Pampelonne Rosė Lime is a light refreshing wine that’s only
110 calories!
-PJ Gach
When the weather gets warmer, you look for light, refreshing
wines. Say hello to Pampelonne Rosė Lime. It’s a well-balanced rose that’s not
to tart, not too sweet. Sipping it, it’s hard to believe that the contents of
these pink striped cans are only 110 calories. There isn’t that weird diet
drink after taste, there isn’t any weird after taste. It’s so good, you want to
have another sip, or three.
Last week I got to meet the wine at its launch party. Under
a bright blue sky with temps hovering in the mid 80s, the atmosphere created the
perfect introduction to meet your BFF for this season.
Pampelonne Rosė Lime is a blend of French Muscadet wine
infused with all natural lime, passion fruit, grapefruit, and sparkling water. That’s
right, only six ingredients, no preservatives, 6 % alcohol and only 110
calories. Yum.
Rosė Lime is the Pampleonne’s first flavor: They’re promising more
delicious combinations for next summer. Pampelonne Rosé Lime is 6% alcohol by
volume and enjoyed best chilled. It's the perfect companion for a grilled
steak, summer salad, a cheese and fruit plate or any of your favorite summer
treats.
The wines are available in an 8.4 oz / 250 ml can with a
suggested retail price of $15.99 for a four pack. Pampelonne Rose Lime will be
available at the end of June 2013 in New York City
at K&D Wines, Beacon Wines and Quality House Wines which all will ship the
product nationally.
Whether you crave vodka,
tequila or Crave Liqueur, check out these
Margarita, Mojito + more cocktail recipes.
-PJ Gach
Today’s the start of the
Memorial Day holiday weekend. You may be
at work counting the hours until you can hit the road, or you may home lolling
about, or you may be in a tizzy cleaning before guests appear.
Directions:
In a small pitcher, muddle together the mint leaves, sugar and lime juice until
they start to melt together. Add your Sauza® Blue Silver. Fill 4 glasses
with ice and pour cocktail mixture 3/4 of the way to the top of each glass.
Fill each glass with club soda and garnish with a lime and an extra sprig
of mint. (Serves 4)
Directions:
Mound fine crushed ice in a cocktail glass using a large ice cream scoop.
Pour each ingredient, one by one, in stripes to create a horizontal
layering of the ingredients over the crushed ice. Serve with
a demitasse spoon.
EFFEN®
Fire Cracker
Ingredients:
1 1/2 parts EFFEN® Vodka
3/4 part JDK & Sons™ O3 Premium Orange Liqueur*
3/4 part Pomegranate Juice
3/4 part Lime Juice
3/4 part Simple Syrup
1 dash Bitters
Directions:
Combine all ingredients
in a cocktail shaker over ice and shake. Strain into a cocktail
glass. Garnish with a lime wheel folded in half with a red
cherry, held together by an American flag toothpick.
EFFEN®
Sparkling Black Cherry Cooler
Ingredients:
2 parts EFFEN® Vodka
2 parts Fresh Lemon Sour
1 part Cranberry Juice
2 Maraschino Cherries
3 parts Seltzer
Directions:
Combine ingredients,
except for seltzer, in a tall glass and stir very well. Pour over
ice and top with seltzer- then stir again.
Directions: Pour limeade, beer and cherry soda into blender filled with ice. Fill limeade can with Sauza® Blue Silver Tequila and add to blender. Blend until smooth and enjoy.
National Wine Day is May 25th. Here are some fabulous low-cal drinks courtesy of SkinnyGirl and tasty food pairings to go with them.
-PJ Gach
Don't you love holidays, especially ones that celebrate wine! Saturday is National Wine Day! To celebrate this tasty holiday, here are some wonderful Skinnygirl wine and food pairings for you to try on National Wine Day, Memorial Day and, well, basically all summer long. You won't feel guilty with these low calorie treats.
