                          1c. plus 2 Tbsp. blanco tequilla

6 Tbsp. sugar                                                                    1/4 c. Gran Torres orange liqueur

1 c. water                                                                           Lime wedges & coarse salt

Make Limeade: Combine lime juice, sugar and water in a pitcher. Cover & refrigerate if not using right away (no longer than 24 hr)

To Serve: Add tequilla & orange liqueur to the pitcher of limeade. Rub rims of martini glasses with a lime wedge, dip in a dish of coarse salt. In a large shaker, combine half of the margarita mixture w/ half of ice , shake 15-20 sec. Strain into prepared glasses. Repeat w/ rest of ingredients.       Serves 6

Barbakoa House Margarita

This was a kick ass margarita served at Barbakoa Modern Latin Restaurantt, Downers Grove, Il. Instead of salt on the rim, they had one big swoop of salt on the side of the glass. Wasn't sure what you were suppose to do with it, so just went for it, did a big lick up the glass, and took a drink! Damn it was good! Barbakoa makes their House Margarita with hand squeezed lime, organic agave nectar, bourbon barrel aged 100% de Agave Tequilla D'Oro.

El Carmen Restaurant in Los Angeles, CA, have been serving up margaritas a long time. Pretty sure they know about margaritas; they offer over 420 kinds of tequilla! This one sounded really bueno - the Cilantro Ginger Margarita- shaken up with Tonala Reposado, Ginger Liqueur, Agave Syrup, Fresh Lime muddled
w/ Fresh Cilantro. Served on the rocks.

Pretty Petal Pusher

Think this is the prettiest margaritas I've ever seen! This is Colleen Mullaney's margarita recipe

Pretty Petal Pusher

4 oz tequilla                                                                     4 oz. pear nectar

4 oz Lanique rose petal liqueur                                         1 lime, squeezed

In a cocktail shaker filled w/ ice, pour all ingredients & shake well. Let stand to chill, up to 5 min. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with an edible flower, such as a pansy.

Saw this margarita recipe on a spirit website- looked too good not to share

Berry Delicious Margarita

Blend 8 oz. Silver Tequilla, 4 oz Chambord Liqueur, 4 oz. Limoncello, 1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice, 2 c. mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, & Strawberries) in a blender with 3 c. crushed ice. Pour into 4 margarita glasses rimmed with sugar.

Don Julio's Jalapeno Margarita

1 1/2 oz Don Julio Reposado Tequilla                                    1/2 oz Grand Marnier orange liqueur

1 oz. fresh lime juice                                                             Splash of agave nectar

1 jalapeno pepper, muddled                                                  1 Jalapeno pepper for garnish

In a shaker muddle the jalapeno. Add to shaker rest of ingredients with ice. Shake well. Strain into a highball glass over ice. Garnish with the jalapeno pepper.

*Depending who you are serving this to & if they can take the heat, you might consider taking out a few of the seeds from the jalapenos! 

Recipe didn't call for it, but for sure, this chick would add salt to the rim!

Lots of specials going on out there, Sat Feb 22, for National Margarita Day - On The Border Restaurant  is serving their 12 oz House Margarita for $1.00! Or you might head over to  Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville 3PM-4PM- having a complimentary margarita making class, then 5'o clock (somewhere) will have a toast to the official beverage of Margaritaville "The Margarita"!
So whether you like your margaritas on the rocks or frozen; go out & enjoy a margarita (or 2), or even stay home & shake up one of these fabuloso margaritas, Feb. 22 National Margarita Day!

This chick loves National Margarita Day & loves these margarita recipes!

Egg on Pizza!

Four Seasons Pizza
1913 Restaurant and Wine Bar

2014 is suppose to be "The Year of the Egg"! Eggs are not just for breakfast anymore. Eggs are going to be popping up everywhere - on burgers, pasta, and pizzas.
This chick is all about checking out new restaurants, and heard there was a new restaurant that opened a few weeks ago, 1913 Restaurant & Wine Bar. 1913 is located outside Chicago in Roselle,IL (just a short train ride away from Chicago). 1913 offers small plates, fresh to the table authentic Country European fare inspired by French and Italian cuisine. Hearing about the whole "Year of the Egg" thing, thought I'd try their Four Seasons pizza, which had egg as one of the ingredients. The Four Seasons Pizza had prosciutto, tomatoes, spinach, artichokes, mozzarella and yes, egg. This pizza was delicious!! When the server brought the pizza to the table he took a spoon and smeared the yolk of the soft cooked egg around the center of the pizza. The creaminess of the egg just intensified the flavor of the pizza. I know, sounds really weird, but it was so good! Also tried the housemade ricotta served with a fresh honeycomb & rustic croutes, and roasted wild mushrooms on grilled polenta both were really yummy! The few glasses of Chianti were delightful too! One more little rave about this restaurant - the gelato- OMG to die for!!! The assortment- chocolate, salted carmel, and pistachio - rich, creamy & amazingly delicious, just as good as gelato that this chick had in Italy!
Can't wait to go back and try some other tantalizing dishes. You can check out their menu @1913roselle.com

Crazy to say, but this chick loves egg on pizza!!

