Have I told you how amazing my farmshare is? I am sure I have, but if I haven%u2019t lately, well let me just tell you, it is. All summer long we (the members) get to pick a bunch of fresh herbs every week. Basil, scallions, dill, parsely, and cilantro. Planted every few weeks to keep us in the herbs all summer long. And every few weeks there is a herb free for all. Pick unlimited amounts of whatever herb is plentiful. Last week it was unlimited parsley. Yeah there was unlimited basil and that was nice too, but the parsley, the underrated, overlooked herb. That was what I wanted and I picked the shit out of it.
Parsley. No I is not just a green sprig that garnishes your plate at a restaurant. It is a great spicy, fresh, clean tasting herb that plays so well with everything. I really think parsley can, and should, make it%u2019s way into almost any dish. It adds a touch more brightness to any spice blend. And there is just something about munching on some fresh parsley, it just works for me. Parsley is good friends. No. Parsley is great.
So now we match said parsley with another bright herb, mint, and blend it up into a pesto. Magic on the tongue. And a no brainer for pesto is pasta, although this pesto would make a great spread or smothered on grilled veggies or scooped into soup.
A summery pesto pasta salad dish situation. Perfect for all the times that you are hungry and need food.
To the pesto pasta salad!
The stuff. Parsley. mint, a few scallions, toasted almonds, garlic, a lemon, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Also pasta, a cucumber, and a big handful of cherry tomatoes.
First for pesto. Start by pulsing the almonds in a food processor until they become a nice crumb. Remove about 1/4 cup and set aside.
Grab the herbs and scallions and remove any really wooden stems (keep the more tender ones) and rip the herbs into smaller pieces.
All the parsley, mint, and scallions now go into food processor with almonds, along with the garlic, nutritional yeast, the juice of the lemon, and a pinch of salt and some crack pepper. Pulse the food processor and stream in the olive oil until everything comes together. You might need to stop and scrape the sides a few times.
Now you need pasta. Cook it to the directions on the package you got it from. Cook it all the way through then when you strain it, rinse it with a little cool water.
Chop up the cucumber into small chunks and half or quarter the cherry tomatoes.
And to put it all together. Pasta goes in a bowl. Add in the pesto. If the pesto seems a little on the thick side and not easily mixes, add in a little warm water to thin it out a bit.
Add the cucumber and tomatoes.
Mix some more, sprinkle on lots of the crumbled almonds you set aside, maybe a few more springs of parsley and a few more leaves of mint for good measure and call it done.
Be ready to eat cause this salad is ready to be eaten.
-C
Makes a pound of pasta
2 cups packed parsley (Curly or flat. I used curly)
1 cup packed mint
a few scallions if you have them
3/4 cup roasted almonds
3 cloves garlic
a lemon
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2- 3/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 pound bow tie pasta
Big handful cherry tomatoes
a tender skinned cucumber
Note. This recipe makes a big batch of pesto and big pasta salad. You can totally make the all the pesto and only use half and only boil half of the pasta. Just stored left over pesto in a jar in the fridge for about week or so or stick it in the freezer for a few months. And you can use it for all sorts of great things like sandwiches, salads, as a dip%u2026 whatever you want.
To make the pesto. Place almonds in food processor and pulse until crumbly then remove about a 1/4 cup and set aside. Add in the garlic and pulse a few times. Then grab the parsley, mint, and scallions. Remove any tough stems and rip the herbs into smaller pieces. Add them to food processor along with the nutritional yeast, the juice of the lemon, and a good pinch or two of salt and lots of pepper. Pulse while slowly adding in the olive oil. Stop, scrap sides, then pulse until smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Half or quarter cherry tomatoes and cut cucumber into small chunks
Cook the pasta. Big pot of boil water with a pinch pf salt. Cook until fully cooked, then drain. Give it a quick rinse of cool water. Dump the pasta into a big bowl.
To make the pasta salad. Scoop pesto into bowl with the pasta and mix it until all the pasta is evenly coated. If pesto is really thick, just add a little warm water to thin it out. Add in the cut up tomatoes and cucumber, mix, then top with the reserves ground up almonds and a handful more of chopped fresh mint and parsley.
Eat.
Left overs should be stored in fridge for a a few days. Left over pesto a week or so and or in the freezer for a few months.
It%u2019s hot out and we are thirsty. Water is good, water is great, but sometimes a little somethin%u2019 somethin%u2019 is called for, for you know, being that we need to deal with it being so freaking hot out. and sticky and gross. (BLAH. This past week we have had some temperatures it had make me crankers.)
Anyway, what is more refreshing then cucumber? Not much. And so we blend up cucumber, add some mint and lime juice and stick it into a glass with ice and bubbles. What can be more refreshing then that? Plus look at how pretty it is. Bright ass green. A true summertime drink.
To the Spritzer!
The stuff. A thin skinned cucumber, a lime, a spring of mint, club soda, and if you want, a little simple syrup.
Chunk up the cucumber and into the blender it goes with the juice of the lime and a couple mint leaves.
Grab a couple glasses, add in some ice, and fill each glass half way with the cucumber juice. (mix in liquid sweetener in now if you want it.)
Top off with club soda, a mint leaf and a few slices of cucumber and you are golden cool and fancy free.
Stay cool%u2026..as a cucumber.. HAHA!
Makes 2 or 3 drinks
1 cucumber (thin skinned and 6-8 inches long)
a lime
a few mint leaves
club soda or plain seltzer
1-2 teaspoons liquid sweetener (optional)
Take cucumber and place into blender along with the juice of the lime and a couple mint leaves. Blend until smooth. Grab a couple glass, fill each with ice, then fill each glasses half way with cucumber mixture. Add in any liquid sweetener if using and stir. (I recommend trying without sweetness, that is that way I like it, and then add sweetener if you need it.) Top glasses off with club soda. Garnish with sliced cucumber, lime wedges, and or mint leaves if you want.
Drink away.
Cucumber melon is a classic food pairing. It also reminds me of when I was a young tween, stealing my older sisters cucumber melon face mask that you smeared all over your face, let dry, then peeled off like a layer of skin. I remember thinking that that stuff was the shit and if my sisters where using it, then I really should start using it too before I got an old lady face. Plus it was cool to peel off and made me feel grown up because I was taking care of my skin. So steal it I would until I eventually started buying it myself. Then one day I realized, I could get the same results with a bottle of Elmers glue and also I didn’t really want to spend my money on face mask when I could be buying other unmentionable things.%u00a0%u00a0And that was the end of that.%u00a0
I wonder if they still sell that shit…. I wouldn’t buy it though cause you know it is probably really is just sweet smelling glue. Plus it’s to late for me. I am already old. Ha.%u00a0
Anyway. Back to the cucumber, cantaloupe, avocado, mint salad. What can I say that the name doesn’t? That is is f-ing fantastic and refreshing and easy to through together and required ZERO heat to make. Also that on the hottest of hot and nasty days, this here combination , what with the refreshing mint and crisp clean flavors of the cucumber and melon, really can make a shitty day feel a little less shitty, maybe even %u00a0a little brighter. I don’t know about you, but this past super hot heat wave week was hard for food, like I didn’t really want to eat anything. This salad was fresh and clean enough to eat all day, everyday. It was so good, even the mr liked it and he says he hates fruit in any salad situation. (I have called bullshit in this so many times. He actually does like it, he just wants to give me a hard time.)%u00a0
Fresh crisp, all sorts of refreshing. A true blue summer salad. Get on it.%u00a0
The stuff. Some cantaloupe, a cucumber or two, an avocado, a lemon, mint, cracked pepper, and even though it’s not in the picture, sea salt.
Remove seeds and rind from cantaloupe then chop into small mouth sized pieces ans toss it into a bowl.
Cut the cucumber up into simutlar sized pieces as cantaloupe and toss into bowl.
. I ended up only using %u00a0one and a half of the cucumbers so the cucumber/ cantaloupe ratio was the same. Plus I wanted to eat the half of cucumber tight then and there.. so I did.%u00a0
Scoop the avocado meat onto the cutting board. Sprinkle it with sea salt and a little squueze of lemon juice and roughly chop. You don’t want it mashed, but a little mashy avocado is good. Perfect cubes are ok too. You do you.
Mince some mint leaves. You know where they go.
It’s all there. Cantaloupe, cucumbers, avocado, mint. Salt and pepper and all the lemon juice. Now just stir it up and you are good to go.%u00a0
A simple summer dish. No heat, not sweat, just fresh and clean goodness.
Stay cool friends.
-C
Serve 2-3%u00a0
1/4- 1/2 of a fresh cantaloupe%u00a0
1-2 thinned skinned %u00a0cucumbers (like 2 Persian or 1 English)%u00a0
1ripe avocado
1 lemon
15 -ish mint leaves
sea salt and cracked pepper%u00a0
Note. This salad is so simple and easy and really, you can adjust the quantities of any of the ingredients to your liking. You could also try subing basil or dill %u00a0for mint leaves and you could use any other type of melon for the cantaloupe.%u00a0
Remove seeds and rind from melon and cut into small mouth sized pieces and place into a big bowl. Cut cucumber(s) into small mouth sized pieces (same size as cantaloupe) and toss into bowl. Scope the meat of the avocado onto cutting board, add a sprinkle of sea salt and %u00a0a little squeeze of lemon juice and with your knife, roughlycut/ slighty mash it into a chunky pile. Scope the avocado into the bowl. %u00a0Mince the mint leaves and add those to the salad. Lastly, squeeze the juice of the lemon all into that bowl too.%u00a0Grab a spoon and mix it all together. Sprinkle with pepper, a pinch more sea salt (to taste) and thats that.
Eat. Left over s last a day or two in fridge but you should just probably just eat it all right away.%u00a0
This little guy asked me to make him some%u00a0popsicles, and of course I said yes because, well look at him.%u00a0
So we made a date. A popsicle and playground date to be exact.
For these particular%u00a0pops, I decided to use watermelon, mainly because I had just broken into%u00a0one and once I open a melon, I have a race with myself as to how fast I can consume the in entire%u00a0thing. ( It’s a sick form of watermelon gluttony) But also because%u00a0the little was really really excited to hear that I%u00a0could in fact make%u00a0watermelon popsicles.%u00a0And the other stuff I added because I had it and it all tastes really good together.%u00a0
%u00a0I made the popsicles the day before %u00a0so they would be ready for our date.%u00a0%u00a0He came over, we ate lunch,(peanut butter sandwich and carrot sticks)%u00a0wondered around the neighborhood with the pup,%u00a0and made a quick stop at%u00a0the playground. (we only managed a couple runs on the%u00a0slide %u00a0before it was too hot and%u00a0our sweat had us sticking to the slide%u00a0and it was more of a painful scoot then a glide) We then%u00a0made our way home and rewarded ourselves for a walk well done%u00a0with these%u00a0amazing, super refreshing, and healthy frozen treats that I made just%u00a0for us. While we were eating the popsicles, our conversation turned to food. We talked about%u00a0all the different varieties of popsicle that we could make, and how we could eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner because they are%u00a0made of only good things and are really healthy (he is really trying to eat healthy)%u00a0%u00a0It was the perfect ending to a fantastic afternoon with a five year old, or any human for that matter…
I would have a popsicle date with this kid every day
The Stuff. %u00a0Fresh seedless watermelon (make sure to have lots on hand cause you are going to be eating it as you make these), a fresh lime, a handful of blueberries and a sprig of fresh mint. And don’t forget%u00a0%u00a0a mold of some kind that form%u00a0the liquid into a popsicle (if you don’t have a mold, little paper cups work too)
Remove watermelon from rind and cut into small chunks. Juice the lime and add that, the watermelon chunks, the mint and the blueberries to a blender or vessel if using%u00a0a hand blender) and blend everything%u00a0until smooth.%u00a0
Look at how pretty that is.%u00a0%u00a0And so tasty%u2026.%u00a0I am not going to lie and say that I didn’t make a little%u00a0extra to drink, cause I did.
Now pour the puree into your molds to the fill line%u00a0(follow the%u00a0instructions that your molds give you) and place into the freezer.
And yes Shannon, these are in fact, your popsicle molds. Don’t worry, I’ll bring them back soon. (I am thinking some type of booze infused situation)
Once the freezer has done its job freezing%u2026 pop those suckers out.. (I let the mold sit on the counter for a few minutes so the popsicle pops out clean)
And heres to%u00a0the best popsicle date ever!
Happy Summer!%u00a0Happy Tuesday!
-C
A big chunk of seedless Watermelon (aboutt 11/2%u00a0cups)
1/2 ish cup of blueberries%u00a0(fresh or frozen)
Juice of 1 lime
a few fresh mint leaves
note. The popsicle mold that I used only needed 2 cups of popsicle juice. If you have a larger mold, just use%u00a0more of everything to get the amount you need
Remove rind from watermelon and add to a blender with the lime juice, mint and blueberries. Blend until eveytthing is pureed%u00a0and mixed all together. Pour liquid into popsicle molds and stick in freezer for at least 4 hours.
