Tag

summer

Summer Dinner Party Ideas To Make The Most Of Before Fall

written by Ali

It’s the last bit of summer, and it’s your chance to enjoy all those fresh flavors that the season brings, with some of your favorite people. The warmer and longer evenings put everyone in the mood to socialize, so why not take advantage? Inviting friends and family over for a meal can seem a little daunting, as you want everyone to have fun, and leave with full stomachs, hoping to return soon. However, if you take some time to plan and prepare ahead of time, your dream dinner party doesn’t have to fill you with dread, and you’ll have a memorable evening that everyone will enjoy.

Image source

The Important Bit (and why everyone’s heading over)

It’s what everyone has been waiting for; the food. You don’t want to have created the perfect dining environment, only to be let down by what you’re eating. Stick to cooking something you know that you can do well; your dinner party is a terrible time to attempt your first souffle, so try to pick meals that you’ve cooked and enjoyed before.

Maybe you’re a BBQ expert, or your Mexican recipes are second to none, or maybe you’ve been dying to trial your new AirFryer from HealthyButSmart.com for your loaded potato skins; try to cook a crowd pleaser. If your guests appreciate the food, they won’t care that it’s not six courses and doesn’t have a finicky presentation, they’re there to eat and enjoy your company. If you’re worried about filling people up, then add a bread basket to the table, and give people nuts and potato chips to nibble on beforehand; it’s always nice to serve these in a bowl, and not just hand out packets.

Making it a BYOB evening will alleviate the cost of buying alcohol, and you’ll know that everyone is drinking their preferred beverage, which will take a lot of stress away from the night ahead.

Figuring Out Where You’re Eating

Furniture is always a big investment, as you want it to last for years and also look aesthetically pleasing. Therefore, you should take your time and do your research before buying what’s right for your family home. If you’re a little stuck for ideas, you can check out some dining spaces online, and think about how to give yours a boost. Lighting is also a contributing factor to the feel of a space, so think about if your ceiling, floor, and wall lamps could use updating. Or perhaps you could install a dimmer switch, which will give your dining space versatility so that it can suit any occasion.

But, let’s not forget that it’s summer! If you have a space outside that would be perfect for dinner; give it a spruce and make the most of the warmth in the air. Citronella candles not only look pretty, but they’ll deter bugs so that they won’t ruin your get-together. Cushions and throws are optional, but will make a cozy addition to the seating, and perfect if there’s any chill in the air. Now, get the food to the table, sit down, and enjoy catching up with all your guests; you’ve done great.

August 23, 2018 0 comment

Farmer's Market Lunch Recipes Salad Vegetarian

The Healthy Fats to Add to Your Salad This Summer

written by Ali

If you are watching your waistline, then often you will choose to get a salad. And even then you might ask for the dressing on the side so you can limit the number of calories that the salad contains. I mean come on, you don’t want a salad to be a high-fat dish. Which is why there are plenty of low-fat or non-fat salad dressings that you can readily buy from the store. The only problem with these, as found by a study at Purdue University, is that they can actually hinder how much of the vitamins and minerals from the salad that our body gets.

The reason behind all of this is that there are lots of nutrients in salads like beta-carotene and zeaxanthin that are fat soluble. Meaning that they can’t be absorbed by the body unless there is a little fat with them too. Researchers like Nina Teicholz also stand by the idea that we need to have fat in our diet; even if we are eating a salad. The good news is that there are plenty of salad dressing recipes that you can make from home that are filled with good fats that will taste good, and help your body to make the most of the goodness of the salad; don’t just grab the blue cheese dressing just yet! Here are a few that you could try while we make the most of the last of the summer weather.

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Avocado and Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients (to make one large glass):

½ cup avocado oil
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper, to taste

What To Do:

Combine all ingredients in a container with a lid. Make sure the lid is on the container, shake until thoroughly combined.
Store in the refrigerator until you want to serve it.

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Lemon and Tahini Dressing

Ingredients (for one salad):

1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon maple syrup
salt and pepper, to taste

What to do:

Pour all of the dressing ingredients into a small bowl. Use a whisk to mix it altogether until smooth.
Tahini by itself is quite a strong flavor, so if it is too much, you can add a little more of the other ingredients like lemon, maple, or apple cider vinegar. It is a good idea to add up to a ¼ cup of water to thin out the dressing too.
Store in refrigerator or use on salads right away.

