Margarita Legendario
Ingredients:1 ounce Tequila Don Julio Blanco
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
Salt
Ice
Lime wedge for garnish

Mix Tequila Don Julio Blanco, fresh lime juice and Grand Marnier in a cocktail shaker with ice.
Rim a rocks cocktail glass with salt and fill with ice. Pour contents from shaker into  glass.
Garnish with a lime wedge.

Tequila Don Julio Reposado Margarita

Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounces Tequila Don Julio Reposado
3/4 ounce agave nectar

3/4 ounce fresh lime juice

Nutmeg for garnish

Combine Tequila Don Julio Reposado, agave nectar and fresh lime juice into a Boston Shaker with ice. Shake well. Strain contents over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a pinch of nutmeg.

Southern Hurricane

In a shaker with ice add
1½ oz. Southern Comfort®
1½ oz. Sweet and Sour Mix
1½ oz. Orange Juice
1½ oz. Pineapple Juice
Splash of Grenadine

Strain into hurricane glass and garnish with cherry and orange

Cajun Shrimp and Cucumber

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, tail off (45-50 count)
2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (one of your favorites)
4 teaspoon Southern Comfort Fiery Pepper
Salt
Pepper
1 English (seedless) cucumber, sliced into rounds
½ cup sour cream
Paprika

Marinate the shrimp in the olive oil, Cajun seasoning, Southern Comfort Fiery Pepper for 10 minutes. Sauté in a hot pan until cooked through and just pink / opaque in color. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Prepare cucumber by slicing it into thin rounds.  Place a dollop of sour cream on the cucumber and top with a cooked shrimp.  Garnish with a dusting of paprika.

Serves 10 – 12.

Chef Randy Stabler, from the St Bernard Hotel, has recipe combining bitter red radicchio and sweet tender lettuce with a sharp Oriental dressing to create a very refreshing salad. Randy often adds pine nuts for extra texture, flavor and substance.

Preparation 20 minutes, resting time 1 1/2 hours. Serves 6-8 .
1 1/2 pounds fresh radicchio
1/2 pound butter lettuce

For the lemon dressing
Juice of 1 lemon
1 shallot, finely chopped
1-2 garlic clove(s), crushed
1/4 cup soy or tamari sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup grapeseed oil or olive oil

1. Start preparing this salad at least 1 1/2 hours before you want to serve. Trim the leaves from the heads of lettuce, rinse in cold water. Dry in a salad spinner or pat with paper towels until dry.

2. Reserving the oils, mix the other ingredients for the lemon dressing in a bowl, leave for at least 1/2 hour to allow flavors to blend.

3. Whisk the oils together until blended. Drizzle into the bowl, whisking vigorously until the dressing emulsifies. Put the radicchio in a large shallow bowl, pour over 3/4 of the dressing, and toss until coated. Set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour. This softens the leaves and allows them to absorb the flavors of the dressing.

4. At the last minute, toss in the butter lettuce, adding a little more dressing if needed. Add pine nuts if desired.

The St. Bernard chefs have a couple of tips for creative salad making at home. The first one is to taste the dressing as you prepare it, go easy on the salt, spices and vinegar. The other tip is not to drench the leaves and other ingredients in dressing. You can always add a little extra later. Bon appétit!

I’ve got a pretty serious crush on Gail Vaz-Oxlade and her no nonsense, no bullshit money management style. I know that Jen and Neil* used her budget worksheet and they’re doing really well with it. I’ve got budget envy and so I’m following their lead. *_{Jen and Neil are my people-role-models. They’re seemingly perfect and brilliant and awesome and I love them. shhh.}

I’ve already cut a lot of my expenses out – shaw cable for example. Today, I decided it was time to tackle the stupid visa card that’s been hanging over my head. I’ve got a couple of income streams now, and even though they’re not a lot, they help.

