I’m not usually a huge fan of cocktails. I’ll enjoy an occasional cosmo and a really good dirty martini (with blue cheese stuffed olives…yummmmm), but beyond that I’m more likely to stick with a glass of wine or champagne. But I am human, and when there is something that I can’t have, I am naturally inclined to want it more. This applies to cocktails, and I’ve been craving cosmos, margaritas, and mojitos lately. I bought a mojito mix and added club soda and it was okay, but not good. I tried a “gentle sea breeze” that was just cranberry and grapefruit juice mixed with club soda, and that was also okay but not good. So I made up my own recipe involving lots of cranberry juice, a little lemon lime soda, and the pulp/juice from half a lime shaken well in a cocktail shaker. I put it in a margarita glass and garnished it with a lime and it hit the spot. Very tasty with a good balance of flavors that didn’t leave me thinking that it just wanted for a bit of alcohol.

Yesterday we got a beautiful half inch of rain here. It was so thick that it was obscuring the ridge to the south of our apartment, and every time I passed by our bedroom window I had to stop and look out at how beautiful it all was. Oh, and I spent a number of my formative years in Oregon, so that probably accounts for why I like the rain so much. Anyway.

With this chilly weather came the need for some comfort food, and Andrew and I both decided that macaroni and cheese would be perfect. And it was. Nothing like a steamy bowl of mac ‘n cheese from scratch on a cold rainy day. And, we found a beautiful ale to pair it with – a Winter Bourbon Cask Ale. Maybe it was just great because we haven’t had beer for a while, but I loved it all the same. Nice and smooth and not incredibly hoppy.

After the delicious mac ‘n cheese and ale, we needed cookies so I put together a batch of those too – some soft gooey peanut butter ones. All around a great evening for comfort foods.

A friend suggested this one to me. I haven’t tried it yet, but I thought it would make a great girlie drink!

Champagne-Maraschino Punch

INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp. Orange Bitters
6 oz. Brandy
48.0 oz. Champagne
6 oz. Cherry Liqueur
1 Lemon Slice
2 Orange Slices

Put all ingredients except the champagne in a punch bowl. Refrigerate this mix for about one hour. When the punch is to be served, add a block of ice and then pour in the champagne, stir gently.

Okay, I made up a really yummy, very girlly drink tonight. I had just finished my housework after being ridiculously lazy today and since Ben and Ophelia were still out on there Papa/Daughter date, I decided to kick back…again.

Mix a shot of citrus vodka (I used Svedka Citron) in a double old fashioned with 1/4 – 1/3 cup of your favorite sorbet (I used Ben’s leftover raspberry from Cold Stone Creamery). Add a couple of cubes of ice and top it off with tonic water. Stir until well mixed. Very refreshing!

Here’s a great drink to make (and drink) when you have a sore throat. You could just use “Lemon Zinger” or “Lemon and Ginger” tea bags, but they don’t come anywhere near to the clear, hot, refreshingness of this tisane. And if you’re in a pinch (or drinking 5 gallons a day and can’t afford it), you can probably leave out the lemongrass.

Ginger and Lemon Tisane
serves 4

2 inches fresh ginger, peeled
2 stalks lemongrass
4 teaspoons honey
1 lemon, sliced

Thinly slice the ginger and cut each lemongrass stalk in half crosswise, then lengthwise. Put the ginger and lemongrass into cups, then add the honey and a slice of lemon. Top up with boiling water and serve.

I met Abbea my first day at New Saint Andrews orientation. Our polar opposite personalities and mutual love of chocolaty indulgences promoted our friendship at a gloriously rapid rate. She supported me through some through times. She encouraged me to marry Ben. She was a bridesmaid at my wedding. I was supposed to be a bridesmaid in hers, but was too “great” with child to make the journey. She lives now in Costa Rica with her husband (an English teacher) and her beautifully vivacious 2 year old daughter. We have more in common today then we did in 2000 and have managed to stay in contact all these years. We see each other occasionally when she comes to the states to visit family. Each time I see her, she graces me with a bag of Triangulo de Oro coffee. Direct from Costa Rica. It’s with some guilt that I admit I look forward to this gift almost as much as I look forward to seeing the bearer of it. It is beyond the smoothest, strongest coffee you’ve ever tasted. It’s dark and rich and fragrant. It’s the kind of coffee you’d get up earlier for. I recently discovered (in my procrastination time) that the liquid heaven is available online for purchase in the US. I’m thinking I may have to surrender and start buying it myself. After all, the greatest form of flattery is imitation, right?

