homemade pumpkin spice latte

i know... it's totally that time of year that people are obsessed with their PSLs. not me. i don't loooooove a pumpkin spice latte. i just don't! there's something about it that's just a bit too much for me. too much milk. too much fake flavoring. i just don't love it. BUT, last weekend when B and i had a quiet sunday morning, i took the opportunity to whip up a little treat... a homemade pumpkin spice latte. i loved the idea that i could tailor it to my liking - both in taste, strength AND the amount of milk i wanted in my coffee.

these were a hit :) extra wifey points for me!

recipe via the kitchn

makes 2 lattes

ingredients

2-3 tablespoons canned pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus more to garnish

fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups milk (we used 1%)

1-2 espresso shots, or strongly brewed coffee

directions

1. in a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the pumpkin with the pumpkin pie spice and a generous helping of black pepper for 2 minutes or until hot and smells cooked. stir constantly.

2. add sugar and stir until the mixture looks like a bubbly thick syrup.

3. whisk in the milk and vanilla extract. warm gently over medium heat, watching carefully to make sure it doesn't boil over.

4. optional: carefully blend milk mixture with a hand blender, or traditional blender.

if you're using a fuller fat milk, this will really make your mixture frothy. for those using a skimmer milk, i found that this step doesn't make a huge difference.

5. make espresso or coffee and divide between two mugs, and add frothed milk. feel free to add a whipped cream topping and an extra sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon or nutmeg.

6. enjoy! :)

homemade lemonade

lemonade kind of reminds me of granola, chex mix, and cookies. 

how you ask?? homemade is always better. and once you move 

to the homemade version, you'll never want to go back!

homemade lemonade is where it's at. and the perfect lemonade (to me) is one that's 

refreshing, just barely sweet enough, and keeps the original bitterness of the lemon juice intact.

i love making a big pitcher of this and drinking it all week long.

this is money. have some this weekend!

personally, i hate drinking caloric beverages, so i make this lemonade with splenda 

(producing an almost calorie free beverage). if splenda isn't your thing - you can follow the exact same recipe with real sugar. more calories, but still amazing. i've had both and can vouch for both.

modified slightly from the food network

ingredients

2 cups sugar OR splenda

2 cups water

1 gallon cold water

2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
roughly 16 lemons, but definitely grab more just in case

1-2 extra lemons sliced for garnish

directions

1. make simple syrup by bring 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar to a boil over low heat.

stir until the sugar dissolves. remove from heat and set aside to cool.

note: if you are using splenda, no need to make the simple syrup over the stove.
you'll just be able to stir your splenda into warm water and stir. super easy.

2. in a large pitcher, combine a gallon of cold water and lemon juice.
add lemon slices and simple syrup to taste.

first, every single lemon is totally different - some super juicy and some that seem to have 
like 6 drops of lemon juice. just grab a bunch of lemons and you should be good. (hello costco!)

also, i kept stirring in my simple syrup until i loved the taste of my lemonade. 
this recipe is close to perfect for me, but just keep adding until it tastes just right!

3. stir well. and serve over ice!

black cherry refresher

today i am heading to one of my favorite places on the planet. black butte ranch!

ben and i are going to be adventuring for the next 10 days or so in central oregon,

hiking, golfing, biking, lounging, having pool parties, playing cribbage, etc.

CANNOT WAIT!

i made this big batch cocktail the last time we had people over.

i usually get nervous serving something for the first time with guests,

but this was simple, delicious and an absolute hit. 

i had to make a second batch on the spot!

recipe via sprouted kitchen cookbook

serves four

ingredients

12 cherries, pitted

roughly 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish

1 cup gin

1/4 cup st germain edlerflower liqueur

1 cup cherry juice

ice

roughly 1 cup sparkling water

lime wedges for garnish

directions

1.  in the bottom of a glass pitcher, using a muddler, muddle cherries and mint 

together until the mint is crushed and the cherries release some of the their juice.

2. add gin, elderflower liqueur and cherry juice and stir to combine.

3. to serve, fill 6 highball glasses with ice, divide cherry mixture evenly among the glasses 

and top each with desired amount of sparkling water. garnish each glass with a lime wedge.

the greyhound

what is it about the summer that makes me want a refreshing cocktail after a long day's work?
this cocktail is actually perfect for that 5pm happy hour timeslot. the ratios of the recipe,
especially with the addition of the soda water, makes this a 'light' cocktail, as i'll call it.
something you can pour in a tall glass and sip at your leisure.

recipe via simply real health cookbook

makes 2

ingredients

6oz club soda

3oz vodka

6oz grapefruit juice (fresh squeezed or bottled)

directions

1. split ingredients between two glasses with ice. stir well and serve!

the green smoothie for people who don't like green smoothies

i've tried my fair share of green smoothies over the years,

and even though i love their nutritional value, i've never loved the taste!

they're either too thick, too pungent, or just packed with too many sugary fruits.

if you don't like green smoothies promise me you'll try just one more recipe!!!

this is the perfect green smoothie for you non-green-smoothie-lovers like me.

seriously. absolutely worth a try.

recipe via simply real health cookbook

makes 1 big servings, or 2 small servings

ingredients

1 cup frozen bluberries

1/2 avocado

1/2 banana

3 large handfuls spinach

directions

1. add banana, spinach, blueberries, avocado, and water to blender. 

