Search Results for: watermelon

Drink & Dish: Restaurant-style Watermelon Margaritas

August 19, 2013 · by Ari ·

I always try to spell watermelon with two Ls. Doesn’t the word mellon have two Ls? Shouldn’t watermel(l)on?? Maybe I just want to find an excuse for my terrible spelling. It’s true. You don’t even need to know how to spell these days. A red squiggly line will do it all for you, and my brain has gotten lazy. I can literally feel myself becoming less intelligent.

I’ve actually learned a lot about how many words I used to spell incorrectly since I started this blog. I always thought avocado was spelled avacado. That’s how it sounds in my head. I also get really confused because every time I type the word fudgy I still get a red squiggly line. So then I try fudgey which is also wrong and looks worse, so I’ll take it my computer has never eaten a delicious brownie, because if it had, it would totally know fudgy is a word.

Good lord, I need a margarita. Specifically the best, thickest, most flavorful margarita I have ever tasted. And trust me, I would never joke, or exaggerate about my margaritas. They are serious business, and these are the best of the best. The secret? Soaking the watermelon in the alcohol and freezing overnight. I had to get out that little push down stick for my vitamix to get everything to blend together.

It’s easy for a frozen margarita to taste watered down and flavorless. In fact, I usually don’t order them frozen for this very reason. This margarita contains NO ICE. Simply watermelon, tequila, orange liquor, lime and agave. No overly sweet sour mix, no extra water–just real, bold ingredients. The watermelon flavor is out-of-this-world-good. It tastes fresh, natural, and like biting in to a cold, juicy watermelon. I simply cannot get these babies out of my head!

For our Labor Day episode of Drink & Dish, Nicole and I pulled a Freaky Friday and switched places–I made the drink, and she made the dish: a loaded potato chip dip that is to die for! Crunchy potato chips in a cheesy, creamy dip with all sorts of flavors and textures working together–it is a must try! Check out this latest episode for all the details!

Drink & Dish: Restaurant-style Watermelon Margarita

Prep Time: 12 hours, 5 minutes

Total Time: 12 hours, 5 minutes

Yield: 2 extra-large or 3 medium margaritas

Drink & Dish: Restaurant-style Watermelon Margarita

Ingredients

For freezing:

1/2 medium watermelon, chopped into 1" cubes
1/2 cup tequila
1/4 cup orange liqueur (triple sec, grand marnier, etc.)

For blending:

2 shots tequila
1 shot orange liqueur
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp agave

For serving:

coarse salt
extra lime wedges

Instructions

Place chopped watermelon in a large, freezer-safe container. Poor tequila and orange liqueur evenly over chopped watermelon. Cover and freeze for 12 hours or overnight.
Transfer frozen watermelon and any liquid remains from your alcohol to a high-quality blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. If mixture is still too thick, slowly add a little more alcohol until you've reached your desired consistency.
Run a lime wedge around the rim of each glass. Place salt on a small, flat plat and press the top of each glass into the salt. Fill each glass with frozen margaritas and serve immediately.

Notes

You may freeze your watermelon up to 3 days if you wish to prepare ahead of time.

If all of the frozen watermelon does not fit into your blender, start with 1 shot of tequila and 1/2 short of orange liqueur and slowly add from there. All blenders and watermelons are different, so start slowly with the alcohol and add as you go.

https://arismenu.com/drink-dish-restaurant-style-watermelon-margaritas-2/

Creamy Watermelon Sorbet

August 11, 2012 · by Ari ·

In case my countless hours spent whining about the temperatures (117* on Tuesday in case you forget), it’s, um, hot.

It’s also still watermelon season. Yummmmm.

I’d say that *almost* makes up for it. I usually prefer the super creamy, indulgent frozen yogurt flavors like birthday cake, especially when it tastes like frosting and has peanut butter sauce on top. Mmmmm. However, this sorbet is so light and refreshing–perfect for a hot summer day! It has just a little bit of yogurt to make it slightly creamy, but really tastes more like a sorbet.

