i arrived home from teaching and taking yoga at eleven this morning ready to get busy in the kitchen. it's friyay, so duh, i had to make and enjoy a cocktail with wes. and then it was time toprep, prep, prep for the baby shower we are catering for my good friend lish tomorrow morning. 

but as soon as i started fiddling around at the bar, wes told me HE wanted to make our cocktail. 

you got it buddy! i'll happily enjoy the fruits of your labor and spend a couple minutes relaxing on the couch before the madness. so he got to creating. 

after we shot the cocktail, we headed out to our garden to enjoy it and some last moments of calm. as i edited the photos, i couldn't help but laugh. that sweet man has spent so much time watching me style photos, there was the perfect amount of props and garnish. too bad he didn't use most of them. so don't mind the muddler, long spoon or that rogue pineapple wheel in the corner of the ingredients shot/the background of many of these shots. they are pretty, but not required. 

while his styling might need work, his bartender skills are well honed. try this orange blossom for a fresh, easy drinking, summer cocktail. 

orange blossoms
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 2 oz fresh squeezed orange juice. 1 oz st. germain. .5 oz hibiscus syrup (you can purchase it HERE). lime wheel for garnish. orange peel for garnish. 1 cup ice. boston shaker. ice for serving. 

fill your boston shaker with 1 cup of ice. 

pour in your vodka, orange juice, st. germain and hibiscus syrup. shake well. 

pour the liquid over ice. 

garnish with lime wheel and orange peel and enjoy. 

xo, a

orange blossoms serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 2 oz fresh squeezed orange juice. 1 oz st. germain. .5 oz hibiscus syrup (you can purchase it HERE). lime wheel for garnish. orange peel for garnish. 1 cup ice. boston shaker. ice for serving.
fill your boston shaker with 1 cup of ice. pour in your vodka, orange juice, st. germain and hibiscus syrup. shake well. pour the liquid over ice. garnish with lime wheel and orange peel and enjoy.

at this moment, wes and i are currently weaving our way through thursday afternoon traffic in los angeles on our way out of town for the long weekend. i'll just let you digest that for a moment. 

but it will all be worth it since we are en route to south lake tahoe with friends for some much needed rest, relaxation and rejuvenation.

of course, it would not be a weekend away if there wasn't a wee bit of cooking. so i brought these "poor man's capers" with me to work on some recipes.

nasturtiums are going to seed all around us and i HATE letting things go to waste. i already dried plenty of seeds for next years garden and i still have hoards. i also hate buying pricy capers. so i am killing two birds with one jar of pickled nasturtium seeds. 

no nasturtiums around you?! come pick some up from my house! 

pickled nasturtium seeds

yields: 1 cup

prep time: 48 hours

active time: 3 minutes 

inactive time: 1 hour

total time: 2 days

ingredients: 1 cup nasturtium seeds. 2 cups water. 1 tbs kosher salt. .25 cup white vinegar. .25 cup apple cider vinegar. 1 tsp white sugar. 1 tbs pickling spice. 6-8oz mason jar.

start by rinsing all your seeds making sure to remove any petal or dirt residue.

place the seeds in a bowl with the water and salt and allow them to soak in the fridge for two days.

when you are ready to finish up your "capers" drain them from the water.

place the seeds in the jar with the pickling spice and sugar.

combine your vinegars and pour them over the seeds filling up the jar. 

close the lid and shake well to combine. allow them to pickle for at least an hour before enjoying but they will just improve with time.  use immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 months.  

xo, a