Moscato pairing
Skinnygirl
Moscato
Ingredients: 5
parts Skinnygirl Moscato
Optional
pear or mango for garnish
Directions:
Pour
chilled Skinnygirl Moscato into your favorite white wine glass or flute.
Garnish with fresh pear or mango to accent the natural fruit flavors.
Minty
Mango Salsa
Ingredients:
1
large ripe mango, peeled and diced
1
medium sweet red pepper, diced
1 (4
oz) can chopped green chilis
1/4
cup chopped green onions
1
tbsp. lime juice
2
tsp. minced fresh mint leaves
1/4
tsp. ground ginger
Tortilla
chips (optional)
Directions:
In a
small bowl, combine the mango, pepper, chilis, onion, juice, mint leaves and
ginger. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Serve with
tortilla chips or alongside your meal with chilled Skinnygirl Moscato
White
Pairing
Skinnygirl
White Wine Slush
Ingredients:
5
parts glass of Skinnygirl California White wine
2
parts frozen lemonade
1
part soda water
Lemon
peel twist for garnish
Directions:
Blend
ingredients with crushed ice and pour into a flute glass. Finish with soda
water and garnish with a twist of lemon.
Blueberry
Almond Crostinis
Ingredients:
1/4
cup light ricotta cheese
1
tbsp. honey
1/2
tsp. lemon zest
3/4
cup blueberries
4
slices low-calorie whole grain bread, toasted
2
tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted
Directions:
In a
small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, honey and lemon zest. Slowly fold in
blueberries. Cut each toasted bread slice diagonally into four equal
pieces, and divide blueberry mixture among bread pieces. Sprinkle with
toasted almonds and serve with a Skinnygirl White Wine Slush or
a glass of Skinnygirl California White.
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and use a fork to
whisk together until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with raw
vegetables and enjoy with a glass ofSkinnygirl California Rosé.
Red Pairing
Skinnygirl California Red Wine
Ingredients:
5 parts Skinnygirl California Red
Directions:
Pour into a wine glass and sip away!
Balsamic Caprese Skewers
Ingredients:
Cherry tomatoes
Mozzarella balls, patted dry with a paper towel
Basil leaves
Pepper
Balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Using 6-inch bamboo skewers, first place a cherry tomato,
then a large basil leaf followed by a mozzarella ball. Continue these
steps until you have the amount of skewers you desire. Arrange them on a
platter and sprinkle with a bit of pepper. Serve with balsamic vinegar or
drizzle over top, just remember to drizzle right before serving so that your
basil leaves don't wilt. Serve with Skinnygirl California Red.
Change it up: Cut up green, orange, red or yellow peppers
into square pieces to add a burst of color.
Love
Fish Tacos or potato salad? Check out nutrionist Franci Cohen’s healthy recipes
for these summer treats.
-PJ
Gach
Memorial
Day—the start of summer is just around the corner. Whether you’re planning a
cookout or are just looking for healthy recipes to try this summer, check out
these three healthy and delicious updates on summer classics: Healthy
Mediterranean Potato Salad, Fish Tacos and Colorful Fiesta Veggie Salad.
All
three were created by Franci Cohen. Franci
is a certified nutritionist, personal trainer and exercise physiologist and
creator of SPIDERBANDS®, a total-body cardio resistance workout
that leverages gravity and your bodyweight with other intense exercise modules
such as rebounding, kickboxing and indoor cycling.
Healthy
Mediterranean Potato Salad
Ingredients:
2
dozen small red potatoes (approx. 1 1/2 pounds)
4 T
finely chopped dill
1
bunch finely chopped scallions
1
red onion, diced small
2-3
tsp cumin
juice
& zest of 46 large fresh lemons (approx. 1/3 cup juice)
3 T
Kosher salt
2-3 T
extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Boil
potatoes in covered saucepan filled with water and 1 T kosher salt, and bring
to a simmer. Cook
until potatoes are forktender but not too soft (about 10 minutes). Remove
potatoes from saucepan and put into a bowl of ice water, to shock potatoes and
stop the cooking process. Remove
potatoes from ice water bath, and chop into big 2" cubes. Place
cubed potatoes into large bowl. To
create the dressing, mix remaining ingredients together and whisk to
incorporate all. Pour
dressing over potatoes. Mix
well and serve .
