Summer

Blackberry Champagne Margarita

So it’s been kind of a crazy week. I think I spent maybe 16 hours in my office — the rest of the time I was either running around attending different sessions at a conference or learning how to take control of my career as an empowered female lawyer. It was all very cool, and I learned a ton, but man…I’m tired. Thank God it’s Friday. Dan and I have been on green-thumb kick lately, so I was really looking forward to coming home today and getting elbow deep in soil and green things. The balcony looks a little worse for the wear now, but I successfully re-potted the lemon tree and the big (nameless) tree on the left. I even planted a...

For me, Superbowl is as much about the eating and drinking as it is about the football. Maybe more, actually. That’s why it’s always a kind of a bummer when I go to a Superbowl party and the only thing around for me to wash down all those delightfully salty, greasy, junky snacks is beer. I am so not a beer girl. So tomorrow, when Dan and the guys are throwing back brewskies and screaming at the TV, I’m going to be calmly sipping on sweet, fruity, refreshing sangria. Bottoms up! White Sangria (Inspired by the delicious sangrias served at Cities Restaurant Bar and Lounge) Ingredients: - 1 bottle white wine - 3 oz Peach Schnapps - 4 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur -...

There has been an explosion of pumpkin themed posts on food blogs lately, and it’s making me crazy. Kind of like how it makes me crazy to see all the Christmas decorations at the mall when Halloween is barely over. I know, I know…pumpkins in October = completely different scenario. It’s fall. The leaves are turning, the trees are shedding, and pumpkins, apples, cranberries, etc., are seasonally appropriate. But you know, the more people try to convince me it’s time to give up summer and its bounty, the harder I want to cling to it. What can I say, I’m contrary like that. And what’s more summery than fat, juicy blackberries? Fat, juicy blackberries in a cobbler. True, the berries being hawked in most...

You know what blows? Unemployment. Rain. Crappy day time television. Job applications. Extreme boredom. Put those things together, let it marinate for two weeks, and you’ll have yourself a big mess of complete and utter, “get-me-out-of-this-house-before-I-kill-the-cats” stir craziness. You know what doesn’t suck, though? Light, fluffy vanilla cake stuffed with fat, juicy strawberries. A perfectly moist cake made with simple ingredients that are sure to be sitting in your pantry/fridge right now. A sweet treat that can be mixed, baked, cooled, and devoured in less than an hour. This cake is the only thing keeping me sane today. There’s something about cracking eggs and stirring batter and slicing strawberries that’s really soothing. It’s familiar, it’s easy, and I’m guaranteed to get something great at...

Last week, David Leibovitz’s blog had a delicious-looking guest post on strawberry vodka. Soon after that, TasteSpotting and FoodGawker exploded with entries showcasing different fruit-infused vodkas. Since everyone else was doing it… Yeah, I hopped on the infused vodka train. Ripe strawberries smell so good! And after three days in a tightly sealed jar with said berries, the vodka smelled pretty good too. One whiff and I had visions of delicious strawberry-flavored cocktails dancing before my eyes. Some people say summer is all about the beach and weekend cook-outs…I say it’s about the drinks. Gotta stay hydrated in the heat, you know! And what’s better for the body and soul on a hot summer day than lemonade? Strawberry Lemonade. With vodka. Twisted Strawberry Lemonade...

Maybe it’s just my imagination, but I’m pretty sure the limoncello is getting stronger. It’s only been two days, but when I poured myself a glass yesterday, the lemony-boozy fumes about knocked me out on the first sip. It was still very sweet and lemony and all, but…whew. I can see why people say the stuff is lethal. This is definitely a leisurely-post-meal-sipping kind of beverage. Mixed with tonic water and blueberries though, the limoncello lost its intense boozy kick. In fact, the cocktail tasted almost exactly like Sprite! Don’t be fooled though, the alcohol is definitely still there — it’s just diluted enough by the fizz to not be quite so in-your-face. Proceed with caution, folks. Blueberry-Limoncello Cooler (Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis’s...

Man, it was hot today! The weatherman predicted thunderstorms all week, but there was nary a raindrop or storm cloud in sight. By the time I got home it was 88 and sunny. And just a little muggy, ‘cuz you know, it’s summer in Virginia. Basically, it was the perfect day for an icy cold pitcher of fresh, homemade lemonade. Times like these, I really wish we had furniture on our balcony. Can you imagine how amazing it would be to recline in a lounge chair on the balcony after work, sipping from a frosty glass of lemonade, enjoying life and basking in the warmth of the fading sun? That’s like, poetry, almost. But, without the aforementioned lounge chair on my balcony, I had to settle for...

Remember when we were younger and watermelons could only be bought in the summer? A cold slice of the juicy red melon was always something to be looked forward to at picnics and bbq’s when the weather was nice. And the seeds! Kind of a pain to eat around, but fun to spit at your friends and try to see who could spit them the farthest. Just don’t accidentally swallow any of the slimy little buggers though — a watermelon will grow in your stomach! Nowadays you can walk into any grocery store pretty much any time of year and pick up a juicy, sweet melon with no seeds. Isn’t that mind-blowing? I can’t decide how I feel about it — on the one...

I think it’s pretty obvious by now that I’m a girly drink kind of gal. I mean, I could try to roll with the boys and throw back beers and booze on the rocks, but why suffer? I like sugar. I like fruit. I don’t like the taste of alcohol. It would just be silly to pretend otherwise. Sure, I suppose if I could acquire a taste for beer my bar tabs would be a lot lower, but…not worth it. I need to have fruity, blended drinks in my life, damnit. Daiquiris are pretty high on my list of favorite blended drinks, not only because they are sweet and fruity and delicious, but also because I associate them with summer, hammocks, sandy beaches, and...

It’s the weekend, the weather is 82 degrees and sunny, and I’ve just been treated to a delicious sushi buffet for lunch. Could my birthday get any better? Yes, but only if you throw in a pitcher of freshly blended strawberry margaritas (and a nap)! Tequila and I never used to be friends. But, that’s probably because my first experience with it was at a frat party where some guy poured lime juice into a solo cup full of Jose and said “here, have a margarita.” I took one sip and immediately spat it back into the cup. Yuck. Never again. But, because I never wanted to drink tequila after that, I never got violently sick from it — Jose and I never “broke up,”...

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Summer

Blackberry Champagne Margarita

White Sangria

Blackberry Cobbler

Strawberry Cake

Twisted Strawberry Lemonade

Blueberry-Limoncello Cooler

Classic Lemonade

Watermelon-Lime Agua Fresca

Mango Daiquiris

Strawberry Margaritas

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