Book of Shadows
Book of Shadows
 Allow me to introduce you to my treat of the evening the Chocolate Peppermint Cupcake from Sprinkles. It's like having a holiday wonderland in my mouth.
😏 It's a limited edition for the holiday season, so baby go and get it before it's gone. Happy Holidays!
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 It's Black Friday and everyone is trying to tempt us with deals. I admit, I bought a new computer today, but I tend to use this day to shop for all things culinary. I'm digging this deal from The International Culinary Center. The have great classes and you can save by picking up a cooking pass. Cooking classes are always a hoot, plus you you learn how to make something yummy. Peep the deal below: '
The International Culinary Center’s Cooking Pass is BACK for the holidays! In need of an appetizing gift for your foodie friends & family? Save $100 on a hands-on, One-Day Recreational culinary, pastry or wine class for TWO when you purchase an ICC Cooking Pass. From Mexican favorites, handmade pasta, ramen & gyoza, holiday cookies, bagels & pretzels and more, there's a class for everyone on your shopping list! Act fast—deal ends Cyber Monday (12/2/19 at 11:59pm) or until supplies last. Click here to get cooking: bit.ly/cookingpass  I learned how to make a cheese plate for the holidays with Marissa Mullen from That Cheese Plate. She made the process so fun and easy. I did this one right here. We got to take everything home including the cheese board.
My cheese game has gone up a level! I'm inspired and will so be making more. 😜 🧀 #cheese #foodie #cheeseporn #cheeseboard #fromage #bluecheese #charcuterieboard #cheeseplate #lifeatyle #foodgram #eeeeeats #cheeses — at DUMBO, Brooklyn.  About last night: I was invited to go on an adventure with Rémy Martin. My love for Cognac runs deep! Bring it!
We kicked things off at Gotham Bar & Grill. It’s a nice spot for the grown and sexy! Started the night with a Joie de Vivre cocktail, which has Remy XO ( $28). I was also introduced to Rémy’s new permanent expression, Tercet, new to the US as of this week. It’s created by three artisans: Rémy Martin's Cellar Master Baptiste Loiseau, Wine Master Francis Nadeau, and Master Distiller Jean-Marie Bernard. They worked together to distill, blend, and form the new Cognac. It’s great neat and in classic cocktails. Before we left, I had a Sazerac made with Remy 1738. PS- Make sure you have the lobster rolls at Gotham. They are so good. 🦞  Next we hit, Thalassa, a Greek restaurant that’s been serving up high end seafood in NYC since 2002. Had more Tercet and a little Greek wine with some fabulous food including the Spanakopita, Shrimp Youvetsi with Orzo, Greek dips, and Wild King Shrimp, and Tartare Trio. Somehow at the end of the night I ended up with samples of Greek olive and sea salt. Turns out, Thalassa, came to be due to the family being in the olive oil business. Opa! It was one fabulous night. Shout out to @gothamnewyork and @thalassanyc for their hospitality. And an even bigger shout out to @kimberlyfisher1 for inviting me on the ride.   Had lunch today with my girl, Alex, at the very fabulous Italian restaurant, Trattoria Italienne in Manhattan. Alex introduced me to the Chianti Classico by Castello di Volpaia. What a wicked wine! There is magick in the bottle. 💃🍷The organically farmed winery also makes olive oil, vinegar, and grappa. The wine can be found in chic Italian restaurants, but it’s been so popular it’s selling out. If you see it on the menu, grab a glass, before it’s gone. It’s a red to remember. 
 It's #SexyWineSaturday...what's in your glass?
