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With an abundance of rhubarb, it's exciting to find refreshing ways to enjoy it!
This cocktail's pretty pink color is perfect for parties, and it's depth of color depends on your variety of rhubarb. I've seen some versions that are way more pink than what my rhubarb produces.
To display this punch, I like to serve it in a large glass canister with a spigot. This way I can garnish it with a pop of colorful edible flowers like these Pansies. And adding in a stalk of fresh mint for garnish brings out all the flavors and freshness!
IMPORTANT: Only use flowers that are edible and grown from a source that does not use chemicals. Always pre-wash your flowers. I grow edible flowers seasonally and you can purchase them on my website here for local pickup.
The recipe calls for Rhubarb Simple Syrup which is made by mixing equal parts sugar and water, then adding diced rhubarb and cooking until soft. It's then strained so you have a pretty pink rhubarb syrup.
Don't discard the remaining rhubarb pulp! Its delicious on ice cream, cottage cheese, pancakes or simply on it's own!
Note: If you don't have fresh rhubarb you could use frozen.
Serving Size: 5-6 quarts (enough for a party, halve it for 5-6 drinks)
Total time 20 minutes
Ingredients:
Rhubarb Simple Syrup
8 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Rhubarb Mint Mojito
Rhubarb Simple Syrup
2 - 2 liter bottles Ginger Ale
10-12 mint leaves
6 Tbl lime juice (or more to taste)
Ice
Instructions:
Rhubarb Simple Syrup
1. Combine all ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the rhubarb is soft. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Pour into a bottle and cool completely. Syrup will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Mojito Cocktail
1. In a jar or shaker, add the mint leaves and ice. Muddle with a wooden spoon. Pour into a large glass dispenser. Add Rhubarb Simple Syrup, both bottles of Ginger Ale and lime juice. Mix and taste. It should have a balance of mint, lime and sweet rhubarb syrup. Adjust as needed.
Alcohol version
You could add white rum to this mojito for a refreshing alcoholic cocktail.
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It is just so dang expensive and it contains way too much sugar! As I was putting oatmeal in my shopping cart the other day, a lightbulb went on... why don't I just make it myself!
I have all the ingredients at home already - and I know exactly what is going into it. What matters to me is that I am putting in whole ingredients that support a healthy diet and make choices based on that.
This recipe has fiber, protein and good sugars found in honey, not brown sugar.
I did base my recipe off of some I found online for guidance with measurements and went rogue from there!
I think its perfectly sweet with honey which really helps to bind it together in the second half of baking. I do like when the chunks hold together so I can eat those on the go. And a little sprinkle of salt balances the sweet and makes it so yummy!
And one final word - this recipe is totally flexible! If you don't like the nuts, or the berries, substitute what you love like walnuts, pistachios, dried apricots or raisins. You can even substitute real maple syrup for the honey.
Total time 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1.5 cups oatmeal
1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins or both (optional)
2 Tablespoons flaxseed
1/2 cup Two Bees & A Bud honey
4 Tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 tsp of vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon or more to taste
1/4 tsp salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse quinoa and pat dry.
Place a silpat on baking sheet or spray with oil.
Place quinoa, oats, pecans and almonds on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
While that is baking, in a big bowl, add the rest of your ingredients and stir.
Remove baking sheet from oven.
This step is optional: Pour half of the sheet pan ingredients in a food processor and pulse one or two times to break up the large pieces. I find this step helps bind everything together in the second baking which makes for bigger chunks.
Pour all ingredients into bowl and stir well.
Dump bowl ingredients onto the sheet pan and bake another 6-10 minutes, watching to see it does not burn.
Remove from oven and let sit until cool. Put cooled ingredients in glass container or ziploc in pantry for up to 3 weeks.
Let me know how you enjoy it!
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I love tea, so when a friend casually said she put our honey in her homemade Pineapple Tea, I was shocked! I had never heard of Pineapple Tea!
After doing some Googling about it, I found that Pineapple Tea is a thing - and really healthy for you! It contains Vitamin C, antioxidants, may help with inflammation, and is an immune booster.
What is super awesome about this tea is that it uses the unwanted parts of the pineapple - the rinds and core! Bonus because the sheep and chickens won't eat them!
Below is the recipe that was passed down to me and the ingredients I used. But I found lots of recipes for how to spice up pineapple tea. So if you aren't a fan of adding sweeteners or don't care for cloves - make what tastes good to you!
Total Time 1.5 Hours
Servings 6-10
Ingredients
Rinds and core of 1 pineapple
1 smashed knob of ginger
1 tsp each of: turmeric, black pepper (you won’t taste it), cinnamon, clove
Juice of one lemon
Honey to taste
8 cups water
Instructions
Step 1
Wash the pineapple and cut the green edges (rinds) off, cut out the core and set aside.
Step 2
Place the rinds and the core in a large pot with 8 cups of water.
Note* Some recipes call for adding the spices in the pot at this stage. The first time I made it, I just steeped the pineapple with the water and added spices and honey in my cup so I could see what seasonings I liked before I mixed up a big batch.
Simmer for 60min or longer if you want a stronger tea. You may have to add a little more water if a lot has evaporated.
Step 3
Remove the pineapple rinds and core from the pot and strain the water into a large canning jar or pitcher.
Step 4
Enjoy immediately or refrigerate. It is delicious cold or hot.
Optional seasonings
Feel free to experiment with what tastes good to you.
Spices and herbs - cinnamon sticks, cayenne pepper, rosemary, mint, lemon basil, basil, sage.
Sweeteners - honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, sugar, artificial sweetener.
A note about turmeric and black pepper - turmeric is an anti-inflammatory and requires black pepper for absorption of curcumin into the body. You won't taste the black pepper.
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What I love about this recipe is that it uses veggies I always have excess of in the fall - zucchini, tomato and onion.
The Bisquick, eggs and cheese make it a favorite my whole family enjoys! We take it up a notch and drizzle it with aged balsamic vinegar just before serving.
Super fast, inexpensive, and such yummy comfort on a cool week night or Sunday afternoon. Might as well make two so you have one for left overs!
Total Time 40 Minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup canola oil
1 Tablespoon minced or dried parsley
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup Bisquick baking mix or similar
1 small onion chopped
1-2 small tomatoes sliced thin to cover pie
Instructions
Whisk first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl.
Stir in zucchini, Bisquick and onion.
Pour into a greased 9" deep dish pie plate or casserole dish.
Top with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a little parmesan cheese if desired.
Bake 25-35 minutes at 350 degrees or until lightly browned.
Serve warm.
Drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar if desired.
]]>We have frozen corn from our fall harvest in the freezer and always have sweet potatoes on hand. I also had just used some chipotles in adobo sauce a few weeks ago and had the left overs in the fridge. It was super fast to throw this together!
If you haven't tried chipotles in adobo yet, they are jalapeno peppers canned in a sweet and smoky tomato, garlic, vinegar sauce. The spicy heat comes from the seeds in the peppers so I always scrape them off before I add it to my recipes which allows me to control how much spice my food has. This recipe only calls for one small pepper, which in my opinion had a bit of heat but more added flavor. You can certainly leave it out if you don't like heat. Or replace it with a few dashes of hot sauce.
This recipe can be blended to make it smooth or leave it unblended - however you prefer. If you leave it unblended but want it thicker - mix cornstarch and water or flour and milk together to create a thickener and add it to the soup.
I will be keeping this recipe on hand because we have family members who are vegan and it's a great one to freeze!
This recipe is super easy, creamy, comforting, and so delicious! We topped it off with fresh cilantro, avocado and plain yogurt which acts like sour cream.
Total Time 50 Min
Serves 8
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large sweet potatoes (4 cups total), peeled and diced to 1 inch
2 cups frozen or canned corn (drained)
1 chipotle chile in adobo chopped, seeds scraped out and discarded
7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Garnish with - dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream, cilantro, avocado
Instructions
Step 1
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high.
Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until beginning to brown around edges, about 7 minutes.
Add cumin and garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in sweet potatoes, chile, and broth.
Bring to a boil; reduce to a rapid simmer, partially cover, and cook until sweet potatoes can be mashed easily with a spoon, 20 to 25 minutes.
Step 2
Let soup cool slightly. Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree until smooth or desired consistency.
Return pureed soup to pot over low heat and season with salt and pepper.
Top soup with garnishes as desired.
Adapted from Martha Stewart Recipe
]]>I love that they can also be made vegan with good quality vegan chocolate chips.
Makes about 20 Truffles
Takes about 45 min hands-on - more time needed to chill
For the Chocolate Genache:
For the Chocolate Coating:
For the topping:
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I love to make batches of this soup for the freezer in October when we have an abundance of veggies from the end of season garden harvest. Nearly all the ingredients come from our garden with the exception of celery which makes this a really cheap meal!
I tend to throw in a few extra carrots and potatoes than the recipe calls for but it doesn't alter the flavor, it just adds more bulk. I will also throw in a bag of corn because we always have so many bags in the freezer.
You can make it dairy free by replacing the milk with a milk alternative and the cheese can be left out or replaced with a nice melty cheddar alternative. I would not use coconut milk as it alters the flavors quite a bit.
You can also make it gluten free by replacing the flour with corn starch.
Ingredients
1# hamburger meat
1 c diced onion
1 c diced celery
1 c diced carrot
2 tsp minced garlic
4-6 c chicken broth
2 c russet potatoes diced into 1" cubes
1 tsp dried basil or 3-4 fresh leaves
1/4 c flour
1.5 c milk or milk alternative
2 c shredded cheddar
1/4 c ketchup
2 tbl dijon mustard
salt & pepper
Instructions
Wash and cut all veggies. If I have new potatoes from the garden (the small ones), I don't peel those, I just cut them in half or thirds.
In a large pot, brown beef. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Cook 8-10 min until veggies soften a bit.
Stir in broth, potatoes and basil. Use enough broth to fully cover all veggies.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
In a jar with a lid, mix the milk with flour or corn starch and shake until well blended. Pour into hot soup and stir to thicken.
Add cheese, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. We tend to prefer a bit more ketchup and mustard than the recipe calls for.
Place in bowl and enjoy.
This freezes really well so I usually double or triple the recipe for the freezer.
]]>It's a little bit sweet and has all the flavors of fall with pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg. Serve it with gingersnap cookies or graham crackers - also delicious on pancakes, waffles or crepes!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Serve immediately or cover and chill.
Yield 2 cups.
]]>I'm sharing with you our go-to grab. I have these on hand all summer because 1 or 2 are all that is needed to satisfy (3 or 4 are too indulgent). I also usually make a big batch for when we are camping or hiking because they are a quick, bite-sized pop of protein with just the right amount of sweet and salty.
Why make these?
Ingredients
2 c rolled oats
2 c unsweetened coconut
1 c almond butter or peanut butter
1/2 c bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 c honey
1 tbl chia seeds
1 tbl flax seeds
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt (I use less salt if I’m using peanut butter instead of almond butter)
Instructions
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Instructions
Place the honey and hot sauce in a microwave-safe container and microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Try not to boil as the honey will loose some of it's healing properties when boiled. (Alternatively, heat the mixture for a few minutes over low heat on the stovetop until combined.) Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
How to use hot honey
I have yet to find an easier, more full-flavored and satisfying soup than this Loaded Potato Soup recipe. It's so easy to throw in a bag for the freezer and on serving day, it provides a wonderfully warm and comfy soup for a lot of hungry people. It made about 12 meals for our grown family!
Ingredients
32 oz bag of frozen diced hash brown potatoes
1 large onion, diced
1 c diced carrots
1 box chicken broth or 4 cups water with boullion cube equivalent
3 tsp minced garlic
¼ c butter, cut into slices
2 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp celery salt
8 oz package cubed ham (optional)
On serving day: 1 ½ c heavy cream plus shredded cheddar cheese (optional but yummy!)
Instructions
In a gallon sized freezer bag or freezer container add all ingredients except heavy cream and cheese. Place in freezer for up to 6 months.
To cook in crock pot from frozen, transfer to slow cooker and cook on high 5 hours or low 6-7 hours. From thawed or freshly made, transfer to slow cooker and cook on high 3-4 hours on low or 6 hours on high.