Memorial Day weekend is the official summer kick-off. Every year, this weekend marks the calendar with family picnics, backyard BBQs and of course pool parties. In our neck of the woods, it inevitably rains. But that never stop us from celebrating like it's sunny outside! Grab a pitcher and join me in turning summer's favorite staple — lemonade! — into the perfect cocktail for happy hour.

This week's end gives us lots to toast. Tonight, the alluring Jay Gatsby and his dazzling Daisy hit the box office in Hollywood's latest version of The Great Gatsby. On Sunday, moms everywhere get to celebrate. If that weren't enough, it's Friday, people! That means a delicious 10-Minute Happy Hour just for you.

Where there's brunch, there are Bloody Marys. So at this Sunday's Cinco de Mayo brunch celebration, it just makes sense that we'll be happily sipping Mary's Mexican cousin: the Bloody Maria.

At our house we entertain — a lot. Asian-inspired dishes like Thai curry, Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches, and sushi are often on the menu.  Sriracha is our condiment of choice, and while we enjoy cold beer to tame its heat, the search for the perfect cocktail to pair with it has finally come to a very happy ending with this week's drink.

With more sunshine, my end-of-day goal is to spend a few moments putzing in my garden. This means that dinner ends up being simple recipes and easy but delicious drinks, like smashes. These smashes make up a whole new world of cocktails with endless options for muddling, mixing, and of course sipping. This one is just perfect for today's 10-Minute Happy Hour.

Somehow we survived the year without a dose of Don Draper, and just like a warm spring day, here comes the two-hour season 6 premiere of Mad Men just in time for our happy hour. For those of us who've been patiently filling our Sunday nights with Downton Abbey, Girls, and Walking Dead, it's time to break out your shakers and crack some ice. The guys and gals of Madison Ave are back to drink with us. Are you ready? More importantly is your bar?

So many desserts, so little time!  This week I have wanted every sweet that’s been posted from the Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Cake to all the desserts made with ricotta and mascarpone.  In turn, I have my own instant boozy dessert — one that works just as well for when I’m hanging solo as it does at the end of a dinner party.  My hard and fast Rum Raisin Ice Cream only calls for three simple ingredients. When combined, I guarantee you they deliver pure culinary bliss.

In my quest for the perfect Passover cocktail to share with you for today's 10-Minute Happy Hour, my first instinct was to phone a friend. Since she converted to Judaism as an adult, I thought she would forgive my ignorance and be able to give me the inside scoop on what a kosher cocktail might look like. Her hard and fast answer was, "We don't really drink cocktails. We just drink wine and champagne."  Hmmm, I thought, that's a start.

Everyone loves to clink a green drink on St. Patrick’s Day. I enjoy color-coded cocktails and party-themed sips as much as the next gal, but it still has to taste good.  To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, you could simply add a little green food coloring to your beer — or you could recognize you are no longer a college co-ed and toast the day with this classic green cocktail instead.

Lucky for me some of my oldest and dearest friends live very close by. Yet for some reason we still can't seem to get together as often as we'd like. Recently, I was thrilled to pop out for a quick dinner with two of my best high school girlfriends, especially when one presented me with my name in lights. It was a bottle of vodka flashing brightly with, "Happy Birthday Maureen" scrolling across the bottle, and the inspiration for this week's 10-minute happy hour. More