Raspberry & Basil Bourbon Jam Sours

I have this summer fantasy. Not like, a Fabio fantasy…sillies. More like an idyllic summer in the South kind of fantasy. I'm sitting on a porch swing on a sunny, summer day. There are those big hanging trees around the porch—willows?—and probably bluegrass playing off somewhere in the distance, mingling with the sound of the breeze through the trees. I'm kicking back, without a care in the world. It's basically a never ending Sunday in August. Job? What job? Bills? What bills. Cocktail? Yes, definitely a cocktail. 

This fruity, jammy, lemony, herbaceous bourbon cocktail is exactly what I'd be drinking on that porch swing. Can someone just invite me to their porch swing already? 

Jam and booze is such an amazing, perfect combo. I don't know why I haven't been doing this forever. These drinks are sweet and fruity in a not-too-sweet, summery kinda way, with a bit of tang from the lemon juice, and a nice basil and bourbon finish. So good. So, so good. It's my…jam. Yep. Said it.

Until I find that porch swing and endless summer afternoon, my couch, episodes of Fargo, and this cocktail will have to do. 

Raspberry & Basil Bourbon Jam Sours

Makes 2

These look a bit dainty with their pretty pink hue, but trust me, they are strong cocktails, as bourbon drinks should be. Feel free to lighten it up with a splash of soda water. If your jam is pretty sweet, you may not need the honey. 

2 tablespoons raspberry jam/preserves of your choice*

1 teaspoon honey

1 sprig fresh basil (about 4-5 leaves)

Ice

2 ounces bourbon

Juice from 2 medium-large lemons

Combine raspberry jam/preserves in a small dish, and microwave about 15 seconds, just to loosen it enough to easily stir together. 

Add basil to a cocktail shaker, and muddle/mash. Add ice about 3/4 full, bourbon, lemon juice, and jam/honey mixture. Shake shake shake!

Pour over ice, garnish with a leaf of basil, enjoy!

*I used Trader Joe's Raspberry Fruit Spread. 

Hawaiian Sliders with Grilled Pineapple & Teriyaki Mayo

Sliiideerrrrz! 

I feel like sliders got really crazy big in like, 2009, and were everywhere, then after a year or two we were all like "sliders are so overdone, just give me a full size burger, already" and now we're at a place where we can enjoy a good slider now and then, without it being too mainstream OR too OMG-SLIDERZ. 

I personally love a good slider, because it's the perfect couple bites. You can have a hamburger without committing to a full hamburger, ya know?

Evan and I do Hawaiian style burgers or chicken sandwiches a lot. I guess the grilled pineapple is what makes it Hawaiian. For these ones, I also made a little teriyaki mayo sauce. So good!

You could absolutely make these into full sized burgers, but how fun would it be to bring a tray of pre-assembled Hawaiian sliders to your Memorial day BBQ!? SUPER FUN!

Hawaiian Sliders

Baby-sized ground beef patties

Swiss cheese, sliced

Pineapple slices, grilled

Avocado

Tomato

Teriyaki Mayo Sauce (below)

Slider buns

I trust that you can grill some burgers. Just do whatever you prefer. I did a simple home-ground beef mixture with salt and pepper, topped with swiss cheese. And also, grill some pineapple slices. I found some amazing brioche slider buns, but any little buns, breads, or rolls will do. To assemble, start with half your slider bun, then layer on teriyaki mayo sauce, grilled baby burger with cheese, grilled pineapple, avocado, tomato, and more sauce. Then top it off with the bun top! That's it! 

Teriyaki Mayo Sauce

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon liquid sweetener (honey, maple syrup, or agave)

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

Hot sauce of your choice (Sriracha!)

Fresh ground black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients, and you're good to go! 

Baked Coconut Buttermilk Donuts with Ginger Glaze

I think you should have donuts with a mom this Mother's Day. Whether it's your mom, your mom's mom, a friend's mom, a mom friend, or a new mom, and even if it's over the phone or FaceTime or Skype. The beauty of the internet is that we can be close even if we're far away. We can send pictures instantly, and even make the same donut recipe to eat together when we're miles and miles apart. 

The older I get (which, I might add, is only a few weeks away from my last twenties birthday… yikes!), the more I appreciate moms. A lot of gals I know are having babies, and man, that looks really hard. And also my mom, she's so tough and brave and strong (and pretty! and fun!). Mom's really carry the load for everyone. I wish we understood that as teenagers. Hey teenagers, be nice to your moms! 

So, here's to the moms! On Mother's Day, and every day. Celebrating Mother's Day with donuts. Celebrating every day with donuts. Celebrating mothers every day. It's a big circle, you guys… like… a donut. 

These donuts are so pretty and perfect for a springy Mother's Day brunch. I'm obsessed with the sweet coconut cake and spicy ginger glaze combo. If you're less into major ginger heat, start slow, with just a little ground ginger, and work up to the fresh stuff. 

