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Cool Cucumber + Basil Gimlet
Another cocktail recipe? You bet your sweet ass. So I know it looks like I am boozing it up this summer—cocktail recipe after cocktail recipe—but let me explain. The Man is an eater, not a drinker. So while he is away, I have become a self-proclaimed mixologist. Besides, I can’t possibly eat all those delicious food blog recipes by myself, right? It is out of respect for his boundaries that I am making these cocktails in his absence. (That’s what I keep telling myself.) This Cool Cucumber + Basil Gimlet recipe is so refreshingly delightful yet so easy. Simply grate + pour + shake + strain + smack + float…
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Summer Watermelon Mojito
Clear your calendar. Summer in a glass is coming your way! When I think of fruity tropical drinks, I think RUM. And when I think of summer fruits, I think WATERMELON. So when I get to thinking and concocting in my head, the basic math side of my brain tells me that RUM + WATERMELON = WATERMELON MOJITO! (Check my math on that, okay?) Whatever your plans are for today, cancel them. Run to the store. Grab some watermelon, chop it up, and stick it in the freezer. Then you can pull it out when you are ready to suck down create these dangerously delightful Summer Watermelon Mojitos! All you…
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Warm Goat Cheese + Bruschetta Spread
Warm Goat Cheese + Bruschetta Spread is quite possibly the most delectable thing to ever kiss your lips! It’s creamy + piquant + pungent + aaaahhhh! It’s the perfect app for a dinner party, but it’s also perfect for a quiet date night in. And by date I mean me + this cheese dip. I’m okay with that. I am dating food. If you do invite people over, make two of these recipes because you will want one all.to.yourself. Then hide in the closet for your date with this spread to muffle the animalistic noises you’ll make. You wouldn’t want to embarrass yourself in front of guests. This Warm Goat…
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Sparkling Strawberry + Rosé Mojito
Pop! Fizz! Clink! Music to my ears. If that isn’t already your summer anthem, it will be once you make these insanely refreshing Sparkling Strawberry + Rosé Mojitos. This mojito recipe varies from a typical mojito because you are subbing sparkling rosé in place of club soda. Just thinking about this cocktail’s effervescence makes me a bit loopy. You will lose your mind over its deliciousness! The key is choosing bubbly rosé for this recipe. Typically, club soda adds the zip to a mojito. So if you are replacing the club soda with rosé, you’ll want to grab the zippy one. Choose carefully: some rosés are still, some are semi-sparkling,…
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Viva la Caesar Vinaigrette Dressing
My dear friend CC is passionate about her love of good food and sharing it with friends. I recently sat in an organic cooking class where she made the following announcement: Ladies, go to Victoria’s Secret and buy some nice lingerie, then buy a pack of cigarettes, because you are about to have a love affair with this food. I felt she was speaking directly to me because I love good food—quality food that has been prepared deliberately + creatively. I LOVE GOOD FOOD. That being said, I struggle with bottled salad dressings. One case in point is Caesar salad dressing. I am underwhelmed by what I find on…
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Sugar-Rimmed Raspberry Gin Smash
I’m going to a pool party next weekend and have been put in charge of libations. So when the question is What is cool + light + refreshing + fruity? the answer is Sugar-Rimmed Raspberry Gin Smash. But what is a smash? A bartender* once explained a smash as a julep but with a choose-your-own-adventure spirit. You add booze (of choice) + herb (of choice) + sweetener (of choice) + seasonal fruit (of choice)—whatever blows your skirt up—to a glass of ice. Give it some swirls and bottoms up! Or use a straw if you are sassy. Summer raspberries are bulging with juice, so turning them into a smash makes…
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Rosemary + Gin Cocktail
What time is it? It’s cocktail o’clock, of course! So bring on the Rosemary + Grapefruit Gin Cocktail! Why this combo? Because I love gin. Aaaaand my rosemary bush needs a trimming. If you read my post on Rosemary Not-So-Simple Syrup, you may have wondered where I was going with that. Well, my fellow imbibers, here we are. I introduce to you the Rosemary + Grapefruit Gin Cocktail. I recommend you use freshly squeezed juice. Do not misunderstand me–I totally get that sometimes we need shortcuts. And there are plenty of good store-bought options. But if you’re up to it and you have the time, squeeze the citrus yourself. Ripe…
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Vietnamese Shredded Chicken + Noodle Salad
I wish everyone reading this post could jump through the screen and taste this Vietnamese Shredded Chicken + Noodle Salad! It is bursting with bright colors + savory flavors + sundry textures. I am scarfing down another heaping helping right now. It’s a good thing I am writing and not talking because my mouth is full and NO ONE wants to see that. I was craving this Vietnamese Shredded Chicken + Noodle Salad as I wanted to make something substantial yet light. This salad nails both of those qualifiers. The chicken adds a lot of substance, as do the noodles, while the vinegar-based dressing keeps it bright. (Excuse me while…
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Spicy Pineapple + Jalapeño Margarita
Occasionally, at the end of the work week, I gather my tribe for a postmortem rendezvous. Our primary focus, of course, is to ruminate the meaning of life. And during our meetings we may imbibe elixirs that make us sound brilliant (at least we think so). After all, we have had a lot of epistemological practice. Some might even say we are PROFESSIONAL philosophers. Today I reveal a brilliant revelation: why wait till the end of the week to drink solve the world’s problems? Doesn’t the world need our sagacity every day? So I share with you the most momentous decision you can make any day of the week: to…
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Low Country Boil aka Frogmore Stew
One of the new gals at work is from California, and I have taken it upon myself to play Southern Tour Guide to help her settle in. For convenience, let’s call her Becky. Becky and I have gone to museums and the theater, canal cruises, cultural festivals and SEC games—the full gamut. There is no dearth of activity in our area, so our orientation schedule has been pretty packed. “We will leave no stone unturned!” I told Becky. Becky smiled politely…and then I think she rolled her eyes. I am on a mission. Part of this mission means hosting a lowcountry-ish shindig. Every newbie to the South needs to experience…
