Beer Fruit Cocktail Sangria inspired by Warm Bodies

Let's talk zombie fiction in the form of the movie Warm Bodies today. There are two types of zombies in Warm Bodies, and neither are your typical brain-dead roamers. First we have what seem like the typical slow-moving, grunt-to-communicate zombies, but via the magic of the voice-over, we find out that there really are thoughts going on inside their heads (or at least in the head of our main character, "R"). However, they've sort of accepted their station and rove around in packs looking for food (aka humans) outside of the airport where they've taken up residence.

When these zombies consume the brains of their victims, they absorb their memories. "R" enjoys eating brains because through these memories, he actually feels more alive. One day his group runs into a group of humans and actually feels the human emotion of attraction for the first time since the zombie apocalypse began. During the fight between R's hoard and the group of humans, he unknowingly kills the boyfriend of Julie (the one that caught his clouded eye), and as he's eating his brain, gets glimpses with her in them.

Lavender-Lime Soda | The Welcome Home Diner

Welcome to the TLC Book Tours stop for The Welcome Home Diner, the latest food-centric novel by author (and food blogger) Peggy Lampman! This is a novel for all of you foodies out there—it'll make your mouth water from page one with a melange of Polish and Southern-inspired food descriptions, as well as homegrown and locally sourced ingredients and creative recipe ideas.

Peach Iced Tea | The Innkeeper's Sister

Welcome to the TLC Book Tours stop for The Innkeeper's Sister by Linda Goodnight! This is book 3 in Goodnight's Honeyridge Novels series, but the first (and only so far) one that I've read. I actually didn't even realize it was a part of a series until I'd finished it, which means it definitely works as a stand-alone book. When I went to look back at the descriptions for the first 2 books, they are connected by location (Honey Ridge, Tennessee), but focus on different main characters. Those characters also play a part in this book, so I'm looking forward to going back and reading their stories.

I Carried a Watermelon Margarita | Dirty Dancing #FoodnFlix

We headed back to the 80's for this month's edition of Food 'n Flix with one of the best coming-of-age chick flicks of all-time, Dirty Dancing! This is one of those movies that I've seen so many times I could recite it in my sleep. I owned it on VHS, I own it on DVD, and I can't resist stopping to watch it when I come across it while flipping channels on TV. Plus, the soundtrack! I had it on tape and remember listening to one side and flipping it over in my walkman...or dual cassette deck stereo with record player...time and time again.

Love Potion cocktail | #SheMadeEllaHace

It's time for another round of She Made, Ella Hace with my friend Leslie from La Cocina de Leslie, and this month, we're creating Valentine's Day inspired recipes. Even though we had this planned in advance, today really snuck up on me, and I was scrambling last minute to create something.

Homemade Peppermint Mini Marshmallows | Krampus #FoodnFlix

It's December, and that means it's time for a Christmas edition of Food 'n Flix, where, along with a talented group of bloggers, I create a recipe inspired by a chosen film. Since I'm hosting this month, I created the challenge, asking everybody to create a recipe inspired by the 2015 horror-comedy, Krampus!

While the original legend is definitely pee-your-pants scary, I didn't personally think this PG-13 movie was scary at all. A bit dark and creepy in parts, but not scary. I actually own a copy and have seen it several times, the most recent time my 12 and 14 year olds watched it with me. While I did see my youngest jump once, they both agreed that while they'd never want to be face to face with the Krampus of lore, the movie  itself was just creepy. But hey, my kids grew up with Orcs and Dementors, so...

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

Growing up in the Midwest, I've drunk my fair share of hot cocoa. I mean, there's nothing like coming in from a hard day of trudging up a snowy hill (after the fun sliding down part) over and over again, or building a snow fort, or having a snowball fight, to a mug of steaming chocolate. It's a winter time staple!

But the thing is, ours always came from a round, lined cardboard canister of Swiss Miss. Well no, sometimes we had the boxes with individual packets. And I won't lie, I always liked the kind with the crunchy, dehydrated marshmallows. Or, if somebody didn't get to the bag, we'd pile on soft mini marshmallows—and that was good, too.

Red Wine Spritzers | Finding Libbie

Today I'm hosting a book tour stop for Finding Libbie, the latest novel by Deanna Lynn Sletten. Emily Prentice is helping her grandmother clean out the farmhouse that has been in their family for generations. She comes across a box of old photographs and learns for the first time that her father, Jack, was married to his high school sweetheart before he was married to her mother.

Emily is enamored of Jack's first wife Libbie after her grandmother tells her the heartbreaking story of their marriage, and sets her sights on finding her. At first she says she just wants to make sure that she is okay, but really she wants to find a way to bring some of that old joy back to her father that he's been missing since her mother passed away.

