Espresso Madness

A perfect morning has to be a coffee morning! In fact, espressos are now taking over my life. It all started when I realized just how expensive my coffee addiction was getting. I would pay extraordinary amounts of money on coffee from generic coffee shops and cafes and I wouldn’t really like the coffee I bought. So I started looking into different options and I quickly realized that making my own espressos at home would be a great alternative to dripped sludge offered everywhere.

What surprised me the most was the relative ease that it took to learn how to make my own coffee to connoisseur standards. My espresso machine allowed me to experiment in the mornings before work waking me up just a little more while giving me that caffeinated bump to start the day. The machine itself is gorgeous and is a simple yet fantastic addition to my kitchen counter. In fact, it’s now one of my most used appliances. If it broke, I’d be devastated – but there’s a lot of websites, such as Partselect that provide replacement parts and help.

I love the feeling of grinding my own coffee. The smell it releases before setting it into the espresso machine is the first thing that gets me. After that it’s the lingering smell after having poured the brown gold into my cup. If only espresso cups could be bigger!

By Sophie

Peas in your SANDWICH!

I would have never thought of it, but it looks like the most refreshing summer sandwich. Especially after a day at the pool! & maybe a glass of white wine too?

Green Peas Sandwich recipe

more great sandwiches HERE

Buffalo Chicken Deviled Eggs

I am seriously intrigued by these deviled eggs. I’ve always preferred mine spicy but never thought of chicken!

1 dozen eggs (boiled, cooled, peeled, and cut in half)
2 tbsp Yoplait Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
2/3 cup cooked chicken meat, chopped
3 tbsp finely chopped carrots
3 tbsp finely chopped celery
1 tbsp finely chopped onion
1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
fresh parsely, for garnish, if desired
Directions

1 Cut the boiled eggs in half. Remove the yolks, and place in a medium sized bowl. Add the Greek yogurt, wing sauce, and 1/4 cup of the blue cheese (reserve remaining). Stir until well mixed.
2 Stir in the chopped chicken, carrots, celery, and onion.
3 Spoon the chicken mixture into the egg white halves.
4 Before serving, add a drizzle of wing sauce, the remaining blue cheese crumbles, and a sprig of parsley.
5 Get your Ron Swanson on and enjoy!

Chocolate Dessert Cups

Such a SWEET idea for dessert. I’d love to serve straberries & whip cream in these cups! Learn how to make them here.

Purple Ombre Layer Cake

WOW! This is so pretty. I just bookmarked to try on the next rainy weekend. I need to practice before Harper’s birthday. She wants everything to be PURPLE these days! Purple Ombre Layer Cake

Mini Pancake Appetizers

Ichigo Shortcake had this clever idea to use mini pancakes for her favorite appetizer ideas. Her topping recipes include smoked salmon with tomato and cream cheese, canned tuna and sun-dried tomatoes, baked zucchini with cream cheese, & beetroot relish with cream cheese. (I’d head straight for the smoked salmon!)

Meat Balloons

Meat or Art? This definitely caught my attention. What a clever storefront display! Learn about the Meat Balloon project here

Artichoke Recipe Ideas

No-Cook Sun Dried Tomato & Artichoke Dip, Grilled Artichoke & Endive Salad Recipe, Stuffed Artichokes, Fettuccine with Artichokes

One of my favorite summer foods on the grill is the ARTICHOKE! This summer I’m determined to experiment with new artichoke recipes. I’ve picked 4 that look SUPER yummy. Do you like artichokes? What is your favorite artichoke recipe?

P.S if you’ve don’t have a grill here is an easy oven roasted recipe :

Roasted Baby Artichokes with Lemon and Pecorino

12 baby artichokes
1 large, juicy lemon (or 2 small ones)
3 tbsp. good olive oil
1 oz. Pecorino cheese, shaved into slivers (or Parmesan)
1 tsp. coarse salt
freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400° and line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut your lemon in half and set aside.

Prep the artichokes by peeling off the hard outer leaves and cutting off the top 1/2-inch of the choke (Saveur has really good step-by-step instructions). Now slice them vertically into 4 pieces and rub them all over with a lemon half. Place them on the prepared parchment as you go.

Once they’re all sliced, drizzle with the olive oil and use your hands (or a spoon if you’re fancy) to toss the chokes with the oil until coated. Bake for 12 minutes or until they’re tender.

Remove from oven, place in a bowl and toss with lemon juice, Pecorino, salt and pepper.

Makes about 4 servings.