Party

Nautical Dinner with Cost Plus

June 29, 2015

Cost Plus is one of those places I can’t walk into without two shopping carts worth of stuff. They have the best deals, the cutest stuff and did I mention the best snack food aisle? Last month when we went to Hog Oyster I ordered these napkins, but they were backordered and didn’t make it in time… when Father’s Day rolled around we knew they would be the perfect addition for our Greek themed menu. After adding a handful of seashells and votive candles into the mix we were good to go!

Greek Menu

Hummus with Pita Wedges
Tzatiki with Cucumber Slices
Chicken Souvlaki Gyros with French Feta, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber Slices and Olives
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Watermelon Salad with Grilled Haloumi and Mint

Be sure to check out some 4th of July essentials I’ll be using this weekend – here, here, here, here and here!

Sip

Basil White Pepper Caipirinha

June 19, 2015

As June’s “garden party” themed cocktail party continues, I had to include a favorite herb of mine in the line-up – basil. I love how versatile it is, and really can make a dish (or drink) pop! Considering my mom is visiting one of her best friends this week (who introduced me to the Caipirinha), I only thought it fitting to put a fun spin on it. Here you go!

Basil Pepper Caipirinha

1 oz lime
1 bar spoon sugar
10 basil leaves
1 bar spoon white pepper corns
2 oz Cachaca
club soda or lime LaCoix soda

Muddle lime juice, sugar, peppercorns and basil leaves in a cocktail shaker.
Add ice and Cachaca and shake until frosty.
Strain into an ice filled glass.
Top with soda and garnish with basil.

Tasty

Sriracha Lime Veggie Bowl

June 17, 2015

As the temperature heats up I find myself wanting to be in the kitchen less and less. Sadly this doesn’t correlate with my appetite, and I still have to feed myself throughout the day. Luckily I picked up a copy of The Sprouted Kitchen’s Bowl + Spoon and my outlook on whipping up a quick meal has totally changed. I often associate quick meals with unhealthy or unsatisfying options, but this whole “bowl” concept is THE BEST. While Sprouted Kitchen has so many healthy recipes, I was inspired to create one of my own… I love it so much I’ve been eating it for lunch and dinner multiple times a week (for the last couple of months). The fact I’m STILL not sick of it just confirms how tasty it is!

Sriracha Lime Veggie Bowl

CuisineHealthy

Sriracha Lime Veggie Bowl

CuisineHealthy

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper
2 carrots
1 mango
1 avocado
1/4 head of purple cabbage
2 mini Persian cucumbers
1 cup brown rice (I use frozen packets from Whole Foods)
organic coconut milk
unsweetened shredded coconut
sesame seeds
Sriracha
1 lime
cilantro

Servings:

Instructions

Cook rice according to recipe and stir in 2 tablespoons of coconut milk at the end (keep it covered for an additional minute or so to allow the rice to soak in the coconut milk).
While rice is cooking, dice veggies to desired size (I peel the carrots for long strands and shave the cabbage into thin strands - this could also be a fun dish to bust out the Spiralizer!)
Sprinkle shredded coconut into rice/coconut milk mixture and stir. Top with juice of 1/2 a lime.
Portion into a serving bowl and top with assorted veggies (use as much or as little as you like of everything).
Drizzle juice of remaining half of lime and Sriracha, as well as sesame seeds.
Garnish with cilantro (I love cilantro so I use a ton) and enjoy!
Be sure to make a bowl for lunch using the leftovers!

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Do you have any easy weekday meals you like to whip up?!

Sip

Thyme After Thyme

June 12, 2015

I love a cocktail that is versatile. This drink (with a quick tweak) could be just as delicious (and seasonally appropriate) by a fire on a winter night, as it could be poolside in the middle of summer. It is also the perfect entertaining cocktail, because it is simple to make but has a fun twist that makes it feel special. What is this magical cocktail I speak of? It’s our Week 2 of our garden series cocktail – the Bourbon Thyme Spritzer.

Bourbon Thyme Spritzer

2 oz bourbon
1 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz honey (or simple syrup or agave)
3 sprigs of thyme

Add the above ingredients to an ice filled cocktail shaker.
Shake vigorously until the shaker starts to freeze.
Strain into a low ball glass with a single ice cube.

**If you are fireside in the middle of December, enjoy your cocktail at this point in ~~thyme~~ time.

4. Add club soda to your liking for a refreshing spritzer spin on this fun drink!

Travels

Happiness Files

June 11, 2015

watching Robert Plant perform

In high school my sister and I would force ourselves not to get overly excited about a particular event we were looking forward to, in fear that it wouldn’t meet our expectations. As I’ve gotten older, and have had some awesome opportunities presented to me, I’ve realized the one’s I wasn’t expecting much from were the ones I loved the most.

“Under promise, over deliver.”

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to BottleRock – a music/food/wine festival in Napa. Not being a HUGE festival/concert goer, I wasn’t as ecstatic as I should have been… luckily 5 minutes into my arrival I realized how clueless I had been. String lighting and beautiful paper lanterns, amazing food from some of my favorite restaurants (Ca’Momi, Morimoto), the coolest lounges and even better cocktails and wine (their house cocktail was a Grapefruit Basil Collins that I have to recreate for FDF)!

Overall it was a weekend to remember and I can’t wait to book our tickets for next year – be sure to join in on the fun! Here were some of the highlights: