Find Your Signature Summer Drink

As you store your winter sweaters, you might also want to move your brown liquors to the back of the cabinet. Summer is a time for lighter spirits (literally) and while a classic gin and tonic never goes out of style, our friends at the New York times have some classic cocktails with a modern twist. Like sangria made with rosé wine or a Bellini buzzed with one of the new pink Proseccos. If alcohol isn’t your thing, there’s a few recipes sans alcohol for you to enjoy.

The Best Bruschetta

Something as simple as bruschetta screams summer – a perfectly toasted piece of bread with some of our Mediterranean favorites feels celebratory. Friend of ED, Jackie Just (@justbloomed on Instagram) shared her signature bruschetta recipe that she serves on her ED white brushed glazed plates.

PREPARING THE BRUSCHETTA:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Peel a full head of garlic. Remove all of the cloves.
3. Place the cloves in a small bowl with 3 tbsp. of olive oil and a liberal sprinkle of salt and pepper. Gently stir to fully coat garlic in oil. Create a flat “bowl” of foil on a baking sheet making sure all of the oil stays contained. Roast garlic for 15-20 minutes watching it carefully after 15 minutes and removing when it’s golden brown. Garlic goes from “almost done” to “burned to a crisp” in a very short amount of time. You’ll know it’s done when it begins to turn a toasty brown.
4. While the garlic roasts, place 1½ cups of cherry tomatoes in a pan with 2 tbsp. of olive oil on the hottest burner. Swish them around in the pan to ensure they’re coated in oil. Cover them with a lid. Turn the heat to medium-high, and allow them to cook for 7-8 minutes without stirring them in the pan, or moving them at all. Lift the lid periodically to allow steam to release. Once the tomatoes are done, unstick them from the pan with a spoon and let them sit in the pan until the garlic is ready.
5. Once the garlic is golden brown, remove it from the oven and drain the oil into a bowl to save for later. You’ll use this garlic oil to dip your bread into before toasting.
6. Add roasted garlic and ¼ cup of Kalamata olives to the pan with 2 more tbsp. of olive oil, 1 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar and a small sprinkle of Italian herb seasoning. Turn the heat to medium and gently sauté the ingredients for 5 minutes, making sure not to break up the tomatoes.

Pump Up the Summer Jams

One of the most impactful things you can do, not just for Juneteenth, but all year long is seek out goods and services from black owned or operated businesses. Not only can this help small businesses grow, you’re supporting arts and creativity in the black community and helping fuel growth. If you want to shop local you can search “black owned businesses near me” or this article from the US Chamber of Commerce has 8 resources to help you search for black owned businesses.

What to Wear

Food is an important part of a Juneteenth celebration because signature recipes preserve and promote African American history. A great way to honor Juneteenth is to try a recipe or two from a cookbook written by a black author. One of our favorites is Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin. At ED we love Tipton-Martin's Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce. Recipe below!Butter or shortening for the pan