Tuesday Tip: Luxardo, baby!

About 2 weeks ago if you asked me if I even liked bourbon, much less drank it on the regular, I'd tell you emphatically "no way"!!  But then my husband came home with the most magical liquor called Luxardo and now I cannot get enough of his Manhattans.  I can't tell you how many times I've tasted his Manhattan and just cringed but this magical ingredient, Luxardo, has converted me and it will change your world as well! 

Luxardo liquor originated in Croatia in the early 1800's and was made from the maraschino cherry (see cherry commentary below) pits. The distillery was eventually moved to Italy in the early 1900's which is where many people mistakenly associate its origins.  Besides having a recipe that has stood the test of time, you'll still find fifth and sixth generation Luxardo family members running the distillery!  How's that for a family business?  You can get a longer history lesson here if you are interested. 

Cherry note: PLEASE do not confuse these marachino cherries with the jarred, food-dyed cherries you find in the grocery store now...marachino cherries came from a special type of cherry called the Marsaca cherry that isn't grown in the United States.  After these imported cherries became super popular in the United States, people began preserving their own cherries in things like almond extract and eventually the marachino cherry as we know it today evolved.  But, thankfully it is easy enough to get Luxardo cherries today (can we say Amazon?!) although you will find them to be much more expensive than the grocery store version.  But let me tell you, it is a) worth the splurge and b) they last a long time. 

Without futher adieu, here is my husband's version of a Manhattan:

The Jack Jones Manhattan
1.5 jiggers of bourbon
.5 jigger Luxardo
1 jigger Vermouth (use the good kind - it makes a difference)
dash of bitters
splash of Luxardo cherry juice and a Luxardo cherry (or two!)

Oh, and just one of these Manhattan's will do ya ;)

Cheers!

Shopping Site for the Hard to Gift People in Your Life

Phew, things have been busy.  My husband still travels for work all week every week so I'm at home with a 3 year old and a 17 month old - I couldn't be happier but finding time to blog and do things for myself is a rare occurrence.  We are finally feeling a little more settled in our new house in Raleigh, NC and now that everyone is getting a little more sleep, the boxes are all unpacked and life has settled into a routine, I'm really starting to get my groove back.  I struggled for a while with the transition from working to stay at home mom, living in a new place and adjusting to life with a husband on the road and two VERY active children to care for.   But, in the end, I do think the big move was the right thing for our family.  I feel like my blood pressure has dropped significantly not having to fight traffic and rush hour every day and just having a slower, simpler pace of life.

I have so many things I want to blog about and so new ideas for things to come (if I can wrangle the time to get to it) but for now, I wanted to share a new-to-me website that I came across in case any of you are struggling for any hard-to-buy-for friends or family members.

I am so, so, so, SO excited that the holiday season is upon us and as usual, it is flying by much too quickly!  I don't even know how Halloween and Thanksgiving are already over.  I usually pride myself on starting Christmas shopping VERY early so that I am mostly done come December.  I do have a head start this year but the difference is that I am not out and about shopping as much as I used to be since I always have at least one kid in tow.  So, like many of us who are busy working, watching kids, or just want to avoid crowded places and too many people, I have become an avid online shopper.  I truly can't imagine what life was like prior to Amazon Prime.  I digress.

Anyway, I am feeling okay about my Christmas shopping so far but there are a couple of people on my shopping list (namely my husband) who are extremely difficult to buy for.  If you ask my husband what he wants, he'll just tell you a BestBuy gift card.  I mean, fine, but how BORING is that to open on Christmas morning.  Not to mention, I want him to be a little surprised.  I pride myself on not just buying gifts for people just out of obligatory Christmas duty - I truly love giving the perfect gift and being excited about watching the recipient open it up.

I recently came across a foodie's paradise of a website, Food52.  As many of you know, my husband has become the chef around here these days and has really gotten into cooking.  But this site has so many beautiful and unique gifts that you don't need to be an avid food-lover to enjoy it.  Here are a few of my favorite picks:

Vintage French Decanters: So elegantly beautiful yet practical.  These would be lovely displayed empty or containing a tasty beverage.

Vintage French Ice Buckets: And if liquors aren't your thing, these Vintage French Ice Buckets are just as beautiful as the decanters (above) and would be a great gift to anyone who entertains on the regular.

Sculptural Throw Pillows: These handwoven pillows are so neutral so they are easy to give regardless of the color scheme the recipient may have.  The texture just works SO well.  And I love the shape which adds another element to spice up the neutrality of these.

Plant and Flower Cookbooks: Part cookbook, part coffee table book.  Two beautiful gifts in one.  Even someone who doesn't love to cook can appreciate the beauty of these.  Oh and did I mention they are signed copies?  Something even more special. 

Morrocan Wine Glasses: A little masculine and again very practical - no stems to break off in the dishwasher and very comfortable to hold.  I love entertaining with this type of glass.  It's also versatile enough to serve water or another cocktail.  Looks great on many different styles of table settings and a range of seasons.

Cast Iron Tomato Cocotte: Another practical and gorgeous gift.  This is a pot so beautiful that you can leave on your stove top year-round.  And what a stunner!

Gold Dipped Pink Pinch Bowls: Even non-cooks could find a practical purpose in these delicate little pinch bowls.  Would be perfect to hold jewelery or other trinkets as well as spices.  And if pink isn't your thing, there are some other beautiful colors available as well.

Animal Magnets and Card Holders: Super cute to hold up kids artwork or photos on the fridge but these also handily double as card holders for meal placecards, cheese trays or buffets.  And I'll bet the guests won't soon forget them!

Hope this might give you a little inspiration for those hard to gift people in your life.  Cheers! xo

#food52 #holidaygiftideas #foodiegiftideas #christmasshopping

Gin and Ginger Cranberry Fizz

The other day I made a tasty little number with vodka, cranberry juice and ginger ale.

Now, I am out of vodka.

Not a tragedy as I have now discovered these little Gin, Ginger and Cran numbers are even better! Substitute gin for vodka and sip away!

What You'll Need: 
1 jigger gin
equal parts cranberry juice and ginger ale
fresh cranberries for garnish

What You'll Do:
Add ingredients to a glass over ice.

Mix gently with a spoon.  Garnish with fresh cranberries.  Enjoy the holidays.

Make Your Own Mulling Spices

I adore hot apple cider in the fall and winter time.  I much prefer it savory than with caramel and whipped cream added to it like they do at a lot of coffee shops.  It is simple to do at home.  You can just apple cider from the store and then you can either purchase your own mulling spices or - - since here we are on Thanksgiving Day without any of the store bought kind - - you can easily put together your own.

What You'll Need:

6-8 cups apple cider

3 cinnamon sticks

zest of one orange

1 Tbsp cloves

Allspice 

tea ball

What You'll Do:

Heat cider in a large pot over the stove.  Add cloves and orange zest and halved cinnamon sticks to the tea ball.

Submerge in the cider.  Add a couple of extra cinnamon sticks and a little ground Allspice for good measure.

Serve piping hot!

Make a Perfect Manhattan

This post is courtesy of my husband because Manhattan's aren't my thing - but they sure do remind me of my sweet grandmother who "adored" her Manhattans.

First: fill the Manhattan glass with ice and club soda.  My husband thinks that the soda chills the glass faster than plain water.  I got these glasses for my husband for Christmas from Crate and Barrel and love how they look.

In a cocktail shaker, add the following:
handful of ice
2 dashes of aromatic bitters (my husband likes Peychaud's)
1/2 ounces of sweet vermouth
2 ounces of premium bourbon or rye whiskey (we used Larceny Kentucky Bourbon for this)

Now, here's an important part - refrain from putting the lid on the cocktail shaker.  Unlike James Bond, you should STIR your ingredients, not shake them.  Stirring doesn't bruise the alcohol.  Make sure they're stirred together well.

Pour the ice/soda mixture out of the Manhattan glass you've got chilling to make room for the good stuff.

After stirring, put the lid on the shaker so that you can use the straining part on the top to pour your drink without the ice (or use a strainer if you've got one).

Pour, add a cherry, and turn on Mad Men and let your husband pretend that he is Don Draper.  Mine does.

Rosemary Bourbon Apple Cider Cocktail

Apple cider and bourbon seem like a natural combo to me but the touch of rosemary was extra tasty!  I froze a little bit of fresh rosemary in the ice cubes to lightly infuse the flavor.

Add the bourbon - about a jigger full - more or less to your own taste.

Then add the apple cider and a sprig of fresh rosemary and enjoy!

Dirty Shirley Temple

When I was growing up I would always get so excited when my parents would let me have a Shirley Temple. It was usually only on special occasions but they would sometimes let me have one and my brother would get a Roy Rogers.  We thought we were hot stuff.

As a nod to my old standby, the Shirley Temple, I added a little kick with vodka.  Just in time if you're looking for a fun drink for New Year's Eve... All you need is to add some vodka (about a jigger full) and then add some grenadine.

Then filler up with some Sprite...

