Peach Shrub Mocktail

During our first summer in Colorado, I discovered my love/obsession with Colorado peaches. I have honestly never tasted anything so delicious and for a couple of weeks all I can think about is eating at least one peach every single day so I don't miss out on the fleeting season. It also helps me deal with the fact that I am overheating/melting every time the temperature creeps above 85 degrees. Last year, I made a huge batch of peach jam thinking we would enjoy it all year round. But then no one ate it. It turns out people have some serious opinions about peach jam. Message received. This year, I opted for something a little different and made a peach shrub. Never heard of a shrub? It is essentially juice extracted from fresh produce and mixed with vinegar to be used as a mixer for cocktails. You can do it with just about any seasonal fruit from spring and summer berries to fall apples (which I'll be trying ASAP). And once you make it and stick it in the fridge, you have one year to savor and enjoy.

Yep. It's wonderful.

I plan to sip my way through the year (or the next 6 months...depends on how long this lasts) with shrub-based mocktails like this one. Fall flavors like sage, nutmeg and apple cider blend perfectly with the sweet flavor of summer peaches. And the vinegar adds a lovely zing that most mocktails lack.

With this drink in hand I'd like to say cheers to fall and thanks to summer for the lovely peaches.

I'll be spending the next 10 days soaking up the fall leaves in Minnesota. If you'd like to follow along with my trip, be sure follow me on instagram!

Peach Shrub Mocktail

Yield: Makes 1 cocktail

The peach shrub recipe is from my friend Jen from Use Real Butter. I doubled the recipe and tried one bottle with apple cider vinegar and one with white vinegar. So far, I've enjoyed the white vinegar best but both are quite lovely.

Ingredients

• 1 oz peach shrub
• 2 oz apple cider
• 3 large sage leaves
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

1. In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, combine 2 of the sage leaves and the shrub and muddle to release the flavor of the sage.
2. Fill the shaker halfway with ice and add the apple cider and nutmeg.
3. Pour into a cocktail glass and garnish with the last sage leaf.

Pumpkin-White Bean Skillet Dip

We went out for Ethiopian food over the weekend with some friends. Eating out is not something we do very often, thanks to the fact that I'm always cooking something, and when we do go out it is usually to a favorite place that serves something our picky toddler will eat. But this time, there would be no toddlers. No bowls of macaroni and cheese, plates of pizza, or crayons being dropped on the floor every 3 seconds. No. This time, we were having an adult night out at a brand new, interesting restaurant. And it was awesome. I'm now completely obsessed with Ethiopian food and with the woman who owned the restaurant we went to. She was beautiful in every way, from her silvering hair to her twinkling eyes and genuine, child-like smile, she captured my attention from the start. We ate with our hands by scooping up bites of lamb, lentils, and chicken with a piece of injera. Injera is basically Ethiopia's answer to tortillas, crepes, bread, and utensils. It has a flavor similar to sourdough bread and is light and airy yet quite filling. I started thinking about how much fun it is to eat this way and how we don't have nearly enough of that in American cuisine. Then I realized that we do: dip! Chips and dip may be far less romantic, but it's a similar concept, yes? With that in mind, I bring you a delicious, football-worthy dip: Pumpkin-White Bean Skillet Dip.

That's right. A savory pumpkin recipe has now graced my blog and I am excited about it. Creamy white beans, pumpkin puree, a bottle of Oktoberfest, some onions, garlic, and sage make this dip wonderfully flavorful and healthy. There is a little cheese added at the end but this creamy, satisfying dip is made without dumping in a bunch of sour cream, cheese, or cream. Served with some whole wheat pita chips or whole grain tortilla chips, this is an ideal fall snack.

I'm starting to like football season more and more thanks to recipes like this one. But don't tell my husband...

