Lemon Ginger Twist Cocktail

This Thanksgiving, my sister had some pears soaking in bourbon for her pear tart dessert and that prompted me to try to convince my dad to bring up the rest of his drinkable goods from our basement bar to make my own "something". I didn't have much to work with in terms of mixers so I opted for the fresh ingredients we had around the house.

This might be an adaptation from French 125 annnnd it might not be but man, it was a treat either way. It differs from French 125 because I am using ginger, ginger ale instead of champagne, double shots of cognac, and fresher ingredients.

The pre-Thanksgiving dinner mixology and experimentation resulted in a fine concoction. 

Ingredients
fresh ginger root
2-3 TBS natural honey
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
ginger ale
2-3 lemons
Cognac
Ice

Directions
Prepare a saucepan for fresh ginger simple syrup. Pour water, sugar, and sliced (and pounded) ginger into the saucepan and stir on low to medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Add honey. Set aside to cool, or place in refrigerator. 

Squeeze and juice 2 lemons -save rinds for zesting. 

Fill 1/3 of a shaker with ice. Pour 2 shots of Cognac and strain about 1/4 cup of the simple syrup into the shaker. Add 2 TBS of lemon juice and shake it up!

Pour resulting mix into a martini glass and add a little bit of ginger ale for balance. 
Garnish with lemon zest.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

The most colorful and creative low-carb pizza.  

This pizza is naturally gluten-free!

Ingredients
Topping:
5 tbs pesto
1/2 c shredded mozarella
1 tbs fresh thyme
3 medium-sized zucchini
3 medium-sized yellow squash
1/3 c red cabbage
1/2 c crumbled feta
1 c arugula
Crust:
2 1/2 c cauliflower
1/2 c finely grated parmesan
1 tsp salt and pepper to taste
1 egg

Directions:
Preheat oven 450* and grease pizza stone. Cut cauliflower into small chunks in order to be placed in a food processor to pulse. OR you can grate the florets into fine crumbs with a cheese grater. Thinly slice the zucchini and yellow squash. I tend to place the slices into a large bowl full of cool water to keep the slices fresh and crisp.

Mix the cauliflower with parmesan , salt and pepper, and egg until well combined. Press mold, and shape the mixture onto the pizza stone. Once molded, bake for 15-20 minutes. After the crust has browned, remove from the oven. 

Spread pesto on top of pizza crust and layer it with mozzarella, feta, and all vegetables. Take the pizza back to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes more. Remove from the oven and top with arugula after cooling for 5-7 minutes.

Happy eating!

Basil Strawberry Lime Smash Cocktail

Shake it up with this spiked strawberry limeade. 

What is a smash cocktail?! If you're into fruity, icy, seasonal, and sweet summer drinks then look no further because that is exactly what a smash cocktail is! Smash cocktails are so deliciously simple. They generally include a spirit, a sweetener, herbs, seasonal fruit, sometimes water, always ice, and a good shake. 

Labor Day surprised me today with a clear blue sky and sunny weather. I guess summer's not going anywhere too fast. What better way to cool down and end your long weekend with a fantastic splash of strawberry? This drink is guaranteed to make you relish your fun under the sun. 

Ingredients
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. water
basil leaves
1 box of fresh strawberries
1 ripe lime
1 c. rum or vodka
Ice, ice, ICE!

Directions
Simple syrup:
Dissolve sugar in water on the stove over medium heat. Once all the sugar has been dissolved, take the pot off the heat and steep basil leaves in the mixture for ten minutes. Pour syrup in a glass jar and set this in the fridge to cool. Meanwhile, make sure you have thoroughly washed all of your strawberries and lime. Cut the lime into wedges ready for squeezing.

Place your strawberries in a mortar and squeeze lime juice from the lime wedges into the mortar as well. Go ahead and throw the lime peels in there, (live a little!;). With your pestle, mash all of your strawberries and lime peels until there is a substantial amount of lime and strawberry juice-leaving the fruity chunks in the mix. 

The cocktail:
Fill a lemonade pitcher with ice, about half way. Remove syrup from the fridge. Pour strawberry-lime mixture  into the pitcher, followed by the simple syrup, and alcohol. Mix (or shake) well and enjoy immediately or refrigerate! Add more ice if necessary. 

Cheers! 

Dark Chocolate Fudgy Beet Cupcakes

There's beets in it so it has to be good for you, right??

Tastes like rich, dark chocolate cake and looks like red velvet. Not to mention it's topped with whipped mousse frosting and Ghirardelli chocolate. How can you BEET that?

Ingredients
2 medium beets
1 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tsp. white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. melted coconut oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. + 1 TBS whole wheat all-purpose flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375*. Begin by removing the beet roots as much as possible. You will want to wash and scrub your beets thoroughly under cool water. Wrap the beets in foil after they have been drizzled with coconut oil and roast for one hour. You'll be able to tell when they are cooked after inserting a knife through the foil and it falls out without resistance. They should be tender. Remove them from the oven and set them in a bowl in the fridge to cool. 

Once the beets are cool enough for you to handle, puree the beets in a blender, occasionally adding orange juice (or water) to encourage mixing. Measure out 1/2 cup and set this aside. Whisk almond milk and vinegar together in a bowl and set this aside for a couple of minutes to curdle. Add sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and the 1/2 cup of pureed beets and beat until foamy. 

Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and slowly sift them into the wet ingredients. Beat and mix until there are no more lumps. Line muffin pans with paper liners and pour the batter until it is 3/4 of the way filled.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. They tend to stick to the wrapper so allow for them to cool after they are finished baking. These cupcakes are very rich on their own so one option is to dust the tops with cocoa powder otherwise, you can frost them with cream cheese frosting (ingredients below).

BONUS! -Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
1 pack of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (8oz.)
powdered sugar to taste
vanilla almond milk
cocoa powder

I have a habit of not measuring out my ingredients when it comes to experimenting in the kitchen. The ingredients I have listed are ball-park figures, so much of what you end up using will be based on your personal taste and preference. Sometimes "winging it" is the best possible way to go about cooking. After all, plenty of delicious dishes we are familiar with emerged from happy accidents, am I right?!

Unwrap cream cheese and place it in a large bowl. Whip your cream cheese until it is fluffy and soft enough to manage. Start by adding a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and a 1/2 cup of cocoa powder to the cream cheese and continue mixing. You will notice that the result is very dry. Occasionally add small drops (teaspoons at a time) of almond milk to the mixture, enough for your desired consistency. Continue this process of adding sugar and milk to taste. Mix well until the frosting is smooth with no clumps remaining. 

NOTE: It is important that you allow the proper time for your cupcakes to cool before frosting or you will find yourself in a messy (but, oh-so-delicious) situation.

Happy eating!

Citrus Mint Gin & Tonic

Summer may be drawing to a quick close, but Thursdays will remain thirsty.

This drink is perfect to enjoy poolside during summer's dog days. Although summer is nearly over, how could I resist sharing such a simple mix? A spritz of lemon, followed by a minty cool down --this highball was made to help shake off the heat.

Ingredients
Seagram's Gin
Sanpellegrino Sparkling water
Sprite or 7up
1 medium-sized lemon (cut into wedges)
small bundle of mint leaves

Directions
Muddle mint leaves with a few teaspoons of gin to encourage oil extraction. I used a pestle and mortar and began by pressing the pestle on the mint leaves, while giving a gentle twisting motion. Place muddled mint in desired serving glasses and squeeze in one lemon wedge per glass. Add ice. Finally, pour a desired amount of gin in glasses, along with a 1:1 ratio of sparkling water and Sprite/7up. Garnish with thinly sliced lemon wedges.

Bottom's up! -And a toast to another good summer. 

Spicy Mango Ginger Pulled Pork

Forget the barbecue sauce.

Barbecue pulled pork recipes are HOT in the summer months but let's spice up our pulled pork with this island-vibed recipe to turn up the heat. This recipe has all the flavors to leave your mouth watering. Juicy mango-infused pork for a tangy bite, a hint of red bell pepper for a subtle sweetness, ginger for an aromatic spice, and fresh, red chilis for that finishing kick!

Ingredients
1 ripe mango
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 medium-sized ginger root
1 tsp. minced garlic
olive oil
1/2 c. orange juice
1/2 c. sugar
1-2 red chili peppers
garlic and onion powder to taste
4 lbs pork shoulder

Pork prep
Before anything else, give your pork a good rinse. Once rinsed off, place your pork in a glass baking dish. Toss in some minced garlic, onion and garlic powders, and black pepper and a 1/4 c of olive oil. Rub in the ingredients as if you are preparing to marinate.

Ideally, slow-cooking your pork makes for the juiciest and most tender result, however, this does require time --and patience! Being pressed for time, I took the risk of preparing it in the oven and surprisingly, it wasn't half bad. Crank that baby up to 325* (some recipes call for lower temps -definitely an option, but keep in mind: with lower temps follow longer times, i.e. 200* might mean 6-7 hours depending on size). This method only took me 1-1.5 hours. Make sure your pork is covered with aluminum foil. Next, the waiting game and the tease of having the aroma of garlic permeate your kitchen.

Sauce
Literally the easiest blend! Pour your OJ into the blender along with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. The orange juice serves as a base and encourages blending-it also provides a nice citrus tang. Dice your mango and red bell peppers (with seeds removed) into medium-sized cubes. Mince garlic, ginger root, and red chilis and toss all ingredients in the blender. Blend until smooth, occasionally adding sugar, onion and garlic powders, and pepper. Set aside and refrigerate.

Now what?
At this time, your pork should be slowly cooking and simmering in it's own juicy broth. Take your pork out as soon as it is tender enough and no longer very pink (1-1.5 hours). After it has cooled off a bit for you to be able to handle, it is time to shred. The best method to do this is to use two forks to pull apart the pieces. 

Once all the pieces are shredded to your liking, combine the sauce with your pork by simply pouring it over top and mixing it well. A final run in the oven at 325* for 15 minutes isn't a bad idea in order to lock down those flavors. 

Serve over rice and garnish with chives. Et fin.
Happy eating!

Serve with fresh, crunchy cucumbers and your tastebuds will thank you.