Graphic Tees Under $50

Back in my high school days, graphic tees were the bee's knees. I had soooo many Hot Topic favorites on repeat ranging from my favorite bands to random movie quotes (holla at my fellow Napoleon Dynamite fans). Now it seems these statement tees are making a comeback and I think it's teerrific... I'll see myself out.

Persian Herb Chickpeas with Coconut Rice

Give (chick)peas a chance! 

My new favorite ingredient this summer has been lemon! I always avoided it in the past because I found it to be a tad overwhelming to the palate, however, paired with fresh herbs and the creamy coolness of yogurt, it really takes this meal to the next level! You can enjoy this as a light vegetarian dish or serve it with some lemon-herb marinated grilled chicken!

Balsamic Strawberries with Biscuits & Cream

My local farmers market has been KILLING IT this summer! Some of my go-to binge eating items have been cherries, snap peas, and *drumrollllllll* strawberries. If you've never had locally grown strawberries, they're the bee's knees - they are smaller than what you might find in the grocery store but their vibrant color and compact size means that they are bursting with flavor!

Crispy Fish Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing

Do you ever have those days where everything just makes you mad? Mad that your AC went out during a Texas summer, mad that you're stuck in this crappy apartment, mad that there wasn't perfect lighting during a photoshoot (even during the golden hour), mad at your job, mad at yourself - I have been having many a mad days. But they usually feel a little less crappy when the dinner you make turns out jusssst right.

Our life is kind of in a weird limbo right now, uncertain whether or not we should chase our dream of venturing out to the Pacific Northwest or endure another year in Houston. Either option involves moving and packing and new job finding which of course comes with it's own little bothers.

Lately I've been taking all my stress out on cooking and baking all the things (I've just been to lazy and hot to blog about them). I saw this fish salad on Pinch of Yums Blog and I HAD to try it out, it looked so fresh and tasty for the summer times. I prepared mine a little differently and breaded the fish with panko bread crumbs to make it extra crispy and used sunflower seeds in place of pepitas because I happen to have them on hand but you could go pretty crazy with the garnishes.


Crispy Fish Salad

Recipe inspired by Pinch of Yum

serves 3-4 depending on hunger level

For the Slaw...
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup sour cream, Greek yogurt, or mayo
3-4 cups shredded purple and green cabbage

1.Pulse the slaw ingredients (in order, starting with oil and ending with lime juice) until chopped/chunky. Add the sour cream and pulse again until just combined (you don't want it totally smooth green - just like an herb-loaded creamy sauce). Toss the sauce with the cabbage. Let it sit in the fridge while you prep the other ingredients.

For the Fish Taco Bowls...
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 lb. cod or other white fish
1/2 cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tsp EACH cumin and chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 TBS olive oil
1 egg, beaten
avocado, sunflower seeds, queso fresco, lime wedges, or other extras for serving

1. In a bowl add the cumin and chili powder to the flour. Pat the fish dry with paper towels, toss in the seasoned flour, then egg wash, then panko breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. And add to the hot pan, frying for a few minutes on each side. When the fish is golden brown, remove from pan and sprinkle with the salt.

2.Plate each dish with a scoop of quinoa, a few pieces of fish, a scoop of cilantro lime slaw, and avocado or any other extra toppings you like. Serve with lime wedges and additional salt as needed.

Cherry Cobbler for Two (if you're nice)

Man, I have been on a cherry kick lately. Do you ever get those food cravings that come outta nowhere?! Well that's me right now, I mayyy or may not have consumed 2-3 pounds of cherries within the past couple of weeks...and by weeks I mean days. :/

So why the cherry? Well, they're sweet and flavorful and they don't have thick, bitter skins like grapes do (no offense grapes). This food craving all started because we're actually taking a mini summer vacation and visiting our families in Jax soon so I have been trying to cut back a little since I haven't actually seen myself in a bathing suit in.... probably 2 years (yikes). When I "cut back" I don't eat less food, I just try to incorporate more fruits and veggies, hence the cherries. I found out through desperation (aka I hadn't gone to the grocery store in over a week and it was between this and an unripened peach) that frozen cherries are a tasty treat in the heat of summer (and you don't have to worry about pits which is a bonus).

I feel less crazy about my food obsessions if I transform them into different recipes, like cherry cobbler for instance. Plus I still feel not so guilty when the majority of the dessert is fruit so it's technically healthy I'm I right?

Sweet, slightly tart, and topped with crumbly goodness - I understand if you don't want to share.

