Cucumber Lime Paletas

Weee it's FRIDAY!  The weekend is HERE! Sort of.  Almost.  Close enough, right?  Anyway, this weekend is supposed to full of absolutely beautiful weather, at least in New York, and I couldn't be happier about it. Governor's Ball is going to be amazing on Saturday, and I plan on enjoying every moment of it.  Sunshine, music, delicious food, and a whole day with friends- what more could anyone ask for, right?

Since this weekend is set to be full of sunshine and some hot weather, I figure that we could all use a refreshing paleta to cool off with.  Paletas are nothing new anymore, but in case you don't know, they're Latin American ice pops made from fresh fruit. They're incredibly refreshing, and are a summertime treat that I grew up with.  My mom would make me and my sister paletas all the time when we were kids with whatever fruit we happened to have around.  As much as I love ice cream pops, paletas really are my favorite frozen treats (aside from ice cream, of course).  They're so refreshing and can be made in an infinite number of flavors.  They're also ridiculously easy- all you have to do is stick everything in a blender, blend away until all your fruit is completely smooth, and then pour into ice pop molds.  A few hours later, you'll have the best way to cool off during hot summer days.  

Coconut-Lime Cake

What a strange summer this has been.  Not so much in terms of things that have happened, but more in terms of how weird the weather has been this summer, in New York, at least.  I remember doing my usual weather complaining in a post way back in June, where I said that I couldn't believe I had worn a leather jacket and boots to work for a couple of days in June.  Then, out of nowhere, there was a ridiculous heat wave that passed through, and once again, I complained that I was constantly feeling nasty after being outside for a mere five minutes.  And now, we're back to that strange June weather, where it's only about 75 degrees, humid, muggy, and kind of dreary.  Seriously, what is this?  I feel like this has been a relatively blah summer, weather-wise.  There's been too many days with gray skies, too many days where I've had to wear a jacket to work, and too many summer rain showers.  This, and the fact that summer is essentially almost over, is making me feel sad.  Just plain sad. 

I feel like I didn't do enough "summer things" to counteract the less than perfect summer weather.  Can you believe it's the middle of August and I haven't been to the beach yet?  Neither can I.  I'm still as white as always (ugh).  Can you believe that I haven't had an authentic grilled s'more yet?  My frozen s'mores ice cream sandwiches were pretty darn good, but I still want to experience the satisfaction of blowing out a flame-engulfed marshmallow.  Can you believe that I have yet to picnic outside, or enjoy a freshly made lobster roll?  Can you believe that the one thing that assures me that summer has actually happened, despite how it's been a little lackluster, is the fact that I manage to get attacked by mosquitoes every time I step outside of my house?  Can you believe it's currently 65 degrees today in NYC, in the middle of August? Ugh.

Fizzy Blackberry Limeade

Hello again! In this post, I finally feel like a true food blogger.  All my fancy blogging essentials are present: fizzy homemade soda, pretty wooden boards to take photos on, and those birch paper straws that everyone, including me, seems to have become obsessed with.   I mean seriously, these birch straws are featured in nearly so many food blogs lately, that they seem to be a drink post essential.  I finally made my first (yes, my FIRST) Etsy purchase the other day, and I bought nothing more than a bunch of pretty paper straws, some in birch and some in more colorful stripes.   It was about time I jumped on the Etsy/paper straws/cute  props bandwagon and I'm glad I did.  My birch pattern straws are adorable and they make my sodas look fancy.  My paper straws make me feel like I'm one of the cool kids.  Anyway.  As abnormally excited as I am about these paper straws, I'm much more excited to share this awesome drink recipe with you guys.  Fizzy blackberry limeade.  How good does that sound? The answer, my friends, is really good. It should sound really good because it totally is.

I got the idea to make this particular soda after watching Bobby  Flay make a homemade raspberry ginger ale. It looked so simple and refreshing that  I decided I needed to make my own, but my way.  Instead of going with raspberry and ginger as my main flavors, I used one of my favorite combinations instead: blackberry and lime. Now, I know that I only recently posted another dessert using that same combination, but once I got the idea in my head to make this soda, I just couldn't see it coming together any other way.  I've always loved blackberry limeade, and for me, it really just screams summer and refreshing.

Lime Sour Cream Cake with Fresh Blackberry Sauce

Hello again!  Remember a few weeks ago when I was complaining that it still didn't feel like summer in New York? That it was still way too cold?  That I was still wearing a leather jacket and boots to work, even though it was June?  Well, friends, those days are long over.  It's definitely summer now!  We've been having a pretty big heat wave for the past several days, the kind of heat wave that also comes with a ton of humidity.  This is the kind of heat wave where you want to go outside, because it looks like a gorgeous day, but you change your mind the second you step out the door, because it feels like you're drowning in the hot, unnecessarily humid air.  This is the kind of heat wave where, if you're brave enough to get past the whole drowning thing, you end up wanting to go back inside because after only three minutes of being outside, you're completely soaked all the way down to your underwear.  I know, it's gross, and perhaps a bit too much information, but let's face it. We've all been there multiple times this week.  Maybe even multiple times today, if you're that unlucky. Fortunately, today feels slightly cooler than it was this weekend, and I even felt a soft breeze as I walked from the subway stop to work (5 street blocks uphill isn't really terrible, unless it's 95 degrees outside).  It was a breeze of hot air, but hey, I'll take what I can get.  A hot breeze is better than no breeze.

