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Just in time for Mother’s Day, our CRAVE guides were featured on Twin Cities Live as the perfect gift for stylish moms everywhere! Watch the clip here and see our lovely books take center-stage!
Click on picture to view video
Just in time for Mother’s Day, our CRAVE guides were featured on Twin Cities Live as the perfect gift for stylish moms everywhere! Watch the clip here and see our lovely books take center-stage!
Guess what today is? Cinco de Mayo–the one day out of 365 when it’s acceptable to indulge in mid-day margaritas! With the help of foodnetwork.com, we’ve compiled a few party essentials to perfect that south of the border celebration you CRAVE!
Sinless Margarita
Margaritas are a Mexican fiesta staple, but those sweet and sour cocktails can pack enough calories to rival your nachos. Sinless Margaritas to the rescue! The brainchild of Atlanta husband and wife team of Catherine and Zach Hawkins, the NEW Sinless Margarita is an all natural and sugar-free margarita mix naturally sweetened with Stevia, leaving you to sip in only 5 calories per serving!
Cinco De Mayo Starters:
Zesty Guacamole
This guacamole could not be easier to make. The fresh ingredients and smooth texture will be a cooling treat to your palate and a perfect complement to the day’s spicy fare.
Chicken Tamales
These tamales taste so authentic, you will feel like you’ve been transported to a Mexican vaca! You’re friends will be amazed and you won’t believe how quick and easy they are to prepare. This crowd-pleasing dish is perfect for both small dinner parties and big bashes.
Fiesta Favorites:
Chicken Enchiladas
Sure, these enchiladas take a little bit of prep time, but the end result is worth it! Don’t be intimidated by the ingredient list, it may be lengthy, but this easy-to-follow recipe can be perfected by even the most novice chef. And with a cook time of only 15 minutes, your friends and family will think you were slaving away all day!
Nachos on the Grill
Grilling is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about fiesta food, but why not? With loads of fresh Mexican flavors, these bold grilled nachos are an excellent party food that will leave your guests begging for more!
Authentic Deserts:
Mexican Brownies
Think Mexican fare ends after the main course? Think again! These delicious Mexican brownies will leave you CRAVE-ing more! They are moist, with just a hint of warmth from the chilli powder, which really brings out the great notes of the chocolate. Another time-saving tip: This recipe uses boxed brownie mix, but don’t tell your friends!
Kahlua Flan
It is safe to say that flan is the most recognized Mexican desert, and it’s a lot easier to make than most would think! The Kahlua adds great depth to the flan, just enough to enhance without overpowering. So go ahead, impress you friends and indulge in this creamy and delicious Mexican tradition.
If you are planning to eat out to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year, check out these great local hotspots:
Bone Garden Cantina
1425 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd. Unit 6
404-418-9072
Zocalo
187 10th Street NE
404-249-7576
Taqueria Del Sol
1200B Howell Mill Rd NW
404-352-5811
Agave Restaurant
242 Boulevard SE
404-588-0006
Cinco de Mayo is a fun day dedicated to spicy foods, barbequing in the fresh spring weather, and sipping a cocktail while relaxing to upbeat Latin music. Partake in or create Cinco de Mayo activities you CRAVE this year. Gather your girlfriends and samba your way into spring!
If you are in the mood to stay in and avoid Cinco de Mayo craziness, a perfect way to loosen up and still enjoy this festive holiday is to stay in and host your own fiesta! Do your girls CRAVE spicy and authentic Mexican food? Invite everyone over to cook their favorite dish and swap recipes. Meanwhile, sip on fresh home-made margaritas while watching your favorite Selma Hayek films. For a fun activity kids of any age can enjoy, pick up a piñata and see who can collect the most candy.
Getting dolled up and putting on your most festive dress and heels may be the way you want to honor this colorful holiday. Put on that new red lipstick you’ve been dying to use, gather all the girls and jump into a salsa class. Learning this spicy dance together will not only be fun, but you might discover a new favorite way to work out! After the lesson, go to that Mexican restaurant that you can’t get enough of and dance the night away to the live mariachi band.
Whether it be going out to hot spots or mellowing out at home, celebrate however makes you happiest. As you prepare for the night’s festivities, try this enticing, spicy cocktail to liven up your night. Not for the timid taste buds!
SMITTEN
Makes 1 cocktail
1/3 cup fresh ripe watermelon, cut in 1-inch cubes
2 oz Sauza Hornitos Plata Tequila
3/4 oz Monin Organic Agave Syrup
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
2 dashes Tapatio hot sauce
Garnish: half-rim, single “scallop” of kosher salt
Muddle/press watermelon in pint glass with a muddler, being sure to press the melon well to release juices. Measure in tequila, agave syrup and lime juice. Shake in hot sauce—do not over-do it! Fill glass with ice. Cap and shake vigoroulsy. Strain into a martini glass with a partial salt rim.
Find more creative concoctions from Chef Kathy Casey here.
As women we wear a lot of different hats in our life. Some hats we wear for fun, others out of necessity and many just because they are super cute!
