My hiatus has come to an end. Today, I can officially say, I’m back. Why such a long break? Well, let’s chalk it up to an overabundance of apathy.
I’ve been working on all kinds of updates over the past week. Updates that, hopefully, will help get things rolling once again. 
There was much deliberation when I was deciding what to post first. After a lot of thought, I decided a celebratory drink was in order. So, I give you Sparkling Strawberry and Basil Lemonade. It’s sweet and tart with just a hint of basil. It’s the perfect drink for the start of summer.
Now, this Sparkling Strawberry and Basil Lemonade is currently alcohol-free, however, I’m entirely convinced that it would be great with vodka or even gin. When I made mine, it was still a little too early to justify a cocktail.
Enjoy!
Sparkling Strawberry and Basil Lemonade
2014-06-23 16:35:31
It’s sweet and tart with just a hint of basil. It’s the perfect drink for the start of summer. For an adult version, add vodka or gin.
- 1 cup strawberries, sliced
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cup water
- Generous handful of basil leaves
- Juice of 4 lemons
- Strawberry and Basil Syrup
- Sparkling water
- Ice
- For the Strawberry and Basil Syrup: Combine the strawberries, sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the mixture is thick and the strawberries begin to break down. This will be about 30-45 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add basil leaves. Allow to cool for about an hour.
- Run the strawberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Store syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- For the Sparkling Strawberry and Basil Lemonade: Add ice to two glasses. Divide the lemon juice evenly in each glass. Add about 1/3 cup of the syrup to each glass. Top with sparkling water and gently stir.
By May Squared
Maysquared.com https://www.maysquared.com/blog/
I’m just a little late—but Happy New Year. It’s hard to believe we are already over a week into 2014.
One of the reasons I’m a little late to posting in 2014 is because I like to build things up in my head. I kept thinking that I really needed to post something great to get the New Year rolling. I wanted to amaze and dazzle you.
But then I remembered—that’s not really how I do things.
So, here’s a mediocre post to start of 2014.
Like most people, Aaron and I are looking to eat a little healthier this year. For us, that means not going out to eat as much and making healthier dinners. Easy enough.
Sometimes we even toy with the idea of cutting out sugar. But my resolve is not nearly at a level in which to do that. If you’ve ever interacted with me while I was not eating sugar, I almost guarantee that I imagined punching you in the face at some point in the conversation. I don’t know how to hold my own in a fight—so I keep a healthy amount of sugar in my body at all times.
That being said, we’ve been pretty successful on the not eating out front. These lettuce wraps are proof that you can make just about anything at home. And, chances are, it’ll actually be better than a restaurant.
It seems rather appropriate to post snowball cookies this week. We had out first snow of the season on Monday. Granted it was only a dusting. But that counts—especially because we don’t see a whole lot of snow up here.
Also, this whole Celsius business keeps faking me out. I expect 2 degrees to be insanely cold—not above freezing. I’m too American.
I’ve been weirdly thinking about Snowball Cookies for a while now. My mom occasionally made them and I always gobbled them up. There’s something enchantingly wonderful about a cookie dipped in powdered sugar.
This batch has a little kick in it in the form of good old-fashioned bourbon. Now, you must be thinking that there is no way to go wrong with this recipe. Yes, you are correct in that assumption.
These are the best.
Snowball Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon bourbon
2 1/4 cups sifted AP flour
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Using your mixer, cream together the butter and honey. You want it fluffy. Add bourbon and mix to combine. Separately, whisk together the flour, pecans, sugar and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat to combine.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours.
Roll the dough into balls—about two teaspoons. Arrange the balls on a baking pan lined with a Silpat. Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 to 13 minutes. Transfer to wire racks. Let cool completely and roll in powdered sugar to coat.
Recipe: Martha Stewart
