it has been a very interesting week. and i'm sure just like me, you are ready for a cocktail. 

autumn is upon us and in the spirit of the change of the seasons, i decided to mix up my life a bit. i've gotten it in my head that not only is it a good idea to pick up some classes as an indoor cycling instructor, but those classes are at 6am. 

yes, you read that correctly. 6. in the morning. like, before the sun is up. i foolishly thought this early hour was behind me when i stopped swimming competitively, but i guess i thought wrong. 

i'm a little bit nervous. i'm really excited for the new challenge and for how fit i'm going to be. but mostly, i just want to have a tasty libation as i scour music and build playlists. 

summer might be over, but i'm still dreaming of rio and my passion fruit ripened at the perfect moment. while this drink is traditionally made with brazilian cachaca, but it can also be made with a light rum or vodka. if you haven't yet noticed, i don't often differ from my vodka cocktail so that is what i used.

passion fruit caipirinha
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
total time: 5 minutes
ingredients: 2.5 oz cachaca, vodka or light rum. .5 lime, sliced in half. pulp from .5 passion fruit. 1 tsp white sugar. 1 cup crushed ice (if you don't have crushed on hand, you can crush yours in a plastic bag with a muddler or rolling pin. 

in the glass you are serving in, muddle together the ice, sugar, lime and passion fruit. when the ingredients are well muddled and the sugar appears to have dissolved.

pour the liquor in, stir well and serve.

xo, a

passion fruit caipirinha
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
total time: 5 minutes
ingredients: 2.5 oz cachaca, vodka or light rum. .5 lime, sliced in half. pulp from .5 passion fruit. 1 tsp white sugar. 1 cup crushed ice (if you don't have crushed on hand, you can crush yours in a plastic bag with a muddler or rolling pin.
in the glass you are serving in, muddle together the ice, sugar, lime and passion fruit. when the ingredients are well muddled and the sugar appears to have dissolved.
pour the liquor in, stir well 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.