summer cocktails.

it's hard to drink anything but gin or beer or prosecco in the summer. but we've got a ton of bottles in the bourbon/whiskey/scotch family. and some rum. preparing for our caribbean-themed belmont-stakes-watching party, we consumed a handful of cuba libres. that is, rum + coke + tons of lime. much unlike the ever-popular rum + coke of high school, this one is drinkable and doesn't taste too sweet or leave a sugary feel on your teeth.

however, the drink of summer 2012 is probably bourbon + limonata. i threw a couple of these together (with the oversized ice) the other night for me and casey and they were really delicious. and for all occasions, not just summer.

days twelve through fifteen.

day twelve: vimala's with april and adam. i mean, we actually ordered almost everything on the menu: sag paneer, naan, vegetarian thali, beers, rose lassi, tandoori things, salady things. i can't remember what it all was. besides delicious. 

day thirteen: i was totally off-course by this point but i swear it's not my fault. casey and i went to raleigh for a birthday party and some bowling (in which i kicked his ass, which is mostly what matters). we eventually retired to the home of the birthday boy and drank the MOST delectable whiskey-and-gingers (maybe with some very strong, very gingery ginger ale or beer) and ate lilly's pizza, which is always mind-blowing. i mean, there are potatoes on the damn thing. holy hot bananas.

day fourteen: we were running off to see lambchop at motorco, so i threw all sorts of vegetables in the skillet--bell peppers, chard, onions, garlic, cabbage, eggplant--as well as chickpeas and some sort of indian curry sauce and pumpkin seeds. this was incredibly fast and totally fulfilling.

day fifteen: so maybe it's not dinner, but i made the best breakfast that i've made in a while. and i swear it's because i PERFECTLY FRIED EGGS in butter and there were delicious, delicious bagels (pumpernickel with sesame seeds!) and tomatoes and cheese and i swear it was stupidly messy and awesome. and worthy of photographs.

dinner was not worthy of photographing but consisted of rice noodles in a nutty, spicy sauce (made from peanut butter, tahini, lemon + lime, salt + braggs, sriracha, garlic), with carrots, onions, bok choy, bell pepper, and garlic in sesame oil. and some homemade chocolate ice cream, my new nemesis (i keep mistiming it).

the list on the fridge is growing with ideas and items for purchase. more to come.

here's how it goes.

1. my arugula has the teeniest little buds growing.
2. i know a lot about the slaughter of chickens in north carolina.
3. i have tried 3 different grilled cheese sandwiches in the last 24 hours.
4. there's a food truck rodeo tomorrow in durham with 30 trucks. i didn't even know we had that many!
5. i really love whiskey. the bar. and the liquor.
6. if you haven't heard, i also love america. there's a list of reasons that is WAY longer than this one.

oh, that.

i'll write again soon. the end of spring break was full of laziness and little excitement in the kitchen.

but i did have picklebacks for tracy and yelena's birthday. 4 or 5. that's a shot of whiskey, followed by a shot of pickle juice, kids. no hangover. yelena says that's because of the pickle juice. the russians have such faith in pickles. but she might be right.

la bonne année.

most people celebrate the new year on january 1st. but not everyone. while they celebrate the regular new year as well, the russians also celebrate old new year on january 13th and the jewish people celebrate yom kippur in the fall.

well, we sort of moved it, too. tracy and keith and i wanted to throw a party, but we were all traveling throughout the holiday season, and so we decided it would be a post-new years new years party of sorts. so, i made some treats. obviously. hummus and carrots and peppers, to start.
vegetarian sushi with carrots, peppers, chives, and cucumbers .
two of my favorite dips, recipes from ina garten: pan-fried onion dip and sun-dried tomato dip. they are both full of fatty awesomeness that i cannot describe here because then my friends will no longer eat them.
finger foods. tomato+basil+mozzarella.
fancy olives and sesame-crusted almonds.
and punch! in my new punch bowl. yes, i realize the bowl itself is ugly. it's vintage. be nice.

this was the harvest moon punch, created by a bartender at prime meats, with the recipe found on the internet. it was a hit. a smash, if you will.

additionally, tracy and i made some fancy-schmancy margaritas with those infused tequilas: blood orange margarita with the cinnamon tequila AND red chile guava margarita with the pepper one. so very awesome, these cocktails. and we have so many good liquors left to drink. with fancy bitters. we have a coveted bottle of angostura bitters, as well as 2 types of fee brothers: cherry and rhubarb.

the nytimes was right when they said it was a good cocktail decade. an evolving. we learned that the drinks of our grandparents are the best ones. my own grandfather likes whiskey; maybe that's why i am so into the old-fashioned these days.

bonne année. let's make it a good one.

old-fashioned.

oh, mad men. i love how you smoke and drink and have sex like it is going out of style.

and "do laps." michelle and i love this expression, which we learned from the show. it's "having another round," really. but so classy. and perfect for when you are having an old-fashioned, it seems.

i had my first old-fashioned last weekend at prime meats in carroll gardens. i am not a huge fan of whiskey, ever since i drank jack daniels from the bottle when i was 15. anyhow, i have been trying to be a better drinker lately and try things that fall outside my comfort zone.

this was a tasty cocktail. rye whiskey. included one perfect piece of ice, muddled fruit, and PEAR bitters. i drank two. did a "lap." so grown up.