Countdown to 2017:Favorite Drinks from last year

Happy New Year.  I hope 2017 is a happy and healthy year for you and yours.  Today is the final day of our Countdown where we have been posting our favorite recipes of last year, thanks to Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes.  Sarah made this final theme Wild Card and gave us license to post anything we wanted to share with you that we hadn't during the past week. I have decided to share with you some beverages that we enjoyed in 2016.

I shared a lot of beverage recipes last year.  Part of that is because we like to drink but part is because I was dieting and had gotten a Vitamix blender for my birthday which resulted in lots of smoothies for breakfasts and snacks.

I decided to share one drink from each season.  I'm starting with winter so you can enjoy this Cinnamon Cranberry Cup of Comfort when you come in from the slopes or sledding hill or, probably more likely, shoveling the driveway.

In the Spring you might enjoy this sweet and sour concoction that we created and call a Cherry Sweet Tart Martini.

Cool off in the Summer heat with these refreshing Strawberry Basil Mojitos.  Perhaps you are lucky enough to go into your own garden for the seasonal ingredients.

When Fall strikes, and our thoughts turn to seasonal spicy flavors, whip up this easy peasy and delicious creamy Pumpkin Milkshake, sure to quench your thirst and your cravings.

Thank you for joining us on this trip down memory lane for the past week.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.  Don't forget to take a look at what the others decided to share with you today.

An InLinkz Link-up

Let's ring in the New Year with Stirrings and a Michigan Cherry Lemonade!

Yes, I know it is the last day of the year.  Yes, I know I live in Michigan.  Yes, I know it is cold outside.  Yes, I know Lemonade is a wonderful summertime drink. But....if you are lucky enough to be me this New Year's Eve, then you are spending the evening in a hot tub with your favorite person to ring in the New Year.

The good folks over at Stirrings invited me to join in their "Stir It Up Holiday Blogger Mixology Challenge".  In return for joining the challenge, in which we were charged to create a "Simply Better Cocktail", we received our choice of two Cocktail Mixers and two Cocktail Garnishes to be used in the creation of an original cocktail.

I chose Blood Orange and Lemontini mixers and Cosmopolitan and Margarita rimmers to use in my creation.  I ended up using the Lemontini mixer and Cosmo rimmer in this recipe that I am sharing with you today.

Here in Michigan we are famous for our Cherry Crops. We also have many wineries, breweries and distilleries, all of which make use of our cherry harvest.  I had a bottle of Cherry Vodka in my bar from one of our trips north this past summer.  I knew that it would pair perfectly with the Lemontini mixer and decided to make a Michigan Cherry Lemonade.

This drink is a light and refreshing cocktail that can be enjoyed on a hot summer day in the pool or on a cold winter's night in the hot tub.  It is also a perfect drink to serve up at your next party.

Stirrings products are widely available throughout Michigan and the country at local party stores, liquor stores, wine shops and grocers including Meijer, Value Market and Plum Market.  You can find a complete listing of all the stores that sell their products by going to the store locator site.  Follow Stirrings on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.  Disclosure:  I did receive free product from Stirrings for use in this contest.  I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post.  All opinions are mine alone and based solely on my experience with this product.

Michigan Cherry Lemonade

an original creation from A Day in the Life on the Farm

1 jigger Cherry Vodka

1 jigger Simple Syrup

1 jigger Stirrings Lemontini Mixer

Club Soda

Ice

Stirrings Cosmopolitan Rimmer

Lemon slice

Place the vodka, simple syrup and lemontini mixer into a cocktail shaker and shake until well blended. Rub the lemon slice along the rim of a tall glass and dip into the Cosmopolitan rimming mixture.  Fill the glass with ice. Pour the lemontini mixture over the ice and add club soda to fill the glass.  Garnish with a lemon slice and serve.  Print Recipe

Countdown to 2017: Readers Favorite Recipes of 2016

This is it!  Today is the day that I share what you, my readers, have chosen as your favorite recipes of the year, determined by the number of page views.

The number one most viewed recipe from last year is this Peaches and Cream Cake that I made for my very first Improv Cooking Challenge.

The next most popular recipe post was my MerlotMe post that featured three different recipes.

Busy Day Rump Roast, Deep Dish Italian Chicken Pizza and Pasta ala Norma.

Readers loved these Shrimp and Asparagus Crepes and so do I.

Now let's go see what you guys chose as your favorites of my blogging friends recipes.

The Celebrations Continue.....our Weekly Menu for the last week of the 12 Days of Christmas

Are you still celebrating Christ's birthday at your house?  Our celebrations, parties and fun continue right up to the Feast of the Three Kings or Epiphany on January 6th.

Tonight we are going out to dinner and a movie with our friends, Kim and Kurt.  They are treating us to dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants, The MC Fish Company, and then we are treating them to popcorn and the movie Passengers starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt.

Tomorrow we are going for an early dinner to Frank's brother's house.  Each NYE our sis in law, Rebecca, makes a wonderful spaghetti dinner to welcome in the New Year.  We plan on coming home and having a quiet evening enjoying time with just the two of us.  Last year I was home taking care of Mom and Frank was at his sister's taking care of his Mom so this year we are going to enjoy our time together.

