Beverage
This collection of summer drink recipes is sponsored by Foodie.com.
It’s hard to believe it’s pretty much just now officially summer considering it’s been well over 90 for at least the past few weeks. But let’s face – July really means “summer” is already almost half over. Time to embrace summer full on if you haven’t already. July around here means not only the 4th of July, but the husband’s birthday and our annual family beach trip with my in-laws. Lots of reasons to celebrate and what’s the best way to celebrate? With a refreshing summer spritzer. Be it alcoholic or not, there’s nothing better than something decadent poured over lots of ice. That to me just screams summer vacation and relaxation.
I’ve put together a collection on Foodie showcasing twelve fabulous beverages to indulge in this summer, from iced coffee to green juices to marvelous cocktails, of course.
Check out 12 Succulent Summer Drinks
by Heather at Foodie.com
Find more of my favorite drink recipes on my Pinterest board. Feel free to leave a link to yours if you have one in the comments.
What’s your favorite summertime drink?
P.S. The winner of the Southern Breeze Sweet Tea giveaway is …
Erin @ Girl Gone Veggie
Shoot me an email to claim your prize!
This collection of summer drink recipes is sponsored by Foodie.com.
Roundups
What makes for a perfect Mother’s Day Brunch? Cocktails and sweets, of course!
Usually there’s only one foodie-type holiday a month. New Years. Valentine’s. St. Patty’s. Thanksgiving. You get the idea.
But May has a multitude: Mother’s Day, my birthday, Memorial Day… Oh, my birthday isn’t on your list? 😉
We start the month off honoring moms with breakfasts, brunches, and lunches, and we close May out with the official kick off to summer. Although I wouldn’t mind if summer just kicked itself off now, with open pools and fired up grills. The 90 degrees can hold off though.
Anyways, what better way to honor mom than giving her a shift off of meal prep? {Ok, perhaps a weekend off or {amd?} a massage would top that.} But let’s at least start with a nice breakfast. Better yet, brunch, so mom can sleep in. {ha.}
Here are are 12 of my favorite brunch-esque recipes that would be perfect for Mother’s Day, or any special occasion. From scones to cinnamon rolls and even some {ok a lot of} brunch-appropriate cocktails, here you go!
[Tweet “12 Cocktails & Sweets for Mother’s Day Brunch! #mothersday”]
Visit the collection above on Foodie to find the sources and recipes!
This post is sponsored by Foodie.
How are you celebrating Mother’s Day?
Roundups
This post is sponsored by Foodie.
{And yes, I know it’s Monday. Sunday was for relaxing. Monday is for writing.}
Growing up, Sunday Night Dinner was a tradition. It wasn’t just a meal on a given day, it was an event. Capital S, capital N, capital D: Sunday Night Dinner.
My aunt and uncle hosted every weekend. 6pm, be there or be square, snow, sleet, ice, or sun. Seriously, I think we hiked through the snow to make it there more than once. It was about more than food; it was about family and coming together over a meal, a moment of rest and respite from the weekly chaos of all things life.
Mom and I were responsible for dessert, which meant we spend Sundays mixing, stirring, baking, or stopping by the gas station to buy ice cream on our way. Brownies a la mode, popsicles, ice box cake, Tollhouse cookie bars, and black walnut cake. All recipes I could make without glancing at a page in a cookbook {if I were actually brave enough to do so}. Sunday Dinners hold some of best memories. We still try to make our trips home fall over a Sunday so we can be there for a Sunday dinner. If not, we’ve been known to have Sunday Dinner on a Saturday. {I told you, it’s not a time, it’s a thing.}
While most Sunday Dinner recipe collections will focus on the big, elaborate, meat-and-potatoes-style meals, I can’t help but turn to dessert instead. Here are some of my favorite go-to dessert recipes, all with a healthy twist. Because that’s the way I do things.
Do you have Sunday Dinner memories? What are your go-to meals and desserts?
Dinner
This post is sponsored by Foodie.
I’ll give you a minute.
Yup, a FOOD post.
I gave up on recipe posts awhile back because I wasn’t really cooking anything delicious that the general population would want to read about. {See: allergies.} Then there’s the whole cooking-while-there’s-still-daylight and the keeping-grimy-toddler-hands-out-of-pictures things. It just lost it’s appeal.
BUT. Perhaps with the longer spring days {SPRING!} it may – may- happen once in awhile.
To re-kick things off, here’s a fun recipe from one of the Foodie app’s gluten-free recipe edition. You’ve probably seen a couple posts I’ve done with Foodie – if not, Foodie is like a food-lover’s Pinterest– a visual collection of recipes in a variety of user-created categories. Every once in awhile they feature a special collection on their app. It’s a virtual cookbook of sorts. It’s like having a swipeable cookbook in the palm of your hand at the grocery store, which makes being flexible about doing dinner shopping easy. {Just don’t be like me and try to download the edition while you’re walking out the door. It takes a few minutes. But once it’s downloaded it’s fast and you don’t have to have internet connection to look at the recipes.}
Foodie tasked me with making one of the recipes from the latest collection, the Gluten-Free edition. Perfect, right? While a bunch of the recipes looked downright delicious, I opted to go for what could become a dinner staple: maple-roasted chicken.