Colorful
Fiesta Veggie Salad:
Salad
ingredients:
1
can black beans, rinsed and drained
4
ears fresh corn on the cob, cooked and shucked
1
red onion, diced
2
Jalapeño peppers, seeded & finely chopped
2
Hass avocado, cubed
1
red bell pepper, finely diced
1
yellow bell pepper, finely diced
1/2
cup Cilantro, finely chopped
2
cups Mesculin greens
Dressing
ingredients:
1/4
cup low fat mayonnaise
1/4
cup water
2
T Dijon mustard
2
T balsamic vinegar
1
T finely minced thyme
salt
and pepper to taste
Directions:
Mix
all salad ingredients together. Whisk
dressing ingredients together until well incorporated. Pour
dressing on salad and serve on a bed of Mesculin greens.
Yummy
Fish Tacos with Slaw Salad:
Ingredients
for Tacos:
1 pound Mahi Mahi or Tilapia (this is more common and much cheaper), cut in
quarters
1/4
cup canola oil
1
lime, juiced and zested
1
tablespoons ancho chili powder
1
Jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1/4
cup finely chopped fresh Cilantro
8
6" flour tortillas Ingredients for Slaw Salad:
1 cup
shredded red cabbage.
1
cup shredded white cabbage.
1
Jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2
carrots, grated
2
T fresh Cilantro, finely chopped.
Juice
and zest of 3 limes.
2
T red wine vinegar
Ingredients for Chipotle Cream Sauce:
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt or sour cream (strained in mesh cloth)
2 tablespoons low fat mayonnaise
2
teaspoons Chipotle pepper, in Adobo sauce
Directions:
Whisk
together oil, lime juice and zest, ancho chili powder, & jalapeño to create
fish marinade. Arrange
fish in single layer in a Pyrex.Pour
fish marinade over fish, and let marinate for about 10 minutes. Remove
the fish from the marinade, and place onto a hot grill. Grill
the fish for 4 minutes on the first side, and then flip for 30 seconds and
remove. Let
rest for 5 minutes then flake the fish with a fork. Place
the tortillas on the grill, and grill for 1020 seconds on each side. Divide
the fish among the tortillas and garnish with slaw and chipotle sauce.
To
learn more about Franci Cohen, please visit her Facebook page. You
can find Franci at Fuel Fitness, a specialty fitness center in Brooklyn, New York. She teaches group fitness classes, trains clients
and more.
Rodale magazines have expanded their empire to include an online store with tons of eco-friendly items for you, your man, babies and even your pet.
-PJ Gach
Whether you're buying a baby gift, a housewarming present or something for yourself, you'd like to know that what you're giving has a small carbon footprint: That it's eco-friendly, kind to the environment and will last a long time. Rodale's has carefully curated goods to not only fit every gift list you can think of, it's got great products you can use every day.
Brands include Gabrielle Sanchez jewelry, Stewart+Brown apparel, Vapour Organic Beauty, Reiss enamelware, Eileen Fisher apparel, Intelligent Nutrients beauty, Silk Roads Teas, John Masters Organics and more.
Products are eco-friendly and have certifications such as USDA Organic, NATRUE, Natural Products Association, GOTS, Oeko-Tex®, Fair Trade Certified™and more. Prices are reasonable, ranging from lip balms for $5, seed bombs for $7, to skinny jeans for $199 and 360 thread count organic sheets for $216.
Throwing
a wing ding, shindig, party for all those jazz babies and cool cats you know to celebrate the
release of ‘The Great Gatsby?’ Check out these cocktails, cupcakes and nibbles.
