Carrot Ginger Orange Mimosas

March 20, 2020March 20, 2020 Renee Leave a comment

Whether you’re gathering with friends or enjoying a long languid Sunday morning of social distancing with your partner, a pitcher of Carrot Ginger Orange Mimosas is going to make everything a lot more fun. Brighter and zingier than the original, this drink is worth getting out of bed for.

We’re entering what I like to call brunch season. The sun is finally up by the time we get out of bed in the morning for one thing. But we’ve also got British Mother’s Day, then Easter, and finally Mother’s Day in the US. Then we’re going to be smack in the middle of wedding season and hen/bacelorette weekends. All of these seem like a perfect reason to enjoy a little sparkling wine before noon.

As much as I enjoy going out for brunch, there’s something so much more inviting about hosting brunch in your home, particularly if it’s for a special occasion. I’ve got dozens of awesome breakfast and brunch recipes in my archives, and those are usually the ones that make my mouth water the most. You a gorgeous breakfast casserole in the oven, bake up a few little pastries, and put out a gorgeous spread of fresh fruit, and you’ve got yourself a party.

Of course, mimosas will take everything straight to the top. These Carrot Ginger Orange Mimosas almost make you feel like you’re at the spa. The carrot juice is stil quite sweet but also brings a subtle earthiness. The ginger infuses the whole thing with a fascinating bit of heat that really wakes you up. And the bonus is that you can use cheap sparkling wine here. The juice would mask the flavors of a fancy champagne anyway.

How to make Carrot Ginger Orange Mimosas

Making this up could not be easier. No one will be surprised to learn that I use bottled carrot and orange juice here. If you want to juice carrots and squeeze oranges, be my guest. I’m sure that would be awesome, but I don’t have the equipment or the patience for that. Do you slices of fresh ginger, though. If you want the ginger flavor a little stronger, you could always grate the ginger in, but this leaves tiny bits of ginger root floating in your drink, then sticking in your teeth. I prefer more of an infusion of ginger.

You can also decide whether you want to mix the wine with the juice all at once or if you want to offer the juice mix and the wine separately. I like to keep them separate. Then you can also offer some soda water for anyone who can’t have or doesn’t want alcohol. Just fill the glass about a quarter of the way with the juice, then top it up with whichever sparkling beverage you choose.

Hopefully we’ll all be gathering together again very soon. Until then, get plenty of vitamins and drink a Carrot Ginger Orange Mimosa.

Recipe adapted from Homemade Decadence by Joy Wilson.

Stem Ginger Biscuits

November 22, 2019November 20, 2019 Renee 2 Comments

Stem Ginger Biscuits are packed with ginger heat. Plus, they’re the perfect combination of crispy and chewy. You’ll love them.

Things got a little personal on the blog this week. I’m not gonna lie. It felt a little weird to be talking about serious life stuff with all of you. It’s been a long time since we’ve dug deep and found our inner awesomeness. Maybe we should make it a thing.

I feel much more comfortable back in the realm of butter and flour. Cookies are something I know about. A subject upon which I can speak with a modicum of authority. Because you know I’ve eaten a lot of cookies in my lifetime. Like a lot a lot.

Okay, technically I’m calling these biscuits because it’s a British recipe, but they feel more like a cookie when you eat them. I don’t know if the difference is anything other than regional semantics, but in my mind, a biscuit is more dry and crisp, and a cookie is more chewy or cakey. Maybe I’m not an expert on this after all.

Perhaps we should have waited until December to talk about cookies, but I feel like these Stem Ginger Biscuits transcend season. They’ve got that glorious ginger warmth, and the addition of chopped stem ginger adds a chewy texture and depth of flavor.

One of the things I like about this recipe is that you use melted butter and golden syrup (or you could substitute light corn syrup). That means you don’t have to wait for butter to soften before getting started. No creaming butter and sugar, either, so we can make the whole thing in one mixing bowl with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. So simple.

There are very few situations in life that can’t be improved with tea and biscuits. If you’ve got these Stem Ginger Biscuits in your biscuit tin or cookie jar, happiness is sure to follow.

This recipe is from The Great British Book of Baking by Linda Collister.

Rum and Ginger Beer with a Twist

February 2, 2019February 2, 2019 Renee Leave a comment

Rum & Ginger Beer with a Twist | How to be Awesome on $20 a Day

Ooph. It’s been a week, kids. I need a drink. Like now. Nothing complicated. No syrups or shrubs to prepare. N fancy rims or garnishes. I don’t want to think. I just want to drink.

One drink, maybe a piece of chocolate. Fifteen minutes to feel sorry for yourself. Then you have to take a deep breath, let it go, and move on. Here’s to saying no to taking onto other people’s emotional baggage. Here’s to pulling back, going internal, and allowing yourself to relax and let go. Here’s to knowing there’s every possibility that tomorrow will be better.

I’ve made you a real life drink today. Three ingredients, and you’re well on your way to a spicy, flavorful drink that will have you totally chilled in no time. We’re mixing up our favorite spiced rum with ginger beer and a squeeze of fresh lime. Pour it all over ice, and you’re done.

