The Happiest Hour {Mango Peach Sangria}

Happy Friday y'all! We're finishing out picnic week with what I consider to be the most important part of any picnic...the cocktails. The perfect picnic cocktail has to contain many qualities such as easy drinking, fruity and fresh. This mango peach sangria is just that. It's full of flavor and subtly sweet with a pop of effervescent flair. Mix it up the night before for easy packing and you can't go wrong. Even if you aren't picnicing this weekend, mix up a batch and enjoy it while soaking up the sun on your back deck. Here's the recipe...

:: Ingredients ::
8 oz Mango Juice
750 ml White Wine
2 Mangos, sliced
2 Peaches, sliced
3/4 Cup Peach Schnapps
Club Soda

:: Directions ::
1. Combine mango juice, white wine, sliced mangos, sliced peaches, and Peach Schnapps in a pitcher. Let sit over night for flavors to combine.
2. Serve over ice and top with club soda. 

The Happiest Hour {Strawberry Mango Spritzer}

I think at this point I'm just trying to will the spring weather. I thought there for a bit it was here to stay. Sadly, I was mistaken. We have nothing but colder than normal temperatures forcing me to curl up inside in front of the fire. This spritzer, though, is my last attempt. It screams of warm days and outdoor brunches. Full of fresh strawberries and mango, it's light and refreshing. It's a cocktail worthy of sipping all afternoon. Here's the recipe!

:: Ingredients ::
4 Strawberries, sliced
1/4 Mango, diced
1 Cup White Wine
Club Soda
Ice

:: Directions ::
Combine wine, strawberries, and mango over ice in a wine glass. Top with club soda and sip!

The Happiest Hour {White Grape Peach Mango Spritzer}

During the hottest time of the year, I love coming up with great new cocktail creations to help keep cool. And admittedly, my favorite way to do this is to walk down the juice aisle at the grocery store, see what interesting flavors they have and mix it with whatever I can find at the house. Well, this past weekend on the hunt for a new juice mixer, I stumbled upon a sweet little treat called White Grape Peach Mango. Sold! Never had I seen such and interesting combination of flavors and I was immediately intrigued to try. I was a little weary that this flavorful sounding juice would be too sweet and not enjoyable to drink. However, I was quite surprised by the lightness of it. The flavors were just subtle enough so that you could taste them, but weren't over powering at all. It was perfect in my opinion. Thrown together with lime juice, vodka, and club soda, I do believe this is one of my new favorite summer cocktails! Here's the recipe...

:: Ingredients (Makes 2 cocktails) ::
4 parts White Grape Peach Mango Juice
4 parts Vodka
Juice of 1 lime
Lime Slices
Club Soda
Ice

:: Directions ::
1. In a shaker, combine juice, vodka, lime juice and ice. Shake
2. Fill two stemless wine glasses with ice, and pour till half full with club soda.
3. Top each glass with vodka mixture. Garnish with lime slices.

Cheers! 

Indulge In {Mango Coconut Cake}

One of my favorite foods has always been, and will always be, cake. It's one of the many reasons I love birthdays so much. Once, freshman year of college, I ate four whole cakes by myself. It's not something I'm proud of, but I'm willing to admit it as an example of my true love for cake. Anyways. Now that spring is upon us, I've been eating a lot lighter. I'm sure your thinking that cake doesn't exactly fit the bill for eating lighter, but this cake is moist, fluffy, and the perfect balance of sweetness. With coconut and mango flavors exploding in your mouth on every bite, it's like a tropical vacation in a cake. By only icing between the layers and the top, you loose the heaviness of all the icing. Top with fruit for a refreshing sweetness even the non cake lovers (Trust me. They do exist.) will fall for! Here's the recipe...

:: Cake Ingredients ::
1 box Vanilla Cake Mix (Yes, I cheated this time and used the box. I'm busy and it was good so I have no regrets.)
Ingredients as required by box

:: Cake Directions ::
Mix all ingredients together and split batter between (2) 8" Round baking dishes.
Bake according to box directions.

:: Icing Ingredients ::
1 can Coconut Milk
1 cups Confectioner's Sugar

:: Icing Directions ::
{1} Place coconut milk in refrigerator to get cold. If you can leave it over night, that would be best. Otherwise, 3-4 hours will do.
{2} Remove from fridge, open and drain off oil.
{3} With cold beaters, begin whipping coconut milk slowly adding confectioner's sugar until stiff peaks are formed.

:: Assembly Directions ::
{1} Once cakes have cooled, remove from pans and place on a cake stand.
{2} Ice the top of cake 1 and layer mango slices
{3} Place the second cake on top of the mango slices and ice the top. Layer with additional mangos and serve!

Enjoy!