Drink Pomegranate Gin Fizz. And Be Happy.

It's such a tremendously fun time of year, isn't it? The holiday decor is competing for our attention at Target (do I focus on Thanksgiving? Or do I just dive straight into Christmas? BOTH. ALWAYS BOTH.) The temperatures have dropped, so we get to cozy up to our loved ones and wear hats and gloves and chunky boots. Well, I'm sure that's the case somewhere in the world. My New York friends are certainly doing that. My Georgia friends... well, we are all confused about the weather here. Like, why is it always raining?? And tricking us with the threat of tornadoes? We prefer winter wonderlands. But whatever - LET'S DRINK SPIKED POMEGRANATE JUICE.

I concocted this for the flurry of bridal festivities a few weeks back, and it was so girly and different and good. It would be a great holiday appetizer cocktail for all the upcoming smashing events that I know are on your calendar. Enjoy, friends!

Ingredients:
- 2 oz. gin
- 2 oz. pomegranate juice (I prefer POM)
- 2 oz. club soda
- 2 lime wedges
- fresh mint leaves

Method:
1. Combine gin, pomegranate juice and the juice of 1 lime wedge in a shaker. Shake mixture well.
2. Fill a highball glass (or in my case, a stemless wine glass) with ice and a few sprigs of fresh mint. Muddle that mint a bit. It's asking for it.
3. Pour drink mixture into the glass. Garnish with extra mint and another lime wedge on the side. You're so fancy.

So fancy! That is all! Happy holiday imbibing, my friends! xox.

Goat Cheese & Pistachio Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Dates.

It might be fall festival season for you, but in my world, it's wedding season! I am so excited to be celebrating the upcoming nuptials of one of my oldest friends AND my baby sister. Separate weddings. They aren't marrying each other. Two weddings. One week apart. One week away. Both occasions are coming up fast and the celebrating has already begun with showers and parties and gift wrapping and hoopla. Speaking of, I really need to pick up my dress from the alterations place. MENTAL NOTE. But anyway, in honor of this joyous season, I wanted to share one of my favorite go-to party dishes, because even if you're not celebrating a wedding, these are great holiday appetizers. And this one is SO easy, you will thank me. I'm preparing myself now - because you WILL thank me. Here is a twist on the traditional bacon-wrapped date:

Ingredients:
- 1 package of nitrate-free bacon
- 1 package of fresh dates, pitted
- 4 oz. goat cheese
- 1 package pistachios, crushed

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Stuff each date with a hefty helping of goat cheese.
3. Go ahead and stuff some pistachios in the date, as well.
4. Cut each piece of bacon in half (sometimes I even do thirds).
5. Wrap each date with bacon. Place the date with the bacon's seam side down on a baking sheet.
6. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Flip the dates, then bake for another 5-7 minutes.
7. Remove the dates from the baking sheet, allow to cool. Spear each date with a toothpick, and transfer to a serving platter. Boom! You're holding the best appetizer in the room. I promise :)

Seriously though. If these dates don't get eaten, then BONUS. You get to take them home and scarf the whole plate yourself. While watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix. But seriously, if you take these to a party and they don't get eaten - I will pay you $5. Because that's how confident I am in these delectable treats. FIVE DOLLARS CONFIDENT.

Happy wedding weekending to me. Happy hosting, to you!

Roasted Tomato Soup

I went to an afternoon class at Williams-Sonoma a few weeks ago with my dear friend Liz. We were learning how to use our high-powered blenders to make some autumn recipes. Side note - did you know that Williams-Sonoma offers free technique classes every Sunday at 1pm? I am overjoyed! You know where I will be on Sundays from now on. That store is my happy place. My Christmas list is already brimming with kitchen must-haves. Okay, enough crushing on WS. The point is, at the class I learned how to make a roasted tomato soup. Then I went home and played around with the recipe a bit. And I'm not going to say I'm happy - I'm thrilled. This soup is divine. Skip your way over to the grocery store and snatch up these ingredients. You are going to want to make this tonight.

Ingredients:
- 3 lb. Roma tomatoes
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- 5 tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 bunch of fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
- fresh grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice the tomatoes in half and place in a large glass baking dish, insides facing up.
3. In a small bowl, combine 3 tbsp. olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, fresh thyme, salt and pepper and whisk together until well mixed.
4. Carefully drizzle the glaze over the open-faced tomatoes.
5. Place tomatoes in the oven and roast for 1 hour.

6. Heat a dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Add remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
7. Add the onion, saute for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring so the onion doesn't burn.
8. Add 1 cup of the white wine and bring to a simmer.
9. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock to the dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
10. In batches, puree the mixture until smooth. I used a Vitamix, but you can use any high-powered blender.
11. Return the pureed soup back to the dutch oven, heating over low. Add the parsley, making sure to mix well.
12. Ladle into bowls, top with a bit more parsley and Parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve immediately.

Seriously, this soupppppp. It's just so incredible and autumnal and just what the doctor ordered. And if you want to get fancy, this would be simply perfect if served with a side salad, grilled cheese or toast points. Bon Appetit, friends!

Soda & Sugar Pulled Pork.

