Thirsty Thursday - Strawberry-Mint Sparkling Limeade

So I had all these ambitions to use strawberries over the 4th of July holiday, none of which ended up happening. So that meant that I had 2 pints of strawberries that I needed to use. I also had a bunch of limes that I bought as well, and we have to use all those limes since they are so pricey! Which made me search recipes on Pinterest for Strawberries and Lime.

And Pinterest came to the rescue!! Woo hoo! I found a great and easy recipe for strawberry-mint sparkling limeade from Cooking Lite May 2012. Not to mention this recipe can be kid friendly too! Just swap the alcohol for club soda!

Ingredients:

• 2 pints of strawberries
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 6 limes)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1 bottle chilled sparkling wine
• Whole strawberries, lime slices, etc for garnish

Directions:

• Blend strawberries, mint, lime juice, water and agave in a blender. Add crushed ice for a extra frosty beverage. 
• Pour mixture into glasses about half way
• Top with sparkling wine or club soda
• Stir, garnish and SIP

This is such a good recipe. Since I had so many strawberries I was able to make extra which I keep in a mason jar in my fridge. Then when I want a drink I just add the bubbles!

Happy Pinning! 

Mango, Pineapple Coconut Water Smoothie

Happy Thirsty Thursday! Is it me or the summer days just flying by? It feels like just yesterday I was writing a Thirsty Thursday post.

Today, we had to bid adieu to my smoothie maker. I bought it at Kohl's for $20 and I should have just splurged on the higher priced model (my blender is in storage!). It never worked 100% but I was determined to use it because it was such a "deal". I could never get it to work with frozen fruit or ice, and  really it's only purpose was for smoothies that used fresh fruit. Regardless, I still used the lil guy!! This morning I went to plug it in and immediately it started to smoke. Grr!!

So instead out came the hand blender and a mason jar to make this drink! Which by the way not sure why I never thought of this before! SO much easier!

Ingredients

• 5-6 cubes of frozen mango
• 5-6 cubes of frozen pineapple
• 1 banana cut in chunks
• 1 cup coconut water or coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon of shredded coconut

Just blend the first 4 ingredients and top with shredded coconut!

And voila! You can also add some flax seed if you want to make it a little healthier. I would also try to use coconut milk next time to make it creamer, but I didn't have any in the house! And it is way too early to go to the store! 

Happy Pinning!

By Jennifer Shelton

Raspberry Syrup and Raspberry Lime Rickey Recipes

Well, this Thursday Thirsty post is sponsored by the sale on raspberries at Harris Teeter last week. Haha! Not to mention I was looking for a way to make some Thirsty Thursday drinks and not have to start from scratch.

So I decided to make raspberry syrup and keep it in my fridge. This way I can add a tablespoon or two to my drinks or sparkling water. So refreshing and easy to do.

Raspberry Syrup Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup white sugar (I didn't say this was healthy!!)
• 1 cup raspberries (I used an entire pint!)

Instructions:

• Boil water and sugar in a sauce pan until sugar is dissolved (5-10 minutes)
• Take off heat and toss raspberries into the sauce pan, mash raspberries (I used a muddler), and let steep for 1 hour
• Drain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a container, and seal
• Make sure to keep this refrigerated!

So now that we have some yummy raspberry syrup time to make some cocktails! I made a pitcher of the Raspberry Lime Rickey recipe found on Pinterest to share with everyone. However, you can also make them as individual drinks. I included both measurements below.

Raspberry Lime Rickey Ingredients: 

• 12 ounces of raspberry syrup/2 tablespoons for individual
• Juice of 8 large limes/3 tablespoons for individual
• 32 ounces of club soda/8ounces for individual
• Garnish with raspberries and lime slices
• Add vodka if desired (1 shot per glass!)

I love my new mason jar lid covers my mother-in-law bought me! Great way to take my drinks on the road (obviously not the ones with alcohol!)

So the question is what other drinks do I make with my leftover raspberry syrup? Let me know your ideas! 

Happy Pinning!!
By Jennifer Shelton

Passion Iced Tea Sparklers

Happy Thirsty Thursday!

Nothing is better than Passion Iced Tea from Starbucks in the summer. However, now living in the suburbs I can no longer walk out my front door and grab an iced tea from Starbucks across the street. The other day I was at the grocery store and saw that TAZO came out with passion iced tea bags. What is great about these bags is that you only need one bag to make 4 quarts of iced tea.

Of course I couldn't just have plain iced tea, I had to spice it up a little to make it perfect for sitting on the back porch.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tazo Passion Iced Tea Bag
• 1/4 cup agave or honey
• Ice
• 2 cups sparkling sater or seltzer
• 1/4 cup mint leaves
• Strawberries

Directions: 

• Boil water for iced tea and add agave or honey; once boiled add tea bag and steep for 30 minutes to 1 hour (depending on how strong you want your tea!). 
• Remove tea bag
• Fill glasses with ice and mint leaves
• Pour iced tea over ice filling half way
• Top iced tea with sparkling water and stir
• Garnish with strawberry

And most importantly enjoy!!

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton

Coconut Lime Cilantro Cooler

Happy Thirsty Thursday! I just came back from my morning walk and it is going to be a hot one today. I decided I wanted to make something to drink that was refreshing and hydrating! So I found this recipe on Pinterest for a Coconut Lime Cilantro Cooler. I figure when it is a more appropriate hour to have adult beverages you can add vodka.

