Light Strawberry Mojito

It's Saturday night, it's sunny, and I have some fresh strawberries calling my name from the fridge. Time for a fruity cocktail concoction!

I love me a mojito, but they typically have a ton of sugar (which is why they taste so damn good). But they don't have to be super sweet to taste great.

Instead of using white sugar or brown sugar, I use Agave nectar, or you could use Truvia, which comes from the stevia plant and has no calories. We actually grew Stevia last summer, and I used a dehydrator to dry the leaves for use in drinks and recipes like this. Use it sparingly though, because teaspoon for teaspoon, its much sweeter than sugar, and it has an aftertaste that takes some getting used to.

Here's the strawberry mojito recipe I'm drinking as I type this (sorry for any mispellings, given the drink).

Ingredients:

One good shot of Clear Rum

Two ounces of club soda

Three fresh strawberries

Four-five mint leaves

Two lime wedges

One tsp. Agave nectar or other natural sweetner (feel free to add more to taste)

Muddle the strawberries, mint and sweetner together either directly in your cocktail glass using a wooden spoon, or using a mortar and pestle, and I have.

If you like some extra sweetness, rim your glass with sugar. To make the sugar stick to the rim, run a lime over the edge, then dip the glass into a saucer that has sugar in it. The lime with make the sugar stick.

Now, put the muddled ingredients into the glass along with a lot of ice, and pour in the rum. Squeeze the lime wedges over the drink, stir it up a bit, and garnish with a strawberry and a mint leaf.



Bottoms up. Enjoy your light Strawberry Mojito!

Flowers, Coffee and Chocolate Espresso Martinis

Here are a few ways to enjoy the spring flowers, coffee and a quick Chocolate Espresso Martini recipe. I hope they inspire!

1. Yesterday I cut some flowers from the Rhododendron and Forsythia trees in our yard and put some blooms in a vase in the living room, and a few smaller ones in a glass on the window sill in my office. I love looking up from my laptop and seeing the bright purple and yellow together.

The glass pictured here is a wine glass from Crate and Barrel with chalkboard paint for labelling. I use these glasses for herbs, and of course, we use them for wine and label them with nicknames involving curse words.


2. An everyday indulgence we enjoy is fresh brewed coffee at home with good quality beans we grind ourselves. We grind the coffee beans at night before bed and set up the coffee maker to brew for 6:45 a.m. It's so great to wake up to the aroma of freshly brewed java!


3. Those coffee beans are also useful as a garnish for our Friday night cocktail hour martinis! This Friday I bought a bottle of ChocoVine in Espresso flavor and added it to vodka for a martini.

ChocoVine is a brilliant combination of French Cabernet and dark chocolate that tastes a bit like Yoohoo!, but it isn't for kids. It's fairly strong actually, and since you don't taste the alcohol, it can put you down pretty quick, so be careful! A bottle is only about $10.

Here's how we use it to make a quick Chocolate Espresso Martini:

1. Chill your martini glass in the freezer

2. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and put two shots of ChocoVine with one shot of good quality Vodka.

3. Shake it like a bitch, strain it into your chilled glass, and garnish with a few coffee beans.

I usually only do one of these bad boys and follow it up with water or club soda. It's like drinking a dessert, so it's great for after dinner as long as you haven't had a few cocktails already because there is nothing sexy about stumbling around in your heels, ladies!

P.S. The blue martini glass is Rob's. I made it "manly" for him by putting a wine glass tag on the stem with an eyehook screw as the charm. My glass has a tag on the stem that says "Bride." Corny, I know. But I love them both!

Enjoy! xo

Fajitas and Mojitos

I never learned to cook or had any interest in cooking up until the past few years. In fact, in my old apartment, I kept shoes and purses in my kitchen pantry and a friend joked that the best place to hide gifts for me was in the oven.


My disinterest in cooking was probably because fresh ingredients weren't common in my house growing up. It was the era of TV dinners, canned vegetables and microwave ovens. So to me, the act of cooking from scratch seemed like a waste of time. I mean, why spend an hour preparing a dinner that's going to be gone in five minutes when you can nuke a ready-made dinner for two minutes and throw away the dish?

I know better now. Lucky for me, my fiance grew up cooking meals with his mother, so he knows his way around a kitchen and always makes dinners, desserts, and appetizers with fresh herbs and veggies. Thanks to him, we eat like kings even on weekdays, when many people can't be bothered cooking a big meal. And cooking that way is an art; so much color and flavor and the end results just can't be beat by Swanson or Hungry Man.

Now I'm having a great time learning to cook and experimenting with new dishes, though many times I end up frustrated and disappointed in the end result. But I am getting better. Slowly but surely.

Last night, we made Cilantro-Lime Chicken Fajitas in whole wheat wraps and I made the guacamole from scratch, using this recipe and gorgeous fresh veggies.

