St Germain Spiked Sweet Tea

    This post is all about two things that I really love: sweet tea and St Germain.

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St Germain Spiked Sweet Tea

4 cups water
4 tea bags
1/2 cup sugar
Saint Germain (1/2 ounce per serving)
1 lemon, thinly sliced 
Ice

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil then steep 4 tea bags for 4 minutes.  Stir in 1/2 cup sugar (or more or less to taste).  Let cool.  Pour into pitcher.

Fill an old fashioned bar glass with ice and add 1/2 ounce of St Germain.  Fill glass with tea and top with slice of lemon.

______________

    It only took me 5 months of blogging to finally post you a sweet tea recipe and talk a little bit about being a southerner here in the north!  When my husband and I first came to the Northeast, we didn't realize that you can't really order sweet tea in restaurants.  They look at you like you have two heads and then offer you the sweeteners to add to your iced tea.  Not even close to being the same thing!  The only options for sweet tea that are readily available are at McDonald's, Chick-fil-a, Dunkin' Donuts and Popeye's.  Notice a theme here?  As much as I love fast food, I'm not about to eat it everyday just to get my sweet tea fix.

    St Germain has a subtle floral flavor and is sweet on it's own.  It would be delicious added to regular iced tea or sweet tea. It's the perfect addition to so many summer drinks.  You can check out another summer cocktail that I made with St Germain here.

*Linking up with Savannah, Shanna and Kristin

Eggplant Lasagna

    Lately I have been looking for inspiration when it comes to dinner ideas.  Maybe I'm in a rut, but I have been scouring food holiday calendars trying to come up with things to make in the coming days.  Yikes!  While I think this is a fun way to get ideas and may even feature some from time to time (like today), I realize that I can't keep this up.  It's probably for the best that I don't come up with a way to make jelly beans and cotton candy an acceptable dinner plan for tomorrow.  Did you know July 31 is National Jelly Beans Day and National Cotton Candy Day?  Maybe I just need a vacation.  I'm sure Europe will give me more than enough food inspiration.  It needs to get here now!

    Yesterday was National Lasagna Day.  I tend not to make lasagna in the summer months because it can be so heavy, but I remembered one that I had tried out last year that is perfect for summer.  It uses strips of roasted eggplant in place of traditional noodles.  

First, the eggplant needs to be cut and roasted in the oven to soften it up.  Using my trusty mandolin was a little tricky with the gigantic eggplant but it worked pretty well.

Then, it gets layered just like a regular lasagna. Eggplant, sauce, cheese, repeat.

Eggplant Lasagna

 

Ingredients

2 eggplants, sliced about ¼” thick
fresh ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

28 ounces marinara sauce
1 pound ground beef or turkey, cooked and drained
1 15-ounce container Ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of nutmeg
4 leaves of basil, chopped
1 small ball of mozzarella cheese, sliced into rounds
Truffle oil (if desired)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slice eggplant into strips and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle or brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until tender, about 10 minutes.
Cook ground meat until no longer pink, drain, and combine with marinara sauce.
Mix together Ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, and basil in a separate bowl.
Pour about 1 cup sauce into bottom of baking dish and spread.  Layer eggplant, sauce, Ricotta mixture, eggplant, sauce, Ricotta mixture, eggplant, sauce and then top with Mozzarella cheese rounds.
Bake until bubbly and cheese has browned, about 20 minutes.
Cut into squares and drizzle with truffle oil just before serving. 

*Linking up today with Jessica and Ashley

Blueberry Smash

    Yesterday may have been National Tequila Day, but in our house we are trying to come up with vodka cocktails to make because we have way too much in our liquor cabinet.  So the other day while I made dinner, Kevin prepared some pre-dinner cocktails using this recipe he found, and they were so delicious.  Of course if you ask me, put St Germain in anything and you can't go wrong.  So here is your quick cocktail recipe of the day.

Ingredients
Recipe via Bon Appetit Magazine Online 

2 lemons, sliced into rounds

2 limes, sliced into rounds
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh mint leaves plus sprigs for garnish
1 1/2 cups vodka
3/4 cup St Germain (elderflower liqueur)

Preparation

Using a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon, coarsely mash lemon and lime slices, blueberries, and mint leaves in a large pitcher. Stir in vodka, St-Germain, and 2 cups of ice cubes.

Divide drink among highball glasses; top with more ice cubes. Garnish each drink with a mint sprig. Enjoy!

