The Best Margaritas.

A part of the key to our successful trip to the beach was a never ending pitcher of margaritas. It's not to say that we would not have had a fabulous time without them...but it wouldn't have been the same.

There is something about the beach that demands a margarita. Right?

This is not your standard margarita recipe. There is no lime involved. Nor is there any sweet and sour mix. It's the simplest recipe of all time. My mom has been serving them like this for years - be it at a Mexican themed bridal shower, Cinco de Mayo, or for the girls at the beach.

The beauty of it is the easy proportions. Any bartender will tell you that the key to a good drink is in consistency. The first drink should taste just like the second and should still taste the same on another night with a different bartender. That's why margaritas are so difficult. There are a million ways to make them and everyone likes them a little differently.

But these are easy - and delicious. Not too sweet, not too sour, not too strong. And they always taste the same! I love a reliable drink.





No Sally, that's not how you do it. Show some self control. Jeez.

Can't take her anywhere.





There are four ingredients and all in equal amounts. Frozen limeade, Corona, Sprite and Tequila. Feel free to sub in Corona Lite and Sprite Zero if you're feeling spunky.





The Corona is simple - 1 bottle.





Then the limeade, which is the slushy stuff found in the frozen section.

Next, pour in your Sprite. You can either use one can or simply refill the limeade container if you're using a 2 liter bottle.





Same goes for the tequila. Fill that limeade can right back up and dump it in.

Mix it around and then pour over ice. If rocks drinks aren't your thing than pop the pitcher in the freezer and let it sit for a few hours until it gets deliciously slushy. Perfect for taking down to the beach!

But I should add, go ahead and make a double batch. They're that good.

Now, who wants to make a practice batch and invite me over for a taste test?

Let's recap:

• 12 oz frozen limeade
• 12 oz Corona or Corona Lite
• 12 oz Sprite or Sprite Zero
• 12 oz Tequila (measure it in the limeade can!)
• Stir and Enjoy!
  
  

Cuatro de Mayo Fiesta.

Even though Canada and the USA are neighbors, there a tons of differences between the two countries. For example, in Canada you eat tacos for supper and in the US you eat tacos for dinner. In Canada you give someone a drive to the party and in the US you give someone a ride to the party. In Canada Thanksgiving is in October and in the US it is in November. In the US Cinco de Mayo is a legitimate celebration and in Canada it doesn't exist.





In my never-ending quest to bring my American traditions to my friends in Canada, I bought a bunch of tequila last year, dug up sombreros and invited all my friends over.





This year we had a dear friend in town this weekend so it seemed like a good reason to throw together some Mexican food and cut up some limes. I didn't force margaritas on anyone this year, but they did manage to happily drink a batch or two of sangria and even wore sombreros.





Oh, and it wasn't Cinco de Mayo. It was Cuatro de Mayo because we celebrated it on Saturday. Not that anyone knows the difference. Do you know how many times I was asked when Cinco de Mayo was?





I love 'em anyway. They took tequila shots like they've been celebrating Mexican heritage their whole life.





Last year I got carried away with the fiesta. This year was pretty simple - a veggie tray that looks like a Mexican flag, a frozen Cantina box from Costco (delicious!), Connie's spicy cheese dip and my mom's Mexican Layer dip.

The Mexican Layer dip is so easy and fabulous:

In a 10 inch round dish layer the following:
1st - 1 can of refried beans
2nd - 2 avacados, smashed with a 1/2 lemon fresh juice
3rd - mix 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup mayo with a package of taco seasoning
4th - 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
5th - 2 tomatoes, diced
6th - 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Serve with chips

Connie's Spicy Cheese Dip that is good for ALL occasions:

1 pound of Velveeta, 1 pound cooked spicy sausage, 1 pound cooked ground beef and 1 can of Rotel.
Melt the cheese in a sauce pan or crockpot. Add in the cooked meat and Rotel. Serve with chips and prepare to have everyone think you are awesome.

New Favorite: Lite Sweet and Sour Chicken

I have a secret that I'm now ready to admit. It's kind of embarrassing and I'm sure my mother is about to hang her head in shame.

Until three weeks ago, I didn't know how to saute anything. Like, I didn't even know what kind of food to saute, let alone what utensils to use for the process. A spoon? Maybe a spatula? Pot? Pan?

I didn't have a clue.

Also embarrassing, what I thought was a clove of garlic turns out to be a bulb of garlic. Small difference, apparently.

Seriously, how have I made it this far in life without poisoning anyone?

Clearly, dinner around here has come a long way in the past few years. I've moved up in the world. Now I don't eat eggs and cereal for dinner every night. Instead I've slowly learned how to make the basics - tacos, baked salmon, chef salad and even the occasional pork tenderloin. Don't let my Thanksgiving table fool you. I can't really cook. I can merely follow basic recipes.

I was reading one of my favorite blogs a few weeks ago and came across a recipe for sweet and sour chicken that seemed way out of my league. It also had a list of a few foreign ingredients but it sparked a memory of delicious take-out back from back in my college days.

