Before joining our Monumental Celebration on October 18th, make one of our delicious, desert-inspired recipes below and share photos of your at-home festivities on social media with the hashtag #AMonumentalCelebration! Click here to register for the event.

The Desert Healer Cocktail & Mocktail

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz gin (omit for mocktail)
• 0.5 oz cherry brandy or liqueur (for mocktail, swap for 1-2 tsp syrup from a can of cherry preserves or cherry pie filling)
• 3 oz orange juice
• 3 oz ginger ale or ginger beer

Directions:

1. Shake the gin, cherry brandy/liqueur/syrup, and orange juice in a cocktail shaker with ice.
2. Strain into an ice-filled glass.
3. Slowly add ginger ale or ginger beer, and gently stir.

Red Hot Chili Popcorn

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 0.5 cup popcorn kernels
• 2 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp red chili powder (use any blend you prefer, like chipotle powder)
• 0.5 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Put 1 Tbsp oil, kernels, spices, and salt into a large, heavy-bottom Dutch oven. Stir well with a spoon. Ensure kernels are in a single layer.
2. Cover the Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat. Wait until you hear the kernels start to pop. Remove from heat, and shake the pot back and forth. Put it back on heat with its lid slightly ajar to allow moisture to escape. Do this 2-3 more times in a minute.
3. When the popping slows down, remove the Dutch oven from heat and wait until there’s no more popping, about a minute, keeping the lid ajar.
4. When the popping stops, remove the lid.
5. Drizzle another 1 Tbsp olive oil over the popcorn, and adjust seasoning to taste.

Enjoy! And don’t forget to register for the event!