Lavender Soju Lemonade

Happy Thirsty Thursday, everyone! I'm delighted to share with you not only a new cocktail recipe, but my very first food & cooking video, made by yours truly! I literally did everything by myself! Just a quick mention: I know a lot of you have asked me in the past who does my photos, who edits them, etc.; when many have assumed they were strictly done by my husband (who, yes, is a pretty well-known and very talented photographer) but besides the editorial fashion shoots we try and do once a week, everything else is my own content! And when it comes to video editing, that's all done by me too. Interesting fact? I learned how to cut & edit music, plus video, from my childhood figure skating days! And with photos of myself, if it is not mentioned that it's a self-portrait photograph, the pictures of me are done by my love. :)

Now back to the lecture at hand... ha ha! I've been in a creative rut lately, feeling like my recent work has been flat. Something didn't fit quite right. Yes, I'm a perfectionist and am completely guilty of being hard on myself (too much at times). But as they say, 'when life gives you lemons, make lemonade!' I've never worked with lavender in terms of culinary use, and when the idea of a refreshing yet soothing cocktail came up on a 'last days of summer' drinks story, I knew these little enchanting flowers were the perfect choice! Plus, having the excuse to buy extra lavender is always a good one. My whole apartment smells inviting yet calming. 

My favorite part was removing the flowers from its stems. The aroma is intoxicating, I couldn't get enough of it! You can steep it for less or more than the 10 minutes I did. For a lighter scent, I'd recommend 5 minutes. If you really want to kick it up a notch, I'd go for a little bit longer than the 10. Observe the coloring, as the more it steeps, the darker the color. I also really enjoyed watching the colors combine with each other. The dark purple with the bright, vibrant yellow from the lemon juice. You can also use a juicer if you're not a fan of squeezing 'em by hand. 

Lavender Soju Lemonade

Cocktail recipe + photos by © Suzanne Spiegoski

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1c. lavender flowers
2c. boiling water
2c. cold water
1c. lemon juice
1c. sugar
5fl. oz. soju
1 tray ice cubes

Directions:

Place freshly cut lavender flowers in a pitcher; pour the boiling water over lavender; cover with plastic wrap and allow to steep 10 minutes; strain and discard the lavender from the water and return the water to the pitcher. Add cold water, lemon juice, and sugar to the pitcher and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add in soju, mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with a stem of lavender. Enjoy!

I also used pure organic cane sugar to be on the healthy side. (Even though I'm a sugar addict) And then the most important ingredient! I always use Charm Soju when it comes to this Korean liquor. It's my favorite and the quality is high. The secret is to add it last. You'll want the sugar to completely dissolve before mixing in the soju. I kept it light and simple when it came to serving the drinks. Over several ice cubes and a stem of lavender, I kept the garnishing straight-forward. But the idea of also turning these cocktails into a slushies did come to mind. Or perhaps Korean shaved-iced? Now that would be a fun cocktail to do! (Hint, hint!) 

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out the latest cocktail recipe I created! Be sure to check out the how-to video I also made down below! (Full steps included.) We hope you enjoyed the lavender Korean-fusion inspired lemonade we shared with you today and that you are soaking up as much fun in the sun before summer ends. Coming up on the blog, a brand spanking new travel diary (so excited to go!) and lots of NYFW coverage. It's gonna be a crazy, hectic next couple of weeks so brace yourselves! ;) Stay tuned... 

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Videography + photography, styling + editing by: Suzanne Spiegoski 

Hey everyone! I got into a bit of a creative funk the past few days, so instead of whining about it I did this! It's my first food & cooking video! Better yet, it's how to make lavender soju lemonade! Cheers!

LOVE & XX'S,

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

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Tuna Poke Bowl with Avocado Rose

I had my first real scare with MaQ. Since Thursday, my baby had not been feeling very well. He's been lethargic with little-to-no appetite. After consistent vomiting from yesterday morning up until the afternoon, his bile had gone from yellow to a rust-like color. I immediately freaked out -thinking it was possibly blood. But I stayed calm for MaQ, because panicking in front of him wasn't going to do any good. I called the vet and was able to get him in within the hour. They ran blood work, with thorough checks for everything, and even gave him some anti-vomit shots (which were NOT FUN. Poor baby was wailing in the room with the doctors - the shots are ginormous and fucking stung like a bitch... even gave him man boobs/injections were on the side of his shoulders.) It completely broke my heart to hear him in pain, even if only temporarily. Let's just say that I did not sleep well at all last night. 

