Author Archives: Katherine

Top 5 Summer Tequila Cocktails

It’s National Tequila Day! This smooth beverage is made from the blue agave plant surrounding the area of its namesake, Santiago de Tequila! Now’s the time to break out your bottle and try fixing up a few tequila cocktails of your own. Garnish it with a few fresh sliced lemons or stone fruits and kick back! These classic drinks are the perfect way to cool down on a warm summer day.

Tequila Sunrise

The tequila sunrise cocktail is named for its signature colors, which resemble the rich, red-orange hues of a sunrise. The denser ingredients in the drink – usually crème de cassis or grenadine – sink to the bottom of the glass, while the orange juice rests on top.

Classic Margaritas

A classic margarita consists of an ounce of tequila, a dash of triple sec, and the juice from half of a lime or lemon, all poured over crushed ice. Rub a little lemon rind on the edge, salt the rim of the glass, and enjoy!

Chimayo Cocktails

This apple based cocktail originated at the Rancho de Chimayó in New Mexico! It was originally concocted to make use of the apples that grew plentifully in the region, and it eventually grew to be the signature drink of the restaurant.

Matador

A classic matador cocktail is made with 3 main ingredients: silver tequila, pineapples, and lime! It’s a very simple concoction to make, and is fruity and delicious too!

Paloma

The Paloma is a simple, refreshing tequila cocktail made by mixing tequila and grapefruit soda (such as Fresca) and serving it over ice. Alternatively, fresh white or red grapefruit juice can be used instead of the carbonated soda!

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Hearty Franks for National Hot Dog Day!

It’s no wonder hot dogs are a ballpark favorite – they’re easy to make, easy to eat, and so darn good. Sometimes a hot dog just hits the spot. By all accounts, they’re not the healthiest food in the world, but if you just want a quick, tasty meal every now and again, they can sure be good eats. Plus, today’s the day to enjoy a good hot dog, so celebrate with one of these tasty recipes!

Hot Dogs with Peppers and Mozzarella from a nutritionist eats

Homemade Pretzel Dogs from Two Girls, Ten Potatoes

Mashed Avocado and Tomato Dogs from The College Culinarian

Kansas City BBQ Dog from Kansas City Mamas

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs from The Missing Lokness

Jalapeno Chili Dog from Coupon Clipping Cook

Mini Cheese Corn Dogs from Rampant Cuisine

Saucy BBQ Hot Dogs from Favorite Family Recipes

Chicago Style Hot Dogs from Cully’s Kitchen

Caramelized Onion and Mac & Cheese Dog from Running with the Deviled Eggs

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Healthy Zucchini Recipes That Taste Like Guilty Pleasures

If you’re trying to eat healthier, summer is the perfect time to do it! Fresh vegetables and greens are in abundance this time of year, and zucchini is one of the tastiest, most versatile options in the bunch. You can shred it and enjoy it raw to replace all kinds of carb-heavy pasta, use it to add a refreshing touch to quick summer stir-frys, or keep it simple by grilling it up with a touch of butter. It might sound too good to be true, but with these dishes, you can have delicious, flavorful food without any of the guilt.

Black Bean, Corn, and Zucchini Enchiladas from Go Vegan Meow!

Tuscan Baked Zucchini from We Have Plenty

Zucchini Kale Lasagna from Tri to Cook

Crisp Zucchini Medallions from 30 Pounds of Apples

Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Lemon Parmesan Dressing from Mary’s Bites

Vegetable Tian from My San Francisco Kitchen

Zucchini Cakes from A Teaspoon and A Pinch

Shitake & Zucchini Stir-Fry from Food Whims

Tomato & Zucchini Tart with Garlic & Basil from The Flour Sack

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How to Make Delicious No-Drip Popsicles!

One of my favorite parts of summer as a kid was running back into the house after a day of playing in the sprinklers and being handed a sweet, red strawberry popsicle. It’s an integral part of the out-of-school experience when you’re young! You can’t have long summer days without a frozen treat to sweeten the deal. But even though stained mouths and cheeks are inevitable when a popsicle and kid combine, you can avoid some of the drippy, sticky clean-up by making these no-drip popsicles instead!

Ingredients

13 oz package of Jell-O (or 13 oz. of agar agar)
1 package of Kool-aid
1/2 cup of sugar
2 cups of boiling water
2 cups of cold water

Directions

Mix your dry ingredients – the Jell-O, Kool-aid, and sugar – together.
Dissolve them in the boiling water.
Stir in 2 cups of cold water.
Pour the mixture into your popsicle molds and freeze!

