This past weekend, my parents threw a surprise birthday party for my sister, and asked that I make a “punch” for the party. I’m not exactly a punch fan, but I love big batch cocktails, especially this recipe for a Rosé Aperol Spritz!
This one is perfect for the warm weather. It’s a play on a traditional Aperol Spritz, which is made with Prosecco, Aperol, and club soda.
This version, adapted from this Bon Appetit recipe, uses sparkling rosé instead of Prosecco, and “waters” it down a bit for easy drinking with some passion fruit juice and blood orange soda.
Aperol is an Italian liqueur made with oranges, gentian, rhubarb, cinchona and other ingredients that has a slightly sweet orange flavor with a touch of balanced bitterness.
Passion fruit juice can be found in the box juice section of your grocery store. Or, feel free to substitute in another juice of your choice.
I’ve professed my love for OXO products quite a few times before on my blog. But my love extends further than their cooking tools!
I have OXO to thank for any semblance of organization in my kitchen, (although I have more work to do). OXO’s Pop Containers help manage my dry goods, and their brooms and dustpans/brushes are strategically placed throughout my house. I’m also a huge fan of their folding dish rack, which I can easily store away when I need more counter space, and their soap dispensing dish brush for quick and easy dish cleaning. I even use their Electronics Cleaning Brush to keep my camera flour and food splatter free!
Recently, OXO sent me some awesome products to help further organize my sink and under-sink areas, as well as some limited-edition metallic Method cleaners and dish and hand soaps, all with naturally derived, non-drying formulas for soft, clean hands.
I can’t be the only person who struggles to keep the storage under my sink organized. Adding to my challenge, the area beneath my sink is a corner cabinet, so it’s oddly shaped, making it difficult to grab things. I have resorted to adding different sized boxes as “risers” to make it somewhat easier to reach everything.
I know. This is embarrassing
OXO’s 16″ Turntable helps organize this area so much more efficiently! The non-slip turntable and deep ledge makes it easy to reach my most commonly used items while keeping those items in place. The turntable could also be used on your countertop to organize your most used food items: olive oil, salt, pepper, etc.
You may have spotted a snazzy looking copper colored bottle on my turntable. Method’s Golden Citrus All Purpose Cleaner with Powergreen® technology, smells awesome, looks great, and cleans like a charm! The lemon, grapefruit and orange scent is a nice change from typical all purpose cleaners that smell… well, like cleaning products. Other scents include copper rain, cool lavender, and burnished cedar.
Moving above the sink, it probably comes as no surprise that I go through a lot of dishes. Like. A lot. I use my dishwasher whenever I can, but always hand wash my nonstick pans, knives, and wooden items. Before adding stuff to my dishwasher, I scrape off as much of the remaining food as I can, usually using the fork I just used (which isn’t terrible successful). So OXO’s Dish Squeegee is life changing.
Made of flexible silicone, the squeegee has both flat and curved edges to make it easy to clean leftover food off of plates and bowls. I was really surprised with how effective the dish squeegee is. I tried it on a plate with the remnants of birthday cake (which is why there is bright yellow frosting). The frosting was no match for this, look how much came off! This plate is so ready for the dishwasher.
So, I’m not going to lie. I hate washing dishes. So I tend to, uh, let my nonstick pans sit a little too long before I clean them. Which means when I make sauces, I get stuck with some caked on messes that make my cleaning job not exactly a breeze. OXO’s Palm Brush is up to the task though!
The scrub pad works great on grease and tough stains while still being safe enough to use on nonstick, ceramic, and glass cookware and bakeware. The rounded handle make it super easy to hold at any angle; plus, I don’t even have to remove my rings to quickly clean a pan!
I’m now able to keep the Golden Citrus party going with Method’s Dish Pump Dish Soap. It’s even pretty enough to keep on my countertop (I usually hide my dish soap below the sink.) Also, a little bit of the dish soap goes a long way, I cleaned half of my dirty dishes with one pump!