However, the results from the blood work came back this morning and he's as healthy as can be! Looks like he caught a stomach bug or maybe ate something that didn't agree with him. But I'm 100% careful with what he consumes and he's not the type of dog to go off scavenging for scraps through the streets of New York (GROSS). So I'm still not exactly sure what caused him to be sick. Regardless, I am just so thankful my baby is okay. It's the very first time in almost 4-years of being together, he's gotten quite sick. I'd never seen him not act like himself, and quite frankly, this incident had me reeling! Always follow your instincts, it's better to be safe than sorry, and with all the craziness of the world, it's been an eventful couple of days. (So, apologies for being MIA and not being as active on social media.) I am in need of recuperating with MaQ. 

Tuna Poke Bowl with Avocado Rose

recipe + photos by © Suzanne Spiegoski

Serves 1 Salad

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ponzu sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 ounces sushi grade tuna, diced in large chunks
½ mango, diced in large chunks or made into mango balls
½ cup store-bought seaweed salad
2 cups loosely packed spring lettuce mix
1 avocado, sliced & rolled into a rose
A sprinkle of black sesame seeds

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, ponzu sauce and sesame oil until well blended.
2. Add the tuna, mango and seaweed salad to a bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon or so of the dressing. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and stir to coat.
3. In a different bowl, coat the spring lettuce mix with the rest of the dressing. Top with the tuna mixture. Create an avocado rose and place in center. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

I made a vibrant dish to cheer us up from the scare. There's nothing like a home-cooked meal or a bowl of delicious fresh ingredients to make you feel better. One of my favorite things to eat during the summer is poke bowls. I love a meal where you can variate between common ingredients and elevate it to something more sophisticated. That's what I've been loving from Secret Squirrel Food, an awesome Dubai food blogger who began the 'avocado rose' trend. Karen has created roses with numerous types of fruits and vegetables, from cucumber, tomatoes, to blueberries and even kiwi, she is innovative and promotes healthy-eating along the way. I love her positive vibe and her authenticity. You should check out her videos, great stuff! 

So I placed an avocado rose as a part of the plating for this dish. I even made mango balls, from a melon ball scooper to give it a more aesthetic appeal, even putting one in the very center of the rose, to contrast with the green, yellow, and even purple from the bowl. What do you guys think? Doesn't it look so cute and pretty? I had a hard time devouring it because of it's beautiful appearance! But trust me, it was absolutely awesome. A great, light, healthy summer dish to have on repeat to your diet. 

LOVE & XX'S,

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ

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Kimchi Gazpacho

The long weekend is almost here! Hallelujah! What are your plans for Memorial Day? Going out of town? Vacay trip? Staycation? With the weather now warming up, especially here in New York, where the past couple of days have risen up to the near 90's, I created a new recipe suited for the start to summer! Now that it's getting hotter and the fact that I love soup, I did my own twist on one of my favorite summer soups, gazpacho.

One of my favorite strolls through the city is at the Union Square Green Market. They have everything from jams & honey to fresh farmer's fruit & vegetables, to even flowers, cheese, bread and wine. The works! I love going with the boys for a little quality time along with getting the best produce to cook with! And what's more awesome? They always got new herbs and veggies to work with, such as chive blossoms and red scallions, both of which I have yet to experiment with! I even saw fiddleheads!

Kimchi Gazpacho

Serves 2-3

recipe + photos by © Suzanne Spiegoski

Ingredients:
3 c chopped tomatoes (peeled and seeded)
1/2 c kimchi with juice (chopped)
1/2 c Kirby cucumber (peeled and chopped)
1 large garlic clove, chopped
3 tbs rice wine
salt & pepper to taste
Chive blossoms & red scallions, for garnish, optional

Directions:

In a blender, puree tomatoes, kimchi, cucumber, and garlic. Add rice wine, salt, and pepper. Taste for accurate seasonings. Chill. Pour into bowl(s), garnish, and serve immediately.

Using staple ingredients within a gazpacho such as tomatoes, Kirby cucumbers, onion, and garlic, I incorporated some Napa cabbage kimchi to give this chilled soup a bit of heat. Gazpacho is simple to make. Takes less than twenty minutes to prep and complete. Waiting for the soup to chill is the hardest part! I hate waiting to eat! Ha ha!

I've been wanting to elevate my dishes to another level and have been working on better garnishing my plates. To me, garnishes are vital when completing the look of a meal. In this case, gazpacho would look pretty bland without any decorative gems on top! So instead of using chives or green onion, I went for something completely different and totally out of my normal 'comfort' cooking zone. Never have I tried chive flowers, but now I've got a feeling I'll be sprinkling these onto everything!

LOVE & XX'S

FOLLOW MAQ + SUZ