Tequila Sunrise

I'm happy to be joining Sharon of what the fork Food Blog and a fabulous group of bloggers to help Sharon celebrate her birthday with an amazing giveaway this month! Not only do we have an amazing giveaway for you today, we also have a delicious list of birthday cocktails, cakes and other bakes—and they're ALL gluten free!

Refreshing Apple Shrub Syrup

It's heating up outside, and this apple shrub syrup, or drinking vinegar, infused with mint and fennel is a refreshing way to beat that heat. To enjoy, combine 1 part shrub syrup with 3 to 4 parts sparkling water and serve over ice. Shrub syrups are also a fun and creative way to bring a signature cocktail to life—it is wedding season, after all!

A way of preserving fruit after the harvest in Colonial times, sweet and tangy drinking vinegars are a fantastic way to enjoy the pure spirit of your favorite fruit any time of the year. Fresh herbs and whole spices will add another layer of flavor to your syrups, as will experimenting with different types of vinegar.

Bandersnatch Drool inspired by Alice in Wonderland

I'm about to say something that will make you question the fact that I was ever a child. I've never read Alice in Wonderland. I don't know why. I grew up with the animated Disney version. I love the latest Tim Burton-directed one. And I'm excited for it's follow-up, Alice Through the Looking Glass, that hits theaters tomorrow. I think I even own the book...though I couldn't tell you where it is (why no, I do not own too many books).

But when my friend Kimberly over at Coffee and Casseroles asked me if I wanted to do a Mad Hatter-style post in honor of the new movie release, I decided to grab the book from the library and at least do some skimming first. I actually picked up a few versions: the regular old book, a beautifully illustrated color book, and The Annotated Alice, which was my favorite with its introduction, drawings and many notes. So, I guess I should say that I've read bits and pieces of it...now.

Chocolate and Vanilla Egg Creams inspired by The Decent Proposal

What would you do if a private benefactor offered to give you $500,000 if, after 1  year's time, you've spent 2 hours a week for the entire year meeting and getting to know a person (of their choosing) that you'd never met before? That is the situation in which Richard and Elizabeth find themselves, two entirely different people with no obvious connection, in The Decent Proposal.

Richard is a handsome 29-year old producer dealing with the fact that the business he started with a buddy several years ago just isn't making any money. He's considering getting a job...anywhere...just to pay his bills.

Frozen Mexican Hot Chocolate with Liquefied Prom Queen Brains inspired by iZombie

I've been wanting to do an iZombie-inspired post for quite some time now, and with tonight being the 2-hour season two finale, I figured there was no time like the present. If you're not familiar with iZombie, you might be thinking "oh no, not another zombie show". But it's so different from all of the others out there right now, that I recommend not dismissing it before you've watched a couple of episodes (because then you hopefully won't want to).

iZombie airs on The CW and is based on the DC Comics' Vertigo imprint I, Zombie that was created in 2010. I've ever read the comics, but the title sequence and some scene openers throughout each show are in "comic form". Our lead character, Liv is scratched at a party in the first episode and wakes up a zombie. In this show you can recognize zombies by their white hair and skin—initially, as some choose to die their hair and visit a tanning bed.

Rosemary Yuzu Gin Fizz

Two things that inevitably speak to me of winter are citrus and evergreens. I know that winter is still a couple of days away, but when you wake up daily to find everything outside of your front door covered in soft white frost, it kind of puts you in the mindset a little bit early. Therefore, it just feels timely to sip this this winter-inspired fizzy gin cocktail featuring the flavors of yuzu (a citrus fruit) and rosemary (an evergreen).

I recently tried a bottle of Yuzu Liqueur (made by iichiko Bar Liqueur) for the first time, and thought that the lightly sweetened citrus liqueur would be perfect in cocktails of all sorts for the holiday season. The fresh, piney scent of rosemary seemed like a natural accompaniment to the base yuzu citrus flavor, and combined, they just beckoned for the addition of a botanical gin.

25 Drinks for your Thanksgiving Table

Although there's absolutely nothing wrong with serving milk, juice, cider, wine, or even water as the beverage options at your Thanksgiving table, sometimes it's fun to mix things up. Literally. Today I'm sharing 25 fall-inspired drink ideas for sipping alongside your turkey, stuffing, and pie. While the majority of them are cocktails, I've also included some non-alcoholic ideas for kids and adults who aren't imbibing.

Why not add a little pizzazz to your Thanksgiving spread this year with a custom drink? I think it would make a fun holiday tradition to set out some fruit, spice, herb, alcohol, juice, and sparkling water options and ask your friends and family to create their own inspired drink, as well. I hope the fantastic drinks below will inspire you!

