Dragon fruit is the most intriguing fruit, am I right? This was my first time using it, so obviously I figured I could test it out by throwing it in a margarita ;)

Enjoy while we still have all this dang heat! Fall starts next month, how crazy is that?

makes 2 margaritas
1 heaping cup frozen dragon fruit
1 heaping cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup fresh pineapple juice
juice from 2 limes
1/2 cup ice
3 shots tequila
1 1/2 shots triple sec
2 tablespoons agave
2 tablespoons fresh basil (save a few leafs for garnish)

Put everything in a blender and garnish with extra basil. Cheers!

If I could only eat tacos for the rest of my life (ideal, hypothetical situation), they would all be filled with shrimp.

Shrimp is my fav meat of all time…but something about them in a soft taco just makes me IN MY HAPPY PLACE. And this recipe is definitely a keeper!

for the shrimp:
I used the coconut shrimp recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, you can find her recipe here!

Just don’t forget to buy some flour tortillas to go with it ;)

 for the avocado slaw:
1 package slaw mix
1 avocado (peeled, pitted, mashed)
fresh cilantro, chopped
fresh lime juice
salt & pepper
splash of vinegar
1/2 jalapeno, minced/no seeds
EVOO

for the sauce:
sweet chili sauce (Trader Joe’s is my fav!)
mayo
fresh lime juice

Honestly, I did not measure anything for the slaw or the sauce, just mix it all together until it tastes good! Everyone likes their own level of heat, sweet, etc. so just use whatever. You know I can’t stand to measure…

Yes, you read that right! TWO STEPS, say whattttttt?! You’re welcome.

I recently decided to commit to this trending keto diet that is all the rage? It allows cheese…so this shouldn’t be too miserable, right? Anyway, here goes nothing!

for the roasted cauliflower:
1 head of cauliflower, chopped in 1-2 inch chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1. Combine all ingredients above on a baking sheet. Roast at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. When it’s done, simply just add it into the cheese sauce below and mix!

for the sauce:
3/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 ounces cream cheese
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
salt & pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

2. Combine all ingredients above in a medium sauce pan, whisk until smooth. Feel free to eat this right away or bake it at 350 for 15 minutes!

Who knew healthy eating could be so delicious? Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Let’s get right to it, here is my fabulous recipe for a beautiful New Year’s Eve cocktail!

Serves two
3 oz pear vodka
3 oz ginger liqueur
Prosecco
Juice from 1/2 a lime
Sprigs of thyme
Thin slices of pear

1. In cocktail shaker with ice, add pear vodka, ginger liqueur and lime juice – shake, shake, shake!
2. Pour into a glass filled with ice and add no more than 1.5 oz of Prosecco per glass
3. Garnish with sprigs of thyme and thinly sliced pear and enjoy!

Happy New Year! We are ready for ya, 2019! FYI, here is the best ginger liquor to use for this drink…

She’s alive! It’s been a solid 4 months since my last post, oooooooops!

One day I’ll be good at this blogging thing…but for now ya girl is busy being a sugar mama (I love you honey!) and spending all my free time not on the internet ;)

So let’s get right to it! Here is the cocktail that I served up at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. Enjoy!

1 ounce spiced apple cider (Trader Joe’s has the best, duh)
2 ounces bourbon
.5 ounce amaretto
splash of orange liqueur
splash of orange juice

Optional garnishes:
fresh oranges, sliced thin
cinnamon and sugar
fresh rosemary sprigs
fresh cranberries
cinnamon sticks

1. Place a small pile of cinnamon and sugar on a plate. Dredge one side of an orange slice in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
2. In a medium skillet over high heat, place an orange sugar side down and heat for 1-2 minutes until crystallized. Let cool for about 10 minutes- they will harden up!

3. Pour apple cider-orange juice ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake, shake, shake!
4. Serve with a couple ice cubes, Rosemary sprig, a few cranberries, cinnamon stick and orange sugar side up!

I hope everyone had a HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Hopefully, you’ll see me on here again soon :)

Sooooo ya know how I can’t stand to measure anything while cooking? Well, if you’re new here, HUGE spoiler alert: I never measure. Every single thing you read on this blog is an absolute guess haha, don’t you hate it?

Well, this habit carries over whenever I throw together cocktails too…so here goes nothing!

