Summer

Cherry-Berry Frozen Mojitos

Today was the nicest day we’ve had in a while — clear skies, high of 70, lots of sun, and no wind. It was a day meant to be spent outside. So, instead of lounging around our condo being lazy like we usually do on Saturdays, Dan and I decided to revive our balcony garden. Admittedly, neither of us is really that good with plants yet. Especially me — I managed to kill three cacti in my office last year. And Dan, who actually comes from a family of good gardeners, never really took an interest in plants before. So when we started our balcony garden last spring, there was definitely a bit of a learning curve. But it was fun, and we were so...

Dan can tell you that I’ve gone a little smoothie crazy lately. Those green smoothies from last weekend were the first smoothies I’ve had in ages, and guys? Smoothies are delicious! And, if you sneak in some leafy greens and high protein yogurt, they’re pretty good for you too! I’m a fan. So much of a fan, in fact, that I’ve made myself a smoothie practically every day this week. Smoothies for breakfast, smoothies for dinner…suffice to say, Dan thinks I’ve gone smoothie crazy. You know what’s kind of like a smoothie? A daiquiri. Honestly, the only difference between these strawberry banana daiquiris and the classic strawberry-banana smoothie is the rum (and, technically…the yogurt). Otherwise, it’s got all the same delicious, healthy ingredients. So,...

Hoo-boy, we just had ourselves a real scorcher of a day, didn’t we? Weather.com tells me we reached a high of 102 degrees today. 102 and sunny. Bright, merciless, blazing sunshine…everywhere. Thank god I didn’t have to go outside today. Frankly, sitting at home furiously handwriting a million essays for my simulated bar exam was way preferable to braving the heat. Hand cramps and bar exam-induced depression in an air conditioned condo >> heat stroke on the Metro. If you know me, you’ll know that when it gets this hot out, the only action my kitchen sees is from my blender. So naturally, today’s dinner consisted of some grapes, garlic bread, cheese, and many many ice cold Mango Wine Coolers. It. Was. Amazing. Probably the best dinner I’ve put...

I don’t know how hot it is where you guys are, but it was 100 frickin’ degrees today here in Northern Virginia. 100, sunny, and muggy. It was so bad that for once I welcomed the subzero air blasting inside my office — I was cold, but at least with my limbs frozen I could actually withstand the heat once I stepped back outside. I know all my whining about the heat is super lame and incredibly #firstworldproblems-esque, but guys…I was not built to withstand heat. By the time I dragged my sweaty, sticky ass home after work, I was in no mood to do anything but stand over the AC for the next 8 hours or so. I definitely wasn’t going to even...

This post is inspired by our balcony garden, which is flourishing in the summer heat. Especially the apple mint. That sucker is spreading out and overrunning everything! It reminds me of a hydra — every time I snip off a sprig or two for cocktails, 10 more spring up. It’s starting to get out of hand. Anyone want to take some fresh mint off our hands? (I’m looking at you, Brad and Amy…) Because I am spectacularly un-creative, the only thing that comes to mind when I see mint is a mojito. I guess you could say I’m always looking for an excuse to drink cocktails, but…I also figured the easiest and fastest way to use up a whole bunch of mint would be...

It’s strawberry season, everyone! The pick-your-own-fruit farms are open for business, the grocery store shelves are loaded with fat, juicy, sweet berries begging to be eaten, AND… …my strawberry plants have started to bear fruit! Do you know how exciting that is? SO EXCITING! Our little balcony garden is a success! To be fair, I’ve only been able to harvest one berry from my garden so far. There are at least four more on the way, but that’s really not enough to do more than tingle a person’s taste buds. So, to satisfy my warm-weather craving for strawberry-based foods and drinks, I went to the store and picked up 3lbs of strawberries. 3lbs of fruit may a be lot, but we’ve already...

Another day, another margarita. Don’t judge me, OK? It’s Cinco de Mayo! I’m pretty sure margaritas are mandatory on Cinco de Mayo. Yup. Totally. And that’s fine by me, ‘cuz these grape fruit margs are fabulous – mild, sweet, tangy, and refreshing. Even Dan, who doesn’t like grapefruit at all and looked deeply skeptical when I told him I was going to make him a delicious cocktail with grapefruit juice, had to admit that this was one tasty beverage. Really, the best way to describe it is “dangerously drinkable”. Not only are these margaritas tasty, they are super easy to make. Even easier than the Classic Lime Margaritas from the other day. Turns out, it’s easier to squeeze a couple grapefruits than a billion limes....

Someone pointed out the other day that I’ve been going nuts with the beverage posts lately. It’s true. The only action my kitchen has seen in the last few days is fruit-squeezing, ice-making, and cocktail-stirring. Before you ask, no…I have not suddenly developed a drinking problem. It’s just that for food-blogging purposes it’s a lot easier to throw together a big pitcher of margaritas than to come home, scramble to cook/plate a meal, stage a scene, and try to take pictures before the sun is gone. Plus, I love margaritas. Give me any excuse to make and/or drink it, and I’m there. I used to find the taste of tequila repulsive, but my taste buds must have changed a lot since college because these...

What happens when you buy a ton of strawberries and blueberries because you’re trying to get more fruit into your diet, but then forget about them because you have a busy week and don’t have time to pack lunch? You get a fridge full of sad, mushy berries, that’s what. Sad, mushy berries that need to be turned into something delicious ASAP before they get really gross. I had a really delicious raspberry crumb bar at a firm lunch last week. It was one of those generic, slightly-processed tasting desserts filled with jam instead of real fruit, but it was tasty and reminded me how much I enjoy fruity crumb bars. So, when I woke up this morning and discovered all those berries languishing...

Kids always think that being grown up is soooo glamorous. Adults can do what they want, eat all the candy and junk food they want, stay up as late as they want, etc. And yeah, I guess that’s all true. But, being an adult is also expensive. Really expensive. Like… “holy crap, how did this routine car inspection turn into $1800 worth of repairs” expensive. Yeah. Being a grown up can be a real bummer sometimes. Needless to say, after the car-repair fiasco at the dealership this morning, Dan and I were feeling a little tense. Not to promote the use of alcohol to deal with stress or anything, but…I was really looking forward to having a drink when we got home. Since there...

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Summer

Cherry-Berry Frozen Mojitos

Strawberry Banana Daiquiris

Mango Wine Coolers

Watermelon-Mint Lemonade

Triple Berry Frozen Mojitos

Strawberry Mojitos

Grapefruit Margarita

Classic Lime Margaritas

Mixed Berry Crumb Bars

Blackberry Mojitos

Blogs I Love

Cool Sites