Shore Heaven

Helloooooo summertime! Our first trip to the shore for this season was a success: good food, fun family, yummy drinks, and a good start on my no tan line wedding dress tan! Mr. Lawyer and I were assigned bar duty for the weekend so it fell on us to organize, restock, and create the cocktail of the day. A Mexican themed dinner was planned so we decided on margaritas. As an added bonus the margarita glasses are gorgeous and need to be used more, I'm completely in love with them and hope to use them a ton this summer.

Enter the Frozen Sunrise Margarita! An all around crowd pleaser for both the sweet and tart taste lovers. I would amp up the tequila next time as the original recipe tasted only like a slightly alcoholic orange julius. We decided to change up the deliver by sticking with the traditional margarita glass and mixing the grenadine with the mix just a tad. The original called for filling a tall tom collins glass and then floating the grenadine down the side of the glass so it pooled at the bottom...but then you're left with a bunch of grenadine at the end of your drink and you don't get to use the sweet margarita glasses.

Frozen Sunrise Margaritas

(Pinterest find! Adapted from epicurious.com)

Ingredients:
Margarita or coarse sea salt, for rimming glass
1 lime wedge, for rimming glass
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 1/2 cups orange juice
3/4 cup (6 ounces) tequila (I would up this to 1 cup)
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) Cointreau or triple sec
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 cups crushed ice
1/4 cup grenadine
For Garnish:
4 orange slices
4 maraschino cherries

Directions:
1. Spread a layer of salt in a shallow dish. Run lime wedge around the rims of 4 highball glasses to moisten; dip rims in salt.
2. Place orange juice concentrate, orange juice, tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice in a blender. Add ice and pulse until smooth. 

3. Divide margarita evenly among glasses. Tilt glasses and pour 1 tablespoon grenadine down the side of each drink; grenadine will sink to the bottom and create a sunset effect. Garnish with orange slices and maraschino cherries and serve.

OR

3. Add 1 tablespoon grenadine to the bottom of each margarita glass and then pour in the margarita for a more mixed ombre effect.

Home Run Salmon!

Winner winner salmon dinner! This dish was excellent and might even beat out my Sweet & Salty Salmon! The Sweet & Salty recipe is a marinade so there was more flavor throughout the fillet but this Lime Drizzle is a glaze so each bite had a more concentrated flavor. And boy what a flavor it was! I think this will be making a regular appearance on my dinner menu. This gets four thumbs up from us!

Asian Salmon with Lime Drizzle

(Pinterest find! From Epicurious)

Ingredients:
1 cup jasmine rice (I used brown rice)
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 salmon fillets (6 ounces each)
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 package baby spinach
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds (I used white sesame seeds)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F. 

2. Cook rice as directed on package. 

3. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sauté garlic and pepper flakes until garlic is lightly golden, 1 minute. Add syrup, juice and soy sauce; cook until bubbling, 3 minutes. In a bowl, combine cornstarch and 1 teaspoon water; stir into garlic glaze. Cook until slightly thick, 1 minute. 

4. Arrange fillets on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spread 1-2 teaspoon glaze over each fillet. Roast until just cooked through, 12 minutes. 

5. In a medium skillet, warm oil over medium heat. Add spinach; sauté until just wilted. Remove from pan; set aside. 

6. Divide rice and spinach evenly, top with salmon fillet. Drizzle with remaining sauce; sprinkle each with sesame seeds.

White Bean Soup!

This soup was good in a healthy sort of way, has a bit of an earthy taste. It's all beans and veggies so there is nothing unhealthy to give it that delicious flavor pop....like bacon. I liked it, especially with a shot of hot sauce. Mr. Lawyer was not a huge fan I think but is still eating it because it is healthy. It was an interesting change but it doesn't come close to our delicious and favorite tomato-orzo soup!

White Bean Soup

(from epicurious) 

Ingredients:
2 cups dried Great Northern or other small white beans, rinsed and picked over
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 large tomato, halved, seeded, and chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
8 garlic cloves, chopped
6-8 cups homemade chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth, or more as needed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup half-and-half
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Put the beans in a large pot, add enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches, and let soak overnight. Drain.
2. Heat the olive oil in the same pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, leeks, tomato, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the beans, chicken stock, thyme, and rosemary and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender, about 1 hour.
3. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and add the half-and-half, then add more chicken stock to thin the soup if needed, and reheat the soup if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.