Hot Date

     No, this post is not about some super romantic date that Kevin and I had.  In reality, last Friday Kevin and I went on a fun date night downtown.  Only problem?  It was crazy, stupid hot.  We were going out for one of my favorite "cool down" meals of sushi and cocktails.  So I chose to wear something light in both weight and color so that I didn't sweat to death before we made it to the restuarant.

{Top: Forever 21 | Shorts: Gap Factory | Shoes: Target (no longer available) similar here | Clutch: Coach (old) new design here | Sunglasses: Tory Burch}

     As for dinner, it was amazing!  We checked out Douzo in Back Bay for dinner and cocktails then walked back towards home and picked up ice cream at Emack and Bolio's.

 {Sushi from Douzo}

 {Banana split from Emack and Bolio's with my all-time favorite flavor Bananas Foster}

 {I was a little overly excited about the cute pattern that the rainbow sprinkles made on the spoon}

*Remember, to stay up to date on all of our date night spots and other restaurants that we love, follow my Pinterest board Boston Restaurants


*Linking up today with Wildcard Wednesday, Because Shanna Said So, and The Pleated Poppy

Truffle Potato Chips

    I love truffle.  Truffle risotto.  Truffle fries.  Truffle tater tots.  Truffle popcorn.  I will try it on anything.  Recently I was craving some delicious truffle flavor but also wanted to try out a new recipe for potato chips. 

    I used my mandolin to get the potato nice and thin.  (Um, can we stop for a moment and talk about how awesome my husband is for buying me a mandolin for Valentine's Day this year without me ever mentioning it?  He just knew I would love it.  Which I do.  Yeah he's pretty much the best ever.  You can tell how much I love cooking by the fact that I found this gift super romantic. Haha.)

I adapted this recipe from my Food Network hero, Emeril.  He's the man.

Truffle Potato Chips

2 potatoes of any variety
4 cups vegetable oil, for frying (or enough to fill tabletop fryer)
1 tablespoon truffle oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated Parmesan, to taste

Dried parsley for garnish

Directions
Using a mandolin or very sharp knife, slice the potatoes into thin rounds, and place in a bowl of cold water to prevent discoloration.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees in large pot or tabletop fryer.
 

Remove potatoes from water and pat completely dry. Add to the oil in batches and cook until golden brown, stirring with a long handled spoon to turn and cook evenly, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and place in a large bowl. Toss with the cheese, truffle oil, salt, and pepper, and parsley. Enjoy!

  

*Linking up with Taste of Tuesday

Summertime Sangria

        As promised last week, here is the recipe for the best sangria I've ever had.  I treat this recipe a lot like a family secret.  I've shared it with very few people and even have it labeled "Mom's Sangria" in my recipe box.  But the family secret is out.  This recipe was found with a simple Google search! {insert horrified gasp here}  Around the internet, this sangria is known as "Topsy Turvy Sangria" because it tastes like juice but it is strong.  I also make a couple of white sangrias that are great, but this one seems to be the most crowd-pleasing of them all--even people that "don't like sangria" go back for seconds. 

Perfect Sangria
*adapted from here

1 750ml bottle red wine
1/2- 1 cup sugar, to taste
1 cup Triple Sec
1 cup brandy
3 cups lemon-lime soda, chilled
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 lemon, sliced
1 lime, sliced
1 orange, sliced
1 peach, sliced

Stir wine, sugar, Triple Sec, and brandy until sugar dissolved.  Adjust sugar to taste.  Stir in soda and fruit.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let flavors blend.  Serve over ice.  Enjoy!

The best part about this is that it's a great base recipe and you can switch up the fruit anyway you like, or swap Peach Schnapps in place of the Triple Sec for peach sangria.  I can't wait until fall, so I can show you how I change it up for the cooler seasons!  Hope you love it as much as I do!

Linking up with Ellie, Kristin, Rekita and Stephanie!

Thanks, Cheerios

    Obviously by now everyone has seen the Cheerios commercial that started a near riot among racists and closed-minded thinkers everywhere.  But if you haven't, take a look below.  The little girl is so stinkin' cute!

    

    I was hesitant at first to talk about this here, but so many good things keep coming out of this commercial that I really can't help myself at this point.  It's so inspirational.  For those of you who know me in real life, you have probably never heard me discuss race relations except for the occasional anecdote about how often I'm asked about my nationality by random strangers.  For the record, I am black and my husband is white.  You've probably never heard me talk about how being in an interracial marriage affects me.  Do you know why?  Because it doesn't.  I don't even think about it.  And as far as I know, neither does Kevin.  Being in an interracial relationship (for 10+ years) has not even made me more aware of race relations in this country.  What's embarrassing?  I was actually shocked at the outrage over this commercial.

