right now in my life, i'm a yes girl. 

i'm just over a year out from corporate life, and while the financial situation may not be as comfortable as i would like, for the first time in my life i am truly free. free from bad bosses. free from restrictive schedules. free from time that is not my own. and i am free to say yes to anything and everything i want to say yes to.

from a very young age we are asked, "what do you want to be when your grow up?" and naturally, it changes as we age. because when you three and they ask you that question your knowledge of the world is limited and at that point you can count possible career fields on one hand. but as we age, our knowledge grows and we figure out what we like to do and what we are good at doing. 

but the discovery of what we like to do and what we are good at is a lifelong process, yet we are asked to choose a career field before we finish off our second decade of life. and like many others, the choices i made when i went off to study at college, and when i graduated college, and all throughout my twenties, lead me to a place i discovered i didn't really want to be. so i started over. and now i'm saying yes.

now there is a time and a place for everything. and there was a time in my life where the answers needed to be no. no i don't have time for that. no i can not fit that into my schedule. no i can not put you before me. and no was the right answer then and it might be the right answer for you now. 

however, if you are feeling unsettled, complaisant, or just down right up the wrong stream with out a paddle, maybe it is also time for you to say yes. yes to new people, yes to new place, yes to new things. just YES. 

ok. that is enough inspiration for one week. now how about a stiff drink? whether you are currently loving your life, or in need of some change, everyone could use a pick me up. so enjoy this friday moment with a drink that is sure to brighten up your day. 

pomegranate cosmo
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
total time: 6 minutes

ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 1.5 oz pomegranate juice (i muddled my own, but you could easily buy some). 1 tsp pomegranate seeds. 1 tsp lime juice. .5 oz triple sec or other citrus liquor. club soda. cup of ice. lemon twist or slice of zest for garnish. 

in a pint glass or shaker, combine the vodka, triple sec, lime juice and pomegranate juice with the ice. shake well to combine.

strain the mixture into a martini glass. top the drink off with desired amount of club soda. 

garnish with pomegranate seeds and lemon zest and serve. 

xo, a

pomegranate cosmo
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
total time: 6 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 1.5 oz pomegranate juice (i muddled my own, but you could easily buy some). 1 tsp pomegranate seeds. 1 tsp lime juice. .5 oz triple sec or other citrus liquor. club soda. cup of ice. lemon twist or slice of zest for garnish.
in a pint glass or shaker, combine the vodka, triple sec, lime juice and pomegranate juice with the ice. shake well to combine.
strain the mixture into a martini glass. top the drink off with desired amount of club soda.
garnish with pomegranate seeds and lemon zest and serve. 

in the last thirty years, i have been lucky enough to acquire some amazing life long friends. until the last year, there has always been some built in network in my life. school, swimming, work and sorority all brought me strong, interesting, dynamic women.

but now that i am mostly self employed/doing contract work and most of my best girls are all over the world, i have found myself having to make new friends. and honestly, it's been way more fun than i expected. i've thrown caution to the wind and shown up to parties solo, gone on lady dates with girls i've only met once and have taken tons of yoga classes with new friends. and i've met a lot of really great people.

last week i got so bold to invite a new friend over to my house to cook with me. marlene and i met at yas and she has too many jobs just like me. and just like me she has an alternative schedule that finds her free at noon on a tuesday. so last week we got together to cook up this delicious risotto. too bad we talked so much i didn't actually finish cooking. hopefully it left her wanting more? 

she may not have sampled any of this dish, but i promise it was delicious. i'm even considering using it as my entry for the first ever samuels family thanksgiving cook off. 

now keep in mind if you are going to make this dish, it is not hard, but it is labor intense. meaning, you need to be able to stand at the stove or near the stove for about an hour. mostly all you need to do is stand there and stir, but you need to stand there and stir. the good news is you can keep the rest of the bottle of white wine handy to sip as you stir. 

