Mint

Refreshing Blackberry Mojito Cocktails

/ Jodi / 16 Comments

blackberry mojitos

What’s a girl to do…

on a hot summer weekend afternoon…
with a handful of blackberries…
and a hot hubby?

(Hot after mowing the lawn, but perhaps hot in THAT way too!)

Not enough berries for a pie and no promise of enough more to forage at the end of the season…

Why make mojitos of course!

blackberries

This was my first try at making this yummy cocktail, but it turned out so delish!  Hubby and I prefer vodka to rum, but you could make yours with rum if you prefer.  I also didn’t have club soda, so used Pellegrino Sparkling Water, which made a wonderful sub.

blackberry mojito
Here’s how I made it. (Inspired by a recipe I saw made by Alison at A Girl Defloured)

Blackberry Mojito Cocktail

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 – 1/3 cup fresh blackberries
  • 1 ripe lime
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 4 tsp. sugar
  • 2 shots (and then some…) vodka (or rum)
  • Sparking Water or Club Soda

Instructions:

  • Muddle the blackberries, 1/2 of lime cut into chunks, mint leaves and sugar until all is smashed and crushed and blended in a cocktail shaker.
  • Add the vodka (or rum) and ice, and shake it like you mean it!
  • Strain into two glasses or copper mugs filled with ice, and then pour a bit of the unstrained berries into each glass.
  • Top off with sparkling or soda water, a fresh mint leaf or two, and a nice wedge of lime.

ENJOY!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Berry Love

/ Jodi / 19 Comments

berry mint heart

I love berries!  Blackberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Blueberries.  They are one of those foods that taste best to me in their purest form.    Sure – it’s hard to pass up a Blackberry or Red Raspberry Pie…  Homemade Strawberry Jam on fresh baked buttered bread……. Blueberries are devine on my breakfast cereal too…. But just popping berries in my mouth pretty much rocks my world.

If I want to make a nice fruit salad, I love berries the best.  Mix them together, then make a simple “dressing” from just a smidge of brown sugar and a splash of balsamic vinegar.  I know it sounds strange, but it really makes the flavors burst!  Then top that with some fresh mint leaves and a sprinkling of lime zest – and ooooo laaa laaa!

berry salad

Sometimes adding a simple, beautiful homemade shortcake biscuit and some whipped cream make berries even that much more special!

Four Berry Cobbler

To make 8 shortcakes, I simply mix 2 cups flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 stick (8 Tbsp cold butter, cubed) with a pastry blender until crumbly.  I then add 2/3 cup half and half and form the dough (being careful not to overmix and make it tough).  I then cut the dough into 8 biscuits, brush with a little more half and half on top and sprinkle with some raw sugar before baking at 400 degrees F for 12 minutes.

So that’s what hubby got for dessert last night.

Which is your favorite berry?  What is your favorite way to eat them?

berries in bowl

And I thought you might get a kick out of seeing a “behind the scenes” shot of my berry professional photo shoot set up early morning on the side porch.

berry heart photo shoot

Yep – that’s how I roll…

at life in between.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Chocolate Pretzel Shamrock Pops

/ Jodi / 19 Comments

Chocolate Pretzel Shamrock Pops

It will soon be St. Patrick’s Day, and I couldn’t let it pass without making a fun treat.  These Chocolate Pretzel Shamrock Pops are about as easy and cute as it comes.  I simply placed three mini pretzels and a cookie pop stick on a piece of parchment paper, spooned about a teaspoon of melted chocolate in the center, and placed a green Mint Dark Chocolate M&M in the center.  Let it cool/dry for about 5-10 minutes, and voila – a fun St. Patrick’s day treat.

Chocolate Pretzel Shamrock Pops. 2jpg

I originally saw a photo of what I thought was the same thing here created by Amy @ MomAdvice. (Amy has an awesome blog, Pinterest boards, and Instagram BTW!)  But then I realized, after actually going back to find the post to give credit, that Amy actually used Rolo candies in the center of hers!  How yummy does that sound?!  SCORE!  And it would have been even EASIER!

I should have read it first, but these became my version, and they are yummy and festive!

Chocolate Pretzel Shamrock Pop

When I ran out of sticks, and knowing my daughter-in-law was coming over and how much she loves white chocolate, I made a small batch of pretzels without a stick, but with a dot of white chocolate and an M&M.

white chocolate pretzel M&M st patricks day

Here’s my recipe (if you can even call this a recipe!) for this simple, festive treat:

Chocolate Pretzel Shamrock Pops

Ingredients:
1 Bag Mini Pretzel TwistsChocolate Pretzel Shamrock Pops
1 Bag Mint Dark Chocolate M&M’s (you could also just use green plan M&Ms or any other favorite flavor)
6-8 oz. Melting Chocolate (whatever is your favorite)
20 Cookie Pop Sticks
Parchment Paper

Directions:
Lay down 3 pretzels in the shape of a shamrock and cookie pop stick on parchment paper.
Repeat with as many as you have.
Melt chocolate in small bowl in microwave for 1 minute at 50% power, stir. Continue at 30 second intervals until completely melted.
Using a teaspoon, place a spoonful of chocolate in the center of the pretzel “shamrock.”
Push together gently if it pushes apart when you spoon the chocolate on top.
Place an M&M in the center.
Let cool/dry for 5-10 minutes.
ENJOY!  (And P.S. – you will have plenty of leftover M&M’s and pretzels to munch on too!)

jodi mckinney @lifeinbetween.me

Wishing you the luck of the Irish this week!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi