Strawberry Pomegranate Mojito

As summer is coming… and our mint plant is going crazy… we are finding refreshing drinks to use our mint in. In addition to iced tea, we are making mojitos!

1/2 lime cut into four wedges

10-12 mint leaves

1 Tbs. sugar

1 1/2 white rum

1 diced strawberries

club soda

splash grenadine (true grenadine is actually pomegranate) If you want to leave this out, add another Tbs. of sugar.

1. take the mint leaves and put them in a sturdy cup with two of the wedges and pulverize them. We used the back of a wooden spoon.

2. add sugar, strawberries, and one more wedge of lime and smash some more.

3. Fill the cup with ice and add the grenadine and rum. Fill the remainder of the cup with club soda and garnish with the last wedge of lime, and perhaps another sprig or two of lime.

Bacon Pancakes

Oh yes….. I did.

My husband doesn’t really like pancakes… but he loves bacon. Since I was craving pancakes….. well… I added bacon (cooked it in the microwave and then put it in the batter).

all were happy :)

Receiving blankets

One of my best friend’s sister is having twins! A boy and a girl. For her baby shower I knew I wanted to make her something special, but I didn’t have a ton of time. So decided to make some simple receiving blankets and burp cloths.

To make the blankets, first, I squared up the fabric and put the back and front pieces of fabric pretty sides together and pinned.

I sewed all of the way round the blanket but left a small opening so that I would be able to turn it right side out. Then I went around and did a zig zag stitch around the edges so that they wouldn’t unravel.

I turned them right side out, ironed, and then did a straight stitch all the way round, using the edge of the foot as my guide. Then I did another line around the blanket, an inch in, using the guide on my sewing machine.

Since I dind’t want the blankets to get all wonkey in the wash (since the two fabric pieces weren’t attached in the middle) I measured six inches in all around and sewed a line, then I did another square 9 inches in.

In all I made a blanket and two burp cloths for each baby, as well as threw in two books… I have to… I am a teacher :) You can find a tutorial for the burp cloths here.

note: these burp cloths are awesome… my godson spits up and drools like non other, and even though he is a year, she is still asking for more because they are super absorbent.

Everyone was impressed…. if only they knew how easy they were to make :)

see my list to the right to see who I am linking up with

Epic Chili

I served this chili at my house warming and it was a huge hit. I was asked for the recipe several times, so I thought I would share. enjoy!

2 lbs ground beef

1-2 cups shredded beef (either make your own or they sell it pre-cooked)

45 oz pinto beans

16 oz black beans

16 oz kidney beans

56 oz diced tomato

6 oz tomato paste

1 onion, chopped

3 stocks celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper chopped

1-2 c. corn

3 Tbs. steak seasoning

3 Tbs. chili powder

1 Tbs. worceshire

1 Tbs. chopped garlic

1 Tbs. oregano

2 tea cumin

2 tea. hot sauce, or more to taste

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. season salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. basil

1. tsp. paprika

1 tsp. sugar

optional to taste… I threw in a little

Jerk seasoning, Northwoods seasoning, Cajon seasoning, jalapenos

The beauty of chili is that you can change things up… add more of one thing and leave out simething else, and it will still be super yummy.

1. brown the meat with the steak seasoning. Drain the fat.

2. throw in the chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook until the veggies start to become tender (not all the way done)

3. open all the cans and start dumping (yes liquid and all.. it will help thicken it) the beans, tomatoes, and tomato paste. stir. Add all of the seasonings and heat until it is simmering.

4. add the shredded beef and corn. Simmer for as long as you desire, but at least 15 min.

serve with the toppings you like… sour cream, onions, cheese, corn bread, French bread, etc.

you can even make this the night before and re-heat it. The longer it sits, the more the flavors will combine and get even yummier. :)