The Bastille Apple Sour and a #ParisCocktails Book Tour Stop

"...we must stand together and raise a glass to our beloved Paris, may she ever shine bright."

-Doni Belau

As I pondered how to go about sharing my thoughts on a book based in a city so recently shaken to the core by loss and tragedy, I read the latest newsletter from Girls Guide to Paris founder, Francophile, and author of said book, Doni Belau. In a world where I, as an individual, can feel easily overwhelmed and helpless in the midst of something so heavy, her words reminded me that the best thing I can do is hold on to hope, and to light, to practice kindness towards myself and others, and to keep raising my glass—or darkness wins.

With that, I'm happy to introduce you to the newly released book by Doni Belau, Paris Cocktails. Part cookbook (in the sense that it shares 100+ recipes...only they are for cocktails, not food), part Paris Bar guide, this book quenches my thirst for both knowledge and a proper beverage.

Blended Coconut Oil Coffee inspired by Thrill Me

Last month I was part of an excerpt tour for the latest release in the Fool's Gold series by Susan Mallery titled Thrill Me. I featured Thrill Me Excerpt 5, in which our two main characters, Maya and Del interact alone for the first time in the ten years since their first-love relationship "ended". This encounter started in a local coffee shop called Brew-haha, which winds up being a supporting character in its own right throughout the book, supplying caffeine and a gathering spot for locals and tourists to the small town of Fool's Gold. Today I'm back with my review of this romance novel to go along with that excerpt.

If you spend any amount of time here, you probably know that I'm a big reader. But...and I've mentioned this before...romance has never really been my genre of choice. So if may come as a bit of a shock that this is a romance novel. It's actually book 20 in a series that I'd never heard of before. And guess what? I liked it. It was fun. Plus, I love the stereotype of being a desperate housewife who escapes reality for a while by throwing a little romance paperback in my beach bag (which I totally did, by the way).

Peach-Rosemary Shrub Syrup

I've been meaning to try making (and drinking) a shrub for at least 3 or 4 years now. I'm not really sure why I've waited so long, seeing as they couldn't be any easier to make. So, when you think shrub, does your mind automatically go to the bushes outside your childhood home? Or, if you're like me, a little TLC song might start playing on a constant loop in your head. (Yes, I know it's scrub, not shrub. I can't help the way my mind works.) What I'm really referring to are the shrubs that are also known as "drinking vinegars".

Basically, you macerate fresh fruit or berries with sugar until the fruit is soft and the sugar is dissolved, then you add vinegar and allow the mixture to infuse for several days. You can add fresh herbs or spices for different flavors. Once the mixture has infused, you strain out the solids and use the resulting sweet and tangy syrup to flavor things, usually drinks (though you could use it in vinaigrettes or sauces, as well).

Grilled Pineapple Whisky Smash

Grilled pineapple lends this whisky smash a distinctive summer twist. Thank you to thebar.com for helping me share this cocktail with you.

Although it may not say it on the calendar, summer seems to have officially set in. Bright, sunny days that beg for lake excursions, pool parties, impromptu sessions around the grill, and often beating a path to the nearest shade tree. What's one thing that can enhance each one of these options? A cold drink, glass sweating right alongside you in the heat.

But do you think whisky when you think summer cocktails? Perhaps not. I'd say it's most often considered a warming drink. I admit to wanting a nip of whisky to warm my bones on a cold day. But it also goes really well over ice, which opens it up and invites a host of flavors to drop by for a summer get-together.

Today I'm sharing a whisky cocktail made using George Dickel NO. 12® Tennessee Whisky. George Dickel chills their whisky before they filter it through sugar-maple charcoal, which filters out oils and acids, because they believe that whisky made in the winter is smoother than whisky made in the summer. No. 12 is aged longer than their Classic No. 8 blend, resulting in richer oak flavors. With subtle hints of vanilla, maple, and smoke, the resulting whisky is somewhat sweet and extremely easy to drink.

Strawberry Atole + Strawberry Atole Paletas | #SheMadeEllaHace

Did you know that May is National Strawberry Month? That only seems natural since this is the month that the sweetest, juiciest strawberries are grown in my neck of the woods. As a nod to this delicious month, my friend Leslie from La Cocina de Leslie and I are sharing strawberry recipes for our May edition of she made, ella hace!

If you know me, you know the first place my mind went was to popsicles, followed very closely by a cocktail. Since Leslie and I usually lean towards a Mexican-inspired twist during our time together in the kitchen, I decided to make an early morning pot of atole de fresa, or strawberry atole.

If you've never tried atole before, it's a warm drink that's thickened lightly with masa. It can be made in pretty much any flavor you can imagine, but it's that earthy corn undertone that makes it so recognizable...and loved.