Blackberry Mojito

Not sure when I became such a mojito person, but now it’s totally my go-to drink at home when I’m craving a little something. Maybe it’s because my mint plant is still booming, or maybe it’s just because I like mashing things together in a glass. Regardless, when I saw blackberries for next to nothing at the grocery store, I bought a few packs with smoothies and mojitos in mind.

While you can definitely use some simple syrup, one random thing I like to use when making mojitos is raw cane sugar instead. The tart blackberries and lime with the sharp mint and a touch of sugar makes for a beautiful and delicious drink. This definitely won’t be the last mojito you see around here!

Blackberry Mojito

Ingredients:
4 blackberries
4 mint leaves
1 tsp raw cane sugar (like Sugar in the Raw – I just use a 5 gram packet)
1/2 lime, juiced
1 1/2 oz white rum
Soda water

Yield: 1 drink

Directions:
Muddle the blackberries, mint, sugar, and lime juice in the bottom of your glass. Add the rum and stir. Top it off with some soda water and garnish as desired.

Source: Slightly adapted from One Martini at a Time

Cherry Lime Mojito

Mojitos have become one of my favorite drinks – you can do so much with different flavors and ingredients to create a tasty cocktail. Plus, fresh mint is just plain awesome.

This drink is basically a grown up cherry limeade. The tart lime mixed with the sweet cherry and of course, the delicious rum, is a refreshing treat for the summertime heat. I first made these for me and my husband and we absolutely loved them. I’m currently visiting home – my mom and younger brother had never tried a mojito before so I made a few last night. It’s always fun to give people a taste of something new!

Cherry Lime Mojito

Ingredients:
2-3 cherries, pitted and quartered
3 mint leaves
1/4 lime cut into wedges
3/4 tsp turbinado sugar
1 oz white rum (2 oz if you like it stronger!)
1 cup carbonated water (lemon-lime flavored if possible! Sprite works too)

Yield: 1 drink

Directions:
Place cherries, mint, sugar, and lime in a tall glass. Muddle the ingredients together at the bottom of the glass. Add a few ice cubes and pour in the rum. Fill the glass the rest of the way with carbonated water and garnish as desired. Serve and enjoy!

Source: Seafield Farm

Skinny Colada

Fresh coconut water, pineapple juice, and rum = a delicious skinny piña colada! This month’s cocktail is light, tasty, and perfect to make if you’re looking to use up some fresh coconuts! (which by the way, are quite a task to open!) You can make it strong or add some extra pineapple juice if you’re a lightweight like me. Either way, you’ll feel like you’re sipping a drink on a tropical vacation without the usual calories!

Skinny Colada

Ingredients:
1.5 ounces rum
2 ounce pineapple juice
4 ounces coconut water (fresh or bought)
Lime for garnish

Yield: 1 drink

Directions:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Combine the rum and pineapple juice and shake vigorously. Pour coconut water into a glass and top with pineapple-rum mixture. Garnish with a lime or however you like and enjoy!

Source: Everyday Maven

Polish Babka

Babka is a Polish bread that’s traditionally made for Easter. I saw a recipe for it and was intrigued – I love learning about food traditions from other countries. Apparently “babka” is Polish for “grandmother”. It’s named so because the shape is reminiscent of a grandmother’s skirt, especially if you serve the slices fanned out in a circle. Cute, right?

This is a super simple recipe and while it is a yeast dough, there isn’t any kneading required. Just mix the ingredients together, let it rise the proper amount of time, bake it, and boom – you have a delicious treat. The texture is nice and is on the border between bread and cake. My variation left out the usual raisins and dried fruit, at least this time. Even without the addition it’s so good and has just enough sweetness where it could be used as a dessert or an addition to breakfast or brunch.

The rum syrup that’s added right after baking gives the babka a nice extra oomph. But if you decide to add the rum glaze, this grandma isn’t very kid friendly anymore! You can always make it milder with apple juice or milk, or leave out the glaze altogether, but the grown up version we ate had some definite rum action going on.

Happy Easter season to all of you!

Polish Babka

Ingredients:
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Heaping 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) softened butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Rum Syrup:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp rum (or apple juice)

Rum Glaze:
1 cup confectioners sugar
Pinch of salt
2 Tbsp rum (or apple juice)
Splash of milk

Yield: 1 cake (approx 12-16 servings)

Directions:
Place everything for the bread in a mixing bowl and beat at medium speed until cohesive. Increase your mixer’s speed to high and beat for 2 minutes. Add the fruit, beating gently just to combine. (optional)

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest/rise for 60 minutes; it won’t appear to do much. Scoop the batter into a greased bundt pan. Cover the pan, and let the dough rest/rise for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the babka for 35 to 40 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads at least 190 degrees F.

While the babka is baking, prepare the rum syrup. Combine all of the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil, swirling the liquid in the pan, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat.

Remove the babka from the oven. Poke it all over gently with a toothpick or fork and slowly pour the syrup over the babka’s surface. When the syrup is fully absorbed (about 20 minutes or so), carefully loosen the babka’s edges, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack.

To make the glaze, mix all of the ingredients together, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over completely cool babka. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Source: King Arthur Flour

Little Devil

Happy Leap Day! This month’s cocktail is one I found called the “Little Devil”. My hubby described it rightfully as an extra powerful Mike’s Hard Lemonade. The citrus flavor of the fresh lemon juice and the triple sec blended beautifully with the rum and gin. It is sweet and sour and leaves it’s mark – but not too powerful – just like you’d expect a little devil to be.

Plus the cherry is an added bonus – it gives the drink a slight devilish hue and provides something tasty to eat at the end!

Little Devil

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz light rum
1 1/2 oz gin
4 tsp triple sec
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
Maraschino cherry

Yield: 1 drink

Instructions:
Combine all of the  liquids into a cocktail shaker and add ice. Shake for about 10 seconds and strain into a glass. Add a cherry to the glass and enjoy!

Source: Drink of the Week