I'll be honest with you guys though, I don't actually mind the heat as much as I make it seem.  Outwardly, I am almost always the first to complain about the hot weather, because it can get pretty annoying.  The heat and humidity can do unspeakable things to my hair, and when that happens, it somehow almost always will coincide with me not having anything to pull my hair back with.  I also have to take the subway at least twice a day, and wait on the train platform in Penn station as part of my daily commute, and neither of those situations is very pleasant once the summer arrives.  Basically, I hate the sweaty and gross consequences that come with the heat/humidity combo, but if that part could somehow be removed, I really don't think I would mind the heat at all.  I really love being outside, and hot summer weather is the perfect excuse to run after the ice cream truck in an attempt to get a chocolate dipped soft serve ice cream cone.  I mean, a girl's gotta cool off somehow, right? 

Grapefruit and Lime Sorbet

Here's a funny story.  Today did not go according to schedule.  What should have happened today was my dad driving me to an oral surgeon's office.  No, don't worry, it's nothing serious.  I was SUPPOSED to get all four of my wisdom teeth removed today, but due to events out of my control, that didn't happen...although I'm not really complaining.  As someone who has never been through any sort of medical procedure or gone under anesthesia, or even broken a bone, the prospect of this surgery, regardless of how simple and routine it would be, was a bit intimidating.  Fortunately for me, I don't actually feel any of my wisdom teeth yet, so coming down with a light cold last week saved me from having my wisdom teeth removed...at least for now.  I know they're going to have to come out eventually, but for now, I am not going to think about it.  Nope, not going to.

In preparation for my post-wisdom-teeth-extraction, I prepared some yummy, chew-free snacks...mostly Jell-O.  I happen to be a huge fan of Jell-O, so having an assorted variety of flavors available was perfect.  In addition to Jell-O, I also prepared some sorbet.  What could be better than eating sorbet while stuck in bed recovering from surgery?!  

Key Lime Pie

I was never really much of a beach person (shocking I know, anti-beach people like former-me actually exist) up until this summer.  I don't really know why I never liked the beach, I just knew that it was soooo not my thing.  My parents aren't really beach people either, so I didn't really spend a lot of time at the beach when I was little.  I mean sure, I went to the beach a handful of times growing up with my cousins, and I did spend a week in Santa Marta (a city off the coast of Colombia) going to the beach every day I was there, but other than that, I can't say I have too many memories of myself at the beach.  I hated getting sand all over me, I though seaweed was gross (I still kind of think this), I was convinced that beaches were dirty, and the idea of being totally exposed to the hot rays of the sun with no possible chance of shade relief seemed like a terrible idea to me.  Hot weather and I just don't mix very well at times...I'm probably the only person that has somehow managed to end up angry at Disney World.  Yes, despite Disney World being the happiest place on Earth, visiting Orlando in the middle of August when there wasn't a cloud in the sky and it felt like 125 degrees in the shade just made me livid.  The part that makes this even sadder is that I wasn't even that little when this last happened...I was like 16 years old or something.  My parents still rub this story in my face every chance they get, but I digress.

Back to the beach.  

Something happened this summer where I decided that I needed to give myself a mild attitude adjustment.  If the marjority of the population actually likes going to the beach and everyone seems to be having a good time there, and if it's become a normal and socially accepted summertime activity...then maybe it couldn't be THAT bad.  I set a goal for myself this summer; I was going to learn to love (or at least appreciate) the beach, and you know what...it's kind of working.  I wouldn't say I LOVE the beach just yet, but I definitely won't turn down any beach day invites in the future.  I'll admit that I found the beach to be relaxing, and even enjoyable.  I still hate getting sand everywhere, but I suppose that just comes with the territory.  All I needed was the right mindset, and I ended up learning to enjoy something new.  Crazy how that works, right?

Watermelon Limeade

I really love having fresh fruit drinks in the summer; my mom always makes fresh juice everyday during the summer months, with whatever fruit we have at home, whether it’s pineapple, mango, or strawberries, to name a few. With all the abundance of fresh produce, it would be ridiculous to not enjoy a glass of freshly made juice or lemonade…it would also be ridiculous not to enjoy both at the same time…

Lime and White Chocolate Mousse

Sometimes, all we really want for dessert is something simple and classic…like a chocolate chip cookie!  Or a brownie. Or maybe some yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  Maybe just a scoop of ice cream.

But sometimes, we want to be a tad bit more fancy.  Maybe the occasion calls for it, or maybe we’re just in that kinda mood.  When that mood strikes, this is the dessert I make.