Sip

Salty Dog

March 6, 2015

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I was looking forward to mixing up my blood orange rut when I received these gorgeous grapefruits in my Farm Fresh to You box.  They are so delicious and the perfect addition to a refreshingly light cocktail!

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Salty Dog

  • 1.5 oz gin
  • juice of 1 grapefruit
  • 1 grape fruit wedge
  • salt
  • 3-4 basil leaves
  • club soda
  1. Rim a highball glass with grapefruit juice and salt (optional).
  2. Muddle grapefruit wedge and basil leaves gently with a splash of gin (avoiding the pith/rind as much as possible).
  3. Add ice, gin and grapefruit juice to the glass.
  4. Stir and top with club soda.

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Travels

Happiness Files: Cordevalle

March 5, 2015

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Every time we visit Cordevalle we wonder why we don’t do it more often (cough*funding*cough), but it really is an amazing resort.  We enjoyed some gorgeous weather with some of our favorite people in a beautiful setting.  Here were some of our favorite parts:

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The most gorgeous entrance to the hotel lobby

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A delicious cocktail with cucumber ice cubes, that I need to copy on the blog soon!

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The cutest (and tastiest) welcome treats from Cordevalle

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Morning yogurt tastes a lot better when it’s in this adorable mason jar

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Relaxing weekends call for candle lit baths… at 11am.

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Cordevalle

 

Cheers-ing to an amazing dinner at Il Vigneto

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I still can’t get over this smore set-up…

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The coolest bloody mary bar

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Until next time!

Tasty

Asian Raw Salad

March 4, 2015

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My sister surprised me with this amazing dish that she described as an “Everything But the Kitchen Sink” salad.  One of those “I need to clean out my fridge… what am I having for dinner meals” that you could easily serve at a dinner party it’s so good.  So do yourself a favor and whip this up… you won’t regret it.

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Asian Raw Salad 

Salad

  • Cabbage (purple and/or green)
  • Assorted Veggies (we used cucumber, carrots, beets, avocado, and red pepper)
  • Cilantro
  • Buckwheat noodles

Dressing 

  • 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tablespoon agave
  • 1.5 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon chili sauce
  • 3 dashes of fish sauce
  1. Whisk dressing ingredients together and adjust according to taste. Set aside.
  2. Cook noodles, rinse and drain.
  3. Prep veggies (thinly slice cabbage – I recommend a mandolin and julienne other vegetables).
  4. Assemble salad with noodles and cabbage, and top with sliced veggies and cilantro.
  5. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy!

*Adding a fried egg or smoked salmon are a couple other yummy additions!

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Pepperoni Pizza Pasta

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Tasty

Pepperoni Pizza Pasta

March 2, 2015

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My boss’s wife introduced me to Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain – an amazing paleo food blog with delicious recipes.  I snuck a few photos of her cookbook recipes but had forgotten about them until I had to clean out my phone last week…   I can’t believe it took me this long to whip up this tasty (and low maintenance) dish!

Pepperoni Pizza Pasta

Pepperoni Pizza Pasta

recipe via Against All Grain 

  • 4 ounces pepperoni, cut into wedges and sliced crosswise
  • ¾ pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed (I used chicken)
  • 1 head de-stemmed and coarsely chopped curly kale
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 pounds yellow squash (about 3-5 squash), spiraled on the largest noodle setting
  • ¾ cup tomato paste
  • 1 to 3 tablespoons water
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (or Parmesan cheese)
INSTRUCTIONS:
  1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add the pepperoni. Brown for 2 minutes on each side, then remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined dish.
  2. Add the sausage to the pot and cook for a minute or so, until it starts to crumble.
  3. Add in kale and salt and cook 4 minutes more or until sausage is cooked through.
  4. Add the squash noodles to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes (you want noodles to be crisp tender).
  5. Stir in tomato paste, 1 tablespoon water, oregano and nutritional yeast/Parmesan cheese.
  6. Cover and cook 5-7 minute until the sauce is simmering and noodles are soft (but not soggy!).
  7. Add the pepperoni and stir until combined and serve with crushed red pepper.

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The most entertaining part about this dish was how much it tasted like a pizza pocket! And to enjoy something with no guilt? I’m so in.

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Sip

Blood Orange Spritzer

February 27, 2015

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I whipped up some blood orange infused vodka a few weeks ago and was a little nervous about the outcome.  I’ve never infused citrus before and quickly added some sliced oranges to the vodka before thinking through the possibility of the bitter rind ruining my little concoction. Luckily, it was salvageable and turned into a Campari-esque tasting mixture that was tasty by itself!

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But while, infused alcohol is great over ice, it’s a smarter (i.e. safer) approach to mix it with something.  I just added a little Sprite and a squeeze of lime and enjoyed this light and refreshing drink.  Nothing makes happy hour happier than whipping up a drink in under a minute!

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Blood Orange Spritzer 

  • infused blood orange vodka
  • sprite or club soda (depending on sweetness preference)
  • squeeze of lime juice
  1. Add vodka to in an ice filled cocktail shaker.
  2. Shake until frosty and strain into glass.
  3. Top with Sprite/club soda.
  4. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

* you also can just get to the point and pour all three ingredients into an ice filled glass and stir 🙂

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Note: While the vodka turned out fine by infusing the whole orange, next time I’m going to try removing the pith and rind to see the difference in flavor… if anyone has tried that – I’d love to know your thoughts!

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