Of course, there was a cocktail involved with this dish. How could there not be?



I made a light Mojito using:

1 shot of clear rum

5 or 6 mint leaves, torn and muddled with 1 tsp of Agave Nector for sweetness and the juice of two good size lime wedges

3 oz. of club soda

Pour it all over ice with a wedge of lime and ahhhh.....

Delic.

Putting dinners together and making drinks from scratch takes time, and there are days when we have leftovers or something quick, but the time that we spend in the kitchen together creating a meal makes even the most mundane days into something special.

Fujilicious

I met a couple friends for sushi and cocktails at Ichigo Ichie in East Providence, R.I. last night and have to share a great cocktail I tried there.

This place hops even on a Wednesday night, so the atmosphere is fun, it's very clean with bamboo, stone and crystal decor. The sushi is decent, though it's no Sushi Samba. They have a good variety on the drink menu, including a Wasabi Martini that I have yet to try.

Last night I felt like something fruity but not too sweet, so I went with the Mt. Fuji cocktail.

There are lots of different recipes for a Mt. Fuji, many of them with Sake. This particular restaurant used these ingredients:

Vodka

Passion Fruit Rum

Pineapple and Grapefruit Juice

Splash of grenadine

It was refreshing and a bit sweet but not too sugary. If I wanted to cut out some of the sweetness, I'd only add a splash of the fruit juices with some club soda for fizz.

Either way, it's a perfect drink for a warm day (which we haven't experienced yet this spring, but I'm prepping).

Eco-friendly Earth Day Fashion

My friend Stacey inducted me into the Alex and Ani cult with a "B" token charm bangle for my birthday last month, and now I'm obsessed.

Alex and Ani is a Rhode Island-based company that puts a modern twist on old- fashioned charm braceletes. The jewlery they design is more casual than the Pandora bracelet everyone seems to have, plus its lightweight and relatively inexpensive. But the best thing about their jewlery is it's all made from recycled metals.

I have four so far - The Path of Life, emblematic of life's twists, turns, and unexpected winds, The Seven Swords, representing the seven archangels that symbolize love, and I bought an "R" charm (my fiance's initial) to go with my "B."

It's so great to support a company that is environmentally responsible. I'm diligent about recylcing and do what I can to reduce my environmental footprint, so I can wear Alex and Ani's jewelry with pride.

Hooked on E (Readers)

Rain clouds have covered New Enland for the past few days, which makes me want to curl up on the couch in comfy clothes and read a good book.

One of my favorite things to do is go to a book store, buy a latte, and peruse the book shelves. I love holding a book in my hands and flipping pages and the satisfaction of snapping the book covers shut when finished.

So I wasn't keen on electronic reading devices and told Rob not to buy me one as a gift when they first hit the market a few years ago. But my parents generously gave me an Amazon Kindle as a Christmas gift last year, and I have to admit, I'm in love.

It's easy to read, pages flip with a click, the battery life is amazingly long, it's lightweight and I can browse the web on it.

I just finished reading "A Place of Yes" by Bethenny Frankel (loved it!) and when I'm ready for my next book, I simply click a button, search the Kindle store, and download books in an instant.

The really great thing is, books for the Kindle and other electronic reading devices are priced much lower than physical books. So not only do you have a world of books, magazines and newspapers at your fingertips, it's all available at a discount.

Of course, I'll still buy actual books, and I won't read magazines on it because the Kindle isn't in color, but it's a great toy for avid readers, and it doesn't take up any more space on your packed bookshelves.

Bonus - You can hold it and turn pages with just one hand and use the other hand to sip wine, or in my case, Celestial Seasonings Blood Orange Starfruit Green Tea sweetend with a little Agave nectar.

Happy reading!

Sake to me

I love the spicy flavor of ginger and it's medicinal properties, so this Ginger Rum and Sake cocktail has become one of my favorite pre-dinner drinks.

I originally found a recipe for a Ginger Cocktail in the Williams-Sonoma Bride & Groom Entertaining Cookbook a few months ago, but I swap out the vodka in the recipe for Rum, use ginger-infused simple syrup instead of plain simple syrup, and sometimes I add club soda for refreshing fizz.

To start you need to whip up some ginger simple syrup, which is, well, simple.

Peel a one-inch section of ginger and slice it. Put 1/2 cup of sugar into a sauce pan with 1 cup of water and the ginger slices. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves, about ten minutes. Let it cool a bit then pour it into a jar and store in the refrigerator.

Here's what you need to make the cocktail:

A knob of fresh ginger

A few fresh mint leaves, torn

1 shot of good quality clear rum

1/2 shot of Sake

Wedge of lime

1/2 tsp Ginger simple syrup (or more if you like sweet drinks)

Now, run your favorite martini glass under cold water and put it in the freezer. Then fill a cocktail shaker with ice.

