Clementine, Avocado + Crispy Carrot Salad

It's good to be back in the kitchen. Ten days is the longest I've gone without cooking a meal. Not that I'm complaining about the food we had while we were away. It was some of the best seafood I've ever consumed (we ate ALL the poke and sushi we could get our hands on) and we drank enough Mai tais to keep a steady buzz going for the majority of the trip. But I missed holding a knife. I missed peeling and chopping and sautéing.

As soon as we got back, I was immediately thrust back into work. It wasn't until yesterday that I had some free time to prepare recipes I've been developing over the last few weeks (some of which were inspired by our travels).

While I know a chunk of the country has gotten slammed with snow, it's been unseasonably warm here in Boston. For those who don't remember, this is exactly what happened last year. Warmth and sunshine and blue skies for all of December. We all said, "Where's this snow everyone's been saying we'd get nailed with?" and we laughed and thought we were having the mildest winter ever. And then February came. And the snow never ended. And we cried.

Oh gosh, why did I even bring that up? Let's try to enjoy the good weather we're having and spend as much time we can outside. Let's eat citrus salad and drink bottles of crisp white wine. Cold, dark days are ahead of us... so let's just soak this all in.

Clementine, Avocado and Crispy Carrot Salad

Yield
Serves 2

Tools
Mandoline

Ingredients
2 clementine, peeled
1 large carrot, washed well
Olive oil
1 avocado, pit removed and flesh sliced lengthwise
5-6 parsley leaves
Salt
Black pepper

Directions
1. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the clementine into 1/4 inch slices.

2. Using a mandoline, slice the carrot to create very thin rounds. Then, heat a small skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and set over high heat. Working in batches, add the sliced carrot in batches and cook for 2-3 minutes, flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until it gets crispy, but not burnt (a little darkness around the edges is fine). Transfer chips to a plate lined with paper towels.

3. Transfer the sliced clementine to the plate. Top with avocado, carrot chips, and fresh parsley. Season with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Silent Sunday: Playska (Cambridge, MA)

Head on over to my portfolio page to view more food and beverage photography.

Playska 243 Hampshire Street Inman Square Cambridge, MA 02139 www.playska.com/

Cranberry Ginger Whiskey Smash (and Homemade Ginger Liqueur) {GIVEAWAY}

I wrote the below text shortly before word began to spread about the attacks in Paris. I was about to put my computer away when notifications started popping up on my phone. My first thought: "Please, not again." The next hour was spent compulsively scrolling through feeds, but at a certain point I decided to disconnect. I deleted Facebook and Twitter and kept the news off the TV. Periodically, I'd look at the New York Times for updates, all of them devastating.

That evening, I just wanted to be with Eric. We hadn't seen each other in a few days since I was down in New Jersey visiting my family earlier in the week, and so we curled up on the couch, had dinner and put on some mindless shows. While he did the dishes, I went over to Maki's bed and lay beside her and she gave me a few licks with her tongue. She knew what I needed.

I'm not the DIY type. As a blogger, I feel like I'm in the minority. I've seen the posts featuring cool labels and homemade this and that, stared at them admiringly, Pinned them and thought, "That's so beautiful! I should make those for our next party." But then, when I'm cooking for 20+ people, I quickly forget about all of that and focus on just getting the meal on the table.

If there's anyone who could get me into DIY, it would be Maggie. I've known her for years, not just through her site, Eat Boutique, but on a personal level... she lives a few towns over from us and we try to get together about once a month. Maggie is an inspiration, not just because she's created a wonderful, hugely successful brand, but because she's a lovely person with a beautiful heart. When she first told me about her book, Food Gift Love, I was absolutely ecstatic. I know it was a tremendous amount of work... but the result is pure magic. It's a fabulous resource for recipes to make for family and friends (or, you know, to just treat yo self).

Eric and I have been playing around with homemade liqueurs. We picked up a handle of grain alcohol when we were in New Jersey a few years ago with the mission of making limoncello (at the time, grain alcohol wasn't sold in Massachusetts). The bottle sat in our cabinet for years, untouched. This past summer, I decided to try my hand at some homemade ginger liqueur. If we could, we'd put ginger in every cocktail, so it made sense to make our own. We pulled out our handy dandy sous vide and used that to speed up the process (this allows you to heat the liquid to a temperature where you won't burn off the alcohol).

So, here we are... a recipe for homemade ginger liqueur, a twist on the whiskey smash (perfect for all your holiday parties), AND a giveaway of Food Gift Love.  Could it get any better? I don't think so!

Ok, so here's the deal with the giveaway:

To enter: Leave a comment on this post. It can be anything, but I’d love to hear what you're all doing to celebrate the holidays.

Rules: This giveaway will end on Friday, November 27, 2015 at 12:00 PM EST.  I’ll pick one (1) winner via random.org and that person will be contacted via e-mail.  One (1) entry per person and entrants must have a US mailing address (sorry international friends) and provide a valid email address. Best of luck!

Cranberry-Ginger Whiskey Smash

Yield 1 drink

Ingredients
8-10 fresh cranberries
¾ oz homemade ginger liqueur (see recipe below)
2 oz whiskey (I used bourbon)
1 oz lemon juice

Crushed ice Lemon peel, for garnish

Directions
1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the cranberries and ginger liqueur. Add the whiskey and lemon juice, cover shaker and give it a couple dry shakes (no ice).

2. Pour drink and muddled cranberries into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice.

For serving: garnish with a lemon peel or with candied ginger and sugared cranberries.

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Homemade Ginger Liqueur

Yield 2 cups

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups water
3 tablespoons ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup vodka or Everclear (grain alcohol)

Directions
1. Add the sugar and water to a pot and set over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved into the water. Add ginger and orange zest and bring mixture to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. After this, let the syrup cool to room temperature.

2. Transfer the liquid and all ginger pieces and orange zest to a large sealable jar with vodka or Everclear. Close tightly with a lid and give the mixture a good shake.

3. After 3 days, strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve to get all ginger and orange peel out.

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