pumpkin risotto
serves: 4
prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 1 hour
total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
ingredients: .5 lb pumpkin, pealed and diced (about 2 cups). 2 onions, diced. 3 garlic cloves, smashed. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tsp nutmeg. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. .75 c dry white wine. 1.5 c arborio rice (recommended, but you can sub other rice if it is all you have). 5 tbs butter. 7 c chicken stock. 1 c parmesan, grated. 3 tbs parsley, chopped. blender, food processor or emersion blender to puree pumpkin. 

start by combining half the onion, pumpkin, garlic and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. season with half the salt, pepper and nutmeg. cook until the onions are translucent and starting to brown, about 5-7 minutes.
when the onions are translucent, pour in the wine, the rest of the salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir well to combine. continue to cook over medium heat until the liquid has evaporated and the pumpkin is tender. another 10 to 15 minutes. stir ever few minutes. 

while the pumpkin is cooking down, combine the remaining onion, rice and butter in a heavy pot. 

heat the mixture over medium high heat until the onions are translucent and the rice is toasted, stirring every few minutes. about 7-10 minutes.
as your rice is toasting, put your chicken stock in a pot and bring the stock to a slow simmer. you want the liquid to be hot when it goes into the rice mixture. 

once your rice is toasted, pour in 1 cup of chicken stock. simmer till the liquid is almost completely evaporated. about 2 minutes. 

once the liquid is almost evaporated, reduce the heat to medium and continue that process with three more cups of stock, one cup at a time. should take 5 to 7 minutes per cup at medium heat. 

somewhere in the process of adding the stock, your pumpkin will become tender. 

remove the pumpkin mix from the heat and place it in your blending device. blend till mostly smooth, with just a few small pieces still remaining for texture. 

after your 4 cups of stock have been absorbed, stir in the pumpkin puree. 

once the puree has been completely combined, once again add the stock one cup at a time until all the stock is absorbed.

remove the risotto from the heat and stir in half of the parmesan, most of the parsley and the remaining butter and stir until everything melts together. 

the rice should be tender with just the slightest bite to it and very creamy.

top with desired amount of cheese and a sprinkling of parsley and serve hot. 

xo, a

pumpkin risotto
serves: 4
prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 1 hour
total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
ingredients: .5 lb pumpkin, pealed and diced (about 2 cups). 2 onions, diced. 3 garlic cloves, smashed. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tsp nutmeg. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. .75 c dry white wine. 1.5 c arborio rice (recommended, but you can sub other rice if it is all you have). 5 tbs butter. 7 c chicken stock. 1 c parmesan, grated. 3 tbs parsley, chopped. blender, food processor or emersion blender to puree pumpkin.
start by combining half the onion, pumpkin, garlic and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. season with half the salt, pepper and nutmeg. cook until the onions are translucent and starting to brown, about 5-7 minutes.
when the onions are translucent, pour in the wine, the rest of the salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir well to combine. continue to cook over medium heat until the liquid has evaporated and the pumpkin is tender. another 10 to 15 minutes. stir ever few minutes.
while the pumpkin is cooking down, combine the remaining onion, rice and butter in a heavy pot. heat the mixture over medium high heat until the onions are translucent and the rice is toasted, stirring every few minutes. about 7-10 minutes.
as your rice is toasting, put your chicken stock in a pot and bring the stock to a slow simmer. you want the liquid to be hot when it goes into the rice mixture. once your rice is toasted, pour in 1 cup of chicken stock. simmer till the liquid is almost completely evaporated. about 2 minutes.
once the liquid is almost evaporated, reduce the heat to medium and continue that process with three more cups of stock, one cup at a time. should take 5 to 7 minutes per cup at medium heat.
somewhere in the process of adding the stock, your pumpkin will become tender. remove the pumpkin mix from the heat and place it in your blending device. blend till mostly smooth, with just a few small pieces still remaining for texture.
after your 4 cups of stock have been absorbed, stir in the pumpkin puree.
once the puree has been completely combined, once again add the stock one cup at a time until all the stock is absorbed.
remove the risotto from the heat and stir in half of the parmesan, most of the parsley and the remaining butter and stir until everything melts together. the rice should be tender with just the slightest bite to it and very creamy.
top with desired amount of cheese and a sprinkling of parsley and serve hot.