Fresh Spring Spritzers
Recipes

Fresh Spring Spritzers

I recently became a member of Club Chandon.  Chandon is a sparkling wine company from California. We were introduced to Chandon when my husband and I visited their winery on our honeymoon.  I will have to share that experience at another time.  Today I am sharing some of my new found fresh spring spritzers.

The first one is the Chandon Citrus Blossom.  This cocktail is perfectly balanced, not too sour or too sweet!   It only takes a few ingredients to make and it is very refreshing.

I had some friends over recently for a game night. I decided to make the Chandon Citrus Blossom and they loved it!  They said it was delicious,very smooth and not too acidic.  One of the ingredients is Elderflower Liqueur.  I was able to find this at my local wine and cheese shop.  It has a wonderful aroma and exceptional flavor!

Citrus Blossom

Serves 1

1/2 ounce Belvedere Vodka

1/3 ounce Elderflower Liqueur

1/2 ounce fresh Lemon Juice

Dash of Simple Syrup

3 ounces Chandon Brut Classic

First, add the Belvedere Vodka, lemon juice, elderflower liqueur and simple syrup in a shaker filled with ice.  Shake and strain into a coup glass.  Next, add the Chandon Brut, garnish with the lemon zest and serve.

The second cocktail is called an Orange Blossom, it’s pretty mild and wonderfully delicious, not too sweet and very flavorful.  I was able to find the blood orange juice at a liquor store and it’s pretty tasty just by itself!  My husband tends to like sweeter drinks.  By adding the Chandon Brut it cuts the sweetness and tastes refreshing!  Of the two spring spritzers, this is my husband’s favorite.

Orange Blossom

Serves 1

1 ounce Honey

2 ounces fresh Blood Orange Juice

Dash of Orange Blossom Water

3 ounces Chandon Brut Classic

First, add the honey, blood orange juice, and orange blossom water in a shaker filled with ice.  Shake and strain into a decorative glass.  Next. add the Chandon Brut and serve.

To bring some fresh appeal to your next gathering I would suggest these two fresh spring spritzers, let me know which one is your favorite!

 

March 22, 2018 by
Spring Break Workout
Style

Spring Break Shopping Guide

Finally, spring break is just around the corner!  It always gets me going when I know a beach is soon on my horizon! I am all packed and trying to get in that last workout before I head out!  I am infatuated with the bright colors of anything Lily Pulitzer.  That bright pink makes me feel energized.  Today I am sharing with you a Spring Break Shopping Guide, A.K.A. some of my favorite obsessions!

Floral dresses are all the rage, I like how they are soft and feminine.  The contrast of my moods can be the bright colors followed by the more muted tones of the florals.  Mixing it up has always been my mantra.  I can’t just stick with one thing.

 

I love so many of the cool styles this season, like the platform sandals.  They are a must!  They are so comfortable and versatile.  I would suggest packing only black and gold shoes & sandals and keeping it neutral so you can coordinate your shoes from day to night much easier.

 

When you are packing for the 7-8 day vacation, the best tip I can give you is to keep your clothes to 2-3 color pallets.  It will make mixing things up much easier and keeping your luggage fees under control!  For example, if you have black, blues and pinks, it’s so much easier to coordinate outfits and keep shoes to a minimum.  Navy is a great neutral as well.


I hope this Spring Break Shopping Guide helps de-stress packing, you can also find 5 great packing tips here.

March 19, 2018 by
Women at the Well Coffeehouse
Giving Back, Lifestyle

The Well Coffeehouse; Taking Time To Give Back

This past summer I went to Nashville to visit my family.  It is such a great city with a cool vibe. and I love discovering new restaurants and fun things to do.  I did a blog post on great things to see in Nashville this past summer.  If you have the chance, check it out here.  My Mom told me about The Well Coffeehouse and I found their story very inspiring and worth sharing.

The Well Coffeehouse was founded on principals of generosity, serving others and excellence.  It is about coffee and community, they wanted to help people in desperate need of clean water.   All of the profits go towards building wells in impoverished communities around the world.  Every cup of coffee not only gives money to this mission but also hope.  Additionally, they brew an amazing cup of coffee and offer some of the most interesting coffee drinks!  You have to try the Black Bear, it’s so delicious!  It has brown sugar, blackberry and cardamom.

The Well Coffeehouse

My visit to The Well Coffeehouse was one I won’t forget.  It made an impact.  It inspired me.  Their coffee is fantastic.  The vibes are great.  I can pour myself a glass of water EVERY day at anytime and I know I get caught up in the frivolousness of our amazing life in the United States.  That said, I also need to remember to be grateful and look for ways to help others.  If we don’t look then we won’t find.  Life is richer when we don’t focus on all of our needs but the needs of others.

