If I Dream It...

A stuffed pepper?  I've never eaten a stuffed pepper in my life... so why I had the urge to make them the other day, I honestly couldn't tell you. However, I couldn't be happier with the choice :) I started by making some brown rice. I didn't add as much water as I usually do (just a few tablespoons short) figuring it might be a little too mushy for a filling. I'm not sure if it really would've made a difference, but I was very happy with the way the rice came out. Then I prepped the peppers by making a slice down the side and removing the seeds. I popped them in the oven for about 20 minutes to soften and started on the filling while they cooked. For the filling I cooked the onions for almost 10 minutes so that they became soft. Added in the garlic and simmered for just about a minute more before adding the beans, water, and spices. Then I mixed in the rice and before stuffing I decided to add a little more than I had originally planned an...

Well I promised more drinks and my experimentation is over... so here you go :) Sorry it took me so long to finally post this! However, I won't bore you with any stories of how these came or anything. Just know they're all super easy and all super yummy... could it be any better? Blueberry Coconut Lemonade 8                         Lemons 1          Pint         Blueberries 1          Liter        Coconut Water 1/3       Cup         Honey Juice lemons *I should've poured the blueberries over these huh?  Still learning the photo ideas... sadly thought of it after all my  lemons were juiced and all blueberries were already blended... oops!* Blend lemon juice with your blueberries and honey. Strain mixture and mix with coconut water. Kiwi Lime Fizz ...

I must admit, ever since I did the Peach Tea post I've been thinking of other summer drinks. So over the  past week I've been having fun with some cool drinks. Tea came first to mind, understandably after the last one :) But I did take the time to get at least a little more creative with most of the drinks... the first one though was very similar to the  Peach Tea  - but it's not sun tea or peach so I did grow a little :) Generally I am all about water in all honesty. It's my go to drink of choice and I honestly do enjoy a good tall glass of water. I'll drink it hot - and I mean like hot tea water without the tea :) Or room temperature... sometimes iced, but in all honesty iced is usually my least favorite. I don't know what it is about it - but I like water. However, that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy other drinks to get my daily dose of liquids - sometimes a little flavor is pretty nice :) The tricky part is not getting too  much sugar - and yes, ...

I had a craving to make sun tea the other day. Why, honestly I couldn't tell you... it just sounded good. I remember making sun tea with my Mom and having it sitting out back on the cover to the hot tub. Watching it slowly get darker and darker as it sat out in the heat. However my Mom likes straight tea and I have always been a fan of the sweet tea... the taste for unsweet tea has just never worked for me. So I've never taken the time to make sun tea. And so when I got the craving to try to make some, I decided I would make sun sweet tea :) If you don't like sweet tea you can certainly decrease or completely omit the sugar... and if you like the true, syrupy type sweet tea you'll want to add more. This is certainly sweet, don't get me wrong, but I have certainly had sweeter :) The wonderful thing about this is that you can really infuse your tea with any fruit, just like you infuse your water. And honestly, I think the fresh fruit adds a much better flavor than...

With the issues of the last post behind me - THANKFULLY - I couldn't help but spend some time in the kitchen :) So today I share two "dishes" that are summer inspired - veggies with dinner and fruit with dessert. Both were super easy and pleasantly yummy!  Veggie Penne 1      Tbl      Bacon Grease (could use olive oil) 2.5   Cups   Penne 2      Cups   Chicken Broth (could use vegetable broth) 1/2   Cup     Water 2      Cup     Broccoli 1      Med     Carrot (shredded) 1/2   Cup     Frozen Peas 2      tsp       Minced Garlic (divided) 1/4   Cup     Grated Parmesan Cheese 1      oz        Cream Cheese Salt & Pepper to taste Melt bacon grease in a large skillet and add 1 tsp minced garlic. Allow to simmer for a minute and ...