Sweet Love and Ginger

Jessica

8 Summer Cocktails I CAN’T get enough of

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If you have been following
me on instagram then you know that I’ve been kind of a lush lately. I just
can’t get enough of ice cold fruity drinks, with all the fresh fruit out there
it’s impossible to say no. And if I’m not going to be running in 100 degree
heat then I might as well drink amirite?
The cool thing is that you
can make any number of these drinks without the alcohol, and just add a little
more club soda, ginger ale, or what have you, but I’m telling you a little boos
makes it all the better.

Here are my top 10
favorites this summer:

Cherry Mojito: Slice a handful of
cherries, and remove the pits, muddle them in bottom of a tall glass along with
1 lime chopped and its juice, as well as 1tbs fresh mint. Add 2 oz. of light
rum and 10 oz. of seltzer, or club soda.

Classic Shandy: Pour
yourself half a glass of premade lemonade (I like minute made light) and half a
glass of Belgian white ale. Garnish with a lemon.

Watermelon Rickey: I got this recipe from Big Girls, Small Kitchen. It’s great poolside.

Peach Margarita: Puree one
peach, with ice. Combine peach mixture with the juice from 1 lime, 2 oz.
tequila, and 1 tablespoon simple syrup. 
Serve in a salt rimmed glass.

Sweet Tea & Lemon
Martini: You know I have a love affair with tea so It’s pretty obvious I had to
come up with a tea cocktail. For this one I placed 4 teabags in a jar with 4
oz. of plain vodka in the fridge overnight to infuse the tea flavor. Then I
added 3 tbs simple syrup, a few slices of lemon, and top it off with  some seltzer or club soda.

 

Blueberry Lime Chiller:
Muddle a handful of blueberries with 1 tbs of simple syrup, and combine with
juice form one lime, 2 oz. white rum, and 4 oz. club soda, serve with a lime
and/or lemon wedge.

 

Citrus Sparkler: I love
this recipe, and have made whole pitchers of t for parties, it’s always a hit.

 

 

Strawberry
Lemon, Basil Mojito: Muddle 1/3 cup of frozen strawberries, with 1 tbs simple
syrup, 2 tbs lemon juice, and 2-4 large basil leaves. Add 2 oz. white rum, and
4 oz club soda. This is easily my favorite I would drink this every day of the week, though I may opt for a virgin version occasionally, which is just as amazing, let me tell you.



I’ve mentioned simple syrup
quite a bit on here. For a simple recipe try this one, and keep it stocked in
the fridge all summer!

I hope you enjoy!!!

A Mushroom Hike

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Last
weekend I went camping (shocker) with my parents. During the trip my mom wanted
to hike into this lake to this one rock where we took a family picture 10 years
ago, so obviously we had to oblige.

 

It
must have been all the rainy weather that we had up till now that sparked all
their growth, because I have never seen so many mushrooms in one short .7 mile
jaunt into the woods. It was startling!

These ones were only about the size of my finger nail.

Nature is amazing!

D41: Tuna, Pea Mac & Cheese

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This summer heat has me not wanting to cook a whole lot,
even while Chuck is out of the house. So for this meal I am sharing one of my
favorite all purpose cheat meals. I call it an all purpose cheat meal, because it’s
so dang easy, you can make it on a stove top, in a microwave, or over a
campfire, and well coming mostly prepackaged it’s not the healthiest, but I could
do worse. I’ve done it probably every way.

Microwave/easy mac: I would suggest either using half the
tuna and pea or doubling the easy mac for a balanced meal.

For backpacking: I usually like Velveeta. I know that
draining the water has some people discouraged but I just bring some hot cocoa
mix, and drain the excess water into my nalgene. It works to stop the waste and
is a tasty treat.

Cheaters Tuna &
Pea Mac & Cheese

1 box packages mac & Cheese

1 can tuna, drained

1 /2 cup green peas, frozen or fresh


Prepare mac & cheese according to package instructions.
Gently stir in tuna, peas and serve. (Serves 2)

Now tell me that was not the
easiest recipe like ever?!

On a side note I was featured today on my friend Heathers
blog Run Like a G! She is currently running a promo to help other small blog
get some love. When I say friend I mean real life friend, we’ve met several
times in real life, through one of my high school besties Amanda. Heather
mostly blogs about running, and her path to finding herself, with finding a teaching
job, getting healthy, being married, and all that other stuff that goes into
life. She’s really good at writing about her emotions and really showing the
world who she is.

Spinach Pesto tossed Pasta with Lemon Shrimp

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This dish is one that I actually made quite a while ago, for
a friend and just never got the chance to share. What I like best about it is
that it is simple and super quick but it gives an air of refinement and purpose
that hides my true intentions; for it to be quick and easy.

I don’t know about you but at the end of nearly every week I
am trying to use up the last bit of spinach in our house before it goes bad. I haven’t
been successful in growing it yet (darn rabbits!) but I still buy it every
week. For the main reason that leafy greens are important in your diet and this
way we are sure to eat them. This recipe is one of the best for using up
spinach, plus it makes whatever you are cooking so green and pretty. I have
used it as a puree under a steak, or chicken before but in this particular case
I just tossed some pasta in it and added some Lemon Thyme Shrimp from mygrilled Tapas recipe, and viola! A full beautiful and seeming complicated meal
that actually takes less than 20 minutes, or the amount of time it takes to
make pasta.

Spinach Pesto

1 package baby spinach

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp pecorino romano cheese, grated

1 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil

1 tbsp sliced almonds

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend for 20
or 30 seconds until smooth and creamy. You may need to add more oil, but be
sure to do it in teaspoon increments. Add some additional cheese for garnish, and serve. (Serves 4)

Image Inspiration: Red Pepper Sriracha Kabobs & Radish, Snap Pea Salad

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I love our new outdoor table that we got from Grammy Chuck.
Not only can we eat outside, but now we can actually fit more than 2 plates on
the table! Plus it has an umbrella for super sunny days.

Today’s meal was inspired by images, and the garden. I had
so many radishes that needed to be eaten this day.  

Sometimes I see images of food and get really excited thinking
OMG I NEED TO MAKE THAT RIGHT NOW! Then I look at the recipe and all my
ambition falls flat because it looks gross, or I have nowhere near those
ingredients in my cupboards. That’s when I begin to improvise.

Luckily this is one thing I have always had a knack for.

This meal was sparked by the images above, but I totally
didn’t follow the recipes and made it up as I went.

Red Pepper Sriracha Chicken Kabobs

1 roasted red pepper

1 tbs sriracha sauce

1 tbs rice wine vinegar

1 tbs olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-2 inch
pieces

Place all ingredients, except chicken pieces in a blender
and blend until smooth. Place the chicken in a small bowl, pour the red pepper
mixture over the top and toss to coat. Pierce the chicken with skewers and
place on a preheated grill for 3-5 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked
through. Serve warm.

 Radish, Feta and Snap Pea Salad

1 bunch radishes, trimmed

1 lb snap peas

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

1-2 tbs white wine vinegar

1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp Pepper

Combine radishes, peas and feta in a bowl. Drizzle vinegar
and olive oil over the top, add pepper and toss to coat. Serves 4.

The Sriracha skewers were actually reminiscent of barbeque
sauce but slightly sweeter, for those who aren’t a huge fan of spicy food, like
me they are great dipped in ranch dressing. The heat from the skewers was also
a great match for the Radish, Feta and Snap Pea Salad; it was so light and
fresh, with a delicious crunch that I just couldn’t stop eating it all.