Pumpkin-White Bean Skillet Dip

Serves 4-6

Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, sliced with the grain
• 1 12 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 bottle Oktoberfest beer
• 4 sage leaves
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, unsweetened
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 oz Gruyere cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1 oz grated parmesan cheese
• Tortilla or Pita chips for serving
•  

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and onion and sautee until fragrant and just beginning to brown.
3. Add the white beans and increase the heat to medium high. Cook, stirring gently, until the beans being to brown slightly in places.
4. Add the beer and sage leaves to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half.
5. Remove the sage leaves and discard.
6. Add the pumpkin puree and stir until the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 minutes.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Top with the cubed Gruyere and place under the broiler for 5 or 6 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.
9. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and serve with chips.

Apple Cheddar Scones + Tillamook Trip

Apple Cheddar Scones? Yes. They are amazing. The sweet, tart green apple and gooey, warm pockets of sharp cheddar are a match made in heaven. My husband always asks me where I get the inspiration for my recipes. For this particular recipe, the inspiration came from a brief visit to Oregon when I was lucky enough to attend an event hosted by Tillamook with a group of fellow food bloggers. We spent a lot of time eating cheese and ice cream together and this pregnant lady was very happy about all of that. I think I filled my calcium quota for the next 3 months. Aside from eating all of the things, we also learned a lot about how their company works. We met some of their key employees who work to make sure the products they put out on the shelves are of the highest quality. We were able to soak in the beauty that is the Oregon coast. And perhaps most importantly, we were able to make a personal connection with a company that has truly proven itself over and over again throughout the years. I didn't really have one specific company I looked to for cheese, ice cream, or yogurt, but now I do.

Seriously. So. Much. Cheeeeeeeese.

I'm convinced a huge reason for the balanced flavor and consistent quality of Tillamook's cheese is thanks to this guy:

This is Dale. He has been working at Tillamook for 45 years. Yep. You read that correctly. FORTY-FIVE YEARS. He knows what he is doing and takes his cheese very seriously. That's my kind of guy.

We were also able to visit Jill who is the Product Quality Manager. All I have to say is this: if I'm ever in a taste-testing competition I don't want to be up against her. Her taste buds are seriously talented. Yes, that's absolutely possible.

After our tour at the factory, we headed to the coast where we got to check out our room at the Inn at Cape Kawanda. If Brad and I get a chance to take a parents only vacation any time soon I want it to happen here. The rooms have gorgeous views of the ocean that are enchanting (perhaps more so) despite the heavy fog that settled over the area while we were there.

That night, we enjoyed a pretty amazing dinner on the ocean. And by dinner I mean I filled myself up on the incredible appetizers and didn't have room for an actual dinner. I mean, look at these oysters. Those plus a cheese plate, some amazing fritters, and clam chowder were enough to send me over the edge.

Of course, I had plenty of room for dessert: Tillabars. Oh man. Enjoying one of those while sitting around a campfire with a group of talented women who I grew to greatly admire with a pretty incredible ocean backdrop was just about perfect.

The following day, I woke up early to sit on the balcony, drink some coffee, and enjoy my last look at the view from my room. It was lovely.

Then, we visited one of the Tillamook dairy farms and spent some time with a lot of these ladies:

They were super curious, especially when my baby bump got close enough to the fence. It is possible that I flew home that night with a big, muddy cow nose print on my shirt directly over my belly button.

Here's the deal: running a dairy farm, or any farm for that matter, is a lot of work. The family who ran this particular farm were incredible. They love the cows and are full of knowledge about how to take care of their cows starting at birth. I am still in total awe of their dedication and ability to dedicate their lives to these animals.

Needless to say, I fell in love with Oregon thanks to this Tillamook Blogger Summit.

And I fell even more in love with their cheese.

And yogurt.

And ice cream.

When I came home, I went straight to Costco and bought a huge block of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar and got to work using it in any way I could imagine. These scones are my favorite thing so far. They are full of fall flavor thanks to the apples and a little sprinkle of nutmeg with pockets of gooey, melty cheese in each bite.

Tillamook sharp cheddar is really the best choice for cheese in this recipe. The sharpness is key. No mild or medium cheddar here, folks!

Apple Cheddar Scones

Serves 8

Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
3. Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and use your hands to work it into the dry ingredients until it resembles wet sand with some pieces remaining pea-sized.
4. Stir in the apple and cheese cubes and mix to coat them.
5. Stir in the heavy cream with a fork until the mixture is just combined.
6. Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead together until there are no dry spots and the dough just comes together.
7. Pat into a circle about 8 inches in diameter.
8. Cut into 8 triangles and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
9. Bake for about 13 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Notes

This recipe is based on the cream scones recipe from Cook's Illustrated: Baking. If you don't own that book, GET IT NOW.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Latte

This morning I went to one of the few truly local, quality coffee shops in our neighborhood. They serve coffee that has been roasted in Boulder, all the employees are volunteers, their food is almost all made in-house, and the money they make goes to providing clean water to those in need in Africa. To make the whole thing even more wonderful, they have a killer Pumpkin Pie Latte made with ACTUAL PUMPKIN. It is my new fall obsession and I don’t know that I can ever go back to the run-of-the-mill “pumpkin” stuff. And just to be clear, I have been obsessed with the pumpkin latte concept since it began. I mean, completely and utterly obsessed to the point that I felt a palpable sadness when we lived in Tokyo and couldn’t get anything similar.

Aside from my obsession with their current seasonal latte flavor, this little coffee shop made me smile this morning thanks to the kindness of three people. The first was a fellow mom, sans-children, picking up some coffee before she started her day. She glanced at my growing belly and asked if I was expecting and the conversation continued from there. She told me about her two kids, we shared sympathies for rough mornings of tantrums and trips to the grocery store that leave us wondering why we do these things. Then we moved to those sweet moments that make it all worth it: there are the impossibly wonderful little kisses, the hugs that never last long enough, and the countless other ways kids remind us why we get into this whole parenting thing. It was a brief conversation, but it was comforting to me. As this fellow mom grabbed her coffee and prepared to carry on with her day, she wished me the best of luck and she meant it.

The next encounter was another customer who had just walked in to order his coffee with a friend. I was leaning against the door frame near the coffee-pick-up counter, absent-mindedly rubbing my belly, and he said, “That is the sweetest thing ever.” I smiled quietly to myself and realized that, yes, it is the sweetest thing ever. It was a little sad for me when I was no longer pregnant with my son because I missed that quiet connection. Of course, I developed a connection that is much stronger with him in the weeks and months that followed his birth, but there is nothing like the feeling when they are still inside.

As I grabbed my pumpkin pie latte from the counter, the barista, who I’d seen the day before, said the usual “have a great day”, but he followed it up with something I wasn’t expecting. He said, “It was really nice to see you two days in a row”.

None of these encounters lasted all that long, but each one of them made me love that little coffee shop and the people that frequent it. It made me appreciate the fact that finding a little local spot rather than a chain can absolutely change your outlook on what would otherwise be a normal, run-of-the-mill day.

Today, I’m sharing my own version of a Pumpkin Pie Latte since I know the majority of you cannot come out to Old Towne Arvada and get one at my favorite little spot. And most of us cannot afford the $4 bill too often. I’d like to encourage you to make this for your friends. Share it with them and let the warm spices do their work to make them feel comforted and warm inside. And while you’re at it, take a moment to say something loving and kind to them.

Because loving one another can't hurt, right?

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Latte

Serves 1

Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, plus extra for garnishing
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 6 oz whole milk (or 2%)
• 2 oz espresso or very strongly brewed coffee
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream, whipped and left unsweetened

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, combine the pumpkin and the pumpkin pie spice over medium heat.
2. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until heated through. This lets the spices really bloom and makes the pumpkin have a more intense, less raw flavor.
3. Add the maple syrup and stir for about 3 minutes until the mixture resembled a thick (but not too thick) syrup. This is a lot like making a simple syrup for cocktails.
4. Meanwhile, put the milk in a glass measuring cup that is microwave safe and heat for about 1 minute and 30 seconds until steaming but not scorched.
5. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin syrup to the milk and whisk to combine.
6. Add the espresso to a coffee mug and top with the milk/pumpkin mixture. Stir to combine.
7. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
8. Enjoy immediately!

Citrusy Shrimp & Spinach Spaghetti

Being pregnant for a second time has me thinking a lot about the different stages I've gone through with my son. The first weeks and months were so difficult that I actually didn't think I could do it. He cried from 3pm to 3am every day for a month. His naps didn't last any more than 15 minutes at a time and happened once or twice during the day. I honestly felt like there was nothing I would ever be able to do to make him happy. Some call it colic, some say it's indigestion, and I still don't know exactly why that phase was so hard. In hindsight, I know there were things I needed to do to take care of myself. Eating enough was number one. Yes, the baby was crying and I wanted to crawl in a hole just to get some sound sleep, but taking 20 minutes to make a decent meal for myself was not going to change any of that. What those 20 precious minutes would do is help me have muster the strength to make it, with at least an ounce of grace, through a very trying time.

Yes, that was a hard time. But we have a healthy little boy who makes those first months totally worth it each and every day. He sleeps like a dream (worth more than gold if you ask me), gives the best hugs and kisses, loves bugs and "creatures" he finds in the backyard, and talks without stopping during every waking moment, leaving me with memories at the end of the day of the hilarious, and sometimes quite insightful things, I was blessed to have him share with me.

Because I know what we could be facing with another little one on the way, the good and the difficult, I have been working on an arsenal of meals that are largely hands off and come together quickly. This citrusy shrimp & spinach spaghetti is the perfect 20 minute meal that is comforting, healthy, and so easy to toss together. In addition to all of that, it is versatile. Substitute spinach with chard or kale. Use whole wheat or brown rice spaghetti. Add shredded rotisserie chicken instead of shrimp. The possibilities are endless!

And a bonus at our house: this one is picky-toddler approved!

We are now at the half-way point of this pregnancy and I'm starting to feel all of the feels there are to feel about having a new baby. With how much we love Riley, it's hard to imagine how it will feel to have two littles to love. Heart explosions will for sure be happening on the regular around here!

HELP: In my quest for easy meals, I'd love to hear what your favorites are! Links are welcome in the comments below!

Citrusy Shrimp & Spinach Spaghetti

Serves 4

Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
• 4 cups baby spinach
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, combine the orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake to combine.
4. Put the shrimp in a large bowl and toss with half the olive oil mixture. Spread the shrimp on a baking sheet lined with foil and roast for 6 minutes or until pink and just cooked through.
5. In a large bowl, toss the spaghetti with the shrimp and the remaining citrus oil. Add the spinach and season with salt and pepper.
6. Scoop into serving bowls and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

Cocktail Friday: Mocktail Party!

I'm constantly on the hunt for fun drinks that are non-alcoholic right now. I'm constantly drinking water and it gets so. exhausting. So today, in the hopes that some of you out there are looking for something similar, I've put together three of my favorite non-alcoholic beverages along with some of my favorite appetizers so you can host your own Mocktail Party! First up is this beautiful and dramatic Blackberry-Vanilla Mocktail. I posted this over on La Fuji Mama a while back and it is one of my favorite drinks. You can use any fruit you'd like. Peaches would be dreamy!

And to snack on alongside this lovely beverage? I recommend my Homemade Cheese Crackers. They are completely addicting! Plus, they are 100% adult AND kid-friendly.

Next up is a healthy and unique Cardamom Lassi. This recipe comes to us via my art director/graphic designer sister, Rebecca, who contributed some beautiful cocktails to the site for a few weeks. This just might be my favorite. Creamy yogurt, refreshing cardamom, and the knowledge that you are drinking something delicious and good for your body is priceless.

A drink like this deserves an appetizer that is equally healthy and fresh like this Preserved Lemon Relish with a few crackers and perhaps a bit of smoked salmon. Perfection!

And the final combination I have to share with you today is a classic: Homemade Lemonade alongside a cheese plate featuring Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam. Is there really anything else to say? Didn't think so.

Cheers to a much-needed holiday weekend! I hope you enjoy every extra moment of fun and relaxation with your friends and family! Make some simple, delicious recipes and sit around the table (outside, of course) to soak it all in.