Family + Design + Life
A little treat to welcome our guests at Four Palms. For my sister’s visit, I went a little kitschy with some quintessential items from our local surf shop. Florida Orange Bubble Gum in the mini carton (takes us back to our childhood vacationing in Melbourne Beach, FL), a Siesta Key koozie for those cold beverages, hydrating water, and animal crackers as a homage to Sarasota’s rich circus history.
I think I nailed it with this one! The perfect poolside/sun-is-shining beverage! The amounts listed below will make one mocktail, you could easily make 2 by doubling the recipe. I put all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with a cup of ice and had a salted-rimmed glass ready to go! Another option is to pour cocktails over ice which is just as nice.
What you’ll need:
3 oz Orange Juice
1.5 oz Pineapple Juice
2 oz Coconut Water
.5 oz Maple Syrup
tbsp Coconut Cream
3 oz Ritual Non-Alcoholic Tequila
1 cup of Ice
Salt for rim
Simple and easy is how I roll especially when it comes to last-minute entertaining. Bonus this recipe is packed with flavor!
What you’ll need: classic hummus, cherry tomatoes, garlic, dill, cilantro, parsley, a lemon, salt, olive oil, pepper, salt, garlic powder, and gluten-free crackers (any delicious cracker will work).
I used premade organic classic hummus as the base (large container if serving a crowd).
First, cut your cherry tomatoes in half and place them on a roasting sheet with peeled garlic. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Roast until tomatoes look slightly deflated with a nice golden stickiness to them. Have your hummus in a shallow bowl or plate smoothed out to about an inch of thickness? Place your tomatoes and garlic over top (if garlic isn’t your thing you can of course omit it). Have your herbs all finely chopped and sprinkle all that goodness over top. Squeeze 1//2 lemon and a little bit more salt (I love and use Crucial Four). Boom!
A family favorite with our crew!
My mom started making these Mushroom Crustades in the 90s and after she passed I carried on the tradition.
What’s so great about these tasty little bites is you can make them ahead and freeze.
I start with the cups.
You’ll need 24 slices of Very Thin Pepperidge Farm white bread, crust cut and rolled thin. Then cut each piece into fours, set aside.
Mushroom Filling:
4 Tablespoons Butter
3 green onions well chopped
8 oz chopped white mushrooms (I use food processor on “chop” setting for a few pulses)
2 tablespoons flour
8 oz heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste
Chives for garnish
Preheat Oven 350
Chop mushrooms super fine of use food process (only a few pulses)
Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a skillet and finely chopped green onion cook for 4-5 minutes (keep stirring don’t burn them). Add mushrooms and cook until water from shrooms has cooked off about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add flour, once combined return to heat and add heavy cream. Heat to boiling while stirring the entire time. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
While the mixture is cooling in the skillet I bake the cups. You’ll need a small muffin tray(s) for this. To make life easier I now spray the tins with avocado oil, press squares into each cup, and back until the edges are golden.
Once all cups are baked transfer all cups to a baking sheet and fill each with mushroom mixture. I then place the sheet in the freezer for 10 – 20 minutes. Once frozen store in containers or plastic zip bags until you’re ready to serve.
CHEERS!
Bonus…this appetizer is super easy to make!
Start with pitted dates (I prefer smaller dates over larger ones).
Stuff each date with whipped goat cheese (either whip with a small amount of water in a food processor or by hand)
Once stuffed wrap each with 1/2 piece of bacon and secure shut with a toothpick.
Bake at 350 until the bacon has a nice crunchy bite to it.
I finished with hot honey for a little extra flavor. mikeshothoney.com
Enjoy!
This will take some getting used to! Today’s October temperature is 85 degrees! Gone are the days of cozy Fall sweaters at least for me. So how does one add Fall Fashion to your wardrobe in warm/hot climates? I have a few thoughts. Tank tops are still a must and high-waisted jeans are a current favorite of mine. I paired this look with some awesome camel-colored clogs I found at Anthropologie. The jeans were on clearance at Target for $20! Matched the clogs to a vintage belt that was my mom’s and out the door I went for a Pumpkin Picnic with my Maisie!