Champagne Toast to NYE 2013

It's almost time to ring in 2014! Time for the countdown & champagne toast, but 2013 will not go out without a bang! Lots of happenings going on everywhere. One fun little FYI, Belvedere Vodka is ringing in the New Year with its "Silver Saber" complete with a lighting element that will illuminate for 8 hrs. It will officially launch in Feb 2014, but Silver Saber will be showcased NYE 2013 at SLS Hotel, South Beach and a few select venues in NYC & LA. Speaking of venues, this chick has been checking out some hot spots for NYE 2013. Lets go ahead and go to South Beach, Miami where they are going to blow NYE 2013 out with the ultimate poolside parties!
SLS Hotel hosting Robin Thicke's NYE 2014 with Skylar Grey. Tickets start @ $500.  Tables &Cabana's $4,000-$25,000
FountainBleau Hotel -Miley Cirus & Pharrell Williams cohost poolside with DJ Afrojack. Gen Admin $325.  VIP Tables & Cabanas $3,000- $30,000
NYC- NYE in NYC is the classic must visit places for NYE celebrations. The city is electrifying! Besides the ball dropping & countdown in Times Square, Pier 36 will have 5 explosive DJ's-Cedric Gervais, R3HAB, Sander VanDoory, Show Tek,& Tommy Trash. Tickets $165-$10,000.  Cipriani 42 St.-Voted #1 NYE Grand Gala.Toast with Cipriani's own Prosecco. Tickets $150 -$325.
Las Vegas- Vegas is a party everyday, but NYE it's off the charts, parties everywhere  especially in TAO & XS. Haze @ Aria-Glittery Extravaganza with John Legend & DJ E-Rock.Women admin $55. Men $132. The Bank @Bellaigio-Hip hop artist Common is performing with DJ IKON. Ladies VIP $55 Men $137.50  Premium seating $2,500-$12,800.
LA- Bootsy Bellows-Sunset Strip's hipster modern day Rat Pack bash is hosted by owner David Arquette- music by DJ Politik with some crazy burlesque, marionette puppetry & surprise performances. Gen Admin $95.  VIP $105- $6,000
Chicago- The Crystal Garden at Navy Pier-Most spectacular fireworks display in the country! Live DJ & much more. Tickets $155-$175
OKC- Chevy Bricktown Events Center-OKC Thunder's Kevin Durant & Angela Simmons hosting the NYE Bash with DJ Keilo. Gen Admin $35.   VIP. $75-$200.
Dallas-The DFW Soirée Countdown 2013 @ Omni Downtown Dallas-Voted best NYE celebration in DFW last year & doing it again this year. Live DJ and a Vegas style casino lounge. Tickets $99.  Tables start @ 1,500.
Wow- that's a lot of celebrating & champagne toasting going on! This chick will definitely love her champagne toast this NYE!

The Aviary

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This chick checked out The Aviary before dining at Next, and so glad because the drinks were fabulous! The Aviary is very chic and unique. The bartenders are trained chefs who mix up some amazing concoctions with fresh ingredients mixed with delightful spirits. Each drink, besides being absolutely fantastic, are presented to your table with amazing presentation! Pictured above is their infused fruit membranes, the decanter is presented to your table used for one cocktail!

The Aviary is located at Next restaurant on W. Fulton Mkt, Chicago,IL. They are opened Wednesday-Sunday at 6 PM. Definitely a place you need to go, check their website +theaviary 

This chick loves the cocktails at The Aviary!

Next Restaurant

This chick thinks Next is "Amazing", a true dining experience! Next, located at 953 W. Fulton Mkt, Chicago, IL., is a very upscale trendy restaurant where no walk-ins allowed. You can buy tickets online at their website +NextRestaurants to dine at this fabulous restaurant.

Next is featuring through the month of December the Bocuse d'Or menu. The Bocuse d'Or was 15, yes 15, courses of amazing flavors and artistically beautiful presentations! The wine & beverage pairings complimented each and every bite! We sat at the chef's table where the large glass window, looking into the kitchen, allowed us to watch the precision and artistry put in to assembling each course. 

Our food journey began with a delicious, rich terrine of veal with frisee salad and cipollini marmalade. This chicks fav was the osetra caviar w/ whipped beurre blanc and pine nuts served in an oh so delicate pastry shell that was heaven in your mouth!

Next changes their menu only 3 times a year. Next's 2014 menu - Chicago Steak, Chinese Modern, and Trio 2004. What a wonderful gift to give that someone really special - tickets to Next!

This chick is definitely loving Next!

Arrivederci from Eataly

A goodbye from Eataly, but you will be back shopping there soon! I know this chick will!

website@Eataly.com



Eataly

A foodies dream! Eataly is AMAZING! Started in Italy & only 2 USA locations- NYC & Chicago. This building is a huge 2 story shop of Italian fare. Fresh pastas being made, breads, wines, olive oil, cheeses of all kinds, way too much goodness to list. Huge vats of fresh mozzarella being made, huge wheels of reggiano Parmesan cheese an espresso bar, a gelato area, a wine bar, a piazza of all kinds of eataries! Best way to shop, you can oner a glass of wine and walk around and sip on your wine while you shop and sample cheeses, salami's, and gelato! This chicks ideal of shopping! You can absolutely spend an afternoon there! Check out their website@Eataly.com, perfect holiday gifts or can order some of their wonderful goodness' for yourself! This chick is loving Eataly!