Ahhh, the sweet memories of gaining the freshman fifteen...or thirty. Luckily, this is a healthier version that won't plague my thighs the same way.

As it turned out, that week I just so happened to have a freezer full of meat, which meant my grocery budget was going to have some extra room. This was good because that meant I could splurge a bit on all the random items I would need to make this sweet and sour chicken.

Don't you hate that when it costs $30 just to buy the ingredients for one dish? And then the bottles are all so big that you better love this fancy new recipe because otherwise you're going to be stuck with enough random oyster sauce to last a lifetime? So you cross your fingers and hope you love the recipe because now you'll be able to make the meal for months without having to spend another penny.

That's exactly what happened here. I love this sweet and sour chicken so much, we have had it for dinner every single week for almost a month now.

I can't stop cooking it. I crave it. I dream about it.

And then, I inhale it.

The recipe came from Iowa Girl Eats, but was actually a guest post there by Gimme Some Oven. You can see the original recipe here. Neither of these ladies have every let me down before, so no surprise that this dish was excellent as usual.

I did make a few adjustments, however. I left out the pineapple and reduced the chili sauce because the full three tablespoons caused a decent amount of smoke to come out of TC's ears. It was hot! Two table spoons is more than enough. I'd go with one tablespoon if you're a weenie when it comes to spicy food.

Maybe you have rice vinegar, or oyster sauce or sriracha chili sauce already in your pantry - you must be an adventurous cook. Can you please invite me over sometime? If not, find a little bit in your grocery budget and give this a try. It's definitely worth it.

____________________________________

Light Sweet and Sour Chicken (adapted from Gimme Some Oven at Iowa Girl Eats)

Stir Fry Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
sesame seeds (optional)
white or brown rice, for serving

Sweet and Sour Sauce Ingredients

1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. sriracha chile sauce (3 tablespoons if you're a badass, 1 if you're a weenie)
3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. oyster sauce
1 pinch freshly grated pepper
1/2 cup orange juice (or pineapple)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch (NOT corn syrup - duh!)

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then add to skillet. Saute for about 5 minutes, flipping occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink on the inside. Remove chicken and set aside. Cut the vegetables while the meat cooks.
2. Add an another tablespoon of oil to the skillet, then add in the onion and peppers. Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for another 3 minutes or until the vegetables are tender yet still a bit crisp. Remove vegetables and set aside.
3. Add ketchup, sriracha, vinegar, brown sugar, oyster sauce and pepper to the pan, and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the fruit juice and cornstarch until it has dissolved. Then add the mixture to the sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Add back in the vegetables and chicken. Stir until evenly coated. Allow the mixture to thicken for 3-5 minutes, or until no longer soupy.
4. Remove from heat and serve over rice, garnished with sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days.
5. Enjoy!

Blueberry Frosting For the Win.

It's been a while since we talked about a good baking recipe around here, hasn't it?

Last year I made the most amazing frosting I've ever had the pleasure of eating. I found the recipe in the  Back In The Day Bakery book, which is the cutest book of all time. I'm not sure another frosting recipe will ever top it. However, this blueberry buttercream frosting comes close.





I was a little nervous about making a birthday cake that didn't involve any chocolate. I mean, is that even legal? Seriously. I almost made chocolate cupcakes on the side, just to be safe.

Instead, I put on my big girl party pants and sucked it up.

I tossed around the idea of a lemon cake, but then decided that I don't like lemon. And no, it wasn't my birthday but since I'm the baker I reserve the right to make a few important flavor decisions.

I also considered a blueberry cake. When I made the strawberry cake with strawberry icing last year, I learned that there is too much of a good thing. So, blueberry cake got nixed.





I went with a plain white cake. From a box, I might add. And just for fun, I made it three layers instead of two, because that way you get an extra layer of frosting in the middle. If we're not going to have chocolate, we going to have to supplement the sweet factor in another way.





The frosting was easy to make. I googled around to find a recipe and ended up generally following this recipe from Baking with Basil. Hop on over, she's got cute goodies over there. Although it appears that she recently had twin boys and has been a little busy with them.





The blueberry frosting was definitely a winner. It's an unexpected flavor choice, but sweet, light and absolutely delicious. The bit of lemon zest really made it pop.

(Funny story about lemon zest. Last year I had a recipe that called for lemon zest, which I had never used before. I went to the store and tried to find it. I couldn't. So I asked the grocery store guy where to find lemon zest. He told me that soap is kept in isle five.)

Perfect for warm weather! Not that I would know anything about warm weather...

Give it a try, it's perfect for your next cookout.





Blueberry Buttercream Frosting (adapted from Baking with Basil):

1 cup (2 sticks) Butter/Margarine (softened)
1/2 cup Blueberry Puree (drop those suckers right in the food processor)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tbsp Lemon zest
1 pinch of salt
6 cups Confectioners/Icing sugar

-Using a mixer, cream the butter until smooth
-Add in blueberry puree, vanilla, lemon zest and salt. Beat until smooth.
-Gradually add in confectioners sugar
-Beat until light and fluffy

It's The Thought That Counts.

I've made Hershey Kiss Pretzels with m&m's before. And they've always turned out great. They're easy. They're delicious and they're pretty cute.





