JUST A TIP | Cheap + Easy Flavored Water

An outtake from this cocktail, er, drink shoot led to a wonderful discovery: It doesn't take more than a few scraps to make infused water. 

We are all so accustomed to seeing photos of fresh sliced fruit in frosty pitchers - that we think we need the freshest, most delicious fruit to make something refreshing. Nah - just throw your citrus ends, strawberry tops, heck even cucumber peel into water and let them infuse for a few hours. Cheap and easy flavored water - ok that might not be pinterest worthy but will keep you hydrated this summer. 

Thirsty Thursday | Vanilla Lemon-Limeade

This week's installment of 'lets pretend this drink is a cocktail" looks a lot like lemonade. It also looks a lot like the only non-water or coffee thing I want to drink right now. Vanilla Lemon-Limeade is a dressed up version of that ubiquitous summer sipper.

I had a crazy crazy pregnancy for lemonade and there wasn't even time to let sugar dissolve. Luckily I had some vanilla simple syrup on hand (I use it for iced coffee, because I'm fancy…) so I threw that into some lemon juice and water. My crazy pregnant mind was blown.

Turns out lemon and lime (and citrus in general) is pretty awesome for pregnant ladies. Besides being loaded with vitamin C, citrus may help with nausea and aid digestion for mamas-to-be. Sometimes I wish the same were true for Champagne.  Still this Vanilla Lemon-Limeade feels like a fancy cocktail in my hand while I'm drinking it.

Both the vanilla and lime juice cut the acidity of the lemon juice - making this ade taste softer and sweeter than traditional lemonade. You can use all lemon juice, if thats what you're craving!

Vanilla Lemon Limeade 
Makes 1 1/2 quarts

1 cup Vanilla Simple Syrup, recipe follows
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 quart water
pinch of salt
Ice, lemon and lime slices to garnish

Combine syrup, citrus juices, water and salt and chill for at least an hour before serving.

Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup 
Makes 3 cups

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cool completely before using.

Baked Falafel with Simple Yogurt Dressing

There is a lot of cooking in my kitchen for other people - steak for my husband, a whole series for my daughter, BBQ for my in-laws. This Baked Falafel is just for me. I could eat meatless hearty salads for every meal and I love greek food. The hubby will pass on tomatoes and olives and our little darling is only really interested in strawberries and cheese toast these days. 

Luckily - I'm the only cook in the house and everyone just has to deal with my whims. Just kidding, being a wife and mom just means I need meals that 1. I love and 2. I can adapt for my sweet finicky family. This Baked Falafel is good like that. My husband will eat these in a pita pocket without the tomatoes and olives and with very little yogurt sauce. Ella will have her sauce on the side, actually she'll have everything separate, please. Me? I love to eat these guys on a big bed of lettuce with lots of feta, lots of ripe tomatoes, and lots of stinky olives. The falafel and Simple Yogurt dressing also make a pretty hearty appetizer with some sliced cucumbers. 

Like most of the recipes I share here - these Baked Falafel are adaptable and forgiving. Out of cornmeal? Use all-purpose flour. Hate mint? Just chop up some parsley. The yogurt sauce can handle some red wine vinegar instead of the lemon (because 9 times out of 10 -  I forgot to buy the lemon). 

Baked Falafel 

makes 24 small falafel patties, 4-6 servings 

2 (16 ounces) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed 

1 small onion or shallot, grated 

1 clove garlic, minced 

1/3 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup finely chopped minced herbs - I like thyme, oregano and mint but parsley is a good neutral 

1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

olive oil 

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Mash together the chickpeas, onion, garlic, cornmeal, herbs, paprika and salt with a potato masher in a large bowl until most of the chickpeas are smashed and the mixture holds together when pressed. You can also pulse the mixture in a food processor 10-15 times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and also holds together when pressed. 

Coat a baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Scoop the chickpea mixture into 2 tablespoon sized balls (I like a small fisher for this) and flatten slightly. 

Bake for 12 minutes, flip and bake for another 12 to 15 minutes or until crisp. Serve with Simple Yogurt Dressing, pita bread, feta cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives. 

Simple Yogurt Dressing 

makes about 1 cup dressing

1 cup greek yogurt 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs - such as chives and mint

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

Mix together yogurt, lemon juice, herbs, and salt. Let the mixture sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. 

Psst. This is how I set up the components of a greek salad for Ella. She is 1000% guaranteed to eat the bread, yogurt sauce, and cucumbers. Every once in a great while she will eat the tomatoes and the feta too - so I keep trying.

THIRSTY THURSDAY | Pineapple Coconut Lassi

Let's pretend this Pineapple Coconut Lassi is a breakfast cocktail, okay? Because the world just needs more breakfast cocktails. Plus its kind of like a Pina Colada in smoothie form.

As I said early this week - we've been drinking our summer away in smoothies around here (especially since I can't drink any cocktails right now) and lassis are one of the yummiest, not too sweet smoothies we all need to be drinking more of. 

A lassi is traditionally made with yogurt and mango, seasoned with a little salt and served on the side of spicy grilled meats. This Pineapple Coconut version uses coconut milk in place of the yogurt and pineapple instead of the mango, which makes it pleasantly sweeter than a traditional lassi. 

You can use fresh, canned, or frozen pineapple for this Pineapple Coconut Lassi. I can't verify that this would be 100% delicious with a little bit of dark rum in there, too (but my husband swears it is…).

Coconut Pineapple Lassi
makes 2 servings

2 cups chopped pineapple
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup ice
1/4 cup pineapple juice
pinch of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus more for garnishing
toasted coconut flakes, optional for garnishing

What's your favorite summer smoothie?

Measuring Moments + Sweet Cream Biscuit Recipe

I've started and stopped this post 76 times in the last 4 weeks. I wanted to share where I was, why I was away, and that I would be back, but concise words never came to me. I just couldn't find the best way say - I've just been measuring moments.

Friday was my last day at my full time job of over 7 years. The first job I had as a culinary school graduate. The job where I started as an intern and left as a recipe developer, project manager, food stylist, and food media specialist. I started as a single 20-something and am leaving as a wife and mother on the brink of her thirties. The end of my full time job has been hard - it's made me introverted and reflective. Seven years is a lot of moments - and in preparing all my files I relived them all over again. I wanted to give my job all of me for the last month. So I stepped away from the blog for a bit. I still feel timid about coming back here - I'm just starting a new routine, trying to figure out my roles as a freelance professional and work-at-home mom.

The other exciting news is that I'm pregnant with baby #2! We're expecting him/her in early November.  We will not be finding out the sex of this baby (per my husband's request!). If you've been reading since before I had Ella, you might remember that I was pretty much sick my entire pregnancy. The first trimester of this pregnancy was also really rough - I could barely stand to think about food. But I've been feeling much much better the last two weeks, so my money is on this little biscuit being a baby boy.

Ella's growing like a weed - devouring books, telling us wild stories, and trying to learn how to use the potty (mostly for the temporary tattoos). We took a day trip to Chattanooga. We went to visit all of the MawMaws (and my Nana) for Mother's Day. We got a new HVAC system. I started doing some really fun food styling with my photographer friend Jeff Roffman. May was mostly a really great month and with so many big life changes happening at once I wanted to put down my phone, turn off my computer, and experience it all with my eyes wide open.

I'll be back in this space more regularly and updating my portfolio site with new client work and collaborations every month. It feels good to be back. Thank you so much for your patience.

Sweet Cream Biscuits
makes about 18 (1 1/2 inch) biscuits

Ella and I made these for our Mother's Day picnic and served them with roasted strawberries and lightly sweetened whipped cream. We also had them toasted with butter and jam the next day.

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream plus more for topping
coarse sanding or turbinado sugar for topping

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the vanilla extract and 1 cup of cream to the dry ingredients, stirring as you pour in the cream. Stir to combine.  Add 2 more tablespoons of cream as necessary to create a moist, but not sticky dough.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface.  Gently press the disk out into a 3/4″-thickness.

Use a small biscuit cutter to cut small circles from the dough. Place the biscuits close together on the prepared sheet pan.  Brush each biscuit with heavy cream and sprinkle generously with sanding sugar.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.


Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Super Spring Salad & A Spring Picnic Giveaway

Spring picnic season is finally upon us (well most of the country anyway) and we couldn't be more excited. Most weekends we pack a picnic basket and head to our local park to meet family or friends and let the kids play until dusk. Ella comes home dirty and exhausted and always sleeps like a champ post picnic. 