Sunday is supposed to be a beautiful day so Frank has asked me out on a lunch date.  We are flying somewhere....he hasn't told me where yet.

Monday evening we are having our family Christmas Dinner.  All of the kids will be here except for Chuck and we will give him a call during the evening's celebrations.

Tuesday morning I am going for a mani/pedi to get ready for the CA trip on Saturday.  Tuesday afternoon we are taking lunch to Frank's  Aunt Irene.  She is not as steady as she used to be and I will be going over each Tuesday afternoon so that she can have someone nearby while she showers. Tuesday night we have choir practice because we are having a Christmas Concert on Thursday evening.

Friday Jen, Lili and Danielle are all spending the night as we will be leaving early Saturday for our trip.  Can't wait!!

So here is the Weekly Menu.  All of the leftovers have been used so we get to start fresh.

Saturday

Spaghetti at Dan and Rebecca's.

Sunday

Late Lunch out

Monday-Family Dinner

Individual Lobster Pot Pies

Bean Soup with Ham

Chopped Salad

Oven Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Root Vegetables

Cheesecake by Pierre

Tuesday

Leftovers 

Wednesday

Chicken Stir Fry

Steamed Rice

Thursday

Dinner out before Choir Concert

Friday

Pizza and Salad 

Countdown to 2017: Best Crockpot/Slowcooker Recipes

Welcome to Day 5 of our Countdown to 2017.  Today we are featuring our favorite Crockpot/Slowcooker recipes.

Do you call it a crockpot or a slowcooker?  I vary between the two. Whatever you call it, I think we can all agree that it makes our lives much easier.  I use my crockpot in the summer to help keep my house cool, during the winter because it is perfect for soups and stews and throughout the year because it does all the work while you are off running errands or playing.

In fact, I found slow cooker recipes in nearly every category of my Recipe Index.  Let me demonstrate......

Appetizer-October Fest Fondue

Pork-Root Beer Pulled Pork

Vegetarian-Crockpot Baked Lentils

Beef- Irish Stew

Drinks-Hot Buttered Rum

Chicken-Slow Cooker Chicken Fricassee

Venison- Venison Stroganoff

Soup- Beef and Cabbage Soup

Join us tomorrow when I share your favorites from the past year.

An InLinkz Link-up

Countdown to 2017: Best Desserts

Today would have been my parent's 79th Wedding Anniversary.  I know that they are together celebrating this year after a 5 year hiatus.  Apropos then, that we are celebrating desserts for today's Countdown.  My folks loved desserts....Pop's without apology and Mom saying "oh this is much to sweet" as she finished her second serving.

Memories are sweet and so are these desserts that I am sharing with you today.  As I went through my dessert recipes to decide what to share with you today, each one brought back a delightful memory and made me smile.  I rarely make desserts, unless there is an occasion for it, except for bundt cakes which get made once a month around here for a little group to which I belong called #BundtBakers.  It was a difficult task just picking a few recipes to share.  Heck, besides the recipes for Bundt cakes and special occasions, I shared 13 different cookie recipes from around the world during this month alone!!  So many desserts.....so little time.....to make it easy on myself, I have chosen my favorite dessert recipe from each month.

• January-Spiced Peach Pie
• February-Monkey Bread
• March-Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Eggs
• April-Ooey Gooey Quadruple Fudge Brownies
• May-Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Frosting
• June-Sour Cherry Strudel
• July-Lemon Zucchini Bundt Cake with Sugared Pansies
• August-I Scream Cake
• September-Apple Pie in a Skillet
• October-Zagnut Coookies
• November-Nutty Caramel Corn
• December-Creme Brulee
An InLinkz Link-up

Countdown to 2017: Best Main Dish Recipes

Today for our Countdown to 2017 we are featuring our favorite Main Dish recipes.  When you go to my Recipe Index you will find subsets that include Beef, Chicken, Lamb and Game Meat, Pork, Fish and Seafood  and Meatless entrees.

I decided that, for today's event, I would share one recipe from each of the above categories.  I hope you enjoy them.

The next time you are looking to impress family and/or friends, serve up this tender and juicy 

Spice Crusted Rib Roast.

Looking for something on the healthy side?  Try this tasty and nutritious Chicken Broccoli Bowl . It  is Phase 1 Friendly on the Fast Metabolism Diet.  What a great way to get yourself back on the path of wellness and self care.

I adapted this Venison Stroganoff to be made in the crockpot.  I served it up over brown rice noodles to make it friendly for those who are gluten intolerant.

This Yuk See Chau Mein is unlike any Americanized version of Chow Mein you may have ever had.

  

I was so excited when I made this Crab Souffle, my first ever, and it turned out perfectly!!

My final selection is this wonderful baked Pasta ala Norma.  Perfect for Meatless Mondays or anytime you get a hankering for a comforting  meal to soothe your soul.

Now let's take a look at what the others are sharing today.

An InLinkz Link-up