Video: Cucumber, Basil & Limoncello Cocktail

I pretty much freak out whenever I see cocktails on menus that have fresh herbs like basil or cilantro in them. If you add cucumber or passion fruit to the mix, it's pretty much guaranteed that I will be drinking it ALL NIGHT LONG. Here I show you how to prepare a fun cocktail featuring limoncello--a sweet Italian liqueur made from lemons--cucumbers, and basil. So fresh and fun for summer. I hope you enjoy!

Mother's Day Brunch Idea: Homemade Chocolate Croissants

One of my favorite things about brunch are the pastries! Flaky croissants, freshly baked muffins, danish--you name it...I love it! Chocolate croissants, in particular, are one of my favorite brunch treats and they are actually pretty easy to make when you start off with good quality all-butter puff pastry dough. (I love the brand Dufour, but just check your grocery store for their options. In NYC, Fresh Direct makes a great in-house all-butter version that I use in this video.)

Easy Healthy Snacks: How to Cook Shishito Peppers

In this 5-minute video tutorial, I teach you the easiest (and quickest!) way to cook shishito peppers--Japanese sweet peppers that make for a fantastic and easy snack or appetizer.

Cinco de Mayo Cooking Class in NYC

We're just a few days away from my next hands-on NYC cooking class, and this time the theme is CINCO DE MAYO! Sign up for this incredible cooking class experience on Saturday, May 5, 2012  from 7PM  to 10:30PM.

You'll learn to make  8 incredible Mexican dishes that range from totally authentic (posole and chicken tinga) to totally modern (churro cupcakes!). You'll also learn how to make homemade tortilla chips, guacamole in a molcajete, and (of course) enjoy plenty of tequila cocktails.

After we're done cooking, we'll all sit down to enjoy the meal we prepared. Seats are limited so sign up today!

The Cinco de Mayo Mexican Cooking Class Menu will include:

Beef & Pumpkin Empanadas

Homemade Tortilla Chips with Fresh Tomatillo Salsa

Guacamole en Molcajete (just like they do in restaurants!)

Pozole Verde (Hominy Stew)

Chicken Tinga (Mexican braised chicken)

Churro Cupcakes with Mexican Chocolate Dipping Sauce

Coconut Tres Leches Cake

And (of course!) margaritas and other tequila cocktails will be served throughout the class and with dinner (all included in the price)!!

Cost: Just $115 per person for the class, ingredients, appetizers, a full dinner, dessert and unlimited cocktails! Click the PayPal button below to add to cart & sign up!

Any questions? Email me!

Live Accordingly

Enter to Win an Invite to Our NYC-Themed Cooking Party!

I'm super excited to be working with Zagat and Google NY on this upcoming event. It's an invite-only cooking party on May 20th featuring an incredible menu of New York City themed foods. Each dish on the menu was inspired by some of  my favorite NY restaurants and neighborhoods.

The menu will include the following:

Whitefish and Baked Salmon Salad, Homemade Bagel Chips (Inspired by Russ and Daughters)

Mini Hot Pastrami Pockets with Homemade Thousand Island Dressing (Inspired by Katz's Deli)

Truffled Egg Toasts w/ Bottarga and Asparagus (Inspired by inoteca)
Italian Meatballs in Spicy Marinara Sauce  (Inspired by pretty much all of Arthur Avenue)
Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey Wings (Inspired by Sylvia's)
Puerto Rican Mofongo with Pork Cracklings (Obviously!)
Grilled Corn on the Cob with Cotija (My husband Eugene's favorite street fair snack!)
Black & White Cookies (One of my favorite NYC cookies)
Bronx Egg Creams (Because I was born in the Bronx. Didn't know that? Now you do!)

Wine and/or cocktails will also be served. (Because it's a party!!!)

Want in on this? There is only one way to snag an invitation and that is by entering the Zagat "New York on a Plate" contest and submitting reviews in the Zagat New York Restaurant Survey.

Starting April 27, Zagat will pick 12 winners who submitted the best-quality reviews to join us on May 20th for what will definitely prove to be a one-of-a-kind day.

Click the button below to get started!