JACK & BLACK

It's raining in South Florida.  I love the rain!  My favorite are the gloomy, overcast days where you can snuggle in bed, blast the AC, and watch bad daytime TV.  I wasn't made for the humid, sweltering South Florida climate, but this is where I am and so I try to make the most out of beautiful days like this.

Today called for a drink I discovered recently on a whim.  I've been going through really bad Bloody Mary kicks in the past couple of month, and a few weeks ago I ran out of vodka.  Only other alternative we had at home was whiskey.  Normally I'd reserve whiskey for the colder days (really just DAY), but this might be my new favorite summer drink. It's very light and refreshing. Here's the recipe:



Jack & Black
     serves 1

2 oz Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey
12 oz Iced Black Tea
1 tbs Honey Simple Syrup
squeeze of lemon

Start off by making the iced tea.  Take a small tea pot filled with cold water and throw in 2 bags of Twinings English Breakfast.  Let that sit in the fridge for at least 30 mins.  I've made a bigger batch of this tea and stored it for days.  It tastes better the longer the tea is steeping.

Next, make your simple syrup. In a small saucepan heat up 2 tbs of water and 2 tbs of honey.  Stir until the honey has melted down.  This only takes a couple of minutes.  Remove from the stove and let cool.  Once the syrup has cooled, add it to your iced tea.

Now we are ready to assemble!  In a mason jar, add ice, whiskey, black tea and simple syrup.  Finish with a squeeze of lemon, stir and ENJOY!!




Ale

BLACK OLIVE TAPENADE

 I'm the type of gal who will take salty over sweet any time.  I always keep a jar of olives or capers on hand, and I add them to meat sauces or pasta.  As a kid I would snack on green olives while I watched my mom cook dinner.  I've never really experimented with black olives though. A couple of months ago I bought a jar of black olives to add as salad toppers for a diet I was doing, but found that this particular brand of black olives (which shall not be named) didn't have much flavor.  So the olives sat in my fridge, and sat, and sat, and took up space from all the other delicious condiments.  So I thought, "how can I get rid of these suckers?" Olive Tapenade.

Here's the recipe:

     - 1 4.6 oz jar of Kalamata Olives

     - 1 tbs Olive Oil

     - 1 tbs Capers

     - 1 tsp Whole Grain Mustard

     - 1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

     - 1 clove of garlic

     - salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

     ( I added a few green olives with pimentos in there to punch up the flavor)

In a food processor, mince together the olives, capers, garlic, mustard, lemon juice and olive oil.  Once the ingredients are chopped to your desired texture (I don't like mine too minced and mushy), add salt and pepper.  Be careful with the salt!  All of these ingredients are very salty on their own.

Serve on a warm crusty baguette.  I added a little crumbled feta on top of mine.  Everything is betta' with Feta.

Easy, quick and tasty recipe great for snacking or to serve as an appetizer for dinner parties.  Enjoy!

Ale

"I'M A BRAND NEW SKY TO HANG THE STARS UPON TONIGHT"

A blog is the quintessential "blank canvas".  It's a creative outlet you are sharing with anyone and everyone on this infinite space called "the internet".  This outlet in particular is one of creativity, motivation, and growth.  It's about completing goals, pushing yourself to continue to grow, and also acknowledging you will fail from time to time.

Pretty serious stuff, huh?  I promise it won't be.  I suppose the first post is equivalent to the "tell me a little about yourself" question on interviews, or (for me) the Conclusion paragraph in college essays...a big ol' stinky brain fart.

Ale