Combine the ingredients in the shaker and shake it for a good 20 seconds to get it nice and cold.

Strain it into the chilled martini glass, squeeze the lime into it and garnish however you like.

Enjoy!

Limoncello-Basil Cooler

Every Friday, my fiance (Rob) and I kick off the weekend with "cocktail hour" where we sit in the kitchen and chat and laugh and enjoy different drinks before making dinner.

Last night, we had crab cakes for an appetizer and sushi-grade Ahi Tuna steaks for dinner, with asparagus and rice.

Seafood and lemon go together so perfectly, so my cocktail hour drink was my "Limoncello-Basil Cooler." (Rob loves this creation, and insisted I share it on this blog).

It's simple - a shot (or two) of Limoncello, about six ounces of club soda or sparkling water, and a few leaves of fresh basil.

The limoncello used in this recipe I made myself, but any type will work. San Pellegrino is what we had in the fridge, so that's why I chose it. You could also use mint instead of basil, which is also really delicious.

I came up with the idea to use basil in this recipe because we have a small hydroponic garden in our dining room with a massive amount of basil growing. We need to use it up somehow, so why not in drinks? When cut fresh, basil is so aromatic and flavorful. It's unexpected, but the perfect addition to this cocktail.

All you need to do is pour the ingredients over ice, garnish with another basil leaf, and bottoms up!

It's so refreshing, especially for a warm spring day.

The Law of Attraction...

I'm a big believer in the the idea that what we think about, we bring about. Our thoughts are like radio waves, sending out signals and attracting back to us those things we think.

For instance, sometimes we think of someone we haven't seen in years and two days later, there they are in the produce aisle. Or we wake up in a bad mood and think negative thoughts, so the day seems to get worse and worse. I experienced the law of attraction last night in the best way possible: a pair of Nine West peep-toe satin pumps. I coveted these heels for months, but I'm on a budget and didn't want to pay full price (I NEVER pay retail).

I went to Marshalls to "browse" last night and while perusing the shoe section, the heavens opened up and a ray of light shone down on the sparling faux jewels of the shoes I wanted for months.

There they were, a single pair. In perfect condition. In my size. For $15.

Thank you, baby Jesus.

They now have a good home.

The Mommy Mocktail

We had friends over for dinner last weekend, and one of our guests is a few months pregnant. What a drag to be the only one who can't enjoy a cocktail or wine with dinner! So, I made up a "Mommy Mocktail" to make her feel like she had something special to drink, too.

We had pomegranate juice and fresh mint leaves in the fridge, so I used those ingredients and added some "fizz" using San Pellegrino sparkling water (a staple in my world).

In a nice wine or other stemmed cocktail glass, combine about six ounces of the sparkling water with two ounces of 100% Pomegranate juice over ice, then tear some of the mint leaves, add them and stir.

She loved it, and I'm drinking one right now because I don't like to drink alcohol on work nights (though that rule gets broken fairly regularly). This drink would also be great with some blueberries in it, or you can substitute some other juice for Pomegranate juice. It's refreshing, healthy and so hydrating. Enjoy!

Something Blue...

I'm getting married on a beach in Jamaica in November, and Iwant my "something blue" to be a pair of fabulous colbolt blue shoes. I scored a Mon Cheri wedding gown on sale at Filene's Basement "Running of the Brides" in Boston, so I don't mind splurging on the shoes. After all, the shoes I can where again.

I've had my eye on Monolo Blahnik's "Something Blue" Satin Pump, but it's closed-toe, so it's not really appropriate for walking down a sandy isle in 80-degree weather. Plus, it's too obvious.

Something like the Monolo 'Clausado d'Orsay' Pump might be better:

But I have about six months to find the perfect pair, and I plan to drag it out and try on as many pairs as possible.

Let the games begin!

Some like it Hot....

Sometimes, you just need some down-home barb-b-que and good strong tequila to unwind.
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I'm Portuguese, so it's in my DNA to love spicy food, but my fiance is on a whole other level when it comes to an affinity for heat. He's not happy unless there are tears streaming down his face and fire shooting from his nostrils.

We have some good friends who also enjoy psychotically spicy foods. So, whenever we meet them for dinner, we hit a place known for suicide-hot wings in West Bridgewater, Mass. called Chili Head BBQ Co.

Chili Heads also has a long list of quality tequilas (100% agave) to choose from, which makes for excellent margaritas (and shots) to wash away the burn.

Last night, I had margarita(s) with Patron Silver, Cointreau, and lime juice over ice. I always go with clear liquors like Patron Silver, because there is far less sugar in clear liquor than in brown liquor.

Also, if you are in a place that doesn't make margaritas from scratch and uses some type of mix, ask them to cut the mix with club soda (the "SkinnyGirl Cocktail" style).

It makes perfect sense because most margarita mixes are full of sugar, and that means calories and hangovers! No, thank you.