Cognac Pear Martini

• 2 1/5 oz Remy Martin V.S.O.P
• 2 oz pear juice
• Ice
• 1/4 oz Cointreau (optional)
• Garnish: Pear Slice

Simply add pear juice to Cognac. Shake both ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a pear slice or float pear strings on top. Add Cointreau for sweeter result.

Cocktail created by: Alex Ott. Photo and recipe courtesy of CocktailTimes.com

Moxie… Girlz?

Recently at Target, I noticed some dolls very similar to Bratz dolls on an end-cap of the toy department called, you guessed it, Moxie Girlz™.  My first instinct was to cry “RAWR!  COPYRIGHT!” and point a lot, but we’re not in the same industry, nor are we spelled the same, so I guess my only course of action (for now) is to buy some that look like us (Lexa for me, and Avery for Kathy) and swallow that lump of “Back off, man!” in my throat.

I’m not a fan of Bratz dolls… it’s no secret. I think teaching our kids to dress like hoochies and want (even more) for materialistic stuff like trendy clothes, make-up and jewelry before they’ve even gotten a training bra is… well, it sucks, in my opinion.  Scrape your knees, wait until you’re 11 or 12 to shave your legs and leave the lip gloss to the middle schoolers.  But I remember what it’s like — my dad wouldn’t even let me wear colored nail polish until I was in 8th grade. Besides, I played with Barbies and it’s not like she was Amish with her pink dream car and that big ol’ house, plus between shopping trips, she made a good beard for Ken.

It appears that Moxie Girlz, despite their “z” and visual similarities to Bratz are sporting a different angle: Be True, Be You!  This motto, from their website:

Every girl has the strength to do something amazing. Anything is possible as long as you stay true to yourself and never give up on your dreams.

It’s nice to see self-confidence and courage being promoted among young girls, with less emphasis on the superficial. Sure, they still make it cute and go for the sparkle — what girl doesn’t love that? (We love bling!) But it’s backed up by a positive message and

that

we’re down with.  So for now, The Moxie Girls™ embrace the Moxie Girlz™!

Now, if only they’d thought to have

us

do their website… ;-) Hint, hint.