The Republic of Tea is one of my favorite tea companies, their tea is so good! (One of my go-to’s is their Earl Greyer Tea) I also really like their packaging; the tins make it easy to transport and keep the tea bags more fresh than they would be in a box.
What makes this tea particularly noteworthy is that the caffeine content of this tea is enhanced with green tea extract and pure caffeine isolated from premium tea leaves, so it’s a great morning pick-me-up. This tea also has a natural coconut flavor and a touch of licorice flavor, making for quite the tasty tea! It’s really yummy with a splash of milk. To really enhance the coconut flavor, add a little turbinado sugar to your tea too. (You can now understand why my boyfriend stole this tea from me!) The HiCAF Toasted Coconut Black Tea is also gluten free, carb free, with no added sugars.
I love using tea and coffee in recipes and the flavors of this tea just begged to be used in a dessert! The inspiration for this recipe was a Sunset recipe for a Blackberry-Black Tea Sorbet. Because there is already a flavor of coconut in the tea, I wanted to further enhance that by turning this recipe for a sorbet into a vegan ice cream using coconut milk.
Making ice cream is really easy but it takes quite a bit of preparation. First, you need an ice cream maker. (Luckily my mom had one!) The bowl of the ice cream maker has to be frozen for at least 24 hours before it’s ready to use. For this particular recipe, the tea bags need to be steeped in the coconut milk, cooled, and refrigerated before making the ice cream. Plus the whole ice cream mixture needs a few hours in the fridge to get cold. Whew!
So, if you’re making this, be sure to prepare ahead!
When I have friends coming to visit, I like to make a batch of cocktails beforehand so that I have a pre-made refreshment to serve. Lemonade-based drinks are a favorite of mine: I’ve made a Rhuby-Lavender Lemonade as well as a Bourbon-Peach Lemonade in the past.
So to keep my trend going, I decided to make this Honey, Ginger Sparkling Lemonade with Rosemary and added in some bourbon. (My friends are big bourbon fans, if yours aren’t, vodka would work as an easy substitute). I changed the recipe a bit to fit my tastes, but you can find the original recipe here.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup local honey
1/2 cup water
the juice of 5 lemons, plus the zest of 1 lemon
the juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup minced ginger
10 full rosemary stalks
2 1-liter bottles of club soda
1 1/2 cups bourbon
Ice cubes
Note: Bourbon does include grains that contain gluten. However, distilled alcohol is considered gluten-free because the process of distillation removes the harmful gluten protein, which is why I have this recipe listed as gluten free. If you are highly sensitive to gluten, bourbon may be off limits for you.
I am trying to get into the habit of making (and wanting) smoothies for breakfast. They are so simple to make and work great for meals on the go. My boyfriend is a huge fan of green smoothies, where he adds various fruits to the blender along with some kale. I don’t mind them, but I thought I’d baby step my way into the smoothie world with something a little more my speed: an oatmeal banana smoothie with espresso and chocolate hazelnut. Mmmmm.
This recipe is adapted from Foxes Loves Lemons, a fellow food blogger as well as a recipe developer. Her recipes are mouthwatering and her pictures are just amazing! She also manages to post daily which just blows my mind. How she manages to deliver such amazing posts daily is beyond me!
My recipe below is a touch different than Foxes Loves Lemons because I wanted to incorporate Nocciolata, a dark chocolate and hazelnut spread, into my smoothie. To see the original version, check out her blog post here.
Nocciolata is made with no chemicals, artificial flavors, GMOs, or palm oil. What it is made with is certified organic ingredients including dark chocolate from the Antillean Islands, Italian hazelnuts (16%), brown sugar, skim milk and Bourbon vanilla extract. Yum! Nocciolata can be found in many stores including Wegmans, King’s, and Whole Foods to name some in the Philly area. For a list of stores that carry Nocciolata, check out their webpage.
source: https://www.nocciolatausa.com/
Ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1 banana, cut into chunks
1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Nocciolata spread
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 cup ice
Disclaimer: I was sent a free sample jar of Nocciolata to try. My opinions are my own.
