Ravinia Recipes

6/29/14

     One of the events I always look forward to in the summer is Ravinia. For those who haven't been there, it's basically one massive picnic filled with awesome music, friends, and the best spreads of food. My friends and I went last night to see Darius Rucker. Since I love snacking so much, I chose to bring along corn and black bean salsa, rainbow cookie puppy chow, and drunken pineapple. Here are some simple and easy recipes to share with friends!

Drunken Pineapple

Ingredients:

2 Pineapples

1 Bottle Svedka Colada

I thought I would share this because I personally found it tough to find a good alcohol infused fruit recipe online. I was confused on what type of alcohol I should use/how much I should pour. Turns out it's much simpler than I thought!

Directions:

1. Slice up your pineapple into small-medium sized cubed pieces. Place pineapple in two separate containers so there is room for vodka.

2. Pour a full fifth between both bowls of pineapple. Push down fruit so it is as submerged in the alcohol as possible.

3. Let pineapple soak for a day, mix the pineapple around, then let it soak one more full day.

4. Drain the pineapple and make sure to save the remaining vodka (it is now pineapple infused, yum!)

5. Share with your friends! Watch out, it is delicious, strong and addicting!

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients:

1 Can Black Beans (Drained and Rinsed)

1 Can Sweet Yellow and White Corn (Drained)

1 Bell Pepper (Any Kind)

2 Small Tomatoes, Chopped

1 Avocado, Chopped

1 Tbsp Garlic (Minced)

1-2 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Pepper

1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tsp Lime Zest

2 Tbsp Lime Juice

1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro

5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together except avocado. Adjust spices according to your liking.

2. Right before serving, add avocado and top with extra cilantro.

Rainbow Cookie Puppy Chow

Ingredients:

1/2 Box Rice Chex

6 Cubes Almond Bark

1/3 Bag Mini M&Ms

1 Box Chips Ahoy Cookies

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

Directions:

1. In a thick, plastic bag, crush up cookies until they become a fine, crumb-like texture. Make sure to double or triple your plastic bag if you notice it starting to break easily. If you have a food processor, that would work even better! Set mixture aside.

2. In a microwaveable-safe bowl, heat almond bark in microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir until fully melted.

3. In a large bowl, pour melted almond bark over the chex cereal and mix until fully coated.

4. Pour the cookie crumb mixture and m&ms into a large garbage bag and mix around. Add the melty chex mixture and toss it around in the crumbs.

5. Once the crumbs have been distributed evenly, add in the powdered sugar and continue to mix.

6. Pour mixture into a bowl, top with some extra m&ms and serve! This puppy chow brings me back to the memories of begging my Mom to buy the Rainbow Chips Ahoy Cookies at the grocery store...a childhood classic =).

There's nothing better than friends, food, and drinks! Happy summer =)

Father's Day Coffee Cake

6/16/14

     Whenever I come home for a special occasion or just a relaxing weekend, it seems like we are always diving into some Old World Bakery coffee cake on Sundays. When I was home for Father's Day this weekend, I noticed there wasn't a coffee cake sitting on the counter like usual =(. Good thing this daughter likes to cook! This gave me a chance to whip up a delicious coffee cake recipe and celebrate my kind, smart, funny, and wonderful Dad! If you have a big sweet tooth, this is a recipe you need to try=).

Banana Crumble Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
 Cake Batter
2 Cups Flour
3 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
3 Ripe Bananas
1/2 Cup Butter, Room Temperature
2 Cups Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Cup Milk

Crumb Filling
1/2 Cup Cold Butter (sliced up)
1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Cup Flour

Glaze Topping
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a larger bowl, mash the bananas until they look similar to chunky applesauce.

4. Mix in butter and then stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla until thoroughly mixed. 

5. Next, add in the milk and flour and stir until combined.

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6. For the crumb filling, add sliced butter, light brown sugar, and flower to a bowl. Using your hands, mix all of the ingredients together to create a crumble consistency. The butter needs to be cold in order to do so!

7. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Pour half of the batter into pan. Sprinkle half of the crumb filling on top of the first layer. 

8. Next, pour remaining batter into the pan. Take the crumble mixture and add it to the top in order to fully cover the dish.

9. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

10. In the meantime, mix the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl. When the coffee cake is out of the oven and has cooled for a bit, feel free to start drizzling the glaze over the cake.

11. Time to slice the cake! (and make sure you serve it to your Dad first ; ))

Happy Father's Day, Dad! I Love You!

My Kind of "Backyard BBQ"

6/10/14

     Sorry to all of my blog followers, I haven't posted anything in ages! I'm not used to having both work and school going on, so my downtime is much more limited. However, I did have a chance to create a colorful and healthy Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad last Friday. I was in the summer mood while outside on my back deck laying out, reading magazines, and painting my nails. I thought, what better way to end my day with a fresh and filling salad! The best thing about southwestern salads is that the ingredients do not go bad very easily and they tend to be fairly inexpensive. I would also suggest adding some avocado and crushed tortilla chips on top to jazz it up even more!

Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
Romaine Lettuce
1 Tomato
1 Red Onion
1 Can Southwestern Corn
1 Can Black Beans
2 Lean Chicken Breasts
Cajun Seasoning
BBQ Sauce

Directions:
1. Thaw chicken, season with cajun seasoning and cook on a George Foreman grill (or saute pan) until golden brown.
2. Chop up tomatoes, onions, and lettuce.
3. Open and drain corn and black beans and mix together.
4. Toss everything together and use your favorite BBQ sauce as a dressing...easy as that!

This is the perfect salad when you don't feel like prepping too much and are feeling a bit lazy =). See, you don't have an excuse not to eat healthy!