So, I thought I'd make some for TC to bring in as a treat tomorrow. You see, he has a secret pumpkin (kindda like secret Santa) at work so he has to bring in a small gift every day this week. I was trying to help a brother out and avoid him being that guy that just shows up with a Snickers bar. You know that guy, don't you?





Everything was going swimmingly. I thought I was being especially creative using caramel kisses. In the past I've used Hugs but caramel kisses seemed more Halloweenish to me. Maybe because of the orange wrappers? I don't know.

Anyway, as it turns out, caramel kisses are not conducive to making these little treats.

For one, they don't melt well. Two, the caramel sticks everywhere and never really solidifies. Three, they're ugly.

But don't worry, they are still delicious. Maybe even more delicious than Hugs.





Moral of the story: when your edible gifts don't work out because they're dysfunctional and ugly, at least you have something delicious to keep for yourself and eat as a midnight snack.

Let's hope I have more luck in my pumpkin carving endeavours tomorrow night.


Side note: Prayers and good luck to those in the path of Sandy. My sister just lost power in NYC. When I texted her to see if she was drunk yet (she's not) she told me, "Shhh...you're eating battery." Apparently she's fine and hasn't lost her rudeness.

Quinoa and Sausage Omelette Breakfast Cups.

I've been on the hunt for something really quick and filling for breakfast.

Truth be told, I never eat breakfast. It takes too long and I'm far too lazy.

But lately I am absolutely starving by lunch and then eat so much that I feel like a whale for the rest of the day.

So, it finally dawned on me that weekday breakfast might be something worth considering. 

As it just so happened, that day one of my favorite bloggers, Iowa Girl Eats, posted a recipe for Mini BLT Quinoa Cups that seemed like a perfect solution.

note: check out her blog by clicking on the purple links. she's adorable and her photos will make you drool. get a napkin before proceeding.

Like any good cheater, I stole it. 

I made them a little bigger and replaced her bacon with spicy Italian sausage. Next week I'm going to really go nuts and use ham. Or maybe turkey sausage. 

It's gonna get crazy up in here.

Anyway, these suckers are the perfect size and are delicious for several days if you pop them in the microwave for thirty seconds right before you walk out the door. 

Of course, they're awesome too when they're fresh out of the oven. 

It's like an omelette, but more portable. Kindda like a muffin, but not really at all. Maybe like a quiche. Sorta.

Give it a whirl and enjoy!

Just keep them out of the dog's reach.

 

Quinoa and Sausage Omelette Breakfast Cups

2/3 cup dry quinoa

1 1/2 cup chicken broth

2 eggs

3 egg whites

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup frozen, thawed and squeezed spinach

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (cherry tomatoes suggested)

1/2 - 3/4 cup of sausage, cooked and crumbled (any meat will do really!)

2 tablespoons shredded parmesean

Dash of salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F. Rinse quinoa in a mesh strainer under cool water. Cook the quinoa in chicken broth, as directed. Meanwhile, cook sausage. In a bowl combine all ingredients. Scoop the quinoa mix into a well greased muffin tins. For regular sized muffin pans, bake 20 minutes. For mini muffin tins, bake 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool for several minutes and then use a knife to cut around the edges before removing. 

Makes 12 full size cups or 30 mini cups.

I.G.B.A.P.E.I.T.B Cookies.

I live with a cookie monster. Actually, it doesn't have to be cookies. Any sweet will do. Ice cream, pudding, pie, cupcakes, chocolate, cheesecake, apple crisp...and of course, cookies. 

Really, the man will eat anything. And you know what the best part is? He loves everything I make. 

Seriously, every baked good that comes out of my kitchen is proclaimed as the best thing I've ever made. 

Everyone should have a husband and taste-tester like him.

This past weekend was rainy and gross. I hadn't been to the gym in a day or two so I figured if I was being lazy than I might as well make cookies while I was at it. I don't like to do anything half ass.

How ya like that logic? 

My mom has an amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe that would probably be award winning if she ever entered a cookie contest. But she hasn't, so it's not. But it should be.

Anyway, the cookie dough is amazing but I'm starting to think that chocolate chips alone are a little boring. 

You know what's not boring?  Adding white chocolate, toffee bits, sprinkles, pretzels and reese's to the mix. 

You know what's even more exciting? Adding Nutella to the middle as a secret discovery.

You're welcome.

I.G.B.A.P.E.I.T.B. (i got bored and put everything in the bowl) Cookies

3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 sticks of butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup reese's pieces
1/2 cup mini white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup toffee bits (skor or heath bar)
1/2 cup pretzel sticks, broken up
2 tablespoons jimmie sprinkles
Nutella

Preheat oven to 375.
With an electric mixer, cream together butter and both sugars.
Add in the eggs.
Gradually add in flour, cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and vanilla.
Mix until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
By hand, stir in the candies and chips.
Roll dough into 1-1 1/2 inch balls. Flatten the dough and place a dollop of Nutella in the center. Turn the edges in to cover the Nutella. Gently press down on the cookie.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
Enjoy!