I called the collection agency who has the account and they told me (in the most round about way, ever) to call the bank that holds the card and see if I can get them to stop charging me 19% interest on the principal. NINETEEN! That’s insane and will NEVER get me paid off. Ever.

Long story short, some of the people at the bank were helpful, some were… well, not. By the time I’d worked my way through the customer service department, the visa collections people and finally the recovery department (who told me to go back to the collection agency and then told me there was no way they would ever reduce my interest rate, ever and that it wasn’t what they DID. When I asked if there was ANYTHING he could do at all, he said “nope.” and that was the end of that conversation. Uh, well. Thanks then.)

I’ve requested copies of my credit report and as soon as I get that, I’m going to go to the Credit Counselling Society in hopes that they can perhaps explain to Visa that they will never ever get any money from me ever if they keep charging me 19%. Dips.

I’ll keep trying, but I’d welcome any suggestions or advice you’ve got! Anyone been through this before? What did you do and how did it work?

Do small but meaningful acts for your spouse. For example, if your wife hates unloading the dishwasher, make a point to get into the kitchen and put away the dishes first. Or make a mental note to wash the sheets on Friday afternoon so that they’ll be clean when your husband sleeps in on Saturday. Acts like this don’t take much time or energy, but they show your spouse that you are paying attention and that you care. Paying attention is vital.

Author Todd Patkin  says, “Never let small acts go unnoticed. Saying thank you—and accompanying it with a heartfelt hug or kiss—starts a cycle of giving and getting. It’s when you don’t acknowledge your spouse’s efforts that he or she will begin to feel taken for granted and ignored. And usually, things will only go downhill from there.”

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Ya just pay attention.

Here’s my dilemma: I need to do something new with my life. I’ve said this before. I’m still interested in, and planning on beginning as soon as possible, my registered holistic nutritionist degree. Certificate. Diploma. Whatever. My piece of paper.

I don’t know if that’s ENOUGH tho. I was looking at Blissology training with Eoin Finn this year, but I think that I need more yoga practice on my own first. I haven’t been practicing being bendy enough recently and I need to do that before I go into something as intense as training with Eoin. Looking at doing that in 2013. Ideally.

I’m also considering (again) culinary school. I can take the Culinary Arts course at VIU beginning in August, and it’s not killer spendy. But it’s two years. I’m almost 37. That would mean I’d be almost 40 by the time I’d finish school. Which, ultimately, isn’t really THAT big a deal.  But I don’t want to work on a line and make $15 an hour. So there’s THAT.

I’d love to write a cookbook, but I don’t know if I need to augment the skills I already have with two years of culinary school.

There’s a potential food gig afloat with a local radio station, which plays directly into my journalism/writing thing. That might take me along an interesting path.

SO, do I go to culinary school? Do I just do my RHN course? Do I do the RHN and then the yoga? Do I do all three and see where that takes me? Do I consider just spending the next two years LEARNING everything I can about all of these kind of interests and see what happens once I’ve GOT all that?

What say you? Tell me what to do!

Anyone want to go swimming?

Sangria Roja

1 1/2 oz Camarena Silver Tequila
1 1/2 oz Pinot Noir
1/2  oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Agave Nectar
2 oz Grapefruit Soda

In a stemless wine glass or lowball glass, mix all ingredients, except the grapefruit soda. Add ice and top off with grapefruit soda and stir. Garnish with lime wedge.

 Camarena Kiss

1/2 oz Camarena Silver Tequila
1/2 oz Blackberry Brandy
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
2 1/2 oz Brut Champagne

Combine all ingredients, except champagne in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake to blend and chill. Strain into chilled champagne flute. Top with champagne.

The Lovers Tango - The Tango is one of the most sensual, seductive dances around. Start your night with this and set the scene…
1.5 oz Belvedere Black Raspberry
1/2 oz Plum Sake
Dash Peychaud bitters (more for color than flavour, drink should be a very light pink)

Stir over ice and garnish with an orange twist.