I got a craving for Chianti so I'm taking my palate on a journey to Italy. I was talking to someone this week who said Chianti is so "old school". I prefer to think of Chianti as the "original gangsta". Comes in on the palate smooth, confident, and sexy.💃Bring it baby! 🔥 The wine of the evening is Frescobaldi Nipozzano Rufina Riserva 2015. The red has aromas of spice, berry, and violets. I was going to pair it with pasta, but have decided to go with Peruvian style chicken. BOOM! May the miam be with you. Cin cin!  Had lunch today with my girl, Alex, at the very fabulous Italian restaurant, Trattoria Italienne in Manhattan. Alex introduced me to the Chianti Classico by Castello di Volpaia. What a wicked wine! There is magick in the bottle. 💃🍷The organically farmed winery also makes olive oil, vinegar, and grappa. The wine can be found in chic Italian restaurants, but it’s been so popular it’s selling out. If you see it on the menu, grab a glass, before it’s gone. It’s a red to remember.  The food at Italienne is superb. I highly recommend it. Great for Italian eats or if you want to grab a glass of Italian wine or spirit.  PASTA   I was recently at a wine brunch where a guy asked me what my favorite spirit is. As usual I replied, “Cognac”. He seemed a bit shocked as he started to tell me that all of his banking colleagues selected Scotch over Cognac and nobody is drinking Cognac. He picked the wrong person to say that to, because I know different. Cognac is actually going through a bit of a renaissance. I immediately school him on some very specific Cognac information. Cognac is known as the “king of brandy’. It’s had the reputation of being a spirit for older men or rappers. All that made it sound old fashioned or scared some people away. With the help of bartenders putting more Cognac in cocktails and the history of the spirit being a larger part of the conversation, people have started to catch on that Cognac is spirit that they shouldn’t ignore. Since the booze market has changed, Cognac houses are responding to a new generation of drinkers. While you have probably heard of Hennessy and Remy Martin which are two of the larger Cognac brands, there are other brands that you should try such as CAMUS Cognac. Maybe you are asking yourself, why you haven’t heard of CAMUS (pronounced Ka-Moo) ? That being said, they are the 5th best selling Cognac, which isn’t to shabby. They are also still 100% family owned making them the top independent Cognac. The company still thinks of themselves as the new kid on the block since the other top Cognac brands have been around 100-150 years longer than them. One could call those years a big advantage. CAMUS didn’t enter the US market until 2010. They have a little catching up to do. However, they seem to be gaining on the bigger brands and making some waves.  As a way to show off their fierce spirit, CAMUS recently revamped their packaging to appeal to new Cognac drinkers. The design has the house’s emblem, the clover leaf, engraved on the bottle with the signature of Cyril Camus, the current CAMUS President. I hope I get to talk Cognac with him one day. I love that he is leading the way in captivating more drinkers to this elegant and versatile spirit.What I know for sure is that once people try CAMUS, they tend to fall in love with it. Be prepared to have it as a staple in your home bar. To get you going with CAMUS cocktails below is a recipe for spin on the margarita.
CAMUS-Rita 2 oz. CAMUS VSOP Cognac 1 oz. lime juice 1 oz. orange juice 1 oz. Cointreau Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a glass. Garnish with a slice of lime.  Happy #FoodHistoryFriday! Let’s get down and dirty with a muffin. There was two types of muffins the English and American style. Today’s focus is the American version.
The term “muffin” is derived from the old French word, moufflet which means applies to bread and means soft. American muffins are in the quick bread family and weren’t developed until the 18th century, it’s also when the first muffin recipe made its way to print. When muffins were first baked in the US, they had fewer ingredients than they do today. It was around the 1950’s that companies introduced muffin mixes. By the 1960’s everybody and their mama wanted a muffin, it was the trend that was in. Around the 1970’s is when muffins entered into the breakfast scene. More women entered the workplace so there wasn’t time for full on breakfast at home. Enter in Sara Lee who offered frozen muffins that could quickly be heated up on the oven. As in “honey take this muffin and get yourself to work…” Along the way muffins took a turn and became larger and sweeter. Some called it an identity crisis…basically a healthy little baked gem became a mini cake at breakfast time. The good news is that there are healthier options in the muffin game ( clearly that’s not the way I went. :P). It’s also great to bake your own at home so that you know exactly what ingredients to into them. Cheers to the muffin!  Food gives energy which is pure magick so whenever you hit the kitchen there should be love and intent put into the food. This easy and sexy recipe is perfect to add to a burger or anything that you want to spread it on. Truffles are one very fun aphrodisiac, there are so many sensual and sexy things that you can do with this ingredient. Truffle Aioli Ingredients:
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A modern book of shadows (journal) for living your best life to rock it like a dandizette. Spotlighting lifestyle, art, restaurants, aphrodisiacs, food reviews, wine, spirits and all that is miam.
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