Now, mine looks nothing like the picture because I opted for a few shortcuts. Namely, using chicken breast tenderloins and cooking it on the stovetop. Hey, when a toddler wants dinner, he WANTS DINNER NOW! I love slow-cooking whole chickens so that would’ve been a good option to, had I had my act together before dinner time rolled around.
I served it with wilted garlikcy greens, onions, and roasted {unpictured} cauliflower on the side. It would’ve been really good with the rosemary sweet potato fries {also in the app} or sauteed sweet potato noodles {I’m obsessed with veggie noodles}.
Next up, I’m making the ginger spice cookies listed in the edition. I have an unhealthy obsession with crystallized ginger in sweets.
Have you checked out Foodie or tried the app?
Speaking of spring, it’s the official first day of spring!
Here are some spring-related posts to get you in the mindset.
Plant an Athlete’s Garden with spring veggies
6 Spring Workouts to get you summer-ready
How to fake spring – because let’s be honest, it’s not really spring even if the calendar says it is
This post is sponsored by Foodie.
Holidays
{Note: This is the first in a series of posts about celebrating summer sponsored by Bacardi.}
Nothing screams you’re getting close to the beach for 4th of July weekend after a long monotonous drive through back roads and chicken farms like a roadside fruit stand packed with juicy, mouthwatering peaches.
Every year growing up we’d get up at the crack of dawn one mid-summer Saturday, pack the car to the brim with boogie boards and beach chairs, and start the day-long drive from MD to the beaches of NC. Just as we approached the Outer Banks {really approached the Outer Banks, not just drove past the sign that tricks you into thinking you’re almost there}, the peach stands would start popping up.
First there’d be one sketchy shack by the side of the road. Then another. And another. Eventually you just HAD to stop. You could almost smell the sweet nectar of peaches seeping through the car vents on top of the slightly salty smell of the near-beach air.
When we finally got to the beach, we’d begrudgingly unload the overstuffed car, then happily stack the kitchen counter full of freshly picked peaches. When we tired of having sticky juice run down our chins as we bit into the ripe peaches, we’d turn to the blender. {Ok, no one gets tired of juicy peaches. But they still make good smoothies.}
For the rest of the week we’d blend up cold afternoon treats of peaches, bananas, and our secret tropical ingredient: Tang. You know, the sugary, powdered orange drink mix? Yeah, that’s the stuff.
It’s been years since I’ve been to the Outer Banks, but now that I live in NC, the husband and I take an annual trip {or two} to the closer beaches of NC and SC. It’s become a tradition to celebrate 4th of July weekend {better known as the husband’s birthday around here} at the beach with friends. We just got back from a trip at the beach and I learned a thing or two about keeping this breastfeeding momma hydrated in this inferno of a summer heat wave the whole country seems to be suffocating in. Remembering my peach-Tang-smoothie beach concoctions from childhood, I once again turned to the blender to help hydrate and beat the heat.
These ingredients are definitely a must for Independence Day beach bash birthday trip that’s just around the corner.
by with a Side of Sneakers
- 3 oz coconut water
- 12 oz coconut-almond milk
- 3 cups ice
- ½ cup strawberries
- ½ cup blueberries
Mix coconut water, coconut-almond milk, and ice in blender. Pulse and blend on high speed until ice is fully crushed. Divide into 3 parts.
Return 1 part of coconut mix to blender. Add strawberries and blend to combine. Pour into separate container.
Add another serving of the plain coconut mix to blender. Add blueberries and blend.
Fill glass by alternating smoothie layers so you end up with white, red, and blue stripes.
*Feel free to sub another kind of milk or fruit as desired.
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It’s the perfect smoothie to go along with your Fourth of July celebration fare. Serve alongside or as an appetizer to some of these fabulous Independence Day cookout recipes:
1. Crispy Blackened Tofu from Daily Garnish
2. Grilled Guacamole from Two Peas & Their Pod
3. Corn Pudding from Duchess of Fork
4. Chocolate Dipped Pretzels Sticks from Cupcakes & Cashmere
Source
What are your favorite 4th of July cookout staples & cocktails?Share your go-to’s in a chat with Foodie tonight at 4pm PST for a chance to win a $250 gift card from Sur La Table. Join in with #BacardiCocktails!
BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails Light is a new line of low calorie, ready to serve cocktails. At less than 95 calories for a 4-ounce serving, BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails Light is available in Pina Colada and Mojito flavors and is made with natural flavors, real juice and pure cane sugar. Whether enjoying a favorite cocktail after a long day or throwing a party, BACARDÍ Classic Cocktails deliver classic cocktail taste that’s a hit with friends, won’t add inches to your waistline and won’t take all day to prepare.
Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Bacardi via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Bacardi.
