A twist on the traditional mojito

Three words for you. I.HATE.SUMMER. Or at least right now I do. In Kansas City, I believe the heat index has been above 100 degrees for the past 16 or so days. I feel like people have finally gotten to the point where they’ve gone crazy as I have heard many say that it was a beautiful day yesterday. People, the high yesterday was 93 degrees. I’m pretty sure the heat index was over 100—it was not cool outside nor was it beautiful out.

One thing that can bring relief is an ice cold cocktail. I heard of a twist on a traditional mojito , using basil instead of mint, and decided to try it over the weekend on what could have been the hottest day of the summer. And it was delish.

Basil Mojito

2 ounces light rum (I used Bacardi)

6-8 basil leaves

1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

Fresh squeezed juice from 1/2 Lime

Club soda

 

Add rum, basil leaves, powdered sugar and lime juice to highball glass. Muddle to combine ingredients. Fill glass with ice, top off with soda water and stir to mix. Garnish with lime and enjoy!

Crispy Onion Straws

I’m going to start this post with a disclaimer: please look away if you are on a on a diet, trying to watch what you’re eating, or just don’t like very delicious but not so good for you things. For those of you still reading (which I’m assuming is the majority—who doesn’t like a little indulgence every once in a while?), I’m excited to share this recipe with you. Being the foodies that we are, the hubs and I often try things in restaurants that we love but know that we can make at home. This is definitely the case for these onion straws. About a month ago, we were dining at one of our favorite Kansas City burger joints, BRGR, and ordered onion straws as a side to our burgers. And we fell in love. They were the perfect amount of salty and crispy goodness.

The next time we were making burgers at home I was determined to recreate those onion straws knowing, that it couldn’t be that hard. I remembered seeing The Pioneer Woman post her version and decided to try it out—specifically because the recipe included a touch of cayenne. And let me tell you, these were perfect.

Crispy Onion Strings

adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1 whole Large Onion

2 cups Buttermilk

2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, divided in half
1 quart (to 2 Quarts) Canola Oil
Black Pepper


Slice onion into thin half circles (almost transparent). Add buttermilk and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper in a baking dish. Add onions and soak for 30 minutes to an hour. Combine dry ingredients and set aside.


Heat oil to 375 degrees. Grab a handful of onions, throw into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess, and add to hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown. Sprinkle cooked onions with salt and pepper. Enjoy.

I'm back...and an easy weeknight dinner!

Okay, so I’ve decided to get back into this blogging thing. I think one of the reasons why it was so hard to keep up on it before is because I put too much pressure on myself for it to be perfect—the perfect length of posts, the perfect pictures, perfect humor, etc. Blogging is something that I really miss doing, so I’m attacking it head on but with a different attitude. This time around, I’m focusing on making it easy. So to get back into things, I’m posting a very easy weeknight dinner that has tons of flavor but is very quick to create.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Archer Farms Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce (from Target)

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil and bring to temperature. Add chicken to pan and cook on each side for 2 minutes, or until browned. Add ¼ cup of Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce and simmer for 2-3 more minutes to fully develop flavors. Remove from heat and serve alongside curry roasted cauliflower and rice.

Curry Roasted Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Curry powder
Salt
Pepper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove cauliflower florets from stems and chop into small pieces. Add to large bowl and toss with olive oil, curry powder, salt and pepper (to your taste). Spread evenly over roasting pan covered with foil and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Serves 2 (plus extra cauliflower!)

Shrimp Cocktail

We’ve been so busy lately that we haven’t had time the time or energy to cook. One of my favorite go-tos at times like these is a spread of shrimp cocktail, French bread and cheese. The combination is easy, yummy and did I mention easy? Oddly enough, my favorite part of this meal is the cocktail sauce. I don’t buy the premade stuff, as it never has enough flavor for my liking (ie. Not enough horseradish). So, each time shrimp hits the dinner table so does a side of homemade cocktail sauce. Hope you enjoy!
 

Cocktail Sauce

A Warren original recipe

¼ c. ketchup

¼ c. chili sauce

2-3 T. Horseradish (fresh from the jar)

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Chill before serving.

Change isn't always good

Recently, I've tried to cut back on my cosumption of caffine-filled pop. It's been a week since I had a Diet Coke or DDP (Diet Dr. Pepper), which is a pretty big deal since I used to be a 2 or 3x/day drinker. The thing is, I have to get that jolt from somewhere at least once a day. So I've turned into a full-blown coffee drinker. I'm not talking about the free machine-brewed coffee at work...I'm talking about lattes.

The thing is--this new habit is not very wallet-friendly. So, on my way to work this morning I stopped by the Starbucks on the Plaza because I had a giftcard that could help to support this new indulgence. It had recently gone under construction and I hadn't been in to check it out since they finished the work. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed. Gone were the warm-colored walls. Gone was the cozy furniture that you could sit back and relax in. Gone was the welcoming space.

Honestly when I walked in, I thought the place was still under construction. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The warm caramel paint was replaced with stark, white walls and the backsplash behind the counter is now covered with white subway tiles. Instead of comfy seating areas, there are now high top tables with cafe-style barstools.

I get that Starbucks felt they needed to update their look, but they definitely went in the wrong direction. Next time a Saturday morning comes along when I want to partake in some people watching and coffee drinking, I'll be going elsewhere.