Holiday Drink Recipes: Oatmeal Cookie Martini

What reminds you of the holidays the most? For lots of people, it's baking holiday cookies. As I was thinking about what to do for recipe development Wednesday, I polled my friends and they overwhelmingly thought cocktails beat cookies.... so we're making cocktails! My friend Kellie said that this drink reminds her of the holidays--- so here's the recipe. Shout out to Lynn for sharing it! I'm mixing these up in the cocktail shaker right now!

Oatmeal Cookie Martini

Serves 1. Put ice in a martini glass to chill. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add:

1/2 oz Grand Marnier® orange liqueur
1/2 oz butterscotch schnapps
1/2 oz Bailey's® Irish cream

Shake to chill. Remove ice from glass. Strain your martini into the chilled glass. Garnish with an orange peel or a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon or cloves.

If you want to make a great Oatmeal Cookie this holiday, our friends at MyRecipes.com have tons of them! We like this one--get the recipe now! Go to their holiday cookie section for every cookie recipe imaginable and tips on decorating, icing, drop cookies, and more!

Holiday Cocktail Recipes: Pralines & Cream Martini

IT'S THE HOLIDAY SEASON---- BREAK OUT THE BUBBLY AND THE COCKTAIL SHAKER!

While I've been off running around, getting ready to shoot our own TV pilot, the holidays have sneaked up on me and I'm simply just not ready!! If your holidays are already crazy, or you've got a house full of guests heading your way, stay tuned for our favorite holiday cocktail recipes, easy appetizers, and tips for making your holidays ho-ho-happy!

Pralines & Cream MartiniI've just discovered Praline Pecan Liqueur and it's delish!! This drink reminds me of New Orleans. It's a twist on the classic Kaluha and Cream. Pralines are a French Quarter tradition-- dating back to the 18th century and their taste is uniquely linked to New Orleans. Try this during the holidays as you warm up beside a cozy fire!

PRALINES & CREAM MARTINI

Fill a martini glass with ice to chill. Add a cup of ice to a cocktail shaker. Combine:

2 ounces Praline Pecan Liqueur

2 ounces cream

Shake until chilled. Remove ice from glass, pour and garnish with a cherry.

Halloween Party Ideas: Spooky Snack Menu

Do you still need a menu for your Halloween party? We've sorted through tons of ideas to come up with some really clever suggestions for kids and adult parties.

Let's start with the goodies:

Goat cheese Bat Bites from MyRecipes.comThese Bat Bites from MyRecipes.com are great for adult parties. Made of goat cheese (similar to my goat cheese truffles) these are so whimsical and pretty yummy, too.

Monster Eyes Sausage Balls from MyRecipes.comA new spin on an old classic, sausage ballswith "monster eyeballs" made of olives are pretty creepy but taste delish.

Mummy Dogsare hot dogs wrapped up like a mummy--- a twist on the old pigs in a blanket. (presentation is everything!) Check out the spider web condiments-- really cute. These are also from the great folks at MyRecipes.com and you can watch a how-to video, too!

Cheddar Cheese Witch's Fingers from MyRecipes.comThese completely creepy Witch's Fingers are made from cornmeal, cheddar cheese, and use almonds for the fingernails. They'd be great paired with chili or soup. Guy Fieri's Dragon's Breath Chili

Try this awesome chili recipe from Guy Fieri--- appropriately named Dragon's Breath Chilifrom his "Fuel the Fieri" episode of Guy's Big Bite.

See the full slideshow from MyRecipes.com for more ideas for your Halloween menu!

Favorite Fall Cocktail- Caramel Apple Martini

Fall. Crisp air. Pumpkins. Caramel apples. I got this cocktail idea from CPK. While I really liked theirs, I am perfecting the recipe and the testing is a great way to kick off the weekend!  Here's my own recipe--- great for your next party or an after dinner drink by the first fire of the season.

CARAMEL APPLE MARTIE-NI

Put martini glasses into the freezer to chill them. Drizzle caramel sundae syrup into the chilled martini glasses and put them back into the freezer while you mix your drinks. Make a design like this flower, polka dots, a spider web for Halloween parties, etc. Be creative!

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice mix:

2 parts Butterscotch Schnapps

2 parts Sour Apple Pucker Schnapps

1 part vodka-- use plain vodka or adjust the recipe by using vanilla vodka for a sweeter drink or Vox Green Apple vodka for an extra apple kick. I prefer the vanilla vodka but it may be too sweet for some people.

Shake and pour into the chilled and decorated glasses. Yum.  Now go enjoy the weekend. This will certainly make it better.

Party on, Ya'll.