Spiced Cranberry Martini

If you are a gin lover this is a perfect holiday martini. I used Tamworth Honey Gin because it lends itself well to the cranberry and spiced pear flavors, and it is may favorite local gin. But, you can use Barr Hill Gin which is also made from Honey or a simple London dry gin as well.

Ingredients:

2 oz Gin

2 oz cranberry juice

1 oz Spiced Pear Liquor

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

Float frozen cranberries

Crystallized ginger

Add the Gin, Cranberry juice, the Spiced Pear Liquor and the lemon juice to a shaker filled with ice. Shake well and strain into a martini glass or a coup. Float the cranberries on the top and drop a piece of crystallized ginger into the glass. Not only will it add another layer of flavor it will cause a bead of bubbles to rise from the bottom of the glass and make the cocktail look even more festive!

Harvest Mimosa

With Thanksgiving right around the corner I thought it would make sense to come up with a Mimosa for Thanksgiving morning. If you cannot find the Cranberry Apple Cider in your locl store you can certainly add a splash of cranberry juice. The spiced pear liquor may be tricky to find as well. Our liquor store carries, St. George Spirits Spiced Pear Liquor. If you are only able to find regular pear liquor you can always simmer the cider with Mulling spices to get the spriced flavors in your drink. It is definitely a nice twist for the holidays!

Ingredients:

2 oz Cranberry Apple Cider

1/2 oz spiced pear liquor

Prosecco

Frozen Cranberries and a slice of apple

Add the Cranberry Apple Cider and the pear liquor to a flute. Top with Prosecco or Cava and garnish with frozen cranberries and/or a slice of apple.

It's the little things in life....

Last week after I published my blog I was thinking back about what I had written, and I felt like it was missing something. I didn’t really bring my thoughts full circle. It occurred to me that my content reflected the premise behind a book that I was introduced to years ago by a post on Facebook. The author, Katrina Keniston, was reading a chapter of her book called, “The Gift of an Ordinary Day.” The post coincided with our recent move to NH. And, although I was so excited to start the next chapter of our life here in NH it was still a stressful and somewhat sad time. I had left my entire support system and friends behind in Mass and I wasn’t sure that I was going to have that again. The reading brought me to tears, although it doesn't take much to do that. But, it made me realize that I needed to start looking at this new life we would be living differently. Looking forward to the big plans and things that were on the calendar in the coming year was not enough to get me through the day to day. Somehow I had to start appreciating each day for what it was.

I know I mentioned in last week’s blog that growing up my Mom had instilled in me from a young age to appreciate the beauty around me. But, I never really translated that to living in the moment until I listened to this excerpt from Katrina’s book. It was a Aha moment! And probably why one of my favorite sayings is, “Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the MOMENTS that take your breath away.” Those moments aren't always the big things in life. Those early days of living in NH with no commitments or friends at the time gave me a chance to re-connect with my children with no distractions. Our afternoons consisted of walking to the beach with the dog after school, making a fire in the wood stove and snacks at the table during homework. It sounds so mundane as I write this, but I cherish those moments and keep them close to my heart. Those simple afternoons with the kids were fleeting.

Our children are grown now and they live in another state, but I made the most of those moments and I am thankful for that. I am now in another stage of my life that has its own set of simple joys and moments that I am trying to embrace.

Life is so fluid. I never thought at this point in my life that there would be this much change. Change seems to be the one constant thing in life. But, if you can find a simple joy in the day to day little things, then the change is almost like an adventure!