A couple months ago, some friends brought us a bottle of Classic 80 proof Van Gogh Vodka when we had them over for a wine and cheese fellowship. Ben and I had never tried this brand. Generally, Ben considers vodka a close cousin to rubbing alcohol. I, on the other hand, am partial to the stuff. We were both impressed with how delicate it was. It didn’t wreak of alcohol and instead has a smooth, almost fruity (but not sweet) taste. Originally, we used it in regular and gibson martinis. Last night I became inspired and strung a ripe strawberry and a basil leaf into it. It was fantastic! After I ate the strawberries, I mushed around the basil in the remaining tini….glorious! There’s no other word for it. Next time I think we’re going to add the basil leaves into the shaker and allow the ice to beat some flavor out of it, prior to drinking.

This is one of our favorite summertime drinks. You could think of it as “Lemonade for Grownups”.

Fresh Whiskey Sours

3/4 cup Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
2/3 cup sugar syrup
maraschino cherries, to garnish

Combine the whiskey, lemon juice, lime juice, and syrup. Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice and fill two-thirds full with the cocktail mixture. Shake for 30 seconds and pour into glasses. Add a maraschino cherry and serve ice cold.

This recipe is taken from Barefoot Contessa at Home.

We had some friends over on Sunday evening and served these wonderful little cocktails. I’m normally not one for cocktails, but this one really hit the spot. The mint and lime really cut through the sweetness and the alcohol to give it a really crisp, refreshing taste.

And sorry, no pictures, they were gone too fast.

Champagne Mojitos
(serves 4)

8 sprigs of peppermint (if you don’t have quite enough you can throw in a dash of peppermint schnapps)
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
thinly sliced lime
3-4 tbsp sugar
chilled champagne (spumante for a sweeter taste)
ice
strawberries, for garnish

Mix your lime juice and sugar and let sit for a bit so that the sugar kind of dissolves. Then add your peppermint (and schnapps if needed) and muddle it up a bit (smash the leaves in the juice so that they release more of their flavor). Divide this mixture between four glasses (or you could serve it in a small pitcher with glasses on the side). Add a few ice cubes, two thin lime slices, a sliced strawberry, and top with champagne (about 4-6 oz per glass).

Enjoy!

Now that the summer months are upon us, it is time to start setting aside the steaming mugs in favor of the sound of ice clinking in large twenty-ounce pub glasses. I could drink Starbucks Mocha Frappuccinos or Bucer’s Dark Chocolate Iced Mochas all day long, but that would get really expensive, so I’ve spent a little time working out recipes for home-made iced coffee confections.

One of the things that I love about Abra’s Bosnian Coffee is the fact that it is as delicious cold as it is hot, and it keeps well in the fridge for a few days. I can make a large pot of it on Monday, refrigerate what I don’t drink that day, and enjoy it on Tuesday and Wednesday (I have not noticed any compromise in the taste). This method also saves dishes, which I am always happy to do.

To make Iced Bosnian Coffee, I start with three or four ounces of milk in a large glass (I use the aforementioned 20-oz. pub glasses) and froth it up till it fills about two-thirds of the glass. I plop in a few ice cubes (I love that clinking sound), and then artistically drizzle in the chilled Bosnian Coffee till the glass is full. If you want, you can froth in a little bit of dark chocolate syrup as well to make it extra rich (a great Sunday treat). Then comes my favorite part – watching the milk foam bubbles rise to the top as the darker coffee moves toward the bottom. It’s almost like watching a poorly mixed black and tan settle into place.

Then I sit back, and enjoy.