HOPE

IS HERE!!!!

what we ate yesterday

see, i told you i wasn't gone forever. i'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. my out of town job is almost over and the change in the weather is making me long for delicious soups and spiked hot chocolate.

this is what we ate yesterday. pretty and delicious!

this blog is not dead

contrary to what you might think, this blog is not dead. i'm just on hiatus. this and this and this are taking up a lot of my time. and becoming a foodie isn't easy. it takes work. hopefully things will slow down enough soon that i will be able to get back to cooking (something i haven't done in months - - literally months), making cocktails, shopping for new treats, etc, etc. thanks for understanding. i promise that when the time is right, i will make a triumphant return.

I feel horrible

I have lied to you, broken promises, i'm a deadbeat food blogger. How did this happen? I can't believe it. I had such good intentions. From the beginning I said that I wouldn't just post for the sake of posting. I don't want to inundate you with crap, but this is crazy, right? I am just feeling really, really overwhelmed at the moment. There is so much going on in my life right now. Most of which is really fantastic; All of which is really time consuming. And the thing about being a food blogger is, it takes time (and a working scanner - - at the moment, i have neither). So hang in there, please. I beg you. It won't be like this forever, because if it is I will just curl up and die (a bit overdramatic, but you get my point). Thank you for all of your encouraging emails (some threatening one's, too). As soon as life permits, it's you and me, together, drinking, eating and having a wonderful time.

Drink of the Week

is coming. no really, it is. i actually have two, one with booze and one without, both with lemons. lots and lots of lemons. be back later with the recipes and names (that's the tough part).

The Briny Breeze - - Drink of the Week

Oh my God? Where have I been? This is crazy. It's not that I don't care about you, no, that's not it at all. I've just been so busy. But no Drink of the Week, that was just rude. I will continue to do my best. Sometimes my best just kind of sucks. Sorry. While we are on the subject of Drink of the Week, let me introduce you to the Briny Breeze. I named it after this little town in south Florida. It's a little mobile home park right on the ocean and it is amazing. Especially if you happen to have a polaroid camera with you (which I did). So, without further adieu . . .

The Briny Breeze

5 small pieces of Watermelon (i used a melon baller, because melon ballers are fun)
3 mint leaves
1 oz vodka
A generous splash of Rose's sweetened lime juice
A splash of Cointreau ( I also tried it with a splash of Campari and that was good, too. I just feel like I always use Campari, but Campari is really, really good. Especially in summer.)
club soda or tonic water

Plop your melon balls into a glass along with the mint leaves (i tore mine into pieces - - it feels naughty) and the vodka and then muddle it up. Add all of your splashes and stir. Fill a second glass with ice and then pour your muddled mixture over the ice, top off with club soda or tonic water. Garnish with melon balls, mint and lime - - you could even sugar the rim if you were so inclined. Now drink it!

Chamomile Mint Iced Tea

All is not lost. I am still doing a drink of the week. Thanks for sticking by me. I have been so busy with work/photography/creative endeavors that my food adventures have been few and far between. I still intend to provide a Drink of the Week each week and then reinstate twenty bucks once I have a bit more free time. Let's take it easy, shall we? Sit back, relax and enjoy something soothing.

A couple of weeks ago my friend, Lisa and I had lunch at one of my favorite places, Le Pain Quotidien. I was planning on having a glass of wine with lunch (I deserved it!), and then I saw a carafe of chamomile mint iced tea go by and the wine went out the window. Shall we take a break from alcohol this week? Let's. Actually, here's a deal for you. Drink this and let me know if you come up with some sort of alcohol-y twist on it and I will do the same. We can meet back Monday with our results.

No real recipe here. I just steeped a bag of their amazing chamomile tea with some mint leaves and a bit of sugar. After about 5 minutes I poured it over a tall glass of ice that was filled with new, fresh, pretty mint leaves. Then I took a picture of it (you don't have to do that part), and then I gulped it down.