Let’s be honest, this is the way we really drink most of the time? I mean, how often do you actually want to stand in the kitchen muddling up fruits and herbs after a stressful day? Fancy Instagram cocktails are beautiful, but this is real life, and this Rum & Ginger Beer is a real life drink. No apologies.

Cheers, my friends, to confronting where you are in life right now, and making the most of it. A little rum should help.

Rum & Ginger Beer with a Twist

Yield

1 serving

Prep time

5 minutes

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

1 ounce spiced rum
4 ounces ginger beer
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
Ice

Instructions

Add ice to a short glass. Pour over the spiced rum, top up with ginger beer, squeeze in a wedge of lime, give it a gentle stir, and enjoy.

Mistletoe Mocktail

December 20, 2018May 6, 2019 Renee Leave a comment

Christmas is almost here, and I can’t wait. As I write this, I have basically another half day of work left before I get to take over two weeks off. I’m looking forward to being utterly idle for hours at a time, watching all the movies and tv, reading all the books, and cooking something every day. Come by for copious leftovers.

It’s just Geoff and I for Christmas this year, and Geoff doesn’t have much time off work, so this will be an oddly solitary holiday season. I’m not remotely mad about it.

For most, though, Christmas break is all about getting together with family. From newborns to centenarians, you’ll likely be feeding people of all ages all at once during the holidays. So today, I’m offering you a versatile drink that can make a lot of people happy.

This Mistletoe Mocktail is a lime and ginger delight. If you’re too young to drink or don’t drink for any reason, this will be absolutely awesome. Sweet and tangy, with a touch of heat from ginger beer, you can easily make this for one person or twenty.

If spending so much time with your family is making you desperate for a bit of booze, or if you just want to make your holidays a little more merry, you could easily add a shot of vodka or maybe even rum to your glass to make this a legit cocktail.

Happy holidays, friends. May your days be merry and bright.

Mistletoe Mocktail

5 minutes

Easy

Adapted from Nigella Christmas by Nigella Lawson

Vanilla Ginger Mojito

October 7, 2018October 6, 2018 Renee Leave a comment

Are you getting legit fall weather where you live yet? In Scotland, summer is a distant memory, and it’s been chilly and damp for weeks now, but I know other parts of the world are just now seeing those delightfully crisp autumn days. October is up there as my favorite time of year. The autumn leaves are in full show, and you still get some sunny, albeit cold, days where you can get outside and feel alive. They don’t have apple picking or pumpkin patches or hay rides here in Scotland, but at least there’s still boots and sweaters and all things toffee.

Today I’ve made you a cocktail that is the perfect transition from summer to fall. Mojitos bring to mind steamy beach vacations, short skirts, and salsa music. But this version has some beautiful fall flavors that are perfect to sip in front of the fire after a day of crunching through leaves. Okay, maybe you can’t pick the mint from your garden, but you can definitely make this happen.

This Vanilla Ginger Mojito is one of the best cocktails I’ve made in a long time. I splurged on a whole vanilla bean to make the syrup, and it was totally worth it. This cocktail is so beautifully fragrant, I wish it was a perfume. I also made that vanilla bean do double duty. The recipe calls for vanilla rum, but that wasn’t available at my grocery store, so I just popped the vanilla bean into my bottle of white rum and presto, vanilla rum.

This recipe is two stage and involves several fresh ingredients, but it’s in no way complicated to make. And I assure you it is an absolute pleasure to drink. It’s all for the best that this recipe only makes two cocktails because you could easily drink a bucket of these.

Cheers to autumn, friends. Make yourself a Vanilla Ginger Mojito and enjoy these awesome days.

Vanilla Ginger Mojito

2018-10-06 02:40:28

Serves 2

This Vanilla Ginger Mojito is the perfect drink to take you from summer to fall with a smile on your face.

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

5 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

5 min

For the syrup

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, sliced in half with seeds scraped out
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 inch chunk fresh ginger, peeled

For the cocktail

2/3 cup fresh mint leaves
4 ounces vanilla rum
2 ounces soda water
2 ounces ginger ale
2 ounces lime juice
Lime wedges for garnish, optional

For the syrup

Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan. Stir together the water and sugar, then add the scraped out beans from your vanilla bean, along with the whole bean, the vanilla extract, and the piece of ginger. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, and reduce the heat to simmer for about two minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for about fifteen minutes to steep. Remove the vanilla bean and ginger.

For the cocktail

Add about a third of a cup of fresh mint leaves to two glasses. Add two ounces of vanilla rum to each glass and muddle the mint in the bottom of the glass by giving it a good smash with something blunt. I use the handle end of a butter knife.
Fill each glass with plenty of ice, then divide the remaining ingredients between your two glasses.
Garnish with a wedge of lime and some additional mint. Give it a good stir before drinking.

Adapted from Seriously Delish by Jessica Merchant

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Tag: Ginger