Also, if you're looking for a gift for mom, get her a donut pan, already! 

Baked Coconut Buttermilk Donuts with Ginger Glaze

Donut base adapted from this recipe

Makes 12 donuts 

Donuts

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla 

3/4 cup desiccated coconut (dried, shredded, and unsweetened)

Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (grated super fine and pulpy on a microplane)

1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

2.5 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Additional desiccated coconut (about 1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease donut pan(s).

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and sugar. Pour buttermilk in a measuring cup, and stir in melted butter and vanilla. Add half the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture, stir, then add half the egg/sugar mixture, stir. Repeat with remaining buttermilk and egg/sugar mixture. 

Fill donut pan holes just barely to the top. I usually pipe donut batter in with a plastic bag, but this is a bit thicker, so I just spoon it in and spread it around with my finger or a spoon. Bake for 10-15 minutes (my oven took exactly 13 minutes), until donuts are just golden, spring back when touched, and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in donut pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter if you only have 1 pan. 

Cool completely on a wire rack before glazing. 

To make glaze: In a large bowl, whisk together both gingers, water, and vanilla. Add powdered sugar, and whisk until combined and smooth.

Put coconut in a separate dish or plate.

Dip cool donuts (smooth side down) in glaze, then immediately into coconut. Let sit until glaze hardens, about 15 minutes. 

Carnitas (for tacos!)

I'm bad at a some things (including math, laundry, and singing), ok at a couple things, pretty good at a few, and absolutely, totally great at one thing. That one thing, my friends, is roasting pork. 

I'm not trying to brag or anything, but seriously, I'm really, really good at pork shoulder. It's a gift. It's my calling. I usually just throw stuff in without actually measuring, but for your sake, I finally measured and wrote stuff down. Please make these carnitas you guys, seriously. You need to make this pork. 

Also, tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo. You know, that one holiday in the US where we eat a ton of Mexican food and drink margaritas. Otherwise known as my favorite food holiday. I love everything about Mexican food. I could eat tacos all day long. Especially carnitas tacos. I judge taco places by their carnitas, and I would absolutely go back to a place that served my carnitas. 

This pork is tender and crispy at the same time. It's tangy and salty and a little bit spicy, with hints of cinnamon and citrus. Dreams are made of this stuff. 

When I'm doing BBQ style pulled pork, I use the slow cooker, but for carnitas, I like to use the oven. The pork gets tender and juicy, but the edges get crispy, which I think is what really make this pork awesome. 

Oh, PS… T-minus five months until my wedding! WHAT. I have a lot of spray painting to do. Any volunteers? 

Pork Carnitas (for tacos!)
Loosely inspired by this recipe

Be prepared for a couple hours of marinating, but if you're in a rush, you can just marinate for an hour and it will still turn out delicious! 

4-5 lbs pork shoulder

Juice from 2 large oranges (about 1 cup)

Juice from 1 lime

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large serrano pepper, diced

1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate*

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon oregano

Fresh ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 bottle of light beer (Mexican beer like Pacifico)

Trim major fat off of pork shoulder (ok to leave a little bit, but get as much as you can), and cut pork into 4-5 big chunks. Put in a large bowl.

Whisk together orange juice through cinnamon, and pour over the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours to overnight. 

Preheat oven to 375.

On the stovetop, heat a large oven-proof stockpot over medium-high. Remove pork pieces and pat dry (reserve marinade). Sear each pork piece, just 1-2 pieces at a time, (too many in the pot will make it steam) on each side. Add all the seared pork pieces, reserved marinade, beer, and brown sugar to pot. 

Bake covered for 2.5-3 hours. 

Right in the pot, shred with a fork and stir into the sauce (remove any fat pieces that might be in there). The pork should be fall-apart tender.

To make it a bit crispier, I like to put it back in the oven for 10 minutes after shredding.

For tacos, serve in warm corn tortillas, with diced white onion, cilantro, and cotija cheese. 

*I use Tamicon brand, often found near the Mexican or Asian aisle in the grocery store. 

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Recipes

It's fiesta time! Here's a little roundup of some of my favorite Mexican-inspired recipes for Cinco de Mayo! 

Having a Cinco de Mayo brunch? Serve Baked Tortilla Cup Huevos Rancheros and these awesome Black Bean and Chorizo Egg Tortas!

Every fiesta needs BEBIDAS! Put out a bucket of Mexican beers, Jarrito & Tequila To-Gos, and of course, whip up a batch of Coconut Margaritas! 

For snacks, put out a big bag of tortilla chips (my favorite are Juanita's!), some Totally Grilled Guac, and some cheesy Aperitivo de Frijol!

