There are a bunch of recipes floating around the interwebs for snow cone syrups so I just picked out the [...]]]> Somehow the stores are gearing up for back to school. Apparently fall is coming? (Someday?) But it’s still 110 degrees in the shade right now and I’m HOT. And so are the kids. Enter: snow cones!

There are a bunch of recipes floating around the interwebs for snow cone syrups so I just picked out the bits that sounded good and came up with this one. You will need:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 packet Kool Aid*

*(Or whatever brand; Kool Aid does not know I exist)

To make:

1. Stir the sugar and water together in a saucepan and heat till boiling; boil for one minute and remove from heat, then stir in drink mix
2. Let it cool completely then funnel into a bottle (a Wilton-type squeeze bottle or a water bottle with a sports top work brilliantly)

Sadly, I do not own a groovy Snoopy snow cone maker, but I do have one of these spiffy blenders that I used to grind ice into little snow cone cups I picked up at Target — mission accomplished! The kids had a great time getting to pour on the syrup themselves, and eating them on the back patio meant minimal cleanup. Go make some!

One Particular [...]]]> We had one glorious almost-70-degree day here in Nashville and it made me SO READY for spring rightnowthisinstant. This, of course, made me want a good salad! I found this dressing recipe in Rick & Lanie’s Excellent Kitchen Adventures, which I love. The recipe is insanely quick, easy and good, which I also love.

One Particular Kitchen: Bayless Family Caesar Salad
Prep time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Pinch salt
• 1 Tbsp. water
Cooking Directions
1. Crush peeled garlic (putting it in the microwave for about 5 seconds first will make this easier) into a 2 cup glass jar with a lid
2. Add all remaining ingredients into the jar, cover tightly and shake
3. Store in jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks

Enjoy, y’all. Spring is coming!

Summer’s not quite over yet (as evidenced by the 90+ degree September we’re currently having in Nashville), so I thought I’d pass this one along while there’s still some heat in the air.

You can make this with lemon, lime, key lime or any combination thereof; today I had a bunch of limes so limeade it [...]]]>

Summer’s not quite over yet (as evidenced by the 90+ degree September we’re currently having in Nashville), so I thought I’d pass this one along while there’s still some heat in the air.

You can make this with lemon, lime, key lime or any combination thereof; today I had a bunch of limes so limeade it is.

You will need:

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups lime juice (or lemon or key lime)
• Additional 4 cups water

So complicated, right? All my recipes are, you know.

1. Heat the water and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved; you can do this in a saucepan on the stove or in a glass Pyrex in the microwave
2. Let the sugar mixture cool and stir in juice and additional water
3. Serve over ice, ideally on a veranda.

This may or may not be great with a splash of vodka. I haven’t heard either way. Ahem.

Enter: Jason’s Guac Starter. It’s made by a local guy, which is awesome, and I can pronounce everything in there. Also awesome. AND [...]]]> I resisted “guacamole mixes” for years. I mean, what exactly is IN those little packets of “spices,” “flavor enhancers” etc.? Likely stuff I can’t pronounce. And you KNOW how I feel about that.

Enter: Jason’s Guac Starter. It’s made by a local guy, which is awesome, and I can pronounce everything in there. Also awesome. AND it’s stuff I put in my guacamole anyway, so it’s a triple threat of awesomeness.

Plus? It’s GOOD.

I’m a woman converted.

So here’s what guacamole looks like in the OPK household these days:

To make this you will need:

• Two ripe avocados
• Two roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup Jason’s Guac Starter
• Salt to taste
• Eight ounces lump crab meat
• Chips (duh)

Quick assembly:

1. Scoop out the avocado into a bowl and mash with a fork, then stir in guac starter and diced tomatoes; taste and add salt as necessary
2. Top with eight ounces crab meat, drained
3. Nom nom nom all the while reminding yourself that avocados are the good fat

Disclaimer: I spent my own monies on Jason’s Guac Starter and was not compensated for this post. I am not a paid spokeseater, I am merely a crazed fan.

Ohhhhh my moly.

