Sip

Classic Lime Margarita

May 2, 2014

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I love my fair share of margaritas… and love to try a wide variety of concoctions (ginger-jalapeno, watermelon, spicy strawberry, etc.), but I started laughing when I found out I’ve never shared my basic lime margarita recipe with you all! In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I present to you…

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Classic Lime Margarita

  • 1 1/2 oz high quality tequila
  • 1  oz fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1/2 oz orange liqueur (i.e. Cointreau)
  • A heavy splash of agave (more or less to taste)
  1. Add ingredients into a shaker and shake with ice.
  2. Strain into an ice filled glass (rimmed with lime juice and salt if you prefer) and garnish with lime.

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For other LIL margarita inspiration check out – here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here! (wow. i guess the last thing i needed to do today was most another tequila based cocktail.)

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Domestic

Spring Cleaning – Don’t Forget!

May 1, 2014

I used to think my college living scenario was clean until my mom came to visit.  Somehow she could spend a day scrubbing what I thought to be a clean space.  As I’ve come to take care of my own home (and learned from her cleaning sessions along the way), is the most most used/obvious areas in your home, often are the ones that don’t get cleaned.  Yes, we remember to “clean the toilet,” “mop the floors,” etc. but I have a few tips of the places you forget to think of (unless you’re my mom)…

Door Knob NationalGeographic.com

Door Knobs:  Just clean them with antibacterial wipes.   Also, while we are on the topic of knobs, don’t forget to clean your stove knobs (sorry for that HORRIBLE segue).  Just pop them off, wash them in soapy, warm water, let dry and put back on!

 

CuttingBoard BHG.com

Cutting Boards: If I am cutting meat I ALWAYS pop it in the dishwasher afterwards.  No matter what you are cutting make sure to wash it with hot soapy water and rinse.  Also a disinfecting spray (ie bleach solution) is great to spritz on after each use.  If your cutting board has too many deep grooves/cut marks in it – get rid of it (bacteria harbors in there and it is not pretty).

Ice Cubes Flickr.com

Ice Maker:  Ice absorbs odors, so once a month it is recommended that you empty the bin and start a fresh batch.

 

Pillow Love Vintage Finds

Pillows: I have a confession.  I don’t wash my pillows. Well I didn’t. When I started researching/brainstorming for the post, I realized I have a million “How to Wash Your Pillow” pins on Pintrest and never once used them.  That being said… I had to give it a go – for the blogs sake! Apparently if you can fold your pillow and half and it stays, it is time to wash it.  Some say twice a year… either way, wash 2 pillows at a time (helps with balancing your machine?!) with mild liquid detergent (no powder!). Dry on low (not high heat) with tennis balls in socks (or just clean tennis balls) to help fluff them up. Note: I do wash my pillow case on a weekly basis.

 

Faucet TheGadgetFlow.com

Faucets:  Another easy fix for a potentially destructive germ-harboring zone = antibacterial wipes.   If you haven’t realized this, I’m a huge proponent of them. You can buy them in bulk at Costco, or here. Just stock up on them… they make kitchen clean up SO much easier.

Tasty

Vanilla Almond Milk

April 30, 2014

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In a world of “pre-made” everything, it is really easy to take shortcuts in the kitchen.  Unfortunately there are a ton of preservatives and unhealthy additives in most of the products, so I try to make my own “stuff” whenever time permits.

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Now that I’ve been starting my morning with this shake I wanted to find a way to make my own almond milk… I’ve always thought it was way too much work than it was worth, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that wasn’t the case!

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Vanilla Almond Milk 

  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 3.5 cups filtered water
  • 2 dates, chopped
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
  • Optional: ground cinnamon, sea salt
  1. Soak almonds overnight in water (make sure to cover them in enough water, because they really plump up).
  2. Rinse almonds in a collinder.
  3. Put almonds, water, dates and vanilla in a blender.
  4. Blend on high until well combined.
  5. Pour almond mixture into a nut bag over a bowl.
  6. Let milk drain into a bowl and squeeze mixture to remove any liquid (should take 3-5 minutes to release all of the milk).
  7. Add cinnamon, salt or any other flavors.
  8. Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days and shake before you drink it (it will separate).

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Notes: If you don’t have a nut bag you can use cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve – but you will probably have some texture to your almond milk.  Also the nut bag is reusable and makes the whole process so much easier and cleaner… plus it’s under $10! 
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Party

Wine Walk Recap

April 28, 2014

Our town does a great job of hosting fun events throughout the year (Dancin’ on the Ave, Founder’s Day Parade, Farmer’s Markets, trick-or-treating, etc.), and the spring season really kicks off some fun festivities.  First on the list? Spring Wine Walk!

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Events like this are perfect, because J and I can host for an hour or two on the front end, everyone walks downtown and then can finish the night with some pizza (the perks of living around the corner from Pizza My Heart!) back at our house.

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Like all things in life practice makes perfect, and while my entertaining is FAR from perfect, I’m finally getting the hang of putting together a menu that can be created in a couple hours and required minimal set-up/clean-up.  Here was our menu:

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Spring Wine Walk 

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To Do List

Night Before

  • Prep cabbage for salad
  • Make salad dressing
  • Make fruit skewers

Morning Of

  • Make cantaloupe salad (2 1/2 hours before) – refrigerate until ready to serve
  • Make cucumber wheels (2 hours before) – refrigerate until ready to serve
  • Make brie bites (1.5 hours before) – refrigerate until ready to serve
  • Take out sausages (1 hours before) – don’t cook yet
  • Make ham & cheese puffs (1 hour before) – don’t bake yet
  • Toss salad and serve in individual cups (20 minutes before)
  • Put ham & cheese puffs into oven (15 minutes before)
  • Grill sausages (10 minutes before)
  • Put refrigerated items out
  • Have hot food ready (and warm) when guests arrive
  • Party on!

Proscuitto Salad

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The event downtown was from 2-6pm, so I just wanted to do some appetizers to tide everyone over for the afternoon (our party started at 1pm).  Because I hate cold appetizers (that are supposed to be hot), I tried to have a lot of options that were cold, and then have a handful of warm appetizers I could prepare closer to the party time.  The ratio make prep work so much easier and I will definitely be re-creating this menu for another event soon… definitely recommend giving it a try for any of your summer parties!

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