When life gives you… limes?

  By Kelsy | July 1, 2011 - 1:20 am | Recipes, Uncategorized Comments Off

I’ve got some big news. Yesterday I accepted an offer for my very first big girl job – I’m going to be a real structural engineer! Yeah, I’m kind of terrified, but also really excited.

So in an attempt to soak up the rest of my summer before I start, my friend Chelsea and I laid out by the pool all morning. It was glorious. Scorching hot, but glorious. But while we were out there I found myself seriously craving a Sonic strawberry limeade. Like, bad.

You see, my family loves Sonic strawberry limeade.

 

On Summer weekends, you can often find 4 plus sonic cups sitting around the pool. I mean, it’s the perfect summer drink. It’s tangy, refreshing, bubbly, and downright delicious. There’s nothing better on a hot day.

I may have actually sat in the parking lot next to Sonic multiple times once waiting for 2 o’clock happy hour to roll around.

 

But today, there was no need for me to be a creeper. Since we happened to have about half of this 5 lb. bag of limes left after making those key lime pies the other day, I figured I’d experiment with making a sonic style limeade. It was super easy and didn’t disappoint.

 

Sonic Style Strawberry Limeade

  • 1/2 Cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes worth)
  • 1 can lemon lime soda (I used a cranberry flavored one, but cherry or regular would be fine)
  • 2 Cups sparkling water
  • 1/4 Cup sugar
  • Strawberries and limes to garnsh

Start out by juicing your limes. I used four limes which gave me about 1/2 a cup of juice.

 

Pour that into a pitcher, add your lemon-lime soda, your sparkling water and sugar and stir to combine.

 

The soda and sparkling water give it the wonderful bubby-ness that I love in Sonic’s limeades. I used my soda stream to make the sparkling water, which of course sent the dog running for cover upstairs. God forbid anything should make noise.

 

I used a cranberry flavored soda because it’s what we had, and it made it pink, but turns out it also gave it a nice flavor.  I’m sure using a strawberry soda or a cherry flavored lemon-lime soda would be just as good though.

 

 

Now slice up some strawberries and muddle them in the bottom of a glass with some crushed ice. The crushed ice isn’t necessary, but if you’ve ever had the real sonic version then you know just how important it is.

 

Did you know that Sonic actually sells their crushed ice for like 1.99 a bag? Totally worth it.

So now just pour your limeade over your ice, stick a straw in it, and enjoy!

 

Seeing as it got up to about 95 degrees here today (of course with suffocating humidity as well), this totally hit the spot.

 

It really is the perfect summer beverage. And the best part? I didn’t have to lurk in the parking lot next to sonic to get it. I’d call that a win.

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Cheers to Five Years

  By Kelsy | June 28, 2011 - 12:29 am | Uncategorized 1 Comment

What do you get when you finally graduate after 5 long years of college?

Well, the short answer is a party. But we’ll get to that later.

The long answer is that you get a whole lotta memories.

 

Memories of tailgating and football games in the fall….

Of learning new things….


(Yep. That’s me welding. I never thought I’d see that either.)

 

Of late nights spent working hard in studio…

And also of hardly working in studio…

Of late nights of another sort…

Of national championships!!

And most importantly, of making great friends!

I’ll miss you KU! Thanks for the fun!

 

Oh yeah, so back to that party…

We’ve been prepping for it all week. Mulching, painting, cleaning, cooking.

But it all turned out great!

Note the double underline on my cake. My mom underlined it on the order form to make sure that they noticed the different spelling of my name. Apparently they write it exactly as they see it. haha.

 

We ordered catering from bandana’s barbeque, which was delicious, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to be eating it for the next week straight. And this is after we sent everyone home with leftovers. We also had pasta salad, fruit and veggie trays, coleslaw, chips and guacamole, and baked beans, and these cute little pies I made.

mini piesThere were four flavors – key lime, coconut cream, lemon, and cherry cheesecake.

The lemon and cheesecake were just no-bake mixes. The key lime pie recipe was from our best bites, and can be found here, and the coconut cream (which was awesome! I may have to do another whole post just on this) was modified from this recipe from the Kraft website.

They were definitely a hit. Everyone thought they were so fun, so I’m glad I stayed up making them. (And finishing them as the first guests were coming in.)

