Sarasota Lemonade

May 23, 2013 in drink

My kid’s last day of school is tomorrow. How crazy is that? It’s really hard to believe that summer is so close considering we just had snow 3 weeks ago! Well since Memorial Day is only days away and since that pretty much signifies the beginning of grilling/picnic/pool season, Nicole and I decided to do a drink along those lines.

I made this Sarasota Lemonade because what says summer more than lemonade? I’m not really sure the origins of the name of this recipe but it’s definitely delicious. It’s sweet Moscato wine mixed with pink lemonade and 7Up. It’s sweet and bubbly and everything I look for in a drink. I love using frozen fruit in drinks like this because it keeps them nice and cold but doesn’t water them down.

Nicole made Red, White, and Blue Sangria - perfect for your Memorial Day barbecue!

One year ago: Banana Cake with Vanilla bean Frosting
Two years ago: Split Pea Hummus
Four years ago: Greek Celebration Bread
Five years ago: Mango Buffalo Wings

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Sarasota Lemonade

Ingredients

2 bottles Moscato wine
1 can pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
3 cups 7Up or Sprite
frozen strawberries
ice

Instructions

  1. In a large pitcher, stir together the Moscato, pink lemonade concentrate, and soda. Before serving, fill each glass with frozen strawberries and ice. Pour drink over top.
http://fakeginger.com/2013/05/23/sarasota-lemonade/

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Sweet and Tangy Chicken

May 22, 2013 in chicken

My husband and I clash when it comes to food sometimes. We both tend to go for things that we grew up eating. Like, the other day I was making egg-in-the-holes for the kids and he was all “Eww! What is that?!” Because apparently when his mom did the egg and toast thing, she mixed everything together in a cup and he thought my way was completely wrong.

Well years ago I made that Dorito taco salad with Catalina dressing that is so delicious and I was sure he would love it.  Because who doesn’t love a taco salad made with Doritos and a sweet dressing? He didn’t like it. Because it wasn’t the taco salad he grew up with. And I could’ve hit him.

Every once in a while I get a random craving for that salad so when I stumbled upon this chicken recipe that calls for Catalina dressing, I knew I had to make it. Hoping to quell that craving, I guess! Y’all know I’m a sucker for onion soup mix in recipes too so really, this was a win all around. Plus who doesn’t like to have pink chicken? As long as it’s fully-cooked pink chicken!

Definitely put some foil in your pan before you make it. All the sugar in the dressing and preserves burn after awhile and really makes clean-up a pain. I learned the hard way.

One year ago: Marbled Chocolate Brioche
Two years ago: PB&J Cookies
Five years ago: Israeli Couscous with Pistachios and Apricots

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Sweet and Tangy Chicken

adapted from Syrup and Biscuits

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package onion soup mix
1 cup Catalina dressing
1 cup apricot preserves

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a 9x13-inch pan with aluminum foil to help with cleanup.
  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together onion soup, Catalina dressing, and apricot preserves.
  3. Place chicken breasts in the prepared pan and pour sauce over top. Use a pastry brush to make sure it is coated well.
  4. Bake for about 1 hour, spooning sauce over the chicken every 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
http://fakeginger.com/2013/05/22/sweet-and-tangy-chicken/

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Planting the Herb Garden #digin

May 21, 2013 in spon

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Remember how I went shopping at The Home Depot and bought a bunch of beautiful herbs and then told you I was keeping them inside until the cold weather finally passed us? I actually managed to keep them alive and they were big and healthy and loving life. Well, it kept snowing and kept snowing – I swear we had more snow in the past month than we had all winter. Eventually the herbs did make their way outside and I planted them without any help from my husband so they weren’t exactly beautiful but they were planted. And they lasted approximately 2 days outside before this happened:

She was all “#digin? Don’t mind if I do!”

The funny thing is that my husband and I previously had more than one conversation about how he didn’t trust her to stay away from the herbs and I kept saying “Psssh, she’s a DOG! She’s not going to eat lavender!” I was so wrong. After she was done destroying everything, she ate every herb she could find.

So it was back to Home Depot for me.

They didn’t have the huge selection they had last time but I got most of the herbs I use on a regular basis: cilantro, mint, thyme, parsley, chives, sage, cilantro, and a couple kinds of basil.