I have a story. My dad makes really weird shopping lists. His logic is completely incomprehensible to anyone not living inside his head. One day, he sent me to the store for him with a list left in about 12 messages that got cut off on my voicemail. There were only a handfull of items, but many stipulations about expiration dates, and back up items just in case. Everything has to be exact, and make “the list”. I remember taking my friend Jason with me, walking up and down the aisles (the order of these items was also very specific to the inner workings of his mind), and listening to my 100 voicemails. Yes, I said 12 before. 100 may be a bit of an exaggeration. Maybe. Anyway, we got to watermelon on the list, but it had to be a very specific expiration date, and if I couldn’t find that I was supposed to buy bleu cheese instead. That one was definitely the strangest.

What I’m trying to say is, please don’t use that logic. Please do not make this sorbet with bleu cheese. I will judge you.

BUT, don’t be weirded out by my family. The sorbet is delicious. Sweet and slightly tart, filled with natural watermelon flavor, and not even a hint of cheese. Pinky promise.

Creamy Watermelon Sorbet

yield approx 2 cups

4 cups seedless watermelon, diced
2 tbs turbinado sugar (optional, depending on desired sweetness)
1 cup nonfat lemon Greek yogurt

Directions:

Puree watermelon in a blender or food processor until smooth. Strain juices into a large bowl discard pulp.
Whisk in sugar and yogurt, then freeze according to ice cream maker’s instructions. For a firmer sorbet, freeze for 2-3 hours before serving.

Tart Cherry Margaritas

April 30, 2015 · by Ari ·

Tons of fresh flavor and the perfect amount of sweetness, tart cherry margaritas will disappear in minutes at any gathering.

Maaaar-gaaaaa-riiiiiitas! Only, like, the very best margaritas I have ever had in my entire life. And I do not use the words “very best” lightly I have had, and made, some bomb margaritas (does anyone still say bomb anymore?), but these babies take the cake.

I made an entire pitcher–like HUGE pitcher–for friends and family and literally the entire thing was gone in approximately 90 minutes. Even my friends who rarely drink kept going back for more, and I had to cut Steve off so there would be enough left for our guests. Not that I blame him though…I was equally obsessed.

I like a margarita where I can taste my tequila. I love a hint of sweetness, but I hate those margs that taste like pure sweet and sour mix. Ummm…gross. These are sweetened by with a little simple syrup. I use sugar, but you could always use agave to keep it naturally sweetened. The tart cherry juice and sour lime give it a little bite that you’d expect from a great margarita.

With just 5 ingredients and a big, bold taste, these will quickly become your favorite margarita, just like it has for me!

Tart Cherry Margaritas

Recipe Type: Drinks

Author: Ari Ziskin

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 12

Tons of fresh flavor and the perfect amount of sweetness, tart cherry margaritas will disappear in minutes at any gathering.

Ingredients

For the simple syrup:
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
For the margaritas:
3 cups 100% tart cherry juice
2 cups fresh lime juice (I used about 15 limes)
2 1/2 cups tequila
1/2 cup triple sec
simple syrup

Instructions

To make the simple syrup, heat water and sugar in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, stirring constantly until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
To make the margaritas, gently stir all ingredients together in a large pitcher. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins

June 17, 2014 · by Ari ·

Ultra soft, fluffy and tall bakery style lemon blueberry buttermilk muffins. These muffins are screaming bright, summer flavor, and with their ultra soft and tender crumb, you’d never guess they were healthy and gluten-free!

Okay, so who else is ridiculously excited about season 2 of Orange is the New Black? I feel like I haven’t left the house in two days because all I want to do is stay home and watch it. Plus, I wanted to re-watch the entire first season to refresh and get myself ready for season 2!

I actually juuuussstt finished season 1, and I’m only a couple of episodes into season 2. “I think I’ll Pinterest. I hear that’s a thing.” <—–my favorite part so far. Ummm….yeah. So that’s what’s happening in my life. Also lots of swimming and a whole 13×9 pan of watermelon and tequila in my freezer because these are making a comeback. What can I say? It’s summer. Margaritas and all things citrus must be had. 😉

Something about lemons just scream summer to me. Summer is when I do a lot of my recipe testing/photography because I have some extra time to devote to the blog. Last year the first thing I did when summer vay cay started was buy a crap ton of lemons and make lemon blondies and lemon crinkle cookies. They are still two of my favorite desserts.