-PJ
Gach
Throwing
on a flapper dress, grabbing a pair of spats for your beau? Are you going
vintage to get into The Great Gatsby vibe? If so, you’re in luck! I’ve
got Gatsby-inspired cocktails, tasty nibbles, low calorie cocktails and more to
get you in the Gatsby mood.
West Egg Punch
Named after the town from which Gatsby hailed, this festive punch can be prepared in a big batch ahead of time. Make in a glass drink dispenser for guests to serve themselves.
In a muddling glass muddle
the raspberries and tarragon, add remaining ingredients, add ice, shake and
strain over crushed ice into a rocks glass. Garnish with a raspberry and a tarragon sprig.
In a mixing glass muddle
cucumbers, melon and mint, add Vidal, add ice and shake, strain into a chilled
martini glass and garnish with a cucumber round and a mint sprig
1.5 oz. peach juice (muddled
fresh peaches or pre-made peach juice)
Top with soda
Directions:
Combine all ingredients
except the soda in a mixing glass, add ice, shake, strain over fresh ice into a
highball glass, top with soda and garnish with a lemon wheel and peach wedge.
Shake
with ice, pour into a martini glass and garnish with fresh olives.
Green
Light Fizzys or Gin Rickey Gelatins
Serves
4
Ingredients:
1 (4-serving) box lime gelatin
1 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp. gin
3/4 cup Market
Pantry Club Soda
Market Pantry
Whipped Cream
Fresh lime
Directions:
Dissolve lime
gelatin in boiling water in medium bowl; cool. Stir in gin; add soda.
Immediately pour into martini glasses. Refrigerate at least 2 hours to
set. Garnish with whipped cream and twist of lime.
Build ingredients over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange slice.
In the mood for something a bit darker like Gatsby himself? Try a classic Boulevardier, a drink invented in the twenties and perfect for cradling in a cocktail coupe.
Stir with ice, strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
Nibbles
Ceasar Deviled
Eggs
Makes 2 dozen
deviled eggs
No “Great Gatsby” party is complete without eggs! Along with the
story’s locations of West Egg and East Egg, deviled eggs were a must-have at
cocktail parties. Why Caesar dressing? The salad was invented in the 20s.
Ingredients:
1 dozen Market Pantry Eggs, hard cooked
½ cup Market Pantry Caesar Dressing
Market Pantry Paprika
Directions:
Peel eggs; slice in half lengthwise.
Combine egg yolks in medium bowl; mash with fork. Stir in dressing. Spoon yolk
mixture into egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate until
serving.
Bake crab cakes and lobster puffs as directed. Meanwhile, whisk mayonnaise,
lemon juice and mustard in small bowl. Whisk in butter; season with
cayenne to taste. Serve crab cakes and lobster puffs with sauce for dipping.
Mint Julep
Cupcakes
About 2 dozen cupcakes
“‘Open
the whisky, Tom,’ she ordered, ‘and I’ll make you a mint julep.’” – Daisy Buchanan
Ingrediens:
1 pkg. vanilla or white cake mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup Market Pantry Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
3 Market Pantry Eggs
1 tsp. mint extract
4 cups Market Pantry Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) Market Pantry Butter, well softened
3 to 4 Tbsp. bourbon whiskey
1/2 tsp. mint extract
8 green straws, cut into thirds
Fresh mint
Directions:
Heat oven to 350⁰F. Line muffin pans with
liners. Make cake batter as directed on box using cake mix, water, oil,
bourbon, eggs and 1 tsp. mint extract. Divide batter evenly among muffin
cups. Bake as directed for cupcakes. Cool completely.
For frosting, beat
powdered sugar, butter, bourbon and ½ tsp. mint extract in large bowl until
blended and fluffy. Frost cupcakes. Insert a straw into each;
garnish with fresh mint.
