Whether you are a seasoned chef or a cooking phobic, there are a number of neat tricks you can do to make sure your red meat is absolutely delicious!

1. Always store meat in its own cooking juices – this enhances and preserves the flavor
2. If you accidentally scorch meat, wrap it in a towel and cover the meat for five minutes before scraping off the burnt spots with a knife
3. To reheat meat, use lettuce leaves in between meat slices to keep the meat tender
4. To soak up any extra grease and to keep meat from curling (specifically bacon) place strips between paper towels, cook for 3 to 5 minutes
5. Marinade your meat in white vinegar and oil (one to two parts).  Add canned whole tomatoes to roasts as well. This will tenderize the meat and when marinating always keep in the fridge.
6. Never push meat down with a spatula while cooking, you’ll dry it by squeezing out all its yummy juices 
7. If your meatballs fall apart while cooking them, refrigerate them 20 minutes before to keep this from happening!
8. Use basil, thyme, marjoram, summer savory and rosemary when cooking red meat – you don’t have to use all at once, these are just the best herbs to use with red meat

Use these helpful red meat cooking tips and your dishes will come out perfect every time!

A refreshing authentic spanish to make for summer is an orange and jicama salad. Jicama is kind of like a potato, its a yam bean, root vegetable originating in the Mexican peninsula. It is part of the legume family and grows on a vine. It is low in carbs and sugar, so it is healthy choice!

Orange and Jicama Salad

What You’ll Need:

• 1 pound jicama
• 6 navel oranges
• 3/4 small red onion
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro or watercress leaves
• 2 lemons (for good measure)
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsps toasted pine nuts
• large bowl
• small bowl
• sharp knife

Peel your jicama potatoes and cut or julienne into skinny sticks. Next, cut segments from your oranges free from their white membranes by taking a whole, unpeeled orange and with a sharp knife shear away the peel by going deep enough so the knife takes the whole membrane off. Separate the orange into sections and save the juice.

Peel and slice the red onion into rings. Mince the fresh cilantro or watercress leaves. Squeeze your lemons into a small dish to gather the juice.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl  except the pine nuts. Keep in the fridge for one day and sprinkle pine nuts before serving!

Even if you rarely drink aside from the occasional glass of wine, its always good to have your bar stocked for events, parties or impromptu visit by friends or family. Here are the best items to stock your bar with year around to keep you and your guests satisfied.

Hard Liquor 

• Vodka – grey goose, belvedere, ketel one – good choices, pricier but better to splurge on one for less hangovers
• Gin- tanqueray, bombay, beefeater
• Rum – dark rums are ideal
• Tequila – gold label is choice
• Whiskey

Basic Bar Essentials 

• Imported Beer
• Wine
• Triple Sec
• Angostura Bitters
• Amaretto
• Vermouth

Best Mixers

• Tonic Water
• Club Soda
• Grenadine
• Ginger Ale – great for stomach aches

Garnish (purchase day of or day before party)

• Lemons
• Limes
• Oranges
• Olives
• Maraschino Cherries

While its almost easier to offer a specialty cocktail of your choosing its always nice to have variety and to give your guests plenty of options!

Some mixed drinks are just too strong and not everyone enjoys the same thing, beer can be very delicious especially craft beers, but they can have a ton of calories and leave everyone feeling bloated by the end of the event – a savory and delicious drink you can make is sangria, it is  delightful mix of wine, brandy and fresh fruits with ice that goes with many different dishes and a really refreshing summer drink!

What you’ll need:

• 1 bottle of red wine – shiraz or rioja work well
• 2 cups orange juice
• 2 cups ginger ale
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1/2 cup triple sec
• 1 thinly slice orange with a few extra pieces for garnish
• 1 thinly slice granny smith apple
• 1 thinly slice lime
• others fruits you prefer – citrus, berries, etc.
• wooden spoon
• pitcher

Add all ingredients in a pitcher, mix with a wooden spoon and allow to chill in the fridge overnight. Add ice cubes to the pitcher when ready to serve, a few more fruits and the orange for garnish.

You can also use white wine instead of red to make a sangria blanco. Sangria is a red wine punch that isn’t too heavy, isnt too strong its juuuuust right. Plus its pretty too! Sangria is the goldilocks of party drinks!

This sexy dinner idea applies to both men and women and is a sure fire way to make your date swoon. Before you worry about how you look, think about what you are going to serve, ever heard the phrase, ” the way to a man (or womans!) heart is through their stomach?” Well, I love good food and when its made by the right person, it tastes even better.

Have a menu set – appetizer, entree, dessert and a nice bottle of wine

Serve foods that aren’t too heavy or smelly – you and your special friend don’t want to feel bloated, gasy or have bad breath by the end of the meal.

Use foods that are known to be aphrodisiacs. For example, as an appetizer you can serve oysters with a sprinkle of lemon juice and horseradish on top or artichokes with a basil and lime dipping sauce.

For an entree, try lobster tails with butter or a spice infused olive oil served with roasted asparagus seasoned with a little salt and pepper,  you can also make a nice ceviche served over a rice pilaf.

For dessert, chocolate covered strawberries or mini fruit tarts with a drippy center and a fruit compote on top.

For drinks – a chardonnay or champagne is best

Don’t forget to add a few tealight candles at the dinner table or in the surrounding area. Lighting is important, not only can it change the way you look but the lower the light the larger your pupils dilate because they are attempting to take in as much light as possible to see – there has been research done that says larger pupils are more attractive because it subconsciously shows you are more interested in the person you are engaging with.

For preparation – take a shower, dress up in your most flattering outfit, keep it classy, sexy but also casual. Spritz a little perfume or cologne on the nape of your neck and a little in your hair. Pop in a breath mint and put on mellow music – jazz or soul work great.

After dinner – do a collaborative activity together, paint together on a canvas, make music, dance together in your living room, go for a night walk, write poetry and recite it to one another, give one another massages – do something that will bring you and your partner into a deeper state of connectivity

Now that you know the secrets to a great dinner date, there are no excuses! Get out there and give your special someone that super sexy at home date they’ve been waiting for.

So you received a lovely bouquet from your partner or you want to create your own beautiful centerpiece that will last longer than a few days. Fortunately, there are some ways you can preserve your flowers for as long as possible!

For picking flowers – never cut with scissors, get a pair of garden cutter shears because scissors crush the stem which prevents the flowers from getting water. Always cut the stem at an angle, so it is tapered at the bottom, this will give the flower the most water.

For maintaining flowers – keep bacteria from building up. How to do this is by using bottled or purified water and changing the water daily but if this isn’t possible, add a little sugar or clorox to the water and make sure you remove any petals or leaves that may have fallen into the water.

Some flowers are needier than others – here are a few ways to pick and maintain specific flowers:

Tulips – roll the stems in wet newspaper and submerge in cold water up to the head. When ready to vase them, scrap the newspaper and place them in cold water.

Lilacs – Place them in one-quarter cup vinegar per two quarts of water for longest life

Irises and daisies – Add a few drop of peppermint essential oil to a quart of water

Roses – the roses that will bloom and not droop are the ones where the petals feel tightly bunched, if you have loose petals there is a good chance they will be bowing their heads before the end of the day.

Are there any other ways you maintain or pick flowers that keep them vibrant and long-lasting?

Be sure to put these tips into practice the next you make a floral centerpiece or receive a lovely arrangement from a friend!