The bright, citrusy flavor seems to instantly make desserts more summery. Like I’m cooling off by the pool with a glass of lemonade, while simultaneously eating my weight in big, fluffy muffins. The best of both worlds if you ask me.

I also feel like lemons and blueberries are kindred spirits. Like pb & j, chocolate & hazelnut, goat cheese & my mouth. These muffins are so soft and filled to the brim with blueberries. The lemon glaze is totally optional. There is plenty of lemon flavor already there, but if you want a little extra sweetness, it’s definitely a fantastic addition. Either way, you won’t be able to get enough of these babies!

Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins

Ultra soft, fluffy and tall bakery style lemon blueberry buttermilk muffins. These muffins are screaming bright, summer flavor, and with their ultra soft and tender crumb, you'd never guess they were healthy and gluten-free!

Ingredients

3 cups gluten-free baking blend orwhite whole wheat flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 small lemon, zest and juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup reduced fat buttermilk
1 and 1/4 cup fresh blueberries (preferably organic)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425. Spray muffin tin with nonstick spray, or line with paper liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together baking blend, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, applesauce, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla until combined. Stir in half the dry ingredients, then buttermilk, then remaining dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in blueberries.
Evenly divide batter between 12 standard muffin tins. Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and continue to bake for an other 17-20 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (with just a few crumbs).
Let stand for 10 minutes, then serve or transfer to a wire rack. Drizzle with this lemon glaze if desired. Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days. For best results do not add glaze until ready to serve.

Notes

The muffins will get quite brown and you will think you have overcooked them. The almond meal and whole grain flours yield a darker muffin. As long as you bake for suggested time and do not over mix, your muffins should come out perfectly baked, soft and tender!

https://arismenu.com/lemon-blueberry-buttermilk-muffins/

Orange Cranberry Sauce

November 4, 2013 · by Ari ·

Bright, citrusy and lightly sweet cranberry sauce. This will turn anyone into a cranberry sauce believer.

Up until last year, I was NOT a cranberry sauce believer. I would never touch the stuff, and I sure as heck wasn’t serving it up at my Thanksgiving table! Then I had this sandwich at one of my favorite lunch spots called the gobbler, and it changed my life. Real cranberry sauce. Not some gross, weird jelly from a can. It was amazing!

Last Thanksgiving I decided to put cranberry sauce on my table. I only made a small batch because no one in my family was ever a fan of it either. Well, let me tell you, we all went back for seconds, and I was so disappointed that there weren’t any leftovers! Leftover turkey with no cranberry sauce to put on top??? Total bummer.

I absolutely adore orange and cranberry together. The flavors complement each other perfectly. Confession: I can’t spell to save my life, but I have this weird nerdy obsession with compliment vs. complement. It’s like the one spelling thing I actually know how to do correctly, and I get this weird satisfaction out of getting it right. Just don’t ask me to spell melon…

Okay, so last year since I didn’t know anything about making my own cranberry sauce, I followed a very simple recipe from Table for Two with the intentions that I would make my own recipe the next time. Except it turns out that Julie’s recipe was perfect in every way, so I kept it the same. I add a tablespoon of bourbon to mine (at the same time I put everything together on the stovetop), but otherwise I follow her recipe exactly. I tried adding less sugar, but it was….not worth it. It’s not a ton of sugar. Add the full 3 tablespoons. Click over to Julie’s blog to get the recipe!

Bacon Wrapped Gorgonzola Fig Burgers with Balsamic Glaze

June 10, 2013 · by Ari ·

You can take a moment and judge my insanely long title, per usual. Okay, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’m sure you think I’ve gone off the deep end. When I told my husband what I was making for dinner last week, he raised an eyebrow, and gave me a look that can only be described as “WTF”, then he said “You’re really on a burger kick, aren’t you?”

Guilty. And I guess after making countless burgers, you have to do something a little weird and put fruit inside. Or at least I do.

I’m pretty much obsessed with anything sweet and savory. I used to think it was weird, but ever since people starting salting things (I soooo judged that salted caramel hot chocolate at the bux for a good 2 weeks), I haven’t tired of the depth of flavor adding an unexpected taste or ingredient can bring to your dish.

Did anyone watch that season of Top Chef with the watermelon gorgonzola salad? I don’t remember who made it, but I remember that he tried something unique, something most people would never do. I remember Tom Colicchio hated it, and said it was totally wrong, but Chef Tom ain’t got nothin’ on these burgers. 😉

I’ve always loved the fig/gorgonzola combo, so I stuffed them inside my burger, then I wrapped that sucker in center cut bacon to add smokiness and some extra bold, salty flavor–wrapped around where it can stand out and be an attention whore, not tucked inside with the lesser-known ingredients. Then to bring it all together, and add an extra hint of sweetness, I reduced some balsamic vinegar on the stove until it was thick, syrupy and sweet. Careful, the fumes are INTENSE (think vinegar straight up your nose), but the end result is totally worth it. A unique burger that you won’t find at you local burger joint, with rich depth of flavor, yet still deceptively simple and easy to put together. There is nothing like it.

Bacon Wrapped Gorgonzola Fig Burgers with Balsamic Glaze

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 4 burgers

Serving Size: 1 burger

Bacon Wrapped Gorgonzola Fig Burgers with Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients

For the burgers:

1 lb extra lean ground beef (96% preferred)
1/3 cup chopped dried mission figs
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
pinch each salt and pepper
4 slices center cut bacon

For the balsamic glaze:

1/2 cup good quality balsamic vinegar

To assemble:

4 whole grain buns (whole wheat, brown rice, etc)
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
lettuce of choice

Instructions

Begin with the balsamic glaze by pouring balsamic vinegar into a small sauce pan over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium-medium high to simmer. Stir occasionally until sauce has reached desired thickness. This took me about 30 minutes for a very syrupy glaze. 20-30 minutes should be all you need. Once desired consistency is reached, remove from heat immediately.
In a large bowl, gently combine ground beef, figs, gorgonzola cheese, salt and pepper until ingredients are just incorporated. Form into 4 equal-sized patties. Press your thumb down into the center of each patty to create a small indent. Wrap each burger with a slice of bacon.
Grill over medium heat beginning with the edge of the bacon side facing down until burgers have reached desired doneness, about 5 minutes each side. Transfer to buns and add lettuce and tomato. Drizzle with balsamic glaze.

https://arismenu.com/bacon-wrapped-gorgonzola-fig-burgers-with-balsamic-glaze/

Looking for some other burger recipes for summer? Like I said, I’ve been on a bit of a kick…

Buffalo Turkey Burgers

Spicy Chipotle Cheeseburgers

Thai Peanut Turkey Burgers

BBQ Bacon Ranch Burgers

Or if you don’t eat meat, I have a few veggie options too!

Sun-dried Tomato & Basil White Bean Burgers (vegan + gluten-free)

Chipotle Black Bean Burgers (vegan + gluten-free)

ShowerPill

November 18, 2012 · by Ari ·

You.Guys. I am so excited. I don’t know if I’ve ever shared with you my shower dilema. It’s pretty tragic. A Morning in the Life of Ari:

Wake up.
Curse the alarm.
Run.
Eat the same weird pumpkin/Greek yogurt/chopped apple/chia seed/handful o’ granola breakfast that Steve judges me for.
Attempt to clear out my google reader that somehow blew up in the middle of the night. Side note, could we all just start staggering our posts please? Waking up to 500 unread posts is so overwhelming! First world problems…
Snuggle with Winston and Clementine who couldn’t care less about how bad I smell.
Contemplate taking a shower.
Do some work instead.
Check facebook.
Realize I’m running late.
Finally get in the shower I’ve been procrastinating, realize I FREAKING LOVE SHOWERING!!! It’s so warm and comforting and I never want to get out. I want to move in. Like Kramer. But at this point, I’ve procrastinated for so long that I don’t have time to stay in and enjoy it, so I skip out on the whole shaving my legs thing for the 97th day in a row, and rush out to barely brush my hair and throw on the first clean clothes I can find. Don’t even mention doing my hair or applying make up. That’s just silly.