Cinco
de Mayo’s this weekend. Here are 8 great cocktails (even low-cal ones) for your
fiesta.
-PJ
Gach
When
I lived in Texas, it felt like the entire state had one giant fiesta
on Cinco de Mayo. Every block, every street, it seemed, threw a party. People dragged
out their smokers and spent all day long getting ready for the party. Food and
drink were spicy, tasty and abundant.
Throwing
your own party? Going on and want to play “Stump the bartender,” here’s 10 wonderful Cinco de Mayo cocktails (even low calorie ones) for you to imbibe.
Ingredients: 5
parts Basil Hayden's ® Bourbon
3
3/4 parts Grand Marnier
3
3/4 parts Rose's Lime Juice or Fresh Lime Juice
5
parts Sour Mix
Directions: Mix
or shake until combined. Chill and serve.
Serves
3-4
Cinco de Mayo Fizz
Ingredients: 2 ounces of Belvedere Pink
Grapefruit
2 ounces of Fresca
Directions: Build over cubed ice in a
highball glass. Garnish with a wedge of
grapefruit.
Inni-Rita—Take on the
classic Margarita
Ingredients: 2 ounces Inniskillin Cabernet
Franc Icewine
1 ounce Tequila Blanco
1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lime
juice
1 ounce freshly squeezed
grapefruit juice
Directions: Combine all the ingredients
in a shaker with ice and shake to chill. Strain into a salt rimmed martini
glass or over ice in a salt rimmed rocks glass
Sauza
Sunrise Ingredients: 2
parts Sauza Blue Reposado Tequila
2 parts Orange Juice
2 dashes grenadine
Directions: In a glass filled with ice stir together
orange juice and tequila. Pour the two dashes of grenadine down the side so
that it settles to the bottom of the glass. Salud!
Mexican Margarita Ingredients: Skinnygirl Sweet n’ Tart
Graperuit Margarita
Handful of frozen grapes
Sugar or Splenda
Lime
Directions: Rim
a margarita glass with either sugar or Splenda and drop a few frozen grapes
into the glass. Fill the rest of the glass with the Sweet ‘n’ Tart Grapefruit
margarita and garnish with a lime wedge.
Crave Chili-rita Ingredients: 1 ounce JDK&Sons
Crave Chcoclate Chili Liqueur
2 ounces Sauza Blue Silver 100% Agave Tequila
3 ounces Sweet and Sour Mix
Directions Combine
all of the ingredients in a mixing glass over ice and shake. Strain into a
margarita glass filled with ice and garnish with a lime wedge.
Peach Mojito
Ingredients: 1 part DeKuyper® Peachtree
1 part Cruzan® Light Rum
1/2 part simple syrup
1/2
part lime juice
1
part carbonated water
Mint leaves
Directions: Muddle mint
leaves with lime juice and simple syrup in glass or pitcher. Add rum,
DeKuyper® Peachtree Schnapps, and ice. Stir gently &
top with carbonated water.
1 and 1 Razz Sangria Cocktail
Ingredients: 1 part DK Razzmatazz 3 parts red wine
Fresh berries & other chopped seasonal
fruit (optional)
Carbonated water (optional)
Instructions: Mix DeKuyper®
Razzmatazz Schnapps & wine in a glass or pitcher.
Add ice and stir
gently.
Optional: Add
chopped fruit & top with carbonated water.
Pomegranate Margarita
Ingredients: 5
parts Skinnygirl® Margarita 1
Tbsp pomegranate seeds
Directions: Muddle
the pomegranate seeds in a glass. Add Skinnygirl Margarita.
Fill the rest of the glass with ice. Stir until combined.
This shrimp Alfredo dish can
be made in 20 minutes. It’s easy to make and delicious.
-PJ Gach
About once a month, I have
movie night at my house. My really good friend Albert comes over, we eat dinner
and watch a new (ish) movie. One of the great things about Albert, is that he
doesn’t mind that I use his visits to experiment with recipes.
