"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have". - Frederick Koenig
No one ever said that drinking will make you skinny, so my cocktail better be worth it if it's going to have the potential to make me go up a size. This especially holds true for the standard Pina Colada. Once upon a summer, in a galaxy far far away - I'll call it my youth - I may have had a fair sprinkling of this fair frozen creamy pineapple-y coconut-y drink during the warmer months, but these days the harsh reality of the calorie has set in, and I usually only splurge on one of these fat floats once a year. This year, that special moment happened to come early for me with the first really warm snap we had.
You may remember that I LOATHE pre-fabbed mixers where you just add the alcohol, and will usually not even waste my efforts in that direction. The Pina Colada is no exception -- well, unless maybe I'm sitting at the infinity pool bar in a wonderfully tropical location. Anyway, I digress. When Jay wanted whip up some Pina Coladas from scratch (which is really a lot easier than it may sound ... and yummier too), I was only luke-warm to the idea with it being so early in the season. I mean, did I really want to blow my single Pina Pass this early this year? And then, something magical happened that changed my perspective. I realized I could try making it this way ... sans pineapple!
Fill blender with ice cubes. Add rum, Rumchata, coconut cream, and coconut milk. Blend until smooth. Pour into your glass, and garnish with fruit.
YUMM-tastic I tell you. It really was all that even without the pineapple (well, except for the garnish), and who doesn't love having a whole pitcher of happy sitting right in your fridge - even if it does mean you have to eat nothing but lettuce for a day or two. If you don't have Rumchata in your local market, try picking up some horchata and adding a little more rum, or maybe finding a recipe for it ... like this one here. Totally. Worth. It. The best part about all of this though; I am technically still holding on to that annual 'Pina Pass' if I do find myself at some fabulous infinity pool bar in a tropical vacation spot feeling mighty thirsty. Splurge on!
If you like what you see, let me know! Just click the 'Join This Site' button at the top right of the homepage to make sure you have a drink for every moment.
So tomorrow's the big game, and I know there are going to be a LOT of big parties here in the RIC. Since I'm planning on having a houseful myself, I figured I should come up with a little hometown school "spirit" to get everyone in gear to celebrate as the VCU RAMS cream take on Butler tomorrow. As some of you know from 'My Favorite Five: March' post, I was already feeling a little inspired by my school's rise to the top, so this week's 'Drink of the Moment' couldn't be anything but Black and Yellow Baby!
VCU Three Point Shooter
1 part Creme de Banana 1 part Cruzan Black Strap Rum 1/2 to 1 part Rumchata
Slowly pour each of the above into your preferred serving glass in the order listed above. Take care not to disturb the previous layer by using a spoon or layering tool to create 3 distinct layers. Drink as you deem appropriate throughout the game.
So the drink in the picture came out a little less than perfect, and it's apparent that I really need to pick up some appropriate barware, but in the interest of time, I decided to forego perfection and share the love. Gooooooooo RAMS!!!
Ask anyone that knows me, in a certain setting, what I'm having to drink, and without hesitation they will tell you that it's either an extra dirty Stoli martini served up, or a pint of Guinness (if I'm feeling like something a little more subtle). Recently though, I've been getting an itch to find some new and more interesting alternatives to mix things up a bit, which brings me to what I'll call my 'Drink(s) of the Moment.'
I suppose if this were a few years ago, I could do something exciting like a 'You Buy It, I'll Try It' thing, where I would probably end up with some seriously interesting bar stories that I wouldn't even be able to relay in full due to brief blackouts from what I'm sure some of those drinks might contain. Since this is not a few years ago though, and I do truly enjoy having Jay in my life, I've been doing a little experimenting for myself with our own personal 'bar'. While this may seem a little less exciting than a story about some random night out ending with me asleep on the floor somewhere; it should actually be more exciting for you because I remember everything I need to relay here (at least for the most part), AND I can share the recipes!
Here are my current 'drinks of the moment' worth sharing:
The Rumchata Black Russian
You may remember that Rumchata was one of my Favorite Five this month, and if you typically like a White Russian, then you'll love the twist the Rumchata gives this 'Black' Russian. It will knock your socks off in more ways than one.
Ingredients (Serves: 1)
1 part Rumchata
1 part Kahlua
1 part Vodka (I used Stoli Gold)
Mix
Shake and pour into a rocks glass over ice.
Have a sip, and smile. :)
The Tomato-Politan Martini
A yummy savory martini that I think would be fabulous at brunch, or you could throw caution to the wind and bring a whole new meaning to the term ' ladies who lunch.' The pickle juice surprisingly gave a wonderful dimension to the drink.
Ingredients
(Serves: 2)
8 ounces of your favorite vodka (again, I used Stoli Gold)
4 Tablespoons of tomato juice
1 teaspoon of green hot sauce (like Tabasco Jalapeno)
Juice of one medium lemon
2 Tablespoons of pickle juice
Pickles for garnish.
