Sweet Love and Ginger

Summer

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!!!

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.

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.

Herby Burger with Lemon Aioli

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My Garden is coming along despite the presence of a pesky
rabbit that seems to be in love with my kale, chard and kohlrabi. Those little
babies didn’t stand a chance. He doesn’t seem interested in my beans or
radishes though thank goodness, they acted as a barrier for the rest of the
garden.
Radishes are coming in hot, and Chuck is eating them as fast
as they are coming. Which is fine by me, not being a huge fan and all, he can
have them. He loves them just plain as a snack; I think he is crazy.
The lettuce is growing by leaps and bounds with all the
rain, so lately we have been having LOTS of fresh salads.
Unfortunately I started some late seasonal herbs, in pots on
the deck, but I think the mix of scorching sun most days and violent, drowning
storms in the evenings did them in, most of them started to come up and died
shortly thereafter. It’s ok though because I am learning a lot.
There is something so satisfying about stepping out of your
back door taking a few snippets of lettuce, or herbs and making a meal out of
them. Not only are you seeing the fruition of your own hard work, but you get
to experience each step of how your food gets to the table.
This particular meal began as just a lazy summer meal of
burgers that I dressed up with herbs, sprouts, lemon aioli and a side salad all
from the garden.

 
Herbed Burger

1.5 lb lean ground beef

1 tbsp chopped tarragon

1 tbsp chopped basil

1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

In a large bowl combine all ingredients with dampened hands.
Once well mixed divide meat mixture into four equal pieces, and form patties. Place
patties on a preheated and greased grill and cook over high heat for roughly 5
minutes a side. Serve warm on grilled buns with your choice of toppings.
Lemon Aioli

½ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp pepper

Place all ingredients in a small bowl, and mix to combine.

Asian Glazed Chicken Legs & Carrot Ginger Dressing

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Right now I am basking in the wonder that is the great
Adirondacks in upstate NY, completely void of technology. This post I have had
ready and waiting in the wings for a while, and so it is posting on auto pilot
while I am away enjoying the awesomely long 4th of July weekend. I
hope you  like it!
These quick and easy Asian Glazed Chicken Legs are an
awesome new twist for tossing chicken on the grill, and this zingy Asian style
dressing over a salad is the perfect pairing for a quick and simple summer
meal.
Asian Glazed Chicken Legs

¼ cup honey

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp fresh grated ginger root

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 chicken legs

In a large bowl stir together honey, soy sauce, ginger, and
garlic. Place chicken in the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour (can be
left over night). Once marinated place chicken on a preheated grill over medium
high heat for 20-30 minutes, rotating every 5-10 minutes, until well done.
While the chicken is cooking pour the remaining marinade into a sauce pan and
simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes until it thickens. Use this liquid to
baste the chicken once it’s done. Serve warm.
The dressing may look complicated because you have to cook
down the carrot, but leftover grilled, or roasted carrots work as well, and you
can always make the dressing a few days ahead, and use it as a dip, or on
additional salads throughout the week.
Carrot Ginger Dressing

¼ cup carrots, cooked

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 small garlic clove

1 tbsp minced onion

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp oil

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.
Serve chilled.