Refreshing Spring Cocktails

Looking for seasonal refreshment? Try a few of the recently posted cocktail recipes from Food & Wine magazine's website.

The first one uses Campari, the bitter Italian liqueur that's one of my favorite cocktail ingredients -- think Negroni or Americano (same as a Negroni but lighter, because you omit the gin, put it in a taller glass, and top with Perrier or club soda).

Campari spritzer

Campari-Fennel Spritzer
 (makes one drink)
 INGREDIENTS:

1. Handful of fennel fronds, plus 1 small sprig for garnish
2. 3 lemon wheels
3. 2 ounces dry sparkling wine
4. 3/4 ounce Campari
5. 1/2 ounce simple syrup 
6. One 2-inch-long strip of lemon peel
7. Ice

TO MAKE:
In a cocktail shaker, combine the fennel fronds with the lemon wheels, sparkling wine, Campari and simple syrup. Muddle 20 times. Add ice and shake well. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Squeeze the lemon peel over the drink and add it to the glass. Garnish with the fennel sprig and serve. 

Click here to check out the other cocktails, which include Lavendar-Sage Sling and something called a Roof Garden (vodka with thyme, mint, lemon juice and club soda).

Mexican recipes for the Healthy Foodie

Mexican pizza -- healthy version

While it can be hard to "eat healthy" at most Mexican restaurants, the main ingredients in Mexican cuisine actually are full of excellent nutrients. It's just that at restaurants we tend to load up on fried tortilla chips, sometimes in the over-the-top form of nachos, followed by fried entrees and/or dishes with too much high-fat cheese and sour cream. But it doesn't have to be that way!
Corn, avocado, fresh salsa made with tomatoes, garlic and onion, crispy cabbage-based slaws -- those are foods that should be in every healthy foodie's diet.
If you're interested in making nutritious AND delicious Mexican food at home, check out this set of recipes from Food & Wine. Try fish tacos, corn-tortilla soup, smoky beef fajitas, salmon in tomato-olive sauce, Mexican pizza and more. They're each easy to make, kid-friendly and hard to beat when the weather persistently stays hot through September!