Rosy Cheeks Drink Recipe

 We had our first snow here at our house in Seattle. In celebration of rosy cheeks in winter cold, here is a decadent drink recipe for ya!

Rosy Cheeks
Serves 8
Only 98 calories per serving

1/2 cup whipping cream
2 ounces Chambord (1/4 cup)
1 1/2 ounces Belvedere Black raspberry vodka (3 tablespoons)
1 ounce Stoli vanilla vodka (2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup ice cubes
8 fresh raspberries

Directions

1. In a blender, combine whipping cream, Chambord, raspberry vodka, and vanilla vodka. Add ice cubes. Cover and blend until thoroughly blended.

2. Pour mixture into eight 1 1/2-to 2-ounce shot glasses. Garnish with raspberries. Serve immediately.

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Snow Day Hot Toddy

Here in Seattle, we are under the spell of snow.  That is my back yard from yesterday, and it is now over 2". *sigh* I love you, snow...

Snow is fairly rare here in the greater Puget Sound Area (that's Seattle and surrounding areas north, south, and east, for those not In The Know), and it creates a love-hate relationship with the fluffy white stuff.  You see, our snow is wet, heavy, slick, and icy, and it lands on one of the hillier cities in the US--the city becomes a giant winter slip n' slide!  We also have a melt/freeze cycle, such that the snow melts a bit, then freezes into sheets of ice, onto which more snow falls, making a slurry of slushy, icy, dangerous conditions.  Add that to a populace who never learns how to drive confidently in those conditions since it happens so infrequently, and it gets downright scary out there!

So snow day is a very real phenomenon around these parts.  When it snows, we get to stay home.  Well "get" also is a misnomer, since for some that means lost wages.  But if you can afford an extra day off, or can get a little work done from home, then snow days really are a treat!  You get to hang out in a snow globe and watch the landscape become a glistening blanket of white.

Since these conditions means class is canceled, I thought I would share a special drink recipe to enjoy at home tonight.  For a non-ginger version, you can just use a dash of sugar or simple syrup in the traditional hot toddy recipe.  But the ginger just seems so decadent!  (I also recommend Yazi, which is a ginger-infused vodka which we always keep around the house. The bottle is gorgeous, and the vodka delectable.  Makes a great spike for many drink recipes to make it extra special.)

I hope everyone is warm and safe tonight. Happy snow day!

Recipes for A Farewell to Summer

Last night I treat myself to a little farewell to summer indulgence. I thought I would share the recipes I made: Mini Apple Tarts and Ginger Basil Lemonade.

Mini Apple Tarts

Ingredients:
- 1 package pre-made pie crust (comes with 2 crusts)
- 4-5 small-medium apples of your choice (I used Fuji)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 2 tsp (or to taste) apple pie spice or cinnamon
- a dash of vanilla extract (1/4 tsp maybe?)