goodbye 2011

wishing you a happy new year! cheers to 2012!

flashback friday

you have to love the things you find when you stay with your grandma at christmas! i think this is from kindergarten. and i'm pretty sure that my mom cut my bangs . . . um, thanks?

three for thursday

three things loved in 2011

pinterest - yes, it's completely addicting. however, i've also found a bunch of now favorite recipes and ideas for craft projects. 

bridesmaids - this movie made me laugh so hard i cried. and then went to see it a second time with my best friend. 

jamon iberico - fanboy & i visited spain for the first time this year and may have loved the jamon almost as much as we loved gaudi's stunning architecture. 

what were your favorite things this year? 

christmas eve eve in newport

beautiful view from the cliff walk

cheekydrinks: the eleventh day of christmas cocktails

on the first night of hanukkah, a special dreidel for the adults. l'chaim!

spinning dreidel (from whiskey goldmine)

• 2 parts basil hayden’s bourbon
• 1 part pomegranate juice
• 1 tablespoon fig preserve
• 1 bar spoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 dashes angostura bitters

combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. strain into a chilled cocktail glass. garnish with a lemon peel.

cheekydrinks: the tenth day of christmas cocktails

i can drink sangria almost any day of the week so for the tenth day of christmas cocktails, i give you a holiday twist on my favorite sangria.

cheeky's winter sangria

• 2 bottles red wine
• 1/3 cup bourbon
• 2-4 tablespoons of vanilla sugar
• 2-3 blood oranges or 6-7 clementines
• 2 lemons
• 1-2 apples
• 1 cup cranberries
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 2-5 cinnamon sticks
• 2-3 cloves (optional)

mix the bourbon and the vanilla sugar, set aside.

slice the apple and some of the blood oranges (or clementines) and lemon put them in a big pitcher or punch bowl. juice the citrus and along with the bourbon mixture, add to the pitcher. pour in the wine and stir gently. you can add more vanilla sugar to taste. add the pomegranate seeds cinnamon sticks. sangria will keep in the refrigerator for several days. serve chilled over ice. if desired, top off with a splash of seltzer or french lemonade.

cheekydrinks: the ninth day of christmas cocktails

our ninth cocktail comes from bitters: a spirited history of a classic cure-all by brad thomas parsons. my best friend gave me this incredibly cool book for my birthday and i've been pouring over the intriguing recipes for weeks now.

the long hello

• 1 1/2 oz clear creek apple brandy
• 1 1/2 oz st. germain
• 2 dashes of fee brothers whiskey barrel-aged bitters or old fashioned aromatic bitters
• chilled champagne or sparkling wine
• freshly grated nutmeg for garnish

combine the apple brandy, elderflower liqueur, and bitters into a mixing glass filled with ice and stir until chilled. strain into chilled coupe glasses or champagne flutes and top off with champagne or sparkling wine. garnish with with grated nutmeg.

cheekydrinks: the eighth day of christmas cocktails

who wouldn't love a sparkly, cranberry red cocktail on christmas morning? thanks to my friend, melissa at filling our bucket for sharing one her favorite holiday drinks!

poinsettia 

• 1/2 oz cointreau or grand marnier
• champagne, cava, or prosecco
• 3 oz cranberry juice
• orange twist (optional)

chill all of the ingredients beforehand. pour the orange liqueur and cranberry juice into a chilled champagne flute. stir well. top with champage, cava or prosecco and garnish with an orange twist.

cheekydrinks: the seventh day of christmas cocktails

today's cocktail is in honor of my lovely mother-in-law, cecilia, who is from brazil. in 2009, fanboy & i were lucky enough to visit petropolis (cecilia's hometown) and rio de janeiro. many, many caipirinhas were consumed. one of our favorite variations was the ginger caipirinha at opium in the ipanema plaza hotel so this recipe will likely be a hit at our house. 

christmas caipirinhas (from bon appetit)

• peel from 4 large limes (green part only; in 2-inch-long strips)
• 1 cup fresh lime juice
• 8 1/4-inch-thick slices peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 30 large fresh mint leaves plus 10 fresh mint sprigs for garnish
• 1 cup cachaça 
• 3 cups ice cubes plus additional for serving
• 5 cups ginger beer or ginger ale

combine lime peel, lime juice, ginger, sugar, and 30 mint leaves in mortar or medium bowl. using pestle, muddler, or handle of wooden spoon, crush lime peel, ginger, and mint leaves together. transfer mixture to large pitcher. stir in the cachaça. do ahead: can be made 6 hours ahead. cover and refrigerate.

add 3 cups ice cubes to lime mixture in pitcher and stir to blend. stir in ginger beer. fill 10 cocktail glasses with ice cubes. strain or pour cocktail mixture into prepared glasses. garnish each drink with mint sprig.

cheekydrinks: the sixth day of christmas cocktails

i have not tried this one yet but it is at the top of my list. thanks to my bff, katie, for sharing the recipe and passing on her seal of approval.

clementine brown sugar old fashioned 

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• clementine peel, pith removed
• juice of 1/2 clementine (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• dash of angostura bitters 
• 2 oz bourbon
• clementine peel for garnish

for the simple syrup: combine sugar and water in saucepan. heat on medium-high until sugar dissolves completely. remove from heat. add clementine peel: let steep at least 1 hour. stir in juice and vanilla extract. strain and pour into serving container. makes enough for 10 drinks.

for each drink: combine 1 oz simple syrup and bitters in a rocks glass. fill halfway with ice and stir. add bourbon; top with more ice. stir. garnish with clementine peel. 

katie says: the clementine brown sugar syrup is awesome in cava or prosecco

cheekydrinks: the fifth day of christmas cocktails

be warned: you may be hooked on this after one sip. seriously. it's that good. pour it over ice or add it to your coffee, then whip up another batch as a hostess gift.

cheeky's irish cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup irish whiskey
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

in a blender, combine heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, whiskey, coffee granules, chocolate syrup, vanilla extract, and almond extract. blend on high for 20-30 seconds. store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. shake well before serving. 

will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months

cheekier twists: swap out the almond extract for mint or cinnamon 

cheekydrinks: the fourth day of christmas cocktails

fanboy & i tried this out before thanksgiving and it is the perfect way to warm up on a cold winter's night.

hot toddy (adapted from verses from my kitchen)

• 2 oz bourbon (i used jim beam devil's cut)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 clove
• 1 strip lemon peel
• 1 cardamom pod
• hot water

place all the ingredients into a glass and gently press the cardamom with the cinnamon stick. top with boiling water and serve.

cheekydrinks: the third day of christmas cocktails

here's a great way to use those extra candy canes!

candy cane martinis (adapted from and all the trimmings)

• candy canes
• 3 ounces vanilla vodka
• 3 ounces white crème de cacao
• 2 ounces peppermint schnapps
• ice

in a shaker, combine the ice, vodka, white crème de cacao and peppermint schnapps.

shake the drink vigorously until well mixed.

crush candy canes with a rolling pin or other heavy object.

dip rim of chilled martini glass in water and then dip wet rim into crushed candy canes. pour drink into glass and garnish with a candy cane. makes two drinks.

more from barcelona

barcelona videos, a set on Flickr.

videos of sagrada familia, font magica, and casa battlo

cheekydrinks: the second day of christmas cocktails

on the second day of christmas, a longtime favorite chez cheeky

mulled cider & port 

• 1/2 gallon apple cider
• 750 ml bottle port (red)
• 2 tablespoons of mulling spices 

add the mulling spices to a spice ball or wrap in cheese cloth and tie with cooking twine. combine cider, port, and mulling spices in a saucepan. place the saucepan over medium heat and warm until tiny bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. simmer gently for 20 minutes, reducing the heat as needed to keep from boiling. remove the pan from the heat. pour into mugs and serve with a cinnamon stick or orange peel. 

*you can also make this recipe with just red wine or cider. 

cheekydrinks: 12 days of christmas cocktails

it's friday and christmas is fast approaching, so it is a perfect day to kick off 12 days of christmas cocktails! as i'm sure you've figured out, i like some spirits with my holidays. 

our first day of christmas comes from my friend, mrs. acorns, at dodging acorns 

maple nut cocktail

• 3 oz jack daniels (or whisky of your choice)
• 1 oz frangelico (or nut liqueur of your choice)
• 1 oz maple syrup
• ice

mix all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker,  pour over ice, and enjoy!

less than three weeks until christmas! what?!

man, december really crept up on me. are you ready for the holidays? i'm not! there's shopping to do, cookies to bake, presents to wrap, and only 17 more days to go! 

for now, i'm getting into spirit with the she and him christmas album and trying not to feel bad about bailing on holiday cards for like the fifth year in a row. 

pour yourself some cava

there are a lot of photos from barcelona. salud! 
barcelona, a set on Flickr.