Cherry Cobbler for Two

1 (8oz) bag of frozen dark sweet cherries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp corn starch
1/4 cup water

for the topping...

1/2 cup cold butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 quick rolled oats
1/4 cup AP flour
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1.In a medium size sauce pan add frozen cherries, water, sugar, and almond extract, bring to a simmer on medium low heat then add corn starch. Stir regularly for about 5 min. or until mixture has thickened (you may need to add some additional water if mixture become too thick).
2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3.When cherry mixture has thickened, remove from heat and let cool. Add to two buttered ramekins. To make the topping, add all ingredients to food processor and pulse until crumbles form - distribute over cherries and bake in oven for 15-20 or until golden brown on top. Enjoy on it's own or with a dollop of vanilla ice cream if you're feelin' crazy.

Grandma's Seafood Pasta Salad

It's funny how all of a sudden you crave something from your childhood. I was fixing myself lunch the other day and suddenly I was in desperate need of my grandma's famous shrimp salad. I remember sitting on the back porch on my Grandparent's farm during the summer and eating this salad (usually from a fancy glass bowl). I can still remember watching her making it in the kitchen, she always had this magical ability to move really slow at a memorizing pace but before you knew it, she had a 6 course lunch laid out on the table.

I actually made and photographed this twice but as it turns out, it's really hard making a mayonnaise based salad look appetizing (plus apartment lighting is super awesome). The first time I made it strictly with shrimp, but for some reason the shrimp haven't been too tasty here in Texas this season so this time around I decided on crab meat instead.

I love this salad because of all the textures going on, the slight crunch of the celery, the freshness of the tomato, and because of the eggs and pasta it can hold up as a satisfying and filling lunch.

Fran the Great's Seafood Pasta Salad

serves 5-6

1/2 pound of macaroni pasta
1 cup shredded fresh crab
1 cup of cooked shrimp
1-2 small Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
2-3 stalks of celery, minced
3 hard boiled eggs, diced
1/4 mayonnaise (or a little more just to bind it)
1 tsp dried mustard
salt and white pepper to taste
squeeze of fresh lemon juice (about 1-2 tsp)

Directions:
1.Boil the pasta and drain. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2.Add remaining ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until combined
3.Enjoy now on cracker (or by itself) or chill for 15 min. in the fridge.

Iced Coffee with Flavored Simple Syrups

There comes a time during summer when even the most devotee hot coffee drinker has to switch over to the cold brew, my time came around two weeks ago...

It doesn't come easily, usually I go through about three phases:
1) Denial. This step is a very frustrating (and sweaty) process.
2) Experimental phase. I start to try some iced coffee, maybe order a glass here and there.
3) Acceptance. I have come to the sad realization that my beloved fall/winter is over and even the most air conditioned facility cannot save me, thus coming face-to-face with my icy cold fate.

I am not going to lie, it took me years to even try iced coffee, not sure what it was, I just always associate coffee with a warm, comforting beverage and the ones I have tried were lacking in the flavor department. Over the years I have learned to make cold brew exceptionally delicious, here are some things you need to consider: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use filtered water, prepare some coffee ice cubes (that way your drink won't become watered down before you finish it), and this should go without saying but start with high quality beans - I usually pick mine up from Coffee Icon.

Now enters the flavoring. Making your own natural coffee syrups is so easy and tastes SO much better without the harsh taste of artificial sweeteners. You might remember my Vanilla bean lattes that I made a while back, that was actually my first time ever making my own syrup and I ended up using it for so many different things other than coffee so this time around I decided to expand my flavors and reduced the amount to 1/3 and 1/2 so you wouldn't have an excessive amount of syrup laying around AND this produces a slightly thicker and more concentrated flavor as opposed to equal parts water and sugar.

The directions for all the syrups are the same, Combine the sugar, water, and flavoring in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in a jar. With some flavors (like the lavender) you might need to strain the mix through a fine mesh strainer so keep that in mind.

Watermelon Mojitos

I dunno about you but I am gonna need some booze to get through the rest of this week...don't worry, I gotcha covered...

I gotta admit, I am not a real heavy drinker, every once and a while I have a glass of wine or a beer but I tend to think of alcohol as more of an ingredient for baked goods (hence the lack of boozy drinks on this blog). I like this drink though because it's so refreshing and with no added sugar I almost feel like it's healthy? Is that too much of a stretch? I mean it's pretty much just glorified fruit juice right?!

