For the film “Darkest Hour” we have collaborated with Cocktail Chameleon Author and Entertaining Expert Mark Addison who created this signature Oscar worthy cocktail, The Churchill.

The Churchill Champagne Cocktail is a variation of a Manhattan – style cocktail created for Winston Churchill in the 1940’s at the Savoy hotel in London. This version features his beloved Scotch whisky and champagne, which he reportedly drank most every day from noon to night.

The Churchill (variation on the Champagne Cocktail)

Ingredients:

1 oz. Scotch whisky (Churchill preferred Johnnie Walker)

1/2 oz. lime juice

1/2 oz. sweet vermouth

1/2 oz. Cointreau

2 oz. champagne

Garnish: lemon peel

Glassware:

8 oz. Tiffany & Co. Vintage Coupe Glass(7” h)

Directions:

Shake ingredients together with ice, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass or coupe and top with chilled champagne. Garnish with the lemon peel.

Mark Addison (www.MarkAddison.com) creates a series of signature OSCAR COCKTAILS inspired by each of the Academy’s Best Picture nominees. These fun, easy-to-make drinks will provide the perfect libations at awards viewing parties everywhere, and encourages party guests to show support of their personal hopefuls in the biggest, most-anticipated category of the night.

Oh how I love Mexican food. It’s like a food that I could live off of, it’s so comforting and just my favorite. So I love cooking lettuce Wrap Chicken Fajitas with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce. Since I’ve been trying to lose weight, I’m working on eating no carbs or sugar, and now I have to lower my cholesterol. Which means I have to watch my food and cooking home meals is the best way to do that. Using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, makes this lettuce Wrap Chicken Fajitas with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce not only simple but quick as well.

Lettuce Wrap Chicken Fajitas with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce Recipe

For best results, prepare the cilantro-lime sauce the night before so the flavors have a chance to thoroughly blend. You can also prepare the fajita seasoning in larger batches and store in an airtight container for later use. Planning ahead will save you even more time on those busy nights you want to get dinner on the table as quickly as possible.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Homemade Fajita Seasoning:

3 T. chili powder
1½ T. smoked paprika
2 t. onion powder
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. ground cumin
½ t. cayenne pepper
1 t. dried oregano
2 t. sea salt

Cilantro-Lime Sauce:

1 c. plain, full-fat Greek yogurt
1 T. homemade fajita seasoning
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
2 T. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 T. fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Fajitas:

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 red bell pepper, sliced thin

1 green bell pepper, sliced thin

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange pepper, sliced thin

½ small red onion, sliced thin

1 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

3 c. rotisserie chicken, shredded
2-3 T. homemade fajita seasoning
¼ c. chicken stock, preferably organic
¼ c. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
3 green onions, green parts only, sliced
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 head Romaine lettuce, washed and separated into individual leaves

Directions:

Prepare the fajita seasoning by combining all ingredients in a small bowl and stirring until thoroughly blended. Store any excess in an airtight container for later use.

Prepare the cilantro-lime sauce by thoroughly combining all ingredients in a medium glass or other non-reactive bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers, onion, and balsamic vinegar to the skillet and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the onions and peppers are crisp tender.

Add the shredded rotisserie chicken, fajita seasoning, and chicken stock to the skillet and stir to combine. Cook until heated through and excess liquid is gone, approximately 3-4 minutes. Season with additional salt or fajita seasoning, if desired.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in the cilantro, green onions, and fresh lime juice. To serve, spoon mixture onto individual Romaine lettuce leaves and top with a drizzle of cilantro-lime sauce. Enjoy!

Enjoy this amazing recipe!

Growing up, my mom would make pork chops and I loved them. My husband isn’t a big fan of this cut of meat but this Creamy Mushroom Bone-In Pork Chop Recipe recipe is amazing and I hope he likes it. These rustic bone-in pork chops are packed with tons of flavor with that creamy mushroom sauce, and they are so quick and easy to prepare. This bone-in pork recipe is sure to become a new go-to family favorite! And those we usually have at least twice a month.

For best results with this bone-in pork recipe, allow your bone-in pork chops and dairy ingredients to set at room temperature for 30 minutes or so before you begin cooking. Cooking meat right out of the refrigerator will take longer and your results will not be as consistent. Another thing to note is that adding chilled dairy products to hot sauces can cause them to curdle. And no one wants curdled sauce on their food.

Bone-In Pork Chops with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: approximately 25 minutes*

Serves 4
* Actual cooking time will depend on how thick your chops are and their internal temperature when you start cooking them.

Ingredients

3 T. extra virgin olive oil
4 bone-in pork chops, approximately 1/2” thick, room temperature
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 oz. white mushrooms, washed and sliced
2 T. yellow onion, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¾ c. chicken broth, preferably organic
¼ c. half and half, room temperature
¼ c. non-flavored, full-fat Greek yogurt, room temperature
3 T. fresh parsley, stems removed and leaves finely chopped, divided
Optional: 1 t. ground arrowroot (to thicken sauce)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-duty skillet over medium-high heat.
Season pork chops on each side with salt and pepper to taste and add to the hot skillet. Brown pork chops on each side, approximately 3-4 minutes per side.
Remove pork chops from pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add sliced mushrooms to pan. Cook until mushrooms release their juices, approximately 6-7 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Add onion and garlic to pan and cook for 1-2 minutes more, stirring once or twice.
Deglaze the pan by adding the chicken broth and scraping up the brown bits on the bottom. Add the pork chops back to the skillet and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes or until chops are cooked through.
Transfer chops to a serving plate and cover to keep warm. While the chops rest, stir in the half and half, Greek yogurt, and 2 tablespoons fresh parsley until blended into the pan sauce. Continue cooking until heated through, about 1-2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from heat.
To serve, spoon mushroom sauce over the pork chops and sprinkle with additional parsley. Serve immediately.

Tip: If you prefer a thicker sauce, combine 1 teaspoon of arrowroot with some water and stir the slurry into the pan before returning the pork chops to the pan to finish cooking.

We love sharing recipes with you guys and today we have a Roasted Vegetable Beef Stew from Chef Adrianne Calvo. Adrianne Calvo is the Executive Chef and owner of Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar, Host of Maximum Flavor Live on NBC’s 6 in the Mix, author of four cookbooks: Maximum Flavor (2005); Chef Adrianne: Driven by Flavor Fueled by Fire (2008); #MaximumFlavorSocial (2014); and Play with Fire (2015), and founder of the Make it Count Foundation. Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar opened in 2007 and offers a varied and rotating menu with something for everyone. Monthly, the restaurant holds its signature event, Dark Dining, where guests are blindfolded for a sensual experience eliminating one sense to enhance another, providing maximum flavor. Here is her Roasted Vegetable Beef Stew.

Roasted Vegetable Beef Stew

Ingredients:

3 lbs boneless beef chuck cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup all purpose flour

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 yellow onions, cut into 1-inch chunks

10 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups dry red wine

2 cups low sodium beef broth

2 cups water

3 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1-1/2 teaspoons sugar

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 pound Yukon potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 cup butternut squash, cubed

1 cup acorn squash, cubed

1/2 cup green peas

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss carrots, potatoes, celery, and squashes with a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a roasting pan and bake for 15-18 minutes. Meanwhile, season beef with salt and pepper then toss in flour. Shake off excess. In a large Dutch oven or large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat, brown the meat in 3 batches being careful not to overcrowd.

Transfer the meat to a large plate and set aside. Add the onions, garlic and balsamic vinegar; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping the brown bits from bottom of the pan, for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the beef with its juices back to the pan. Add the wine, beef broth, water, bay leaf, thyme, and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, transfer to the preheated oven, and braise for 2 hours.

Remove the pot from the oven and add the roasted vegetables and peas. Cover and place back in oven for about an hour more. Serve the stew hot, or let it come to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator overnight or until ready to serve. This stew improves in flavor if made at least one day ahead.

We have the perfect Ultimate Day After Bloody Mary Recipe to share with you for New Years Day. Whip this up before heading out on New Year’s Eve and your future self will thank you in the morning. This amazing recipe includes bacon blended IN the bloody Mary. It’s garnished with a sandwich and is surly the breakfast of champions. This Schlotzsky’s Day After Bloody Mary is the ultimate day after Bloody Mary Recipe and was created by Chef Maira Morales, her website is located here: https://www.chefmairaisabel.com/.

Schlotzsky’s Day After Bloody Mary

Yields: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of Tito’s Handmade Vodka
• ¼ cup Schlotzsky’s Hot Sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh jalapeno
• 2 tablespoons pureed hatch green chiles
• 1 teaspoon chipotle in adobo sauce, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon adobo chipotle sauce
• ½ cup bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 – 64 oz. bottle of tomato juice
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the rim: Add honey with chili powder

Garnish (optional)

• Half of a Schlotzsky’s Deluxe Original sandwich
• Cooked bacon covered with honey
• Assorted peppers
• Assorted olives
• Lime wedge
• Fresh cilantro

Directions:

Moisten the rim of the glass/glasses with honey, then turn the glass upside down on a small plate with chili powder to coat.

Fill glass with ice.

In a blender combine vodka, Schlotzsky’s Hot Sauce, ground cumin, jalapenos, hatch green chiles, chipotle in adobo sauce, adobe chipotle sauce, bacon, tomato juice and black pepper.

Pour over ice and top with your favorite garnishes.

The Schlotzsky’s site is HERE

With Star Wars out in theaters, we wanted to celebrate the dark side with this new recipe. The Star Wars the Last Jedi was all about the end of everything. This marked the end of the Jedi, the end of the Skywalkers, the end of Sith. It’s time for Star Wars to travel in a different direction and with Rey and Kylo Ren there is a chance we can find a new path for Star Wars. You’ll also notice how dark the movie is as everyone has the darkness within them, well except Leia. She seems to be pretty innocent. Anyway, since there is darkness, we want to celebrate with our Come to the Dark Side Sith Juice Recipe.

Come To The Dark Side Sith Juice Recipe

Ingredients:

· 12 Ounces Lemon Lime Soda

· 6 Ounces Cranberry Juice Cocktail

· 3 Tablespoons Lime Juice

· 1/3 Cup Sugar

· Grenadine

· Red Food Coloring

· Black Food Coloring

· Ice

Directions:

1. Begin by place your sugar and about 5 drops of red food coloring into a bowl. Mix together well until all the sugar is red.

2. Place some water in a small bowl and dip the mouth of your cups into the water then directly into the sugar, rubbing it around a bit until you get the coverage desired around the rim of the glass. Set aside.

3. In a pourable container, combine your soda, cranberry juice, lime juice, 2 drops of red food coloring, and 5 drops of black food coloring. Mix slowly as to not flatten the soda.

4. Carefully fill your glasses to the rim with ice. Pour your grenadine over the ice and let it settle at the bottom. Be sure you have a nice layer at the bottom so it’s noticeable.

5. Pour your soda mixture over the ice carefully by using the back of a spoon. Hold the spoon upside down over the glass and let the liquid hit the spoon as it falls into the glass. This will ensure the grenadine doesn’t get mixed in to the drink.

Enjoy!