You can try experimenting with other tasty no-drip popsicle recipes by mixing 3 oz of Jell-O (or agar agar) with 1 cup of boiling water, and then mixing in your choice of fruit (for a sizing example, 1 banana works) and 1 cup of yogurt!

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Photo Credits: From an Igloo, Baby Center

Your Vegetable Garden Could Put You in Jail

In many North American state and local laws, your front yard and lawn must maintain an appearance that stays in line with the visual expectations set by other yards in your neighborhood. Basic trees, flowers, and plain green grass are okay, but your vegetable gardens – no matter how neatly ordered or visually attractive – are (in many cases) not welcomed. Some might think, what’s the worst that could happen if you did it anyway? Where’s the crime? They’re only vegetables. They’re nutritious, colorful, and heck, they’re infinitely more useful than plain grass.

Well, you could be arrested. Or fined up to $300 dollars for every day you fail to comply with city ordinances, depending on your local laws.

Your Vegetable Garden Could Put You in Jail

Julie Bass's Garden

In July of 2011, a resident of Michigan – Julie Bass – faced 93 days of jail time for the vegetable garden she planted in her front yard. She had turned her plain plot of grass into 4 separate vegetable gardens with the help of many kids from the neighborhood; some in the area even considered it a great asset to the community as a whole. However, the city planner maintained that the garden violated city code as it was just “not what we want to see in a front yard.”

Though the charges were dismissed by a judge, the case was not dropped and could be refiled by the prosecutor at their discretion at any time.

More recently, in Canada, Josée Landry and Michel Beauchamp are facing fines of $100-300 dollars a day for every day that their front yard garden is on display.

Josée Landry and Michel Beauchamp's Garden

City ordinances state that a garden is only allowed to take up 30% of the front yard real estate. They have said that unless the beautiful crop of fresh beets, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, and brussels sprouts that the two have been sharing with their neighborhood is scaled down by this Sunday, the fines will pile up.

The couple, so far, has resisted the city’s demands and have no intention of future compliance. The garden has helped the both of them lose a combined total of 100 pounds and is well-loved by many in their neighborhood.

A petition is in place to “Stop the war on front yard vegetable gardens!” which you can sign if you wish to assist Landry and Beauchamp and others like them. Of course, if you agree with the actions of the local governments in these situations, then all is still well with the world.

Photo Credits: Le potager urbain, Washington Post

10 Fruity Frozen Daiquiris

It’s National Daiquiri Day! Celebrate one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorite drinks by sharing a round of these frosty cocktails with your dearest friends. Nearly every kind of fruit works wonderfully mixed with ice and rum in these beverages, so feel free to get creative. A sweet, cold daiquiri is the perfect way to cool off after a long, warm day. Grab your shaker and shaved ice, kick off your shoes, and fix yourself a drink already!

Raspberry Daiquiri from Cookie and Kate

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Daiquiri from Slim Pickin’s Kitchen

Make-Ahead Frozen Fruit Daiquiris from The Yummy Life

Watermelon Daiquiri from My Little Expat Kitchen

Frozen Key Lime Daiquiri from Hungry Couple

Mango Daiquiri from The Rebel Bartender

E. Hemingway Special from Eat Love Drink

Strawberry Lime Daiquiri Mocktail from Not So Gourmet…

Fresh Peach Daiquiri from Menus and Meals for Moms

Frozen Banana Daiquiri from Edible Times

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Common Foods That Could Poison Your Pet

Chocolate is one of the best-known human foods can kill Fido (and if you didn’t know that already, now you do!), but there are plenty of other foods that are tasty to us and lethal to our four-legged companions. Even if your pet begs for a taste of whatever you’re eating, indulging them might cost you a trip to the veterinarian that no one will enjoy.

Avocado
While guacamole might be delicious to you, the leaves, seed, and fruit of avocados contain persin which can cause severe vomiting and diarrhea in both cats and dogs. If you have other pets such as birds, rodents, or horses, you should be especially wary since persin is poisonous to them.

Coffee, Tea, and Caffeine in General
Coffee contains methylxanthines which can cause many problems for cats and dogs including vomiting, diarrhea, abnormal heart rhythms, tremors, seizures, and death. This is also part of the reason that chocolate (particularly darker varieties) should be avoided.

