Cats Like Us Blog

We are sick and tired of the cold weather here in the Northeast! At one point the temperature was -11F (that's MINUS eleven) and it's been snowing since “Snowvember” (November.) It can be depressing, draining, and frustrating. The sky is always gray, you have to bundle up like you're taking a trek across the mighty tundra, you think your arms might fall off from all the shoveling, cars won't start, furnaces break, and there's no respite. The cold and snow just keep coming. As a result, we decided to escape from the cold and go south to New Orleans! Here's...

Our 2nd day (part 1 here)  in NOLA was a little cooler, but warm in the sun. One thing we quickly learned is how close everything is in the Quarter. We had no trouble walking to most everything we wanted to do in plenty of time. Good morning! We started with a wonderful food recommendation from our friends – Cafe Beignet!   Wondering what a beignet is dear northerners? Well it's like fried dough and is the size of a donut. Yum!   VooDoo and Cemeteries Since it was a bit cool we started out doing indoor touristy things and...

Our 3nd day in New Orleans (read part 1 - part 2) included some obligatory sightseeing, Mardi Gras floats, and more tiki fun! Cafe Du Monde Everyone said we had to go to Cafe du Monde, one of the original and most well known cafes in the area, so we did. We were also told that it isn't that great, you just have to go. That was pretty accurate (spoiler: beignets at Cafe Beignet are better!) They really only sell coffee and beignets. I do not drink coffee, and I wanted a hot tea, but they didn't have tea, so...

Painting: The Monster and Igo, from Son of Frankenstein   This past weekend marked the 83rd anniversary of the 1931 classic , Frankenstein. It also marks the 127th birthday of the film 's creature , Boris Karloff. I cannot express how much I love the first three Karloff Frankenstein films.   When I was a little monster, the first Franken-film I saw was Son of Frankenstein. The Monster (Karloff's version) always seems to be a top request by my friends and fans, for artwork etc. I'd like to show some of the Franken-paintings I've done and throw in some jokes too.   Painting of a vintage AHI company...

The Cats Like Us crew kicked off the holiday season by going to see The Brian Setzer Orchestra's Christmas Show and it was amazing! It was my first time seeing Brian Setzer perform live and I was not disappointed. The orchestra sounded wonderful, Brian Setzer really can 'jump, jive and wail' and we had amazing seats in the fourth row center. So much fun! -Meagan Kyla

Sharing a cocktail served in a volcano bowl is a fun experience with friends or a couple, just don't forget the long straws! There are many types of cocktails that can fill a scorpion bowl or volcano bowl, so what's the difference? A scorpion bowl is usually a smaller bowl that serves about two people, while a volcano bowl has a raised 'volcano' shape in the middle of the bowl (pictured above), that serves four-six people. So, why is it on fire? The 'volcano' is filled with 151 proof rum and then lit to create the effect of the 'volcano'...

We're just so excited to share our new Mode Merr exclusive with all of you! So excited that we're sharing a sneak peak a week ahead of time. *Wink, wink* The Red Kitty Proper Circle skirt is so darling! The skirt is adorned with a sparkly vinyl silver kitty that has black hand stitched eyes, nose and whiskers. We can't forget to mention the kitty is wearing a black collar with a little silver bell. "Jingle, jingle". Skirt also features red ric-rac at the bottom hem. Too cute! The perfect skirt to wear for the holidays and comes in sizes...

If you're looking for a warm drink with a kick, a Hot Toddy is just the trick! I have to admit I've been drinking a lot of Hot Toddy's as the winter in the Buffalo has been fierce with lots of snow and freezing temperatures. Brrrrr! This super easy drink can be made a variety of ways including; using bourbon instead of whiskey, rum, or tequila if you're feeling extra saucy (or want to get extra sauced), but this recipe is for the traditional Scottish way of prepartion. I never knew that the term 'toddy' was believed to come from...

We got a RumChata gift set from our friends this holiday season, which I was tickled pink about as I've been wanting to try RumChata! If you're not familar with the creme liqueur, it's inspired by the drink Horchata which is very popular in Mexico and Spain. The Horchata drink can be dated all the way back to the Eygptians! Wow, that's a neat fact! RumChata has a Caribbean rum base mixed with cream and flavored with; cinnamon, vanilla and sugar, it tastes great on it's own or mixed into cocktails. Here's one of the tasty recipes my husband mixed...

This week I had the joy of visiting Frankie's Tiki Room in Las Vegas with the Cats Like Us crew. Not only did I get to sample a few of their delicious Tiki drinks, I picked up the amazing book Liquid Vacation : 77 Refreshing Tropical Drink and I wanted to share the Vicious Virgin drink recipe with all of you. Ingredients: 1 oz. Cruzan Aged Light Rum 1/2 oz. Meyer's dark rum 1/2 oz. Cointreau 1/2 oz. falernum 3/4 oz. lime juice Method: Build ingredients into a glass, pour into a cocktail shaker and then without shaking, re-pour back into...