i arrived home from teaching and taking yoga at eleven this morning ready to get busy in the kitchen. it's friyay, so duh, i had to make and enjoy a cocktail with wes. and then it was time toprep, prep, prep for the baby shower we are catering for my good friend lish tomorrow morning. 

but as soon as i started fiddling around at the bar, wes told me HE wanted to make our cocktail. 

you got it buddy! i'll happily enjoy the fruits of your labor and spend a couple minutes relaxing on the couch before the madness. so he got to creating. 

after we shot the cocktail, we headed out to our garden to enjoy it and some last moments of calm. as i edited the photos, i couldn't help but laugh. that sweet man has spent so much time watching me style photos, there was the perfect amount of props and garnish. too bad he didn't use most of them. so don't mind the muddler, long spoon or that rogue pineapple wheel in the corner of the ingredients shot/the background of many of these shots. they are pretty, but not required. 

while his styling might need work, his bartender skills are well honed. try this orange blossom for a fresh, easy drinking, summer cocktail. 

orange blossoms
serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 2 oz fresh squeezed orange juice. 1 oz st. germain. .5 oz hibiscus syrup (you can purchase it HERE). lime wheel for garnish. orange peel for garnish. 1 cup ice. boston shaker. ice for serving. 

fill your boston shaker with 1 cup of ice. 

pour in your vodka, orange juice, st. germain and hibiscus syrup. shake well. 

pour the liquid over ice. 

garnish with lime wheel and orange peel and enjoy. 

xo, a

orange blossoms serves: 1 cocktail
prep time: 2 minutes
active time 1 minute
total time: 3 minutes
ingredients: 2 oz vodka. 2 oz fresh squeezed orange juice. 1 oz st. germain. .5 oz hibiscus syrup (you can purchase it HERE). lime wheel for garnish. orange peel for garnish. 1 cup ice. boston shaker. ice for serving.
fill your boston shaker with 1 cup of ice. pour in your vodka, orange juice, st. germain and hibiscus syrup. shake well. pour the liquid over ice. garnish with lime wheel and orange peel and enjoy.

if i had known how easy it was to make homemade ricotta, i would have tried it a LOOONNNNNNGGGGG time ago. i love fresh, creamy, decadent ricotta, but the ones sold at the grocery store leave something to be desired. they are just a bit, artificial. 

for the baby shower wes and i are catering this weekend, i really wanted to serve a delicious balsamic berry jam over ricotta on toast, so it pushed me to take that leap to homemade. 

game. changer. 

it requires ingredients you likely have at home or could pick up in one trip to the store. it takes less than ten minutes of work and it is worth every second. you can order cheesecloth HERE and be making your own in no time. 

homemade ricotta
yields: 1 cup
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 15 minutes
inactive time: 1 hour total time: 1 hour & 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 quart whole milk. .5 cup heavy cream. 2 tbs lemon juice. .5 tsp salt. mesh strainer or sieve.cheesecloth. 

in a large, heavy pot, combine the salt, milk and cream. over a medium heat, gradually bring the liquid to a rolling boil. the time here may vary depending on how cold your milk and cream start out, but anywhere from 5-10 minutes. 

add in the lemon juice and reduce the heat so that the liquid is simmering. simmer the liquid till it begins to curdle. about 2-5 minutes. 

remove the pot from the heat and pour the liquid into the strainer lined with cheese cloth placed over a large bowl. 

allow the ricotta to drain for an hour. 

use or store in the fridge for up to two weeks. i recommend it on toast, some lasagna or blood orange & ricotta pancakes.

xo, a

homemade ricotta
yields: 1 cup
prep time: 1 minute
active time: 15 minutes
inactive time: 1 hour total time: 1 hour & 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 quart whole milk. .5 cup heavy cream. 2 tbs lemon juice. .5 tsp salt. mesh strainer or sieve. cheesecloth. in a large, heavy pot, combine the salt, milk and cream. over a medium heat, gradually bring the liquid to a rolling boil. the time here may vary depending on how cold your milk and cream start out, but anywhere from 5-10 minutes. add in the lemon juice and reduce the heat so that the liquid is simmering. simmer the liquid till it begins to curdle. about 2-5 minutes. remove the pot from the heat and pour the liquid into the strainer lined with cheese cloth placed over a large bowl. allow the ricotta to drain for an hour. use or store in the fridge for up to two weeks. i recommend it on toast, some lasagna or blood orange & ricotta pancakes.