Remember this guy?
We bought this dragon fruit to try something new. I had to find a video tutorial on how to cut it open. Luckily, it wasn’t too difficult. They sure are pretty on the inside. Amazing contrast of color!
To eat the dragon fruit, we took the pieces, blended them, and added them into margaritas. The outcome? Lots and lots of seeds in my straw and most likely I have a dragon fruit growing somewhere in my belly now. :)
Credit: All photos taken by me.
I wish I had the kind of DIY talent it would take to make this light fixture.
This amazing wine bottle creation hangs in the We Olive & Wine Bar at The OC Mart MIX.
If you live in Orange County CA, I strongly recommend you check them out (especially on a Thursday for $1 Taco and $5 Sangria night from 6pm-8pm or on a Saturday for the SoCo Farmers’ Market complete with food trucks and live music from 9am-2pm). Fun times!
Credit: Light fixture found at We Olive & Wine Bar at The OC Mart MIX. Photo taken by me.
Even though it’s in the 90s here, it is Fall weather somewhere. Here is a drink that has a Fall-feel to it and is refreshing even for a hot day too.
Apple Pie Cocktail
MUDDLE apple slices in agave nectar, apple pie spice, and lemon juice.
ADD ice and vodka and SHAKE well.
STRAIN over ice in an old-fashioned glass.
GARNISH with thinly sliced red apple.
Credit: Drink recipe adapted from The Knot. Picture also from The Knot.
I swear, Hostess with the Mostess is one of my very favorite blogs. They are so very creative over there and I am infinitely envious of their talents.
This week I was catching up on some blog reading and stumbled upon a recipe for Pumpkin Mojitos via Hostess with the Mostess. And once I saw this drink, I knew it had to be my drink of the week. You can’t go wrong with a mojito.
Pumpkin Mojito
MUDDLE mint leaves and sugar.
ADD rum, pumpkin, soda, and juice from 1/2 a lime.
MIX well.
ADD ice and garnish with extra mint leaves.
Definitely check out the Pumpkin Mojito Bar post over at Hostess with the Mostess for more information and photos. It would be such a great idea to have a DIY Pumpkin Mojito Bar at a fresh sunny fall party.
And a little side note…do you like the scalloped-edge I made on the photo? I just got Photoshop and I’ve been spending a lot of time playing around and seeing what I can do with it. So far, this is as fancy as I’ve gotten. I’m pretty proud of my handiwork though.
Enjoy your cocktail!
Credit: Photo via Hostess with the Mostess. Recipe adapted from Hostess with the Mostess. Scalloped-edge photo editing by me using Photoshop.
Last week I did a Halloween cocktail, and this Thursday I thought I’d do yet another. While last week’s Jack-0′-Lantern Cocktail was a little more cute and sweet, but today’s cocktail is more dark and scary. I can just picture Elvira carrying around one of these babies at a party.
Black Widow Martini
COMBINE all ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker.
SHAKE well and STRAIN into a sugar-rimmed martini glass.
GARNISH with black licorice.
Yum!
I found this great drink on Hostess with the Mostess where they creatively decorated the stem of their martini glasses with plastic spider rings. Great idea huh? If you check out this link to their post, you’ll find another alcoholic Halloween recipe for Screwed-up Shooters also using black vodka. Also, black spider rings can be found via Amazon.
Today I also stumbled upon the cutest (well, that might not be the best word) vampire-inspired caramel apples on Home Made Simple. It’s a pretty simply concept that would make for some really great Halloween party snacks. Just dip your apple in melted caramel, then some white chocolate, stab with a two-pronged fork for teeth imprints, follow with some red icing drips…and wha-la!
And you could make similar spooky vampire desserts with a little imagination. Imagine cupcakes frosted white with twp red icing drips or cake pops dipped in white chocolate with red icing drips.
Credit: Cocktail recipe adapted from Hostess with the Mostess. Blavod black vodka and Absolut 100 black vodka. Black spider rings can be found via Amazon. Scary vampire caramel apples via Home Made Simple.
Since I am totally random, I thought maybe I would start posting some yummy cocktails on the blog every once in awhile.
I’m going to start with - drum roll please – a Raspberry Martini. My very favorite one of these is served at an Italian restaurant called Roman Cucina that our household frequents fairly often, and they call theirs the Razberry.
A quick side note:
If you live, or are ever in the Orange County, CA area, I urge you to try Roman Cucina. It’s so good. So so good (purely personal opinion, not a sponsored post). They have 4 locations, so there is surely to be one nearby (or near enough). We pretty much always take out of town visitors here and everyone loves it.
Now back to the drink…
They make their Razberry with Absolut Raspberri, Chambord, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, and sweet & sour. Oh, and don’t forget the sugar rim.
Since I am not a bartender myself (I much prefer my drinks to be made for me), here is a Raspberry Martini recipe that I found online at Bar None Drinks.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz. Stolichnaya (Stoli) Raspberry Vodka
1 splash cranberry juice
1 splash sour mix
3/4 oz. Chambord
Instructions:
Shake the ingredients with ice (or stir if you prefer) until well chilled. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a raspberry (optional).
And since that Razberry martini from Roman Cucina is so very good, I would probably update the above recipe myself by also throwing in a splash of pineapple juice.
Imagine the great party you could plan around a Raspberry Martini signature drink.
I’m seeing visions of a French themed soiree with lots of varying shades of pink paired black and white stripes. Floral arrangements of anemones, Eiffel Tower decorations and vintage postcards, French macarons, and striking black and white bold-striped tablecloths. Ooooh, and crepes! This party would definitely need some crepes (my own personal recipe found here)!
Credit: Roman Cucina, margarita photo via Dallas Observer, raspberry martini photo via Al Dente, raspberry martini recipe from Bar None Drinks and Carlos Febres, French party photos via Heavenly Blooms and Hostess with the Mostess (here and here).
