Blackberry Smash

Blackberries are my favorite fruit, and they are so delicious this time of year.  In addition to eating blackberries & dark chocolate for breakfast, I've been using them to make this amazing mocktail/cocktail, the blackberry smash.  I was going to call it a blackberry fauxjito, but blackberry smash is just so much more fun to say.  In addition to being fun to say, it's really fun to make and drink.

When I have a party, I like to offer one special, seasonally-inspired cocktail that I can make for my friends all night long.  I'm not a very proficient bartender, so I don't want to offer a bunch of different things, but I've found that having one unique drink makes a gathering way more glamorous and fun.  At Thanksgiving this past year, I had ten people over, and was prepared with several different kinds of wine and beer, as well as the ingredients for cranberry margaritas.  The margaritas were such a hit that I don't think we opened a single bottle of wine--no one could say no to a creative libation based on fall's quintessential berry.

Strawberry & Cream Margaritas

You didn't think I was going to leave you without an idea of which margarita to enjoy with your cupcakes, did you?  I am here for you! 

This is delicious.  I am not sure if it really counts as a margarita, but it has tequila in it.  And it has something on the rim (not salt, but who's counting?).

Ingredients (makes two servings):

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup coconut milk

4 ice cubes

2-3 shots silver tequila

Squeeze of lemon or lime juice, plus extra

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons honey (for a paleo-friendly version) or agave nectar (for a vegan version)

Sugar for glasses

Blend all ingredients except the sugar in a blender until smooth.  Taste, and add more lemon juice or agave nectar (or tequila!) if desired.

Dip the rims of two glasses into lemon juice and then sugar.  Pour into the glasses and enjoy!

¡Salud!

Dirty Banana and More Jamaican Stories

Have I ever mentioned how much I love alligators and crocodiles?  Well, I love them a lot.  I've seen alligators in Houston's bayous and on Louisiana swamp tours.  Once I even got to hold a baby alligator at a reptile-themed birthday party.  Yesterday, I got to see crocodiles for the first time in the Black River's Great Morass!  So much fun.  We went on an hour-long boat tour and saw at least six different crocodiles.  The guides know each of the crocodiles by name--they are very territorial and are always seen in the same spots.  This big guy is named Terrorist.  Yikes!

After the tour, we got to see some more approachable crocs in the crocodile nursery.  But, even that little guy looks like he could give quite a bite.

Here's what the Great Morass looks like.  All those dangly branches that look like vines are a special kind of root that mangroves send down to help them get more nutrients out of the brackish water.

Next up was the Appleton Estate Rum Tour.  The best part was when they opened up the bar after the tour--we got to serve ourselves shots of as many different kinds of rum as we wanted.  My favorite was the rum cream, which is featured in my new favorite Jamaican cocktail (see recipe below).  It's like a better version of Bailey's.  I also liked the Berry Hill Pimento Allspice liqueur, which has a pleasant double burn from the alcohol and spice.

I bought an adorable mini-bundt rum cake at the Appleton gift shop, which was a deliciously buttery, rum-soaked cake.  My mom has a mini bundt pan, so I am totally planning on making my own version when I get home.  Maybe with a glaze involving rum cream?  I love that stuff.

Caves at Xtabi

So, yesterday was jam-packed with tours, and today we decided to just take it easy by the cliffs.  We walked about 15 minutes down the road from our hotel to Xtabi, a resort that we'd heard serves great breakfast.  We could smell delicious baked goods even before we rounded the corner and saw the place.  Right away, we knew we just wanted to spend the entire day there.  The tables for the restaurant are in a large round gazebo and porch perched on the cliffs overlooking the ocean.  Two sets of stairs lead down to the lagoon, where you can swim or catch a ride on a glass-bottom boat.  Another set of stairs lead to the caves, where stone benches invite you to sit and relax in the dark coolness by the grotto.  I, however, left in a bit of a hurry after a couple of bats zoomed by uncomfortably close to my head.

Turns out the food is just as fabulous as the surroundings.  I ordered the bread basket (hello, carbs do not count when you're on vacation).  It came with a corn muffin, banana bread, and a cinnamon roll, all split open, buttered, and grilled to crispy perfection.  Ben ordered an ackee and callaloo omelette, which featured ackee from the tree right outside.  It was also delicious, but I did not get a chance to snap a picture before he started eating (I guess it's kind of annoying if someone is always trying to photograph your food from a few different angles before you can even get a bite in).

We lounged by the cliffs all morning, watching small rainstorms come and go.  When it got to be a respectable hour (ahem, 11:30 am), we ordered drinks.  I got one called a Dirty Banana--I was sold by the name and the fact that it had rum cream in it.  This is my new favorite cocktail!  I'm sharing a recipe here based on the ingredients Xtabi uses, so you can try it right away.  You might have to tweak some of the quantities to get it just how you like it.  Let me know what you think!

Recipe (serves one):

2 ounces Tia Maria
2 ounces rum cream or Bailey's
1 banana
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
Chocolate syrup

Drizzle chocolate syrup all over the inside of a tall, frosted glass.  Blend the remaining ingredients until smooth.  Serve in the chocolaty glass.  If you want it extra boozy, top with another splash of Tia Maria.  Enjoy!