Clearly, ~~my life is hard~~ I have issues. I also have this really bad habit of making plans immediately following a run, like today when Nicole and I ran to breakfast with Emily with no thoughts given to how badly we would smell. Sorry Nicole, I outed you. On the internet. Anyway, most people at least pretend they don’t mind, but when you get to the point where you can smell yourself, it starts to legitimately become a problem. I’ve been reallllllly wanting to try out ShowerPill for quite a while. If there’s anyone who needs a shower solution, or at least a shower alternative, it’s me, so obviously I jumped right on the opportunity! What is ShowerPill? ShowerPill is “the hygiene supplement designed to keep you fresh and clean while on-the-go.” It is not a baby wipe, and no, it’s not a pill. It’s a thick 9×8″ square that you can use post work out when you’re unable~~/unwilling~~ to shower. And let me tell you, it is AWESOME. I don’t know if I’ve ever found a product so exciting. I first tried mine after a run Wednesday morning. I often meet up with my friend Ashley who is a tech at my physical therapy office. We’ll run right before my scheduled appointment, so then the doctors are always working on me while I’m sweaty, gross, and admittedly smell pretty bad. It’s slightly embarrassing, and pretty unpleasant for all involved (yes, I am a gross human with limited time, so I schedule my life this way). This time, I was super excited to bring my new ShowerPill with me. After the run, I gave it a shot. It was amazing!! It smells like baby powder, and it didn’t leave me feeling soapy, but it did leave me smelling fresh, and feeling far less embarrassed for the duration of my visit. It comes with simple, easy to follow instructions, and I honestly have nothing negative to say about it. In fact, Steve asked to use one and I absolutely refused to share. I’m rude, but at least now I can be rude and clean smelling.

ALLLLLLL MINE!!

I would highly recommend ShowerPill, and I can’t wait to get my hands on some more! Did you hear that Santa? Some ShowerPill in my stocking next to the watermelon Gu chomps please! Luckily, I won’t even have to wait that long because ShowerPill is offering the chance to Buy two (2) and get one (1) FREE as a special Black Friday sale on amazon.com. You will need to put three boxes in your cart and enter the code: SPFRIDAY to activate the coupon. This coupon is valid from 11/23/12-11/25/12. Discloser: I was sent samples of this product for review purposed. I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.

Eighteen

September 30, 2012 · by Ari ·

And just like that, my second longest training run is complete. It’s so bizarre. My second longest training is 8.2 miles short of the marathon??? WHO CAME UP WITH THIS CRAP??? It definitely makes me nervous, but I’m sure people much smarter than me came up with “this crap” so I’m going to try to keep my doubts to a minimum 😉

Yesterday morning my alarm went off at the wonderful hour of 3:50am. I actually woke up surprisingly chipper. I had woken up an hour earlier thinking it was time to be up, and when I realized I had an extra hour to sleep I got so ridiculously happy that I think by the time I did have to wake up I was like “I’ve got this!!!” I got ready, got my pre run breakfast ready (uggghhh why is it always so hard to eat before a long run???) and was out the door to meet Stacey at Kiwanis Park for some extra miles before the rest of the team got there. We ran 3 loops of the lake totaling just over 2 and a half miles, and then we were right on time to meet the team and hear some words of encouragement from Coach Susan before heading off for the rest.

Our first few miles were ssssllllloooowwwww. Like the slow that leaves me questioning if I’m actually running or just walking with hutzpah. But ya know what? That seems to be what works for me. It leaves me with energy to push it at the end, and it makes me a super awesome negative splitter, so I’ll take it.