It’s that time of year again, East Passyunk Avenue’s “Flavors of the Avenue” is almost here! From noon to 4 pm on Saturday, April 26, the best of East Passyunk’s restaurants will be offering samples of their signature dishes and drinks.
General admission for the Food Tent opens at 1pm and includes Skinny Girl wine and Samuel Adams beer. Outside of the tent enjoy a free street festival with live music by We Are Fauna and The Drive-Ins, vendors and the April Showers craft show at the Fountain hosted by Crafty Balboa.
Tickets are $30 for General Admission but are going fast, so be sure to pick up your tickets ASAP! VIP tickets are actually already sold out!
I attended a media night to sample some of the offerings and am so excited for the main event. I attended the actual event last year and it did not disappoint! I have a review of some of the samples I had during the media event but also wanted to share my version of a drink recipe that was served by Stateside called a Pom Collins cocktail – a spin on a Tom Collins with pomegranate juice. Unfortunately this delicious drink will not be served at Flavors of the Avenue … you’ll have to stop by Stateside after to enjoy it!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I have already shared an Irish-themed main meal, bread, baked good, and sweet treat so I thought this time around a drink was in order, this Clover Cocktail!
Fine Wine & Good Spirits sent me this really yummy spin on an Irish coffee called the Clover Cocktail, which is frozen instead of hot.
Ingredients (makes 1 serving; multiply as needed):
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I wanted to do a post about Traveling with Food and Drinks for Thanksgiving. My family meets in North Jersey for Thanksgiving, with most of us bringing a side or dessert along with us. My aunt and uncle who host Thanksgiving still get stuck with a lot of the work, but every little bit helps. This year, I am still trying to decide what dessert I will bring. Although my number one job is still to mix up my grandpa’s famous recipe for Bloody Mary’s; priorities! 🙂
Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Target.
My friends and I also met for a “Friendsgiving” last year. It was potluck, with the hosting house making the turkey and the rest of us signing on to do sides, drinks, and desserts. It was so fun to see a spectacular Thanksgiving meal come together as people brought in their creations, dish by dish.
Keeping cold foods cold and warm foods warm while traveling is crucial and can be kind of difficult. Also trying to choose what to bring can be tough too; you don’t want to bring something that requires a lot of assembly when you arrive. I have included some of my favorite past recipes below that would be perfect for Thanksgiving, along with how to pack up the food for travel. As a member of the Target Influencer Network, I thought it would be helpful to include some Target products that help make transporting the food and drinks a lot easier as well!
Drinks:
I brought this Applejack-Spiked Hot Apple Cider to Friendsgiving last year and it was a hit! Just prepare at home and fill a Thermos (like this 40 oz Thermos). If you want, you can bring a carafe to transfer the cider to for serving, or for short distances you could just use the carafe to transport as well.
Pumpkin Eggnog is the perfect way to enjoy the flavors of fall. This is served cold, so be sure to store it in the Thermos already chilled. You can stir in the pumpkin vodka before leaving, or keep it separate so that you also have a non alcoholic version to serve.
Every year around Christmas, my aunt and uncle serve Wassail, a mulled wine that is just so comforting. So why not extend its usage to Thanksgiving as well? This is best warm so keep in the Thermos. You may want to warm it up when you arrive as well. It works great kept in a slow cooker on low; this 2 quart Crock Pot would be great and not take up a lot of room!
Sides:
Every Thanksgiving dinner needs cranberry sauce! And there is nothing wrong with the canned version. But, if you want to add some pizzazz to your cranberry sauce this year, this Slow Cooker recipe is really tasty and makes a bunch.
The best part is that it is really easy to transport. Just spoon the cranberry sauce into a 24 oz. Ball jar, screw on the top tightly, and you’re good to go. Cranberry sauce should be kept refrigerated, so just pop it into a cooler, like this Igloo Roller Cooler, with some ice packs and it will stay cold while traveling.
This Green Bean Casserole with Mushrooms replaces the traditional canned mushroom soup and tops it with homemade onion rings. This can surprisingly travel pretty well! You just might need to reheat it when you arrive. I’d suggest putting it under the broiler for a minute or two before serving to crisp up the onion rings as well. The Anchor Hocking Bake ‘N Take is perfect for transporting this meal and any other casseroles you may have; the 6-piece set has 2 baking dishes with lids, a hot-or-cold pack and an insulated carrying case. You can cook the casserole in the baking dish and then transport it inside the case.
These Horseradish Cheddar Mashed Potatoes with Bacon and Apples are a great spin on traditional potatoes. The sweetness of the apples balances out the flavor from the Horseradish Cheddar cheese making this one people will come back for seconds (or thirds)! To transport, keep the mashed potatoes separate from the topping. Store each in an airtight container, such as containers from Sterilite’s Ultra-Seal line. You can make this a day or so ahead and just reheat when you arrive at your destination. After heating each component separately, top the mashed potatoes with the bacon and apple mixture.
Desserts:
These Mini Preserves Tarts can be made a couple of days ahead of time. My family sets up desserts buffet style, and everyone goes down the line taking a little bit of everything. These mini tarts are great for our set up, allowing us to have a tiny bite without taking up too much precious space on our plates. We can always come back for more if we want!
Because the crust can be a bit delicate on these, the best way to store them would be in a shallow container with a lid so that they can be arranged flat. I love using my Pyrex Storage Set to transport tarts and the like; I usually use the square containers and just line up the tarts inside. This Rubbermaid Food Storage Container would work great as well if you’re making a few batches!
Trifles can be a bit more difficult to transport but this Gingerbread Chocolate Pumpkin Trifle is worth the extra care. Be sure to get a sturdy trifle bowl like this Luigi Bormioli Footed Trifle Bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Be sure to bring some extra crumbs and pecans in case you need to fix the top when you arrive. If you are traveling a relatively long distance and need to keep it cold, put it in your cooler first and fit the ice packs around it. Add in a towel in the empty spaces to keep it from moving around too much.
These Nutella Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are one of my favorite desserts I’ve ever made. They are that good! Traveling with them is easier than you’d think. You can either keep them in the container you baked them in, cover with plastic wrap, and cut when you arrive, or you can cut them up and place a layer in a container like the Ziploc Versa Glass Container. To stack additional bars, add a layer of wax or parchment paper on top of the bars, add more bars, and repeat.
Do you have any other tips for transporting food or have a specific food that you are trying to transport and don’t know how? Leave a comment below!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, pumpkin season! My love of pumpkin flavored, well, anything, is well known among my group of friends. September means I am actually allowed to dive into my pumpkin obsession but it is still a bit warm so we will begin with a chilled version of my favorite gourd – Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes!
I had a Pumpkin Pie Milkshake post on here from 2011, but when I switched my blog over to WordPress, the post got a little funky. So I decided to make the milkshake again with a few changes.
Ingredients (makes 2 servings, multiply as needed):
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 graham cracker (I used cinnamon graham crackers), crumbled
Snow cones (or snow balls, depending on where you are from) are synonymous with summer, boardwalks, and childhood. Shaved ice topped with a flavored sugar syrup are a refreshing treat on hot days. Francis Ford Coppola Winery offers Skylite Snowball Cocktail Syrups that pair perfectly with Coppola wine offerings for adult snow cones! I was sent a bottle of Francis Ford Coppola Chardonnay to try out this fun treat and paired it with the Skylite Pink Grapefruit Syrup to make Coppola Chardonnay Pink Grapefruit Snow Cones and Frozen Cocktails!
I am on a bit of a peach kick at the moment. They have looked oh so amazing at the store recently, and my boyfriend is a huge fan, so why not? Expect a couple more peach recipes to show up on here in the coming weeks. (I’ll try to space them out a bit.)
A friend of mine made this absolutely delicious Honey-Ginger Sparkling Bourbon Lemonade a few months back that I haven’t stopped thinking about. It was SO good! So when I spotted Cooking Light’s recipe for a Peachy Bourbon Lemonade, I had to make it immediately, hoping it would be similarly delicious.
This lemonade is such a treat during this uncomfortably hot weather we are having. It would be just as yummy and refreshing without the bourbon (either as a non-alcoholic drink or with another spirit of choice).
Ingredients (Serves 4):
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 cups water
2 cups chopped, peeled peaches (I used white peaches)
¼ cup lightly packed mint leaves
6 tablespoons sugar
¾ cup bourbon
Ice
Note: Bourbon does include grains that contain gluten. However, distilled alcohol is considered gluten-free because the process of distillation removes the harmful gluten protein, which is why I have this recipe listed as gluten free. If you are highly sensitive to gluten, bourbon may be off limits for you.
A few weeks ago, I had some watermelon I couldn’t finish. So I decided to blend the watermelon, drained it through a sieve, and froze it for future use. I knew I wanted to make a Watermelon Mojito and having the frozen watermelon puree would make the process much easier.
So when I was contacted by Polar Seltzer to try some of their summer seltzers, I knew the time had arrived. Even better, one of the flavors sent my way was Mint Mojito!
So I broke out the Watermelon puree and let it thaw in the refrigerator. You can also blend fresh watermelon right before making the mojitos.
Last year, I gave my dad sangria for Father’s Day. He loves sangria, so I thought I’d make it a yearly thing.
This time around though, I was also trying to sneak something by him. Instead of using sugar in the sangria, I used Monk Fruit In The Raw, a natural substitute. My father is diabetic, and Monk Fruit In The Raw is diabetic friendly (according to their website, “Monk Fruit In The Raw contains less than one gram of carbohydrates (by food exchange measure) and may be used in conjunction with food programs for people with diabetes as well as with guidelines for people with diabetes who use carbohydrate counting.”)
Now, I understand sangria in itself is not exactly diabetic friendly. But he is able to enjoy a glass or two once a year. The real reason I am trying the Monk Fruit In The Raw within the sangria is to see if he can taste a difference. You see, not only is he diabetic, but he is what some refer to as a “super taster.” He can tell you the secret ingredient in a recipe, and knows whether a wine is worth drinking. But, boy can he be picky too.
Unlike stevia, which leaves behind an aftertaste, Monk Fruit should be undetectable. So this is the first test to see if I can sneak Monk Fruit In The Raw into future recipes for my dad. So what is a Monk Fruit? Monk Fruit is a vine-ripened fruit found in Asia that kind of resembles a tiny watermelon. Monk Fruit In The Raw is made from Monk Fruit extract, which is about 300 times (!) sweeter than sugar. To make it measurable for consumption, dextrose (a natural bulking agent) is blended with the extract. Monk Fruit In The Raw also comes in a Bakers Bag, which is measurable cup-for-cup like sugar (in volume, not weight). The Bakers Bag contains Maltodextrin, which is also a natural bulking agent, that does not change the flavor of the sweetener. I used the Bakers Bag for this recipe.
Last weekend, I had some friends over to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday. I made a bunch of little bites for everyone to snack on, but I also wanted to offer a cocktail or two for everyone to try, like this Fizzy Old-Fashioned!
The most recent Cooking Light had this recipe for a Fizzy Old-Fashioned cocktail that sounded like a perfect warm weather drink. The recipe plays off a traditional Old Fashioned (muddled sugar and bitters, bourbon, orange rind) but adds in Blood Orange Soda to give it more flavor and a beautiful color!
