Blueberry Mint Sparklers

 

Hey Friends! How is your summer going so far? I can't believe we're already at the end of July! Time is flying faster than ever it seems. Summer here has been unusually hot, sunny and dry! Which has been an amazing change. In the midst of this unusual heat though, I along with many others I know have been searching for delicious, refreshing summer beverages to make that are easy and don't take too long to whip up! (because when you're thirsty and in need of a drink, you don't want to wait all day)

 

Last weekend my sister and I were browsing through the July/August 2013 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray and we found Blueberry Tarragon Sparklers - they looked delicious and sounded super easy to whip up. So we decided to give them a try.

 

I headed off to the grocery store with a very short list of ingredients to purchase and when I got to the produce section to look for tarragon, the fellow working in the store politely informed me they hadn't carried fresh tarragon in oh, about ten years. Say what?? So quick thinking coupled with my strong desire not to have to try every grocery store in the area resulted in me picking up a container of fresh mint instead. What a success!! These drinks were lovely!

 

Without further delay, here's the yummy recipe.

 

Blueberry Mint Sparklers

minimally adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp. fresh mint leaves
• ice
• 1 bottle sparkling white wine (I used Yellow Tail Bubbles)

Method:

1. In a small saucepan, bring blueberries, honey, mint and 1/4 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until honey dissolves, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and muddle blueberries and let stand for 20 minutes. Strain and place in refrigerator until chilled.
2. To serve, spoon 1-2 tbsp. of blueberry syrup into 4 glasses. Add ice, then pour sparkling wine over top. Stir. Garnish with more fresh mint and blueberries.

Super easy, refreshing and delicious!

 

Cheers to the rest of our summer being just as fantastic as the first half.

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

Did you make New Years resolutions this year? What kind of resolutions do you usually make? I always make New Years resolutions, and I'm always dead set on achieving them... for about a month, then my motivation wears off and I revert back to my old ways. Part of that may be the fact that my resolutions are usually overly ambitious and I try to change overnight. The fact is that change takes time - it doesn't just hapen overnight, and developing new habits and ways of life is tough so you have to be patient with yourself. This year I haven't talked much about my resolutions, but I feel like I need to document them here. I made sure I didn't set too many goals for this year and that they are achievable for the most part. Here are my resolutions for the year - both personal and blog related:

1. Improve my blog through the use of better photos and more frequent posting. Plan posts in advance and stick to my schedule.
2. Be nicer. At home, at work, to my friends.
3. Get active a minimum of four days per week. Doesn't have to be anything crazy, just get off my butt and walk the dog, do some crunches, go for a run or do a workout off my Nike Training App I just downloaded for my phone (its free and its awesome - go download it if you're wanting to get active - it is a great tool to help you be successful).

Reasonable right? I'm looking forward to improving myself in 2012 in little ways and eventually those little things will add up to big things. :)

Any way, on to what you came here for - the recipe!! Peanutty, chocolatey, creamy goodness in a mug... it is like a taste of heaven! Sooooo smooth and decadent. You probably won't want to share... its that good. But you should share because that's the nice thing to do (or, just double the recipe!!).

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
Recipe minimally adapted from Bonnie the Baker

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk or 1% milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp smooth, creamy peanut butter
• whipped cream, mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows for garnish

Method:

1. Mix cocoa, brown sugar, milk, cinnamon stick, and vanilla extract in a medium saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until mixture is smooth. Simmer to let the cinnamon stick flavour the hot chocolate for a couple minutes. Lower the heat and stir in the peanut butter until smooth. Heat mixture to desired temperature, but don't simmer or bubble the mixture at all or it will get grainy.
2. Pour into large mug. Garnish with whipped cream, mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Makes one large mug.

This one is nice and easy to whip up on a week night and you will love to savor it while reading your favorite novel or browsing your favorite food blogs.

Happy Baking my Friends!