The perforated base allows the palm brush to dry fully. There is a removable dish tray for cleaning as well. There are also two compartments for your normal sponges, with a flip down holder to use as a sponge rest while doing dishes. The open design allows the soapy water from your sponge to drip right into the sink instead of your counter. (If you do not have a palm brush, the rounded storage space is a great size for a dish pump dispenser.)
You can never have enough space for drying dishes in my opinion (again, I go through a lot of dishes), which is why I love OXO’s Large Sink Mat– it can be used as a drying rack right in the sink!
The mat is designed to allow air and water to flow freely, discouraging mildew build-up, and conforms easily to the shape of your sink. It even provides some protection for your dishes — if a dish slips from your hand during washing, it provides a safe landing, protecting from chipping and scratching. The silicone mat is also available in a smaller size for double sinks.
Organizing my sink area has motivated me to keep on going and organize the rest of my kitchen. What are some of your must-do tips to an organized kitchen?
Before I go into my recipe for a Limoncello Whiskey Sour, I have to tell you about the upcoming event that inspired it!
My favorite outdoor event of the year is nearly here – Flavors on the Avenue! I am such a fan of this event that I even moved to be closer to it! (I’m only half kidding, but I most certainly did move to the Passyunk Square area partially because of the amazing shops and restaurants.)
source: visiteastpassyunk.com
Flavors on the Avenue is inspired by East Passyunk’s former Flavors fundraiser held under a tent each year. In 2017, the event went from under the tent and into the street. Adding to the original food and drink offerings, the event now includes family activities, music and retail sidewalk sales. Flavors on the Avenue will be held this Sunday, April 29th, and covers five blocks, lasting six hours starting at 11am.
source: visiteastpassyunk.com
Craft beer, wine and seasonal sips will be available. Look for drinks to be sold by select restaurants out on the street, plus stop by and visit the new Founders Brewing Co. Tasting Tent. Food will be specially priced between $3.00 and $6.00 (average) and be pay-as-you-go from individual restaurants.
source: visiteastpassyunk.com
Participating restaurants and eateries, along with their menus, include:
Barcelona Wine Bar – Vegetable paella
Bing Bing Dim Sum – Roast pork sandwich, cold noodles
Brigantessa – Sausage with giaroinviera relish with aioli
Cantina Los Caballitos – Pork tacos, ceviche
chhaya – Fried chicken and waffles, iced coffee
El Sarape Restaurant – Tacos al pastor, cemitas, pina coladas and homemade water: Jamaica and horchata
Essen Bakery – Mini za’atar croissant stuffed with labneh cheese.
Filitalia International – Penne with gravy and meat/cheese sandwiches
Fond – TBD
ITV Philly/Laurel – Pork Skin with Sour Cream and Onion
This year, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite new-ish additions to E. Passyunk, Manatawny Still Works, that I’m thrilled is a part of Flavors on the Avenue this year. Manatawny Still Works opened a tasting room on E. Passyunk late last summer and has been a welcome addition to the Avenue.
I am a big fan of their whiskey, specifically their ever-changing small batch options. Their Coffee Whiskey (Batch #16) didn’t last very long in my house at all, and their latest Pennsylvania Whiskey isn’t going to last much longer!
It’s actually one of a few tasting rooms on East Passyunk. There is also a store, Pollyodd, that sells multiple flavors of Limoncello. So I thought it might be fun to make a cocktail using both – a Limoncello Whiskey Sour!
A traditional Whiskey Sour is made with lemon juice, simple syrup, and of course, whiskey.
Limoncello tends to be on the sweeter side, so I thought it would be a perfect substitute.
I’m on a bit of a feta kick at the moment. I absolutely love French feta, which is a bit more mild and creamier than the more tangy, crumbly version most people associate with feta cheese.
When I came across a recipe for Feta Dip, I loved the concept, and knew French Feta would be perfect for it.
This dip is a nice alternative to the normal dips found at parties. The flavors are similar to tzatziki; serve with toasted pita or pita chips.
Ingredients:
12 oz French feta
1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
My husband and I have had some fairly heavy (but delicious) food recently. So this weekend, I was in search of something a bit lighter for lunch that would still fill us up, like this creamy avocado soup.
