I promised you a recipe for kimchi this week but I'm saving that for another time and offering you this cocktail recipe instead. Because you need it for the weekend! In fact, I'm going to see if I can come up with a new cocktail recipe for you every Friday. Not a drinker? Since most of my cocktails are based on seasonal fruits, vegetables and herbs, you can make them virgin with just a few tweaks here and there. With or without booze, they are a great way to celebrate the season's bounty, and a signal to kick back and relax, alone or with friends. 

Refreshing rains have moved through here again, bashing the delicate ferns and denuding the last downy petals from the peonies. The enormous jasmine bush that leans over the neighbor's fence has bloomed, filling the air with a sultry sweet fragrance that wafts through our cottage and makes me swoon. There is no hissing of summer lawns here, just the chirps, caws and warbles of our avian choir.
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Ladies and gentlemen (but mostly ladies), we have a winner! It's my pleasure to announce that Jeannie Hensel will soon be receiving a package from Tate's Bake shop! Congratulations, Jeannie! I hope your son loves these delicious treats. Please email me at gluttonforlife (at) gmail (dot) com and include your mailing address so I can pass it along to Tate's.The rest of you can console yourselves by ordering some Tate's cookies and brownies here, or by whipping up a batch of these delectable carrot cake cupcakes, which can easily be made gluten-free should you so choose. I'm really sorry I don't have a photo of the final frosted version, but sometimes life takes precedence over blogging. (Rarely, but sometimes!) I made these last week for Stephanie's birthday, from the same low-fat recipe I used to make her cake last year. The cupcake version also went over like a house on fire—and why not? These babies are rich but fluffy, loaded with carrot and pineapple, studded with golden raisins, slicked with an irresistible cream cheese frosting and finished with a sprinkling of candied ginger. Bring it, Tate's!
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