I came home and got them planted almost immediately. In the front yard so you-know-who can’t get to them!

We still had some potting soil leftover and plenty of slow-release organic fertilizer  so we should be good to go now. Our biggest issue when it comes to keeping these babies alive will be the sun. Since we’re at about 6,000 feet here, the sun is ridiculous and you can literally spend 5 minutes outside in the summer and smell like burnt skin. The herbs are on our porch now where they’ll get lots of shade in the mornings and then lots of sun in the afternoon so hopefully that keeps them alive and growing.

 

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need to #DigIn for Spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, they have great values on all you need. They’re ready to help you with renovation ideas and expert advice, too.

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts. Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to homedepot.com/gardenclub to see some of the many benefits of membership.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Home Depot from amanda livesay on Vimeo.

 

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Grape Salad

May 21, 2013 in salad

Don’t let the name of this fool you, it’s definitely not healthy! But man, is it good!

I made this strawberry pretzel salad last week and my 3 year old kept asking me why it was red. After telling him over and over again that it was because it had strawberries in it, he told me that he wanted a purple one. With grapes. And grape jello.

And while I couldn’t stomach anymore jello (I hate the stuff!) I did find this recipe and I knew everyone would love it. It’s basically just grapes tossed in a “dressing” of cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar.  Then it’s topped with brown sugar and pecans. How can it be anything but delicious?

It would be perfect for all those outdoor get-togethers that we’ll all be heading to in the coming months!

One year ago: Fluffy Pancakes
Two years ago: Caramel Pecan Monkey Bread
Three years ago: Baked Hushpuppies
Five years ago: Chicken Piccata

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Grape Salad

Ingredients

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 pounds seedless red grapes
2 pounds seedless green grapes
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons chopped pecans

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until well combined.
  2. Add grapes and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  3. Before serving, sprinkle with brown sugar and chopped pecans.
http://fakeginger.com/2013/05/21/grape-salad/

 

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Picnics with Kettle Chips

May 20, 2013 in pork

One of my favorite things about summertime is picnics. Is there really anything better than climbing out of the (kiddie) pool and then eating a portable lunch on the warm ground? Blanket underneath, ice cold drinks in hand, and the kids shoving their food in their mouths so fast so that they can get back to playing? I took my kids and a bag of Kettle Brand Chips on a picnic to the park recently. Do not worry though, there were sandwiches involved too! I am absolutely obsessed with sandwiches on bagels – bagelwiches if you will – and they are just perfect for a picnic because they don’t get soggy like regular bread does. On my bagelwich, I piled lettuce, tomato, cheese, bacon, and avocado. Simple but fresh flavors with just a teeny bit of mayo spread on it. We chose to take a bag of Kettle Brand Chips Salt and Vinegar Chips with us because they are one of our favorites and they pair perfectly with simple sandwiches. They have the perfect balance of zesty sea salt, tongue-puckering vinegar and that signature Kettle Brand Chips crunch. Salt and vinegar are one of the only flavors that everyone in my house agrees on! Kettle Brand Chips have been making great-tasting, all-natural chips since 1982. They use real, unpeeled potatoes in small batches to achieve a superior taste and their signature crunch. Kettle Brand Chips uses no trans fat, no MSG, no artificial colors or flavors, and definitely don’t have a long list of ingredients that you can’t pronounce! They are also the first potato chip brand verified as using non-GMO ingredients by the Non-GMO project. But back to our picnic! We are incredibly lucky to be in an area that has tons of outdoor picnic areas so that’s where we headed after getting our picnic packed. We had sandwiches, the bag of Kettle Brand Chips, drinks for all, and some light jackets just in case. You really don’t need much else for a great picnic. My kids absolutely love being able to eat outside and then run off all their energy when they are finished. So now I want to know what you include in your picnic basket! 

We’re giving away a $100 Visa gift card to one lucky reader! To enter for your chance to win, simply leave a comment answering the question, “What do you include in your picnic basket?”

 

Rules:
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This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
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This sweepstakes runs from 5/20 – 7/3.
Be sure to visit the Kettle Brand Chips brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

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