Apples Galore

Well, its just about that time, people! Time to put the flip flops away and bring out the comfy boots, time to exchange your spring flowers for earthy mums, time to plan a trip to the cider mill and stock up on the seasons crisp apples, gallons of cider and dozens of sugary donuts!

Apples are plentiful late in the summer and during the early fall, and recently I found a wonderful article from Food Network Magazine about all the awesome things we can do with them; I'll list a few of my fave's today!

1. For breakfast, mix chopped apples, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and a touch of maple syrup into your oatmeal.
2. Shake up an apple mojito! Shake 3oz. apple juice, some lime juice, some mint and some ice in a cocktail shaker- pour in a glass and top with ginger ale.
3. Fill an omelet with sliced apples, ham and brie cheese!
4. Butter a whole-wheat pita bread, top it with apple slices and cinnamon. Toast it for 10 minutes in an oven at 350 degrees. Finish by drizzling with honey.
5. Any MY favorite!! Make an apple s'more!!! Put a marshmallow on a gingersnap, microwave 10 seconds and top with an apple slice and another gingersnap.

Refeshing Watermelon Mojitos

For once it wasn't a sauna in our house- it really cooled down since it wasn't 90-something degrees in the Detroit area, thank God! And to celebrate this and several other extremely happy things going on with some friends of ours, we decided to "cheers" last night with a few glasses of Watermelon Mojitos! Our kitchen was a total disaster area from some construction going on, and my friend, Dee and I, who were trying to make them, (both of us on crutches-we looked like a couple of hot messes), were having a not-so-typical time throwing these drinks together. Not because of the recipe, but mostly because of our gimpee-ness. But we made it, and they were refreshing and oh-so-summery!!

Ingredients & Recipe:

Printable Recipe

• about 4-5 (1-inch) chunks of fresh watermelon
• 1/4 of the juice of a lime
• 2 tsp. of sugar
• a handful of fresh mint leaves
• 2 shots of white rum (we used watermelon flavored! regular is fine too)
• ginger ale

Begin by really smashing the watermelon chunks down into the bottom of your glass- really smoosh and smash them good- I used the bottom of my meat tenderizer (sounds really weird but it was flat and worked well). Then squeeze in the juice of the lime. Rub the mint leaves together in between your fingers to get the odors flowing and toss them into the glass. Top with the sugar, and next throw in a few pieces of ice to your likings. Pour in the liquor and then top with ginger ale, gently stir and take a sip. Add a little more lime juice if needed, and garnish with mint. Put those feet up and enjoy!!

You Could Also Try...

• You can definitely make this without the alcohol- skip it and just add the ginger ale! No problem!


• Our mojitos got slightly chunky, the watermelon was so yummy to eat while we were sipping, but if you don't like a cocktail with little chunks, you may want to strain out the fruit before serving.


• You could totally make a pitcher of the cocktail, omitting the ginger ale and then just topping each individual drink with the soda just before serving!

I'll Link You Up....Bloody Mary's are O2 to Me!

So, I can't bare to divulge my top secret recipe to my bloody mary mix on the blog yet- (maybe if I could actually ever copyright something on the Internet) but I'm certain that Emeril's are pretty close. If you aren't a "bloody mary person", PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, give them another shot! I don't even like ketchup, but LOVE a good bloody mary- a "good" bloody mary though- not just a can of tomato juice mixed with a few olives. Blah!

Another good tip; use Absolut Peppar vodka when available for an extra deepness, and don't forget garlic-filled olives, a pickle spear and a celery stalk as garnish (and snack!)

Don't drink alcohol? No problem! A good bloody mary mix doesn't need booze to make it delicious!

White Christmas Cocktail

Get your adult loved ones into the Holiday spirit by serving this creamy cocktail! It will remind them of a "White-Russian" drink, but will satisfy their spirited side!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 1 shot of vodka
• 1 shot of amaretto
• 1 shot of heavy cream
• ground nutmeg, for garnish

Pour the liquids into a shaker filled with ice. Shake it, don't stir. Strain into martini glass, (sprinkle a little nutmeg on top-optional) and serve!

Be mindful that there may be other alcoholic drinks served throughout Holiday dinners. Do not let anyone drive while intoxicated!

Bachelor Basics: Fool-Proof Wine-Pairing

Any wine usually goes for me, but when you want to make a special meal sometimes it puts the icing on the cake to have the perfect bottle of wine to compliment your hard work! Guys...this will certainly impress a date when you're able to say that you "picked this Chardonnay because you knew it would go good with the garlic and Parmesan cheese in the dinner I made tonight".

Now see? That wasn't snooty, arrogant or pompous! You didn't have to get into all the craziness and seriousness of true wine-pairing, but you were able to tell your lady that you took the time and really thought things out- which is really all she wants!!

How will you know which wine to buy for a specific dinner? Use this awesome website to do all the work for you!

http://winewebcentral.com/winepairing/

1. Choose your dish
2. Choose your spices (what flavors does the meal have the most of)
3. Done! You'll see a list of appropriate wines for your meal!
4. Pass it on to your other bachelor friends!

Strawberry Bellini Time!

I've mentioned before that my girlfriend, Sara, is getting married soon! And by soon, I mean, 2 weeks from tomorrow!!!!!!! It's going to be such a fun weekend; lots of fun friends in town, lots of dancing to be done and overall lots of celebrating and cheers-ing to Sara & Ryan!

The gals in the wedding party will definitely begin celebrating early that day, as we help Sara prepare for her groom! We'll need a tasty cocktail to sip on, and to switch it up from the typical mimosa or bellini, this Strawberry Bellini is a great option for any celebratory moment!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 6 cups sliced strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3 cups sparkling wine/champagne/prosecco
• 6 strawberries, for garnish (optional)

Blend strawberries (thawed, if using frozen) & powdered sugar in a blender until quite smooth, chill. When ready to serve, spoon in 1/4 cup of strawberry mixture into 6 glasses. Top with champagne, lightly stir, garnish with a strawberry. CHEERS!

Blushing Bride

I am so excited about tonight! Tonight, my girlfriend, Lupi, will be hosting a simple little ladies night so we can spend time with our lovely bride-to-be, Sara! Sara and Ryan are sealing the deal on November 14th, and I speak for all of us ladies attending tonight when I say that we could not be more sincerely happy or excited for their nuptuals!

You know, Sara deserves a BIG shout out on NICHe in the KITCHe since she is the really the mastermind behind it all! She knows how much I love to cook and bake, and knows I've been trying to find a creative outlet for it, and came up with the blog idea as well as the catchy name! So, one day when I make it big, Sara will definately get her share of profits & earnings.

Anyway, we are celebrating tonight! We will be celebrating Sara's last few weeks as a single lady and I figured we'd need to make a toast of some kind, so here is a SUPER EASY recipe for the blushing bride!

Ingredients & Recipe:

Printable Recipe

• 1 oz. grenadine
• 1 oz. peach schnapps (optional)
• 4 oz. champagne

Pour the grenadine and schnapps into your champagne flute, top with champagne. Make sure you always pour champagne in last when mixing it with other ingredients as the bubbles with mix the drink for you! Garnish with a slice of lemon or lime.

Think of a great toast and enjoy!