Blueberry Lemonade

It's time for another round of Cooks in the Kitchen! I just love this little linkup hosted by Elah Tree & Sweet Lavender Bake Shoppe. They give an ingredient and you have a whole month to cook with it then you get to share your recipe! I even created a pinterest just for this linkup so I could gather ideas. 

This month's ingredient - blueberries! 

Oh Blueberries! They are so good. A lot of you know this, but earlier in the month, as part of my birthday festivities, I went blueberry picking! Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits and I was so happy about getting 6lb. of them.

I had no idea how I was going to narrow my blueberry post to one item this month! I have made Dutch Pancakes with blueberry topping, blueberry muffins, blueberry smoothies, blueberry scones and more!

Someone mentioned to me that I share lots of drinks on this blog and so I thought I'd keep with that theme and share an easy peasy recipe - blueberry lemonade!

The original recipe can be found here!

What kind of lemonade do you like?

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Also for my orange blueberry muffin recipe just click on the picture below!

Brazilian Limeades

I was thrilled when Samantha announced that limes were the main ingredient for Cooks in the Kitchen. It was the perfect opportunity to share a little piece of what I love with you.

Being born and having spent the first nine years of my life in Brazil was an experience that still impacts me today. I'm grateful for the childhood years lived in another country allowing me to see a different way of life. Brazilian food was also a big part of my childhood years. I can't recount the various occasions we visited people's homes and spent time getting to know one another over a meal or coffee. If you visited someone's home there was food involved - lots of it! To this day I still love Brazilian food and I enjoy cooking it at home. I wanted to start documenting some of these recipes. It's a little piece of what I love so dearly, shared with you.

Do you like limeades? What's your favorite drink to make?
To read more about Brazil check out the following posts: Brazilian Collard Greens  My Parent's Story of Being Missionaries in Brazil Where I Come From

Couve // Collard Greens

Have I ever told you that while I was in Korea I met Brazilians? It began when two Brazilian kids were placed in my class. Although it brought more kids in my room I'm glad they were there because there wasn't anyone else that could understand their little Portuguese cries of "Eu quero a minha mãe" (I want my Mom!!!). Well, I ended up having three Brazilian students on and off through the year. The last little Brazilian boy, well, me and his Mom 'clicked'. She ended up being one of my dearest friends during my time in Korea and I so enjoyed getting to spend time with her and her family. I'm secretly hoping Dave and I go to Rio some day (sooner than later) to visit them. 

Sweet Pedro 

Pedro's last day at school. He hugged everyone and then would lift them up. 

One Sunday afternoon my Brazilian friends had me over for a Brazilian dinner (heaven while in Korea). They had filet mignon, rice, beans and some type of 'green'. My friend kept telling me this is 'couve' and I would say 'what is that'? For the life of us, we couldn't figure out what the translation was. I even googled it and it didn't help me. 

Well, a few weeks ago I happened to come across this little recipe on Pinterest and walaaa it was right there. 'Couve' translated means collard greens. Now - before you x out of this blog post you gotta hear me out. These greens are AMAZING. They are tossed with garlic, olive oil and lime. Oh the lime. It's what does the trick. Also, these are super healthy. And did I mention the lime is really amazing in it? You gotta try it. 

Here is the original recipe in an amazing picture format. 

VIA

Here is a picture of mine. You can eat the greens by themselves or eat it with beans, rice and meat. 

Have you ever eaten collard greens? Do you enjoy greens? If so, what's your favorite?

Easy & Quick DIY Coffee Sleeve

Today I'm going to share with you a super cute and by far one of the cheapest DIY projects I've ever done. If there is one thing I love in life it is coffee! I've been drinking it since I was, well ... probably 4 or 5 years old. That's what happens when you grow up in Brazil. Coffee is great at all times but doesn't a cute little coffee sleeve just make it a bit more enjoyable? I think so! I made these for my friends for Valentine's Day and I'm hoping they will enjoy them too. 

Easy & Quick DIY Coffee Sleeve

Supplies

* 2 pieces of felt

* 1 coffee sleeve or you can print one

* Needle and thread

* scissors

Step 1 - Trace the coffee sleeve onto your felt pieces and cut them out

Step 2 - Cut out a heart

Step 3 - Stack your felt pieces on top of each other leaving a little layer. I used two pieces of felt because it felt more sturdy but you can use one. I also like the contrasting colors. 

Step 4 - Place your heart on the felt and sew it on. Be sure to start from the back of the felt pieces. 

Step 5 - The Starbucks sleeve has a little 'extra' length so they can glue it together. We are sewing and don't need that extra bit of felt. You will want to cut about 1/4" to 1/2" off of each piece of felt. It isn't too crucial the exact a amount. After that you will line the felt up in the back and whip stitch it together. The whip stitch is really easy. You can watch a quick tutorial on it here. 

My whip stitch doesn't look super beautiful here but you can adjust it where the lines are more even. (I'm a bit OCD like that...)

Here is the finished product along with some other ones I have made. If you don't want to make a Valentine Day one there are plenty of other options. I bought some felt flowers that were on clearance and used those as well. 

Do you like coffee sleeves? Would you make something like this? What quick and easy DIY projects do you do? 

Tried and True Pinterest Recipes

Hi everyone! Today I'm sharing some of the recipes I have tried from Pinterest. Between NYE and 1/2/14 I cooked about 5 recipes using Pinterest and it was a lot of fun. I have had some big Pinterest FAILS (even when I did follow the recipe) and today I thought I'd show you some that worked great for me.  

The picture on the left is the one from Pinterest and the picture on the right are from me. Each recipe is bolded in yellow. If you click on the recipe title it will take you right to Pinterest so you can save it for yourself. 

Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

 I never thought about pairing avocados with strawberries but it was surprisingly good. I omitted the onions and cheese but added some lemon sautéed chicken. I also used spinach and arugula for the greens. 

Baked Eggs with Bacon, Kale, Asparagus and Cheese

For this recipe I combined two versions. I liked the bacon but wanted the veggies. I also didn't like the 'over easy' style of egg so I whisked mine before I put them in the pan. Also, make sure you put some non-stick spray on your muffin tins. I spent entirely way too long scrubbing baked egg out of the muffin tins. Mine don't look near as pretty as the Pinterest versions but they were so good. For the Asparagus / Kale version click here. For the bacon wrapped version click here. 

Smashed Potatoes tossed in Garlic, Lemon Zest, Parsley and Parmesan 

I pretty much followed this recipe as written. It took some time due to boiling and then baking the potatoes but it was well worth it. I think what sold me on this recipe was the lemon. It tied all the flavors together.  

What about you? Do you try your Pinterest recipes? What are your favorites? Feel free to leave them in the comments. If you want to see some more of my Pinterest recipes you can click here. I'm also linking up today for Taste of Tuesday. So, if you want a whole bunch of new recipes to pick from just click on the little button below.

Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup

                                   

                                                    To stay updated with more fun Instagram pictures click here 

I posted this picture on my Instagram account while cooking some soup the other night. Shortly after I got several requests for the recipe so here it is friends!  

Before I list this soup I gotta give you a little disclaimer. When I want to make something I'll usually find a recipe on pinterest, compare what ingredients I have and then modify it. I don't really measure either. I just kind of get a 'feel' for how it will be and it usually turns out pretty good. I have listed ingredients in this recipe but you can add a little more of something, add a little less of something and/or substitute other ingredients to fit your preferences or dietary needs.  

I also used my Le Creuset French oven for this recipe. Of course you can use any pan but I just love this oven. It can go from the refrigerator to stove or oven. You can also leave it in the oven all day just like a crock pot. Don't worry - my BIL is a fire fighter and he said it is safe to do that. It is also super easy to clean up. I know Le Creuset can be expensive but they alway seem to have their 3 1/2 Quart Ovens on sale for $150 (normally $230). If you are wanting a great French oven this is a fantastic investment! I added mine to my wedding registry. 

