Kiwi Mojitos

It's been a while since a shared a mocktail recipe with you. I'm on a mission to create some fun drinks the whole family can enjoy. With St. Patrick's Day right around the corner, I needed to come up with a fun green drink. With this drink in hand on March 17th, you'll definitely be pinch proof.

Kiwis are such a unique fruit. They are tart and sweet and paired with mint to make a super refreshing drink. I love the speckles of black seeds in this pretty drink.

Kiwi Mojitos

4 kiwis
2-3 limes
1/2 cup sugar
fresh mint leaves
club soda
crushed ice

Start by making the kiwi puree.  In a blender, place 3 1/2 kiwis peeled and halved, the sugar, lime juice and about 2 tbsp. fresh mint leaves. Blend on high until it is a smooth puree.  If it is too thick add a little more lime juice.

Fill glasses with ice.  Pour about 1/3 cup puree over the ice and then top off the glass with club soda. Give it a stir and then garnish with a slice from the half a kiwi that is left and a sprig of mint leaves. And if you are looking for a grown up version, no one is going to stop you from adding a little rum.

Puree can be made ahead and stored in the fridge up to 24 hours. Makes 6 generous drinks.

Be sure to check out my other mocktail recipes. 

Grapefruit Mint Sorbet

I don't know what I love more about this recipe, the pretty peachy pink color or the taste. Ok, taste wins because this sorbet is so bright and fresh. Sweet, tangy grapefruit paired with refreshing mint make this delicious icy dessert. I do love chocolate, but if this sorbet and a slice of chocolate cake were put in front of me, I'd probably go with this Grapefruit Mint Sorbet. No lie, it's that good friends.

This sorbet has simple ingredients and is very easy to make.  

Grapefruit Mint Sorbet

4 cups of grapefruit juice (2 16 oz. bottles of Natalie's Orchid Island 100% Grapefruit Juice)

1 1/2 cups of sugar

2 tbsp. finely chopped mint

a pinch of salt

Pour 1 cup of the juice along with the sugar, mint and salt into small pot.  Bring to a boil and boil for just one minute.  Allow the syrup to cool completely. Pour through a strainer to remove the mint leaves.  In a large bowl combine the remaining juice and syrup.  Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.  

Following the instructions of your ice cream maker, freeze the sorbet. I have a Cuisinart Freezer and it took about 20-25 mins to freeze this sorbet completely.  Transfer the sorbet to an air tight container and freeze in the freezer for a couple more hours before serving.  

This recipes makes 4-6 generous servings.  Garnish with a couple fresh mint leaves.

I found this little metal cup caddy at the antique mall for just $10.  I gave it a quick coat of rose gold spray paint, and now it's perfect for serving my sorbet in little vintage milk glass glasses.

This post is sponsored by Natalies's Orchid Island Juice Company.  Thank you for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible. 

Savory Scones Two Ways for Valentine's Day

I'm a huge fan of a buttery scones, sweet or savory, I love them all. This year, instead of chocolatey sweets, I'm opting for these little heart shaped scones to win the heart of my love. I've come up with two fun flavor combinations - Blue Cheese Fig and Pesto Parmesan.

You can find both recipes and lots of how-to pictures over on CB2's blog Idea Central today. Skip dinner plans out and just serve appetizers and drinks for a fun night in.

Winter Pomegranate Salad and DIY XO Salad Spoons

February is here, whether we are ready of not. This short month always seems to fly by, but one thing I love to do is plan a Valentine's Dinner for my family. This year I have a light, but really colorful salad on the menu. If you add cheese, fruit and nuts to a salad, it's guaranteed to be a winner.  This Winter Pomegranate Salad is loaded with all the yummy things.  And to give this salad a little extra love, I made some fun DIY XO Salad Spoons to serve it with. Keep reading for the recipe and DIY instructions below. 

Winter Pomegranate Salad

6 - 8 cups spring greens mix or baby spinach

2 oranges

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup cinnamon sugared pecans (see instructions below)

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

pomegranate poppy seed dressing (see recipe below)

To candy the pecans, pour 1/4 sugar in a not stick frying pan and sprinkle with 1/4 cinnamon. Put on high heat and heat until the sugar just starts to turn to a liquid.  Add the pecans and toss to coat all of them.  Remove from the heat and pour the pecans onto a piece of parchment paper to cool. Break apart any nuts that are stuck together. 

Pomegranate Poppy Seed Dressing

1/4 cup pomegranate juice

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

zest of one orange

3 tbsp. honey

salt and pepper

1 tbsp. poppy seeds

1/2 cup olive oil

Mix the first 6 ingredients in a large mason jar or in a bowl with a whisk. Add the olive oil and whisk or shake vigorously. Store in the fridge in an air tight container.  Allow the dressing to come to room temperature before serving, if the olive oil is too cold it will become a solid.  

What's a dinner party without pretty dishes? Just like the adorable coasters I made with Shutterfly, I took some of my favorite Valentine's designs and had them printed on plates. These are going to be fun plates to pull out every Valentine's Day.  

Shutterfly is so much more then just prints and photobooks. You can add your favorite pictures or illustrations to their plates for a one of a kind look. Or maybe you just like these plates I designed, if so, you can download the images HERE and make a set for yourself.  

DIY XO Salad Spoons

Here's what you'll need:

2 wooden spoons with round handles
2 2' wood balls with flat bottoms (found at the craft store)
E6000 Glue
drill and drill bit the size of the spoon handles
white and black craft paint
paint brush

Start with a drill bit the same size as the handle of the wooden spoons. on the flat side of the wooden ball drill in about 1/2" deep.

Using the E6000 glue, attach the spoons to the wooden balls.  Allow to dry for at least 1 hour.

Paint the wooden ball and part way down the handle with the white paint.  You may need to give them 2 coats of paint.  

When they are completely dry, you can paint on the X and the O with a small paint brush and black paint.  I practiced on a piece of paper first to get an idea of the shape and size of the letters I wanted to paint.  And then, just go for it! 

Be sure to check out Shutterfly's Design Studio for inspiration and lots of great DIYs and downloadables. This coffee table and this living wall are pretty cool. 

This post is sponsored by Shutterfly.  Thank you for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible.

Red Velvet Sundaes

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and red velvet is always the perfect dessert for this holiday. I've already made these sundaes twice for my family.  I have to say, this might just be the best homemade ice cream ever. It's the creamiest, smoothest ice cream. Topped with rich red velvet fudge, it's definitely a special treat. 

I couple years ago, when we were in New York City, I had a bowl of cream cheese sage soft serve at Momofuku's Noodle Bar.  And ever since, I've wanted to make something similar. I finally got an cream cheese ice cream recipe down that I LOVE! 

Red Velvet Hot Fudge

3 tbsp. butter

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp. cocoa

1/2 cup evaporated milk

pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. red food coloring

In a pot, bring the first 5 ingredient to a boil, whisking well.  Boil for just one minute and then remove from the heat. Add the vanilla and red food coloring and allow to cool a bit before serving. This sauce can be refrigerated and warmed when ready to serve. 

Cream Cheese Ice Cream

8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1tsp. vanilla

1 cup evaporated milk

With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is very smooth.  Make sure the cream cheese is room temperature or it will clump and not combine well.  Add the sugar and beat again. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for at least 3 minutes, until is is light a fluffy.  Slowly add the evaporated milk and beat until completely combined.  

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to your machine's instructions.  Store in an air tight container in the freezer.  It's best to freeze this for a couple hours before serving.

Recipe makes enough for 4-6 sundaes.

When I'm hosting a party or get together, I love recipes that can be made days ahead of time.  It creates a lot less stress for the day of the event. These sundaes area  perfect make-ahead dessert.  It would also be fun to add some heart shaped sprinkles to the tops of these sundaes. 

So, for Valentine's Day, are you a go-out or eat-in couple?  This year, I think I'd like to avoid the crowds and make a fun meal for my valentine and finish it with these sundaes.

Cranberry Shirley Temple Mocktail

2015 brought a new series to O+P - Mocktails, fun drinks the whole family can enjoy.  I had a lot of fun coming up with nonalcoholic drinks that tasted like you were really having a special treat.

I'm starting 2016 off with a zesty Cranberry Shirley Temple.  I gave the most classic mocktail of all a modern twist with cranberries, orange zest and ginger.  You can find the recipe over on CB2's blog.

If you'd like to see more of the Mocktail Recipes I've shared, click HERE.

Cheers! Have a great weekend friends.

Candy Cane Italian Soda

Merry Christmas Eve! I think I've finally finished my shopping. Today I'm going to baking pies and making Swedish Cardamom Rolls. It's snowing here in Idaho, and we are hoping it sticks. Before I get elbow deep in baking, I think I might go for a little run in the snow. 

I've had a lot of fun coming up with mocktail recipes, I think it's a series that might stick here at O+P. And I've got one more fun family friendly mocktail for Christmas.  Kids big and small are going to love these Candy Cane Italian Sodas. 

Candy Cane Italian Soda

club soda
half and half
peppermint syrup
crushed candy canes

You can make your own peppermint simple syrup (this one is delicious)  or you can cheat like I did and use a yummy store bought version.  Start by crushing the candy canes to a very fine dust in a zipper bag.  Dip the rim of the glass in the peppermint syrup and then roll it in the crushed candy cane.  Fill the glass with crushed ice.  Pour a couple tablespoons (more or less depending on how sweet you want it) of peppermint syrup in the bottom of the glass.  Add club soda to almost fill the glass and then finally add a splash of half and half.  Stir and serve with a candy cane on the edge of the glass.

I've serving my candy cane sodas in these adorable pink double old-fashioned glasses from CB2.

Be sure to check out some of my other mocktail recipes. And Merry Christmas friends!

Family Friendly Swedish Glogg

Move over Hot Apple Cider and Hot Cocoa, Glogg is our new favorite warm wintery drink.

A couple of years ago, my whole family visited Sweden over the Holidays.  My Grandpa was Swedish and still had a lot of family there, so we went to meet them and visit that gorgeous country. Sweden is all I had hoped for and more.  Those short cold wintery days involved quite a bit of Glogg, which is a delicious mulled wine and vodka drink that is infused with spices and served warm with a scoop of raisins and almonds in the bottom of the cup.

I'm all about mocktails and creating fun drinks the whole family can enjoy. So, I've come up with a Non-Alcoholic Swedish Glogg recipe. This is a little North Americanized, and I took the liberty of using cranberries. Nothing says Christmas like a cranberry, can't you agree?  This recipe make a big generous amount, perfect for a holiday get-together.

Non-Alcoholic Swedish Glogg

4 quarts Grape Cranberry Juice Cocktail
4 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. whole all spice berries
1 tsp. whole cardamom pods
3 generous slices of fresh ginger
zest of 1/2 of an orange
1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup of whole blanched almonds or macadamia nuts
1/2 raisins or craisins (cranberry raisins)

This recipe can be done on the stove top or in a crockpot. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot. Heat on low heat for at least 3-4 hours.  This gives the spices time to infuse into the juice.  Remove all the spices and zest with a slotted spoon. Scoop a spoonful of nuts and raisins in the bottom of a cup, pour the warm glogg over and enjoy.

And because I know you are going to ask, both the copper mugs and copper cutlery are from CB2. I love the modern sleek shape of these modern moscow mules.

A Big thank you to CB2 for partnering with me on this post.  Thanks for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible.