Sangria’s (Non-Alcoholic) & a day at the lake

Hey everybody! I know it’s been a while since i last posted 😥 …sorry ’bout that!  But while i’ve been gone, (from the blogging world anyway) i’ve been trying to drink in as much sun as possible (so that maybe i can finally get that tan!?) and so that led to my spending this past Monday up a my friends lake-house. We had a few doubts about the weather on our way up to the lake (as it was badly storming and we had to drive 30mph under the speed limit just to make it safely there!) But while i was up at the lake i had a great time looking through some cook-books, and picking some super great recipes to try! We made some guacamole (i’ll post the recipe soon!) and then the weather was finally nice enough for us to go out in the kayaks for an hour. It was a blast and i’ve got a  lot of recipes coming your way soon!

Ok so about this recipe : I’ve been on the hunt for some fun (Non-Alcoholic) cocktails or um (Mocktails– i guess) recipes for some party’s i’m planing & this sangria recipe is a great fit to what i’ve been looking for! 😉  Hope ya’ll Enjoy it!

Ingredients:
Serves 8

• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 black tea bags (or 2 teaspoons loose-leaf tea in an infuser)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 cups pomegranate juice
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 orange, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 lime, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 apple, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 3 cups carbonated water (like seltzer)

Directions: Pour boiling water over tea bags and cinnamon sticks and steep for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags and stir in sugar to dissolve.

In a large jar or pitcher, combine tea, cinnamon sticks, pomegranate juice, orange juice, orange, lemon, lime, and apple. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and preferably overnight.

Just before serving, stir in carbonated water. Serve in pretty glasses over ice.

  P.S: Please leave me a comment below if you have any other recipe ideas for me to try – I’d love to hear from my readers! 🙂

Recipe & Photo Credit:

Cheesy Carrot Lasagna

Happy Monday!  This is one of my favorite (comfort-food) type of meals. It’s super easy to throw together, and you can really change things up depending on how you like it…I’ve added things like horse-radish before, but again it just depends on how you prefer you meal to taste : )

Ingredients:

• 1 box No-Bake Lasagna Noodles
• 1 large jar Alfredo Sauce
• 2 cups diced Carrots
• 2 cups diced Zucchini
• 1 medium size onion, chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped Kale
• 16 ounces Ricotta Cheese
• 1 bag /3 cups Mozzarella Cheese
• Salt & Pepper

Directions: Starting with the noodles, Layer everything on-top of each other. Cover with Mozzarella, then Bake @ 350 degrees for approximately 45 minuets.

Crock-Pot Directions:  Just do the same layering thing with all the ingredients that you would normally do, but instead just put it in your crock-pot and then set it on high for 3-4 hours (or until completely heated and bubbling)

Tip: Times in cooking may vary depending on the brand of crock-pot you own, so just adjust your cooking time if you know from experience that it will take more or less time. 🙂

Bon Appètit!

Ranch Flavored Oyster Crackers

These crackers are always in high demand at my house, so whenever we make them they are always gone as soon as they are cool enough to eat! 

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Oyster Crackers
• 1/2 cup Oil (Vegetable or Olive)
• 1 Powdered Ranch salad dressing, original flavor
• 1 tsp. Garlic Power/Salt
• 1 Tsp. Dill Weed

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine ranch, dill, garlic powder, Dill weed and oil. Stir until well combined.
2. Add oyster crackers and toss gently until crackers are evenly covered with seasoning.
3. Spread crackers evenly on a cookie sheet and bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Gently stir about half way through baking.
   

Bon Appètit!

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

I made these last night and the best part is truly smashing them down! 😉  Crispy smashed potatoes are the best of both worlds, giving a mashed potato creaminess with the crackling crisp crust of roasted potatoes. They are super fun to make, so hopefully you will enjoy them too! 🙂 

“…no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”
― Julia Child, My Life in France

“No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers.”
― Laurie Colwin

Ingredients:

2 pounds small red Potatoes (1 1/2 – 2″ diameter)

6 tablespoons extra virgin Olive Oil (more if needed)

1 teaspoon Thyme leaves ( or other spice if you prefer)

fresh ground Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Place one oven rack at the lowest position and one at the top position.

Scrub the red potatoes and lay on a baking sheet.  Add 3/4 cup of water the to the potatoes and cover with foil.  Bake in hot oven for 30 minutes.

When the potatoes are done, removed foil, drain, and let cool for 10 minutes.  Toss potatoes with 3 tablespoons olive oil making sure each is coated with oil.  Take a cup and “smash” each potato to about 1/3 – 1/2 in thick {this is the fun part}.

Drizzle another 3 tablespoons olive oil on the potatoes, sprinkle with thyme leaves and salt and pepper.  Place the potatoes in your 500 degree oven on the top rack and bake  for 15 minutes.   Move potatoes to the lower oven rack and continue to bake for another 25-30 minutes (until nice & golden brown).

Crispy brown on the bottom, creamy moist and tender in the center.  These potatoes are so perfect!

Bon Appètit!

Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen.

Hasselback Potatoes

So i was browsing Pinterest the other evening and saw a recipe for these potatoes and just thought that they looked so good i had to make them ASAP! So anyway, i trotted off to the kitchen to gather all my supply’s (had some fun learning how to make evenly sliced potatoes) and ended up with the most amazing little potatoes on the planet!   Seriously you guys, Go Make Them! 😉

Ingredients:

• 6 Medium Size Potatoes

• 2 – 3 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced

• 1/3 cup Olive Oil

• 2 Tlbs. Butter
•  Sea Salt

• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 220˚C (425˚F). Put the potato on a chopping board, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, at about 3 to 4 mm intervals.

Arrange the potatoes in a baking tray – (a glass baking dish is the best) and insert the garlic in between the slits of the potatoes. Scatter some butter on top of each one. Then drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper over top.

Bake the potatoes (covered with foil for 1/2 the time) for 40 minutes until the potatoes turn lightly crispy and the flesh is soft. – or 1 hour for a more crunchy almost chip like potato.

Bon Appétit!

Original Source