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This Christmas, Sandra Lee’s cup runneth over with festive ways to intoxicate yourself and your tree with a Semi-Homemade cocktail party.  I know there are a lot of people out there who don’t like the way Sandra ”cooks,” but I have to admit, out of all the styles of chefs/cooks on the Food Network, my style of cooking more closely resembles that of Sandra Lee than anyone else’s.  In fact, the picture on this blog is from my Thanksgiving.  It is one of Sandra Lee’s Mayflower Martini’s and I made it for my guests.

Yes, she makes a lot of cocktails, but these Christmas ones look delicious and festive!  She is entertaining her guests with a Frosty Cocktail, a Candy Cane Cocktail, and a Gingerbread Martini.  I don’t know anyone who has all of the liquor’s required for all these cocktails, but maybe if you pick just one festive treat for your guests, I think they’d appreciate the creativity and get into the holiday spirit. 

Even if making drinks isn’t your style, Sandra Lee has come up with the oddest tree decorating tip I’ve ever seen in my life.  She suggests taking all of the glasses out of your cupboard and stringing them upside down on your tree to resemble bells.  I’m on your side Sandra, but this idea was ridiculous.  Let’s forget for a moment that using your goblets on the tree and making your guests drink out of jelly jars is tacky, but they didn’t look like bells.  They looked like you drank a few of your cocktails when you decorated your tree and hung up the first glass objects you found.  Cocktails good.  Cocktail glass ornaments bad.  And if the ornaments didn’t scream drunken Christmas enough, the tree was topped with a nutcracker holding his very own frosty Martini.

Sandra Lee also made some appetizers to go with the drinks and insists that the hearty foods will balance out the copious amounts of alcohol.  If you’d like to check out this episode it airs December 20th at 5:30pm and December 25th at 12:30pm.

I have to start out by apologizing to you all.  I’ve been a little lazy with my blog lately due to life and stuff.  Thanksgiving was a big hoopla and after all that cooking, I took a little break from all things food.  But now, I’m back.  What brought me back, you might say?  My brother.  He mentioned a little tid bit about the shiny happy cook, Rachael Ray that I hadn’t heard anything about.  My brother doesn’t follow any sort of food news and the fact that he heard about the reported sex scandal with Rachael Ray’s husband and I didn’t, was shocking.  I had to look the story up immediatley.

According to a story in the BostonHerald.com, on Wednesday, December 13th, writers Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa state:

“John Cuisimano, the rocker hubby of TV food queen Rachael Ray, is spitting mad over tabloid reports that he had a kinky affair with a Florida woman, whom he supposedly paid to spit on him!”  

The article goes on to say that this story was broken by the questionably reliable, National Enquirer.  I have to admit that even though the Enquirer may not exactly be the New York Times, they sometimes do get things right.  I’m not saying they are necessarily ethical in their methods or that this story is true, but one never knows.  I almost want to believe that this story is true.  It gives Rachael a little bit of a dark side.  Like there’s more to her that we realize.  She isn’t perfect.  Her marriage has problems like so many of us out there.  In a way I like that.  It makes her more relatable and perhaps a little easier to watch.

In addition to the sex scandal stuff, the article on BostonHerald.com does shine some more light on who the husband is.  I never knew he was a rocker.  In fact, I didn’t even know his name is John.  The sex scandal might be a rouse to shoot his band into the rock star stratosphere.  You never know.

What are your thoughts?  Do you think there is any merit to this claim?  Are we all idiots for even entertaining the notion that this might be true?

Looking for a gift for that special someone?  Let the Food Network help!  If you’re ambitious and would like to make your friends and family some goodies, check out the All Star Holiday Gifts special which airs December 9th at 4pm, December 10th at 7pm, and December 16th at 10pm.  Recipes include Pumpkin Muffins, Stained Glass Cookies, Peppermint Pie and more! 

Not one for making gifts?  Check out those annoying, yet adorable Deen boys searching for the perfect holiday gifts on Road Tasted Gift Guide.  This special airs December 9th at 5pm and December 10th at 6pm.  Click on the link for information on where to find the delicious delectables the boys find on their travels.

Do you have a gift idea?  Feel free to post it here!  After all, tis the season for giving!