Ingredients (4 servings):
3/4 cup bourbon
The juice of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon Peach bitters (or whatever bitters you have)
Note: Bourbon does include grains that contain gluten. However, distilled alcohol is considered gluten-free because the process of distillation removes the harmful gluten protein, which is why I have this recipe listed as gluten free. If you are highly sensitive to gluten, bourbon may be off limits for you.
This weekend, we had two beautiful spring days: a little bit of chill in the air but sunshine and clear skies. To celebrate the return of outdoor weather, I wanted to make a lemonade. I found this Martha Stewart recipe for Lavender Lemonade and kicked it up a notch by adding in some Rhubarb Tea, a spirit made here in Philadelphia by the people at Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (the same makers of Sage, Root, and Snap).
Rhubarb Tea, or Rhuby, is made from rhubarb, beets, carrots, lemon, petitgrain (an essential oil extracted from the green twigs of a bitter orange plant), cardamom, pink peppercorns, coriander, vanilla, and pure cane sugar and delivers a tangy yet sweet flavor, perfect for this drink! Even better, the ingredients are all certified organic.
Philadelphia is a food lovers dream. The city is filled with amazing restaurants around every corner. I love living here because no matter where I go to eat, I am inspired by what the restaurants are able to deliver. I do my best to emulate my favorite dishes and drinks throughout the city, with a bit of a twist.
I recently attended a new menu launch event at Serrano. An Old City staple, Serrano has been open for over 25 years. I’ve only eaten here once before, before attending a show at Tin Angel upstairs, so I was excited to revisit the restaurant. Serrano is a cozy restaurant that’s warm atmosphere feels like miles away from the busy Old City streets.
from Serrano’s website
Chef Gina Rodriguez has compiled a truly delicious spring seasonal menu. The restaurant was also debuting two new cocktails, The 6th Thyme and Jim Dandy in the Everglades. The 6th Thyme is made with in house made mead (made with locally sourced honey), Aperol, thyme, and white cranberry juice. The drink was garnished with a sprig of thyme, a perfect spring drink. Jim Dandy in the Everglades, made with orange vodka, peach bitters, and Proscecco was refreshing and right up my alley.
The 6th Time (Left) and Jim Dandy in the Everglades (Right)
I decided to do my own spin on the Jim Dandy in the Everglades to go along with my review of Chef Rodriguez’s menu. My recipe uses a homemade cranberry-orange vodka but keeps the rest of the drink true to form. (The addition of the cranberry is why my drink references the Cape instead of the Everglades).
I am so excited to share this cookbook with you. It’s an entire cookbook dedicated to Milkshakes! I have a serious ice cream addition, so it should go without saying that I love milkshakes. Although I’m never one to turn down a simple chocolate or cookies and cream milkshake, this cookbook brings milkshakes to a completely different level. Malts & Milkshakes: 60 Recipes for Frosty, Creamy, Frozen Treats has everything from the classics, to modern flavors, and even boozy shakes. The Author, Autumn Martin, is the founder of Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery in Seattle, so she knows her desserts!
All of the recipes can be made using ingredients found in your supermarket, but it also includes recipes for making your own homemade ice cream if you’re feeling particularly fancy. There are so many inventive recipes in this book: eggnog, earl grey, salted caramel, and mango rose milk shakes to name a few. And those don’t even include the boozy milkshakes! My two favorite ones from that section: Chocolate Espresso Whiskey Malt and Chipotle Spice Sipping Chocolate Shake. This book is not messing around!
Another favorite was the S’mores Shake. Few things symbolize wonderful summer memories like S’mores. Chocolate, Marshmallow, and Graham Crackers sound like a perfect combination in a milkshake too! I changed the recipe up ever so slightly, but the general idea is still in tact.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 marshmallows, roasted
1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
6 scoops vanilla ice cream (~3 cups)
2 scoops chocolate ice cream (~1 cup)
1/2 cup crumbled graham crackers, plus more for garnish