As well as dressings, if you’d rather stick to the non-fat ones, you just need to mix up the way you make your salad. Adding in some extra things to your salad can add the good fats that you need to make sure that you are getting all of the salad goodness. You could try:

Chopped macadamia nuts: these nuts are really rich in monounsaturated fats, so you don’t need many for them to work their magic.
Fresh Cheese: Using cheeses like mozzarella or ricotta with your salad can be a good way to get the fats that you need.
Cashews: these make a tasty topping for a salad, as they are nice and creamy, but full of the good fats that your body needs.

August 11, 2018 0 comment

Beverages Foodie Lists

S is for Sangria – A Roundup

written by Ali

S is for Sangria, making it one of my favorite letters in the alphabet. Check out these fifteen beautiful sangria recipes in my sangria roundup post for this Friday’s Happy Hour. Sangria is one of my top favorite ways to serve wine and fruit, plus, Mother’s Day is Sunday and (for those who are 21 and older) what a great treat to make and enjoy with mom!

I’m finally all moved and settled in (mostly). One of the things I’m loving best about my new spot is the great big wide patio. I can sit out here and have a glass of sangria and just be quiet. It’s a bonus of living in a small town – it’s really quiet. There’s very little traffic noise and the breeze from the bay is heavenly. I’d imagine this summer I’ll be taste testing most of these recipes (while saving the pomegranate persimmon sangria recipe for this fall).

First up is a yummy looking white peach sangria from Just a Little Bit of Bacon:

Next is a non-alcoholic sangria from Watch What U Eat that blends pineapple, strawberries, and sparkling water for a refreshing afternoon drink.

I particularly love a good rose wine, so really liked the look of this Rose Sangria from Bourbon and Honey.

Caroline’s Cooking shared this yummy sounding white sangria with whiskey, apple and peach. I’ve never put whiskey in my sangria before – can’t wait to try this one out!

Sparking fruit white sangria from Mommy’s Home Cooking looks so good and refreshing.

Strawberries and basil are two of my favorite things. I’ll definitely be making this sangria from Living Well Spending Less this summer.

Kiwis and raspberries and prosecco are a natural match. Check them out in this easy cocktail from Luci’s Morsels.

I always have a few pomegranate seeds lurking in the freezer this time of year. What a great way to use them up by making pomegranate red wine sangria from A Fork’s Tale.

This summer berry sangria from Cooking With Curls will be so perfect for when it’s berry season again.

You can’t ever have enough recipes for sangria with rose wine. This sangria from Lean, Clean and Brie is a luscious mix of strawberries, lemons, and rose.

One of the great things about sangria is that it’s so easy to make use of the best fruits of the season, like this peach melba sangria from Garlic and Zest.

If my pineapple plant ever takes root and produces pineapple, I think I’d use it to make this champagne sangria with pineapple and berries from Fried Dandelions.

Sometimes, I just want a good classic sangria, like this one from Curious Cuisiniere.

Sangria isn’t just a summer drink. Fall and winter fruits make awesome sangria, like this one from Salt and Lavender that features pomegranates and persimmon.

Finally, here’s a tropical moscato sangria from Living Sweet Moments, perfect for a warm summer night.

May 12, 2017 1 comment

Foodie Lists Lunch Recipes Salad

Amazing Sandwiches Roundup

written by Ali

It’s hard to believe it’s already May, but on the other hand, it’s the perfect weather for this Amazing Sandwiches Roundup! Two things have been going on in my life recently: one, we moved and two, the sun has started to peek out of the clouds. Ok – so the first thing is the more monumental of the two, as it also means I’ve started a new job. All of this means that I’ve been a little scattered lately and haven’t had much time for cooking, since, well, I don’t know where half the kitchen utensils have wandered off to, anyway. The last time we moved it was three months before I found the box that had my whisk in it. I’d like to say I’m a little more organized this time, but I’m really not. Therefore, we are going to start out May with featuring an amazing sandwiches roundup and sharing fifteen of the best sandwich recipes from some amazing, awesome food bloggers.

Plus – it’s picnic season! All of these sandwich recipes are perfect for making ahead of time and packing into your picnic basket. Can we just say that I’ll be doing a lot of picnicking on the Oregon Coast this summer? I feel perfectly well prepared, too, because of all of these great recipes.

First up is a Japanese Egg Salad Sandwich with Bacon and Coleslaw from The Missing Lokness.

Next up is a BLTA Sandwich with Herb Garlic Dressing from In Mama Maggie’s Kitchen. She had me at avocado and bacon. But then herb garlic dressing pushed me over the edge.

This tuna and lentil salad sandwich from Peppers and Pennies epitomizes picnic sandwich to me. I can only imagine how tasty and filling it is.

I love sundried tomatoes and basil. I also love how they are combined in this chicken salad to make a great filling for a sandwich from Pinch Me I’m Eating.

This French Tuna Sandwich from Curious Cuisenere is an homage to the Nicoise salad. I’m pretty sure this is the first sandwich on this list I’m going to make – because wouldn’t this just be perfect for a day at the beach?

Somehow or another, I’ve never had pimento cheese. It’s a bit sad, really, because for the first few months I lived in Vancouver, WA, there was a food truck that served only dishes with pimento cheese in the neighborhood. I regretted not trying it, but now I think I might just make my own so that I can enjoy this Bacon Pimento Cheese Guacamole Guacamento from Two Lucky Spoons. And yes, this is my third recipe in the roundup with bacon, because bacon on sandwiches is just that good.

This Greek Stuffed Crouton Vegetarian Sandwich from Bowl Me Over is a great vegetarian option for your picnic lunch.

Garlic and Zest shared this really tasty looking Don’t Cry For Me Argentina Roast Beef Sandwich. Am I the only one for whom the song is now playing on a loop in my head? I love the song, so I don’t mind. I just wish I had one of these sandwiches right now to go with it.

Little Figgy shared this beautiful picnic sandwich with triple meat and brie. I think this sandwich is so pretty.

I’m a huge fan of onigiri and onigirazu. I can’t wait to try out this Wasabi Mayo Crab Onigirazo from HWC Magazine. I think this would be incredible with fresh Oregon Dungeness crab.

This next option is a really lovely vegetarian sandwich with roasted eggplant, herbed goat cheese, and sunflower seeds from Luci’s Morsels.

Next up is another sandwich with bacon and avocado from Bourbon and Honey. It’s possible that this is one of my most favorite food combinations, especially when tomatoes are in season. I especially love the idea of a spicy aioli to go with it.

Midlife Croissant shared this plantain and pancetta panini with pesto. I don’t often cook with plantain, though I see them from time to time at the grocery store. I think I’m inspired by this recipe to check it out.

I love lentils, but don’t think I’ve ever made a sandwich that included them. Rhubarbarians has the great idea of using green lentils with walnut herb ricotta. This seems like a perfect vegetarian sandwich to me.

Finally, Food Well Said shared this gorgeous and tasty looking spring sandwich.

This has been such a fun roundup to put together. The only problem is that I am now incredibly hungry – it’s not a good idea to write a food blog post before lunch. I’m off to have a sandwich. I would love to see your picnic spread – if you make any of these or have a favorite sandwich to share, post in the comments, post to my Facebook feed, or send me a tweet @Alittlelunch1.

May 1, 2017 3 comments

Foodie Lists Pickles and Preserves

Must Have Canning Cookbooks

written by Ali

Canning and preserving is one of my favorite cooking activities, which is why I want to share my must have canning cookbooks list with you. I first learned how to can from my mom. Many years ago, when I was an early teen, she and I went out to a farm, probably in some way out place like Brighton, Colorado, and bought pickling cucumbers and peaches. These stand out in my mind because that Christmas, we had our own canned pickles to go with our Christmas Eve buffet. I also remember the peaches, because I remember the taste of peach conserve that had maraschino cherries and walnuts. I also remember that we used the Ball Book of Canning, which is the sort of the original bible of canning and ended up with a billion quarts of pickles and as many pints of peach conserve. To say that these lasted us awhile is an understatement.

We were canning before small batch canning became popular. I think my mom only canned for two or so seasons. I remember doing more pickles, along with some watermelon rind pickles. But beyond that, my canning memories are a bit fuzzy. I didn’t pick up a jar until many years later, when I had one canning season in New Mexico. I made some sort of crabapple jam, scavenging crabapples from just outside our neighbor’s trees. Somewhere along the way, I’d picked up a cookbook on small batch canning, which was revelatory. Instead of having to can thirty jars of something, I could do four. And four jars of something canned can be a lot easier to get through, especially in a family of two.