Grapes and Raisins
The component of grapes and raisins that causes sudden renal failure in pets (especially dogs) is unknown. However, studies have shown a clear pattern linking the ingestion of grapes and raisins to severe illness in pets. The symptoms of grape toxicity include lethargy, decreased appetite, decreased urination, and diarrhea.

Garlic, Onions, Chives
Large quantities of these foods raw, powdered, or otherwise contain chemicals that can wreak havoc on your pet’s red blood cell’s. Cats are particularly susceptible to anemia from the ingestion of these foods, but dogs are quite vulnerable to it as well. Very small amounts are usually fine, but keep your pets out of your spice rack and pantry!

Salt
The consumption of salt can cause excessive thirst and urination in pets, and possibly sodium ion poisoning. Symptoms of ingesting too much salt include lethargy, tremors, elevated temperatures, seizure, and (as always) vomiting and diarrhea. Again, it will take quite a bit of salt to cause extreme reactions in pets, but it’s important to keep track of what’s going into your pet’s body, particularly if they’re on the petite side, such as most domestic cats and small-breed dogs.

Other Important Notes

Remember that your pets are susceptible to some of the same bacteria that humans are such as salmonella and e.coli. Even though you may think that dogs and cats are perfectly fine eating raw meats, fish, and eggs, they pose the same risks to them as they do to us!
Keep your pets out of your spice rack! There are plenty of spices and powders that we would never give our pets as treats, but they might ingest just by being overly curious such as nutmeg, baking powder, or baking soda.

Acceptable Pet Treats
And if you really want to treat your pet to some healthy, human food some time, here are some great options that (barring any particular pet-specific allergies) should be fine to give as a reward!

Blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries
Watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew
Peanut butter
Cheese*
Yogurt*
Green beans
Sweet potatoes
Carrots
Cooked meats

*Note: Some dogs and cats are lactose intolerant, so if you give any kind of dairy as a reward, be aware that it can cause upset stomach in some animals and should only be given in small quantities.

You can also always make your own delicious homemade pet treats that will help keep your pet happy and healthy!

Photo Credits: Tastespotting, Dog Food Help, Vetstreet

10 Juicy & Refreshing Watermelon Recipes

Watermelon is one of the best ways to cool off in the summer. Each juicy bite helps keep you hydrated and makes a healthy, light meal too! You can make your whole meal out of these fabulous watermelon recipes: start off with a fresh watermelon coolers and end on a sweet note with tasty watermelon cupcakes. Get inventive! Create your own delicious melon dessert or try one of these recipes this week.

Watermelon Lemonade from Aimee Broussard Handmade

Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad from Elra’s Cooking

Watermelon Cupcakes with Watermelon Buttercream from From Apples to Zucchini

Open Face Watermelon Sandwiches from Fresh from Florida

Watermelon Gazpacho from Cook’s Book

Easy Watermelon Sorbet from Girl Makes Food

Watermelon, Radish and Rocket Leaves Salad from Say Cheese

Watermelon Cooler from The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie

Sauteed Watermelon with Honey and Mint from the Winter Guest

Watermelon Salsa from No Greater Love

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Make Your Own Soaps, Detergents, and Cleaners!

Do you have baking soda at home? Vinegar? Water? With simple ingredients that you probably have already, you can actually make a whole range of awesome homemade cleaning products! If you have the ingredients on hand, why spend more money buying them at the store? Save yourself the trip and the cash by making your own awesome, simple cleaning products.

Homemade “OxiClean” Cleaner

All-Natural Laundry Detergent (1-Year Supply)

Natural Floor Cleaner

Super Drain Cleaner

Homemade Shampoo for Normal Hair

Sparkling Crystal Clear Window Cleaner

Pergo or Any Laminate Floor Cleaner

Shea Butter Soap

Earth Scrub All Purpose Cleaner

Homemade Ice Cream to Cool Down Your Summer

I holler, you yell, we all shout for ice cream! Or something like that. The point is: ice cream is awesome. It’s creamy, cold, and barring the occasional bout of brain freeze, it’s the perfect summer dessert. It requires no baking, which means no sitting around in the kitchen fanning yourself with a dish towel, and the ingredients are as simple as you can get. Celebrate National Ice Cream Day today by making your own batch of this frosty sweet treat!