This is the perfect way to utilize allll that watermelon juice that comes when you cut it, and it you're like me you go through a butt load of watermelons in the summer! These ingredient amounts are very customizable, I knew I would never use a whole bottle of rum so I just bought a sample for $1 and it happened to be enough for me but you're welcome to up the amount. Also, if you are making it for a party it might be cool to serve it out of a carved out melon - makes for a pretty impressive center piece!

Watermelon Mojitos

makes four drinks

2 cups watermelon juice (I just strained the juice from cutting the watermelon)
Juice of 1 lime
Handful of fresh mint leaves
50 ml white rum (I just bought a $1 mini bottle)
About 1 cup ginger ale (I used ginger ale 10)
Ice cubes as needed (OR you could freeze watermelon juice in ice cube trays so you won't dilute the product)
lime and mint leaves for garnish

You can either divide these ingredients and make it glass by glass, or mix it into a pitcher and pour, I personally think that they taste better if you mix it individually.

Sweet Basil Apple Crumble with Oat Topping

When I planted my new herb garden I was super excited to start experimenting with sweet herb recipes (and I still don't own an ice cream scoop so you can't judge me on my sloppy scoopin').

I have always been a HUGE fan of basil but in all the traditional ways...pizza, tomato sauce, pesto - all delicious but I am ready to bust outta my basil culinary comfort zone. When I was brainstorming about sweet n' savory combos I actually got this inspiration from the resemblance of basil and apple leaves - kinda weird I know, but in this case it ended up working.

Now this is sort of a recipe in progress, since I have never made this before nor tasted anything like it I wasn't exactly sure just how much basil to add - these amounts give just a hint without slapping you in the face, next time though I think I would add even more...or perhaps take it up a notch and make home made basil ice cream! Either way, the presence of basil added an interesting quality to the pie - it was like a sweet earthy taste but not earthy like dirty more earthy like fresh from the garden earthy.

Sweet Basil Apple Crumble with Oat Topping

For the basil syrup...
3-4 basil leaves (any type of basil would work but I used sweet basil)
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp dried basil
1/3 cup water

1 TBS dried ground cinnamon
4-5 large, firm apples

1.In small saucepan, combine basil leaves, cinnamon stick, sugar, and dried basil; bring mixture to a boil swirling pan until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, cover and let syrup steep for 5-10 min. Remove fresh basil leaves and discard.

2.Pour syrup over apples and mix, add ground cinnamon and toss.

For the topping...
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick butter, chilled and cut into small cubes

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9" pie dish and set aside.

2.Mix together the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, oats, and flour until evenly combined. With your fingertips, blend in the butter pieces until small clumps form and the butter is well incorporated, about 2 minutes.

3.To assemble, make an even layer of basil apple filling on the bottom of the pie pan and top evenly with crumble topping. Bake for 30-40 or until topping is lightly brown and apples are tender.

*Note - my filling was a little watery at first but after sitting out for 30 + minutes, it thickened up.

Still thinking about more recipes to try, I am thinking a strawberry basil pairing next, what do ya think? Any other suggestions?

Skillet Summer Berry Crisp with Oatmeal Cookie Topping

I LOVE fruit desserts. Partially because they're usually not overly sweet and partially because I don't feel as guilty eating them. It's like you can rightfully say, I'm having some fresh mixed berries for dinner...with sugar...and butter...and cookies...okay, okay, I'm having dessert for dinner!

Don't judge me.

Not only is this dessert easy on the eyes AND easy to make, it tastes amazing! The topping tastes like a freshly baked oatmeal cookies crumbled on top of fruity deliciousness. Whenever I'm making anything that mentions incorporating cold butter, I always melt it instead. It's 1,000 times more easy to incorporate and the butter naturally gets those coveted baking "lumps" that equal some killer crisps!

I used this semi odd combo of fruit just because we had them leftover from our trip to the farmers market but you could sub out pretty much any fruit of your liking like rhubard + apple, blueberry + strawberry, Peach + ginger, you get the idea.

Skillet Summer Berry Crumble with Oatmeal Cookie Topping

serves 3-4

for the filling...

1 peach, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/3 cup blueberries
1/3 cup raspberries
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 TBS sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 TBS flour

for the topping...

4 TBS butter, melted
1/3 cup rolled oats (NOT quick cooking)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
small handful of chopped pecans (optional)
pinch of salt
2 TBS flour

Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 6oz cast iron skillet and set aside.

2.To make the filling, combine fruit, vanilla, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and flour and mix. Pour into the skillet and make an even layer.