Mix
Pour the vodka into a shaker 1/2 full of ice.
Add the hot sauce and shake for a bit.
Let the shaker rest for a moment, and then add the tomato and lemon juices.
Give it another few shakes and then strain into a well chilled glass
Top each drink with 1 Tablespoon of pickle juice, garnish with a slice of pickle, and enjoy!
Let me know what you think, and if you have any new ideas you'd like to have 'tested', by all means send them in!
Well, the weekend is here, and just like that bad cold that never seems to go away, so is
the winter weather. It’s
usually about this time every year that things seems to slow down to a
snail’s pace, keeping spring an inevitable two steps out of reach, and leaving
me to hibernate indoors while my skin and my outlook become increasingly tired
and dry. To help cope with this, I've been paying extra attention to the little things that keep me going, and I’ve decided to share some that I’ve found inspiring, and/or recently enjoyable. They have improved my winter
attitude immensely, and will hopefully make your thoughts a little cozier as well.
·TRUFFLED CAULIFLOWER BISQUE – I am admittedly a soup junkie! If there is one thing that would make
me a tragic bitch in the wintertime, it would be NOT being able to eat soup
(though Jay may have some additional thoughts on this). Since I especially love a pureed
veggie-type soup, I was almost ecstatic when I saw Christina Hendricks on ‘The Rachael Ray Show’ making a Truffled Cauliflower Bisque. Because I don't really watch the show, it must have been kismet that I happened to catch this particular segment
and discover what is easily my favorite new winter soup and salad pairing.
The soup has a bacon base, to which the veggies, broth and cream are added (though I'd imagine you vegetarians out there could find some sort of salty substitute). Then, everything is pureed and topped with white truffle oil and bacon crumbles. I am GOING to find a low(er) fat way to make this so I can eat it all the time.
As an accompaniment to the soup, I highly recommend the Tuscan Kale Salad pairing featured in the same clip. The heartiness and bite of the kale paired with the homemade pungent Caesar dressing creates a balance in this salad perfect as a compliment to the mild, creamy soup as well as the cold winter weather.
The recipe for the Cauliflower Bisque can be found here, and the accompanying Tuscan Kale Caesar can be found here.
BATH & BODY WORKS SUGAR SCRUB - If your skin is starting to feel a little short of reptilian at about this point, this is just the thing to make your dry winter skin do a disappearing act, while indulging a bit in the bath or shower. I've always used Origins in the past, but have found recently that Bath and Body Works offers an essential oil sugar scrub (in varying scents) that is just as wonderfully moisturizing and pampering as anything else and comes with a lower price point. I've been using the Lavender Vanilla, which is cozy and warm. Next up to bat for me is their new fragrance, Vanilla Verbena.
RUMCHATA - You will want to walk ... no, run to the nearest store to get more of this stuff once you try it. Caribbean rum blended with cream and cinnamon, and vanilla, this is enough to melt away any winter blahs. It's what you would drink if it snowed in the Carribean - kind of like a mini vacation in a glass. Make sure you check out all of the recipes (drink and otherwise) on the official website.
S
·NEW (to me)MUSIC – For me, some new sounds cycling through the
stereo always keeps the indoors from getting
stale. Recently, I’ve found a few
new favorites, both by sister duos, that I have been enjoying thanks to a few 'last minute' iTunes gift cards Jay put in my Christmas stocking. So, I suppose this section is being brought to you by the letter 'J' and the number '1'. ;)
CocoRosie, ‘Grey Oceans’ – This is the most unclassifiable and
beautiful music I’ve come across in a long time. I love how it somehow manages to simultaneously engage my
thoughts, and soothe my nerves.
This is one of my favorite track off the album entitled ‘The Moon Asked the Crow.’ If you like this one, I highly
recommend taking a listen to ‘Lemonade’ as well.
The Pierces, 'Love You More - EP' - Love The Pierces, love their new EP and can't wait to hear the new album, 'You & I', out on March 14th.
ART - Ok, so this one may seem a little more expansive compared to the rest of my list, but there is something escapist and inspiring about seeing a piece of artwork that really speaks to you. For me, a well-done watercolor is usually very soothing; something about the soft edges and color nuances really put me at ease. When you add in a lion fish as the subject of the watercolor, my so-called 'fish nerd' tendencies can't help but become activated, so when I saw a watercolor that my friend's son was working on, I was hooked. Not only is Alex super bright, but it appears that he is very artistically talented as well. Seeing the progression of his piece, and the care that he took to document it really inspired me to want to create something as well; and there is nothing like that spark of inspiration to make the long winter days pass by even quicker.
I hope you enjoy the progression of the piece as much as I did, and also hope that it instills within you the desire to create something of your own -- we've got nothing but time until spring, right? Thanks for sharing Alex!
