While most of us are sleeping through the late night and into the wee hours of the morning, Nicole Ajello is doing what she describes as “sprinkling magic pixie dust.” Ajello owns The Yard Fairy, a business that delivers personalized lawn greetings for everything from birthdays to graduations to first days of school to even divorce celebrations. The goal is to surprise the message receiver upon waking. “Growing up, my family celebrated with birthday fairies,” Ajello says. “Your room was decorated, there was always a surprise and so this was a natural fit for me.” Ajello says the stay at home order that has come with the COVID pandemic has changed her business. “People are desperate to find ways to celebrate their loved ones,” she says. “We’ve gone from three to four yards a week to five to six a night.” Though, she admits, she’s exhausted—her service is almost completely booked through June—Ajello says she is grateful to play a little part in big celebrations. “I get excited sneaking around setting up the signs but my favorite part is on the rare occasion when I get to see [someone’s] reaction,” Ajello says. “People often start crying.”
Fairy visits cost around $100 each, depending on the location and message. If you’d like to book a visit soon, do so ASAP; theyardfairy.com.
WEB EXCLUSIVEThis Friday (5/29) at 4 p.m., Alex Bridges of Vidrio will take over our Instagram (@raleighmagazine) to show us, and our readers and followers, how to make the restaurant’s Oaxaca Flora cocktail and Cauliflower Cacio E Pepe.
Tune in and post a question or comment for a chance to win a $50 Vidrio gift card! (Winner will be selected at random.)
Scroll for the ingredients lists and recipes to get yourself prepared for the live cooking demo.
Oaxaca Flora
1½ oz. Hibiscus Infused Sombra Mezcal (see below) ¾ oz. Aperol ½ oz. St. Germaine ½ oz. lemon juice ½ oz. simple syrup Lemon peel and edible flower for garnish Ice
Equipment: Shaker, strainer, glass
Hibiscus infused mezcal: Pour a 750 ml. bottle of Sombra Mezcal into any plastic container that can be sealed. Add 2 cups of dried hibiscus petals. Slightly agitate and then seal so the container is air tight. Let sit for 24 hours. After 24 hours, remove the seal and strain the mezcal through a chinois to remove all hibiscus petals. Store in an air tight bottle.
To build: Add all ingredients besides garnish into a shaker. Add ice to your shaker, roughly ¾ of the way full. Close your shaker and shake hard to properly emulsify. This should take roughly 45 seconds of vigorous shaking. Open your shaker and using a fine mesh and Hawthorn strainer, strain the contents into a coupe glass. Garnish by piercing a lemon peel and edible flower through a bamboo knot pick and rest on the edge of the glass.
Cauliflower Cacio E Pepe
Cauliflower: 1 cup bread crumbs (buy or make your own) 2 cauliflower heads, trimmed and halved 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. kosher salt ½ Tbsp. black pepper
Cacio E Pepe: ¹⁄₈ cup shallots 2 tsp. garlic ¼ tsp. extra virgin olive oil ¹⁄₃ cup white wine 1 ¹⁄₈ cups heavy cream ¹⁄₈ cups Parmesan ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. black pepper ¼ tsp. parsley ¼ tsp. chives
Cauliflower: On a sheet pan, oil and season your broken-down cauliflower. Cook at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until almost tender.
Cacio E Pepe: Start with a cold sauté pan and add in shallots, garlic, oil and salt. Place your burner on medium high heat and start to sweat the shallot and garlic. Once you see this process starting you will add in your white wine, reduce the wine to extract flavor while cooking out moisture and alcohol. Once reduced add heavy cream and black pepper. Once you start to see large bubbles forming in your sauce you can begin to incorporate parmesan. Mix in slowly so as not to overly decrease the temperature of your sauce and to allow for proper melting within the sauce.
Once you have completed your sauce, you will incorporate your roasted cauliflower into the pan. We want to make sure we are thoroughly mixing to completely coat the cauliflower with sauce. Once the cauliflower is sufficiently covered we will transfer to our bowl. Top the dish with Parmesan, toasted bread crumbs, parsley and chives and serve.
WEB EXCLUSIVE Many of Raleigh’s locally owned restaurants have reopened their dining rooms at 50 percent capacity, in accordance with rules set in place by Gov. Roy Cooper in phase two of the state’s reopening plan. See below for an updated list of where you can now dine in safely.
Click here for a list of which restaurants have takeout and delivery.
WEB EXCLUSIVEThis Friday (5/22) at 4 p.m., chef Drew Smith of kō.än will take over our Instagram (@raleighmagazine) to show us, and our readers and followers, how to make the restaurant’s Ume Spritz and Summer Salad with Asian pears and ginger vinaigrette. Scroll for the ingredients lists and recipes to get yourself prepared for the live cooking demo.
Ume Spritz (yields 1 drink)
Ingredients: 1 oz. Aperol 1 oz. Umeshu (we use Choya) ¼ oz. St. Germain ¼ oz. fresh lemon juice 2 dashes Crude Sycophant Bitters Sparkling wine Orange peel garnish
Equipment: 12 oz. glass, stir stick, peeler, ice
Instructions: Build all ingredients in tall 12 oz. glass, add ice and stir for 7 seconds. Top with wine.
Summer Salad with Asian Pears and Ginger Vinaigrette (yields two large salads)
Ingredients: 1¼ cup ginger ½ cup apple (any kind), peeled and roughly chopped ¾ cup carrots, peeled and roughly chopped ½ cup white miso paste 8 cloves garlic 1½ cup rice wine vinegar ½ cup Mirin 1 Tbsp. kosher salt Pepper 1 Asian pear (or Bartlett) 8 oz. mixed greens Radishes (optional) Slivered almonds
Equipment: Blender, peeler, measuring cups
Instructions: Wash the mixed greens if necessary. Shred carrots and slice the Asian pear. Add greens to a mixing bowl, season with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper. Add carrots and almonds. Toss well and plate. Garnish with sliced Asian pears and radishes.
WEB EXCLUSIVEThis Friday (5/15) at 4 p.m., chef Nunzio Scordo of Driftwood Kitchen + Bar will take over our Instagram (@raleighmagazine) to show us, and our readers and followers, how to make his pimento cheese and Pimm’s cup cocktail. Scroll for the ingredients lists and recipes to get yourself prepared for the live cooking demo.
Pimm’s Cup
½ English cucumber, sliced 2 oz. Pimm’s No. 1 2 lemons ½ tsp. sugar Ice Mint leaves 4 strawberries 1 bottle or can of ginger beer Lemon slice for garnish
Equipment: Knife Cutting board Shaker and strainer Muddler Mixing glass
In a shaker, smash 2 slices of cucumbers, the sugar, the juice of one lemon and 2 strawberries (cut in half). Smash well with a muddler or small wooden spoon if you don’t have one. Add the Pimm’s No. 1 and fill with ice. Shake vigorously and pour into rocks glass. Garnish with mint leaves, 2 cucumber slices and sliced strawberries.
Pimento Cheese
2 cups aged cheddar 1¼ cups chopped pimento peppers or pequillo peppers ¼ cup goat cheese, at room temperature Hot sauce (your choice) 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil ½ cup mayonnaise (we like Duke’s) Salt and pepper to taste
Grate the cheddar into the mixing bowl. Add the chopped pimento, goat cheese, hot sauce and mayo. Mix well until goat cheese is incorporated and cheddar has broken down.
Add the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remember, the more aged the cheddar, the saltier taste it will have so always season at the end. Serve with your favorite crackers or veggies, or use for a grilled cheese or in mac and cheese.