If I were the demanding type I’d demand that you make these immediately. I’m not, of course so I’ll just strongly suggest it.

The peaches are so good this year and I bought more than I’ll ever be able to eat, so I wanted to some up with something to do with [...]]]>

Ohhhhh my moly.

If I were the demanding type I’d demand that you make these immediately. I’m not, of course so I’ll just strongly suggest it.

The peaches are so good this year and I bought more than I’ll ever be able to eat, so I wanted to some up with something to do with them. This is based on the apple crisp recipe, but with more of the crumble part so that you end up with a crust. It is OH so good.

Gather:

• 2 medium-to-large peaches, chopped
• 1/3 cup Craisins
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder

To make:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and chop the peaches, then put them in a saucepan with the Craisins, cornstarch and sugar. Bring it all up to a nice bubble and let it cook till it thickens, then set aside
2. Cream butter and sugar, then mix in remaining ingredients — it will look coarse like a crumble topping
3. Take two cups of crumble mix and press into a greased 8×8 dish and bake till it’s lightly browned, around 10-12 minutes, then spread fruit mixture over crust. Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture over the top and bake till that’s lightly browned, about another 15-18 minutes or so

Fast and good! How can you beat that?

The folks over at Pom Wonderful contacted me a while back and asked if they could send me some of their juice to try (for free, okay, FTC?). I [...]]]> Some people come from money; I, on the other hand, come from funny (which is even better). My Uncle Steve named this drink. Don’t you love it?

The folks over at Pom Wonderful contacted me a while back and asked if they could send me some of their juice to try (for free, okay, FTC?). I was honestly a little hesitant because, um, I was pretty sure I was the last person who hadn’t tried pomegranate anything yet and I wasn’t sure what to expect. A lot of people love the stuff, however, so I gave it a shot.

For my first attempt I thought I’d try pomegranate molasses.

Fail, party of one. Not having a clue what I was doing following a specific recipe, I cooked the mixture too long and ended up with a giant Le Creuset-shaped lollipop. Oops.

Not wanting to wash that pan again repeat my mistake, I thought I’d try something different. And, if y’all haven’t noticed, it’s a million degrees outside so a cool cocktail sounded like the thing for my next pomegranate attempt.

Success! It is yummy and tart and sweet and limey (is that a word?) and I’m loving it.

Please to mix:

• 2 Tbsp. simple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup rum
• squeeze of lime

Pour over ice and enjoy!

This makes a sweet drink, so feel free to adjust the simple syrup as your little heart desires.

It is also from an era when food wasn’t asked to [...]]]> This recipe comes from my great aunt Eva who named it thusly. Or perhaps she got it from her mother, my great grandma, who named it thusly? Either way, who am I to argue? It is, indeed, one of the easiest desserts you’ll ever make.

It is also from an era when food wasn’t asked to look pretty for the camera.

Obviously.

Gather together:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups fruit (cut up; don’t drain)

And then:

1. Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt; cut in butter like you’re making biscuits, or pulse in a food processor, then stir in milk till well combined
2. Pour batter into a buttered cast iron skillet or baking dish and top with fruit and its juice
3. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes; sprinkle sugar on top for the last few minutes of baking

See? SEE? How crazy easy is that? And at the end you get this?

No brainer.

What it is:

What it’s not:

What’s not to like?

Combine these:

Stir or shake to combine. The end! See? Crazy easy. And you can customize it, [...]]]>

What it is:

• Crazy easy to make with only two ingredients
• Completely natural, chemical free

What it’s not:

• Loaded with high fructose corn syrup
• Neon (because, um, ew)

What’s not to like?

Combine these:

• 16 ounces simple syrup
• 12 ounces key lime, lime or lemon juice or some combination thereof

Stir or shake to combine. The end! See? Crazy easy. And you can customize it, of course, and make it a little more sweet or a little more sour — whatever floats your boat. Or your margarita shaker.

It’s summer! The time when I reach for Lucy Buffett’s cookbook before anything else.

This one is based on Lucy’s Cadillac Margarita, adapted to, naturally, include key lime juice. Because I am obsessed love it.

Do me a favor and combine in a shaker: