A great alternative when you’re out of Tequila

So a few weeks ago I was really in the mood for Mexican. Not sure if you can tell from this snapshot of my actual shopping list, but apparently my mood was left unsatisfied as I was out of tortillas, enchilada sauce, sour mix, tequila and lime juice.

It’s mainly the three last ingredients that left me a little let down. There’s really no replacement for a good margarita, is there? Especially without tequila?

Actually, I found one! One of my favorite Food Network stars is Sandra Lee, of Semi-Homemade Cooking. I have three of her cookbooks and have cooked several of her recipes on FoodNetwork.com.

Recently I hosted a supper club with a few friends, in which the host chooses the menu, provides the entree & drinks and sends recipes to the guests to make sides and dessert. The nice part about that setup is that by having someone else pick your recipe, everyone agrees it’s ok to not like something, and no one gets their feelings hurt by their own favorite recipe getting the thumbs down.

So I chose Semi-Homemade Cooking recipes for supper club, and I made the entree and drinks.

Back to getting my margarita fix.

Sandra Lee offers a deliciously sweet-tart concoction called a Lime Beer Cocktail, which only has two ingredients. Can you guess them?

• 6 bottles light beer
• 1 can frozen limeade concentrate

While the limeade is still frozen, place into your favorite beverage pitcher and mix slowly with a metal spoon into light beer. The metal spoon lessons the fizz made from the beer (who knew?).  Garnish with lime if desired.

Without a doubt, this drinkie drink not only got thumbs-up all around the room, but one of the ladies has made it twice since!  So while it doesn’t come real close to a real ‘rita, it is citrusy and refreshing and deserves a spot in any Mexican meal. Try it!

If you like home cooking, take a peek at a few of my favorite recipes. I’ll be adding more soon!