    Part of me feels naive for not being able to predict the negative reaction it sparked, but part of me also feels lucky.  Kevin and I have never dealt with stares, intolerance, or even snarky comments (at least not to our faces).  No one has treated us differently, so I've never thought of as anything but a normal married couple--because we are!  But the backlash from this ad campaign has forced me to look at the issue of race a little differently.  We want kids one day, how will this type of backward thinking affect them?  I hope it won't.  This week, a video popped up online that made me even more hopeful that it won't.  

    One of the other positive things that came from this whole Cheerios situation was brought to my attention by my mom.  It's a blog called We Are the 15 Percent.  It features pictures of multiracial couples and families from all over the world.  Check it out- it's really beautiful.  So I thank Cheerios for bringing this all to light.  I imagine that your PR and marketing teams (unlike me) knew that this ad could be considered controversial and I thank you for running it anyway.  I've considered that maybe it was all for publicity, but the amount of good that has come from this ad forces me to be less cynical about it.  Thanks for putting into the spotlight the lifestyle that we (and many other families) live and consider normal every day of our lives and will hopefully one day be considered normal by all.

  {Happiest day of my life}

    I'd also like to give a shout-out to a couple of other bloggers that have written about this in the past.  Thanks for putting your thoughts out there.  Read here and here if you're interested.

Linking up today with Shanna and Wildcard Wednesday

Weekend Recap

    This weekend went by way too fast.  But what's new?  Saturday Kevin and I spent a few hours hiking south of Boston at Blue Hills Reservation.  They have hundreds of miles of trails and it was the perfect day to get out and walk-- it was slightly overcast and the temperature was perfect.  Kevin and I walk a lot but it's usually city walking, so below are my hiking newbie must-haves.

{From top left: Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream, AE Boyfriend Short, Dr Martens Hiking Shoe, Colombia Hiking Shirt}

    The top row has items that I already own and love.  I don't wear a lot of makeup but BB Cream is my favorite thing to use when I know I'm going to be outdoors and active.  It has built in SPF and just enough tint to even out my skin tone.  As for the shorts, I think American Eagle still has the best variety around.  I like the boyfriend cut because they're loose and comfortable.  I prefer wearing jean shorts when walking in the woods because if I sit down, water doesn't immediately get through and they don't show dirt quite as easily as other types of bottoms.

    The bottom row has items that I'm interested in getting if we continue hiking into the fall.  I love that the hiking shoe has the body of a boot (folded down in photo), but the sole has the flexibility of a shoe for comfort.  And the Colombia shirt is right up my alley because it has bug repellent properties.  I'm skeptical, but if it works then I'd be this shirt's biggest fan.

        
    After a few hours, we were starving and thought we deserved to splurge.  We made yummy drinks and appetizers to hold us over for dinner.

 

{Blueberry smash made by Kevin.  So good!}

 

{Shrimp egg rolls}

     Sunday we went to a friend's apartment for a pool party--don't know why I didn't think to take pictures.  I'm glad we packed a lot in this weekend because I'll be working for the next one plus the weather was beautiful.  Happy Monday!  

*Linking up today with Sami for Weekend Shenanigans

 

Influenster: Mary Kay Vox Box

Disclosure: I received these products complimentary for testing purposes from Mary Kay and Influenster.

     A few weeks ago I received my first Influenster Voxbox featuring products from Mary Kay.  I knew I'd be getting free stuff to sample but actually receiving it made me so happy.  Especially because I don't wear a lot of makeup so it's not usually something I want to spend money on.

What was included:

Lash Love Lengthening Mascara ($15.00): I like it, but don't love it.  It definitely doesn't clump which is awesome but it also feels like my lashes don't look significantly different after use.  Besides, if I'm going to use a mascara that isn't waterproof, it's going to be really hard to get me away from my favorite: Benefit's They're Real Mascara.

Cream Eye Color/Concealer Brush ($10.00): The brush is meant for use with the cream eye color provided.  It's great-- very soft-- but using it in a cream color just screams to me that it's going to need a lot of washes or it will get goopy.  That's not really part of my 5 minute makeup routine.

Mary Kay Lash Primer ($15.00): Something I could work into my routine.  I didn't notice a huge difference, but sometimes after I remove the previous day's mascara, my lashes can feel a little clumped together (hmm...maybe I should just routinely start taking my makeup off before bed!).  This primer separates and defines them before putting on your mascara.  Although isn't good mascara supposed to do that on it's own?