3.Make the topping: Whisk the oats, flour, cinnamon brown sugar, nuts and salt in a bowl. Carefully mix in the melted butter until combined. Sprinkle over fruit mixture and bake in the oven for 10-15min. or until oats become slightly brown on top. Serve warm either by itself or with some ice cream!

Heirloom Tomato Tart with Fresh Basil, Ricotta, and Balsamic Fig Drizzle

It astounds me sometimes how beautiful food can be. Just a plain old tomato can come in so many different colors and provide unique flavors and textures depending on the variety. I think that's what originally attracted me to food, being an artist first and foremost, it seems natural that I was attracted to visually pleasing food...

Put the Lime in the Coconut (Popsicle)

I remember when I was a kid growing up in a small town my mom and I would stop by the local jiffy store and pick up these whole fruit coconut popsicles. Now normally I am not the biggest fan of coconut, it's not that I don't like it but sometimes I am not a huge fan of the texture but for some reason these particular pops hit the spot on a hot summer day...

Years later and out of nowhere all I can think of are these pops! These are an amplified versions of my childhood pops, I added some lime juice and zest to cut through that rich and creamy coconut flavor and chopped the coconut shreds extra fine as to avoid any super chewy shreds. The result? A super creamy yet light pop whose texture is reminiscent of sherbet - so refreshing! In fact, these are so good they're worthy of Harry Nilsson himself.

I have to admit I have never actually bought a fresh coconut before so I found this video helpful for draining/cracking the coconut.



Put the Lime in the Coconut (Popsicles)

makes 6 popsicles

1 (33.6oz.) can of light coconut milk
1 (5.02oz) container of Oikos coconut vanilla yogurt
juice and zest from half a lime
1/4 finely chopped coconut
1/4 cup sugar

*Depending on preferences you might want to add more sugar or more lime, taste before you freeze!

1.Add all ingredients together in a sauce pan and heat over medium low, you want to do this in order to melt the sugar. Once the mixture is combined, cool to room temp. then pour into desired molds and freeze.

Shout out to Mom for getting me this awesome Anthropologie plate

Tiramisu Blended Iced Coffee with Seattle's Best Coffee.

I was asked by a representative to try Seattle's Best Frozen blends which combine high quality brewed frozen coffee with milk and cream. They come in a variety of flavors including coffee, very vanilla, mocha, and creamy caramel. It is a well known fact that I simply cannot function without coffee, it's pretty much up there with food and shelter as the bare necessities of life. So when a company offers convenient coffee on the go, they have my attention.

This product is unique because all you have to do is add milk, blend, and go - it's basically a smoothie on steroids. I decided to amp up this recipe by turning it into one of my all time favorite desserts - tiramisu! I added the chocolate swirl not only for the impressive appearance but to also replicate that hint of chocolate in this coveted dessert. For those of you who are old enough, you can add a splash of rum and top with dusted cocoa and a lady finger for fun! I was blown away by the flavor of this coffee, it was strong but not overly so and the consistency was creamy and delicious, it truly was tiramisu in drink form!

Tiramisu Blended Iced Coffee

1/2 melted chocolate
1 package of Seattle's Best Frozen Coffee Chiller
10 fluid ounces of milk (I used about 8oz. vanilla soy milk and 2oz. half & half)
1 TSP rum (optional)
whipped cream, lady fingers, and cocoa powder for decoration

Directions:

1.Take the melted chocolate and place it in a piping bag with a small hole cut at the end. Carefully drizzle the chocolate around the glass until the swirl effect is achieved (you could buy Hershey's chocolate syrup if you want). Place in freezer for about 5 min. this will help the chocolate stay in place when you pour the coffee in.

2.Prepare the frozen blend according to package instructions. Add rum (if using) then pour into glasses and top with whipped cream, dusted cocoa powder, and lady finger. Serve and enjoy!

You can find these frozen blends at Walmart, Target, and other retail stores nation wide in the freezer isle.

Disclosure- Seattle's Best asked me to sample their Frozen Blends but all opinions are my own.

Red, White, & Blue Recipes for the 4th

We all have our own holiday traditions. This year we're trying something new and going away for the 4th but you can be sure no matter where we are there will be delicious food a' plenty! These recipes vary from festive drinks to desserts and dressings. Whatever you are doing I hope everyone has an awesome holiday weekend!

