Water, Refreshed

Have a hard time drinking your 8 glasses a day? Try infusing your water with cucumber, which somehow makes it taste more refreshing.  We made up a carafe of the stuff this past Labor day weekend, though ours also contained slices of sweet homegrown grapefruit. Lemon and fresh herbs are also a nice compliment! (Picture from extraordinary lifestyle).

Perfect Hot Summer Meal

When it's too hot to cook, try this no-cook, easy and delicious recipe for Vietnamese Summer Rolls from White on Rice Couple Todd Porter and Diane Cu. This is one of my all time favorite dishes because it utilizes so many great fresh ingredients, is totally customizable to your taste, and is fun to assemble! I had these at a Vietnamese restaurant several years ago and have been making them regularly ever since. Unlike the recipe shared here, my husband and I prefer to set out all the pre-washed and pre-cut ingredients in a selection of serving dishes and let our guests go to town! It gets everyone involved so it's great for parties. To add more variety, you can also include sauteed shrimp, chicken or steak, and offer a variety of dipping sauces like soy, peanut, sweet and sour, spicy mustard, etc. The possibilities are endless! 

Tasty Stuff: Non-Alcoholic Orange Mint Cocktail

My husband is a culinary genius. But he keeps me well fed, so there's a chance I'm biased :). Anyway, he surprised me with a tasty Orange Mint Non-Alcoholic Cocktail on Sunday just after I returned from a 33 mile bike ride. Now that's refreshing!

To make, just mix the following:

a handfull of orange mint, pulverized in an herb grinder (or crushed with a mortar and pestle)
sugar to taste
1/2 lime
sprig of orange mint for garnish
tonic water
ice

Note: you can substitute regular mint if you don't have orange mint. Or go crazy, and try apple mint, lemon mint, or pineapple mint!

Chillin' and Grillin' Burgers This Memorial Day

Real Simple magazine has a spread of tasty burgers that are now available on their website. The Chipotle Mayo Grilled Onion version above is just one of the tasty options to consider for this long (unoffiical) summer weekend.

I plan to do a lot of grillin' and chillin' this Memorial Day weekend. What will you do?

Tasty Stuff: Almond Meal Bread

Regular readers know that I've recently made an amazing culinary discovery: Homemade Almond Milk. And those of you who have actually made it, know that you are left over with lots of almond meal which you can hardly justify throwing into the garbage. Well, yesterday I finally made use of it, and you can too with this super easy Almond Meal Bread Recipe from Novel Eats! I mostly followed the recipe with the exception of a few alterations (some good, some not so good):

1. I quadrupled the amount of almond meal used. That's right QUADRUPULED. Call me crazy, but I really wanted to make good use of the stuff. Perhaps it's why the loaf weighs more than a gold brick. Or perhaps it's because I mistakenly used boiling hot water, deactivating the yeast. Next time, I will still quadruple the almond meal, but will also reduce the amount of flour and use luke warm water.
2. I baked mine in a bread pan so it's shaped better for sandwhiches --> Good call.
3. In an effort to achieve a nice golden brown crust, I slathered some butter on top after it was done baking, put my oven on broil, and put it back in. When it didn't brown right away, I persisted and unfortunately I think I ended up over cooking the bread. Still really tasty, but a bit dry. Next time I will live with non-golden crust. (Seperate subject, but now I'm wondering if you can really even broil anything in a gas oven???)

Try it for yourself and let me know what you think or try another almond meal recipe and share that too!

Tasty Stuff: Rosemary Lemonade

Spring means lots of fresh herbs, so there's no better time to try this recipe for Rosemary Lemonade. This delicious concoction comes to us from Aleah and Nick Valley of Valley and Co., the dynamic wedding/event-planning-husband-and-wife duo. Check out their blog for more inspiring DIY ideas and photos!..... Don't have any fresh rosemary? Try Basil Lemonade!

Another Culinary Discovery

Ok, maybe not as life changing as almond milk (am I being dramatic?), but definitely more fun. When I was recently introduced to the "one-eye", a.k.a "egg in the nest", I thought I must have been living under a rock to not know about this egg and toast breakfast deliciousness. Check out Cute Food For Kids to get the step by step instructions for the Valentine's Day version, complete with the how-to for ketchup hearts.

