Cinco de Mayo or Cinco de Mango? Part 2 Mango Salsa

Ok it's time for part 2 of Cinco de Mango  Mayo: Mango Salsa...yum-um.

Ready for this?

(We used the receipe from here, minus the cilantro, plus some garlic salt)

Here's what you need:

1 mango - peeled, seeded and chopped

1/4 c finely chopped red bell pepper

1 green onion, chopped

2 T chopped cilantro

1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped

2 T lime juice

1 T lemon juice

Here's how to do it:

Chop all the ingredients

Mix them together in the bowl

Sprinkle the garlic salt on top

Let sit for a bit to get the flavors to blend together.

It's delish!

It does have a bit of a kick to it, but nothing you can't handle (trust me I'm a whimp)

Pair it with yesterday's Mango Margarita,

 and you'll have quite the little spread for your Cinco de Mayo party!

Buen provecho!

Cinco de Mayo or Cinco de Mango? Part 1-Mango Margaritas

I can't believe it's already May. May! Sheesh, April flew by.

But one of my favorite things about May being here (aside from getting to celebrate my fabulous husband) is Cinco de Mayo. Now, I don't have any Mexican heritage, BUT I do love mexican food, margaritas, and really...any reason to celebrate!

This year, I celebrated a bit early with a little fiesta of Mango Margaritas and Mango Salsa.

(I highly suggest that you do the same)

Today we're just going to share the Mango Margarita recipe, then tomorrow... the MANGO SALSA!

The recipe we used was adapted from here, except we made a virgin one.

(For the real deal, you can follow it exactly, but I would add ice instead of ice water so it's frozen.)

Here's what you'll need:

1 mango

1/4 c fresh lime juice

1/4 c orange juice

10-12 ice cubes

orange zest

salt

Here's how to do it:

1. Dice up your mango.

2. Add all the ingredients into your blender

3. Blend

4. Taste test :)

5. Prepare for rimming with a bowl of lime juice and a plate with coarse salt and a touch of orange zest.

5a. dip the rim of your glass in the lime juice

5b. then dip the rim into the salt and twist around until it's coated.

6. Serve to your favorite senors and senoritas along side some delicious mango salsa and get your fiesta on!

Not feeling the Mango? Try these Beer-garitas with Chili-lime rimming salt, they'd be another perfect addition to your Cinco de Mayo Extravaganza.

Come back tomorrow for part 2--Mango Salsa!

Happy Birthday Adam L.

Tomorrow is my sweet husband's birthday. I thought it'd be the perfect chance show you a little bit more about him and why I love him so much:

1. He's goofy:

(he's the one in the pink, and yes this is his prom photo)

(yes this is his real hair, and yes it was only for a couple weeks-yikes!, and YES this is before we were dating, ha).

2. He's a great athlete (one of those ones who's good at everything):

3. He's loves to dance:

4. He's an awesome friend:

5. He's a great uncle, brother, son, grandson, and in-law:

(he loves his crazy hair...)

6. He's such a blessing to me:

Happy Birthday Adam, I'm so thankful for you!

PS. Here's a little teaser: We had a little surprise party to celebrate him this weekend...

... and we made Beer Cupcakes!

More photos and a recipe to come soon!

Madras Slushes

Is it me or does everything taste better in slush form?

Remember our Brandy Slush post? I mean really, who knew Brandy could taste so good?

For whatever reason, at the first sign of warm weather, my instinct is to go get a slushy. Ask Adam, it's true.

I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it has something to do with my childhood "Slurpee after soccer practice" routine. Perhaps that, paired with the fact that it was rarely warm outside where we went to college, (Grove City College--go Wolverines!) and so when it was, we'd treat ourselves with slushies from Sheetz.

Whatever the reason, I crave slushy things when it's hot outside.

A couple weekends ago, I ventured off from my normal recipes and tried making a Madras. In the process I thought to myself "why not get crazy and make it a slushy Madras?" So that's what I did.

For those who don't know, a Madras is easily confused with its vodka-cranberry cousins like the Cape Codder(vodka-cranberry), Sea Breeze (vodka-cranberry-grapefruit) and Bay Breeze (vodka-cranberry-pineapple).  It obviously has the vodka-cranberry components, but adds in a bit of orange juice into the mix.

Want to make one too?

Here's what you need:

1 1/2 oz vodka

3 oz cranberry juice

1 oz orange juice

10-12 ice cubes

(though I would have probably added more ice so it was a bit slushier)

a clementine for garnish

Here's how to do it:

combine all ingredients into the blender

blend until smooth

 

serve in your favorite glass

garnish with a clementine slice (it's more petite)

The combination of tart, sweet, and slush was perfect way to satisfy my warm-weather cravings.

Doggie Ice Cream

You might remember that Adam and I have a dog, Stetson.

He's a spunky, 2 year old, St. Bernard that has a patch on his side in the shape of a heart.

I have been known to spoil him a bit...

For instance, for his first birthday I wanted to throw a "hot dog" party, but Adam said it was too much.

So instead, I just got some birthday hats for the three of us, and sang to him, solo.

So see, I can admit, I'm quite deserving of my reputation.

But despite people making fun, it hasn't really stopped me.

However, this last weekend I got a picture text from a good friend of mine of her dog's first birthday cake
(in the shape of a bone, mind you),
I realized I might not be the only one of these crazies out there...

So, this post is for you other dog owners, who love your dogs a little extra.

I'm going to share a little secret a pet store worker gave me one time:

How to make "Doggie Ice Cream".

It's not really a recipe, just pumpkin filling in an ice cube tray!
And if your dog's lucky like Stetson, it'll be in the shape of a heart.
 (The pumpkin filling is the same kind you'd use in pie or bread, but make sure it has no sugar)
It's great because pumpkin is good for dogs and has been known to help with digestion.

Just fill it...

freeze it...

and serve it to your favorite pooch...

They'll love it.

It's the perfect hot summer day doggie treat!

Especially when you're dog is more of a winter weather kind of guy.

Be careful though, they'll try to sneak them when you're not looking...

...and will keep trying even after you've moved them.

Doggie Ice Cream: cheap, healthy, and Stetson approved.