I think it’s safe to say that everyone had a good time!

Well, except for Caesar, who was pouting since he had to spend the day in “his room”. He gets a little freaked out by too many people in his house.

I had a blast though, and was so glad to see everyone who came, but now I’m off to write quite a few of these…

Enjoy your week!

- Kelsy

 

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Pizza, Pizza

  By admin | June 22, 2011 - 9:48 pm | Recipes, Uncategorized Comments Off

Ok, I confess. I don’t like pizza. Plain and simple.

sausage pizza

Most people react to this news with great disgust.  As in, “WHAT!?! You don’t like pizza?!! That’s crazy! And you’re Italian!” I don’t know why, I just never have. I’ve gone hungry at many a childhood birthday party and after school get together. I mean, I love doughy crust,  melted cheese, and marinara all on their own, but together? No thanks, just doesn’t do it for me. Until I came across this sauce, that is…

I got this recipe from a friend after going to his graduation party last year. His dad had built a brick oven in their backyard and was cooking personal pizzas that everyone assembled themselves.  After having a bite of the one Jeff made, I was instantly converted. The sauce is tomato-y but with an almost barbeque undertone thanks to the honey and balsamic. It is seriously SO good. And so easy too. You gotta try it.

saucy

Joel’s Pizza Sauce

  • 24 oz tomato paste
  • 24 oz warm water
  • 3/4 C.  Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 C. Honey
  • 4 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 C. balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried marjoram
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried rep pepper
  • salt to taste

Directions: Mix all ingredients together at least 2 hours before using on pizza.

That’s it. Told you it was easy. And if you’re like me, and want to make it even easier, you could substitute garlic powder for minced garlic and Italian seasoning for the dried herbs. If you do that, you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry at any given time. You’ll never go back to jarred sauce again.

I was eating it straight out of the bowl with a spoon. Seriously. And I’m not ashamed at all to say that.

So, since I first tried this sauce recipe on personal pizzas, I thought those would be perfect to make for dinner. As opposed to eating the sauce like soup, which I probably would have been perfectly happy doing.

pizza dough

So I searched the web for a pizza dough recipe and got to work on it. Here’s what I used:

Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Adapted from this recipe

  • 1 Cup warm water
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 1 Cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

Start by mixing together your cup of water and honey. Add in the packet of yeast, and let sit about ten minutes until it has bloomed and looks foamy.

Once it is ready, pour it into a large bowl and add your other ingredients, and begin mixing.

Now turn it out onto the counter and knead it for about 6-8 minutes, or until your dough is smooth and elastic.

Put it back in the bowl, covered, and let it rest and rise for about 30 minutes. I left mine for about an hour, though and it was perfectly fine as well.

It should go from this…

To this….

It’s like magic.

Now that it’s risen, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and cut into 4 pieces for personal pizzas or in half for two twelve-inch pizzas.

Now press each piece out into rough circles. Mine were very rough. Just tell everyone they’re “rustic” – that instantly makes it okay that they’re totally not circular.

doughAfter I had them formed, I par-baked them in a 425° oven for about 10 minutes. You don’t have to do this, but I find that it ensures that the crust bakes through and isn’t soggy in the center from the sauce.

While they’re in the oven, you can assemble the topping bar with whatever your heart desires.

I had peppers, onions, carrots, tomatoes, black olives, fresh mozzarella, sausage balls, mushrooms, bacon, and broccoli.

Once your crusts are out of the oven, start assembling. Starting with lots of the delicious sauce, of course.

sauce

Then put on all the toppings you want, a task that clearly takes great focus and concentration.

All ready for the oven… I tend to go a little crazy with toppings.

Now just pop it back into the oven for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melty and wonderful. Mmmm… now try to wait a few minutes before diving in as the sauce and cheese are like molten lava. It’ll be hard, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Serve it up with a side salad and you’ve got a great meal that everyone can customize to their own taste. Mine was all veggies, and Jeff of course had the meat lover’s special.

sausage pizza

I can tell you one thing for sure. Had these pizzas been served at my friend’s birthday parties, no one would have gone hungry. Enjoy!

- Kelsy

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Dad’s Day

  By admin | June 20, 2011 - 6:01 pm | Uncategorized Comments Off

For Father’s Day this year, our Dad wanted to go to a Cardinal’s game, so a Cardinal’s game it was.

Busch StadiumWe had awesome seats in the “Redbirds Club”, which has an indoor air conditioned area (which can be really nice during the sticky St. Louis summers) along with your typical outdoor stadium seats, but it turned out to be such a beautiful night, that the a/c wasn’t even necessary – partially thanks to these big guys:

This was literally called a “Big Ass Fan”, and it was fantastic. The picture really doesn’t do it justice. Believe me, it was huge.

On the menu were brats and beer for dad, pretzels, pizza, and sweet potato fries for the girls, and plenty of peanuts for all.

peanuts

Including this quadruple nut that Jeff named Jerry. Don’t ask. We just like naming inanimate objects. We’re cool like that. The only problem is that after you name it, you can’t eat it,  right?

All in all it was a great night. Normally, it seems to me like baseball games drag on for a while, but this went by really quick. Before we knew it, it was the seventh inning stretch. Of course we joined in on singing “Take me out to the Ball Game”.

take me out to the ball game

She really gets into it.

We enjoyed great company,and the Cards even brought home a winner – ending a 7 game losing streak. Yay!

Happy Father’s Day Dad! We love you! Jerry included.

dad

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Numero Uno: Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

  By admin | June 17, 2011 - 3:10 am | Recipes, Uncategorized Comments Off

Well, here goes nothing… post numero uno. After talking about doing this for a long time, Erin and I are really excited to get started. I figured since food is the main focus of our little blog, I’d start out by sharing a recipe.

peppers

Seeing as I’m still on the job hunt, I have a lot of free time to spend in the kitchen right now – something that my family certainly appreciates. My mom and I got a big bag of these colorful bell peppers at Costco last weekend, so I decided I would make stuffed peppers for the fam.

pepper

What I came up with was a variation on your classic stuffed bell peppers that I’m calling southwestern stuffed peppers. They are easy, totally customizable with whatever ingredients you like (jalepenos would be great if you’re a spice fan), and are super cute to boot! Here’s the recipe:

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

  • 6 Sweet Bell Peppers (any colors you like)
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 a Large Onion
  • 4 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 Shallots
  • 1 Medium Zucchini
  • 1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Corn
  • 1 Cup Sliced Mushrooms
  • 1 Can of Black Beans  or 1 lb. Ground Beef
  • 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
  • 2 Tsp Ground Cumin
  • 1 Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese of Choice (I used a Mexican Blend)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375°. Take your peppers and cut off the tops, removing the seeds and ribs so that they can be stuffed.

slice

Fill a large pot (the bigger the better) with water. Bring to a boil, and drop your peppers in, letting them cook for about 5 minutes, or until they’re just barely soft. This way they won’t have to cook forever in the oven.

boiling peppers

Now remove them (preferably with something other than a knife so they don’t fall back in and splash boiling water on your arm. Live and learn.) and let them drain while you get going on the filling.

remove peppers

First heat your oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Now dice up your onion, garlic, and shallots and throw them in to start browning. Side note- is there any better smell than onion and garlic sauteing together? I think not.

onionAnyway, now let those saute for a few minutes while you dice up your zucchini. Make sure the pieces aren’t too big so they’ll be well incorporated into the stuffing.  Now add those and the mushrooms to the pan and let sautee for a few more minutes.

zucchini

Next, depending if you’re making these meaty or meat-free, add either your ground beef or can of black beans. (and yes, I did have two skillets going to please everyone). If you’re using beef, cook until it’s browned and if you’re using beans, just let them heat through for a minute or so.

Now is when I added my spices, but you could also wait until the end to do so. Whatever floats your boat. Mix them to incorporate and keep on going.

Lastly stir in your corn, canned tomatoes, and rice to the mixture. Voila, filling done.

Now start stuffing your peppers. I put all of mine in a casserole dish so that they would stand up for me both while they cooked and while I stuffed them. I just took a big serving spoon and packed them full.

all stuffed

Now just top with cheese, and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes and dinner’s ready!

Some waited more patiently than others.

These turned out great! And to be honest, I don’t even really like bell peppers, so I guess that’s saying something. I liked it topped with salsa, but Jeff preferred good old taco sauce.

Yum. I hope you enjoy! We sure did!

Jeff's pepper

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