Tag: Cocktail

Beverages

I’m Back! Let’s Celebrate with a Pineapple Jalapeño Margarita

Diva di Cucina
Pineapple jalapeño margaritas served over ice in glasses with Tajín-rimmed edges, fresh jalapeño slices, and pineapple leaf garnishes.

Well, hello there! It’s been a minute. Or, you know… almost three years.

I certainly didn’t intend to disappear from Diva di Cucina for that long. I’ve missed this little corner of the internet. Sharing recipes, taking way too many pictures of food, and connecting with all of you. But somewhere along the way, life got busy. Really busy.

And the truth is, as much as I love blogging, my family, friends, and work will always come first. Between all the things that fill my days (and nights and weekends), the blog just kept getting pushed a little further down the list. You know how it goes. You tell yourself, I’ll get to it next week. And then suddenly three years have passed. How does that even happen?!

At the beginning of this year, I made a vision board and set an intention to make my way back here. Nothing crazy. I wasn’t going to promise myself weekly posts or some ambitious content calendar I knew I couldn’t keep up with. My goal was simply to find a better balance and start sharing recipes again, even if it was only once a month.

So here we are, with just four months left in the year, and I am barely making good on that intention. But you know what? I’m here! And I can’t think of a better way to toast my return than with a cocktail. Cheers to that!

This margarita is the perfect combination of spicy and sweet, and it is ridiculously easy to make. You literally just throw all the ingredients into a shaker and mix vigorously. That’s it! Somehow, though, the finished drink feels fancy enough that people will think you put in way more effort than you actually did. My favorite kind of recipe.

The sweet, tropical pineapple balances out the kick from the jalapeño, while the lime keeps everything bright and refreshing. You can easily adjust the heat depending on how spicy you like things.

It’s the perfect drink for a lazy afternoon by the pool, a summer BBQ with friends, taco night on the patio, or simply celebrating the fact that you finally did the thing you’ve been saying you were going to do all year.

So cheers to finding balance, following through on intentions (even if it takes a little longer than planned) and making time for the things that bring us joy.

And cheers to being back. I’ve missed this. Now, who wants a margarita?

Pineapple jalapeño margaritas served over ice in glasses with Tajín-rimmed edges, fresh jalapeño slices, and pineapple leaf garnishes.

Note: If you don’t like things spicy and just want a mild jalapeno flavor, do not put the jalapeno slices into the drink shaker, just add them to the glasses. Shaking the jalapenos with ice in the shaker releases those spicy oils and infuses the flavor into the drink. 

INGREDIENTS 
1 1/2 c pineapple juice 
1/2 c silver tequila 
1/4 c orange liqueur (I prefer Grand Marnier or Cointreau) 
2 tbsp lime juice, fresh squeezed 
1 jalapeño, sliced 
lime wedges (optional) 
tajin or salt for the rim (optional) 

STEPS 

  • Pour some tajin or salt on a small plate. 
  • Rub a lime wedge around the rim of two glasses and dip the glasses into the tajin or salt to coat and fill with ice. 
  • In a drink shaker, combine the pineapple juice, tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, half of the sliced jalapeño, and some ice and shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds. 
  • Strain the margarita into the prepared ice filled glasses and garnish with the other half of the jalapeno slices.  
Uncategorized

Brunch with a Splash of Denim and Lemons

Diva di Cucina

Diva di Cucina started off nearly 12 years ago just as a way for me to share recipes with my family and friends. It has grown and evolved in ways I never could have ever imagined. While the intention of this blog is primarily to share recipes with you, it is also a place where I feel a sense of community and connection and I love being able to share my successes with you too, because if it wasn’t for having followers and supporters, I wouldn’t be doing this all these years later. With that said, I have a fun little story to share with all of you. 

Photo by Sara Pinnell, Creative Director, Ardent for Life Magazine

As many of you know, I branched out in October 2020 I launched my very own kitchen boutique on Etsy. That Etsy shop took off and I started also doing pop up markets in my community. Through these markets I have connected with so many amazing small business owners many of whom I have become friends with.

One small business I have connected with is Cindy of My Thrifty Sister who makes the cutest home décor. Cindy knew I had a cooking blog so in April she came to me and asked if I wanted to collaborate with her and some other small businesses and participate in a lifestyle photoshoot for Ardent for Life Magazine.

Now you if you know me, you know I am always going to jump at any opportunities that come my way so of course I said yes. A very enthusiastic, YES! The shoot was for a summer brunch and I was asked to make a main dish and a beverage.

The theme for the brunch would be denim and lemons, so I decided to make my Southwest Frittata because I think cast iron skillets and denim go hand in hand. Something about the two give off a whole country living vibe. 

Photo by Sara Pinnell, Creative Director, Ardent for Life Magazine

Now, in my opinion, brunch without booze is just a sad breakfast so for the drink I wanted to do a lemon-based brunch cocktail that would be light and refreshing and my Knock You Off Your Saddle Lemonade checked all the boxes. The flavors of ginger and lemon with the bubbles from the ginger ale are just perfect for sipping on a warm summer day.

