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. 

yesterday, we celebrated wesley's birthday. because he is slightly sensitive about the subject, i'll do him the kindness of leaving out his age.

we had a pair of pretty awesome days celebrating my favorite person's birth. sunday and monday we spent most of the day at our favorite beach hanging with friends + family, eating delicious food and surfing together. it was pretty much heaven.

while our sunday beach party was a raging success, i have to admit that i am very excited it's over. coordinating your own parties is stressful! i much prefer planning for others.

since most of last week was spent party planning and prepping, everything i whipped up for us was quick and easy.

these glorious figs popped up in my local produce store last week and i knew exactly what do do with them. there is something so luxurious about figs that they instantly fancy up a dish. not to mention, they pair perfectly with salty, flavorful prosciutto.
 

fig & prosciutto crostinis
serves: 16 crostinis
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: half a french baguette, sliced .25 inch thick. 3 figs, sliced thin (5 to 6 slices a fig). 2 oz triple creme brie. 1 cup roughly chopped arugula. 2 oz prosciutto, roughly chopped. .25 balsamic vinegar. pinch of salt.

start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.

spread your baguette slices out over a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted. about 7-10 minutes.

while the bread is toasting, crisp the prosciutto. in a small nonstick pan, cook the prosciutto over medium high heat until crispy. about 5-7 minutes. 

remove the prosciutto from the heat and place it on a paper towel. gently blot away any extra grease. roughly chop the crispy prosciutto.

when the prosciutto pan is still hot, pour the balsamic into the pan and let it bubble up. season it with the salt and swirl it until it stops bubbling. remove it from the heat and let the vinegar cool.
 
to assemble the crostinis, spread a thin layer of cheese onto each piece of toast. top the cheese with a few pieces of arugula, a slice of fig and a few crisps of prosciutto. when all the crostinis are assembled, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve. 

xo, a

fig & prosciutto crostinis
serves: 16 crostinis
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: half a french baguette, sliced .25 inch thick. 3 figs, sliced thin (5 to 6 slices a fig). 2 oz triple creme brie. 1 cup roughly chopped arugula. 2 oz prosciutto, roughly chopped. .25 balsamic vinegar. pinch of salt.
start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.
spread your baguette slices out over a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted. about 7-10 minutes.
while the bread is toasting, crisp the prosciutto. in a small nonstick pan, cook the prosciutto over medium high heat until crispy. about 5-7 minutes. remove the prosciutto from the heat and place it on a paper towel. gently blot away any extra grease. roughly chop the crispy prosciutto.
when the prosciutto pan is still hot, pour the balsamic into the pan and let it bubble up. season it with the salt and swirl it until it stops bubbling. remove it from the heat and let the vinegar cool.
to assemble the crostinis, spread a thin layer of cheese onto each piece of toast. top the cheese with a few pieces of arugula, a slice of fig and a few crisps of prosciutto. when all the crostinis are assembled, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.