Mint Lemon Drops

Gosh, I just don't know what's up with me! I just haven't been in the mood to blog much lately, and cook/ bake really either. I mean of course, I've been cooking and baking, but mainly out of necessity and even then, I haven't had the chance to photograph any of it - for months! Hopefully I'll be out of my slump soon, but until then, I have a couple backlogged posts that will be showing up.

To me, mint and lemon is the perfect summer combination and whether its summer or not, this cocktail is so simple that it's the perfect porch sipper. It's January for peet sakes and we've been having uncomfortable warm weather - uncomfortable mainly for me because I'm longing for a cold, rainy winter  where I can don scarves and boots. But might as well make the best of it with something like this to sip on!

Mint Lemon Drops

Yields: 1 serving

2 shots vodka

1 large lemon, juiced

1 tbsn. sugar

1 bunch of mint leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra for serving

lemon wheels or twists, for serving

In a shaker filled with ice, add the vodka, lemon juice, sugar and mint. Shake vigorously for about 1 - 2 minutes until very cold and combined. Strain into a martini glass. Top off with a lemon wheel, twist or fresh mint. You can also sugar the rim, if desired. 

Summer Tequila Coolers

Friday marks the start of the weekend... so you know what that means! C-O-C-K-T-A-I-L time!

I love this because it's super easy to whip up. Just throw everything together and the ingredients are pretty low-key. Every time I see a delicious cocktail I want to try out, it ends up having endless amounts of liqueurs that I don't have on hand of exotic ingredients that I don't even know where to find. Pineapple juice is almost always on hand since I keep some cans in my pantry and you can literally throw any kind of fruit you want in these! Add a stipey straw and I'm ready for a fun weekend...

Summer Tequila Coolers

Yields: 1 cocktail

Adapted from here.

3 oz. fresh pineapple juice

2 oz. blanco tequila

1/2 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

fresh fruit (I used peaches but raspberries, kiwi or mango would be lovely)

Combine the pineapple juice, tequila and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Add some ice, shake, strain into rocks glass full of ice. Garnish with spear of pineapple and some fresh fruit.

Spicy Bloody Marys

I love me a good spicy bloody mary. I usually hate, hate, hate vodka but for bloody marys, I make the exception. For bloody marys, I love, love, love vodka! Oh, and I'd never thought I would say that... ever. Vodka + tomatoes + spices just seem to make the loveliest concoction don't they? 

See, above and below; the combination of vodka + tomatoes just works. In all situations, at all times of the day! That's why bloody marys are offered alongside breakfast. It's just a well known fact that when you add tomato juice and spices to vodka, it completely negates the fact that you're drinking alcohol in the wee hours of the morning... or at least that's what we'd like to tell ourselves huh?

If you're still doubtful about drinking vodka in the morning, just think of the bloody mary as a well balanced meal! It's full of nutritious tomato juice, sinus clearing horseradish, and crunchy celery. Actually vodka itself is considered great for blood circulation and debatably, a shot a day is therapeutic - but the jury is still out on that one!

For things that I don't like (vodka and tomato juice), I'm pretty surprised by how much I love bloody marys. So, if you are doubtful, I urge you to at least try it before knocking it. It's deliciously tangy, spicy, and has this kick that makes you crave for more!

Loving my 'limited edition' glass ball looking Absolut Vodka bottle. Makes drinking all the more fun!

The Perfect Bloody Mary

Yields: about 8 - 10 servings

Adapted from here.

For the bloody mary:

1 quart (4 cups) tomato juice

1/4 cup + 1 tbsn. cream style horseradish

1/4 cup + 2 tbsn. worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp. salt

 1 1/2 tbsn. tabasco (any hot sauce will do though)

1/4 cup + 2 tbsn. lime juice

1/4 tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tbsn. fresh grated fresh onion

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 cups vodka

For garnish (all optional):

kalamata olives

cocktail olives
blue cheese stuffed olives - my favorite

celery sticks

sliced jalapenos

lime wedges

cocktail onions

pepperoncini

cornichons 

Mix all the ingredients in a large pitcher and pour over ice in a cocktail glass. If you want to make this ahead of time as a mix, combine everything except the vodka and store in a closed container or jar. When ready to use, add the vodka and serve over ice. Add a stick of celery, slice of jalapeno and/ or olives to garnish.

As you can see, I had a little toooo much fun with my chalkboard poster board.

It's the simplest + cheapest food photography prop ever! Just a can of chalkboard spray paint + a large posterboard and you've got an instant blank canvas for whatever your mind thinks up!

Guinness & Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes

Remember that time when I attempted alcohol & cupcakes? Yea, wasn't too successful. Well, being the person that I am, I attempted it again. And guess what? Yep, successful. And who do I owe my success to? No one other then the Smitten Kitchen queen herself, Deb.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. THREE different kinds of alcohol! I went from failing at alcohol & cupcakes to stuffing alcohol into each and every part of the cupcake! Let's start with the chocolate stout cake. When it comes to chocolate cake, I love it dense. Give me a dense, thick-as-hell chocolate cake over a fluffy-airy one any day. This cake was dense, rich with just a hint of the stout. Definitely delicious.

Next, onto the chocolate ganache. I've always had a problem with it. For some odd reason, it never comes out right. No matter what recipe I try, it just never seems to thicken up. This ganache was perfect. Thickened just enough to handle with a spoon but not too much so that when you bit into the cupcake, ganache would spill out. I think next time though, I would nix the alcohol from the ganache, as the cupcake was a bit too alcohol-y for my taste. BUT if you are a self-proclaimed alcohol/ Bailey's lover then go ahead and add some more!

Lastly, the Bailey's buttercream... how could you go wrong? Butter, sugar and Bailey's. I think they call that the Trifecta, if I'm not mistaken. Yummm is all I can say about this one. I actually loved the alcohol in this, so perfect with the stout cake. Overall, I think the cupcake was delicious but still a little too sweet for my taste as I did use a traditional buttercream rather than my preferred Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I think the perfect accompaniment to the stout cake might be a Bailey's cream cheese frosting... YUM must try that next time!

Guinness and Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Original recipe can be found here.

Printable Recipe

For the Guinness chocolate cupcakes:

1 cup stout beer/ Guinness

2 sticks unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey's ganache filling:

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 tbsn. butter, room temperature

2 tsp. Irish whiskey OR Bailey's Irish cream

For the Bailey's buttercream frosting:

8 tbsn. unsalted butter, room temperature

3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

4 - 8 tbsn. Bailey's Irish cream

(I also used some half&half to thin the frosting out w/o adding more alcohol)

Use the cone method to remove a little hole:

Then fill with ganache, and pop those extra cake pieces in your mouth and enjoy!

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake tin with liners and set aside. Combine stout and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add stout mixture and beat to combine. Mix in dry ingredients on low until incorporated. Divide batter among cupcake liner about 2/3 full and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.

To make the ganache, place chocolate in heatproof bowl. Heat cream in saucepan until simmering, then pour over chocolate, let sit for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Add butter and Bailey's and stir until combined. Set aside until cool and thick enough to be piped (you can use the refrigerator to speed the process but stir every 10 minutes to ensure even cooling). Meanwhile, cut a portion from the center of the cupcake using the cone method and once the ganache is of the right consistency, pipe the ganache into the centers.

To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium high until light and fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar until incorporated. Mix in Bailey's until smooth. Add more if necessary until frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired and enjoy!

** Decorate with excess chocolate ganache