We also do some quick weeknight picnics in our front yard. Even if we just eat leftovers a picnic always rids of us any crankiness (this is especially good for Monday nights). A spring picnic is also a lovely casual way to entertain with grown up friends too. I find myself having girlfriends over for wine and cheese on the lawn more often, because its way cheaper than going out and I don't feel like a weirdo for frequently laughing too loud.  This Super Spring Salad is a perfect dish for a grown-up picnic - it can be served warm, cold, or even room temperature and it one takes one pot and a jar to prep! 

Lauren over at Love Lola blog asked if I'd like to contribute to her Spring Picnic menu (which includes some really lovely other bloggers and an awesome Picnic Basket giveaway!) and, of course I said yes, because I clearly love a picnic. Read all about the rest of the Spring Picnic menu, visit the other contributors, and enter the rafflecopter giveaway below! 

Super Spring Salad 
Makes 4 to 6 side servings

8 ounces green beans, trimmed and halved
1 pound asparagus, white woody ends trimmed and halved
8 ounces shelled sweet peas
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
4 ounces radishes, sliced
1/4 cup chopped pistachio

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium high heat. Fill a large bowl with ice and water and have standing by. Liberally salt the boiling water and blanch the vegetables. Add the green beans first and cook for 1 minutes, add the asparagus and cook for 1 minute, add the peas and cook for 1 minute. Quick drain the veggies and immediately move to the ice-water bath to chill.

Make the dressing by combining the dijon, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper in a lidded jar. Shake vigorously and then add the olive oil, shake, taste and adjust the seasoning. You may want to add a teaspoon of sugar or honey - if you prefer a sweeter dressing.

Remove the veggies from the ice bath and move to a serving bowl. Add the radishes, pistachios, and dressing - and serve. Or chill the salad for 1 hour before serving. This salad can also be assembled the day before.


SPRING PICNIC MENU & Giveaway 
Appetizer: Avocado and Feta Salsa with Homemade Tortilla Chips  - Emily at Sweet to the Soul
Beverage: Sparkling Cherry Limeade - Mary Beth at Annapolis & Co     
Side Salad: Super Spring Salad - Meghan at Stir and Scribble
Sandwich: Grilled Vegetable Sandwich - Lauren at Love Lola  
Dessert: Lemon Bar - Amanda at Amanda K by the Bay

a Rafflecopter giveaway

just a tip | baked farro

Just dropping in for a quick farro cooking lesson this week. I've mentioned in our last real family food post that I'm trying to swap some go-to carbs (like white rice and pasta) for more whole grains. Farro is a really great example of an often overlooked grain that is packed with flavor and nutrients. 

Farro is a wheat grain of ancient Mediterranean origin that is still quite popular in Italy. Farro actually consists of three different grain farro medio begin the most common in the US. Look for pearled or semi-pearled farro, which has had some of its tough outer layer removed to make it cook faster. Its high in fiber, zinc and vitamin B! 

Until recently I had tried the traditional (i.e. I read it on the bag) cooking directions of boiling the farro in salted water I found that it either took forever or I ended up with mushy farro! Recently I tried baking it - which is both faster than boiling AND produces perfect fluffy farro every time.

Baked Faro

1 ½ cups faro

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 cups boiling water*

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

Combine the faro, butter, and salt in a 2-quart glass-baking dish. Add the boiling water, cover (with the dish’s lid or aluminum foil) and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest covered for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the faro with a fork.

* I typically bring the 3 cups of water to a boiling in the microwave - use a microwave safe measuring cup and try 3 minutes on high heat. Use caution (and an oven mitt) when removing from the microwave! 

Grit Tots

Hey, look! I'm back with a recipe AND a brand new look. Thank you for all your kind words on last week's 24 hour post. It was the weirdest post to publish (yup, even weirder than announcing pregnancy two years ago). For the time being, I'm going back to posting two times a week so I can bring you other cool projects without losing my mind. 

But let's talk about this new look: My dear friend Lindsay of Gather and Co. has been working tireless on my logo and other brand elements. I swore I was the worst client ever (I switched color themes as we neared the end the project) but Lindsay was incredibly patient, walked me through all the things I didn't know, and assured me I was not the worst client ever. If you're looking for branding for your blog or business, for wedding invites, stationary suite - I highly recommend Gather and Co.

I still have some technical tweaking to do behind the scenes, but I could not wait to share the new look of Stir & Scribble! I also finally put together a legit portfolio site for my work at MeghanSplawn.com. An updated recipe database is also underway! But you just really want to know about these Grit Tots huh? 