I decided it was time to try it again when we moved to Oregon. Oregon has some of the most incredible farmer’s market and U-Pick farms, and we were lucky enough to have both close by. Around the same time, I discovered Marisa McClellan’s Food in Jars blog and then her first Food in Jars cookbook. For several seasons, I canned just about everything I could get my hands on. I loved having all the pretty jars lined up in the pantry and loved experimenting with more exotic flavors in some of my jams and preserves. I also loved making pickles and canning tomatoes. I discovered Dilly Beans, which are the absolute best snack food I’ve ever made. I was a canning convert. I even entered my preserves in the county fair for two years in a row (and even won a couple of blue ribbons, along with a couple of second and third place prizes). We grew 60 pounds of tomatoes in our own yard in 2015 and I canned them all.

You don’t have to preserve 60 pounds of anything though to get the joy of canning in your own kitchen. You can most definitely do small batches and enjoy the fresh tastes of fruits and vegetables all through the long bleak winter. In this post, I’m going to run down my favorite canning books. These are mostly all small batch books and cover jams, preserves, and pickles. I’ll also share why each is a favorite. Check back here in a few weeks, as I’ll also be posting about my favorite canning gear, along with a giveaway of one of my absolute favorite canning tools.

These first three books are all from Marisa McClellan. I love both McClellan’s lovely flavors, but especially the ethos of small batch canning. These are so perfect for the home-canner who doesn’t have storage space, time, or the desire to eat jar after jar after jar of one type of strawberry jam. Food in Jars is also the perfect introductory book for someone who hasn’t preserved before.

The Ball Book of Canning and Preserving is a standby for me. If I want to make a large batch of tomato sauce, for example, this is where I’ll turn. It’s a great book, too, for the novice canner with lots of great tips. It’s updated often, so the flavors stay contemporary as do the tips for how to can safely.

Canning for a New Generation is a gorgeous book with so many yummy recipes. One of the things I love about this one is that it also includes recipes for what to do with the stuff you’ve just canned. Because I promise you, there’s not much worse than looking at a pantry full of jams and pickles and thinking – uh oh – what do I do with all of this now? Most of the recipes here are also small batch, so really perfect for the weekend cook.

The Joy of Pickling is entirely focused on pickles, from fermented pickles to small batch refrigerator pickles, to freezer pickles, to chutney and relishes, to canning pickles. I made my first batch of fermented pickles using the recipe in this book and munched on them all summer long. This one is a cookbook I could just curl up with and read from cover to cover.

The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving is another great book for beginners looking to try out some small batch recipes. This one covers everything from jam to pickles and everything in between. There’s also a chapter in the most recent edition about what to do with what you’ve put up. There’s a chapter on low-sugar preserves, too.

Last, but not least, is Put Em Up! This one covers all sorts of preserving topics, including canning in small batches, but also freezing and drying. This is a great book if you are looking for ways to make use of produce from a CSA or if you are a farmer’s market fan.

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase something linked here, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only include products that I use and love. Thank you for supporting Fix Me a Little Lunch.

This post is linked up to Inspire Me Wednesday

And to Country Mouse City Spouse’s Monday Mish Mash

And it’s also been shared at Cottage Making Mommy,

March 22, 2017 10 comments

Baked Goods Lunch Recipes Snacks

Mini Strawberry Chocolate Galettes

written by Ali

The February/March Cook the Books reading selection, Dinner with Edward, inspired my mini strawberry chocolate galettes. Dinner with Edward, by Isabel Vincent, is a charmer. It’s a quick read, filled to the brim with amazing food stories, menus, and inspiration. But the heart of the book is the relationship between Edward, a retired gentleman whose wife recently died, and Isabel, a younger woman who goes through major life upheaval in the course of the book. It’s a book about friendship and food, both of which cut across generations. I really thought this one was, well, charming.

And so much food to choose from for inspiration (as you can see from my very sticky-noted copy)! I initially couldn’t decide if I was going to try one of Edward’s potato recipes, or steak, or soup, or soufflé, or martinis, or chicken, or fish, or pork. What I eventually landed on was being inspired by the apple galette that shows up around chapter three. Strawberries are slowly making their way into season (as spring seems to finally be peaking around the corner here in the PNW). I decided to aim for a version of the galette using butter instead of Edward’s recommended lard, and go for flavors that I love to share with friends. Thus, I ended up with a dozen perfect mini strawberry chocolate galettes that my husband and I have been munching on all week long.