A true bartender just mixes a little bit of this and a little bit of that, right?

makes 1 drink:

2 shots 100% pineapple juice
2 shots pineapple rum
1 shot vodka
7.5 oz (small can) Ginger beer
jalapeños, thinly sliced and seeds removed
sprigs of fresh Basil
pineapple, cut into chunks
limes

1. Fill a glass with lots of ice, pour in pineapple juice, rum, vodka, 2 jalapeño slices, juice of 1-2 slices of lime
2. Top with ginger beer
3. Garnish with slice of fresh pineapple, lime and large sprig of basil

Best when served lakeside ;)

Not into spicy Moscow mules? Neither is my dad…try out these floats instead!

Spiked Cherry Coke Floats

These were perfect for my dad’s Retirement/July 4th party at the lake :)

Cherry coke
Black cherry rum (I recommend Cruzan)
Vanilla ice cream
Fresh cherries

1. Fill a class with three scoops of vanilla ice cream
2. Pour 1-2 shots of dark cherry rum over ice cream
3. Top off glass with cherry coke and garnish with fresh cherries
4. Serve to someone who deserves it, like this retired father of mine! Happy Retirement Dad, you’ve more than earned it!

I love a good potato salad! The combo of perfectly cooked potatoes, egg, dijon mustard, pickled relish and paprika…I mean, dang.  A traditional potato salad is hard to beat. But I feel like this potato salad is a fresh, bright change of a July 4th favorite.

Representing the color RED, we have red skin potatoes and none other than bacon! The WHITE is found in white potatoes that I mixed in with the red. And the BLUE is from the crumbled blue cheese. Not sure if there is any other “blue” food that is more appropriate here?

Total disclaimer, I am not a blue cheese fan! But when it’s paired with salty bacon, tangy lemon zest and sweet balsamic vinegar – all of the sudden, I am a blue cheese believer. I love taking foods that I “dislike” and adjusting my taste buds around it. Except olives. I will NEVER like olives, yuck.

I hope everyone has a very happy fourth! And if you’re looking for something easy to bring to that BBQ or pool party, look no further. Impress your friends and fam with this easy dish.

serves 4-6 people

1.5 lbs mixture of baby red/white potatoes
1/4 EVOO
1/4 balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayo
3 tablespoons fresh dill
3 tablespoon fresh chives
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large lemon, zested & juiced
salt & pepper, to taste
8 slices of bacon
1/4 cup green onion
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
honey roasted pecans, chopped

1. In a large pot, add potatoes, pinch of salt and fill with water. Bring to boil and cook about 10-12 minutes.
2. While potatoes are boiling, cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat. When done, let sit on paper towels. Reserve about 1-2 tablespoons of the bacon grease ;) trust me!
2. Strain potatoes and let chill for about 20 minutes. Dice potatoes into small chunks.
3. In a mixing bowl, use a whisk to mix everything from balsamic vinegar – salt and pepper.
4. In a large mixing bowl add potatoes, balsamic vinegar mixture, chopped green onion and you guessed it…leftover bacon grease!
5. Let this mixture sit in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours. The longer the flavors can sit and really combine, the better! When ready to serve, add blue cheese and lightly toss. Top with honey roasted pecans! Here are the ones I had laying around in my pantry…and yes, I covered up the expiration date ;)

Tadaaaaaaa! Feel free to garnish with additional green onion, dill and chives if you’re feeling chef-y.

If you read my blog regularly, you know I really can’t stand measurements. And I know people can’t stand me because I can’t stand measurements! So I’m super sorry (not sorry) for this measurement-less recipe, but I mean come on…these are hot dogs. Pile it high!

Basically all of my favorite things are co-existing on this hot dog. Creamy avocado, baked sweet potato fries, zesty black bean and corn salsa, covered in queso all on top of a HOT DOG.

I’d like to think that there’s nothing missing here…

100 % beef hot dogs
hot dog buns
store bought queso, heated
tomatoes, diced
avocado, cut into large chunks

for the black bean corn salsa:
3 ears of corn, husked and shaved off the cob
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
zest and juice from 1 lime
salt & pepper
splash of vinegar

for the sweet potato fries:
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into fries
EVOO
salt & pepper
garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a baking sheet, toss sweet potato fries, EVOO, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Arrange evenly into rows, bake for about 15-17 minutes flipping halfway through. You will have to do this in shifts!
2. While sweet potato fries are baking, combine all ingredients for the black bean corn salsa in a mixing bowl. Taste and adjust flavors as needed and DONE!
3. Grill hot dogs until grill marks appear and then if desired, use grill to toast the buns as well
4. Place hot dogs in buns and top with the sweet potatoes, black bean corn salsa, tomatoes, avocado, queso and top with fresh cilantro.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND! I hope you find the time to enjoy one of my all time favorite foods – a hot dog!

HAPPY SUMMER! I am starting off this season the right way – with a crowd favorite, pasta salad! What better dish to bring to a summer party or BBQ?

Fire up your grill for this one! This grilled corn on the cob with a buttery, herb sauce turns a boring, typical pasta salad into a zesty one.

My favorite part is that the corn sneaks its way inside the shells for a much more meaty bite. YUM!

But let’s get straight to the point and just hand out this recipe, I won’t keep you guessing…

for the pasta:
1 lb large shell pasta, cooked according to package instructions, drained & cooled
3/4 cup EVOO
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 gloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
juice & zest of 1 lemon
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup diced onion
1-2 cups fresh arugula (I didn’t measure this, use as much or as little as you want!)
4 oz diced pancetta, cooked
4 oz shaved Parmesan cheese

for the grilled corn:
2 ears of corn, husked
1 stick of butter, melted
1/2 of a jalapeno, minced
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chives
1 tablespoon dill
1 tablespoon parsley
salt & pepper

1. In a mixing bowl, combine EVOO, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt & pepper and lemon juice/zest. Whisk until combined and thickened.
2. Add the mixture to the cooked/cooled pasta – toss carefully with tongs or clean hands.
3. Add tomatoes, onion, arugula and Parmesan cheese, toss well. Add additional salt & pepper to taste.
4. In another small mixing bowl, combine melted butter, minced jalapeno, garlic, chives, dill, parsley and salt & pepper. Using a basting brush, brush mixture over corn.
5. Grill the corn over low/medium heat for about 20 minutes – rotating and browning each side as best you can.
6. Once corn is completely cooled, shave off corn kernels with a knife straight into the pasta. Lightly toss again and add additional salt & pepper to taste. If you can, let the pasta chill in the fridge for a few hours or up to a day – the longer it sits, the better the flavor ;)

Enjoy!

Confession…this may or may not be the first time I’ve ever made or eaten stuffed peppers!

So who knows if I really did this right? But I feel like I did! My husband and I nearly devoured them, so I think I’m in the clear ;) however, these aren’t your grandma’s cheesy, rice-filled stuffed peppers that most people are used to. While I am sure those are dang delicious, these are whole 30 stuffed peppers! Meaning no cheese, no rice, ZERO sugar, and completely clean ingredients and still down right tasty. That’s a win-win in my book.

I felt like it was time to do another Whole 30 recipe because a) it’s been a while and b) this time last year I was finishing my first whole 30 cycle. Ayo! 30 days of feeling absolutely amazing, in spite of the fact that most foods I LOVE were restricted. IT IS POSSIBLE! I still try to eat as many whole 30 meals as I can, but I don’t center my entire life around it. B-A-L-A-N-C-E!

makes 8 stuffed peppers

2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 large shallot , diced
EVOO
1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
1 lb cauliflower, riced
10 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
1 lime, halved
salt & pepper
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
8 large bell peppers (I used red, it’s what I had on hand)
2 avocados, pits removed, diced
20-30 large raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
Trader Joe’s Chili Lime seasoning

1. In a LARGE skillet over medium heat, add EVOO. When pan is hot, add garlic & shallot, cook until translucent.
2. Add sausage and cook until meat is no longer pink.
3. Add riced cauliflower to pan with sausage, more EVOO, diced tomatoes with green chilies and about 1/4 cup chopped cilantro. Stir and cook for about 7-8 minutes. Add salt, pepper and juice from 1/2 of a lime. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Cut the tops off of bell peppers and remove all seeds – discard all that mess!
5. Using a large spoon or ladle, fill peppers with cauliflower/sausage mixture and put in a glass baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes until peppers are soft and the tops are lightly browned.
6. Pat shrimp dry with paper towel to make sure the seasoning will adhere. Coat shrimp with chili lime seasoning well on both sides.
7. In a skillet over medium/medium-high heat – add EVOO and then add shrimp when pan is hot. Cook shrimp 1-2 minutes or until no longer pink.
8. Top the peppers with shrimp, avocado and additional cilantro and garnish with lime on side.

I know some of you may not have access to Trader Joe’s, I get it. You should probably move within 2 miles of one like me ;) BUT I also love Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning and you can find that stuff just about anywhere – use that! As always, feel free to sub out ingredients that you may not have on hand. Like maybe you have fresh tomatoes and a jalapeno? Skip the canned stuff and use that! I swear I just use whatever is in my pantry any given day. I really wish I had coconut milk to add to the rice mixture to make it a little creamy, but I didn’t. And I sure as heck didn’t run to the grocery store for that either! But if you have it, use it. If you don’t have it, substitute it. Have fun!