Cachaça

Ever since I caught sight of the Obamas' holiday digs in Hawaii, I've been desperately missing the tropics, and all the sun, surf, and superb eats that go along with it.

So over the weekend, while the West Coast enjoyed record highs, I sat back in some new shades, ate up the 70-degree weather, and guzzled a good-for-you cocktail that felt like a mini island vacation.

I can't take credit for the idea (that goes to New York's Rouge Tomate), but this brilliant drink is one part healthy smoothie, one part fizzy spa cocktail, and all parts equatorial. Want to enjoy a glass, too? Then read more.

After I found myself drooling over CasaSugar's steak frites, I realized I was long overdue to make a large, juicy chunk of beef for dinner. That's when I remembered an interesting recipe I'd come across for a steak marinated in cachaça, the national liquor of Brazil. Although the meat should sit in this marinade for a couple of days, the prep is minimal, which makes this recipe an overall piece of cake.

A week later, I'm still waxing poetic about the dish and its bold, robust flavor; if you've ever had Chinese drunken chicken, this steak possesses the same booziness factor. Ask your butcher to give you the flattest, thinnest hanger steak he has; it'll make for a more even-cooking, attractive piece of meat. For a different steak dinner, keep on reading.

Although I love to sip more than one beverage at a time, I didn't want too many drinks crowding the table at Easter brunch, so I settled on a holiday tipple that did double duty as part morning joe, part festive cocktail. This quick and simple libation makes use of cachaça, a sugarcane liquor that's similar to rum and wildly popular in Brazil. When combined with chilled espresso and sweetened, condensed milk, it tastes like an espresso martini, only less lethal. A sprinkle of cinnamon adds layer of nutty flavor. Jive with a twist on java when you read more.