Are you getting married this holiday season or just looking for a reason to celebrate and want some fabulous fall cocktails to use as a signature drink at your event? If so, here are some great recipes that we have come across that are sure to tantalize your guests taste buds.

Hot Apple Pie

Made with Tuaca which is an Italian liqueur with deep roots and a wonderful citrus and vanilla hint and, when combined with hot apple cider, it is extremely comforting and soothing.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Tuaca
• hot apple cider
• whipped cream
• cinnamon stick for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour the Tuaca in an Irish coffe glass
2. Fill with hot apple cider
3. Top with whipped cream

Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

Pumpkin Divine Martini

In the Pumpkin Divine a little bit of pear is mixed with lush pumpkin butter and the seasonings of cinnamon, clove nutmeg and apple finish off the fall flavors in a fantastic splash

Ingredients:

• 1 part Grey Goose La Poire vodka
• 1 part pumpkin butter
• 1/2 part triple sec
• 1/2 part simple syrup
• pinch each of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger
• grated nutmeg and an apple chip for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
2. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat.
3. Strain into a cocktail glass

Garnish with nutmeg and an apple chip.

Falling Leaf Fizz

This cocktail called the Falling Leaf Fizz is a great dessert drink for any fall occasion. Grey Goose La Poire is a fitting match for pumpkin.

Ingredients:

• 1 part Grey Goose La Poire Vodka
• 4 parts of sparkling wine
• Dash of simple syrup
• 1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin butter
• Pinch of pumpkin pie spice
• dried apple chip for garnish

Preparation:

1. Place GREY GOOSE La Poire, pumpkin butter, spice and syrup in the bottom of a champagne glass
2. Stir well

Top with sparkling wine and garnish.

Thank you to Foodnetwork.com and About.com for these yummy fall cocktail recipes and ideas!

Following in the series of 2011’s Hot Wedding Trends, the next one I will be introducing is “ FUN FOODS”. A lot of people are sick and tired of eating the same old chicken and fish menu, along with a plain piece of vanilla cake. All brides want to kick it up a notch, and have some great fun party food that people will talk about for months after. With so many different food ideas out there it is hard to name them all, but here are a few of my favorites that will be sure to make you wedding tasty!

Food Carts -

Are you from New York and love Coney Island food? Are you from Boston and love amazing seafood, if so than why not incorporate a hotdog vending cart, or portable lobster roll station? These are two fun ways of either sprucing up your cocktail hour, or making some fun stations at dinner. Either way you can’t go wrong, who doesn’t love a traditional Coney Island dog, or yummy seafood surprise? Another great idea is fresh, homemade donuts right there in your reception. Donut Divas brings this fun fresh and yummy idea come alive with their homemade donut cart!

These yummy donuts from Donut Divas, are made fresh and served with cinnamon, powdered sugar and so much more!

Family Style Meals –

Another of my favorite food trends is the family style meal. With all the different table shapes and sizes that are becoming so popular, a family style meal on a king size table could be fun and sentimental. Choosing from a few different dishes at one time can make your guests feel comfortable with whom they are sitting with as well can help with the flow of conversation. This style meal is called family style because well, that’s what families do!!!

Tapas Stations –

Tapas are snacks, canapés or finger foods. They originated in Spain and come in many different forms. There is no limit to what you could serve as a “ Tapas”. This could be a fun element to have either during cocktail hour or your reception! How much fun would it be to have  a dinner plus different fun tapas being passed around the room throughout the evening??

Chez Gourmet Catering sure knows how to serve a Tapas! From marinated beef skewers, to orange duck in edible cones, they are sure to give you a delicious treat!

Ice Cream Sunday Bars –

Are you sick of the typical plain slice of wedding cake on your plate? Don’t worry you are not alone so are other brides! A hot new trend that has been made popular recently is the Ice Cream Sunday bar. Whether it is just plain ice cream with normal toppings, or a fun Kicked up Ice Cream Sunday bar – including Kahlua covered cherries and flambed’ bananas foster, I’ve yet to meet a person who doesn’t appreciate a nice scoop of ice cream!

It rarely gets cold in Florida but the last couple of years we have enjoyed some wonderful winter days. This is a great time to change up the menu for your event  with some warm recipes for chilly days.

Sheri Jacobs owner of Chez Gourmet Catering shared these wonderful recipes with me which she offers when creating menu’s for this time of year.

