Mom's Hushpuppies + Sriracha Dipping Sauce

I'm finally back in Denver. After a month of what ended up being a pretty dreamy visit with friends and family I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. My garden is huge so expect lots of zucchini/cucumber/chard/tomato/herby posts. For now, check out my most recent post on Whole Home News. These are hushpuppies (my mom's recipe) with Sriracha dipping sauce. Pretty killer. Click here for the full post/recipe.

Bouquet of Lettuce

I'm excited to update you all on what I've been up to the past few weeks and to give you a brand new recipe on Wednesday!

Cocktail Friday: Cucumber Basil Gimlet

There has never been a time when leaving my family behind in Minnesota as I fly (or sometimes drive) to wherever I happen to be living at the time is easy. It's just not an easy thing to do. Saying "good bye" or "see you later" or any other form of that sentiment is my least favorite thing to do. I had a happy childhood growing up where I did. My parents, sister and I got along wonderfully 99% of the time and still do. I love Minnesota with it's many lakes, green summers and snowy white, bitterly cold winters. I love it all.

Cucumber Basil Gimlet Recipe :: Set the Table

Yes, leaving is difficult. It used to seem like a bad thing until I realized something: the fact that I have a family that I love to spend time with and a beautiful place to visit and relive childhood memories makes me one of the luckiest people ever. I'm glad that I'm sad to leave instead of itching to go. And when I am back in Minnesota, I get to enjoy views like this one from the comfort of my parents' backyard:

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So, for my last Cocktail Friday post from Minnesota (until next time) I'm sharing a drink made with fresh ingredients from my parents' garden. My mom picked the basil, I think Riley may have picked the cucumber (whenever he doesn't pick a green tomato we have a mini celebration), and the flavors work wonderfully with some Minnesota vodka and fresh lime juice.

Cucumber Basil Gimlet :: Set the Table

I never know for sure when I'll be back, but I always know that when I'm with my family we will laugh til we cry, eat good food, and generally love one another as we always have.

Cheers to that.

Colorado, I'll see you soon!

Cucumber Basil Vodka Gimlet :: Set the Table

Cucumber Basil Gimlet

Ingredients

• 4 cucumber slices (plus extra for garnish)
• 5 or 6 basil leaves
• 1 oz lime juice
• 3 ounces vodka (I prefer Prairie vodka)

Instructions

1. In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle the cucumber slices and basil leaves with the lime juice. Add the rest of the ingredients, fill the shaker with ice, and shake for about 30 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass over ice. Garnish with a slice of cucumber.

Cocktail Friday: St. Germain Cocktail + Smoked Salmon

I spent last weekend in Duluth, Minnesota with my parents. If you follow me on Instagram, you likely saw a barrage of Lake Superior photos, pictures of the tall ships that were visiting, and a few shots of food and drinks. It was a wonderful, albeit short, getaway that gave Riley and me some quality time with my parents. My dad and Riley spent some time throwing rocks into the chilly waters of Lake Superior. Riley and my mom held hands walking up and down the board walk. We made some wonderful memories.

One of my favorite traditions from past trips to Duluth is buying smoked fish at one of the local shops. For this trip, I decided on pepper-crusted smoked salmon. It's full of flavor and goes perfectly with a luxurious triple cream cheese (from France), an aged white cheddar (from Iowa), and a $1 sleeve of saltine crackers. We enjoyed these tasty snacks with an elegant, floral cocktail: St. Germain with Prosecco. It's a lovely aperitif to serve for happy hour at home, or to mix together for a summer gathering.

St. Germain Cocktail

There are more involved ways to make this cocktail, but I decided to keep it simple. Dry, bubbly Prosecco (or Champagne) is perked up with some elderflower liqueur and a thin slice of lemon. There is really no reason to write a recipe, but in case you need help with quantities I've put a recipe below.

Enjoy your weekend everyone! Cheers!

St. Germain Cocktail

Makes 2 cocktails

• 2 oz. St. Germain
• Prosecco or Champagne, chilled
• lemon slices

Put one ounce of St. Germain in each Champagne glass. Fill the glass with the chilled bubbly. Add a lemon slice. Serve.

Cocktail Friday: Summer Sipper

After 2,500 miles of driving, we are finally in my home state of Minnesota! It was a long journey that seemed never-ending at times but was sprinkled with the perfect combination of dear friends and goofy family laughter. We enjoyed good food together, did lots of swimming in Lake Michigan, and learned a lot about what works and doesn't work when you drive such a long distance with a toddler and a dog.

orange-basil gin cocktail

Needless to say, more than one day ended with a relieved sigh and a drink in hand. I'll share more details about our trip and what we've been eating a little later, but I wanted to get this lovely summer cocktail recipe to you first. It's perfect if you have a bumper crop of basil this year and are looking for ways to use it up. I found that if you soak basil leaves in gin, it lends a beautiful basil flavor. I've used that method here for this orange and basil cocktail.

This Summer Sipper is perfect for hot evenings in the dog days of summer. With a bright orange color and the fresh, herbal touch of basil, there is nothing more refreshing.

What are your favorite summer cocktails? I'm always looking for inspiration!

Summer Sipper

Makes 1 cocktails

• 2 oz fresh orange juice
• 1 1/2 oz Bombay Sapphire Gin
• 3-4 basil leaves, torn
• sparkling water
• Additional basil for garnish

Combine the gin and basil leaves in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the gin infuse for 4-6 hours.

Fill a cocktail glass with ice. Add the gin and orange juice. Top off with the sparkling water and stir to combine. Garnish with additional basil leaves and serve.

Cocktail Friday: Rosemary Martini + Frozen Grapes

Ah, summer. I can never decide if I love or hate this season. I'm not a fan of hot, hot heat so I typically get annoyed right around this time of year and start wishing for cool fall days when I can cozy up in a sweater and not feel like death both inside and out. I don't know if it's because I grew up in Minnesota or if I was just born this way, but I hope you'll love me anyway.

Frozen Grape Garnish

Since it is so hot, I'm going to embrace the ability to channel simple, cool cocktails and icy cold garnishes. My brain may be too melty to come up with a new, exciting cocktail, but sometimes simple is better (with a little visual flair of course). This rosemary martini (a combination of rosemary simple syrup, vodka and Vermouth) is the perfect way to cool down on a hot summer night and the garnish is easy to have ready to go in your freezer. You can use frozen grapes to garnish any number of drinks, but I love the elegant simplicity it brings to a martini. Add a little fresh sprig of rosemary from the garden and you've got one classy cocktail! And yes, the rosemary does at least remind me of cooler temperatures with its piny flavor.

Rosemary Martini

Not only do the frozen grapes look delicious, they help keep your drink cold just a little longer. And they make for a tasty snack when your glass is empty. As for the rosemary infusion, you can use almost any herb you have on hand: thyme, sage, basil...get creative!

We are leaving for a road trip to Saugauck, Michigan tomorrow morning. Any suggestions for what to do when we get there? Any good stops along the way? We are traveling with our 1 1/2 year old son and our 1 1/2 year old black lab. We could use lots of suggestions!

Cheers to Friday! Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Rosemary Martini + Frozen Grapes

Yield: 2 Cocktails
Ingredients

• 4 oz vodka
• 2 oz dry vermouth
• 2 oz Rosemary Simple Syrup
• Rosemary sprigs for garnish
• 2 frozen grape garnishes

Instructions

1. When your garnishes are frozen, go ahead and make your cocktail. Simply add the vodka, vermouth, and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice.
2. Begin by making your frozen grape garnish. You'll want to do this at least half an hour in advance to the grapes are nice and cold when you put them in your cocktail. I like to make a lot of these and stick them in a freezer bag to I can pull them out any time I need them. All you need to do is this: thread 3 grapes onto a toothpick and place in a freezer bag in the freezer. They are great for snacking, too!
3. Shake just until the liquid is chilled, about 20-30 seconds.
4. Strain into two chilled cocktail glasses, garnish with your rosemary sprigs and frozen grapes. Serve.

Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam

I'm having one of those weeks where I feel like I'm just barely hanging on. It's as if every time I accomplish one task, three more get added to the list. I suppose that's the nature of life with a toddler and a puppy, but at this point I'd like to feel like I'm at least a little bit above water. Part of the problem stems from the fact that I have high expectations for my mediocre cleaning abilities. I envision our house sparkling and organized after a week of tackling every room. The reality is this: between my less-than-perfect housekeeping skills and the toddler who is always following me leaving a trail of debris behind him, I'll always be playing catch-up.

We are leaving for a long road trip on Saturday morning and to be completely honest, I can't wait to be able to sit still for just a little while. Even if Riley is screaming in the back seat and the dog insists on sitting on my lap. It's fine. As long as I don't have to move.

Since I've already made this post somewhat of a rant, let's talk about Instagram. I rarely use Instagram photos on my blog because I'm not as talented with those photos as others. Let me just say this: when your black lab is chasing her tail because you've neglected to walk her and your toddler is running in circles around the dining room table yelling "Doggy! Doggy!", you do what you have to do. The photo above is from Instagram. If you want to follow me and see pictures of my food, my dog and my child, click here.

So let's talk about bacon jam. Because that seems like a completely normal segue after discussing life's stresses and photo apps.

I made Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam and I don't feel at all bad about it. In fact, I'm quite proud of myself for taking this step into the world of bacon. Bacon and I have never been super close. We meet sometimes for breakfast on the weekends, but those occasions are few and far between. This jam business has taken me from having a casual relationship to having a serious/obsessed/stalker relationship with bacon.

Peppered bacon, red onion, garlic, coffee, maple syrup, and bourbon make up this jam. It all blends together so wonderfully that you might start to question why these ingredients are ever apart. I've spread it on bread for grilled cheese sandwiches, served it alongside a cheese plate, and have considered trying it with this peanut butter toast.

If you haven't tried bacon jam, I think this is the time. With all the summer parties and at-home happy hours going on this is a great item to have on hand. We had some friends over a couple weeks ago and I made mini grilled cheese toasts and served them with this jam. No kidding- we had appetizers ready in 5 minutes and gone in about 3. The jam is what did everyone in. It was a huge hit.

So, regardless of what else happens this week, at least I have a jar of bacon jam in the refrigerator. Right?

Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam

Ingredients

• 1 lb thick cut peppered bacon
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons dark coffee, finely ground
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup Bourbon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lay the bacon sliced on the sheet. If the bacon doesn't fit, use 2 baking sheets.
3. Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the bacon is golden brown and crispy. Keep a close eye while it's baking- you don't want it to get over done.
4. Let the bacon cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes.
5. Remove the bacon and place it on a cutting board but DO NOT remove the foil.
6. Carefully pour the bacon grease from the baking sheet into a large, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron if you have it). You should have about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease.
7. Heat it over medium heat, then add the onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent. While the onion cooks, cut the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.
8. Add the bacon to the pan and toss it all to combine. Cook for about 3 minutes.
9. Add the maple syrup and coffee grounds to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes.
10. If it seems like the bacon mixture is too dry (there should be a bit of liquid at all times), add a couple tablespoons of water to the pan.
11. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
12. Add the Bourbon and cook for another 20 minutes, adding water as needed.
13. Transfer the bacon mixture to a food processor and pulse a few times. The jam should not be completely smooth, but should have some texture.
14. Transfer the bacon jam from the food processor to a jar and cover with the lid. Cool completely before putting it in the refrigerator. The jam will keep for 2 weeks.