Sweet Love and Ginger

Activities

Visiting Friends & Tea Parties

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 Recently I was lucky
enough to be selected by Plum Deluxe to be a part of their Tea Ambassador
program. I was given a few select teas and a set of question cards to throw a tea
party. This could not be a better fit for me and my tea obsessed friends, so I
decided to actually have the tea party while Amanda and I were visiting my friend Lindsey.
We had an entire girl’s weekend, full of chick flicks, awesome
snacks, shopping, and lots of good conversation. My favorite snack of the trip
was the goat cheese wontons that Lindsey made, the night that we arrived,
though Captain Scott’s chowder was a close second.
On the first morning over a hearty and delicious breakfast
we decided to break out the Ambassador kit.  I think one of the things that I enjoyed most
about the kit was the conversation cards. Some of the questions asked sparked
long talks and helped me learn some new things about my close friends.

The rest
of the day was spent in bookstores and shops around Mystic. Unfortunately I don’t
have many pictures because it was snowing or raining most of the day, and any
that we took simply did not work out. I’m proud to say that the harsh weather
wasn’t enough to keep these tough northeast chicks in the house and we had a
great time.

To spice things up a bit I decided to make a cocktail out of
the Pacific Northwest Evergreen Mint tea. It took a few different tries to come up with this sweet and minty
cocktail, but I really think it is a great addition to any tea party. You can
bet that I will be experimenting with other tea flavors to make similar
cocktails in the future.

Champagne & Mint Iced Tea (serves 4)
16 oz of water
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
2-3 teaspoons of mint tea
16 oz of good champagne

Heat the water to a boil. Place the sugar in a tea pot or
pan and pour the boiling water over the top. Add the tea in a tea ball or bag
and allow it to steep until it becomes golden and fragrant about 5-6 minutes
(when making iced tea you want the tea to be a bit stronger than a normal).
Remove the tea and set aside, stir the combination to be sure all of the sugar
has dissolved. Fill 4 glasses with ice cubes and pour about ¼ of the hot
mixture over the top. Pour about 4 ounces of champagne into each glass. Add
more ice if needed and serve immediately.

Apple Picking & Apple Pork Chops

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Apple Pork Chops


I love apple picking season, the act of apple picking and the goodies that follow, namely candy apples, apple butter, cider, and pie. This time of year I do whatever I can to add apples to our daily meals, usually because we have so many of them, but also because they are delicious. This is one of my favorite recipes that I think I have made a couple hundred times. I don’t know why I haven’t shared it with you before, it’s a shame that I haven’t.

Apple Picking & Apple Pork Chops
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 lb boneless pork chops
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion, sliced thin
  • 1 large apple, cored and sliced thin
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • ½ cup white wine
Instructions
  1. Heat oil over medium high heat while seasoning the porkchops with salt, pepper, and paprika.
  2. Place the pork chops in the hot pan andsear for 4-5 minutes per side, or until it begins to turn golden.
  3. Remove the chops and set aside.
  4. Add butter, onion and apple to the pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown and caramelize.
  5. Stir in the brown sugar, before adding the wine. Cook for another 3-4 minutes and allow the wine to reduce slightly.
  6. Adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

Apple Pork Chops

Brody Stories

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Hiiii!! HI! Hi, Hi! Oh hi! Hi! How are you? Hi! I’m so
excited to meet you guys!

My name is Brody. I know, I know I’m handsome, it’s ok we
don’t have to stay on that topic all day.

I just turned 6 months old, so in dog years I’m just
starting to get into the rebellious teenage years. Not that I give my parents
any trouble (wink, wink).

I’m a mutt, but I prefer pure bread mix of dog races, it
sounds a lot better don’t you think? I’ve got a little of the best of a bunch
of breeds, which makes me so very awesome.

Almost every day when my mom and dad get home from work I
get to go on long walks, or runs. They like to take me to lakes and streams on
hot days and try to make me swim. I don’t like it very much, but I really like
balls and sticks so when they throw them in the water I just have to go and get
them. I really like it when they take me to the ice cream place next door.
There are so many people there who just want to pet me, and so much stuff to
sniff it’s awesome!

I also get lots of these awesome treats that my mom makes
me. Here’s the recipe if you are interested, courtesy of Miss Amy.

Frosty Paws

1 mashed banana

2 tbsp peanut butter

32 oz plain yogurt

Place all ingredients
into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze. Serve frozen.

Usually we go adventuring on the weekends. I like it when we
go camping, I can dig anywhere I want, and chase squirrels, and bark, and there
are always lots of sticks, man I love sticks. They are the greatest thing ya
know? You can carry them around, and my parents sometimes throw them for me to
get, but I haven’t got the bringing back part down yet, I’m working on it.

Sometimes they take me to their friends houses where we stay
up late, and they drink beers, and play games, and eat food, while I play with
the other dogs, and try to steal the bean bags, or balls from their games. It’s
pretty fun.

By the end of the day I’m almost always pooped. My parents
make sure of that. I like to cuddle up on the couch with them, even when it’s
supper hot out. I just love my parents so much; I can’t help but want to lie
next to them. When I’m really tired I get all floppy. My mom can pick me up and
try to move me and I just flop over and go back to sleep. For some reason she
thinks this is cute and still tries to play with me, it’s very annoying.

Welp, that’s all for now. Mom’s going to cook something for
dinner, and I need to get in there and trip her up to make sure she drops some
good stuff for me. See you later!

Grand Opening Announcement!!!!

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I could not be more excited for this day! It has been so
long in the making.
Today I would like to proudly present the opening of SweetLove & Ginger; the Etsy Shop.
Below are some of my favorite pieces. I have never done anything like this so I hope
you will please give me some feedback on items, what you like, and don’t like,
as well as suggestions. I still have a lot of learning to do!
Also I will always take custom orders so if there is
anything that sparks your interest that you do not see here, just let me know
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetLoveandGingerand I will see what I can come up with for you.
 
 
 
A special thanks to everyone who helped out (Amy, Matt,
Chuck, Momma Chuck, etc.).
Oh! And don’t forget to like us on Facebook!

Fall Bucket List: Carve Pumpkins

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In our family any excuse to have a party is a good excuse. My parents have thrown a pumpkin carving party every year for as long as I can remember. We have chili, and wine, and hot dogs for the young-uns. Then we take over the table carving pumpkins, and fighting over the seeds. We all want to take them home. It’s all a very civil affair; there’s certainly no shouting over politics, or pumpkin goo flinging at all. We certainly don’t compete for the best pumpkin or anything. Ha!
 This year I found the cutest little baby pumpkin and of course carved a little baby face, with a bow, while chuck went the more traditional route with fangs.
 
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