Rosemary Infused Lemon Spritzer

I love Rosemary.

I also love anything citrus.

So, when I found this recipe for Rosemary Infused Lemon Vodka Spritzers on Brownies For Dinner, I just couldn't resist.

And besides, it's so easy!

However, I wasn't sure how I would like it because I'm not a big fan of plain Vodka & I've never had Rosemary as a drink before.

But let me tell you, this little recipe here is the bomb-diggedy!

The Rosemary is more for scent than actual taste. That is, it tastes mostly like lemons, but it smells like Rosemary.

And with a little ice? Absolute perfection.

here's how to make the rosemary lemon syrup from "Brownies For Dinner"

"Rosemary lemonade simple syrup

(adapted from Gourmet via The Bitten Word)
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
4 four-inch sprigs of rosemary

1. Place lemon juice, rosemary, and sugar in a medium pot.
2. Bring to a boil, stir to dissolve sugar.
3. Allow to simmer for about 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
4. Let it cool completely (about 1 hour), then remove the rosemary.
5. Use the syrup and enjoy!"

I did a shot of the syrup, a shot of vodka, 2 ice cubes & filled with spritzer.

Perfection!

Coconut Steamed Rice with Fruit

This is one I kind of just made up as I went along, and although no one else in my house hold likes, I like it. A LOT. REALLY A LOT.

In fact, I see this becoming a new summer staple.

I inherited a Panasonic Rice Steamer a few years back, when a friend of my husbands upgraded his. It's the best thing in the whole world & I don't know how to make rice any other way now. So all of my rice is steamed to absolute fool proof perfection every time.

So please pardon my directions here as they are kind of sketchy & not exactly precise.

• cover rice with an equal mix of water and Calahua Coconut Cream and steam.
• when it's done, set it out to cool down to room temperature
• top with slices of fresh pineapple and raspberries.

and enjoy.

it's seriously ohmygodgood. sweet but really good!

once it cooled completely I covered with the raspberries & stored in the fridge, but when I want to have it, I'll slice the pineapple at that time.

Potato Salad

I found this recipe at Seasaltwithfood and thought my husband would like it.

He doesn't normally eat potato salad, but there are enough of the things he does like in this, that I thought I'd take a chance.

And happily, he loves it!

Ingredients:

• Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 1 small Red Onion, chopped
• 3 ribs Celery, chopped
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh Chives
• 6 Tbsp Sour Cream
• 1 Lemon, juiced
• 5 Tbsp Prepared Horseradish
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Sea Salt to taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Method

"Boil the potatoes until just tender. Drain and cut the potatoes into quarters or halved if smaller.

In a separate dish, combine red onion, celery, chives, sour cream, lemon juice, and horseradish and mix well. Add olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the potatoes with the dressing and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 to 2 hours before serving."

or devour immediately like we did. either way, really, but I'm sure it will be even better in tomorrows lunch.

Orzo and Vegetable Confetti Salad

This is one of my most favorite things to eat in the summer.

I found it years ago in a Williams Sonoma cookbook and fell in love.


Unfortunately, the cookbook belonged to my then-step-mother. And when her & my dad divorced, I didn't get the opportunity to copy down the recipe. So for years, I didn't have it. And then after much digging, I found it online at the Williams Sonoma website. And let me tell you, I was VERY happy! You can find the actual recipe here, but I don't really change much about it.

Ingredients:

• 1 box orzo
• olive oil
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 12 radishes, diced*
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced*
• 8 green onions, green and white portions, thinly sliced*
• 2 Tbs of capers, drained
• 1 lemon, cut into 6 slices

Directions:

In a large pot over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the 2 Tbs. salt and the orzo and cook until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain the orzo and immediately toss it with 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Cover and cool completely. You can put it in the fridge for this, but I usually don't. I toss it with the olive oil & just let it sit out on the counter to cool, stirring occasionally while chopping the veggies. By the time the veggies are chopped, the pasta will be cool enough to add them to the mix.

In a large bowl, whisk together 4 Tbs. olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the radishes, carrots, green onions, capers and orzo. Toss to mix well.

It's pretty easy and straight forward, and best of all, it has a very fresh and light flavor.

*note: the quantity of carrots, onions & radishes may vary according to taste & size of said vegetable. I get my veggies from a local farm where they grow outrageously huge, so I only had to use a carrot & a half & 6 radishes & 6 onions. The whole thing is pretty much to taste anyway. It's a pretty flexible recipe.

Pesto Penne

This, my friends, is my new favorite summer dish.

EVER.

This is the most awesomest & most brilliant and delicious thing I've eaten in quite a while.

And the best part about it, is that it's super quick and easy!


Recipe:

• 1 box of penne pasta - boiled
• 1 package of pesto sauce - prepared
• 1 box of cherry tomatoes
• fresh mozzeralla
• kosher salt

boil the pasta until it's al dente, splash with a little bit of olive oil & set aside to cool
prepare the pesto & set it aside to cool a little bit, then pour over the pasta & toss well.
while that's cooling, chop the fresh mozzerella into bite sized pieces. put it in the pasta & pesto & toss well again. this time, add some kosher salt
half the cherry tomatoes, add to the mix & toss well again.

and that is it!

it's so good i almost cried. seriously.

i will give you this piece of advice on this:
be sure that the pasta & pesto have cooled well before adding the cheese, or it will melt. not that that's a big deal, but this is a cool to room temp served dish & the cheese really shouldn't be all melty for this.

i see myself eating this all summer.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

simple, really.

i had a massive craving for chocolate. and decided to make the peanut butter cups.

the problem, however, was that my need for chocolate was immediate.

the chocolate was melting

my husband was eating mini pretzels.

you do the math.

i left them to cool on waxed paper & then kept in the fridge over night.

they were mighty good.
mighty good.

and i'll bet they'd be even better with some popcorn.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

On Mothers Day I attempted to make White Chocolate dipped strawberries & failed miserably. I'd never worked with white chocolate before & quickly discovered that it doesn't behave the same way that regular chocolate does.

When I make the peanutbutter cups, I melt the chocolate & then take it to the dining room table where I fill the cups. This cannot be done with white chocolate apparently. The minute I took it off of the burner, it solidified & would not melt again. I tried to microwave it & it still wouldn't melt again. It just burned & filled the house with a disgusting smell.

So in order to salvage the project, I just dipped them into regular chocolate & then melted a new batch of white chocolate & drizzled it over the berries. And that worked out just fine.


However, I was undaunted & wanted to try the white chocolate dipped experiment again. So this weekend, I did it.

Here's what I learned:

Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler.
While the white chocolate is still on the stove, dip the strawberries in & give them a good twist or two to make sure they're totally coated.
Once they're coated, place on wax paper & put them in the fridge.
Once they've cooled & completely solidified, drizzle melted chocolate over the top.

Like the peanutbutter cups, they're pretty easy & make a good impression. And my mom loved them!