Soda & Sugar Pulled Pork.
It was a Friday night. I was walking around Williams Sonoma, dreaming of taking home all the Staub cookware and copper saucepans that could fit in my Nissan Leaf. Yes, obviously I was on a date. And my man is a good one, so he followed me around the store and let me have my moment in the sun. Or rather, in the Nespresso section. I got to talking to the lovely WS employee, since I like to ask a zillion questions and make friends, and after I professed my love for French cookware, she offered an olive branch - a new recipe! A new recipe for my Le Creuset! And I tried it out and it's friggin awsome, so here I am to share it with you. Incidentally, this recipe is dangerously similar to The Pioneer Woman's, so you know it's going to be good. Nay, GREAT!

Ingredients:
- 1 5-8 lb. Pork Shoulder (also called pork butt, hehe. BUTT.)
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 cans Dr. Pepper
- 1 can Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- 2-3 tbsp. Brown Sugar
- Salt and Pepper (a lot of it)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Quarter the yellow onion and spread the slices on the bottom of a large dutch oven. This is when my Le Creuset gets to come out and play :)
3. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the pork and lay it on top of the sliced onions. I had to really shove it in there to actually fit. It was cozy.
4. Pour the chipotle peppers (and the sauce) over the pork. Pour the 2 cans of Dr. Pepper over the pork, as well, and then top it all off with 2-3 tbsp. of brown sugar. I know it seems weird to put soda in here as a marinade, but it does a beautiful job tenderizing the meat.
5. Cover the dutch oven and place in the oven. Check the meat and turn it every two hours, finally removing it from the oven after 6 hours total.
6. Transfer the meat to a large plate or cutting board. The meat should easily shred with a fork. You can separate the fatty parts from the rest of the meat, although some people claim that it is the tastiest part of the meat. Like my husband. Totally your choice.

I personally like to use this pulled pork to make sandwiches, which I dress with muenster cheese, coleslaw and a pickle. Sweet or dill, I don't discriminate. However, you can also serve this on soft tortillas with some diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and coleslaw. It's all pretty ridiculously delicious. But make sure to invite some pals over - this meal makes a zillion servings. Bon Appetit, friends!

An Ode to Riverside Dining.

The scene was exhilarating, maddening, memorable. Dinnertime in the city. A wall of windows reflected the setting sun over Atlanta’s lazy Chattahoochee River. The silverware sparkled. The music was sweet. My whole family was finally together in one place, all of us, together again! We gathered to celebrate my beautiful little sister’s graduation from college. We were all so proud, beaming with sheer joy, laughing and pouring the wine and drinking in the moment’s wonder.

I, however, was sorely distracted.

My baby son was squirming in my arms, pulling on my fancy dress, and yelping incomprehensible phrases. It was past his bedtime, and he was tired and hungry. I did my best to contain him while we were seated at our white-clothed table, but to no avail. What’s a mom to do?

As the waiter approached the table, I was so distracted by Everett eating the crayons and throwing the appetizer that I didn’t take a moment to look at the menu. However, instead of rolling his eyes and (not so subtly) judging me for bringing a baby into this hoity-toity joint, our kind waiter just smiled and said, “Ma’am, please take your time.”

Whew. Take my time? Don’t mind if I do. I almost asked him if I could take my time in the form of a 20-minute break at the bar while he played patty cake with my baby. Don’t worry, I only thought it.

The meal came out and it was spectacular. The chef made Everett something special since there was no children’s menu, and he ate and ate and ate. Like the rest of us. This restaurant wasn’t an Atlanta landmark for no reason. Each morsel, taste, spoonful, and decadent bite was rich with  flavor. Even my little boy had calmed into a food stupor for a few moments, so I actually had a chance to enjoy my half-glass of wine and laugh with my sisters.

It was a moment of perfection. The wait staff was so discreet that I hardly noticed when they whisked away a plate, refilled a beverage, and let me keep our mess of baby food and teething toys and sippy cups in my quadrant of the table. We toasted to my sister’s future over and over again. The glowing eyes of my loved ones encircled my periphery, and I felt like the luckiest lady in the world.

When Everett got fussy, the host suggested that a walk through the garden might calm the baby down. He escorted me through the French doors that led to a riverbank path. The outdoor space was peaceful and green and he was enamored by the simple beauties. The tall tomato plants amused him, the fat bell peppers made him laugh and the cranes skimming the top of the water had a hypnotizing effect. As the sun took its final plunge into the river, I knew that this place was the right choice to celebrate such a special occasion, due to both the excellent cuisine and the fact that I didn’t feel like a complete nuisance to the wait staff. In fact, I felt so cared for, when I would normally be feeling frantic and out of control.

I am so grateful that a restaurant as esteemed as this would train its staff to treat all guests with such an incredible amount of attention and care. This place didn’t need my business, but they made me feel like a priority in an environment that was a challenge for my large family with multiple children along for the ride.

This encounter makes me think about how I treat others, especially those who have different situations than mine. Sometimes I don’t take enough time to consider how I can be of service. I tend to drive impatiently, tap my foot while I wait in line, eat in a hurry and talk on my phone while I’m doing ten things at once. But if I took just a bit of extra time to emulate our kind waiter by making those around me feel like they could take their time in my presence, well, how much better would people feel? A lot, probably. A whole lot better.

Thank you, Canoe. Your distinct excellence inspires me to approach others with the same sensitivity and respect that you showed me. And thank you for making me feel cared for by approaching family dining as just that – a special memory for the entire family.

Want to meet purveyors who are making a difference with their customers? Check out BonAppetit.com’s “Out of the Kitchen”, an ongoing exploration of the relationships that build and sustain the food industry. See how hyper-local food markets operate and how their focus on quality and service keep customers coming back for more.

Many thanks to Epicurious for sponsoring this post.