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The Inspired Life
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Welcome to my new blog, A place where I can share my ideas with you. From great tips on entertaining to tasty cocktail recipes that make it all easier for you to host with style in a flash. You’ll find lots of projects to inspire you for your home and garden, and fun projects and playdates to plan with the kids. Plus some kitchen gossip, for good measure of course, because everyone needs a little dish now and then. So visit often!
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Lights Camera, Oscar! Invite your inner circle over and raise the curtain for a night of fun and partying Hollywood style. Host your own glam-filled Hollywood inspired Oscar bash at home, with tasty cocktails an easy to assemble meal, fun and games, and you’re sure be on the ballot for best host!  Set the Scene Invitations sent via-e-mail with the trailers of the best picture nominations will get your guests excited about coming. Include the time, (countdown to Oscar starts at..) Dress, (red carpet style), and a ballot that can be printed and filled out beforehand.( note: link to ballot on iVillage) Go Glam To get in the true Hollywood spirit, pick up a bunch of gold statues, found at your party stores, that can be given out to the winners, (those who won best dressed, best couple etc). Set your table in sophisticated Old-Hollywood style with a black cloth, white lilies cut short and set in small vases or cups, and gems and jewels scattered down the table to add a bit of bling. Here’s my fashionable tablescape, use this to inspire your scene. Download the movie soundtracks from the nominated movies and put together a play-list that goes from cocktails to coffee. During the commercials have trivia questions ready for the crowd and give fun prizes for each game such as, gift certificates to the local movie theater, a bottle of champagne, or a disc with the evening’s play-list are all great choices and will add an air of competition and fun! Signature Cocktail Serve a signature cocktail and infuse your own best picture personality into your Oscar Bash! Besides, being easy to assemble and mix-up, it will free you up to enjoy your party without playing the supporting role of bartender. Here’s a few easy examples from my book, It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere: Nominated for best film, this tasty cocktail will be sure to get your party in flight, and have you and your guests Up in the Air and not coming down for a landing anytime soon.  Red Sky Serves 4 8 oz. vodka 4 oz. Chambord 4 oz. pomegranate juice 2 oz. lime juice Splash of club soda Twist of lime for garnish Mix all ingredients in a shaker filled with 1 cup of ice. Strain into glasses. Top with a splash of soda, garnish with a lime twist and serve. Showcasing a bit of the surreal world, Avatar is one of the academy’s favorites. This cocktail is perfectly suited for the movie, in taste and in color!  Stardust Serves 4 8 oz. Absolut Citron vodka 8 oz. peach schnapps 4 oz. blue curacao 2 oz. sour mix 2oz. pineapple juice Starfruit or kiwi for garnish Mix all ingredients in a large pitcher filled with ice. Mix until well-chilled and frothy. Strain into cocktail glasses, garnish with kiwi stars and serve. Mix UP! a batch of these tasty cocktails which hail from the land of waterfalls and tango dancing, and you’ll feel like you’re floating on air.  Slinsgshot Serves 4 8 oz. dark rum 6 oz. apricot brandy 8 oz. orange juice 4 oz. pineapple juice Dash of grenadine Cherries and pineapple wedge for garnish Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and mix well. Pour into glasses filled with crushed ice. Garnish with cherries and pineapple and serve. The Oscars would not be complete without a champagne cocktail. This one is colorful with a light sweetness, a most perfect celebration cocktail. I’ll be serving these up! La Vie En Rose Serves 4 1 cup sliced strawberries 2 teaspoons sugar 1 oz. fresh lime juice 4 oz. Absolut Kurant vodka 1 bottle ( 750ml) dry champagne Muddle together the strawberries, sugar, and lime juice in a shaker, you can use a muddler or the back of a wooden spoon to mash fruit. Add the vodka and fill with ice. Shake well and strain into champagne flutes, covering the bottom third of each glass. Top with champagne, garnish with a sliced strawberry and serve. All recipes are from Colleen Mullaney’s book, It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere. For more recipes, tips, and ideas on how to live your life more stylish, visit colleenmullaney.com Photos: Jack Deutsch Photography, Jack Deutsch.com