When ready to eat%u2026, pop those suckers out of there molds and%u00a0EAT!%u00a0
My flowers are coming up, I have packed away my winter jacket, and I haven’t worn anything but sandals for the past week. Plus yesterday I made the first batch of sun tea and saw my first hot air balloon of the season (which lead to a heated discussion with the mister about how hot air balloons take flight. We were both kinda right, but me more than him)So yeah, %u00a0it’s for real%u2026 Winter is gone and spring has sprung, or more like spring sprung then bounced cause now it’s basically summer weather. Not complaining, but I hope we get a least a few more weeks of pleasant, not hot and humid weather.%u00a0
Anyway. Sun tea, one of my favorite summer time drinks. Made by infusing regular old teas with water by using the almighty power of sun.
Why do we want to make iced tea this way instead of just using boiling water? Well you can still do that, but sun tea makes a more mellow, lovely, and I find, more sweeter tea. It brings out more complex flavors that you don’t get with the boiling water method. %u00a0And it’s nice to know that it took zero effort on my part to make the drink (not that boiling water takes that much effort, but still)
It can be made with any variety %u00a0of teas, infused with other fresh herbs, dried spices, or even chunks of fruit. You can also make the teas and add flavors after the infusing is over. Have fun and play with flavor combos.
A few of my%u00a0favorite sun tea%u00a0combinations
Any mellow black tea like orange pekoe or english breakfast with a few springs of mint
Chamomile and mint%u00a0
Green with a fruity tea, like blueberry or pomegranate
Lemon Zinger with a few springs of Rosemary
These are just a few of the endless possible flavors. And you don’t have to get fancy with it either, you can totally use plain old lipton tea bags (I still do that too)
Now harness the sunshine and feel awesome and fancy by making some tea!
Woo Hoo Wednesday!
-C
SUN TEA
%u00a0What you’ll need
Tea- Either bags or loose leaf
Water- Preferably Filtered
A glass jar with a lid
Sunshine
I %u00a0use a ratio of 1 tea bag or 1 tablespoon loose leaf tea per 2 cups of water. And I usually make my teas in half gallon ball jars so I use 4-5 teabags or tablespoons of tea. (makes just enough tea for 4-6 tall glasses, depending on you glass size) %u00a0If it’s a mint tea, I usually use a little less because I find that mint teas can become to strong and bitter so I %u00a0use 3 teas bags or tablespoons of loose.
Directions
Place tea loose or bags into jar. Fill with water, leaving about an inch for tea expansion, place lid on tight, and stick in the sun for anywhere between 3-5 hours %u00a0(depending on how strong you like your tea). When tea is infused to your liking, remove teabags or strain the loose tea and stick into the fridge to chill. Serve as is %u00a0in a drinking vessel with a few ice cubes and add sweetener if that’s what you do.
Drink within a day or two, then rinse jar and make a new batch!
My motive for this drink%u2026get rid of a few candy cane%u2026.. %u00a0And maybe make a little kid happy, but that was just a bonus… I would have made him drink this even if he didn’t like it. (I am awful like that)
I have noticed lately people are really into peppermint in their hot drinks and %u00a0I have an excess of candy canes in my house, so %u00a0this was the perfect drink to make. I was initially just going to make hot peppermint milk but added the cocoa for an extra treat. If you want, omit the cocoa and just make peppermint milk.. Or you might want to replace 1/2 the milk and add coffee! Or for those adults out there..maybe add a spash of vodka.. my version of .a hot black and white peppermint Russian(I just made that a thing)
A little advise %u2026.check the temperature of the drink if you are giving it to a kid..What I thought was not too hot turned out to be a too hot. My little niece took a big gulp, and instantly sprayed the drink all over the kitchen and my clean hat, scarf and mittens%u2026 and then proceeded to cry%u2026.Hot chocolate is supposed to make the kids happy%u2026.so yeah…
All you need is a cup of milk(cow, soy, rice..whatever) a tablespoon of cocoa powder, a tiny pinch of salt and a candy cane. We don’t need to add any extra sugar because the candy cane is sugar.%u00a0
Peel plastic off candy cane and place in a baggy and smash with something hard (rolling pin worked great)Stick all ingredients into a pot on medium heat and whisk until the candy cane is melted and the milk is as hot as you like it.