Amazing Culinary Discovery

So I won't bore you with the details of why we've recently stopped buying cow's milk, but let's just say that whether you are looking for an alternative or not, Almond Milk is a must try! This delicicous drink is low in calories, super easy to make, and can be dressed up to make many fun flavor varieties (strawberry, vanilla, etc.). Check out the recipe and more beautiful pictures from The Parsley Thief and then let me know if you have been converted. My husband, the chef in the house, preferred to substitute 2 tablespoons of raw sugar, in lieu of the highly processed agave nectar (please don't get him started), along with a pinch of salt to bring out the subtly delicious almond flavor.

Not Like a Box of Chocolates

Why give a boring box of chocolates this Valentine's Day when you can create something just as tasty, and way more personal, like this crossword cookies and cake set from I Am Baker?

Gross But Good

My aunt made this cheese spread for a Halloween Party and I thought it was just great! Gross, but great. What's in it you ask? "Sharp cheddar cheese, port wine cheese, cream cheese, and rolled in poppy seeds. Legs are made from refrigerator dough, brushed with a beaten egg, baked, then painted with black food coloring. Legs-really not edible." Thanks Donna!

Caramelized Pumpkin Seeds

Now these look like a good use of pumpkin seeds. Get the recipe over at Cooking With My Kid. Found via Foodgawker. mmm...

Wine Tasting Game!

I wrote up a guest post for The Queen Bee Market about a little wine tasting game I made up. Check it out here and then throw a wine tasting party!

Make Candy Corn Cookies

Baked Bree shows you how to make delicious sounding Candy Corn shaped Sugar Cookies. Cookies immitating Candy immitating Vegetables.

Falling Leaf Cookies

Aren't these fall cookies from the Decorated Cookie cute? Get the tutorial and many more fun cookie ideas now!

Comfort Food is What I Need

Today is one of those days where I am in need of some comfort food. Fortunately I have a wonderful husband (shown here) who is making me an amazing hamburger (also shown here), right now! mmm...

Mmmmmm, handmade marshmallows infused with Hibiscus flowers. Get the recipe and step by step tutorial at Not Without Salt (not to mention more amazing marshmallow pictures.

Have a good weekend!

Fun Cocktail Markers: Floating Flowers

Inspired by an idea from Bake it Pretty, I originally bought these flowers to add a little pizazz to our cocktails at the Crafts and Cocktails party Saturday night. Turns out they are also a great way to distinguish who's drink is who's when you are all are drinking the same thing (the mimosas were flowing) and you buy them in different colors. I bought mine from etsy seller SasssyPant's. 12 customized flowers for $3.50!

Flower Topped Sugar Cubes

I love these little sugar cubes flowers from Bake It Pretty found via my mom. And since I'm throwing a Crafts and Cocktails party, I may just have to find a way to incorporate floating sugar cubes into a cocktail. Champagne Cocktail perhaps? If you have any ideas, share them!

Last Minute St. Patrick's Day Treat

In case you're on your way out the door and need of a last minute treat to bring with you to a St. Patrick's Day Party or already home from celebrating and have the munchies from all that green beer, here is an easy St. Patty's Day treat recipe from The Decorated Cookie. Cheers!

Tutorial: Orange Blossom Fondant Flowers

This blog has turned me into a mushy, flower loving, girl. In fact, I can't stop making flowers. Last week it was paper flowers, and this week it's an edible variety made from rolled fondant and placed on top of miniature cupcakes drizzled with an orange buttercream glaze.




Materials:

- Cupcakes (I used this white cake recipe. but it was a little too dense for me. You better have a glass of milk handy when you are eating it)

- Frosting (I used a simple buttercream frosting which I thinned out with orange juice until it was a cinnamon roll type glaze consistency. I also added orange zest.)

- Rolled Fondant (you can buy this at craft stores in the cake decorating isle)

- Round fondant/cookie cutter (~1/2 inch diameter)

- Rolling pin

- Powdered Sugar



Process:



I essentially used the same process with the paper flower tutorial to make these:



1. Roll out the fondant using the powdered sugar to prevent sticking to the cutting board and rolling pin.



2. Cut out 5 circles with the cutter for each flower.



3. Assemble the flowers using the same method shown here, pinching one side of the circle to make each petal.



4. Attach to the top of the cupcakes using a little left over frosting as glue.

Now that's my kind of bouquet!