Savory Tomato Herb Bisque
Makes 1 quart
1 large sweet onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 minced Shallot
½ cup sherry wine
3 large cans whole or chopped tomatoes
½ cup heavy cream
chopped fresh herbs -  basil, tarragon and parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions and shallots in vegetable oil until soft, add garlic and sauté until soft but not browned.  Add sherry wine and cook for 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and lower heat to simmer for 15 minutes.  Season to taste.  Remove from heat and puree with a hand blender or in a cuisinart until smooth.  Return to pot and add ½ cup of heavy cream and fresh herbs to taste.  Top with a sliver of your favorite grilled cheese for a warm lunch on a chilly day!

Baby it’s Cold Outside Chili Hot Chocolate
(makes 1 gallon)

3 quarts of whole milk
1 quart of half and half
2 cup nestles chocolate chips
½ cup hersheys special dark cocoa powder
½ tsp cinnamon or a couple of cinnamon sticks
1 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp ancho chili powder
½ tsp salt

In a large pot over medium heat warm milk and half and half until very hot but not boiling – just until it starts to bubble. Turn heat to very low and whisk in cocoa powder and chocolate chips and blend until smooth.  Add spices to taste.  Garnish with cinnamon stick , chocolate shavings or marshmallows.

This is great to offer guests when they leave the party in a  To-go cup to drink on the way home.

Just for fun, take a look at winter menu’s on MasterChef , Gordon Ramsey’s  website. Go to ,  hot tips of the month. http://www.gordonramsay.com/index2.html

Enjoy, summer will be here  sooner than you think.

The Holidays are supposed to be about family, and love, but let’s be honest with each other…it’s also about PIE!!!!! Pecan pie and pumpkin pie are the two most popular of the winter desserts. Whether it’s  a simple pumpkin pie or a chocolatly pecan pie, either one will have your taste buds screaming for more.  As I was growing up, every Thanksgiving morning my mom would wake me up early to begin the pie eating process. At 7 in the morning a slice of pumpkin and a slice of pecan would be on my plate with a nice steaming mug of hot chocolate. This is our long standing tradition that I have passed down to my children.  Here are two of my favorite recipes that I have tasted over the years:

Tradition says that the French invented the pecan pie soon after they settled in New Orleans… It is sometimes called the ” French Pecan Pie” which adds an aura of French cuisine to a home-cooked comfort food….

Paula Deans Chocolate Pecan Pie – Courtesy of The Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
• 2 cups pecan halves
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cover bottom of pie crust with pecans.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, sugar, bourbon and the chopped chocolate. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Pour mixture into the pie shell over the pecans and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes or until pie is set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Pumpkin pie is very popular in the United States and Canada. 
In other parts of the world it is hardly ever served. It is most popular first during Thanksgiving. To many it is a symbol of Fall and the harvest.

Pumpkin Pie – Courtesy of Southernfood.about.com

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree, canned or fresh
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup evaporated milk, undiluted
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 unbaked pastry shell (9-inch)

Preparation:

Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices, and flour in a medium mixing bowl. Add eggs; mix well. Add evaporated milk, water, and vanilla; mix well. Pour into pastry-lined pie pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350° and bake about 35 minutes longer, or until center is set.

If you decide to make these yummy recipes you are in for a tasty treat that the entire family will enjoy. Linzi Events wishes you a very happy Thanksgiving!

Just returned from a trip to Manhattan, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is fall’s favorite drink. No wonder when we got to the counter it was sold out. This signature espresso for the season  is a blended with  spices of fall including cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove with  steamed milk and can be topped with  whipped cream.

The word “latte” comes from the Italian “cafelatte” meaning coffee and milk. While in Italy, a café latte is served for breakfast and consists of stove top brewed coffee and scalded milk,  a latte ordered in the United States will consist of equal parts espresso, steamed milk and a layer of foam on the top.

Pumpkin spices are usually defined as those which are used to flavor a pumpkin pie and include nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. Pumpkin spices are available premixed, in a sweet, corn syrup based flavoring or you can make your own. A pumpkin spice latte may be flavored with actual spices, or with syrup depending on the recipe, or where it is sold.

Found this recipe on Cafe Cyan blog spot on how to make a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Makes two servings.

1 cup milk
1 tablespoon pumpkin puree (or canned pumpkin)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 cups strongly brewed coffee

Directions:
In a small saucepan combine milk, pumpkin and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pumpkin pie spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds until foamy. If you don’t have a blender, use a wire whisk or shake the mixture in a mason jar.
Divide the milk mixture between two mugs. Add the hot coffee and enjoy!

Of course, the easiest way to enjoy your Spice Pumpkin Latte is at your local Starbucks.