Fig + Honey Cocktail

I love this cocktail so much.  I don't play around much with figs (I think my childhood hatred of fig newtons put me off of figs), but after making this recipe I really want to explore fig recipes more!  We’ve got folks in our neighborhood with a giant fig tree and I’m always curious as to when they are perfectly ripe… and if they’re actually going to harvest them, cuz I will gladly volunteer. I love the earthy flavors that the figs add to this cocktail, I think they really ground all the flavors, plus I’m a sucker for a bomb looking cocktail garnish.

Fig Puree

• 1 cup fresh figs, rinsed & halved

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 2 teaspoons water

• Juice of half lemon

Add everything to a blender and blend until smooth. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.  Recipe makes enough puree for about 4 cocktails, but you can multiply for larger quantities.

Cocktail recipe

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fig puree

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 2 oz ginger ale

• 1.5 oz gin

• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Add the fig puree and honey to a cocktail shaker. Stir it together with a spoon until it is well combined. Add ginger beer, gin, and lemon juice and fill with ice. Shake until frosty and strain the mixture into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a halved, skewered fig! 

8 Favorite Summer Recipes

Summer is all about backyard barbecues and fresh fruits, and summer recipes are some of my favorites.  With fall approaching I'm sure I'll start to crave baked things and soups again, but I'm still craving the fresh tastes of summer cuisine.   

I've been wanting to try some new summer inspired recipes lately, but here are some of my favorite recipes from the past perfect for the sunny, long days of summer!

above: Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

Sweet Potato Steak Tacos

Peach Huckleberry Rustic Tart

Peach Bruschetta

Peach Strawberry Basil Pie

Street Corn

Salmon With Peach Salsa

Classic Macaroni Salad

Quarantine Meal Planning Round Up

Since the start of quarantine, my meal planning has looked quite different. Or rather, I should say, I’m ACTUALLY meal-planning now. Like picking out recipes for the week or two weeks, then shopping for everything I need for those two weeks so I don’t have to go back to the grocery store for one thing I forgot, which is my usual Modus Operandi.

I don’t have the mental space to go out and scour the internet for recipes to make each week, but early on in the quarantine my friend sent over the Budget Bytes “15 Pantry Recipes for Emergency Preparedness” round up and since then I have been making recipes from Budget Bytes … like pretty much exclusively for the past two months.

I’ve asked on Instagram if you guys wanted me to round up my favorite recipes that I’ve tried (and most of these I’ve made multiple times!), so here they are!

Pasta Sauce
I had been using a similar recipe for pasta sauce from one of my old Hello Fresh meals, but this one is similar and so I’ve started using this one instead. The one thing I pulled over from the Hello Fresh recipe was to slice up 2 small zucchini’s into half-moon chunks and saute those with the onions. It adds a bit more to the sauce and makes it more substantial. Plus, I just like zucchini.

Tikka Masala
My house smelled AMAZING the whole day I was cooking this one. I have been meaning to make it again because I loved it a LOT.

Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
This one is similar to the skillet pineapple chicken, but I dig pineapple and chicken so both are solid in my book.

Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Black Bean Salsa
I had never had Jerk Chicken before and it was bomb. The pineapple black bean salsa was super delicious and added a nice flavor dynamic.

Skillet Pineapple Chicken
I’ve made this one maybe three times in the past two months? It’s so good and so easy.

Slow Cooker 5 Spice Chicken
We just made this one a couple days ago! Another chicken flavor I had not tried before. Another that made my house smell delicious all day.

Thai Chicken Pizza
I love Thai Chicken Pizza, and this one was fun because I made my own Naan bread for the crusts!

King Ranch Chicken Casserole
I love a good casserole. Mostly I love having hella leftovers and not having to cook the next day. This one was real tasty. I’d never had King Ranch Casserole before, but I was into it. Making it again this week!

Creamy Salsa Chicken Skillet
This one was so delicious. So many good flavors, and I’m always down for a sprinkle of Queso Fresco. This one is solid and is added to my will-make-again-many-times roster.

One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
This one was recommended by an instagram follower of mine who also loves Budget Bytes’ recipes. I’m not typically a big pasta fan, so I don’t think to make it too often, but I loved the Cajun flavor and creaminess of this recipe. Plus: leftovers!

Lemon Blueberry Cornbread Skillet
I just made this one today, because I just happened to have everything on hand for it! I love cornbread and this is a more dessert-y version that I will probably eat for breakfast for the rest of the week (if it lasts that long).

all images via Budget Bytes, except cornbread images

corn chowder

I'm making a pact not to make anymore sweets for a while.  As tempting as it is to try out all the amazing recipes on pinterest, I'd like to lay of the sweet stuff for a bit and try making some more filling, hot meals.  I made this soup a couple weeks ago and I've made different versions of it since then. I really like how easy it is to play around with soup.  I subbed in carrots for onions the second time I made it and it still tasted really great!  Chowders are just the best for warming up my insides during the colder months.  So thick and filling and radiates the warmth from your insides out.  I think I might try to make clam chowder next, maybe with an Alaskan vibe to it.  I absolutely love clam chowder and I've always liked it best when it has a bit of an Alaskan spin to it.  A little taste of home.