blend first, then add ice and continue to blend until smooth.

pineapple rosarita

it's starting to feel like summer in seattle!
i'm just loving this amazing weather we're having
and can't wait to play outside all weekend.

this drink is the perfect complement to this 80 degree weather.

the ripe pineapple mashed with the herby rosemary
gives a classic margarita some playfulness and sophistication.

recipe via date night in

serves 2

ingredients

lime wedges, to rim glass

kosher salt, to rim glass

2 cups fresh pineapple, cubed, plus more for garnish

4 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus springs for garnish

2 tablespoons triple sec

2-4 shots tequila
(depending on if you want a single or a double)

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

directions

1. if desired, run a lime wedge along the edge of two glasses 

and dip each in a shallow dish filled with salt.

2. fill the glasses with ice and set aside.

3. place half the fresh pineapple and 1 teaspoon rosemary in a pint glass. 

muddle fiercely with a muddle or the handle of a wooden spoon
to release the juice of the pineapple and bruise the rosemary. 

the pineapple should be quite juicy and well mashed, about 30 second of muddling.

i increased the amount of rosemary in this recipe (reflected in the ingredients above)
and made sure to really get my rosemary muddled well for flavor.

4. next, add 1 tablespoon triple sec, 1/4 cup tequila,
and 2 tablespoons lime juice into the pint glass.
pour this into a cocktail shake filled with ice. 

shake vigorously for 30 seconds. strain into one of the glasses. 

garnish with a couple cubes of pineapple and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

feel free to adjust amount of tequila to your liking

check out my tips and tricks for finding and cutting the perfect pineapple

honey vanilla spritzer

have i mentioned that my two best friends are pregnant?
let's just say that my mockail game is strong right now!

this honey vanilla spritzer is totally different and worth a try.
i served it at marcy's baby shower last weekend
and since multiple people asked for the recipe, i thought i'd share with you all :)

the honey and vanilla definitely make this lean towards a sweeter drink,
think along the lines of a vanilla italian soda.
the amount of lime you add can take this in a completely different direction.
for me, i think i would have increased the lime quite a bit to give it a fresher,
brighter flavor profile, but feel free to follow the recipe exactly for something sweet and refreshing.

and yes, i did try it with vodka - don't judge me!
it was great. also think it might be tasty with tequila.

also: don't be alarmed by the little vanilla beans floating around in your drink!
i think it gives it character :)

recipe via martha stewart

ingredients

2/3 cup honey

1/2 cup water

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
here is a tutorial on splitting and scraping a vanilla bean

1/4 fresh lime juice

ice

4 cups chilled seltzer

directions

1. bring honey, water, and vanilla bean to a simmer in a saucepan.

cook, stirring, until honey dissolves. let cool completely.

strain through a fine sieve (there will be some vanilla seeds).

if the thought of these floating in your drink is not to your liking, 
just strain through a coffee filter!

2. stir in lime juice. divide among 4 ice-filled glasses.

top with seltzer.

for the party, i followed the same directions, but just combined in a large pitcher instead.

kamikaze

i've had a crazy week.

i can't tell you how excited i am to make as few plans as possible 

this weekend and just relax and catch-up on life. 

oh, and drink one of these :)

i love cocktails you can whip up with little to no planning.

this one has simple ingredients - all of which you likely already have in the pantry.

ingredients

1 part vodka

1 part fresh squeezed lime juice

1.5-2 parts triple sec
depending on how bitter or sweet you like it

directions

1. put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. shake vigorously.

2. pour into your martini glass of choice. enjoy!

margarita mashup

it's almost cinco de mayo!

instead of your normal monday morning mashup,
i'm coming to you with a MARGARITA mashup.
YOU ARE WELCOME!

my favorite margarita recipes...

1. the classic margarita

2. the agave margarita

3. the blackberry margarita

4. the whole fruit margarita

5. the st germain margarita

6. the grapefruit margarita

7. mexiprize (the beergarita)

8. the margarita mocktail

9. the best sangria
(for those of you who don't love margaritas)

AND

10. the best margaritas in seattle

the perfected old fashioned

this guest post via: Benjamin Somoza

An old fashioned is maybe America's oldest and most classic cocktails.
The year round sipper is a staple at my house and for any guy that loves bourbon.

I follow these directions exactly.

recipe via epicurious

ingredients

1 scant teaspoon simple syrup

2 dashes angostura bitters

2oz good quality whiskey

1 marashino cherry

1 twist of an orange

directions

1. in an old fashioned glass, combine simple syrup and bitters.

fill glass with ice and stir a dozen times.

2. squeeze orange peel over glass to extract oils, 

add peel to glass and add whiskey.

stir a dozen more times.

3. garnish with cherry

 

lemon gin fizz

this cocktail tastes like summer.
light, refreshing, and pretty much like an adult lemonade.
you should make some this weekend :)

i'm going to give you this recipe in ratios, 

so you can make as much or as little as you want :)

ingredients

8 parts soda

4.5 parts gin

3 parts fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 part sugar/simple syrup

1 part triple sec

optional: lemon slices for garnish

directions

1. mix all ingredients together, with exception of the simple syrup.

add simple syrup to taste (based on how sweet or bitter you like it)

2. pour over ice. enjoy!