It you want(we did) top with a dollop of whipped cream(or whipped coconut cream) and sprinkle with a little more crushed candy cane%u2026..Best served after a long afternoon of playing in the snow!
Go for it, watch your tongue and enjoy!
%u00a0
1 normal sized candy cane
1 tablespoon powdered cocoa
1 1/4 cup of milk(cow, soy, rice, hemp%u2026what ever milk you want)
pinch of salt
Place unwrapped candy cane in baggy and smash. %u00a0Place all but a sprinkle of the candy cane, the milk, and the cocoa in pot on medium heat %u00a0and whisk until candy cane is fully melted and the cocoa is you preferred temperature.
Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with crushed candy cane.
THE LOVELY CRAZY
September 15, 2019 by maximios • Blog
Have I told you how amazing my farmshare is? I am sure I have, but if I haven%u2019t lately, well let me just tell you, it is. All summer long we (the members) get to pick a bunch of fresh herbs every week. Basil, scallions, dill, parsely, and cilantro. Planted every few weeks to keep us in the herbs all summer long. And every few weeks there is a herb free for all. Pick unlimited amounts of whatever herb is plentiful. Last week it was unlimited parsley. Yeah there was unlimited basil and that was nice too, but the parsley, the underrated, overlooked herb. That was what I wanted and I picked the shit out of it.
Parsley. No I is not just a green sprig that garnishes your plate at a restaurant. It is a great spicy, fresh, clean tasting herb that plays so well with everything. I really think parsley can, and should, make it%u2019s way into almost any dish. It adds a touch more brightness to any spice blend. And there is just something about munching on some fresh parsley, it just works for me. Parsley is good friends. No. Parsley is great.
So now we match said parsley with another bright herb, mint, and blend it up into a pesto. Magic on the tongue. And a no brainer for pesto is pasta, although this pesto would make a great spread or smothered on grilled veggies or scooped into soup.
A summery pesto pasta salad dish situation. Perfect for all the times that you are hungry and need food.
To the pesto pasta salad!
The stuff. Parsley. mint, a few scallions, toasted almonds, garlic, a lemon, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Also pasta, a cucumber, and a big handful of cherry tomatoes.
First for pesto. Start by pulsing the almonds in a food processor until they become a nice crumb. Remove about 1/4 cup and set aside.
Grab the herbs and scallions and remove any really wooden stems (keep the more tender ones) and rip the herbs into smaller pieces.
All the parsley, mint, and scallions now go into food processor with almonds, along with the garlic, nutritional yeast, the juice of the lemon, and a pinch of salt and some crack pepper. Pulse the food processor and stream in the olive oil until everything comes together. You might need to stop and scrape the sides a few times.
Now you need pasta. Cook it to the directions on the package you got it from. Cook it all the way through then when you strain it, rinse it with a little cool water.
Chop up the cucumber into small chunks and half or quarter the cherry tomatoes.
And to put it all together. Pasta goes in a bowl. Add in the pesto. If the pesto seems a little on the thick side and not easily mixes, add in a little warm water to thin it out a bit.
Add the cucumber and tomatoes.
Mix some more, sprinkle on lots of the crumbled almonds you set aside, maybe a few more springs of parsley and a few more leaves of mint for good measure and call it done.
Be ready to eat cause this salad is ready to be eaten.
-C
Makes a pound of pasta
2 cups packed parsley (Curly or flat. I used curly)
1 cup packed mint
a few scallions if you have them
3/4 cup roasted almonds
3 cloves garlic
a lemon
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2- 3/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 pound bow tie pasta
Big handful cherry tomatoes
a tender skinned cucumber
Note. This recipe makes a big batch of pesto and big pasta salad. You can totally make the all the pesto and only use half and only boil half of the pasta. Just stored left over pesto in a jar in the fridge for about week or so or stick it in the freezer for a few months. And you can use it for all sorts of great things like sandwiches, salads, as a dip%u2026 whatever you want.
To make the pesto. Place almonds in food processor and pulse until crumbly then remove about a 1/4 cup and set aside. Add in the garlic and pulse a few times. Then grab the parsley, mint, and scallions. Remove any tough stems and rip the herbs into smaller pieces. Add them to food processor along with the nutritional yeast, the juice of the lemon, and a good pinch or two of salt and lots of pepper. Pulse while slowly adding in the olive oil. Stop, scrap sides, then pulse until smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Half or quarter cherry tomatoes and cut cucumber into small chunks
Cook the pasta. Big pot of boil water with a pinch pf salt. Cook until fully cooked, then drain. Give it a quick rinse of cool water. Dump the pasta into a big bowl.
