it is that time again. we all made it to the end of the week. and man o man was this one a doozy. 

between prepping for wednesdays shoot, shooting all day in the desert wednesday, food and dessert deliveries thursday and working at the studio friday morning, i pretty much burnt the candle at both ends for the entire week. and it's possible i am in a zombie like state. 

but all the hard work and lack of sleep was well worth it. wednesday's shoot was drop dead gorgeous. all the vendors came together to produce some really beautiful work. 

i was particularly thrilled with the way our styled cocktails turned out. these cocktails make the desert feel like the coolest place to be. 

a little trick to always have a picture perfect cocktail ready is to create some pretty ice in advance. if i have extra herbs, berries or fruit, i freeze it in ice trays for future use. that way when guests come over, even the simplest vodka soda can look like a fancy beverage with the addition of lavender or blackberry ice. once the ice is frozen you can store it in bags or baskets in the freezer till you are ready to use. 

since i'm running on fumes, today i put together a tasty libation with leftovers from the shoot. ginger + pears made the perfect slightly sweet and spicy compliment to your favorite whiskey. 

ginger + pear whiskey soda
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 7 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 oz whiskey (i used bulleit rye). 1 tsp grated ginger. 1 tbs chopped fresh pear. 1 tsp lime juice. club soda. pear slice for garnish. 2 dashes bitters if you have some on hand. shaker or pint glass with strainer. 2 cups ice divided. 

start by combining your pears, ginger and lime juice together in a bowl. muddle until the pears are smashed.

combine the pear mixture in the shaker with 1 cup ice and the whiskey.

shake well.

strain the mixture into a glass with the rest of the ice. 

add club soda to taste. add bitters if available. 

garnish with pear wedge and enjoy. 

xo, a

ginger + pear whiskey soda
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 2 minutes
total time: 7 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 oz whiskey (i used bulleit rye). 1 tsp grated ginger. 1 tbs chopped fresh pear. 1 tsp lime juice. club soda. pear slice for garnish. 2 dashes bitters if you have some on hand. shaker or pint glass with strainer. 2 cups ice divided.
start by combining your pears, ginger and lime juice together in a bowl. muddle until the pears are smashed.
combine the pear mixture in the shaker with 1 cup ice and the whiskey. shake well.
strain the mixture into a glass with the rest of the ice.
add club soda to taste. add bitters if available.
garnish with pear wedge and enjoy. 

good morning! i hope your candy hangover finds you well. 

now, most of the time for breakfast i am a standard eggs and bacon girl. sure, it could be some
combo of sandwich, or scramble, or poached eggs with candied bacon. you get it. but every once in a while, i get a real serious craving for pancakes. it always hits me out of nowhere. and they can't be any pancakes. i'm looking for a fluffy, flavorful cake. bonus points for some sort of delicious creamy cheese or fruit preserves. hell, even throw some berries in there. 

and the other day i got a MAJOR pancake craving. it was perfectly timed with a morning wes had off and my brother just happened to stop by. 

next thing i knew, this craving crushing beauty was born. 

blood orange + ricotta pancakes
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 20 minutes
total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: 1 cup ricotta cheese. 1 cup all purpose flour. .5 tsp baking powder. 1.5 tbs sugar. .25 tsp fine salt. .75 c whole milk. 2 eggs, separated. zest of 1 blood orange. juice of .5 blood orange. .5 blood orange roughly chopped. extra sliced blood orange for serving. .5 vanilla extract. 2 tablespoons butter for cooking. maple syrup for serving. 

start by whipping your egg white in with a hand beater or in a stand mixer till they have stiff peaks. 

in a large bowl combine the milk, egg yolks, vanilla and ricotta. whisk together till smooth. add in your blood orange zest, juice and segments and mix to combine. 

mix your dry ingredients into the ricotta and milk mixture. 

add a large spoon full of your eggs and mix till combined.

add in the remaining eggs. fold them into the batter till completely combined. 

heat your pan to a medium high heat or heat your electric skillet to 350 f. 

when hot, add in your butter and lightly push it around to cover your cooking surface. 

use a 1/3 measuring cup to pour equal serving of batter onto the skillet or pan. 

cook until bubbles form and start to pop. 

when many of the bubbles have popped, flip your cake. about 3 to 5 minutes. flip and continue to cook till cooked through. and additional 3-5 minutes. 

stack, top with blood orange slices, drizzle with syrup and serve. 

xo, a

blood orange + ricotta pancakes
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 20 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: 1 cup ricotta cheese. 1 cup all purpose flour. .5 tsp baking powder. 1.5 tbs sugar. .25 tsp fine salt. .75 c whole milk. 2 eggs, separated. zest of 1 blood orange. juice of .5 blood orange. .5 blood orange roughly chopped. extra sliced blood orange for serving. .5 vanilla extract. 2 tablespoons butter for cooking. maple syrup for serving.
start by whipping your egg white in with a hand beater or in a stand mixer till they have stiff peaks.
in a large bowl combine the milk, egg yolks, vanilla and ricotta. whisk together till smooth.
add in your blood orange zest, juice and segments and mix to combine. in a smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
mix your dry ingredients into the ricotta and milk mixture.
add a large spoon full of your eggs and mix till combined.
add in the remaining eggs. fold them into the batter till combined.
heat your pan to a medium high heat or heat your electric skillet to 350 f.
when hot, add in your butter and lightly push it around to cover your cooking surface.
use a 1/3 measuring cup to pour equal serving of batter onto the skillet or pan. cook until bubbles form and start to pop.
when many of the bubbles have popped, flip your cake. about 3 to 5 minutes. flip and continue to cook till cooked through. and additional 3-5 minutes.
stack, top with blood orange slices, drizzle with syrup and serve.