Maple Manhattan a Fall Bourbon Cocktail

Maple Manhattan a Fall Bourbon Cocktail

Oct 22, 2018 · 28 Comments

A Classic Manhattan gets a fall twist with a touch of sweet maple syrup. This Maple Manhattan will go on your favorite Bourbon Cocktails list and your favorite Fall Cocktails list!

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Fall Cocktails

I love simple cocktails, which is why I love a Manhattan. All you need for a classic Manhattan is whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. When you have a simple cocktail like a Manhattan, it makes for easy additions.

When I was looking to create some fall cocktails, I started with a Manhattan. The only question was which fall flavor to use? Pumpkins? Apples? Maple Syrup?

Remembering this Bourbon Maple Grilled Acorn Squash recipe, maple syrup jumped to the front of the list!

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Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Pasta

Oct 21, 2018 · 16 Comments

You're going to love this easy meatless dinner! Perfect for meatless Mondays! While the cauliflower is roasting to perfect sweetness, you cook your pasta of choice. Then this Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Pasta comes together in a snap! So easy!

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Simple Cooking

If there is one thing I've learned in my 60+ years of life on this planet, most of the time simple is best. Jeans and t-shirt. A table adorned with a simple vase of flowers. A glass of white wine, a piece of cheese and a few grapes. Simple is wonderful.

Nowhere do I embrace the simple more than when it comes to cooking. Oh, I've seen those blogs that have every single ingredient and condiment from their pantry and fridge tossed on a plate. I know there's supposed to be layers in your food photography.

These people have so many layers it's like a skyscraper of food photography. And speaking of layers, if you look you'll see I laid one piece of wood on top of another - and boom, I've got layers. Or at least layers my way. Oh, and I garnished. So, take that.

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The Miracle Morning with Luxie

Oct 19, 2018 · 22 Comments

How I incorporate The Miracle Morning in my morning time.

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The Miracle Morning

Have you all read the book The Miracle Morning? It's all about how the habits that we do in the morning can set the stage for the rest of the day. It has a lot of info, but what I basically took from it was to have a sort of centering time in the morning. You can meditate, read, journal, exercise, set goals, and/or create visions.

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Baked Cauliflower Risotto

Oct 19, 2018 · 23 Comments

Baked Cauliflower Risotto - yes that's right, a baked risotto recipe! Baking a risotto is so easy, the oven does all the work! Cauliflower, onions, garlic, arborio rice, white wine, chicken broth, gruyere cheese and bread crumbs all bake up into a delicious cheesy vegetarian meal! Serve it with a salad and everyone will be happy.

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Baked Risotto

I love standing over a stove stirring a risotto. It's so meditative.

However there are times when I want to just put dinner in the oven, have a glass of wine and watch Ellen.

Today was one of those days, so this easy baked risotto recipe was the answer.

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Za'atar Chicken Tenders with Vegetables

Oct 18, 2018 · 8 Comments

Healthy dinners don't have to be boring, just check out this Baked Chicken Tenders with Za'atar and Vegetables! Baked chicken tenders make for a quick and easy dinner!

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Oven Baked Chicken Tenders

I'm back again with an almost sheet pan dinner. Oh, it's a sheet pan dinner, but the couscous is cooked in a pot. So I guess it's a sheet pan dinner plus one easy pot. Doesn't quite roll off the tongue the same way, does it. But couscous is so easy, it shouldn't really count.

What I love about this recipe is that it uses chicken tenders. Chicken tenders, which are usually coated in breading and fried. This time they are baked, keeping them low calorie and healthy. Since they are just the tenders, they roast in only 15 minutes!

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Roasted Mahi Mahi with Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes

Oct 17, 2018 · 29 Comments

This easy dinner of Roasted Mahi Mahi with Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes gets a kick with a lemony vinaigrette. It will become one of your favorite sheet pan suppers!

Scalloped plate with fish, green beans and tomatoes.

Healthy sheet pan suppers have become my favorite thing to cook. They are so easy to prepare and so easy to modify.

All you need to do is check on the individual roasting times for your vegetables and your protein. Then you simply start with the longest roasting item and then add each additional food, so that they all finish at the same time.

Once you have everything roasted, you can serve it as is or you can make a quick vinaigrette like I did for this recipe. It adds a little freshness at the end and brightens the flavors.

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The Aviation Cocktail

Oct 17, 2018 · 4 Comments

You are going to love how elegant and delicious this lovely lavender colored Aviation Cocktail is! This easy gin cocktail features gin, maraschino liqueur and creme de violette.

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Creme de Violette

Have you ever heard of Creme de Violette? I admit that I had never heard of it until I started making cocktails for this blog. Creme de Violette is also known as Liqueur de Violette. As you can probably guess it is a liqueur made out of violets. According to Wikipedia, the Rothman & Winter Crème de Violette, that I buy is made from Queen Charlotte and March violet flowers from the Alps.

As you know, I am a big do it yourself person when it comes to liqueurs. I was so excited when I learned about this liqueur because I have a yard full of violets. Even though I found some websites showing how to do it, after much reading, I came to the sad conclusion that American violets don't work. You need French violets. Darn those French!

Creme de Violette runs around twenty-something a bottle, so it's not terribly expensive. Believe me, we've paid more for a fancy bottles of liqueur. It adds a lovely lavender color and soft floral note to your cocktails.

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Pork Chops with Apple Cabbage Slaw

Oct 16, 2018 · 10 Comments

This Oven Baked Pork Chop Recipe is an easy sheet pan dinner that you will turn to time and time again. The pork chops stay moist and juicy and the apples and cabbage are crisp tender. All of the flavors blend together into amazing comfort food.

Easy Sheet Pan Pork Chop Dinner!

If I had to choose my favorite easy way to make dinner, it would definitely be roasting everything in one pan. I think our mothers and grandmothers had the right idea with a Sunday pot roast.

It always seemed like such a complex meal to me. There was perfectly roasted meat, falling apart tender. Potatoes, carrots and celery tender and flavored from the beef juices. Now I know it was easy. Time and a warm oven did most of the work for you.

So, when I saw the book, Sheet Pan Suppers, I didn't hesitate to grab it. So much to love about this book. The recipes are all made on a sheet pan and they are all pretty simple.

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The Classic Manhattan Cocktail

Oct 15, 2018 · 18 Comments

The Classic Manhattan Cocktail is an old school cocktail that never goes out of style. The blend of whiskey, vermouth, and bitters is easy to make and easy to drink!

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What is a Classic Manhattan Cocktail?

While cocktails grow fancier and more complicated by the day - Bourbon with Orange-Thyme Syrup and Roasted Cherry Splash. I made that up, but you get what I'm taking about! Sometimes I want fancy and sometimes I want to get back into my rat pack groove and sip a classic. This time it was a Manhattan.

The history of the Manhattan is kind of murky. It shows up as early as the 1860's. According to Wikipedia:A Manhattan is a cocktail made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. Commonly used whiskeys include rye (the traditional choice), Canadian whiskey, bourbon, blended whiskey and Tennessee Whiskey.

Variation of a Manhattan Cocktail

Even though the Manhattan is a classic just the way it is, it's approach can be easily varied. Some stir, some shake. Some use rye and some use bourbon or Canadian Whisky. You can also change up the bitters, using your own homemade bitters (which I am planning on trying), add some maraschino cherry juice, or even switch out the vermouth.

A Perfect Manhattan is an easy variation - instead of using one vermouth you use ½ sweet vermouth and ½ dry vermouth.

There are lots of variations on the Manhattan: A Rob Roy, A Dry Manhattan, A Perfect Manhattan, A Brandy Manhattan, A Metropolitan, A Cuban Manhattan, a Tijuana Manhattan, and one of my favorites The Fourth Regiment! The possibilities are endless!

For our Manhattan, we chose Willet Straight Rye Whiskey.

How to Make a Classic Manhattan Cocktail

Who doesn't love an easy 4 ingredient cocktail, especially when one of those ingredients is the garnish! Making a Classic Manhattan Cocktail is so easy!

Fill a cocktail mixing glass halfway with ice and add rye whiskey (or bourbon or Canadian Whiskey), sweet vermouth, and a couple of dashes of Angostura Bitters. Stir. Strain into a chilled cocktails glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Looking for more Whiskey Cocktails:

Add a little bit of fall flavor with this Maple Manhattan!

