friyay is usually my day off. but today, i subbed a class for an instructor who had a sudden obligation. i had a nice morning at home with wes, drinking coffee and researching cocktails and then i headed to the studio. all morning i had this nervous feeling i couldn't shake. i arrived at my class early, excited to teach to a group i don't usually have. five minutes before class, the teacher before me informed me that the speaker was malfunctioning. low tones of my music weren't coming through. making my music, well, lackluster. for a thirty minute spin class. sweet. 

and then i realized it is friday the thirteenth. sounds about right. so i took a deep breath, remembered it was friday and in a few short hours i would have a cocktail in my hand, and i got through it. 

luckily, i'm in for the evening and will be hunkering down to avoid further disaster. with this delicious cocktail in hand. 

i found this vintage cocktail in a really cool cocktail book that wes's mom andrea gave him for christmas. i flipped to the page purely because i thought the name was cute, but i fell for it after reading the ingredients. clean, bright and just a little hint of sweetness. i have some really beautiful fresh marjoram in my little garden at the moment and it was the perfect floral compliment to the gin and lime juice. if you can't find any marjoram in your local store, try subbing lavender or other floral herb you can find. 

in rickey + fresh marjoram
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 1 minute
total time: 2 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz gin. 1 tbs lime juice. 1 tsp simple syrup. 4 oz club soda. 5 sprigs marjoram. lime wedge for garnish. 1 cup ice + ice for serving. stainer. 

start by removing the leaves from three of the marjoram sprigs. grab the top of the sprig with one hand and run your index finger and thumb down the length of the stem, removing the leaves as you go. 

in a mixing glass or shaker, combine the leaves, ice, gin, simple syrup and lime juice.

shake or mix until well combined and the marjoram leaves have bruised to release their oils. 

strain the gin mixture over ice into your cocktail glass. 

top off with your desired amount of club soda.

garnish with the remaining sprigs of marjoram and lime wedge and enjoy. 

xo, a

gin rickey + fresh marjoram
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 1 minute
total time: 2 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz gin. 1 tbs lime juice. 1 tsp simple syrup. 4 oz club soda. 5 sprigs marjoram. lime wedge for garnish. 1 cup ice + ice for serving. stainer.
start by removing the leaves from three of the marjoram sprigs. grab the top of the sprig with one hand and run your index finger and thumb down the length of the stem, removing the leaves as you go.
in a mixing glass or shaker, combine the leaves, ice, gin, simple syrup and lime juice.
shake or mix until well combined and the marjoram leaves have bruised to release their oils.
strain the gin mixture over ice into your cocktail glass.
top off with your desired amount of club soda.
garnish with the remaining sprigs of marjoram and lime wedge and enjoy. 

today, i'm finally starting to crawl out of my post christmas coma. i've been eat, sleep, yoga, repeat for two full days now and i'm starting to feel like a semi normal person again. 

for years now i've been dreaming of my first holiday season feeding people for a living. and while it was so rewarding, good lord was it a grind. totally worth it, but it explains my relentless need to netflix and chill. 

so i'm going to continue to keep it mellow this week. but mellow doesn't mean it can't be delicious. sometimes the simplest things are the tastiest. one of my all time favorite foods is a simple salad with tasty homemade croutons. they are the perfect use for day old bread you couldn't finish and you can keep them on hand for a few days stored in an airtight container. 

seasoned croutons
serves: 4 cups croutons
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 30 minutes
ingredients: 4 cups day old bread, sliced into 1 inch cubes. 4 tablespoons butter. 3 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tsp dried oregano. 1 tsp dried parsley. 1 tsp dried thyme. .25 cup olive oil. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp fresh ground pepper.
start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. 

while your oven is preheating, place the butter in a large oven safe pan over medium heat. melt the butter and toss in the rest of the ingredients. stir everything together well so all the bread is lightly coated with herbs, butter and olive oil. 

toast the bread in the pan for about 10 minutes, stirring every few until all the bread is lightly toasted. 

transfer the pan to the oven and bake till crispy. about 7-10 minutes. stir every couple of minutes so everything is evenly crisped. 

allow to cool and use as desired. i won't judge you if you eat them all by themselves. 

xo, a

seasoned croutons
serves: 4 cups croutons
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 30 minutes
ingredients: 4 cups day old bread, sliced into 1 inch cubes. 4 tablespoons butter. 3 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tsp dried oregano. 1 tsp dried parsley. 1 tsp dried thyme. .25 cup olive oil. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp fresh ground pepper.
start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f.
while your oven is preheating, place the butter in a large oven safe pan over medium heat. melt the butter and toss in the rest of the ingredients. stir everything together well so all the bread is lightly coated with herbs, butter and olive oil. toast the bread in the pan for about 10 minutes, stirring every few until all the bread is lightly toasted.
transfer the pan to the oven and bake till crispy. about 7-10 minutes. stir every couple of minutes so everything is evenly crisped.
allow to cool and use as desired. i won't judge you if you eat them all by themselves.