These mini strawberry chocolate galettes would make a great Easter dessert. They’d also be delightful as the final course for a picnic. You can substitute other berries for sure – I’m definitely going to be making these again when raspberries are in season. Galettes take all the loveliness of a pie and make it into a rustic, easy to make and bake treat. They are completely free form, so all you have to do is make the pastry, roll it out, fill and bake. I added a touch of dark chocolate and some sugar macerated strawberries and called it delightful.

Oh – and I’ll confess. I did end up making a dry martini the way it was suggested in the book. I think it may be the best martini I’ve ever had in my life. If you are curious, check out either the book (which I highly recommend) or take a peek at my Instagram feed where there’s a photo of the martini and tips on how to make it.

Yum

Mini Strawberry Chocolate Galettes

Ingredients

For the Pastry

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup ice water

For the Filling

1 pint strawberries, sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1 egg for egg wash

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Make the pastry by combining the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the butter into chunks and add to the flour, using a fork, your hands, or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour. Add the water, a bit at a time and work into the flour/butter mix until it forms a ball. Refrigerate the pastry dough for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, combine the sliced strawberries and 2 tablespoons sugar and set aside to macerate.
Use parchment paper to line a baking sheet.
Melt the dark chocolate chips. Roll the chilled pastry dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Use a round cookie cutter or similar to cut the dough into small circles.
Spoon a bit of the melted dark chocolate into the middle of each pastry dough circle. Arrange several slices of strawberries on top of each and gently fold and pinch the pastry dough up over the strawberries.
Place each mini galette onto the parchment lined baking sheet. If you are using an egg to wash, combine the egg with a tablespoon of water and beat until frothy. Brush the egg wash over the pastry dough for each galette.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the galettes are light brown. Enjoy!

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This recipe is linked up to March’s Treat Petite, hosted by Cakeyboi. Treat Petite is hosted alternative months at Cakeyboi and The Baking Explorer, so be sure to check out both awesome blogs!

And to Novel Foods #29

And to the March 2017 Foodie Reads

March 14, 2017 20 comments

Beverages

Late Summer Melon Mojito

written by Ali

I keep thinking that the last of summer is surely around the corner. I’m ready for sweaters, pumpkin spice everything, and lots and lots of rain (it’s the PNW after all – shouldn’t it be raining already?). I know there is a change coming in the weather; I’m just impatient, that’s all. In the meantime, I figure if it’s going to insist on being in the mid-eighties, I might as well enjoy a last (maybe) summer cocktail or two.

It’s sometimes challenging to be in a family with food allergies. There’s a list of fruits, vegetables, and nuts that Clay is sensitive to, including melons. This means that anytime I buy a melon, I’m on the hook for finishing the entire thing. This leads to the purchase of about one melon per season. This year, I picked up a Galia melon from the farmer’s market. In addition to eating it as part of my lunch, I also saved a quarter of it for this mojito.

Somehow or another, I also managed to go the entire summer season without making a single mojito. I’m going to blame a much diminished liquor cabinet (our new kitchen doesn’t have space for much beyond the pantry basics), as well as limited access to mint. I’m keeping everything contained in pots, so my one mint plant has had to battle it out with oregano and chard. I didn’t realize anything could hold its own with mint, but the oregano has done a fine job.

Late Summer Melon Mojito
Serves One (but could easily be doubled)

¼ melon
3 sprigs mint
Juice from one lime
2 ounces white rum
Club soda

Combine the melon, mint, lime juice and rum in a cocktail glass and thoroughly muddle. Add ice and top with club soda. Enjoy!

September 16, 2016 0 comment

Uncategorized

Cucumber Sandwich

written by Ali

Sometimes, simple is better, especially as the lazy days of summer continue. In this case, a simple open-faced cucumber sandwich can make the most glorious afternoon snack. The reason reason, however, that I decided to do something with cucumbers today is this:

This is what’s left of my cucumber plant. The culprit who pulled it out of the ground and dragged it around (as well as ate a cucumber) is there on the left looking innocent with her ball. I can only think that the cucumber, which was in a pot at the corner of the house, really impeded her ability to go tearing around the corner at high speed to bark at other dogs. Whatever her motivation was, I’ve got about a dozen small cucumbers in the fridge and no more cucumber plant in the pot, as well as a note to myself in my gardening journal that the dog now has a taste for cucumbers, so it might be wisest to plant the cucumber in the front yard next year.