Mile 1–11:40
Mile 2–11:40 (weird)
Mile 3–11:16
Mile 4–11:29

Around that time Tim caught up to us and ran with us for the next couple of miles. It was nice because no matter how much you love the person you’re used to running with, it’s always nice to have someone new around to chat with. It seems to make the time go by faster. It was great to talk to Tim–he told us about some of his previous marathons and his fancy sub 4 hour PR (jealous). He also told us about when he did two marathons about 2 months apart and said it actually went pretty well which was good to hear since I am planning on doing the same thing. Around this time my body started to get warmed up and we started making our way into less turtle-like splits.

Mile 5–10:58
Mile 6–10:45
Mile 7–10:50

These miles were pretty uneventful. We kept trucking along down the same canal path we’ve run a million times, stopped a couple of times to fill our water bottles, and fueled after mile 5. I brought along black cherry shot blocks which I’ve had before and really liked, but this time they seemed so hard to chew! I was not a fan, and was really wishing I’d brought my watermelon gu chomps instead. I’m glad I figured it out then though and not on race day! The next few miles were more of the same…

Mile 8–10:41
Mile 9–10:35
Mile 10–10:18

We turned around just before mile 10 (which I discovered later was too early–lame), and that’s when I felt myself starting to get in the game. We fueled again at mile 10. More obnoxious chewing of less than desirably textured shot blocks. We also ran into Tara and Jamie several times over these few miles. They were killing it with getting in a PDR of over 15 miles! Anyway, I started to feel myself getting into the zone.

Mile 11–9:58
Mile 12–9:57

For some reason mile 12 is where it always starts to feel challenging. I know I can keep going, but it starts to feel like more work at this point. It was also starting to feel HOT. I decided to turn on my music for some extra motivation. I’ve actually been running a lot without music lately. And I am the girl that brought headphones to my first track session, so that is a BIG change. I’ve noticed it really is so much more helpful when I don’t have it on mindlessly at all times, but only turn it on when I start to feel like I need it. Then I actually listen to it, and it pumps me up! I actually had a blast the next few miles singing loudly on the canal with Stacey who seemed surprisingly not embarrassed by me as I sang Call Me Maybe at the top of my lungs to other runners and cyclists passing by. They seemed entertained by me too. I like to think acting a fool is more entertaining than annoying to the rest of the world 😉

Mile 13–9:50

And here’s where I messed up my stupid splits by accidentally hitting the lap button in the middle of mile 14. Lame.

Mile 13-13.26–9:40
Mile 14.26–9:44
Mile 14.26-15 (I fixed it and set it back up on even miles)–9:44

This is where I started to feel really tired during my last long run. I remember miles 15-17 seeming impossible, but today I felt STRONG. Yes, it was starting to feel harder and harder, but I knew I still had the energy to make it happen, and I felt so incredibly happy. I kept repeating the things that Susan tells us about running form in my head, and I repeated a lot of mantras, and had many the emotional moment about how far I’ve come (for a change). I continued singing along really loudly to my bad music that only I like.

Mile 16–9:53
Mile 17–9:44

The last half a mile was the hardest. I was ready to be done, and I was hot and tired, but I just kept pushing.

Mile 18–9:19

18 miles, 3:08:19, 10:27 average pace.

I still don’t know how I did it, but I did it. And at the end, instead of wanting to die, I felt only happy. The long runs have always been my favorite (no matter how much I really do love the track). There is nothing like tackling a new distance, and pushing so far beyond the point where you want to stop. Every week in this training, I continue to surprise myself. I always get nervous that I won’t be able to do it, and that I will never live up to my previous good runs, and that some day I will just finally realize that I can’t do it, but I continue to go above and beyond my own expectations, and it is an amazing feeling.

People ask me why I want to run a marathon. I ask you: why would you ever want to stop yourself from fulfilling your capabilities? That doesn’t mean everyone has to run a marathon, but it is a theory we can all apply to our lives as a whole. Why stop yourself? Why not push to your limits? I think we’d all be amazed at what we can do.

What’s something you’ve done recently that surprised you?? Share your happiness!!!!