To make the pasta salad. Scoop pesto into bowl with the pasta and mix it until all the pasta is evenly coated. If pesto is really thick, just add a little warm water to thin it out. Add in the cut up tomatoes and cucumber, mix, then top with the reserves ground up almonds and a handful more of chopped fresh mint and parsley.
Eat.
Left overs should be stored in fridge for a a few days. Left over pesto a week or so and or in the freezer for a few months.
It%u2019s hot out and we are thirsty. Water is good, water is great, but sometimes a little somethin%u2019 somethin%u2019 is called for, for you know, being that we need to deal with it being so freaking hot out. and sticky and gross. (BLAH. This past week we have had some temperatures it had make me crankers.)
Anyway, what is more refreshing then cucumber? Not much. And so we blend up cucumber, add some mint and lime juice and stick it into a glass with ice and bubbles. What can be more refreshing then that? Plus look at how pretty it is. Bright ass green. A true summertime drink.
To the Spritzer!
The stuff. A thin skinned cucumber, a lime, a spring of mint, club soda, and if you want, a little simple syrup.
Chunk up the cucumber and into the blender it goes with the juice of the lime and a couple mint leaves.
Grab a couple glasses, add in some ice, and fill each glass half way with the cucumber juice. (mix in liquid sweetener in now if you want it.)
Top off with club soda, a mint leaf and a few slices of cucumber and you are golden cool and fancy free.
Stay cool%u2026..as a cucumber.. HAHA!
Makes 2 or 3 drinks
1 cucumber (thin skinned and 6-8 inches long)
a lime
a few mint leaves
club soda or plain seltzer
1-2 teaspoons liquid sweetener (optional)
Take cucumber and place into blender along with the juice of the lime and a couple mint leaves. Blend until smooth. Grab a couple glass, fill each with ice, then fill each glasses half way with cucumber mixture. Add in any liquid sweetener if using and stir. (I recommend trying without sweetness, that is that way I like it, and then add sweetener if you need it.) Top glasses off with club soda. Garnish with sliced cucumber, lime wedges, and or mint leaves if you want.
Drink away.
Cucumber melon is a classic food pairing. It also reminds me of when I was a young tween, stealing my older sisters cucumber melon face mask that you smeared all over your face, let dry, then peeled off like a layer of skin. I remember thinking that that stuff was the shit and if my sisters where using it, then I really should start using it too before I got an old lady face. Plus it was cool to peel off and made me feel grown up because I was taking care of my skin. So steal it I would until I eventually started buying it myself. Then one day I realized, I could get the same results with a bottle of Elmers glue and also I didn’t really want to spend my money on face mask when I could be buying other unmentionable things.%u00a0%u00a0And that was the end of that.%u00a0
I wonder if they still sell that shit…. I wouldn’t buy it though cause you know it is probably really is just sweet smelling glue. Plus it’s to late for me. I am already old. Ha.%u00a0
Anyway. Back to the cucumber, cantaloupe, avocado, mint salad. What can I say that the name doesn’t? That is is f-ing fantastic and refreshing and easy to through together and required ZERO heat to make. Also that on the hottest of hot and nasty days, this here combination , what with the refreshing mint and crisp clean flavors of the cucumber and melon, really can make a shitty day feel a little less shitty, maybe even %u00a0a little brighter. I don’t know about you, but this past super hot heat wave week was hard for food, like I didn’t really want to eat anything. This salad was fresh and clean enough to eat all day, everyday. It was so good, even the mr liked it and he says he hates fruit in any salad situation. (I have called bullshit in this so many times. He actually does like it, he just wants to give me a hard time.)%u00a0
Fresh crisp, all sorts of refreshing. A true blue summer salad. Get on it.%u00a0
The stuff. Some cantaloupe, a cucumber or two, an avocado, a lemon, mint, cracked pepper, and even though it’s not in the picture, sea salt.
Remove seeds and rind from cantaloupe then chop into small mouth sized pieces ans toss it into a bowl.
Cut the cucumber up into simutlar sized pieces as cantaloupe and toss into bowl.
