Month: November 2012

Rainbow Booze Party

What, you may ask, is “Rainbow Booze”?  This is what a call all the fun, fruity, and candy-like alcoholic recipes that I made for a recent party (okay, not that recent – I am really behind on this post…)  I had been wanting to try out these things for awhile, but not by myself, so I hosted a party and let the taste testing begin!

My favorite recipe was probably the Spiked Rainbow Jello Mold.  I just love alcoholic jello, I don’t know why.

All you need is six boxes of Jello in rainbow colors, some unflavored gelatine, sweetened condensed milk (optional – only to make the jello more opaque), and some very cold alcohol.  I think flavored rum is the best way to go because it has the least alcohol taste.  I used coconut rum, but you can use whatever you like.  (Full recipe below.)

Next up were two candy based concoctions – Gummy Bears infused with Rum, and Vodka infused with Jolly Ranchers. (more…)

Orange Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs with Couscous

This is a super quick and easy weeknight meal that works any time of year.  Orange zest and juice tie the kebabs and pasta together and the sweet and tangy sauce for the chicken is delicious.  Couscous cooks ridiculously fast, but you could use quinoa instead if you have more time to cook.  You could also add whatever vegetables you like to it to change it up. (more…)

Skinny Pina Colada Cupcakes

In my ever-continuing quest to find healthier foods, I stumbled across this recipe.  Cupcakes, that are diet-friendly, in my favorite tropical flavor combo, made with only 5 ingredients!  Yeah – these are awesome.

For the cake part, you only need 2 ingredients (only 2!) – cake mix and canned crushed pineapple.  That’s it!  The pineapple takes the place of the eggs and oil making these super low-fat. (more…)

Salt Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

I LOVE roasted beets – sweet and rich and beautiful, like healthy edible jewels! One of my favorite ways to serve them is in a salad with watercress and fresh mozzarella.  But I have made that so many times that I wanted to try something a little different.  This version uses goat cheese, a slightly more complex dressing, and a different method of roasting.

Usually I just wrap the beets in foil and roast them.  This method involves first placing the beets on a bed of salt and herbs.  It imparts just a little bit more flavor to the beets. (more…)

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato, Kale, Apple, and Red Onion

I recently had a lunch date with my friend Melissa of Smells Like Brownies.  As a long time vegetarian, I wanted her help to learn ways of using quinoa other than just as a substitute for rice.  She suggested that we make this Quinoa salad, chock-full of roasted veggies with a balsamic dressing.  I couldn’t wait to try it!  Roasted sweet potatoes and red onion, hearty kale, sweet and tangy apples – all the beautiful flavors of Fall. (more…)