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It's a LOVELY time of year! It's almost Valentine's Day, and love is in the air! It's takes little effort and time to throw together the basics of love, pick up some Flowers, there is no need to order roses from a florist, go for a bunch of tulips in a bright pink or red, cut the stems short and arrange them in a short glass vase or container. Easy on the budget, beautiful to look at, and not to mention a little touch of spring. Candles, scatter them down the table, along the mantel, or wherever you want a little glow, use what you have, votives, pillars, tapers, all work well in a mix and match scene, the different heights add interest and more levels of glow, and I say, get your glow on! Let's not forget the cocktails! Take time to celebrate this festive holiday with a few of your closest sweethearts...... whip up a batch of this bubbly punch with that bottle of champs leftover from the holidays, I know you have one, and get a little Love Drunk! Love Train Punch (taken from my book, Punch) Serves 4 1 cup creme de cassis 1/2 cup Grand Marnier 1 Bottle Brut champagne, chilled Fresh blackberries for garnish In a punch bowl pour creme de cassis and Grand Marnier, slowly pour in champagne, add decorative ice forms if desired, and serve. Feeling a little fancy? Fill heart shaped cake forms 1/2 way with water, place in freezer for 1 hour, remove from freezer, add a few blackberries to each form, fill with water and place back in the freezer for up to 2 hours or overnight. To pop out, run under warm water for a few seconds. As for dinner, order in! Enjoy! |
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Happy New Year! It's that time of year when we're all trying to shed a few holiday pounds, but still trying to enjoy life. On that note, I am here to tell you that yes you can enjoy your cocktails! Let me share my colorful local cocktails that will have you having a healthier happy hour! A few things to remember before you go about mixing it up: Mind the juices, they tend to have a high sugar content, so use a splash or two. Mixers also are high in sugar, as are nectars, which I love, so again just use a splash, a little flavor goes along way! and fresh, fresh,fresh, always try to find and use fresh ingredients, limes, lemons, oranges, basil, mint etc, all lend great flavor to cocktails with little calories. Also, when you're out at a bar or fine drinking establishment, order smart, a gin with a splash of flavored seltzer, or juice, a vodka and diet red bull( sure to keep you dancing the night away), or cut the sugar in your wine by ordering a spritzer, all good choices, and your jeans will thank you for it. I start with vodka, a great spirit to mix with, as it generally has 65 calories per every 1 ounce. I just love these grapefruit basil martinis, so colorful, fruity, and fresh, whats not to like? Grapefruit Martini 2 oz. vodka 2 oz. freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice 4 basil leaves 1/2 oz. lemon juice In a glass muddle the basil and grapefruit juice. Transfer to cocktail shaker, add vodka, lemon juice, and 1 cup ice. Mix it up! Strain into martini glass, garnish with basil leaf, and serve. The next cocktail, a raspberry gimlet, is full of sweet raspberries and citrus tang. Substitute the raspberries for blueberries or blackberries, or strawberries. Raspberry Gimlet 2 oz. gin 1/2 oz. faux simple syrup 6 raspberries 6 mint leaves seltzer to top In a glass muddle raspberries and 4 mint leaves. Add gin and simple syrup. Add ice and top with seltzer, garnish with mint, and serve. Faux Simple Syrup Combine 2 packets Splenda sugar substitute with 1 oz. water, mix well. And alas, we can't forget the trendy Mojito, who says we can't be stylish sippers? Mojito 2oz. light rum 1 oz. simple syrup 2 oz. seltzer to top 4 lime slices, 2 more for garnish 4 mint leaves, 2 more for garnish In a glass, muddle together 4 lime slices, 4 mint leaves, and 1 oz. faux simple syrup. Add ice, rum, and seltzer. Enjoy! |
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