As the wife of a restaurant owner, I imagine that Liz Jacob is probably quite the connoisseur of fine drinks. She might laugh at my saying that, but I have to say, a girl who shares my signature drink (vodka on the rocks with a splash of soda and a lime)? I’m sure we can all assume she has good taste. Ahem. Well, Liz decided to mix up her usual vodka with a warm spice we all enjoy this time of year- ginger! Make your own Moscow Mule by following Liz’s directions below.

• 1/4 cup of club soda
• 3 Tablespoons of vodka
• 1 Tablespoon of ginger syrup*

Pour the three above ingredients into a Moscow Mule mug filled with ice. Stir gently to combine. Garnish with 2 lime wedges. *To make your own ginger syrup, finely dice one six inch piece of fresh ginger and combine with two cups of sugar and two cups of water in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let it cook down for about an hour. Strain the cooled syrup before use.

When I was in high school, my mom scheduled my wisdom teeth to be removed. The day before Thanksgiving. I was so bummed to miss out on the feast that everyone else was enjoying! But this year I would rather have big holes in my mouth than to deal with all of the dietary restrictions Lucy’s doctor has me on. (If you follow me on Twitter you may have seen this tweet, and since then I found that peppers are also on my restrictions list.) Since I’m heading to a family potlock style gathering, there’s bound to be gluten, dairy, paprika, potatoes, and lots of other foods I’d love to be eaten but have to go without. So what’s a girl to do? Well, I’ll be towing along a few dishes I know that I can enjoy, and Lucy can too!

I found this holiday slaw recipe a few years ago from a raw/vegan book, and was delighted to find that my vegan-weary family members enjoyed it as much as I did! If you have dietary restrictions this holiday season, or if you just want to add a healthy treat to your holiday gathering, you simply must try this recipe!

• 3 medium sized sweet potatoes
• 1 pineapple
• 2 medium sized apples of your choice
• 1 cup of chopped dates
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts
• 3 tablespoons of honey
• Lemon juice
• (optional) ground cinnamon
• (optional) 1/2 cup of veganaise or mayonaise

After cleaning the sweet potatoes, grate them (skins on) and set aside in a large mixing bowl with chopped dates and walnuts. Clean and chop the apples (skins on) and toss in slightly diluted lemon juice. Drain apples and add to the mixing bowl. Chop the pineapple into small pieces, reserving half for the next step (or 1/3 if you plan on using veganaise or mayonaise in your slaw), and add to the mixing bowl. Add the reserved pineapple with honey, veganaise (I had to omit this and mayo because of my dietary restrictions) and cinnamon (if you choose) to a food processor or blender and mix into a puree. Add the puree to the rest of the ingredients in your mixing bowl, and stir to combine.

If you are planning on making this ahead of time, then I suggest reserving your walnuts until right before serving. They keep reasonably well, but if you want maximum crunchiness (which, you do!), then you may wish to wait to mix them in.

Kara first tried St. Germain with a grapefruit cocktail at our favorite Canton martini bar. Interestingly enough, when she made this non-grapefruit drink for us, I couldn’t figure out what it reminded me of, until it hit me- grapefruit! This was my first time tasting elderflower, and I was pleasantly surprised by the fresh, citrusy flavors that resulted by mixing it with a dry wine. This cocktail is very easy to make at home, and just might impress your friends. Depending on how easy they are to impress. that is.

• 1 part – St. Germain Elderflower Liquor
• 2 parts – Dry white wine (I used Savignon Blanc)
• 1 part – Soda water, or club soda
• lemon slice for garnish

This one’s pretty simple! Fill a glass with a couple of ice cubes, pour in the St. Germain, then add wine. Top with soda water, and stir to combine. The lemon is technically a garnish, but I like to squeeze it into the drink to add an extra citrusy flavor. Enjoy!