...and add a cherry on top!

Cheers!

Two things I can't get enough of lately...

My latest drink obsession is Frangelico which is hazelnut liquor.  I'm not typically a liquor person but every once in a while - especially after a good Italian meal - my husband enjoys a glass of port.  Blech.  But I didn't want to miss out on a fun after dinner drink.  So a waiter we had about a year ago brought me a taste of Frangelico and I nearly died it was so good.  It is a dessert in and of itself!  If you haven't tried it, treat yourself! 

The other thing I love lately is Philosphy's Snow Globe body cream.  It may have been a holiday special but I adore it.  It doesn't smelly Christmas-y at all.  Instead, it just smells super fresh like you've just gotten out of the shower.  And the thing I love most about it is that it really lasts.  Lately I've found it at TJMaxx for really reduced prices from the original $25 price tag.  Warning: if you live in the DC area, don't bother looking for it at TJ Maxx because I've bought 'em out...

Sparkling Cosmopolitan

Last week we made a trip to Alexandria's local speakeasy, the PX Lounge.  If you live in the area and you haven't been, you gotta go.  I am not sure which is better about the place - the atmosphere or the hand crafted drinks.  Seriously, they are works of art.

interior of PX Lounge

Inspired by their artful concoctions, my husband claimed today that he wanted to be a "mixologist" for the evening.  Not wanting to squelch his dreams, I agreed (I mean, he really had to twist my arm).  Together we crafted the Sparkling Cosmopolitan.

What you need:
1.5 ounces vodka
1 ounce Grand Mariner
1 ounce sparkling cranberry juice
.5 ounce Rose's sweetened lime juice

What you'll do:
Add 1 cup of ice to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. 

Serve immediately.  Garnish with lime if desired.

Note: I didn't have any cosmo glasses in the house but love how this drink looks in my grandmother's beautiful crystal glasses.  Any girly, dainty glass will do!  Enjoy!

Watermelon Mojitos

We were welcomed Day One of our vacay by our dear friend Betsy in Wilmington with refreshing, tasty watermelon mojitos - our signature drink for the evening.  Just the thing to beat the heat we've been having around here lately.  Try it for yourself!  We used Martha's recipe. 

Watermelon Mojitos
4 large mint leaves
1/2 lime
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
4 ounces seedless watermelon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3/4 cup), plus a small wedge for garnish

2 ounces white rum
1/2 cup ice cubes

Directions
In a heavy large glass, combine mint, lime, and sugar. Using a muddler, mash together mint and lime until sugar is dissolved. Add watermelon, and muddle until broken down. Stir in rum and ice cubes. Pour into an 8-ounce serving glass and garnish with a watermelon wedge. Serve immediately.

Hello summer.

If the holiday didn't remind you that the start of summer was here - the heat here in DC sure would have! 

One of my favorite things about summer are all of the fresh veggies - especially ones you can plop on the grill right next to your meat.  Tonight we had delicious ribs served along side with a delicious homemade tomato pie that my friend Alice made us and grilled corn on the cob and roasted asparagus.

All of this was washed down by yummy beer-ritas.  Recipe here if you didn't get it before.

Grilled Corn on the Cob
Corn on the grill is super easy if you just shuck the silks out of the middle of the ears and then pull off any wimpy, loose husk from the outside.  Leave the rest to surround the corn and place it directly on the grill.  It'll give you extra moist corn on the cob.

Roasted Asparagus
Usually we put asparagus in a grill basket but our space was limited because of the ribs and the corn on the cob.  So, you can achieve the same effect in the oven if you layer aluminium foil on a baking sheet.  Trim the ends of the asaparagus and lightly layer on the baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt and pepper.  Roast at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Why can't every weekend be long like this one?  Hope you had a good holiday!

Weekend Cocktails

Our good friends Betsy and Rob were in town visiting this weekend.  Betsy was on spring break (she's an assistant principal) and they were celebrating their first anniversary as well as my birthday.  In honor of all of the celebrations we made two new cocktails both of which were delicious!

Raspberry Beer Cocktail

1/2 cup vodka

3 beers

1 can frozen raspberry lemonade (thawed)

1 cup frozen raspberries

fresh mint sprigs

Mix all ingredients in a large pitcher and garnish with raspberries and fresh mint sprigs.

Beer Margaritas

1 can frozen limeade (thawed)

1 cup tequila

1/4 cup grand marnier

4 beers

1/2 cup margarita mix (we really like the Stirrings one)

Mix together in a large pitcher.  Serve over ice.

Birthday cupcakes

Stella wants some too!