Photo by Sara Pinnell, Creative Director, Ardent for Life Magazine

The morning of the shoot was so fun. I showed up with my frittata and cocktail ready to go. My Thrifty Sister had staged the entire thing in her backyard. There was a gorgeously set table made of crates and an old door set upon a big area rug and the cutest assortment of pillows for us to get cozy with. Then there was also the serving table which was covered with a tiered denim tablecloth she had made. We got to watch as the owner of Tilted Tulip set up all the beautiful floral arrangements throughout the yard making sure each flower was perfectly placed.

Photo by Sara Pinnell, Creative Director, Ardent for Life Magazine

Every detail was perfection! From the wood cutout lemons, the denim pockets for the silverware, and all the blue dishes and glasses.

Photo by Sara Pinnell, Creative Director, Ardent for Life Magazine

The magazine photographer was amazing to work with! She provided great direction and made everyone feel at ease. I loved how open she was to everyone’s ideas. 

I initially went into this photoshoot thinking my dishes would just be photographed, so I was thrilled when the magazine told me they would like to include the recipes as well! Several weeks later I got the proofs from their designer and was floored to see that each recipe got a beautiful full page spread! And this story gets even better! A few days before going to print, I was notified by the magazine editor that my dish was selected to be the cover for the Summer 2022 issue of the magazine! 

If you were to tell me 12 years ago that one day, I would have some of my recipes published AND on the cover of a magazine I would have had you locked up because it just seems utterly insane. This was such an amazing experience, and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity. I am excited to share with you the featured article, Brunch with a Splash of Denim and Lemons. Feel free to click through the article and recipes above.

You can read the full issue here.

Beverages

Recipe—Watermelon Margaritas

Diva di Cucina

It never fails, anytime I serve watermelon at a BBQ or party I end up with a ton leftover. Not that it’s a bad thing, especially when you can make some amazing watermelon margaritas! This cocktail is the perfect summer drink, it’s light and so refreshing. I just love the combination of the sweet watermelon with lime and if you put a little Tajin around the rim, it just takes it up a notch with a nice little kick of spice. Nothing says summer like a fresh and fruity cocktail!

Notes: This recipe makes two margaritas which is great because cocktails always taste better when shared with a friend! Since the juice content varies from watermelon to watermelon you may have extra juice after blending. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of the strained juice.

INGREDIENTS
4–5 c seedless watermelon, cut into chunks (you will need 1 1/2 cups juice)
1/2 c silver tequila
1/4 c lime juice, fresh squeezed
1 tbsp agave or simple syrup
lime wedges (optional)
tajin or salt for the rim (optional)

STEPS

  • Add the chopped watermelon to a blender or food processor and blend fully.
  • Pour the blended watermelon through a sieve or fine strainer into a large measuring cup to separate out the pulp.
  • Pour some tajin or salt on a small plate. (optional)
  • Rub a lime wedge around the rim of two glasses and dip the glasses into the tajin or salt to coat.  
  • In a drink shaker, combine 1 1/2 cups of the strained watermelon juice, tequila, lime juice, agave, and ice and shake well.
  • Pour the margarita into the prepared glasses. 
  • Put your feet up, sit back, and enjoy!
Beverages

Recipe—Best Ever Piña Coladas

Diva di Cucina

Recipe—Best Ever Piña Coladas

Back in April I posted some ideas for a family theme night to help liven up life at home during the quarantine. One of the first theme nights that we did was a Tropical Beach Party. Of course, no beach party is complete without a tropical drink of some sort. I made these amazing piña coladas and they were so easy! (A virgin one for the kiddo of course!) For a brief moment I was able to kick up my feet, close my eyes, sip my piña colada, and pretend I was on an island far far away.

What sets these apart from a lot of other piña colada recipes is, in lieu of some of the ice, I used frozen pineapple chunks. This keeps them thick and frosty while giving them a nice creamy texture and keeps them from getting as watered down as they melt. With only a couple of months left of summer, it is time for you to get out the blender, and whip yourself up a batch of these delicious piña coladas!

Notes: This recipe makes 3–4 drinks. For a little extra kick, pour a floater of Malibu Rum over the top. For a virgin/nonalcoholic option, just replace the alcohol with extra pineapple juice. You can find bags of frozen pineapple chunks in the frozen fruit section of your grocery store.

INGREDIENTS
3 c ice
1 cup pineapple chunks, frozen
4 oz pineapple juice
4 oz coconut cream
3 oz white rum
2 oz dark rum

GARNISHES (OPTIONAL)
shredded coconut
pineapple slices
maraschino cherries

STEPS

  • Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Add extra pineapple juice if needed.
  • Pour into a glass and garnish with the shredded coconut, a pineapple slice, and maraschino cherry.