Lately, I’ve been having
pretty bad dental issues and when he came over, I was kinda woozy. Woozy or
not, I relish cooking for other people.
I created this recipe with stuff that I had in my house. It’s easy to do
and I think, restaurant level yummy.
Frozen vegetable mix-corn,
carrots, peas and green beans (I prefer Target’s Market Pantry)*
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
Olive oil
Pepper
Pasta—use whatever type of
pasta you like. It could be rigatoni, spaghetti, linguine…you get the picture.
1. Defrost enough shrimp for
your guests. I used 22 shrimp for myself and Albert. *If you prefer less or
more shrimp, it’s up to you.
2. In a saucepot, place
enough olive oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pot. Put the burner on
medium, wait about 25 seconds or enough time for the olive oil to get warm.
3. Drop the crushed garlic
into the pot. As the olive oil gets warmer, you’ll start to smell the garlic.
You want to stir the garlic as it gets warm—otherwise it will burn and stick to
the pot.
4. When you can smell the
garlic, add the Alfredo sauce. Stir the garlic, olive oil and sauce so that it
becomes one mixture.
5. Taste the sauce, does it
need more garlic? If so, drop some in.
6. Add pepper to taste. Keep
the sauce on medium. When you start working with the shrimp and vegetables,
turn the burner to simmer.
7. In another pot, add frozen
vegetables and defrosted shrimp and water. After the water boils, drain it,
then add the shrimp and veg to the sauce. Stir the sauce so that everything is
coated in the sauce. Keep the sauce on simmer.
8. Make the pasta. After it’s
cooked, drain and plate.
9. Layer the pasta with the shrimp,
veg and sauce.
10. Eat
This dish takes 20 minutes to
make. 15 minutes prep time. The only thing you’re prepping is defrosting the
shrimp in a bowl of cold water in the fridge.
Here's the recipe for this cocktail that's perfect for Friday afternoons.
Frozen Cherry
Lime Sauza®-rita
Ingredients:
1 can Sauza® Blue Silver 100% Agave Tequila
1 bottle Light Beer
1 bottle Cherry Soda
1 can Limeade
3 cups Ice
Directions:
Pour limeade, beer and cherry sode into
blender filled with ice. Fill limeade can with Sauza® Blue Silver and
add to blender. Blend until smooth and enjoy.
Magnifico Giornata sparkling wines are infused with ginger
and peach, grapefruit or lavender and honey.
-PJ Gach
Looking for a wine that would compliment sushi, picnic fare
or even a steak dinner? You’d love Magnifico Giornata’s wine infused essence
collection. The sparkling wine is infused with ginger, grapefruit or pear.
The infusions are light: They right balance for piquing
your taste buds and nose. The wine itself is a lively blend of European white
sparkling wines. The result is a wine that feels like silk, tastes well and
like some other wines, doesn’t leave an after-taste.
At the recent launch party at Beaumarchais in New York City’s Meat Packing
District, I was able to try all three wines alone and with a tasting table.
While I generally loathe tuna tartare, when pared with the Magnifico Giornata
Grapefruit Blanc, it elevated the dish into something very delightful. Their
Ginger Peche was matched with baby spring rolls—also a treat, while their Magnifico
Giornata Lavender and Honey had an endive salad as their tasting partner. That
wine was brisk, bright and not too sweet.
The launch party was hosted by Carrie Keagan, host of VH1’s
Big Morning Buzz with Carrie Keagan. Aside from hosting, she is has also
partnered with the brand.
Magnifico Giornata’s infused wines are SRP $24.99 per
bottle. As of now they can be found in fine liquor stores and lounges
throughout New York City. Plans are
underway for a national rollout in key markets throughout the year. To learn more about the brand and their offerings, visit their site.
Photo Credit Carrie Keagan byPatrick MacLeod, Guest Of A Guest
