One day this summer I had the good fortune of getting drinks with one of my best girlfriends at one of our favorite old spots on Cape Cod. We were kid free, the sun was shining, and we had the bartender’s full attention to chat with us about their seasonal cocktail menu. One drink caught my eye – it was a deep, jewel-toned dark pink – and I asked our bartender what was in this gorgeous concoction. She let us know that it was actually beet juice that turned it so bright, and I knew I had to try it. The beet juice was mixed with bourbon and hints of orange and ginger – and the combination of ingredients was surprising and satisfying. I knew I had to try to recreate it at home, and have mixed up a version that feels pretty close to my memory of the tasty cocktail I had this summer – scroll down for my take and the full recipe:
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If there’s one thing I know about food blogging, it’s that you all go wild for any recipe that involves Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi! Make it a one-dish sheet pan meal that can be on the table in just about 30 minutes, and that’s it, people go nuts. I’ve been brainstorming some quick meals during this busy time of year that get a little helping hand from Trader Joe’s frozen food aisle. Want to know the secret to the famous Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi? Ignore the instructions on the back of the bag and bake them in the oven instead! They get a nice crispy, browned texture and the baking brings out more of the nutty cauliflower flavor too. 
This recipe has a nice seasonal fall feel, with bits of Italian sausage (I used sweet sausage to make it kid friendly, but mix it up if you have another kind you prefer), wilty green spinach and hearty white beans. Bits of garlic and red pepper flakes (totally optional if you don’t like spice) give the dish a punch of flavor too. Get the full recipe below – and check out my other Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi recipes here! read more
I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but dang this is one of the best meals I’ve made in ages. So good, in fact, that I’ve eaten it multiple times this week. I can’t stop thinking about this bright, tangy, herby green sauce and want to put it on everything! I made it over the weekend to drizzle on crispy roasted potatoes and lightly breaded chicken cutlets- both simple elements to a dish that got amped up to super-star-status when I drizzled this herb sauce over the top. I served both the potatoes and chicken alongside a fresh green salad and I can attest that the sauce would do wonders as a salad dressing too, it was all I could do not to lick the plate! Scroll down for the full recipe, and make this one ASAP:
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Gearing up for back to school around here and I was digging into the archives for lunchbox packing inspiration and thought I’d share a few of my tried and true tricks for kid-approved lunches. See my ideas and lots of lunchbox faves below!
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I sing my love of Little Leaf Farms from the rooftops, so I couldn’t be more excited to get my hands on the newest addition to their sustainably grown green line-up: Sweet Baby Butter Lettuce!!The new Sweet Baby Butter Leaf greens are sustainably grown in Little Leaf Farms’ state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse (located right here in MA!) – so it’s an ingredient I always feel great about buying. We eat so much of it, and I’m loving this new variety that has a sweet flavor and a tender yet crispy texture (the Little Leaf crisp is something I always hear readers rave about).
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Gearing up for back to school, and it’s a special one this year since we have an incoming kindergartener! I’ve been brainstorming some fun ideas to celebrate the school year kick off and when I spotted the sweet decorated apple cookies my friends at Fancypants Baking Co released for the fall, I found my inspiration for a festive back to school dessert!
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One of the things I learned quickly with my own garden was how important it was to keep pollinators happy! My friends at Little Leaf Farms are always on the forefront of creating more sustainable growing practices and I love that they worked with Best Bees to install a hive at their MA-based greenhouse to help protect and expand the dwindling bee population and keep the ecosystem surrounding the greenhouse healthy. (Be sure to check out this past post from when I got to visit the greenhouse and learn all about the Little Leaf Farms growing process and sustainability efforts!). The added bonus of course is some delicious local honey from the beehive!
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If there is one thing I like to hold onto at the end of summer, it’s al fresco dining in our garden. In fact, those late summer nights when it finally starts to cool down are some of my favorite times for entertaining. I visited my local Christmas Tree Shops for some fresh inspiration for a late summer table and came up with a table that is full of my favorite blue and white tones and mixed with natural textures.
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I snuck out to the garden this morning before the day got too hot and plucked a big bowl of ripe tomatoes straight from the vine. Sweet, homegrown August tomatoes are the number one reason that I built my veggie garden – nothing tastes better! Faced with a bounty of tomatoes, I went into the archives for some inspiration and was reminded of so many of my favorite summer tomato recipes – sharing a round up of all my best summer tomato ideas below! 
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Mixing up a refreshing, summery Orange Slice cocktail for the next installment in my #Domestikatehappyhour series! To make it: fill a glass with ice, pour 1.5 oz Gin and 1/4 oz Campari over the ice and stir. Top with sparkling blood orange soda and an orange slice – cheers!
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