Sip

Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade

July 5, 2013

The women in my family are bourbon lovers (go figure)… so we whipped up this little concoction to celebrate America’s birthday!

Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade

Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade

Serves 2

2 oz simple syrup
2.5 oz Meyer lemon juice
6 oz bourbon
10 blackberries

  1. Muddle blackberries in a shaker.
  2. Add syrup and juice, shake with ice
  3. Top with bourbon and shake once more.
  4. Strain into ice filled highball glass.

Blackberries 157 160 168

Can’t get much more American than bourbon and lemonade!

Travels

Happy Birthday America!

July 4, 2013

Happy 4th of July Hope everyone has a wonderful day celebrating the birth of our nation!  I will be spending it with my family poolside, sipping on Bourbon, eating burgers and enjoying that which makes our country great!  Go USA!!!

Tasty

Cookie Jar

July 3, 2013

An American (as well as Feezor) fan favorite will always be the chocolate chip cookie.

Chocolate Chip

Growing up I’ve tried and tested many recipes, but two of my favorite (and memorized) recipes are this one and the one below.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 12-oz package semisweet chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a large baking sheet (or use a Silpat baking sheet). 
  2. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl to blend.  using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy.
  3. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat until well blended.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until mixture is creamy and well blended.
  5. Gradually add flour mixture, beating just until blended.
  6. Stir in chocolate chips.
  7. Working in batches (use an ice cream scoop or melon baller) to scoop mounded tablespoonfuls onto a prepared baking sheet.
  8. Bake cookies until pale brown, about 11-13 minutes.
  9. Cool slightly on sheet, then transfer to racks to cool.

Chocolate Chip Cookie021

Tips:

  1. Make sure to let butter sit out to room temperature (this is key in ALL baking… butter temperature can make or break any baked treats).  It needs to be soft to the touch but not melted.
  2. If you bake at all, you MUST invest in a Kitchen Aid.  It makes baking so much easier and makes for perfectly incorporated cookies that are chewy, crunchy and all around amazing!
  3. Silpat baking sheets are another great investment.  You don’t have to grease your baking sheets (which helps with cleaning up), and you’ll never have to worry about cookies burnt on the bottom!

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Travels

Lake Day

July 2, 2013

*There have been some issues with my website transition, so please click here for the full post!

We kicked off July 4th celebrations early with our first lake trip of the season!