I’m so impatient weather-wise in the spring. I want it to warm up immediately, but that’s not exactly how this season goes.
Although today is supposed to be quite nice, some spring nights can be rainy and down right chilly. So it’s nice to have a comforting meal available for colder nights that still makes use of ingredients readily available in the spring.
This Slow Cooker Spring Lamb Stew is a Greek-inspired dish is made in a slow cooker, so dinner will be ready for you when you return from work. It also freezes well, so you can enjoy it whenever the weather calls for a yummy stew.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 pound lamb shoulder, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (I used 6 allspice berries; I was out of ground allspice)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/2 pound shallots, peeled and quartered
1 pound baby new potatoes
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
But I’m sick of waiting for spring to arrive to make delicious spring food!
So this recipe for Spinach Lemon Ricotta Pasta has spring ingredients that are still comforting in chilly weather – spinach with a lemony ricotta sauce over fettuccine.
A lot of people are pretty wary of vegan and gluten free baking. It seems like it would be difficult, but it’s surprisingly easy! Vegan baking can also be rich and decadent, like these oh so fudgy Peanut Crunch Brownies.
This recipe for Peanut Crunch Brownies is adapted from Heather Saffer’s well-named cookbook Crazy Easy Vegan Desserts. Heather Saffer, founder and CEO of Dollop Gourmet, has been featured on Shark Tank and Cupcake Wars for her delicious vegan desserts that can be enjoyed by anyone. I was sent a review copy and have loved paging through the recipes, they really are crazy easy!
The cookbook begins with a review of some dairy free and gluten free alternatives that can be used in baking.
So let’s dig into this recipe for Peanut Crunch Brownies, because, well, it’s delicious!
I’m kind of on a Sheet Pan kick. I love how simple they are, and how easy cleanup is! And this recipe for Sheet Pan Blackened Shrimp with Citrus and Roasted Fennel is no different!
This recipe is adapted from a Cooking Light recipe to make it a pure sheet pan meal.
I know the combination of flavors may seem a bit odd, but it really comes together in the end. My husband even asked for this to be put in our normal dinner rotation!
Ingredients:
2 small oranges (I used one navel, one blood orange)
2 medium fennel bulbs with stalks
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 small shallots, halved
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
I realized this weekend as I was making some of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day foods that I have not written a post on Colcannon!
Colcannon is mashed potatoes with sautéed greens mixed in, typically either cabbage or kale.
It’s pretty awesome Irish comfort food in my opinion. It’s so engrained in Irish cooking that it even has it’s own song!
Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream? With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream. Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?
This version uses shallots, leeks, and kale, but this recipe can easily be adapted to incorporate any green you prefer.
About this time every year, I start wishing for warmer weather. And yet, this time every year, we tend to get one more winter storm to prove that it’s not quite spring just yet.
So, given that it’s still freezing in Philadelphia, I decided to make a frozen cocktail, a Frozen Mango Daiquiri, that can help me pretend it’s nice and warm outside.
This is a fairly traditional frozen daiquiri, although I added in some cinnamon to complement the mango.
I used frozen mango chunks to make this, so it’s a super easy recipe.
Ingredients (makes 2 servings):
2 cups ice
1 (12 oz) bag frozen mango chunks
4 oz white rum
the juice of 3 limes, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon white sugar, plus more for rimming the glasses
I make more frosting (and desserts!) than I probably should. Luckily, I have friends, family, and coworkers more than willing to help me out with my baking experiments, and this recipe for Chocolatey Buttercream Frosting is definitely a favorite!
So it’s about time I shared my ultimate chocolatey buttercream frosting!
The secret to this frosting is a hint of coffee to really enhance the chocolatey flavor. I use Nielsen Massey’s Pure Coffee Extract to bring out the best chocolate flavor.
Ingredients (makes enough for 12 cupcakes):
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
So today, I wanted to share a version for those who love a sweet breakfast!
This Blueberry French Toast Casserole is easy to make the day of, or to assemble the night before for an easier next-day breakfast. My recipe is adapted from a version you can find here.
Ingredients:
French Toast Casserole
1 loaf of challah bread, cut into cubes
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, cut into small cubes