My love of hats started at my first tea party; it was of course a sparkly tiara and had a matching bright pink boa. Who does not feel special in a tiara? Add a wand and you can change the world with one swoop.
My next impressionable hat was an Easter Bonnet that was the most beautiful concoction of silk flowers and ribbon. My sister had one that matched; we were the cutest things in the field looking for eggs.
Not to be overlooked is the kid party hat, just add a pointy paper cone with a painful rubber band strap and it’s an “occasion”. If you can endure the strap long enough it’s worth it because cake will usually appear.
The fashion hat can stop traffic. Woman who wear these are so bold and cool. They are also the only accessory that always fits and never makes you look fat.
On a bad hair day, hats have been my saving grace. Thank goodness I’m the mom of boys, had I had a girly girl that was fussing over her hair I would have said, “Put a baseball hat on and let’s go already!”
As women we all wear many hats, even if there’s nothing on our head. We are daughters, sisters, friends, wives, mothers, and grandmothers.
We wear the hat of a chef, chauffeur, maid, captain, ringleader, hostess, coach, bank teller, Sherlock Holmes, construction foreman, nurse, and many more! We slide these on and off with the greatest of ease and often times wear one on top of another. We are highly skilled fusionists that run behind the runway show curtain and take off the major league manager ball cap and replace it with our tiara just in time for the company dinner party.
When I lived in the South, I was schooled in the art of the “hat” at afternoon tea parties. Those ladies take their hats very seriously and some were large enough to provide shade to a small family, but man those ladies knew how to wear them with spunk.
Whenever I see a woman with an amazing hat on, I always stare a little longer and admire her grace and composure. I think, “That lady is so cool, I should wear more hats!” Then I remind myself that I had a beret on this morning when I was making crepes…well, not really but I should have.
Women are amazing and so are hats. Next time you’re in a party store slip on a sparkly tiara and remember what that feels like to be the princess, buy a cute straw hat for the beach and own that bikini, and remember we are the masters of many hats and are all a bunch of mad-hatters.
It’s that time of year – it’s all about mom. You know as well as we do – with a hectic lifestyle, sometimes traditional alternatives have to do the trick (isn’t it the thought that counts?). But with all that mom has done for you, we’re guessing you probably CRAVE some creative mother/daughter bonding activities this Mother’s Day. So take a break from the craziness of the day to bond with the number one woman in your life. Whether you’re a “like- mother-like-daughter duo” or have completely different tastes, you’re sure to find a fabulous way to celebrate your mom in style with our irresistible options! Get ready to make some memories!
Rediscover Family Recipes
What better way to celebrate the women in your family than with a day dedicated to the culinary queens that have graced your family over the years? We all have recipes stashed away in a drawer in the kitchen that we always talk about with family members during holiday time. How many times have you reminisced about Grandma Marie’s outrageous chicken Marsala or Aunt Susan’s legendary lemon meringue? It’s time to pull out those recipes and cook them up with mom! Be sure to recopy those recipes that are written on paper that is little worse for wear, organize them and swap memories as you savor your hard work. So, if CRAVE something spicy or sweet and want to share special memories of the wonderful women that have paved your way, get cooking with mom. Who knows, you might even make some mother-daughter recipes of your own!
Other ideas for the the crafty mother-daughter duo:
- Organize family photos in scrapbooks or photo albums.
- Transfer old family tapes to DVD.
- Take an art class together.
Mother-Daughter Massage
What better way to say goodbye to stress and pamper the number one woman in your life than with a mother-daughter massage and spa treatment? Sometimes, the unspoken shared moments in life mean the most. With a little time to meditate, make muscles melt and mend your bodies, you and mom will be bonding in no time. Take some time together to choose your lineup of indulgences for the day. Whether you and mom CRAVE some hot stone therapy, aromatherapy or holistic skin care, your Mother’s Day Spa date is sure to be one to remember!
Other options for mothers and daughters looking to chill:
- Take a yoga class together.
- Safely score some rays of sunshine at the beach.
- Pack a picnic lunch and your suits. Find the perfect place to swim, enjoy the water and indulge in some homemade picnic classics!
Generational Clothing Swap:
Admit it – you have always wanted to raid mom’s closet (maybe you already have!) for some of those classy vintage outfits she has saved over the years. She’s probably had her eye on some of yours! Now is your chance to share style secrets that span a few more decades. Spend the days discussing style and sharing trends that have come in and out of both your lives. You might find some similarities you would never suspect – styles always seem to come back! After you swap chic secrets, you might even want to have a generational fashion show. Whatever decade you and mom each CRAVE when it comes to style, the creative possibilities are endless when you put your heads together in the name of fashion!
Alternatives for moms and daughters with fashion in their blood:
- Get out there for some retail therapy, but here’s the catch – pick outfits for each other. You could be pleasantly surprised, or you might be laughing the entire time you’re in the dressing room!
- Score mother-daughter style makeover consultations.
- Go on a fashionable date – check CRAVE and other local listings for fashion shows and other styling events in your city.
No matter what you CRAVE and how you choose to celebrate mom, enjoy your time together. Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at CRAVE.