Thursday, July 19, 2012

Summer Hits.

HELLO FRIENDS!!! Happy Summer :) Just getting back in my "normal" routine after traveling constantly for the past 2 months. Well, by normal I mean "baseball life normal." Ha! I've been dying to upload and share some pictures of recipes I've made - and LOVED - since the summer started! I would not share anything on my blog that I didn't think was amazing, so here goes...

Made this Champagne Mojito for the whole fam on Memorial Day. It was a HIT!
Get the recipe here.

This Hot Corn Dip has been floating around Pinterest for a while, so I decided to try it out on everyone.
WOW! It was all gone in about 30 minutes! Amazing appetizer for a crowd! Here's a little tip:
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce can be hard to find sometimes. Look at Dollar General, that's where I found mine - and for cheap!

Apricot Chutney - I can't take credit for this one... my little mama made this, and let's just say we were so full we could barely eat our dinner by the time we polished this one off! 
It's from the cookbook, Sunday In the South.
Recipe below.

Simple but wonderful - perfect for summer! I added a little something extra on top of the salad:
Cranberry-Pear Balsamic Vinegar (get it here!)

We made this twice in the span of a week: Brown Sugar Fruit Dip
Bonus: It has Kahlua in it, which MAKES the recipe! 
Another new find for me: Double Blind Pinot Grigio 
I am usually not a white wine drinker, but this one has won me over! 
Read about it and buy it here.

Also made these Sweet & Spicy Grilled Chicken Breasts! Full of flavor and simple to make...
only THREE ingredients! I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and they turned out just fine!


Here is the recipe for the Apricot Chutney:

2 (10oz) jars of apricot jam (we used peach preserves; either one is fine)
1 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup mustard seed
1 TBS fresh ginger, minced (fresh ginger is preferred, but 1 tsp. dried ginger may be substituted)

Combine all ingredients in a medium skillet and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat slightly and continue simmering, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened and reduced to 2 cups - about 8-10 mins. Allow to cool before serving. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. 

We just poured it over a block of cream cheese and served it with toasted baguette slices.  You could also pair it with grilled chicken, pork, or fish! (Tip: To serve with pork - which I think would be amazing - slice pork thinly across the grain and drizzle with this mixture!)


Here are a couple other amazing summer recipes that I love:
Parmesan Cilantro Skillet Corn (Making this right now!)

My husband, family, and I just got back from a week-long trip to Napa!! It was one of the best trips we've ever taken, and I will be blogging about it this week! Stay tuned :)