How about you work your way through these 15 Apple Cocktails to Make Right now!

Perfect for parties! Everyone loves this Apple Rosemary Whiskey Cocktail!

Classic Manhattan Cocktail

5 from 43 votes

Classic Manhattan Cocktail

This Classic Manhattan Cocktail is a classic for a reason! So easy to make and so easy to sip!

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 173kcal

Ingredients

2 ounces rye whiskey
1 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Maraschino Cherry for garnish

Instructions

Fill a cocktail mixing glass halfway up with ice.
Add whiskey, vermouth, and bitters. Stir to combine.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Notes

While a rye whiskey is classic, you can also use Canadian whisky, bourbon, blended whiskey, and Tennessee Whiskey.

Use ½ ounce sweet vermouth and ½ ounce dry vermouth to make a Perfect Manhattan.

Nutrition

Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g

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Roasted Pears with Wine and Honey

Oct 14, 2018 · 22 Comments

Baked pears make the perfect fall dessert! These are roasted in wine with butter and vanilla and either drizzled with honey or brown sugar.

An easy and elegant dessert that everyone loves!

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Roasted pears in a enameled cast iron skillet.

Pear Desserts

Every fall, or anytime pears are on sale, I make this simple roasted pears. I've made it for so long that I have no idea where I originally found the recipe.

We always keep a small bottle of dessert wine in the fridge. When you reduce it a bit, it makes a lovely syrupy sauce all on it's own. Here in this recipe it makes a flavorful sweet glaze for these baked pears.

You can use this same basic recipe with any fruit that you might like to roast. I think apples would be lovely, even peaches.

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Apple Tarte Tatin

Oct 13, 2018 · 41 Comments

Apple Tarte Tatin - it sounds fancy, but you'll love this easy recipe. They make the perfect fall dessert, especially when topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! With the help of puff pastry, this can be on the table in less than an hour!

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What is a Tarte Tatin?

I had no idea what a tarte tatin was before I found this recipe. It sounded complicated, especially for someone who can't even make a pie crust. My eyes glaze over as soon as someone starts talking about keeping butter cold and working it in just so.

A Tarte Tatin is a French upside down apple tart. Think of a pineapple upside down cake only with apples and a pastry crust instead of cake. It is said that the Tarte Tatin was created by two sisters who ran a French hotel, The Hotel Tatin in 1888. One of the sisters was known for her apple tarts. One day, while distracted she put it in the oven upside down, and the Tarte Tatin was born!

Unlike the French sister known for her tarts, I am not known for my tarts. I pretty much don't do anything that calls for a crust. Working cold butter into flour just so, terrifies me. Luckily there is store bought puff pastry. Puff pastry is my best friend.

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Coco Kitty Helping in the Garden

Oct 12, 2018 · 24 Comments

Kitty Helping in the Garden

Did anyone else wake up to cooler temps this morning? It is finally feeling like fall around here and Coco kitty and I are loving it. This fall, I plan on staying on top of the weeds so that hopefully there will be less work to do in the spring. I've been going out every morning and weeding for a few minutes, just long enough that I don't get tired of it or hurt my back. Slow and steady wins the race, hopefully!

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Instant Pot Polenta with Herbs

Oct 11, 2018 · 21 Comments

No more standing over a stove stirring, this Instant Pot Polenta is so quick and easy! Full of flavor from the fresh herbs, this makes a great base or stews or beans, or serve it on it's own as a side dish! Leave it soft, rich and creamy or chill it to make polenta cakes. Whole grain and naturally gluten free polenta is a healthy choice!

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Polenta - Naturally Gluten Free!

Who else loves polenta? I do! The only thing that makes me sad about polenta is that I spent so much of my life not even knowing it existed. I envy all you people who grew up eating polenta.

If you've never had polenta, it's basically ground corn, usually yellow. You can find it in varying degrees of coarseness: Instant Polenta is ground very finely and cooks quickly, Coarsely Ground Polenta cooks more slowly and has more texture, and you can even buy it already cooked and in a tube.

Even though I have no problem with gluten, I like to vary my grains, so it is nice to know that polenta is naturally gluten free. Like most gluten free grains, there might be issues of cross contamination because of the processing plants, so if you are very sensitive, you probably want to find one that is specifically labeled gluten free.

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The Best Instant Pot Cookbooks!

Oct 10, 2018 · 10 Comments

Have you jumped on the Instant Pot (or electric pressure cooker) bandwagon yet? I did and I love my Instant Pot! There are lots of Instant Pot Cookbooks out there and more popping up everyday. These are the Instant Pot Cookbooks that I think are the best. I plan on updating this post regularly!

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The Best Instant Pot Cookbooks

I was starting to write a review of one of my favorite Instant Pot Cookbooks and I decided it might be better to put them all in one post. A post that I can update regularly as I try new cookbooks.

Let's face it, there are a lot of Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) Cookbooks out there. It can be daunting. I am here to share with you my favorites.

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Oven Braised Buttermilk Chicken with Za'atar

Oct 10, 2018 · 20 Comments

Oven Braised Buttermilk Chicken - a buttermilk marinade does amazing things for this braised chicken. 6 ingredients - chicken, za'atar, garlic, salt, thyme and buttermilk are all it takes to make this tender, juicy buttermilk chicken.

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Buttermilk Chicken

What do you think of when you hear the words buttermilk and chicken together? If you are like most people, your mind probably goes to buttermilk fried chicken. You know, the kind grandma used to make.

And with good reason, buttermilk fried chicken is amazing. Well, guess what? Oven Braised Buttermilk Chicken is just as amazing. I'm going to go so far as to say it's even more amazing because it's crazy easy and your stove doesn't get all covered in grease.

Don't take my word for it, this buttermilk chicken is so easy, you have to try it!

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Instant Pot Red Wine Beef Stew

Oct 9, 2018 · 23 Comments

The Instant Pot makes quick work of this amazingly delicious Instant Pot Red Wine Beef Stew. The combination of red wine with dried figs and sweet carrots takes this beef bourguignon to new flavor levels! So simple. It takes only a little bit of prep time and then in about an hour you have a stew that tastes like it's been simmering on the stove for hours!

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Beef Stew or Beef Bourguignon

Are you wondering what the difference between a beef stew and a beef bourguignon is, besides the fact that I can easily spell "stew" and have to check the spelling of "bourguignon" every time? What I learned after much googling is that beef bourguignon is a beef stew, where the beef is braised in red wine.

That means that what I am calling a Red Wine Beef Stew is actually Beef Bourguignon, but for people who can't spell bourguignon.

Whatever you call this, call it dinner, because it was amazing.

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Preserving Herbs | Freezing Sage

Oct 8, 2018 · 5 Comments

Freezing Sage - Did you know that you can freeze sage? Freezing herbs is one of the easiest way to use fresh herbs all winter long. Not all herbs freeze well, but sage does!

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Growing and Preserving Sage

I love growing sage in my herb garden. The only problem is that most of the recipes that I use it in are fall/winter recipes. It just seems to lend itself more to warm comforting dishes more that the light dishes of summer.

I knew that it was possible to dry sage, but I was looking into different ways to preserve sage. I think sage would also be good in an herb salt, don't you?

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Miso Chicken with Sweet Potato Noodles

Oct 7, 2018 · 20 Comments

This Miso Chicken with Sweet Potato Noodles proves once again that healthy can be so delicious!! Spiralized Sweet Potatoes are so easy and make a healthy replacement for pasta!

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Easy Spiralized Sweet Potatoes

Do you have a spiralizer? I have to admit, I was late to the party. I made this Vietnamese Zoodle Salad and it was so good I decided to try spiralized sweet potatoes. Sweet potato noodles. Swoodles? Spoodles?

Whatever you call them, they were wonderful!! This whole Miso Chicken with Sweet Potato Noodles was so wonderful that after having leftovers for dinner last night, Mr. Sidewalk Shoes insisted that I put this in regular rotation.

If you're looking for more spiralized recipes, these two books are my favorites: Inspiralized: Turn Vegetables into Healthy, Creative, Satisfying Meals and Inspiralized and Beyond: Spiralize, Chop, Rice, and Mash Your Vegetables into Creative, Craveable Meals.

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Apple Clafoutis

Oct 6, 2018 · 15 Comments

Apple Clafoutis is a classic dessert that is so easy, but looks so fancy! It's a cross between a pie, a custard and a cake!

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Easy Apple Dessert Recipe

I love clafoutis. They are like pies only without the hassle of a pie crust. I made a pie crust once. It was not my idea of a good time.

My idea of a good time is whisking a few ingredients together, pouring it over some fruit and having something magical happen.

You can make clafoutis with almost any fruit, cherries are a classic, as are plums.

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Coco Kitty Photoshoot

Oct 5, 2018 · 36 Comments

A few photos of my calico cat, Coco.

Trying to Photograph a Cat!

I wasn't going to include that first photo of Coco kitty in today's post, but then I realized that everyone probably has photos of their cats like this. This is what I got as I was calling her name every so nicely. Asking her to turn around. Making barking noises. Nothing was working.

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Sheet Pan Shrimp with Pineapple

Oct 4, 2018 · 19 Comments

This Sheet Pan Shrimp with Pineapple has all the flavors of a stir fry except that it is made in a sheet pan! Shrimp, pineapple and crisp red bell peppers roast atop rice in this easy dinner! You may never stir fry again!

Hawaiin Shrimp

I love to stir fry. I love having all my ingredients chopped and ready to go. Oil heating up in the wok. But when I saw this recipe for Hawaiian shrimp in Cooking Light, I was intrigued.

It sounded so good. Shrimp, red bell peppers, bright yellow pineapple. If nothing else, I knew it was going to be colorful. Best of all, it sounded crazy easy.

Stir frying isn't difficult, but it's pretty hands on. Standing and stirring, tossing, adding the next ingredient, tossing some more, careful that it doesn't burn.

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Classic Frozen Daiquiri

Oct 3, 2018 · 12 Comments

This Classic Frozen Daiquiri is such an easy rum cocktail! Rum, lime juice, simple syrup and ice are all you need to make this delicious daiquiri!

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The Daiquiri - Such an Easy Cocktail!

Sometimes you want fancy. Lots of ingredients. Lots of complex flavors. Sometimes you feel like having liquor bottles lined up with a jigger of this and a jigger of that thrown in.

Then again, sometimes you don't. Sometimes you want the simplest most classic cocktail, something you can whip up in a matter of minutes. The Classic Frozen Daiquiri fills the bill perfectly.

If you want a daiquiri that's a teeny bit more complex, you should try my Hemingway Daiquiri. Make them both and compare, that sounds like a fun experiment!

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Chicken, Edamame, and Noodle Stir-Fry

Oct 3, 2018 · 20 Comments

Who doesn't love an easy, healthy dinner in under 30 minutes? This Chicken and Noodle Stir Fry with Edamame is loved by both kids and adults! It will become a family favorite!

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Have you Tried Edamame?

I constantly marvel at the foods that we have access to that it seems like even just few years ago, I didn’t even know they existed. Take edamame for example. Has it been around forever and I just didn’t know about it?

Well, I mean I’m sure it’s been around somewhere, just not in my grocery store. But now there it sits, frozen in bags, right next to the peas.

I love edamame in the shells, lightly steamed and salted, pulling it through your teeth to release just the right amount of salt on the green orbs as they pop into your mouth. But the ease of a frozen bag can not be beat! I always keep a few bags of frozen edamame in my freezer, they are a quick and nutritious add to a stir fry or soup.

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Pumpkin Spice Biscotti

Oct 2, 2018 · 23 Comments

This Pumpkin Spice Biscotti has all the flavors of pumpkin pie in a delicious cookie that you can dip in coffee!

These fall biscotti would be great to take to a Halloween party or bring a tin with you for Thanksgiving!

Vintage blue tin filled with pumpkin biscotti drizzled with white chocolate.

The official first day of fall has happened, so I feel safe posting some fall recipes, specifically pumpkin recipes. When to start posting pumpkin recipes is kind of a tricky thing.

You start too early and you have people glaring at you from behind their pile of just harvested tomatoes and zucchini, you start too late and people have moved on to Christmas baking. Like in retail, the whole holiday season in food blog land is a tricky path to follow.

But this is such a yummy pumpkin cookie recipe that you need to see it now!

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