This company, Branded Collective, was on the shelves at The Well Coffeehouse, they stand for abolishing human trafficking and each cuff or band is made by women who are survivors.  I wanted share this so you can take that first step to help other women.

Branded Collective at The Well Coffeehouse

March 13, 2018 by
Kneading Homemade Pasta Dough
Recipes

My First Shot At Homemade Pasta

One of my personal goals this year was to continue to eat cleaner and healthier and make more of my own food.  I am always striving towards a healthier lifestyle.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my Cheetos!  Yes, I actually admitted that!    My daughter visited my nephew and his wife in December and when I went to pick her up they were making homemade pasta.  He made it look so easy and it was so fresh and delicious.  He made me roasted red pepper and it only took 3-4 minutes to cook right after it was made.  I left there thinking, I could do this, I was inspired!

I went home and bought a pasta cookbook and the pasta attachments for my KitchenAid Stand Mixer.  It was my Christmas gift to myself.  My daughter and I were looking forward to making pasta for the first time.  We made the “Three-Egg Basic Pasta Dough” recipe.  There are only 3 ingredients: eggs, flour (I like using King Arthurs) and water.

Create a “crater” in your flour and add in the eggs and water, use a fork to start incorporating the ingredients.

3 eggs in homemade pasta

Once you have the dough in a mass, transfer to a floured work surface and knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it is cohesive and moderately smooth.  Wrap your dough in plastic and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Roll it out and then take smaller pieces and run it through the pasta roller.  I usually put it on a slower speed so I have more control when handing the delicate dough.  For your next step you select your type of pasta, fettuccine or spaghetti.  I like the fettuccine because it is easier to handle with my clumsy hands and I love the bigger pieces of pasta.  Change your attachment on your mixer and let it work for you!

Homemade Fettuccine Pasta

Immediately toss into boiling water for 3-4 minutes.  Do not rinse your pasta unless you plan on using it in a cold pasta salad.  Rinsing takes away the starch which allows for the pasta sauce to stick.  Drain your pasta.  Plate and enjoy with your favorite sauce!  I used a pesto sauce which is one of my favorites.

My daughter and I were very proud of ourselves.  It tasted delicious and it was very easy!  This past week we decided to try and make gluten free homemade pasta.  We used gluten free flour and it turned out pretty tasty.  I actually didn’t notice any changes in flavor it was just a little harder to handle.  I think we are going to tweak our recipe.  The gluten free flour we used had some xanthan gum and tapioca starch already in it but I think we may need to add a bit more next time.

We made quite a bit in our first batch and were able to hang it to dry.  When storing make sure to dust the pasta lightly with some flour to keep it from sticking together.  You can store in the refrigerator for up to 18 hours.  If you want to store it longer, I recommend putting it in the freezer.  It will store and be fresh for up to a month.

I hope this recipe inspires you to make your own homemade pasta.  I love cooking with my daughter and this was another one of those fun things we can do together.  Plus, I am always trying to find ways to have a cleaner diet at home and know what I am putting in my food!

 

Print

Three-Egg Basic Pasta Dough

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Flour
  • 3 large Eggs room temperature
  • 1 Egg Yolk
  • 2 - 3 tablespoons Tepid Water you may need to add more

Instructions

  1. Mound the flour in the center of a large bowl to create a "crater" in the middle.

  2. Add the eggs and water to into the "crater".

  3. Using a fork, begin to incorporate the flour, be sure the egg doesn't run out.

  4. Once half the flour has been incorporated and the dough is in a mass, transfer to a floured work surface and knead the dough.

  5. Continue to knead until all of the flour is absorbed (about 5 minutes). The dough should be cohesive and moderately smooth.  Form the dough into a round ball.

  6. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

  7. Remove from plastic and roll out dough with a rolling pin to make it thin enough to go through the roller attachment.

  8. Run dough through the roller attachment.

  9. Change out your attachment and run dough through to cut to desired pasta size.

  10. Immediately toss into boiling water for 3 - 4 minutes. 

  11. Drain pasta.

  12. Plate and enjoy with your favorite sauce. 

 

March 12, 2018 by
Soak Up The Sun
Style

Gearing Up For The Beach

I know so many of you are getting ready or thinking about Spring Break. The weather lately has been a bit of a downer. I couldn’t take it anymore and had to make the best of what we have here in Michigan. One day we had sunshine, so I pretended it was warm. I was making a practice run at the beach! Sometimes gearing up for the beach can help your mood. A little laughter always does the trick for me (hence the fact I decided to take a walk to our lake front beach for some sunshine) LOL! I think the neighbors thought I was a little desperate!

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March 5, 2018 by