. I ended up only using %u00a0one and a half of the cucumbers so the cucumber/ cantaloupe ratio was the same. Plus I wanted to eat the half of cucumber tight then and there.. so I did.%u00a0
Scoop the avocado meat onto the cutting board. Sprinkle it with sea salt and a little squueze of lemon juice and roughly chop. You don’t want it mashed, but a little mashy avocado is good. Perfect cubes are ok too. You do you.
Mince some mint leaves. You know where they go.
It’s all there. Cantaloupe, cucumbers, avocado, mint. Salt and pepper and all the lemon juice. Now just stir it up and you are good to go.%u00a0
A simple summer dish. No heat, not sweat, just fresh and clean goodness.
Stay cool friends.
-C
Serve 2-3%u00a0
Note. This salad is so simple and easy and really, you can adjust the quantities of any of the ingredients to your liking. You could also try subing basil or dill %u00a0for mint leaves and you could use any other type of melon for the cantaloupe.%u00a0
Remove seeds and rind from melon and cut into small mouth sized pieces and place into a big bowl. Cut cucumber(s) into small mouth sized pieces (same size as cantaloupe) and toss into bowl. Scope the meat of the avocado onto cutting board, add a sprinkle of sea salt and %u00a0a little squeeze of lemon juice and with your knife, roughlycut/ slighty mash it into a chunky pile. Scope the avocado into the bowl. %u00a0Mince the mint leaves and add those to the salad. Lastly, squeeze the juice of the lemon all into that bowl too.%u00a0Grab a spoon and mix it all together. Sprinkle with pepper, a pinch more sea salt (to taste) and thats that.
Eat. Left over s last a day or two in fridge but you should just probably just eat it all right away.%u00a0
This little guy asked me to make him some%u00a0popsicles, and of course I said yes because, well look at him.%u00a0
So we made a date. A popsicle and playground date to be exact.
For these particular%u00a0pops, I decided to use watermelon, mainly because I had just broken into%u00a0one and once I open a melon, I have a race with myself as to how fast I can consume the in entire%u00a0thing. ( It’s a sick form of watermelon gluttony) But also because%u00a0the little was really really excited to hear that I%u00a0could in fact make%u00a0watermelon popsicles.%u00a0And the other stuff I added because I had it and it all tastes really good together.%u00a0
%u00a0I made the popsicles the day before %u00a0so they would be ready for our date.%u00a0%u00a0He came over, we ate lunch,(peanut butter sandwich and carrot sticks)%u00a0wondered around the neighborhood with the pup,%u00a0and made a quick stop at%u00a0the playground. (we only managed a couple runs on the%u00a0slide %u00a0before it was too hot and%u00a0our sweat had us sticking to the slide%u00a0and it was more of a painful scoot then a glide) We then%u00a0made our way home and rewarded ourselves for a walk well done%u00a0with these%u00a0amazing, super refreshing, and healthy frozen treats that I made just%u00a0for us. While we were eating the popsicles, our conversation turned to food. We talked about%u00a0all the different varieties of popsicle that we could make, and how we could eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner because they are%u00a0made of only good things and are really healthy (he is really trying to eat healthy)%u00a0%u00a0It was the perfect ending to a fantastic afternoon with a five year old, or any human for that matter…
I would have a popsicle date with this kid every day
The Stuff. %u00a0Fresh seedless watermelon (make sure to have lots on hand cause you are going to be eating it as you make these), a fresh lime, a handful of blueberries and a sprig of fresh mint. And don’t forget%u00a0%u00a0a mold of some kind that form%u00a0the liquid into a popsicle (if you don’t have a mold, little paper cups work too)
Remove watermelon from rind and cut into small chunks. Juice the lime and add that, the watermelon chunks, the mint and the blueberries to a blender or vessel if using%u00a0a hand blender) and blend everything%u00a0until smooth.%u00a0
Look at how pretty that is.%u00a0%u00a0And so tasty%u2026.%u00a0I am not going to lie and say that I didn’t make a little%u00a0extra to drink, cause I did.
Now pour the puree into your molds to the fill line%u00a0(follow the%u00a0instructions that your molds give you) and place into the freezer.
And yes Shannon, these are in fact, your popsicle molds. Don’t worry, I’ll bring them back soon. (I am thinking some type of booze infused situation)
Once the freezer has done its job freezing%u2026 pop those suckers out.. (I let the mold sit on the counter for a few minutes so the popsicle pops out clean)
And heres to%u00a0the best popsicle date ever!