From top left to right:

Blueberry lemonade with stevia leaves
Vanilla flag cake
Cranberry lemon tart
Banana berry green tea smoothie
Watermelon sorbet
Mini cheesecakes topped with creme chantilly and fresh fruit
Festive fruit trifle
Black sweet cherry mini pies
Roasted balsamic strawberry vinaigrette
Blueberry cobbler bars
Berry tart with vanilla bean pastry cream
Cherry limeades

Blueberry Lemonade with Fresh Stevia Leaves

You might of noticed a fresh herb trend on my blog lately thanks to my new herb garden (yes, it's still alive I am capable). Among the herbs was the familar stevia leaf which is the main ingredient in the new no calorie sweetener Stevia if you chew on one of the raw leaves it tastes just like sweet sugar, it's weird but awesome. I have been thinking about what to do with this herb for months when suddenly blueberry lemonade came to mind. I had recently picked up some tasty local blueberries and with this intense summer heat, nothing quite cools you down like an ice cold glass of lemonade.

The base of this drink is a blueberry syrup so this beautiful blue/purple color you're seeing here is completely natural. It's also super easy to make AND it would make a good 4th of July beverage. I personally prefer flavored lemonade because it cuts that intense acidity and adds additional sweetness.

Blueberry Lemonade with Fresh Stevia Leaves

2/3 cup sugar (more or less, depending on how sweet you would like it - this left it mildly sweet)
1 heaping cup fresh blueberries
juice of 2 large lemons (or about 3/4 cup)
fresh stevia leaves
1 cup water

Method:

1.To make the blueberry simple syrup, combine sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in blueberries and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until blueberries have broken down, about 3-4 minutes.

2.Strain blueberry mixture through a cheesecloth or fine sieve; let cool (I put mine in an ice bath). In a large pitcher, whisk together blueberry simple syrup, lemon juice and 4 cups water. Place in the refrigerator until chilled.

3.Serve over Stevia ice (ice cubes with stevia leaves) and frozen blueberries, if desired.

Fresh Mint & Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (how to create that swirl effect)

I have never been a huge fan of mint flavored things. To me they have always reminded me of gum or mouth wash (bleh). However, it was with one simple spoonful of mint ice cream at Taverna in Jacksonville, FL that changed my entire perception of this minty dessert forever!

I was celebrating the end of the semester with my culinary class, the chef had given us plate after plate of delicious food and when it came time for dessert, the ice cream of the day - mint chip was placed before us. I remember thinking, meh, I'll give it a try out of politeness but as soon as I took that first spoonful I was shocked at the delicious, fresh, herb quality that is REAL mint! You don't realize it, but the majority (dare I say all) of store bought mint ice cream doesn't actually contain any trace of mint leaves, they usually use a mint extract and tease you with the refreshing food coloring light green tint.

Another thing I like about this ice cream is that is doesn't have those big chunks of chocolate chip but instead you drizzle melted chocolate into the frozen ice cream creating that 'swirl' effect leaving delectable little chips of chocolate. Usually if you want a really creamy ice cream you use a mixture of heavy cream and whole milk, I decided to do all half and half because it was not only more affordable but half the calories AND you still get that creamy umami mouth feel.

Fresh Mint & Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

makes 1 quart - Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz

3 cups half & half
OR
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups packed (80 gr) fresh mint leaves
5 large egg yolks

For the chocolate 'chips'

1 cup of dark chocolate, melted

Directions:

1.In a medium saucepan, warm the half & half, sugar, salt, and mint.Once the mixture is hot and steaming, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for an hour to infuse the mint flavor.

2.Remove the mint with a strainer, then press down with a spatula firmly to extract as much mint flavor and color as possible. (You can also use well-washed hands to do it as well, making sure the mixture isn’t too hot to safely handle.) Once the flavor is squeezed out, discard the mint.

3.Use a strainer to strain into another saucepan (to get any extra mint bits out) then rewarm on medium low heat. While heating, have egg yolks ready in another bowl, whisk them together, then slowly pour some of the warm mint mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly (you don't want scrambled eggs!) - then scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

4.Cook the custard, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. If using an instant read thermometer, it should read around 170ºF (77ºC). Stir the mixture over an ice bath until cool.

5. Refrigerate the mixture thoroughly, preferably overnight, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

6.While the mixture is freezing, melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pot of simmering water, or in a microwave oven on low power, stirring until smooth. Place a storage container in the freezer.

7.When the ice cream in the machine is ready, scribble some of the chocolate into the container, then add a layer of the just-churned ice cream to the container. Scribble melted chocolate over the top of the ice cream, then quickly stir it in, breaking up the chocolate into irregular pieces. Continue layering the ice cream, scribbling more chocolate and stirring as you go.

When finished, cover and freeze until firm.