Cream Eye Color in Violet Storm ($22.00): This is probably my favorite product in the box.  I have trouble with eye shadow looking too costume-y on me but this one goes on super sheer and can either be applied with your finger or with the brush.  I would consider purchasing, but the price is a little steep for me though for such a little amount of it.

True Dimensions Lip Stick in Pink Cherie ($18.00): I love the texture of this especially since I'm trying to switch from glosses to lipsticks as part of my everyday look, but this color is not meant for someone of my skin tone.  I would purchase this product but definitely in a different color.

Happy Friday everyone!  Kevin and I are going to take on a hike tomorrow and a pool party Sunday.  Can't wait to share the details next week!

*Linking up with the Let's Be Friends Blog Hop today.

Cherry Limeade

    Last weekend I was still on the red, white, and blue food train so I made this refreshing cherry limeade to go along with the theme.  Also, I had a ton of cherries to use and I wasn't letting those babies go to waste.  Fresh cherries are crazy expensive!  I know everyone is obsessed with Sonic's Cherry Limeade, but I've actually never had one.  I can tell you though that this was delicious!

    The original thought behind the cherry limeade was that this would be a refreshing, all natural drink for summer without all the fillers and syrups.  But in the end, I did have to use a splash of Sprite in order to get the flavor just perfect so it's not totally all natural.  I haven't talked much about my slow mission to go more natural/organic because honestly I'm no expert and I have a long way to go.  Making things at home that are usually available premade is my start.  Notice I said more natural and not all natural.  I'm realistic people!  I don't think I'll ever convert completely.  Kevin and I like to snack, and we like foods that are bad for us.  It's just how it goes.  Anyway, onto the recipe!

Cherry Limeade Recipe
1 cup lime juice
1 cup fresh or frozen cherries
1 cup sugar  
4-6 cups water, to taste
1/2 cup lemon-lime soda or sparkling water 

Juice limes into pitcher or large measuring bowl.  Crush or juice cherries (I used a handheld juicer).  Stir in sugar until dissolved.  Pour in desired amount of water (for more or less concentrated flavor), stirring constantly.  Add soda.  Serve over ice.  Enjoy!

*Linking up today with Lisette and Catalyn :) 

The day everything broke

    Alternate title: the day I wished I had a landlord.  Alternate alternate title: sometimes being an adult is expensive.

    Kevin and I have owned our place for just over a year, and it's gone pretty smoothly.  I love DIY projects and I'm lucky to have such a handy husband.  So far the only thing we had to call a professional for was a broken garbage disposal that we weren't 100% sure needed to be replaced (turns out that thing was most definitely dead--and smelled like death too!).

    Other fixes were totally doable: painting, refinishing our cabinets, in-wall speaker system, etc.  We were DIY warriors....until the day that everything broke.  Nothing will knock you off of your DIY high horse like a broken air conditioner in the summer heat.  Not only is it something that the average person just isn't familiar with, but your motivation to take on a DIY project substantially decreases as the temperature in your house increases (this is a scientific fact I'm sure).  Now, it should be said that rarely do appliances just up and die with no warning.  The fridge had been making sounds for a month that we ignored.  The microwave had issues from the beginning.  But the AC unit broke without giving us any sign..on one of the hottest days of the year.  And on this very same day, the fridge finally decided it stop keeping our food cold for good and the microwave wouldn't open.

{Yikes!}

    The moment I saw that thermostat reading, I immediately wished that we had a landlord I could call up to fix it for us.  Luckily, the heating and cooling company that we found said they'd be here in 90 minutes.  Unluckily, being homeowners meant that we'd be paying some unknown amount of money in just a matter of hours.  There's nothing scarier than inviting some repairman into your house when you have no idea what could possibly be wrong.  They could tell you anything.  I hate being so vulnerable, but I was freaking hot!  Who knows how much I would have forked over just to be comfortable again.

    After a little searching on Yelp, we chose an appliance repairman to take a look at the fridge.  The next day the fridge repairman came (I was happy I wasn't asking him to work in an 83 degree environment thanks to the previous day's fix).  

{Grr. Broken appliance #2}

    Even though it was only the fridge portion that wasn't staying cold, the broken part was actually in the freezer so I had to move everything into a cooler with ice.  Twenty four hours (and more money) later that was fixed up too.  Lesson learned: when your refrigerator starts to make weird noises, don't look at your spouse and say "what's that?" like we did.  Call someone to help before you start having to toss food that's starting to spoil.  A repairman isn't cheap but neither is replacing a whole fridge worth of groceries!

