we have a lot of bourbon sitting on our bar right now. the husband is a big fan of the kentucky native libation and is usually gifted a bottle (or two or three) here and there for special occasions. the other night we tried dinner at boston chops, a newish steakhouse bistro in the south end and on the cocktail menu was a drink which i think was named #smashed (but i could be wrong about the name). it was a bourbon drink and even i ordered it it sounded so delicious. let me tell you, this is a dangerous drink, it tastes soooo damn good. i looked it up, it's a variation of the kentucky kiss. our drink had either basil or mint muddled into it, but otherwise it's about the same. i think i'm going to whip us up some this weekend...
Ingredients:
- 2 oz Bourbon
- 1 oz strawberry puree (easy puree recipe here)
- 1/2 oz lemon juice
- 1/2 oz maple syrup
- basil or mint for muddling
Preparation:
- Muddle either basil or mint
- Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake well
- Strain into a chilled lowball glass
- Top with soda
ready for some major tears this friday morning? go read amanda's account of little emily's entrance into this world, it's beautiful. i could not be more thrilled for my sweet friend sarah & her family...
and you have to read about their incredible celebration for their sweet henry too...
i have been so unbelievably fortunate to come to call these two girls friends over the last couple of years. the journey each of them have been on has been inspiring and restored my faith in friendship. xoxo S & A.
i'm a sucker for a handwritten note- even if it's a lost art. i think it's a sign of good manners when you receive a little handwritten note after having been given a gift or hosted a get together- i have a few friends in my life who's mothers i attribute such good manners to. so needless to say i love all things stationary. it's hard for me to walk into a cute little shop (or even target for that matter) without leaving with some new notecards purchased. and with that goes a good custom return label. i want this one from paperfinger with OUR last name on it...
with the pending arrival of labor day, i am so over my summer wardrobe. i wouldn't mind if the fall shopping fairies dropped some of these goodies from title nine off on my front porch... size medium clothes, size 6 shoe... just incase the fairies are reading...
i typically cook italian or mexican or good old fashion american foods- because it's all i know how to do really. but last night i attempted some greek dishes, found on pinterest, and they turned out AMAZING. for reals people, make this, it's easy and delicious and husband approved.
grilled eggplant with garlic-cumin vinaigrette, feta & herbs- i pre-made the vinaigrette & cheese/herb topping for the eggplant so when they were done on the grill they were ready to be dressed. make extra dressing, it's so dang good...
greek chicken cutlets- i marinated the chicken over night which made it WAY more juicy after the husband grilled it. i also pre-made the salad topping before hand (and added some garden cucumbers to the mix too)...
at the recommendation of my boss, i downloaded & started watching the first season of the killing (i think there are currently 3 seasons)...and just like that i'm hooked. very much like when i jumped on the late bandwagon for downton abbey, all i want to do is stay home and watch episode after episode to get myself caught up...
apparently i need to catch up on breaking bad too because that's a show my husband is really into and it starts back up on august 11...but there are like 5 seasons of that, not sure i can make that happen by the middle of august- unless i quit my job and lock myself at home in front of the tv, then maybe...
last november i was up in vermont visiting this special friend and her new home. it was then that i saw her very unique wedding 'guest poster' hanging on her wall. it was a beautiful piece of art that her brother had painted and their guests were able to sign- i loved the idea of it being on display rather than sitting on some dusty bookshelf only to be long forgotten. needless to say i needed to have something like this for our wedding. i had a really hard time finding anything i loved, and i don't really have any talented artists like her brother in my back pocket, so i reached out to my trusty etsy...shocking, i know. i started a conversation with once upon a paper and they agreed to make a watercolor pennant banner poster for me that guests could sign. in hindsight i probably would have made it smaller, not realizing that not every single person who attending our wedding would sign it, but think it's adorable nonetheless and will find a good spot on the wall to display it for a while...
side note on the poster- i was so surprised when it showed up in this cardboard tube with loads and loads of postage from romania!...
another one of my favorite details from our wedding was our family wedding photos. not only was it a beautiful display, but i thought it was such a great way to honor our family members and their marriages, especially our grandparents who are either no longer with us or could not attend because of health/age. i made them all black and white so they would be a little more uniform and then purchased a few weathered painted wood frames from jm watts creations (yes, another etsy vendor) to hold them. i had found painted l.o.v.e. letters a while back and thing they look so adorable together on the table...
the other thing on that picture table are our wedding mad libs. i saw some online but decided i could easily make my own and print them on the kraft paper we were using throughout the wedding than to spend a lot of money on them. if you are looking for a good laugh after your wedding then i highly recommend having these at your cocktail hour or reception- some of them were laugh out loud funny- especially the ones people filled out after a few cocktails!. plus, they'll be a fun thing to get out in a decade or two to read again (click on image to make larger)...