Taco bar? Be sure to add this spicy/tangy shredded beef for Machaca tacos! 

It turns out, I don't have any Mexican dessert recipes on the blog! Crazy! You know what else is crazy? I've never had tres leches cake. Like, ever. Never even one bite. I'm thinking of changing that real soon, and here are a few contenders:

• Shutterbean: Coconut Tres Leches Cake 
• The Candid Appetite: Classic Tres Leches Cake
• Chez Us: Coconut & Lime Three Milk Cake
• How Sweet Eats: Banana Bread Tres Leches Cake 

Peanut Butter Date Shakes

I feel like I've been really boring on here lately. I'm sorry! I've made and eaten plenty of tasty things this month, but most of them are quick little salads, soups, or thrown together bowl-meals, none of which are particularly blog worthy. 


I do have some more donuts to share with you soon, but I need to make them again for photos… and I have a cold (seriously!? As if I wasn't already sick for the first two months of the year…). I don't want to germ-up a bunch of donuts that other people are going to eat, and I certainly don't need 12 amazingly delicious donuts sitting around my house. I will eat every single one. Donut will power is not a thing. It doesn't exist. So, I want to be sure I can safely share with friends before I make them again. Because coconut. And ginger glaze. See what I'm saying about will power? 

In addition to quick little dinners, I've been using my Vitamix like crazy. I know they're expensive, but guys… I'm telling you… life changing! I used to make smoothies like once a month. My old blender sucked so bad, it took forever to blend everything up, and was just an all-around pain in the ass to use. So I saved up my credit card points, and used them to get a Vitamix. Now I blend things almost daily! Sometimes twice daily. Even thrice daily, on occasion. Fruit & veggie smoothies, creamy soups, nut milks and butters, hummus, bean dip, sauces. All thing things. I highly recommend a high-powered blender (for a more affordable option, my parents have a Ninja, and love it). 

My favorite treat lately has been this peanut butter date shake. It tastes milkshakey, but is full of good for you stuff like peanut butter, banana, almond milk, dates, and oats. I won't lie and say this is a low calorie shake, because it's not. But everything in it is natural and healthy-like, and it's a major protein boost. It's quick and easy to make, so perfect before early morning workouts. Just kidding… I don't work out in the mornings, who do you think I am? I wish I was a morning person, but no matter how hard I try, it just doesn't happen. I'm pretty sure my REM sleep kicks in at 8AM. So instead I have this shake as an afternoon snack, dessert, or late-morning breakfast.  

Peanut Butter Date Shake

Makes 1 big shake, 2 small ones

3 pitted dates (I used the large medjool dates. If you like it less sweet, start with 2, and the 3rd as needed)

1 banana (the riper it is, the more you'll taste it--I go for less ripe)

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (plus more if needed)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1 overflowing cup of ice

Depending on your blender, you may need longer blending times. I add everything except the ice to the blender, and blend until it's all smooth (the dates take awhile). Then, since the long blending time has likely warmed up the mixture, I add my ice last, and blend until smooth. Taste test as you go. Add more peanut butter or vanilla if you want, or more almond milk if you like a runnier shake. Sometimes I also add toasted coconut!

Note: This post is in no way affiliated with Vitamix, I just happen to be obsessed with mine, and all opinions are my own. 

Sesame Sriracha Egg Salad

Here's my second egg salad experiment. And, I must say… this one rocks. It rawks, even. 

Before we get to the goodness of this recipe, can I tell you something sort of embarrassing? So, I've had lower back pain on and off for years, and recently, as I've amped up my outdoor running for spring, my backs been killing me. So I went to a sports rehab doc, and guess what? My glutes aren't doing their job, forcing all the effort on my lower back. Basically, in a nutshell, my butt muscles aren't working right. So now, in order to retrain my muscles to do what they're supposed to do, I have four weeks of PT. To relearn how to walk. My butt is broken.

In other news… Sesame Sriracha Egg Salad! After my deconstructed egg salad, I was brave enough to try a mixed up version with lots of fun flavors. This has sesame oil, soy sauce, and sriracha, and the flavor totally kills. So, so good. I seriously want to eat this every day. Egg salad convert!

Sesame Sriracha Egg Salad

This is the 4-egg version, which basically made two overloaded baguette slices. Double the recipe for more, or cut in half for less.  

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Sriracha

2 teaspoons mayonaise

1 teaspoon sesame oil

4 hardboiled eggs

Salt & pepper 

Baguette slices

Micro greens or spring greens

Extra Sriracha

Black sesame seeds

Whisk together soy sauce, Sriracha, mayo, and sesame oil. Chop eggs in fairly small pieces, add to mayo mixture, and gently toss to combine. Salt & pepper to taste. Top baguette slices with greens, a big scoop of egg salad, an extra squirt of Sriracha, and a sprinkle of black sesame seeds.