Happy Summer!%u00a0Happy Tuesday!
-C
note. The popsicle mold that I used only needed 2 cups of popsicle juice. If you have a larger mold, just use%u00a0more of everything to get the amount you need
Remove rind from watermelon and add to a blender with the lime juice, mint and blueberries. Blend until eveytthing is pureed%u00a0and mixed all together. Pour liquid into popsicle molds and stick in freezer for at least 4 hours.
When ready to eat%u2026, pop those suckers out of there molds and%u00a0EAT!%u00a0
My flowers are coming up, I have packed away my winter jacket, and I haven’t worn anything but sandals for the past week. Plus yesterday I made the first batch of sun tea and saw my first hot air balloon of the season (which lead to a heated discussion with the mister about how hot air balloons take flight. We were both kinda right, but me more than him)So yeah, %u00a0it’s for real%u2026 Winter is gone and spring has sprung, or more like spring sprung then bounced cause now it’s basically summer weather. Not complaining, but I hope we get a least a few more weeks of pleasant, not hot and humid weather.%u00a0
Anyway. Sun tea, one of my favorite summer time drinks. Made by infusing regular old teas with water by using the almighty power of sun.
Why do we want to make iced tea this way instead of just using boiling water? Well you can still do that, but sun tea makes a more mellow, lovely, and I find, more sweeter tea. It brings out more complex flavors that you don’t get with the boiling water method. %u00a0And it’s nice to know that it took zero effort on my part to make the drink (not that boiling water takes that much effort, but still)
It can be made with any variety %u00a0of teas, infused with other fresh herbs, dried spices, or even chunks of fruit. You can also make the teas and add flavors after the infusing is over. Have fun and play with flavor combos.
A few of my%u00a0favorite sun tea%u00a0combinations
These are just a few of the endless possible flavors. And you don’t have to get fancy with it either, you can totally use plain old lipton tea bags (I still do that too)
Now harness the sunshine and feel awesome and fancy by making some tea!
Woo Hoo Wednesday!
-C
SUN TEA
%u00a0What you’ll need
I %u00a0use a ratio of 1 tea bag or 1 tablespoon loose leaf tea per 2 cups of water. And I usually make my teas in half gallon ball jars so I use 4-5 teabags or tablespoons of tea. (makes just enough tea for 4-6 tall glasses, depending on you glass size) %u00a0If it’s a mint tea, I usually use a little less because I find that mint teas can become to strong and bitter so I %u00a0use 3 teas bags or tablespoons of loose.
Directions
Place tea loose or bags into jar. Fill with water, leaving about an inch for tea expansion, place lid on tight, and stick in the sun for anywhere between 3-5 hours %u00a0(depending on how strong you like your tea). When tea is infused to your liking, remove teabags or strain the loose tea and stick into the fridge to chill. Serve as is %u00a0in a drinking vessel with a few ice cubes and add sweetener if that’s what you do.
Drink within a day or two, then rinse jar and make a new batch!
I have noticed lately people are really into peppermint in their hot drinks and %u00a0I have an excess of candy canes in my house, so %u00a0this was the perfect drink to make. I was initially just going to make hot peppermint milk but added the cocoa for an extra treat. If you want, omit the cocoa and just make peppermint milk.. Or you might want to replace 1/2 the milk and add coffee! Or for those adults out there..maybe add a spash of vodka.. my version of .a hot black and white peppermint Russian(I just made that a thing)
A little advise %u2026.check the temperature of the drink if you are giving it to a kid..What I thought was not too hot turned out to be a too hot. My little niece took a big gulp, and instantly sprayed the drink all over the kitchen and my clean hat, scarf and mittens%u2026 and then proceeded to cry%u2026.Hot chocolate is supposed to make the kids happy%u2026.so yeah…
Peel plastic off candy cane and place in a baggy and smash with something hard (rolling pin worked great)
Stick all ingredients into a pot on medium heat and whisk until the candy cane is melted and the milk is as hot as you like it.
Go for it, watch your tongue and enjoy!
%u00a0
Place unwrapped candy cane in baggy and smash. %u00a0Place all but a sprinkle of the candy cane, the milk, and the cocoa in pot on medium heat %u00a0and whisk until candy cane is fully melted and the cocoa is you preferred temperature.
Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with crushed candy cane.