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. 

Valentine's Day Coasters and Pomegranate Basil Lemonade

Does anyone else love that Valentine's Day gives you an excuse to be extra girly and add tones of pink to everything?  I do! I tend to be pretty neutral in the colors I use in my home and wardrobe, but when Valentine's Day hits, I'm all about the PINK! 

This year, I teamed up with Shutterfly to make some fun custom Valentine's Day decor. These coasters might not get put away after February 14th.  You can add cute pictures of your kids and pets, images from your favorite vacation, or add your own illustrations like I did. I took some of my favorite designs that I've created over the years (like the geometric heart and these simple designs I did last year) along with some new ones and had them put on coasters. Shutterfly is not just pictures and photobooks friends, they've got some really fun home decor pieces. If you like these coasters and would like a set for yourself, you can download the files HERE. 

And what's a coaster without a yummy drink to sit on it. Our lemon tree is loaded right now, so I'm serving refreshing Pomegranate Basil Lemonade this Valentine's Day. 

Pomegranate Basil Lemonade

1 cup pomegranate juice

6 lemons, juiced

1 cup basil simple syrup (see recipe below)

6 cups of water

ice

In a large pitcher, combine the pomegranate juice, lemon juice, basil syrup and water.  Mix well. Serve with lots of ice and garnish with a slice of lemon and sprig of basil.

Basil Simple Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. fresh basil chopped

Bring water, sugar and basil to a boil.  Boil one minute or until the syrup dissolves.  Strain basil leaves from the syrup.  Allow the syrup to cool completely, store in an airtight container in the fridge.

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.

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.

Grapefruit Thyme Spritzer and DIY Color Block Coasters

I'm having so much fun creating mocktails for my family.  This might be my favorite yet. I LOVE citrus and combined with the earthy, herby flavor of thyme, is a match made in heaven. You really feel like you're having a treat with this pretty nonalcoholic drink. So, invite some friends over and celebrate this holiday season with a Grapefruit Thyme Spritzer and your favorite cheese and crackers.

Just as it is in cooking, good ingredients make the drink. My friend Sarah, of Sarah Hearts, introduced me to Natalie's Orchid Juices and now I'm hooked. This is probably the freshest tasting juice I've ever had. We have an orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit tree in our yard, so I consider myself a citrus snob. And yes, this Californian now loves Florida citrus as well. This is hand picked, freshly squeezed, made in American juice.

Grapefruit Thyme Spritzer 

1/2 cup Natalies's Orchid Grapefruit Juice
1 oz. Thyme Simple Syrup (see recipe below)
1/2 cup of club soda
a splash of aromatic bitters
a sprig or two of fresh thyme

Fill a glass with ice, pour in the juice and thyme simple syrup and mix.  Top with club soda and a splash of bitters.  Garnish with a couple sprigs of fresh thyme.

Thyme Simple Syrup

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme

In a small pot bring the sugar, water and thyme to a boil. Boil for 3 mins.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can remove the thyme or leave it in the syrup.

And if you are going to serve a pretty drink, it needs an equally nice coaster to rest on. I made some simple felt color blocked coasters inspired by the colors of this drink. And they require absolutely no sewing at all!!!

Here's what you will need:

• 4 colors of felt
• scissors or rotary cutter
• felt glue
• a couple q-tips

Start by cutting 4 square of felt that are 4 x 4 inches and 4 square that are 3 /12 x 3 1/2 inches.  Cut the smaller squares in half diagonally.

Play around with the felt pieces and decide on 4 combinations that work well together.

Apply a generous amount of felt glue to the backs of the triangles and spread the glue all the way to the edge with a q-tip. 

Glue down the triangle and allow the coasters to dry over night.

This post is sponsored by Natalie's Orchid Island Juice Co. Thanks for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible. 

Orange Cardamom Cooler

If you were to search cardamom on my blog, I think it would come up often. It is one of my favorite flavors, and orange and cardamom together are pretty much perfect.  

I recently found some black sugar and wanted to create a fun Halloween themed drink for my family. I'm having fun with this new mocktail series, be sure to check out the other drink recipes I've created, like the Pineapple Rosemary Spritzer or the Blackberry Ginger Cooler.

Orange Cardamom Cooler

2 cups orange juice

1 tsp. ground cardamom

Orange Soda ( I love Izzy Sparkly Clementine Soda, it's made with juice and not a bunch of sugar)

black sugar

Combine the orange juice and cardamom in a small pot. Bring to a boil and then remove from the heat. Chill until ready to serve. 

Rub the rim of the glass with orange juice and dip in black sugar.  Fill the glass with ice and 1 part orange juice to 1 part soda.

Makes 4 drinks.

Pineapple Rosemary Spritzer

Hey friends, I'm back with another refreshing mocktail recipe (did you miss last week's Blackberry Ginger Cooler?). Cocktail hour is pretty dang popular, so I thought I should create some fun drinks that the whole family can enjoy.  And it's A OKAY to sip this drink every hour of the day. Feel free to spike it if you want, but I think this is going to be your new favorite drink! I'm such a fan of fresh herbs paired with fruit.  Sweet pineapple and the warm, woodsy notes of rosemary go perfectly together.  I love sips and bites that make you stop and say, "Ooh, what is that?".  This easy to make drink, will have your guests asking that very question.

Pineapple Rosemary Spritzer
2 cups of pineapple juice
1/2 cup of rosemary simple syrup
2-3 cups of club soda
pineapple wedges and a sprig of fresh rosemary for ganish
ice

In a pitcher, combine the chilled pineapple juice and rosemary simple syrup.  Fill each glass with ice. Fill the glass half full with the pineapple juice mixture and then top off with club soda.  Garnish each glass with a sprig of fresh rosemary and a wedge of pineapple on the rim of the glass.

This recipe make 4-6 servings, depending on size of your glasses.

Rosemary Simple Syrup
2 tbsp. of finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Place all the ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Allow the syrup to cool. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.  Place the syrup in an airtight container and store in the fridge.

Stay cool, stay refreshed.