Blackberry Sangria, The Spice Shop and Stella's Surprise

I recently learned a new culinary craze going around....Pistachio Liqueur.  I was searching out a recipe to make Pistachio Chantilly for our anniversary dessert this past week (more on that another day).  In doing so, I found the liqueur on Amazon.com from Italy.  Well, that wasn't going to work, since I needed it that afternoon, of course.

So, I kept my research going and figured out I can use Pistachio Extract...also not your run of the mill pantry item I quickly learned.  Why I take on these challenging creations, I have no idea!! Fortunately I found the most amazing world renowned Spice Shop, right in our own Colorado backyard, in Boulder.  Savory*Spice*Shop !! Jackpot!!  Not only did I find my Pistachio Extract, I also stumbled on their amazing unique ingredients and recipe for a Blackberry Sangria.

While my new concoction steeped, I put together a Kindergarten "Graduation" (really more of a celebrate your summer - welcome to 1st Grade) gift basket for my niece Stella.  I have decided these fun baskets are going to be "my thing" for little graduates...nieces, nephews, friends, grand babies.  You know how every grandma, aunt, etc has their own special gift they do, well, these will be my tradition.  I did the same thing for our granddaughter last year and she loved it!!  Actually, I just love playing with the clip art and publisher programs...too much fun!!

Stella's special care package all packed up and ready to send out today.

Our new summer beverage - so refreshing!!

Blackberry Sangria
from Savory Spice Shop

1 bottle dry white wine
1/2 cup Hibiscus-Lavender Simple Syrup*
1/4 cup Cointreau (or any other orange flavored liqueur)
1 pint fresh blackberries (or frozen)
1 orange, sliced in rounds, then quartered

Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher and chill for 6-8 hours.  Serve over ice.

*Hibiscus-Lavender Simple Syrup
(makes 1 cup)

1/2 cup honey powder
1 cup water
2 Tbsp. hibiscus flowers
1 Tbsp. dried lavender

Whisk honey powder and water together in a small saucepan.  Bring mixture to a boil, stirring to make sure honey powder dissolves and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add hibiscus and lavender.  Cover and allow mixture to steep until room temperature, about 20 minutes.  Strain and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.  Use within 2 weeks.

A toast to this year's Graduates!!

One Year Ago: Chocolate Chip Coconut Scones
Two Years Ago: Seafood and Waterfalls

Lemon-Blackberry Olive Oil Cake

As I was looking to see which post to do today, I went back to find the "One Year Ago" recipe and saw that today is the 2nd Anniversary of my blog, which means I now also get to do "Two Years Ago" and the end of the recipes/posts.  Oh my gosh, where has this year gone?  Can anyone please tell me?  I am amazed how fast time keeps ticking by me.

I perused through my photo cache of recipes from the past few months and realized I had not posted this one yet.  It's easy, refreshing and a perfect summer dessert.  In our case, also a great coffee cake for mornings.  

I changed up the Orange Olive Oil Cake that I made a few months ago to see what switching out a couple ingredients would do.  The end result was awesome.  I cannot wait to make this for my grandma when we visit her during our vacation.

Lemon-Blackberry Olive Oil Cake

Non-stick baking spray
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Juice and zest of 1 lemon (about 3 Tbls. juice, 1 Tbl. zest)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups fresh blackberries

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Spray 9-inch round cake pan with non-stick baking spray.

Mix together the sugar and eggs in a medium bowl with a hand mixer on medium speed until blended and light.  Drizzle in the olive oil and vanilla and mix until light and smooth.  Add the lemon juice and zest and mix well.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in another medium bowl.  Add the flour mixture half at a time to the wet ingredients and mix on low just to incorporate.  Carefully fold in the blackberries to the batter, until evenly distributed.

Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake, 25 to 30 minutes.  Let the cake cool 15 minutes.  Serve with fresh whipping cream and blackberries.

One Year Ago:  Fry Sauce
Two Years Ago: Pickling Cucumbers

Artichoke (Addiction) Gratin

So my oldest daughter and I have been having artichoke cravings this summer...we cannot get enough of them in any shape or form.  She learned a new hot artichoke dip on Pinterest and has been making us batches of it every week.  We'll have a little nosh on it with some crackers during our family debriefing or she'll warm it up for one of her late Netflix movie night snacks.  (If) there are any leftovers, I have been re-purposing it, warmed up over mini penne pasta or I even tried it out using as the stuffing for my broiled stuffed mushrooms...served them up with a cobb dinner salad - delish!!!

Artichoke Dip Stuffed Mushrooms - oh my!!

I have also been making this gratin for a quick dinner side dish.  It has terrific flavors and goes wonderfully with steak or chicken.

Artichoke Gratin
Serves 4

4 cups canned artichoke quarters with herbs, drained
2 Tbl. shredded Parmesan cheese
2 Tbl. shredded Romano cheese
2 tsp. roughly chopped fresh thyme
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil

Set an oven rack on the lowest position and preheat the broiler.

In a shallow oven-proof baking dish, arrange the artichokes in a single layer.

Combine the cheeses, thyme, and red pepper flakes and scatter over the artichokes.

Drizzle the oil over the cheeses.

Broil until the cheese is melted and the edges of the artichokes are lightly browned, 15 to 18 minutes.
(Keep an eye on it, as it can brown fast under the broiler, even on the lowest rack),

Served over grilled chicken and rice pilaf.

One Year Ago:  Grilled Vegetable Salad

Garlic Chicken Skewers and Local Farmers

Happy Labor Day to all and hope it is a restful one as we head into a new week and the month of September.  For us we have seen more labor than rest in our household.  Summer reading assignments are due next week, laundry, house cleaning, yard work, finishing up house accessories, trying out new recipes...and of course our annual pickle making weekend.

We did however take some much needed time out and travel to our city Farmer's Market on Saturday for fruits, veggies, herbs and beautiful floral bouquets and we also visited a local farm stand, called Grandma's Produce Farm, down the road from our house.

Love Grandma's little red truck - this is their street view signage.

Here it is, Grandma's farm stand.

Only in the heartland would you find an "honor system" farm stand.

Grandma's has a little bit of everything at their stand.  There is no one tending to the stand, you just help yourself and leave money in their Honor System jar.  How great is that?!!

Since we had our new fresh vegetables, we grilled up chicken skewers for dinner.  Light, flavorful and really fresh.

Garlic Chicken Skewers

1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 chicken breasts) cut into 1 inch pieces.
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 teaspoons dried rosemary, finely chopped
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 large zucchini, sliced about 1" wide pieces, then cut into quarters
1 (8) ounce package button mushrooms
2 large red, yellow or orange peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces

8 (12 inch ) metal skewers

Lightly coat grill and heat to medium-high.

In a bowl, combine chicken, garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Stir and coat well.

Alternating the chicken and vegetables, thread the zucchini, mushrooms, peppers and chicken on skewers.

Filled and ready to grill.

Grill filled skewers, turning every 2 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes.

The dog days of summer are just too much for Theo.
He takes full advantage of his sun naps.

One Year Ago: The Flavornator