Yes! Fashion & Beauty Bloggers Do Eat & Drink. Holiday Sips & Nibbles from Blogger Babe's Heidi Nazarudin, Briana Gustafson, Pavan Liqueur & Caliche Rum

By Laura Medina

 

With Thanksgiving rumbling around the corner, it is official feasting time in America.

Since fashion and beauty bloggers such as this scribe and "Blogger Babe's" Heidi Nazarudin and publicist, Briana Gustafson know that lifestyle is part of the "FABB" equation, we gladly offer our favorite holiday dishes, along side some holiday-worthy cocktails from emerging liquor brands such as Pavan and Caliche Rum, guaranteed to warm any Winter Solstice.

The holidays is Punch Season, the more the merrier the gulp.

   

Cali Tidings Punch
1 liter bottle Caliche
1 bottle of sparkling wine.
16 oz of Ruby  port.
12 oz curaçao liquor.
12 oz fresh squeezed and strained orange juice.
12 oz unsweetened pineapple juice.
8 oz fresh squeezed strained lemon juice.
8 oz light agave nectar.
1 large block of ice.

For garnish:
1 cup of hulled and sliced strawberries
2 large lemons pitted and sliced
Handful of mint leafs.

In a large punch bowl combine the Caliche, port, curaçao, fruit juices and agave nectar, stir until well incorporated, refrigerate for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve add the ice and garnishes to the bowl, gently stir in the champagne. Serve in small punch cups.

Cali Midnight

1 1/2 oz Caliche Rum

3/4 oz Port Wine

1/2 oz Lemon Juice

1/2 oz Triple Sec 

Cinnamon stick for garnish

 In a mixing glass, combine all ingredients over ice and stir until well mixed. Strain into an ice filled tall coupe. Grate cinnamon on top and garnish a cinnamon stick.

 

Cali Thyme 1 1/2 oz Caliche rum
1/2 oz Lemon juice
3/4 oz Pomegranate juice (Pom Brand is recommended)
3 Sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 oz or Combier orange liqueur (or any other fine triple sec)
1 dash of agave nectar (optional if you don't like dry cocktails )
Combine all ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker, and shake vigorously until well chilled, serve in a chilled cocktail coupe, garnish with a thyme sprig.

All right, now that we got you all liquored up on refreshingly, delicious punch, it's time for the feasting, kindly provided by Blogger Babe's Heidi Nazarudin and publicist, Briana Gustafson.  These are their favorite things.

First up, Heidi's Poinsettia Cocktail and her holiday dishes...

 

THE POINSETTIA:

Ingredients:

• ·      6 oz. Champagne
• ·      1 shot Cointreau
• ·      Splash of cranberry juice
• ·      Orange peels
• ·      Cranberries
• 
  
• Directions:

• ·      Chill all of the ingredients beforehand
• ·      Pour the Cointreau and cranberry juice into a chilled champagne flute
• ·      Stir well
• ·      Top with champagne
• ·      Garnish with a bit of orange peel and cranberries
• ·      Enjoy!

The following dishes are a few of Heidi’s traditional favorites…

HAM:

Ingredients:

• ·      Smoked ham
• ·      Canned pineapple
• ·      Canned maraschino cherries

Directions:

• ·      Heat oven to 325*
• ·      Take the smoked ham and use a sharp knife to score the outside top of the ham, making squares and diagonals
• ·      Take the canned pineapple rings and insert them with toothpicks over the top of the ham
• ·      Add the maraschino cherries to the center of the pineapple rings with toothpicks
• ·      Use the pineapple juice to baste over the turkey
• ·      Heat in the oven for an hour to an hour and a half until heated through

CHEESEY POTATOES:

Ingredients:

• ·      2 lbs. frozen hash brown potatoes – thawed for ½ hour
• ·      1 cup chopped onion
• ·      8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• ·      1 lb. sour cream
• ·      1 stick butter, melted
• ·      1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
• ·      Salt and pepper
• ·      Potato chip crumbs

Directions:

• ·      Mix all the above ingredients, except for the cheese, onion and potatoes and heat over low heat in a saucepan
• ·      Place the cheese, onion and potatoes in a 13 x 9 baking dish
• ·      Pour the heated mixture over the potatoes
• ·      Top with crushed potato chip crumbs
• ·      Bake at 350* for 1-1/2 hours

Next up, Briana Gustafson's favorite Oysters Recipe.  Both this scribe and her share a mutual love for seafood...

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 3-4 tbl. red wine vinegar
• 4 shallots, minced
• 1/8 tsb. red pepper flakes
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Shaved ice 
• 36 oysters 
• Lemon wedges
• Flat leaf parsley sprigs

Directions:

• First make the mignonette sauce in a bowl, stirring together the wine, vinegar, shallots, red pepper flakes and black pepper
• Taste and add more vinegar if needed
• Place the bowl of mignonette sauce on a platter and surround it with a bed of ice
• Discard any oysters that do not close tightly to the touch
• Scrub each oyster thoroughly with a stiff-bristled brush, rinsing it well under cold running water
• Holding each oyster flat side up in a kitchen towel and using an oyster knife, slip the tip of the knife into the shell near the hinge and pry upward to open
• Run the knife blade along the inside of the top shell to server the muscle that joins the shells, then lift off the top shelf
• Run the knife underneath the oyster to free it from the rounded, bottom shell, being careful not to spill the liquor
• Nest the oysters in their bottom shells on the ice
• Garnish the platter with lemon wedges and parsley sprigs and serve immediately