I have been testing a lot of grit making recipe lately. Basically I'm lazy and I'm trying to find a way to make perfect creamy grits without standing over the stove. I've tried a baked version and a slow-cooker version and Iamthisclose to cracking the code (and I promise to share when I do). All this to say I've had a lot of leftover grits in the house. A good problem to have when you have this trick in your back pocket. These Grit Tots are as simple as cutting up some grits (I used a small round cutter, but I also tested them as simple square) and I'm 97% sure you can do the same with cooked or ready made polenta too! 

Grit Tots 

makes about 36 dozen tots, approximately 4 servings 

2 cups leftover grits - spread into a pan and refrigerated overnight 

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

kosher salt 

Set an oven rack about 6 inches under your broiler. Heat the broiler to high.

Cut the grits into 1 inch square or punch out rounds with a 1/2 inch round cutter. Coat a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread the cut grits into a single layer on the sheet pan. Drizzle on the remaining olive oil and gently toss to coat. 

Broil the Grit Tots for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until golden, about 8 minutes total. If the tots seem to be sticking use a thin flat spatula to flip them. Sprinkle with additional salt and cool slightly before serving. 

Roasted Strawberry Lemonade on In Honor of Design

Apologies for being MIA last week. I'm not promising it won't happen again this week. The last two weeks have been filled with travel, a bad experience with a tree service company, a dog with a cast and a cone, AND a toddler with a double ear infection. I'm extremely grateful for all of it and grateful to all of you for sticking around. I might be back with a brand new redesign to boot! 

I did share the awesome Roasted Strawberry Lemonade on In Honor of Design last week. I'm kind of obsessed with it and have made several pitchers since I first perfected it. Get the recipe here. 

Chocolate Stout Blondies for Shop Sweet Lulu

I'm over on the Shop Sweet Lulu blog sharing these Chocolate Stout Baked Donuts with Chocolate glaze. Perfect for your Saint Patty's day or the day after or even any day. 

Rhubarb Strawberry Margarita

How come there aren't more jam cocktails? Mixing jam and booze is possibly the best more underrated idea ever. May I present you the easiest spring margarita of all time - the Rhubarb Strawberry Margarita.  

The cool thing about this recipe is you could switch out almost any jam for the Quick Rhubarb Strawberry Jam and have a killer cocktail. Just strawberry jam? Strawberry Margarita! Peach jelly? Peach Margarita!

Rhubarb Strawberry Margarita 

yield 4 cocktails 

salt

crushed ice

1 cup Quick Rhubarb Strawberry Jam 

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/3 cup cointreau

1 cup tequila

Rim 4 rocks glasses with either an extra strawberry or lime wedge and dip in a bit of salt. Fill the glasses with crushed ice and set aside. 

Stir together the jam, lime juice, cointreau, and tequila in a large pitcher breaking up the jam as much as possible. Add the ice, stir and pour into prepared glasses. 

Quick Rhubarb Strawberry Jam

I'm not very patient. And I tend to be wildly impulsive. Both of these traits come into full swing when I hit the grocery store. I didn't have a plan for rhubarb when I saw it in the produce section, but I grabbed some without thinking. 

And that rhubarb just kind of poked around in the fridge for a while. I mean literally poked, because the stalks were too long for the crisper drawer so they lived on a shelf - poking us every time we went for the half and half. 

The only memory I have of eating rhubarb before my culinary life was on my uncle's maple farm in Vermont. When we'd visit we'd eat raspberries straight from the bush or we'd get a stalk of rhubarb and a little cup of sugar for dipping it into. I'd sit with my cousin's and gnaw on that tart, astringent stalk of rhubarb on a summer evening. 

This jam came out of an over flow of both strawberries and lemon from another recipe I'm testing right now. And its literally one of those thrown together posts - I didn't even let the jam set properly before photographing it. 

Come back on Wednesday and I'll show you how to turn this into a tart sweet cocktail that you'll want to drink all spring long. Because that's what I do. 

Quick Rhubarb Strawberry Jam
yield 1 pint jam 

1 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb cut into ½-inch pieces (2 long stalks) 
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Combine the rhubarb, strawberries,sugar, and water in a medium-sized pot set over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until reduced by approximately half (check this by dipping a wooden spoon into the mixture and using the jam's 'stain' as a guide). Stir in lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until a the mixture has thicken and a small dab sets immediately in the freezer (put a few plates in there before you start). Store in an air tight container in the fridge or freezer.