Sausage, Kale & Potato Soup

 Ingredients

• 1/2 onion minced
• 2 Cloves of Garlic minced
• 1 T. Italian Seasoning
• 1 T. Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 medium sized red potatoes diced
• Spicy Italian Sausage - I used two sausage links and took them out of the casing
• 1 1/2 C. of Kale cut into medium sized pieces
• 1 1/2 C. of Water
• 1 1/2 C. Low Sodium Vegetable Broth

Directions

• Cook sausage on medium heat until completely cooked. Remove from pan and set aside. I placed the sausage on some paper towels to absorb the extra grease out. 
• Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onions. Cook for a few minutes until slightly tender and then add the garlic. Cook for a few more minutes. 
• Add the potatoes to the garlic and onion. Cook for 3-5 minutes. 
• Add the water, broth, seasonings and sausage to the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes on medium heat until potatoes are al dente. You don't want to cook it too long or your potatoes will be mushy. 
• Add the kale and cook for 1-2 more minutes. 

That's it friends! It's pretty simple and delicious. Again, if you are looking for a super healthier version you could omit the meat all together, you could add turkey sausage, chicken, etc. You could also put in broccoli or cauliflower if you are looking to stay away from carbs. Have fun with it!

If you make this recipe I'd love to see a picture of it or hear how it turned out. You can always share on SS2SI Facebook page too for others to see as well.

Hope you enjoy it! nom! nom!

kale, bean, broccoli and chicken soup

Today I'm sharing a recipe for a healthy soup. I scoured all over pinterest for a soup that had kale in it. I found several I liked but never had the ingredients to complete all of the recipes. I decided I'd take what ingredients I had and throw something together. It turned out pretty nice and was easy to make. win. win.

Before I share all the ingredients keep in mind that you can buy canned items instead of cooking everything from scratch. Also, if you don't have all of the ingredients substitute something out that sounds good to you or just leave out an item. Lastly, if you are vegetarian omit the chicken and chicken broth and you will still have a great tasting soup.

Ingredients 

• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/4 onion - minced
• 1 T. garlic - minced
• 1 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 2 c. water
• 1 T. Italian Season
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 chicken breast or 1 can of chicken
• 1/2 c. navy beans uncooked or 1 can of cooked navy beans
• 1 head of broccoli chopped
• 1 bunch of kale chopped

Directions

• If you have the uncooked navy beans cook them in a separate pan according to the directions on the package.
• Heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes. Add in the chicken broth, water, Italian seasoning, lemon, salt and pepper. 
• Place the chicken breast directly into the broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked shred it and put it back in the pot with the broth. (Did you know you can shred chicken in a blender? It takes literally 1-2 seconds)
• Add the broccoli and kale and cook on low to medium heat for 10-15 minutes. 

That's it! It's super simple, healthy and tastes delicious. I served some naan (also easy to make) with the soup. You can find that recipe by clicking here.

What's your favorite soup? Do you have any favorite kale recipes? For more yummy recipes check out this recipe link up!

Orange Blueberry Muffins

Orange Blueberry Muffins! These are one of my top favorite things to bake. In all honesty, I'm not a huge baker but I do bake these. They are so good!

I think these muffins are good but they also hold dear memories with my friends Kirsten and Shenel. They always ask me to bake some for them and somehow and we usually end up eating muffins, drinking coffee, sharing about life and always laughing.

This recipe is really easy to make. I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients

2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. orange juice + 2 tbsp.
1 orange
1 c. blueberries 

Directions

1. Mix all of your dry ingredients together.  Zest the orange and mix it in with the dry ingredients.

2. Squeeze the juice from the orange and then add more orange juice to equal ¾ cup. I used fresh pressed orange juice but you don't have too.

3. Add the oil and egg to the orange juice and whisk together for about 30 seconds.

4. Mix dry and wet ingredients together until well blended. If the mixture seems a bit dry add a splash of orange juice to it.

5. Gently fold in the blueberries.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400° or until golden brown.

Makes 6 large muffins or 12 medium sized muffins.

                                    Wooden spoons and yellow baking cups can be purchased at Paper Eskimo.


                                                                 What's your favorite type of muffin?