Maybe I'll do a bunch of my favorite Alaskan-y recipes.  I have a bunch of recipes from my Mom and Grandma that remind me so much of home... halibut, salmon, crab, lox and bagels, etc, etc.  A couple years ago for Christmas my Grandma and Grampa gave me a recipe box, which was carved by my grampa and filled with my Grandmas recipes!  I'm ashamed to say that I haven't made a single one of the recipes yet, but I'm going to change that, effective immediately.  I really love my Grandma's take on sort of homestead Alaskan cooking.  She's allergic to fish, so she couldn't make any of the Alaskan fish dishes (a shame, since my Grampa, Dad, and Uncle were all commercial fishermen!).  Alaska back in the mid 1900's didn't have a lot of fresh produce options and stuff, so she made do with whatever they had available.  It's so neat to see how creative she was, working with whatever she had (awesome stuff like slim jim chili, pioneer mac and cheese, and beans and wieners).  As a kid I remember looking so forward to getting some of her amazing

Scotch-a-roos

in the mail, and just the other day my mom mailed us a care package with a tupperware full of scotch-a-roos in it!  I felt an overwhelming sense that someday I'd be sending my kids and grandkids care packages filled with scotch-a-roos...

(adapted from 

Suzie the Foodie

)

1 (15.4 oz) can of corn, drained

4 strips of bacon

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

3 cups chicken broth

1 large potato, diced

2 bay leaves

2 tsp sriracha

1. Crisp 4 slices of bacon in a large soup pot and remove. Throw your onion in the bacon grease and saute for a minute, then add the garlic and season with a bit of salt and pepper to your liking.

2. Add the flour and stir it around for about a minute, then add the chicken stock and your diced potato. Let this simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. Add the corn and your bay leaves, and two teaspoons of sriracha. Don't be afraid, it won't make it super spicy, just give it a bit of a zing. Let this simmer for another 15 minutes.

4. Remove the bay leaves and blend about 1/2 - 2/3 of the soup in a blender (or you can use an immersion blender if you have one), and stir the pureed soup back into the pot with the rest of the soup.

Crunch up the bacon you crisped at the beginning to use as a garnish along with some grated cheddar and some chopped green onion, or if you're like me and only have cilantro, that works too.  Tastes amazing with some crunch bread to it soak up!

Holiday charcuterie board with Tillamook

Thank you Tillamook for sponsoring this post. Try Tillamook Maker’s Reserve! Available at Costco.

One of my favorite things about the holidays is all the get-togethers with family and friends… and all the delicious food at said get-togethers. It can feel a little overwhelming to whip something elegant and fancy up, on top of hosting a party, so my favorite thing to do is put together a charcuterie and cheese board. It’s always a crowd pleaser, and you can make it look super lush and inviting without a lot of work! And the best part is you don’t have to cook anything!

For this spread I partnered with Tillamook to feature their Maker’s Reserve 2013 Vintage White Cheddar. Here in the Northwest we’re pretty big Tillamook eaters, and I’ve actually been to the Tillamook factory in Oregon twice! Watching all those blocks of cheese getting cut and wrapped in the factory is kind of mesmerizing!
I’m a fan of sharp cheddars so this cheese hit the spot for me. The Maker’s Reserve line of cheddars are bold with the flavors unique to the year they come from (2013 in this case).

If you want to add some to your own holiday charcuterie board, you can find Maker’s Reserve 2013 Vintage White Cheddar (18oz.) can be found at select Costco stores in the Pacific Northwest and San Francisco Bay Area (search at https://www.tillamook.com/where-to-buy.html to see if your local store has it!).

Not sure what to include in your Charcuterie + Cheese board?
Here’s a list of some of my favorite things to plate up!

• Cheese- You can get a variety and get a couple more exotic types of cheese, or stick with something classic and widely enjoyed, like a cheddar or brie

• Rustic Mustard- This is great for spreading on crackers or bread, and is a little fancier looking than your standard mustard.

• Fig Jam or Honey- I like having something a bit sweet to counteract all the savory that goes on with a Charcuterie board

• Olives- There are lots of varieties, and some grocery stores even have an olive buffet so you can pick out a bunch of different kinds!!

• Prosciutto/salami- There are lots of different kinds you can get, pick your favorite or get a few different types

• Fruit- Pear slices always make it onto my board, but I also like to pick something seasonal. When I saw Pomegranates in my grocery store, I picked one up to include on this board!

• Sliced bread/crackers- Gotta have a delivery system for all your cheese! I like to pick a rustic bread, slice it up, bake it with a bit of butter spread on each until they’re slightly golden, then cut a garlic clove in half and swipe it on each little toast- it gives them the perfect bit of garlic flavor!

• Nuts- Marcona Almonds are my favorite to include, but you can choose whatever you like! Specialty or gourmet grocery stores will usually have some fancy nuts to choose from.

Now you’re ready to party! Grab a plate or a big cutting board to arrange all your items on, and your guests will flock to it! Happy holiday partying!