Blood Orange Vanilla Lemonade

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Let's make some lemonade, you guys! Yes, I know it's still basically winter, but hear me out. This IS winter lemonade. Since blood orange season is only December through May, you can only make this in winter or spring soooooo I'm not crazy! Or at least, I'm not crazy because of this idea.

I love, love, love blood orange so much more than regular oranges. I think they're sweeter and have an almost berry-citrus flavor. Does that make sense? Yes? No? Maybe? Maybe the color is playing with my brain!? I buy them as often as I can get my hands on them. This lemonade is a must, a cocktail often occurs, maybe toppings for a salad, glaze for salmon, a pound cake with champagne, oh the possibilities! 

I made this a few years ago on a whim, for a family game night and we drank almost all of it that night. My sister took the rest home and has become a hardcore fan of it. Which reminds me, I set some aside for her. I need to take it to her ASAP. There is a good chance if I don't hurry it won't last long enough. 

Blood Orange Lemonade

Makes approximately 1/2 gallon

1 1/2 cup simple syrup (recipe follows)

3-4 lemons to equal 1/2 cup lemon juice

4-6 blood oranges to equal 1 1/2 cup blood orange juice

3-4 cups cold water * to taste

2 vanilla beans

Juice and strain lemons and oranges until you reach the needed measurements, add to drink container or pitcher. Stir in water and simple syrup. Split vanilla beans and add to lemonade and stir. Remove the vanilla bean after about an hour if you don't want a strong vanilla flavor. Store in refrigerator up to a week.

Simple Syrup 

makes about 1 1/2 cups simple syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

In a sauce pan, combine and heat water and sugar, stirring until all sugar dissolves. Allow to cool to room temp before refrigerating. 

Cheers!
XO,
Ashley

coconut hazelnut chocolate iced coffee

HHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-eeeeeeeeeeeee! I'm back again. Twice in a week! Maybe it's because I'm all hopped up on coffeeeeeeeeeeee! I may have had enough that I thought my eyeballs were going to vibrate right out of their sockets yesterday.  Random fact about me, I very, very, very rarely drink hot coffee anymore. I'm iced coffee all year round. This one is a definite favorite of mine.  And, this flavor is one that works, year round too.

Now, you're going to think I'm nuts, but there is a serious flavor difference between cold brew and hot coffee that's been cooled then iced. For whatever reason it's seems sweeter and less acidic. At one point, I couldn't drink any coffee, because I became so nauseated, I could barely eat for the rest of the day. For whatever reason, cold brew usually does not affect me that same way. Maybe it's all in my head or maybe there is a reason to it, but for what ever reason, this is my go to coffee method. I just bought this cold brew maker a couple of weeks ago and I love it! I definitely recommend getting one if you love iced coffee year 'round.

Coconut Hazelnut Chocolate Iced Coffee:
serves 8-12

For Coconut Chocolate Hazelnut Syrup:

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Combine all ingredients, except extract, in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling remove from heat and stir in coconut extract. Allow to come to room temp before refrigerating.


For Cold Brew Coffee:

Use a 4 to 1 ratio for your brew.
For example, I use 4 cups water to 1 cup coffee for a small batch.

Place your coffee and water in a pitcher or jar and allow to sit at room temp for at least 12 hours. I tend to go a full 24. Then strain through a fine mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Be careful not to let any grounds through. I find it keeps up to week just fine.


For the Iced Coffee:

Pour coffee over ice, stir in syrup to taste and top off with coconut milk.

Kiwi Pineapple Green Smoothie

I told you I was coming with smoothies this month. 

I keep my promises with kiwi, pineapple, kale and spinach.

   I know, the blog world, your Facebook and Pinterest feeds are over run with smoothies and salads right now. Everyone is chanting "new year, new me." Guess what! I'm not. I live for smoothies 24/7/365. I grew up drinking smoothies. I don't think Mom even put spinach in them, but she did make them for a quick breakfast or as a dessert to keep us away form ice cream. Now, I give them to my boys for the very same reasons. I tend to prefer them for breakfast because I am a slow starter (I've mentioned this before) and I can make these with my eyes still blurry and my brain is still warming up. 

   I lean towards smoothies when my stomach problems rear their ugly head. Unfortunately, it is just something I have to deal with and there is nothing that can be done about it on the bad days. There is no medicine, no magic cure. My only option is to lean on liquids on the days or weeks that I feel awful. I won't go into what I have or why because it is boring and that's not why I'm here. But, I add of that to say, I don't necessarily believe in juice or smoothie cleanses. I've done them and HATED every dang second of it. But on the days, where you feel bloated, binged on bad for you food the night before or are just getting over a stomach bug, these are the days that this kind of smoothie is what you need. You don't want to do this for every meal though, there are far too many fruits in here and that would be way to much sugar for one day. 

Kiwi Pineapple Green Smoothie
serves 1
(click to print)
1 cup kale*
1 cup spinach*
1/2 cup fresh pineapple
1 kiwi chopped
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup coconut water
1 tablespoon flax seeds
honey to taste

Combine all ingredients and blend until liquefied.

*I used 2 cups of a spinach kale blend

Mint Chocolate Iced Coffee

Forget paying a trillion dollars a cup for a peppermint mocha when you can make it at home.

   Some mornings, aka EVERY morning, I am very slow to rise and very slow to motivate myself. That has been one constant of my entire existence. I do not wake up ready to do anything, but grunt. I never have and never will. I thought all of that would change once I brought my heathens into the world, but no such luck. They just wake up before me and demand food, while I try to pawn them off on my husband as often as possible. One day, some day maybe, just maybe I'll be a proper adult and wake up with the sun, but it is very unlikely. Until then, I drink this concoction or something very similar on a regular basis.

   I make two versions of this chocolate sauce. I make a double batch using regular cocoa for my two little guys chocolate milk and make a batch of this type for my coffee and for my husband's night time chocolate milk. He reserves it for the most stressful of days. The days he when he comes home about to explode with stress and wants to scream. Those days, he has a glass of his "grown up" chocolate milk. I use dutch process cocoa powder to make this "dark chocolate" or "semi-sweet", because it is stripped of the acidity and darkens the color and intensifies the flavor.  I recommend keeping some on hand for baking junkies, like myself.  

Dark Chocolate Sauce
yields 2 cups
(click here to print)

2 cups sugar*
2 cups water
1 cup dutch prorcess cocoa powder

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a skillet whisk together all ingredients, then bring to a boil over medium high heat whisking often. Once it boils, cook for no more than 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until neutral to the touch. Stores, covered in a refrigerator for 2 weeks to a month.

*Feel free to change it up for something healthier, use maple syrup, brown rice syrup, whatever you choose for sweetener.

   Use this for flavoring coffee, tea, cocktails, whatever floats your boat. It's a good basic to keep around the house.

Mint Simple Syrup
yields 2 cups
(Click here to print)

2 cups of sugar*
2 cups of water
5 to 6 large springs of mint.

Combine in a pot a bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook for no more than 5 minutes Remove from heat and allow to steep and cool until neutral to the touch. Store in a covered container or jar in the refrigerator.

*Feel free to change it up for something healthier, use maple syrup, brown rice syrup, whatever you choose for sweetener.

Mint Chocolate Iced Coffee
(aka Peppermint Mocha)
makes 1 serving
(click here to print)

I take mine:
(and yes I know this is a huge portion, don't judge me)

2 tablespoons dark chocolate sauce
3 tablespoons mint simple syrup
1 1/2 cups cold coffee
1/2 cup half and half or your desired creamer
ice

Stir together all ingredients and drink up!

Prepare to become addicted and say goodbye to your drive-thru habit!


xoxo,
Ashley

Tropical Carrot Smoothie

   I didn't plan on sharing this smoothie of tropical amazingness but that changed once I tasted it. I realized how good it was, I grabbed my camera and snapped a couple of shots. Then I promptly, sucked it down like it was a chocolate milk shake. Don't judge me, it was sooooo good. 

Tropical Carrot Smoothie:

makes 2 large smoothies

(click to print)

2 carrots, washed and roughly chopped

2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup chopped frozen pineapple

1/2 cup chopped frozen mango 

1 tablespoon flax meal

2 cups coconut water

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

honey (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until carrots are broken down. Turn on high until blended, test for sweetness, add honey if needed and enjoy!

This is a great breakfast or midday pick me up!

xoxo,
Ashley

Cherry Lemonade

This is a new favorite in our house.

In fact, it was a huge inspiration for my kids' birthday party.

I made  a Lemonade and Tea Bar. 

Basically we had a huge container of lemonade and a huge container of tea with tons of flavored simple syrups and cotton candy to add in.

The possibilities are endless to the dreamy concoctions that can be made.
More on that at a later date. 

I've tried to make this multiple times before and since but cherries never last long in my house. A certain tall, dark and handsome man keeps stealing them out of my fridge. He is a real problem with pluots too. I can't keep any good stuff around them. I really need to get faster about making these recipes.

This is perfect for a picnic or just a treat on a hot day. 

This is such a versatile idea too. 

Swap out the cherries for any fruit or stir in a teaspoon of an flavored extract to the simple syrup, if you prefer. 

Cherry Lemonade

(click to print)

4 lemons, juiced

1 cup cherry simple syrup (recipe follows)

3 cups cold water

10ish cherries, pitted and smashed

Combine all ingredients in you pitcher or serving container and give it a stir. 

Cherry Simple Syrup

makes 2 cups

25 cherries, pitted and sliced

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

In a sauce pan stir together your ingredients and heat it over a med-high heat until is comes to a slow boil. Turn the heat down to low, allow to simmer for 10 minutes or so. Allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating. 

It should last a week in the refrigerator, but mine is always gone within 2 days, so I make no promises. 

 Thirst quenching goodness!

xoxo,
Ashley