Sluggers' Strawberry Slushies

Okay, I'm aware that summer is officially over... the rain and dreary skies have set in here in Vancouver and the days are starting to get shorter. But I must share this delicious, icey drink with you today!! This is the perfect Friday night drink to celebrate the start of the weekend. Despite being a slushy drink, it isn't sweet - it has a grand total of 2 tablespoons of sugar! So for those of you who don't like sweet, this is the drink for you! And for those of you who do like sweet, sweeten this drink to taste!

I have to apologize though... no pictures of this one. I took a photo of the mixture in the blender before I blended it, but then I got wayyyy too excited to drink this one and suddenly it was gone and I had no photos... oh well, just gives me an excuse to make it again. Wooohooo!!

Sluggers' Strawberry Slushies
Recipe from Bon Appetit magazine, August 2011 Issue

Ingredients:

• 2 cups hulled strawberries
• 1 750 ml bottle dry Riesling
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp sugar

Method:

1. To make this drink without an ice cream maker, put 1 cup of the wine, covered, in the refrigerator and chill. Puree the remaining wine with all remaining ingredients in a food processor. Pour mixture into ice cube trays and freeze until solid. When you're ready to serve, just puree the ice cubes with the remaining wine in a blender.
2. To make with an ice cream maker, puree strawberries, Riesling, lemon juice, and sugar in a blender until liquified. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Divide among six cups. Serve immediately with straws, or transfer to a container and freeze.

Hope you enjoy this delicious drink!! I can't wait to make it again. :) Thanks for hanging in there despite the fact that my blogging has dropped off to only once or twice per week... hoping that by the beginning of October things will have settled down a little around here! Until then... once a week it is.

Cheers!

On the First Day of Christmas... Warm Mulled Cider

Welcome to the first day of Christmas on my blog! We'll start off with a Christmassy drink - warm mulled cider. The recipe is courtesy of Chef Michael Smith and it is really good! A little on the sweeter side though - I'm posting the recipe with reduced sugar so that it is not quite so sweet, but you can make it however sweet you like!

I'm sure most of you have started decorating for Christmas and likely started on your Christmas shopping too! I'm trying to avoid as much of that as possible! I find Christmas to be very distracting and all-encompassing and right now I have to focus on writing my exam on December 17th. Sooooo Christmas doesn't really officially start for me until then! I did sneak out front to put my wreath up yesterday evening though while on a "study-break"!! So you can imagine that I'm a little bit excited to be testing a few Christmassy recipes when I really don't get to acknowledge the holiday season yet! :)

Warm Mulled Cider
Recipe Adapted from Chef Michael Smith's Chef at Home

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 8 cups fresh apple cider
• 1 orange
• handful of cloves
• a few cinnamon sticks
• several bay leaves
• branch or two of fresh rosemary
• splash of vanilla extract
• bottle of great chardonnay

Method:

1. Place sugar in a tight pile in the centre of a large saucepot - large enough to hold the cider and the wine. Pour the water around it and begin heating the works over high heat. Don't stir or shake the pot! The sugar mixture will quickly form a syrup and come to a boil. Continue simmering as the water boils away. When the syrup begins to brown around the edges, swirl it gently until the resulting caramel turns a beautiful golden brown.
2. Working quickly, and carefully, add the cider to shock the caramel and prevent it from further browning. It will spatter, so e careful. Bring entire mixture to a simmer.
3. Pierce the orange skil with the cloves, forming an even pattern, then add to the cider. Add cinnamon, bay leaves, rosemary and vanilla. Continue simmering for another 30 minutes or so, until the cider reduces by a third.
4. Add the wine and bring the mixture back to a simmer. Serve immediately in a festive mug. Garnish each serving with a fresh rosemary sprig and a cinnamon stick.

Definitely a yummy and festive drink! I hope you have enjoyed the first day of Christmas here on my blog! Stay tuned as we progress through the 12 days of Christmas and through a delicious and festive holiday menu! Coming up next are some great starters to serve to your guests while you're putting dinner together.

Cheers!