i wouldn't have said it in the months following my wedding, but now that we are closing in on a year of marriage i can admit that i would like to do it all over again. it was pretty epic. but alas, it was a one time thang. 

luckily, i'm going to relive working with a lot of my wedding vendors next week for a photo shoot. i'll be cooking up appetizers, a dessert bar and some cocktails for a wedding/engagement inspiration shoot. 

with halloween and the shoot on the horizon, i've been working on some dark, moody cocktails. this one was so good i've already had two. tgif. 

blackberry lemondrop
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 1 minute
total time: 2 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 oz vodka. 1 oz lemon juice. .5 oz triple sec. .5 oz simple syrup. 6 blackberries. 1 lemon slice for garnish. 1 cup crushed ice. pint glass. tumbler for serving. 

start by muddling 5 of your blackberries in a small bowl. they are very easy to smash. reserve 1 blackberry for garnish. 

in a pint glass, combine the ice, vodka, lemon juice, triple sec and simple syrup. stir well and pour the ice/cocktail into a tumbler. 

our your blackberry puree over the top of your cocktail.

garnish glass with a blackberry and slice of lemon and serve. 

xo,a

blackberry lemondrop
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 1 minute
total time: 2 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 oz vodka. 1 oz lemon juice. .5 oz triple sec. .5 oz simple syrup. 6 blackberries. 1 lemon slice for garnish. 1 cup crushed ice. pint glass. tumbler for serving.
start by muddling 5 of your blackberries in a small bowl. they are very easy to smash. reserve 1 blackberry for garnish.
in a pint glass, combine the ice, vodka, lemon juice, triple sec and simple syrup. stir well and pour the ice/cocktail into a tumbler.
pour your blackberry puree over the top of your cocktail. garnish glass with a blackberry and slice of lemon and serve. 

greetings from sao conrado, rio!

there was a ton of hype before we came down about the lack of safety, unfinished venues, and pollution. and while i'm not planning on swimming in the water, so far the dangers and chaos of rio seem to be completely over blown.

the city is stunning, the people are warm and helpful and the olympic venue we are frequenting is pretty stellar. 

even though we are only on our fourth full day here, it feels like we have already done so much. we've had some great meals out, attended our first two olympic games, navigated the hectic food markets, enjoyed the beach kiosks (delicious little beach bars with amazing food) and most notably, hiked up corcovado mountain to christ the reeder. 

thats right, all six of us, including my sixty+ parents hiked 2.5 hours through the jungle, using vines and roots and chain ladders to hoist ourselves to the second largest statue of christ in the world. 

even though it was a cloudy day at the top, the trek was well worth it. so worth it we are planning to go again on a sunny day for the full money shot. 

now, i'm sure you are expecting some amazing new recipe inspired by brasil. but remember, this is only my fourth day. and while we have done a fair job of navigating the markets, the harsh reality that this is not a place where i can get any ingredient i want at any moment has definitely set in. last night's chicken marsala had to be reworked to chicken with sherry and cauliflower (actually worked great as sub and the flavors were pretty spot on). 

but the thing i miss most is not having access to anything and everything. the thing i miss is walking out into my garden and picking stunning produce whose origin and growing process i'm certain of. 

so in honor of my little garden i love so much, here is a simple, quick, delicious vegan dish with a star from my garden. 

marsala mushrooms + swiss chard
serves: 2
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: 4 oz baby bella or crimini mushrooms, sliced. 2 cups swiss chard leaves chopped + stems diced. 1 large shallot (or 2 small), sliced. 2 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tbs olive oil. .25 c marsala wine. juice of .5 lemon. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp pepper. 

in a medium pan, combine mushrooms, chard stems and shallots with the olive oil over medium high heat. season with half the salt and pepper. cook until the mushrooms are softened and the shallots are translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

pour in the marsala and allow it to cook down with the veggies until most of the liquid is gone. about 2-4 minutes. 

add in the chard leaves, garlic and remaining salt and pepper. cook until the chard is wilted and the garlic fragrant. 30 seconds to 1 minute. 

drizzle the lemon juice over the veggies, stir well to combine and serve hot. 

xoxo
a

marsala mushrooms + swiss chard
serves: 2
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: 4 oz baby bella or crimini mushrooms, sliced. 2 cups swiss chard leaves chopped + stems diced. 1 large shallot (or 2 small), sliced. 2 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tbs olive oil. .25 c marsala wine. juice of .5 lemon. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp pepper.
in a medium pan, combine mushrooms, chard stems and shallots with the olive oil over medium high heat. season with half the salt and pepper. cook until the mushrooms are softened and the shallots are translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
pour in the marsala and allow it to cook down with the veggies until most of the liquid is gone. about 2-4 minutes.
add in the chard leaves, garlic and remaining salt and pepper. cook until the chard is wilted and the garlic fragrant. 30 seconds to 1 minute.
drizzle the lemon juice over the veggies, stir well to combine and serve hot.