Capri Sun Vodka Cooler

If you're looking for the perfect summer drink this is it. The Capri Sun Vodka Cooler is refreshing, light and crisp. Most importantly though it taste like getting drunk off your childhood. Here's a tip for any soccer moms out there, these Capri Sun Coolers make the pain of losing the big game hurt, a little less. So I suggest handing these out after the next soccer match. 

Spiced Apple Cider and Butternut Squash Snickerdoodles

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I'm not going to write a post about how things change with the seasons. It's been done too many times (we get it Ben Gibbard, you're sad). Instead, just enjoy these fun and easy seasonal recipes. If you don't enjoy them, you probably read the recipes wrong. These recipes are like hugs while wearing your favorite sweater... or that warm feeling could just be glucose rushing to your brain.

Spiced Apple Cider

• 1 quart Apple Juice/Cider 
• 2 Cinnamon Stick
• 5 Whole Cloves
• 1/3 cup Dark Spiced Rum (Kraken of kourse)
• 1 Fuji Apple sliced
• 1 1 in. Orange zest

1. Heat everything in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat until the liquid comes to a simmer and your entire house smells like autumn. 
2. Serve in fancy mugs or mason jars and garnish with an apple slice. Then drink to keep the cold weather at bay.

Butternut Squash Snickerdoodles

• 2 3/4 cup A.P. Flour
• 2 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1/4 cup Shortening
• 1 3/4 cup Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon ground
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda
• 1/3 cup Butternut Squash as prepared in this recipe 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. Mix the sugar (1 1/2 cups of sugar), eggs, butter, vanilla, shortening and butternut together in a large mixing bowl. Mix with one of those new fangled electronicized mixers until the consistency of the mixture is that of canned icing.
3. In a separate bowl sift the salt, baking soda, flour, and cream of tartar together, (if you don't have an extra mixing bowl you can use the hollowed out skull of your enemies). Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. 
4. In a small bowl mix the rest of the sugar and cinnamon together.
5. Using a kitchen scooper make small dough balls and roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Place the balls on baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and place directly in your mouth. 

Uhh, in conclusion enjoy everything fall has to offer and watch out for cloves in your cider! Enjoy!

All photos taken by Katy Weaver. Check out her site!

Light n' Breezy

I'm sure there's a name for this cocktail, but I like the name I came up with and I don't feel much like Googling the name of the drink. Long story short, I wanted to make a dark and stormy, but for some reason I couldn't find any ginger beer, so I went with ginger ale instead. It has less of bite, but the result was still blogworthy.

Pairs well with fish tacos! Especially these fish tacos!

Light n' Breezy

• 1/4 cup crushed Ice
• 1 shot Dark Spiced Rum (I use Kraken) 
• 1 Small Lime worth Juice
• Ginger Ale

1. Add the ice to a tumbler. 
2. Pour the rum over the ice.
3. Add the lime juice
4. Fill the rest of the cup with ginger ale. Stir. Garnish with a lime slice.
5. Enjoy!

These great photos by Katy Weaver

Thai Chicken and Waffle Sandwich

One of the greatest pieces of advice I've ever heard was from Alton Brown who said, "Never take advice." I am open to criticism and feedback though, because without them you can't get better. But advice is more one sided than a HP Laserjet P3005ch printer (it doesn't have duplex printing). When it comes down to it, you're the only one who knows what you really want and what you have to do to make it happen, so start being selfish and start working towards something awesome. 

For some reason in today's culture, selfishness is portrayed as a negative trait, although people forget is that this is what made this country great in the first place (that's right I'm making this a cultural thing). We broke away from the British Empire because we wanted to do things OUR way. We didn't get involved with WWII until we were attacked and it affected us. 

Knowing that your crazy idea is a great one, and actually having the guts to go out there and make it happen doesn't make you insane or eccentric; it makes you successful and a goddamn American. Frankly I'm tired of having artificial roadblocks being put up, especially for people of my generation.  Just get out there and create something, whatever it may be. 

What do those old-man style ramblings have to do with Thai chicken and waffles? Almost nothing. But let's be honest, "Thai chicken and waffles" sounds like a weird, crazy idea, until you actually make it happen and try it. Remember an idea is only as good as its end product, so ignore that advice and prove those nay-sayers wrong.

Before I get into the recipes, I want to make a couple shout outs! First, thanks to Flavour Gallery for sending me an awesome apron (I was wearing it the entire time I was cooking all this). They also have a bunch of cool food t-shirts you should check out. The second shout out is to Kraken rum because I love the stuff and would love a free bottle or two. The great thing about Kraken rum is that you get to yell, "RELEASE THE KRAKEN!" Everytime you open the bottle.

Carne Asada Tacos & Sangria

Sometimes in life you have to strip down, whether it's going skinny dipping, refinishing hardwood furniture or simplifying a dish. Instead of doing an infusion or adding some interesting ingredient I decided simplicity would be the best route to take.