After only a few weeks back to blogging, I found myself at a bit of a crossroads: I was incredibly happy to be behind my camera again, playing with props and dreaming up new cocktails; but I was also feeling a little antsy and a little uninspired. It felt a bit like Groundhog Day: make new cocktail, photograph new cocktail; post new cocktail. I started to feel like I was going through the motions for the sake of it.

So, I took a step back. I made a list of the reasons I started blogging in the first place: to learn more about photography, to explore the ins-and-outs of food styling, to write from my heart. To be honest, cocktails were really just my subject matter; they were never the end game. I don’t aspire to know the mechanics of distilling or the intricate differences between vermouth and punt e mes. All I really want is to inspire and be inspired.

So I stopped with my self-imposed rules. Who said I have to make cocktails and cocktails only? I had ventured into the food realm before and found it so rewarding. To test out recipes I had bookmarked and to play with props beyond coupes and juicers—that felt good. I wanted more of that.

While Amazon-wishlisting the many incredible fall book releases, an idea came to me—cookbooks! Of course. I probably have over 50 of them in my to-buy queue. And even though so much of my world is digital, there is something about holding a beautiful book in your hands and creating something delicious from it.

And so the idea was born: choose a cookbook each month, pick a handful of my favorite recipes, and dream up some delicious cocktails to go with them. Heck yes!

For my first selection, I chose Small Victories by Julia Turshen. If you don’t know Julia, she’s a recipe developer for the stars, sort of—working with the likes of Gwenyth and Mario Batali (no big deal)—as well as an accomplished chef in her own right. She just wrote a cookbook of her own, which immediately stood out to me because of its accessible subject matter: simple recipes we can master in our home kitchens. Think: a tried-and-true lasagna, versatile dressings you can keep on hand, and appetizers suited for Sunday nights and dinner parties alike. I was sold.

The first recipe I chose was Julia’s Carrot + Tahini salad, which feels fresh enough for the warm days of our Indian summer and autumnal enough for the early days of October.

With it, I paired one of my favorite cocktails, The White Stag, which I sipped at Penrose in Oakland quite some time ago. I begged the bartender to give me the full recipe and he kindly scribbled it on a scrap of paper for me, sending me off with luck and well wishes.

The drink is only slightly sweet and a little savory from the celery which I think goes well with the tahini. I love the smokiness of the mezcal as well—be sure not to skip it.

I hope you’ll explore Small Victories with me! It’s only $20 on Amazon. Seriously. Can’t wait to share my next pick from the book with you.

Cheers—and bon appetit, too.

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Shaved Carrot Salad with Tahini
adapted from Small Victories by Julia Turshen

• 1 generous tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp hot water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bunch of carrots, shaved or thinly sliced into coins
• 1 avocado, sliced
• handful of roasted nuts—pine nuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds work well
• 2 scallions, diced

Assembly
Combine first five ingredients and shake well to combine. Plate each salad individually, starting with carrots followed by avocado, nuts and scallions. Drizzle each salad with dressing. Serve and enjoy!

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The White Stag
makes two cocktails

• .25 oz absinthe
• 1.5 oz gin
• 1.5 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 oz mezcal
• 1 oz dry vermouth (Dolin Blanc recommended)
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 2 celery stalks, ends removed and chopped into chunks

Assembly
Rinse two coupe glasses with absinthe; toss (or better—drink!) any remaining. Set aside. Add celery to a shaker and muddle well, 20-30 seconds. Add all other ingredients to the shaker with ice and shake until very cold, about 20 seconds. Double strain into the coupe glasses.