Some of the cucumbers are going into spring rolls later this week, so be on the lookout for the recipe. Some are going into these easy cucumber sandwiches to snack on this weekend. This is one of those not really a recipe recipes and here’s the how-to: take some good crusty French bread and slice it in half. Spread a generous amount of salted butter on the bread. Place several basil leaves on top of the butter (I used some of my dark purple basil). Slice one small cucumber and then places the slices on top of the basil. Sprinkle with salt. Eat outside, preferably with a drink over ice and a good book.

The lovely drink accompanying this is a Spanish Gin Tonic from one of my favorite bloggers, Fox and Briar. You can find the recipe here.

Enjoy!

July 24, 2016 0 comment

Beverages

Stone Fruit Sangria

written by Ali

I’ve been posting a lot this week about my urban garden. I have to back up a bit and say that there hasn’t been a time in my life since I was a pre-teen that I didn’t have some sort of garden going. I learned how to garden from my grandparents and my mom, and spent much time in my childhood outdoors, in the garden. Whether I was reading, playing with imaginary friends (and sometimes real ones, too), or actually planting seeds and weeding, the garden was a focal point throughout my summers. As a pre-teen, I started taking over small plots of land in my mom’s garden (I am responsible for the blackberry that refuses to die in her yard, as well as an entire swath of allium that have reproduced wantonly for the past thirty years). As an adult, I’ve lived in both apartments and houses, as renter and as owner, and in every single one, including my two-year stint in the Marshall Islands, I’ve had either a full out in-the-ground garden, or a set of containers as my garden.

I also developed an early appreciation for herbs – I think I was caught up in the romanticism of using plants to heal, which led to many years of planting and experimenting with herbs for both health and culinary uses. I’ve loved living in Oregon, as some more herbs that wouldn’t make it past Colorado and New Mexico’s winters, like rosemary and lemon verbena, do really well here and winter over without too much complaint.

In recent years, I’ve discovered using aromatic herbs widely in cocktails, so many of my summer happy hour recipes have herbs incorporated. This one is no different. If you aren’t a big fan of herby drinks, no worries – you can leave them out and still enjoy the wine and fruit.

We’re starting to transition from early berry season into stone-fruit season. In my mind, there is little to compare to a tree-ripened peach, even though it’s a fruit that’s not nearly as convenient as a berry (a takes a knife to open up or a willingness to get very sticky to just eat – hard to gorge on after having just picked, unlike a strawberry or blueberry). I happened to have some very fruity, very effervescent, very light Vinho Verde in the wine rack, which paired very well with the peaches and plums. I think a Riesling would work, too (I’ll confess, when I ran out of Vinho Verde, I threw in some Riesling, thus mixing wines. It was pretty good. I don’t mix wines regularly – it just somehow seems wrong).

Stone Fruit Sangria
Serves 4

2 cups assorted stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums), pitted and chopped
½ cup orange curacao
1 bottle white wine
4 or 5 sprigs of citrusy herbs (I used lemon verbena, lemon basil, and pineapple sage)
Mix all ingredients in a pitcher. Let sit for at least two hours for flavors to combine. Serve with pieces of the fruit and a few leaves of herbs.

Enjoy!

July 15, 2016 0 comment

Beverages

Blackberry Basil Gin and Tonic

written by Ali

As you can probably tell, I’m into herby cocktails this summer. This gin and tonic is no exception – blending the best of berry season with purple basil. Gin and tonics are one of my favorite cocktails, and while I like a very classic G&T, I don’t mind mixing things up a bit every now and then and adding other flavors to it. I especially enjoy drinking this while sitting on the patio on a hot summer day. I used purple basil for this, but would have used regular green basil, too if that’s all I had on hand.

Blackberry Basil Gin and Tonic
Makes 1

1 ounce gin
1/2 lime
3 basil leaves
5 blackberries
tonic water
ice

Muddle the basil leaves, three of the blackberries and half of the lime in a glass. Add the gin and the ice and top with tonic water. Garnish with the remaining lime and blackberries.

July 1, 2016 0 comment

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