    It was sad that by the time we got around to the microwave a few days later (the only appliance that we actually had to fully replace) I wasn't even that excited about getting to pick out a new one.  I thought I'd be ecstatic to be appliance shopping.  Instead I let Kevin find a good deal and that was that.  The install didn't go as smoothly as he planned but after a couple of day's work, it was up and running.  I realize that by showing you the picture below I'm totally spoiling another project that we finished but hadn't yet shared the details on.  Yes, that backsplash is a DIY project that we took on a little while ago.  Tutorial to come soon I promise.

{Pardon the mess. This was after Kevin installed the new microwave but before cleanup!}

    I love being a homeowner but some things just don't go as planned (like when your AC, fridge, and microwave die all on the same day).  But it's worth it!  Sorry for this bummer of a post but I'm just keeping it real today.  Sometimes being an adult is expensive.

    

Homemade Rosemary Foccacia

    I will preface this post with an update: those herbs that I planted for Earth Day are (mostly) alive!!  The cilantro died of unknown causes (it didn't suffer I promise), but everything else is still kicking.  I've been using the basil like it's going out of style and coming up with all sorts of ways to use the sage, but the rosemary was getting kind of neglected which I was surprised by because I looove rosemary.  I think it's because I picture rosemary going with roasted chicken dishes and that's certainly not what we're eating in this heat.  It's grilling season, baby!

    In all honesty, the reason I landed on making foccacia is that I'm lazy.  You see, I was making sandwiches for our 4th of July picnic and needed bread.  The store was all out of the ciabatta rolls which were part of my initial plan, so I left thinking I'd just figure it out.  I was too lazy to check out another store, so the next morning I just decided to make homemade foccacia.  Yes I realize this makes no sense, but I can't be the only person that thinks like this.  I adapted a recipe that I found here and the results were so delicious.  This was my first-ever attempt at breadmaking.

Rosemary Foccacia Recipe
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon instant or fast acting dried yeast*
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
3/4 to 1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
coarse sea salt to taste 
     *active dry yeast can be used if 1 1/4 teaspoons are used and activated with warm water prior to mixing into the flour

Mix flour, salt, sugar, yeast, chopped garlic, rosemary into bowl of an upright mixer with dough hook attached. Add oil, followed by the water. Start with 3/4 cup water and adjust upward accordingly. Mix to form a soft dough. 

Flour both hands and make the dough into a round ball. Place dough on a lightly floured surface, cover with a lightly oiled bowl, and leave to rise for about 1 hour until it doubles in bulk. 

Punch down the dough, and knead it lightly. Press dough onto a baking tray (about 12 x 10 inches, greased). Cover with a damp cloth and let rise, about 1 hour. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using index finger, press into the risen dough to make dimples in the dough. Press rosemary sprigs into the dimples. Sprinkle with sea salt, drizzle with olive oil and 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove bread from baking tray and drizzle with a little extra olive oil. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

*Linking up today:
Taste of Tuesday with Ashley of Let's Get Bananas and Jessica of Blissfully Miller

Weekend Re-cap

    I'm still in denial that this holiday weekend is over and want to be back in bed, so I will keep this short and sweet.  My mom was in town this weekend so even after the 4th of July festivities, I continued to make all kinds of special food.  I will be sharing recipes for these in the coming weeks but here's a little sneak peek.

{Sangria}

{Cherry limeade}

 

 {Cherry pie}

{Truffle potato chips}

    Make sure you're following via Bloglovin, Facebook, or Pinterest so you know when the recipes are up! 

    *Linking up today with Sami for Weekend Shenanigans

My Fourth of July in Ten Pictures

    We celebrated our 4th of July with my mom who is in town from Virginia.  We headed down to the Charles River Esplanade and got the perfect spot right in front of where they shoot the fireworks off.  The best spot we've ever had!  The night before, we attended the Boston Pops Rehearsal for the big night.  Here are the 10 pictures that best sum up our Independence Day.

{Started our day with a colorful breakfast}

{I baked focaccia from scratch for our picnic lunch. Recipe to come next week}

 

{We pre-gamed with some red, white, and blue sangria}

 

{The Boston Pops performing}

 

 {Dress: Urban Outfitters, Sunglasses: Tory Burch}

 

{I liked taking pictures of my mani a little too much}

 

{Kevin pretty much perfected his fireworks picture taking skills. So beautiful}

 

 Have a great weekend!