Skinny Girl Margaritas are a HIT!

Bethenny Frankel became a household name when she joined Bravo TV's The Real Housewives of NYC, and she became the fans' favorite with her straight shooting attitude and go get 'em demeanor. It was reported last week that Bethenny Frankel sold her 'Skinny Girl Maragarita' rights for over $120 million. Frankel will still work with the board, advise on new products, and be the face of the brand.

So here's the skinny:

Before the show Frankel was living with Jill Zarin and while she was doing well, she was taking a chance by going on the show to try and launch the product. The gamble definitely worked as liquor store clerks report that the product has been flying off the shelf, they even ran out for an extended period of time! The bottle sells for $12.99 in Minnesota and each serving is only 100 calories. That's genius compared to the hundreds to thousands of calories margaritas usually have.

Unable to run to the liquor store before a big dinner OR the liquor store ran out before friends are due over?

Here's the substitute:

Silver Tequila
Juice from 4 fresh limes
Small splash of cointreau or triple sec
And splash of soda if too strong.
*Do not have the salt.*

To find out more about Frankel's Skinny Girl Cocktails check out her site!

Tantric Happy Hour

Tantric Summer Happy Hour offers 2-hour climax to guests at THE LIVING ROOM & PROHIBITION lounges. Minneapolis, June 3, 2009. The cocktail gurus at the LIVING ROOM and PROHIBITION lounges in the W Minneapolis have aimed right for the pleasure chakra with their new $5 Tantric Summer Happy Hour.
When: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Seven days a week, all summer long
Where: THE LIVING ROOM and PROHIBITION lounges at the W Minneapolis – The Foshay.
What: $5 Cocktails: SERPENT FIRE (spicy Sausa tequila, fresh orange and pomegranate) BLUE MONSOON (white rum, Prosecco, Agava nectar, squeezed lime, cranberry, blue Curacao) INDIAN SUMMER (crushed watermelon, Sausa gold, Agave nectar, triple sec, lime, pomegranate)

$5 Bar Bites: PINK TUNA TACOS (chili-spiked Ahi tartar, guacamole, cilantro cream) CHILI-GLAZED PRAWNS (wok’d garlic-basil jumbo shrimp, Hawaiian limu salad, charred pineapple-habanero salsa) SUSHI OF THE MOMENT (rolled to order; ask about today’s offering)

Created under the supervision of executive chef Josh Hill, the Tantric Summer Happy Hour exemplifies the culinary sensibility that elevates the LIVING ROOM and PROHIBITION lounges above ordinary hotel properties. “A venue as extraordinary as the W Minneapolis demands equally sophisticated food and drink,” explains Phil Roberts, founder of Parasole Restaurant Holdings. “That’s why we invite our chefs and bartenders to collaborate and cross-pollinate on the LIVING ROOM and PROHIBITION menu and cocktail offerings.” The result is Nirvana for foodies and cocktail lovers alike. “The Tantric Summer Happy Hour really is special,” says Roberts. “I guarantee, once you experience it, your mantra will be ‘Give me another.’”

Skinny Girl Margaritas

I'm always a day late and a dollar short. Today I came across this 'group' on facebook called Skinny Girl Margaritas by Bethenny Frankel from the Real Housewives of NYC. Interesting I thought as I looked over it and found that Bethenny is a huge advocate of natural foods and had thus partnered up to provide women with a low calorie drink alternative. Available this summer are *NEW* Skinny Girl Margaritas that you simply open up and drink. Until then get recipes and other information at the Skinny Girl Margarita website. And when out - if the bartender does not have the ingredients readily available ask for your marg to be made like this:

Silver Tequila

Juice from 4 fresh limes

Small splash of cointreau or triple sec

And splash of soda if too strong.

Do not have the salt.

Dan Zamlen

Yesterday my day was nothing compared to the parents of University of St. Thomas Freshman Dan Zamlen. Dan, who had been missing for 27 days, was finally found in the Mississippi River at the Ford Bridge, a few blocks away from where he went missing.

I have no inkling as to what the parents are enduring at this moment in time, I would imagine it's a mixture of sadness, anger, confusion, and closure. I keep them in my thoughts and prayers and hope that we can all learn a few valuable lessons from this sad tragedy.

For more information check out the St. Thomas Aquin for a press release AND video.

The first is to appreciate and love those close to you while you can. We don't know if we have tomorrow, so we should cherish those we love while we have them, and let them know we care for them.

The second is a little more far fetched, but hopefully people start to understand if they are drinking they need to watch out for each other, because I know underaged drinking won't stop. But don't let your friend walk out of a party by themselves. Don't let them make decisions out of anger when they are intoxicated. The buddy system was designed to make sure your friend gets out alive, without making bad decisions. To avoid bad hook ups, not being injured, and hopefully still alive.

Happy Hours!

You know my father raised me to love great food and great deals. I especially love when restaurants have amazing Happy Hour food deals, especially with the economy as is.

One of my friends told me awhile ago about the unbeatable deals at McCormick and Schmick's. What I love about this deal is that it's technically a chain restaurant, so you can find them anywhere. But it's also upscale enough that most people don't notice it's a chain.

Below is a sampling of their 'Happy Hour' menu - not all items are offered every day but they are offered. I was blown away by it!

$1.95
Hummus, Cucumbers and Grilled Pita
Shrimp Ceviche In Citrus Marinade
Blackened Chicken Sandwich Cheddar Cheese and French Fries
Tomato Bruschetta Balsamic Glaze and Basil

$2.95
Classic Cheeseburger with Fries

$3.95
Fried Cod Sandwich Cheddar, Cole Slaw and Fries
Ahi Tuna Roll Shoyu Dipping Sauce
Salmon Cakes Lemon Butter, Apples and Leeks
Calamari Trio of Dipping Sauces
Potato Skins Cheddar, Sour Cream and Crispy Bacon

$4.95
Jambalaya Cajun Red Hot Sausage and Rice
Fish Tacos Salsa Fresca and Sour Cream
Kobe Beef Sliders Cheddar and Caramelized Onions
Fried Shrimp Cocktail Sauce and French Fries
Chicken & Sausage Etouffe Simmered in Nut Brown Sauce with Rice
Peel 'n Eat Shrimp Butter & Old Bay

San Antonio Bar Crawl Parts 1 & 2 2009

I'm no expert when it comes to bars in San Antonio, however, if you're going to visit there anytime soon, I'd love to give you some advice on where to go and where to avoid. Where there is cover, and how to avoid it.

San Antonio Bar Crawl 2009

The first stop on the list was Pat O'Brien's. He apparently invented the hurricane, and we paid the $5 (cash only) cover to get in. If you want to avoid that get there early as it is also a restaurant. We went on Wednesday night, so it was a $3 you call it. Patron? $3. Hurricane (HUGE) $4. The best part about this bar is that it's versatile. There was a piano lounge inside, a regular bar as well, a club type thing upstairs, and the coolest patio you've seen. The patio had a water fountain that had huge flames coming out of it. It kept you warm, but not too warm. And there was music playing, don't remember if it was life, but there was a microphone out there so I'm gonna assume it was.

The next stop was right next door at The Basement. The Basement was an interesting bar to say the least. Half of the bar was regular, typical bar. Darts, billards (or pool as the rest of us call it), just chill. Step into the other room and there is another bar, black lights everywhere, a dj mixing music and people dancing everywhere. It's great if half of your group wants to chill and the other half wants to dance like they're at a rage. They also have $3 you call it Wednesday nights.

Leapin' Lizards was our last stop on our pint sized bar crawl (hey be fair, we only had an hour and a half!) And it was a sight to be seen. There is an upstairs, but I'm pretty sure it's only a bathroom (which were interesting to say the least) and if that's not enough the people we met there were quite entertaining. There were 5 cop cars and a bunch of bicycle cops standing outside, so my guess is it's a place where the rowdy come to get even more rowdy.

Every place we went to in San Antonio we heard about 'Howl At The Moon'. The bus driver told us, the rowdy parent aged group behind us dinner were talking about how they got kicked out, and Lizzy's godmother told us we HAD to go there. We got free cover from Darryl at Rio Rio Cantina on the River Walk. However, Lizzy was going to get free cover for wearing her ridiculously big, fun colored sombrero. Once we were in there, it was a Shout House w/a nice big patio. The windows were opened, they had contests as to who could find the cheesiest song from the 80's for free shots for their group of friends. A mother did the hokey pokey with a kid my age and kind of molested him w/his clothes on. It was awkward, but in that really great sense of awkward, where you shake your head in embarrassment but can't look away. I'd definitely go back to this place above all others. Cover was also $5 but you can get $2 off if you are in the military.

The Asian Flush

I catch a lot of flak for not wanting to go out that much anymore but there are two reasons why. Reason number one - I am allergic to alcohol (see article below.) And reason number two, people who are drunk and carefree are super obnoxious to the person who cannot join them. So I am more likely to go out if it does not involved drinking, I just can't handle being around all the drunks without a drink or two, and if drinking increases my odds of cancer, no thank you.

"Immediately after taking a few sips of an alcoholic drink, I have an almost cartoonish reaction. I burn up and turn scarlet - my whole face, forearms and neck.

My response to alcohol is so strong that a martini is enough to make me vomit, and half a bottle of beer makes me ill. Don’t even get me started about wine.

The facial flush, also known as “the Asian glow,” is a fairly common reaction to alcohol amongst East Asians. They turn red, feel nauseated, get swollen and their heartbeats race. I liken the experience to turning into a bright red disco ball. Some people get so embarrassed about this reaction to alcohol, they pop in Pepcid AC, which many people say helps mask the red face.

Researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and Japan’s Kurihama Alcohol Center found that individuals who get the redness after drinking alcohol are at greater risk for developing esophageal cancer.

About eight percent of the world’s population has this genetic condition (Thanks, Mom and Dad), where the body lacks an enzyme that properly breaks down alcohol.

This missing enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 metabolizes alcohol into acetate, which is non-toxic — so the remaining 92 percent of the world can drink with normal facial color.

But when I drink, the alcohol turns into acetaldehyde, which is a chemical that causes DNA damage and has cancer-promoting effects. That causes the facial flush, according to scientists from NIAAA.

Researchers whose work was published this week in PLoS Medicine say that people who have the facial flush and continue to drink are six to 10 times more likely to develop esophageal cancer, compared with someone without the genetic condition who is drinking the same amount.

And esophageal cancer carries a five-year survival rate of 12 to 31 percent.

For Lent, I gave up alcohol and I don’t miss the headaches, redness, or vomiting. So this might become permanent, because I think my body is trying to tell me something." - Madison Park for CNN.