July 5, 2011

Little Summer Berry Puddings

When the weather reaches almost 100 degrees at my house, the last thing I want to do is turn on a HOT oven. During the summer months, I crave recipes that require very few ingredients and effort. Because when it’s hotter than heck, even putting an apron on can feel like too much work.

Raspberries+ Sugar+ Milk= Dessert Alchemy. This recipe requires such little effort for a really big payoff. Toss juicy red raspberries in sugar and let them sit. Slightly soak rounds of bread in milk. One berry layer, one milky bread layer, smoosh & repeat. A small stint in the fridge… Invert, add a dollop of whipped cream followed by berries on top and then what do you get? Cold juicy summer berry studded puddings that are light, decadent, dark red & delicious. If you need me, I’ll be huddled over my A/C vent eating one of these.
CONTINUE READING

recipes, Uncategorized

July 2, 2011

Cucumber Infused Vodka

It’s INFUSION TIME! Have you made the Strawberry Infused Vodka yet? If you haven’t, you should! For those of you who’ve made some, isn’t it crazy good? Don’t you feel proud of yourself for making your own jazzed up vodka? It’s kind of addictive, no? So here’s the latest addition to my booze repertoire–Cucumber Infused Vodka! I have no doubt that you’re gonna want to get in on this action.

Cucumber Infused Vodka is delicate, slightly sweet, and uber-refreshing. It’s like fancy spa water gone wild! The best part is that it’s SOO dang easy to make. All you have to do is peel & cut 1 English cucumber, put it in a jar of vodka and wait for 3 days. Amazing, right? I should also note that cucumbers don’t soak up as much booze like the strawberries in the Strawberry Infused Vodka, so the vodka yield is HIGH. Winning!

So, what to do with this vodka? Drink it ICE cold on it’s own; it’s really fantastic by itself. Since I generally like to mix booze with other stuff, I added some to a cold glass of watermelon juice with a twist of lime and it was KILLER. I think I’d like to try it with pineapple juice, sparkly water & mint. Oh dear…I’m salivating now.
CONTINUE READING

Photography, Uncategorized

July 2, 2011

365- Week 25

A food related photo everyday until 2012. Here’s Week 25:

181/365 Cheeseburger & Fries with Pinot Noir. Lunch.

recipes

June 30, 2011

Honey Rosemary Lemonade

This Honey Rosemary Lemonade is dedicated to all of my pregnant friends who are desperately craving a cocktail this summer. I was pregnant during the summer and boy was it tough! There are definitely times when booze would help a tough pregnant situation. Like…when you can’t sleep at night because it takes you over an hour to find the right position, a hot toddy would help. If someone asks you if you’re carrying twins and you’re NOT, Jack Daniels would come to your rescue! When you’re at a party & your husband is getting tipsy and you overhear him bragging about how awesome it is to have a BUILT-IN DESIGNATED DRIVER, booze would help. You would no longer have to drive his drunk butt home! Let me be clear that booze would not help if you have heartburn. Booze would not help with the getting up every hour to pee situation. Booze does not help when you are gestating. That’s a fact.

So this is where this Honey Rosemary Lemonade enters the picture. It’s slightly herbal, fancy and super tasty. It will make any pregnant woman feel normal again. It’s like non-alcoholic beer, but better. But you really don’t have to be pregnant to enjoy this…you can be a thirsty person looking for something refreshing to sip on! If you’re not pregnant and want to be naughty, add some Strawberry Infused Vodka or gin up in. Just do what I do and dedicate a shot to your pregnant friends; it shows them that you care.

around the home, Uncategorized

June 30, 2011

Episode #7 is Live!!!

Hey! This week on the Joy the Baker Podcast over at Homefries, me & Joy are at it again!

This week we are giving you our SUMMER SURVIVAL GUIDE! Topics include:

picnics & bbqs
sodas & farro salads
shorts & espadrilles
nail polish, hair removal & arm pits (sorry boys!)

You won’t want to miss it! Come check it out!

If you want to ask us a question, email us!

Homefries has its own Facebook page! You’ll totally LIKE it.

recipes, Uncategorized

June 29, 2011

Crispy Fried Chicken

I think it’s incredibly important to challenge yourself in the kitchen, and making fried chicken is a GREAT way to do so. If it means you’ll make your fried chicken-loving friend/spouse/partner/child happy, then it’s totally worth it. If it means you might not be able to button up your skinny jeans at the end on the night, then WHY ARE YOU WEARING SKINNY JEANS while eating fried chicken?? Seriously! You should know better. Think-elastic waist pants with a non-clingy dress on top. It’s summer.

Let’s get back to challenges! This one was a challenge. Not because the process was complicated (it’s really not!), but because I am always terrified to fry things in bubbling hot oil. I’ve been burned by oil countless times, due to my general kitchen klutziness and impulse to do MULTIPLE things in the kitchen while frying. Don’t be me. Pay attention when you fry stuff. Put blinders on and focus. Why? Because delicious Crispy Fried Chicken is worth the attention. Also it’s amazing with a drizzle of honey on top. Just saying…

recipes, Uncategorized

June 27, 2011

Iceberg Wedges with Gorgonzola Dressing

I LOVE an iceberg wedge salad, don’t you? I’m easily seduced when I see a nice wedge on a restaurant menu. I can’t help myself. They’re novel, they’re fun and they usually have a creamy dressing & something bacon-y to boot. Seriously, what’s not to like? I made fried chicken this past weekend (we’ll get to that, next post!) and needed something cool, crisp, and refreshing to serve with it. This iceberg wedge salad extravaganza proved to be a match made in heaven with my OH-SO crispy FRIED CHICKEN.

Because I aimed to add crispy cooked bacon to this salad (WHY NOT?!), I bought low fat buttermilk & fat free Greek yogurt for the dressing. The lower fat options didn’t make a speck of difference in the overall taste. Isn’t it good to plan ahead? The creamy/sharpness of the Gorgonzola dressing was phenomenal with the sweet/juicy plum tomatoes I sprinkled around the edge of each plate. I didn’t feel an ounce of guilt after eating 2 servings in one night. I HAVE to make this again when I get around to making “killer hot wings” for my husband this summer. It’s on my list, after all.
CONTINUE READING