THE 5 DAYS OF DRINKMAS

Hey! Long time no see! I still exist doing the whole working/baking/eating/drinking/thinking thing. Mostly working/baking/sleping as of late.
With so little time left between now and THE BIG DAY, I decided to latch onto the holiday frivolity the best way I know how- COCKTAILS! In the next days leading up to Christmas, I will drink at least 5, if not more cocktails around town and picture them here and on my twitter.
After a long day working/baking Marty and I decided to pop into Pasture, where the cocktail list has recently been revealed. I really appreciate how Pasture is blending modern and sleek with traditional and the bar is gorgeous.
Marty went with a Roanoke Rail lager and I decided on The SURRY: smoked ginger syrup, bourbon, lemon juice and peel, and a splash of ginger ale. The drink is listed on ice, but I requested it NEAT and do not regret it. I also asked for Old Overholt, a straight Rye Whiskey.
This is a complex little drink. The smokiness, while not for everyone I imagine, completely made the drink for me. Those other ingredients, (obviously no strangers to Whiskey) gained depth from that muskiness and made for a subtle but different treatment.
I highly recommend it.
CHEER FACTOR: 4 out of 5

The SURRY at Pasture

Stay tuned for more drinks from around town and elsewhere!

A QUICK ONE (WHILE I’M AWAY FROM THE OVEN)

Times are so busy here at FP headquarters!
I have been making many sweets to send to loved ones and trying to keep up with the Sweet Potato Cake needs of the immediate Richmond area. There is a cake in the oven as I type this! It smells so fantastic in here.

We had our Holiday party at The Black Sheep and I presented the owners, Kevin and Amy with cookie replicas of the restaurant’s logo. The lighting is not superb in these shots. but you get the idea.

We have Holiday visitors arriving tonight and Saturday and I am still late on gifts but I hope I can just bake/cook my way through it, people love gifts they can literally sink their teeth into. I am going to attempt to create a real stunner for Saturday dinner and if it works out I will post it here or at Dessert of the Month club. Here is a hint:

can you hear Tchaikovsky in the distance???

I am working on new desserts for January/February but that is when Pimento Cheese mania resumes! Man, 2011 you are already promising to run me ragged.

BETTER LATE THAN NO COOKIES

Usually by now I have all my cookies packaged up and heading to their recipients, but this year I am just way too busy to get personal stuff done on time! These guys were done way late in the game and though not my personal best, are pretty neat I think. Especially the quartet of punk rock set. I am developing a special winter cookie to sell on Dollop so watch for that soon!

The Minor Threat Sheep is my favorite of the bunch, I love his little prance!

minor threat sheep!

FRUITCAKE

Head on over to Dessert of The Month Club to get the steez.