Adapted from Momontimeout.com

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Coconut Water - I used Vita Coco Pure Coconut Water
• 1/3 cup Club Soda (recipe calls for ginger ale or sparkling water, however ginger ale would take over the coconut taste, and sparkling water doesn't have enough fizz)
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice (recipe calls for 2 tablespoons, you can always add more but you want to make sure that the lime doesn't overpower the coconut water)
• 1 tsp chopped Cilantro

Directions: 

• Stir all ingredients together
• Pour into glass filled with ice
• Garnish with a slice of lime and cilantro

ENJOY!!! Also, you may have seen my metal straws in pictures. I am obsessed with them. They keep your drink cold. You can find them at William Sonoma or Crate and Barrel! I have both kinds and love them equally. The Crate and Barrel straws are great for smoothies or frozen drinks.

And I also have to call out that Rue La La has Lilly Pulitzer on sale too! If you are not a member you can sign up here.

Happy Pinning!!
By Jennifer Shelton

Five on Friday - Memorial Day

Today I am doing my first link up with some of my favorite blogs!! Make sure to check them out as well!

Here are 5 of my favorite things from this week!

1. Georgia Aquarium 
We are visiting our friends this weekend and on Sunday went to the Georgia Aquarium. If you haven't been you have to go! This place is AMAZING!! We couldn't get over how big the tanks were. You should see the size of the sharks and whales. Our other favorite exhibit were the otters. Below see a few pictures of our adventure!

2. Southport - Oak Island
I am so excited that we are at my Mom's house in Southport for Memorial Day weekend. We haven't been to the beach in a while so we are super excited. We are planning on golfing, beach time, shopping, and of course taking the ferry from Southport to the Aquarium at Fort Fisher. If I haven't mentioned it before, my husband has a salt water fish tank and is slightly obsessed!

3. Memorial Day Appetizers
Of course we need to make sure we are well fed at the beach. I love this recipe for blueberry, strawberry and jicama salsa. Not only is it on theme but doesn't it look refreshing after a long day at the beach or golfing? I will definitely let you know how it tastes and if you should make it.

4. Hibiscus Iced Tea Sparkler
We need to make sure we stay hydrated over the weekend. I can't wait to try this hibiscus iced tea sparkler. I am a huge fan of hibiscus iced tea, it is a great alternative for when you want something slightly sweet and don't want all the sugar of the juice. Looking at the recipe at first glance I might swap the honey for agave and cut the amount in half. I am personally not a fan of overly sweet beverages.

5. Memorial Day Weekend
WOOO HOO! I can't tell you how excited I am that it is Memorial Day Weekend. After living in the Northeast for my entire life, Memorial Day Weekend was always a sign that we made it through another winter. No more snow for a few months, we can start taking out summer clothes (yeah for white jeans!!), and most importantly being able to actually enjoy the outdoors. Living in North Carolina that means it is time for us to go out on the boat, swimming in the lake, and grilling outdoors.

Armondo our cat is all ready for the holiday weekend!! 

Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and I can't wait to hear how you celebrated. I will also make sure to recap all the recipes that I mentioned in this post, and any tips and tricks I learned.

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton

Jalapeño Moscow Mule

I know it is early but time to think about Happy Hour!! I had a few jalapeños lying around that I had to use. We didn't have a lot of options to mix in with food so I decided to search for a refreshing drink that incorporated jalapeños, limes and ginger beer! I couldn't find exactly what I wanted so I used a combination of a few pins and make up my own drink.

My inspiration for the Jalapeño Moscow Mule came from HappyYolks.com. I didn't have any vodka or the guava juice. So instead I substituted with limes and soda water.

Ingredients:

• 6 Oz Ginger Beer
• 4 Oz Soda Water or Vodka
• 1 Lime
• 1/4 of a Jalapeño
• 1/4 tsp Agave
• Crushed Ice

Directions:

• Muddle limes and jalapeños in a shaker
• Add Ginger beer, soda water, and agave
• Pour over crushed ice
• Garnish with lime and jalapeño

Remember the longer you let the jalapeño in your drink the spicier it is! PS I know I should be serving these in copper mugs, but my mugs are in storage until we move into our new home!!

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton

Strawberry Mint Smash Mocktail

Happy Thirsty Thursday!!

So it has been beautiful here in North Carolina. Since the weather has been so nice every night before dinner I sit outside on the patio to read, and decided that I need some fun beverages! And have become obsessed with Mocktails! And I can pick some of the ingredients from our mini-garden. One of my new favorite drinks is a Strawberry Mint Smash I saw on Pinterest.

Super simple to make! I doubled the recipe and adjusted it a little. This is the non-alcholoic version but I am sure you can add rum or vodka as well!

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Strawberries cut into slices
• 12-14 large mint leaves
• Crushed ice
• 4 teaspoons of agave nectar
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 6 ounces of blood orange Italian soda - I used orange since I am not a fan of blood orange, you can also use lemon as well
• Club Soda

Directions:

1. Put the strawberries, mint and muddle. 
2. Add agave nectar and lime juice into a shaker and muddle. I used a mason jar since I find them easy to clean, and I have a ton of them hanging around my home. 
3. Add Italian Soda and shake! Be careful since this will get really bubbly. 
4. Fill glass with 2/3 of crushed ice. 
5. Pour into glasses, and top with club soda. Garnish with Strawberry, lime, mint, etc! 

Voila! 

Let me know if you make this drink and how you modify it! 

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton