Basil-Infused Lemonade

This weekend starts all our summer traditions of sorts. The carousels and pools open up for the season. Our backyard is usually primed and ready for outdoor enjoyment (we’re even thinking of creating a DIY home theater out there this year using a white tarp!). And I start making lemonade on the regular.

But not just any lemonade! I love using basil from the garden to infuse the drink with extra flavor. So, if you’re looking for a last-minute beverage to serve at your cookout today, try this classic lemonade recipe with a twist!

BASIL-INFUSED LEMONADE

What you’ll need . . . 

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice*
• 1/2 cup Sugar in the Raw
• 1/2 cup water
• Handful fresh basil leaves
• 3 cups water

* You can also use other citrus fruits if you don’t have enough lemons. My tip is to have at least half of the juice from lemons, though. This batch was half lemons, half some limes and oranges.

Method . . .

1. Squeeze your lemons to get your juice (I just use this old school juicer), then pour into a pitcher with the 3 cups of water. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and half cup of water. Toss in your washed basil leaves, then bring to a simmer over medium heat until all sugar has dissolved. Let cool and then take leaves out.
3. Pour the syrup into your pitcher and mix well.
4. Pour over ice to serve. Optional: Garnish with more basil leaves.

Happy Memorial Day, friends. Let us all remember the men and women who have died serving our country.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Grilled Veggie Quesadillas

One of our favorite family meals = Grilled Veggie Quesadillas. I can buy all the ingredients I need at Aldi on the cheap. In fact, this dinner usually makes it into our weekly rotation, no matter what. So, for Cinco De Mayo this year, I thought I’d get a few fun ingredients to kick them in overdrive. I also picked up a quesadilla grill basket for the long outdoor eating season ahead.

I guess I should note first that we loved this dinner so much, I actually forgot to snap photos of the finished product. Oops!

GRILLED VEGGIE QUESADILLAS

To make this dinner, I planned ahead. I roasted the following veggies at 375 degrees F for around 45 minutes. Of course, you can grill your veggies first and then assemble -- but weeknights sometimes require a little forward thinking if we want to cook out. I found it helpful to cut veggies into large chunks and then cut them smaller once they were roasted/cooled.

• Cauliflower
• Poblano peppers
• Onion
• Portabella mushrooms
• Use whatever you like, though!

From there, I had some small stone ground corn tortillas that I piled with a layer of veggies. I’ll be honest: I don’t think the tortillas I used were great on the grill. You have to like them almost chip-like crisp in the end. Kind of sharp. They still taste amazing, but when we make these again, I’m going to use softer flour tortillas.

Pile like so . . .


After the veggies comes the CHEESE.

I used a seasoned taco mix I found at Wegmans.


From there, add another tortilla on top. Alternatively, you can use larger tortillas, pile up half with toppings and fold into a crescent. Either way, you’ll load your into the quesadilla grill basket. Secure the top. I was amazed and how well it held everything in place. Brush with a little olive oil.

Then place on your grill --  you’ll want the cover closed -- for several minutes (around 5 -- depending) on each side until lightly browned. The cheese will be melty. The veggies nice and hot. Seriously, we started munching on one before we got everything to the table.

Slice and enjoy!


We served ours with some Roasted Tomatillo + Corn Salsa I made last August and had frozen. Also some Greek yogurt and lots of hot sauce. Next time I’ll be sure to snap a finished photo. If they last!

I can’t wait to cook our first pizza on the grill. Seriously. If I lived in a warmer climate, I think I’d be a much happier person. Being outside in the warmth and sunshine makes me feel like an entirely different person. I will certainly cherish these next several months until we’re in the deep freeze again.

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

(Gas) Grilling Pizza

I love grilled pizza. It's been a long time (a LONG time) since I've written about our favorite BBQ food on the blog. In fact, the last time I talked about our process for grilling pizza was just after the new year in 2010. That's right. We make grilled pizza no matter the time of year or (frigid) weather. We've even made cheesy flatbreads on the grill -- I'm pretty much obsessed with grilling anything and everything.

We recently purchased a gas grill, and our method had changed. Over the years, too, we've picked up some new tips and tricks, so I wanted to revisit.

In the summer, we make grilled pizza at least once a week. Twice, if we're lucky. If you haven't had a chance to try it out yet, be sure to check out my recent piece for Wise Bread: This Is How You Grill Pizza At Home. It's a goodie -- and I don't get paid per click or anything to share my articles, so just go and read it! NOW!

Some additional tips from my home kitchen, er, patio:

• Use all white flour in your crust recipe. It promotes better gluten production and will mean less tearing of your pizza on the grill.
• Olive oil is your FRIEND, people. Lube it up. The dough and the grill. And char marks are definitely tasty, just remember there's a fine line between beautifully charred and horribly burned.
• You'll want all your toppings at the ready before you start. We often grill veggies for the whole week and just put them in little prep bowls for easy pinching.
• Experiment. One of our most favorite grilled pizzas involved brie and grilled peaches.

And I'll be sharing my new favorite crust recipe sometime next week. I have one more trial before it's perfecto. If you have a charcoal grill, don't miss our old trusty tips from 4-1/2 years ago (!). Seriously, once you try this at home -- you're hooked for life.

Also: Happy Birthday to ME! I turn 31 today (here are my thoughts on 30), and I'm celebrating at the beach! For more vacation photos, follow me on Instagram.


Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Tangy Freezer BBQ Sauce

I'm nearly ready to go on my big shopping date for the Vegetarian Freezer Meals I'm planning for the entire month of September. In my planning, I realized that barbeque sauce would suit a variety of the dishes I'm included in our plan well. It works as a topping for veggie burgers and even as a sweet sauce for pizza. Really. It's going to be fabulous.

And guess what! We already had several pounds of farm fresh tomatoes around. So, I did some prepping early and opted to freeze this bunch rather than can them.

SWEET + TANGY FREEZABLE BBQ SAUCE
Makes 4 to 5 pints of the stuff for slathering

What you'll need . . . 

• 1 to 2 small chopped onion
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 10 to 12 cups chopped tomatoes (any size/variety)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup smoked paprika/chipotle seasoning
• Red pepper flakes

Method . . .

1. Chop all tomatoes and set aside. In a large stock pot over medium high heat, saute your onions/garlic until glassy. Then add the tomatoes and crank the heat a bit higher.
2. Add the brown sugar, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and spices. Bring to a boil and continually stir/mash until mixture thickens. About 20 minutes.
3. Then lower the heat and let simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and let cool for a few minutes.
4. And then blend in a food processor or blender. (We used our beloved Ninja Blender + I did this process in two batches.)
5. Return mixture to pot and simmer over medium/low heat for another 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how you'd like the consistency. (The longer you cook, the thicker it gets.)
6. Take stock of the flavor at this point and make any modifications accordingly. Add any sugar/spices/etc. at just 1 tablespoon at a time (or less, depending).
7. Fill pint jars, leaving 3/4 inch of space for freezing. Bring jars down to room temperature and refrigerate overnight before placing in your freezer (covered well so no air can get in). Stays good for up to 1 year. (In the fridge, use in a week or so.)

So stay tuned for my menu guide for freezer month, along with recipes for this whole thing. Many of you said you've tried this method, but that a whole month is a bit intense (both on the cooking/cleaning end and because it means not much cooking for a long while). I'm already tending to agree -- and I haven't even started yet.

But, then again, maybe I'll fall in love with freezer meals. Time will tell!

Happy Friday!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Some Recipes and Other Stuff

I mentioned it on Twitter this weekend, but I finally had the opportunity to add a large group of recipes to the Recipe Page. I believe there were over 100 added in all. I still need to update the individual recipe pages per category, but if you go to the main page, they should be mostly there.

Tonight for dinner we had roasted Brussels sprouts, BBQ tofu, and skillet cornbread. A delicious, simple meal we managed to make while giving Ada dinner and then a bath.

To roast the sprouts, preheat oven to 400, pour sprouts onto rimmed baking sheet, toss in olive oil + salt + pepper. Bake in 15-minute intervals, stirring between each, until well browned. Likely 45 minutes.

This BBQ sauce is Stephen's baby. He's been perfecting the recipe for a couple weeks. Tonight, he got it JUST right. Once you make it up, you can use it for dipping.

We fried tofu and then cooked it in the sauce a bit until it thickened.


BBQ SAUCE

Combine the following . . .

• 1 clove garlic, sliced sauted in 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar 
• 1 tablespoon vinegar 
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1 tablespoon chipotle seasoning 
• Black pepper and salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard 
• 1/2 cup ketchup 
• 1/2 cup pale ale

The cornbread is a variation on our original Olive Oil Skillet Cornbread. I wanted it to have a more unique flavor. And I wanted it to be fluffier.

Check and check!


PEPPERED SKILLET CORNBREAD

You'll need . . . 

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon flax meal + 4 tablespoons water
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• Pinch salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 to 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1 cup beer of choice (or sparkling water)

To bake it up, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spritz a cast iron skillet with some olive oil, let preheat in the oven. In a large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients except the beer or water. Then add in the dry. Then add in the beer or water. Mix until just combined.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Until the middle is set and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before slicing.


Can anyone give me tips on keeping basil better longer? I feel like none of our tricks are working. If we put it in the fridge, it gets icky. If we put it in a bit of water, this happens. I need help!

And last, here are some dreamy cat photos. I'm tired, when I initially typed that out, I wrote "here are some KAT photos."


Also. If you're interested . . .


Today on Writing Chapter Three we've written up a list of our favorite board books, including classic literature favorites adapted for little ones. Like Romeo & Juliet, Jane Eyre, Alice in Wonderland, and more!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

White Bean & Corn Veggie Burgers

When Stephen and I don't know what to make for dinner, we often default to our favorite veggie burger recipes. This evening, we made up a new one to add to the bunch.

WHITE BEAN & CORN VEGGIE BURGERS

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup canelli beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown mustard
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1/2 cup wheat bran
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 cup corn kernels
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.
2. Put everything but the corn kernals into a food processor and pulse until relatively smooth (you'll want some texture, but how much is up to you).
3. Then mix in the corn and form into 4 patties. The "dough" will be very wet -- we patted ours into some extra cornmeal to shape.
4. Then coat a frying pan with a bit of oil and brown on both sides over medium-high heat.
5. When all are browned, place them on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.

But the real trick is in the sauce.
Took our dinner from eh to WOW in 1 minute flat.
Plus, we found a use for the pineapple Stephen's parents gave us this weekend.


1-MINUTE PINEAPPLE BBQ SAUCE

Combine the follow ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Then put in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes (to thicken a bit).

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup pineapple
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (we used a kind that also has chipotle)
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds

And if you'd like to read about our failed weekend hike, head over to Writing Chapter Three. Ada: 1; The parents: 0.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's recipe. It's the healthiest cookie I could come up with . . . that uses Reece's peanut butter cups as a base.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...