Bourbon Beauty: A Louisville Culture, Fashion, Beauty, & Lifestyle Blog. Welcome!: Recipe

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Bourbon Beauty: Chai (Tea) Recipe

Tea.
♥ (n.) A hug in a cup. ♥

Tea has always had a special place in my heart. Whenever I was ill, or not feeling well, my mom would always have a "te de manzanilla" (Chamomile Tea), ready to soothe whatever ailment I had going on. I don't know if it was the healing properties in the tea that actually eased my symptoms, or feeling the warm comfort of my mom soothing me, but tea always made me feel better.

As a little girl, I have fond memories of my grandfather working outside on his "Beauty Queen" truck. I remember my dad telling me to make him his iced tea, so it would cool him down during our hot Chicago summer. I still remember running into our old garage, the scent of car oil hit me as I opened that garage door, & yelling for Vito excited I had his iced tea.

Chicago was the melting pot of culture, and although Ethnic food was *always* in my home growing up, visiting friends' homes was where I really had my exposure to other people and their food. I loved seeing what their moms' were cooking, and the different snacks they had in their home. The one that sticks out to me most, was visiting my Indian friend, and smelling the delicious Chai (tea) her mom had prepared on the stove. Cinnamon and cloves (along with the faint scent of curry) filled the air, and I was intrigued. I was too embarrassed to ask for a taste, but I quickly jotted down the name of the tea before running home -and asking my mom to buy it. (Side note: I miss the days I could ask my mom to add my "wants" onto her grocery list hahaha.).

When I first attempted to make Chai, it tasted awful! I didn't realize it was prepared with milk and not water. (Its funny, because Mexican Hot Chocolate never has water, its always made with milk. I should've known better!) I don't remember how I came to the conclusion it was made with milk, my mom probably suggested it. (This was way before smart phones with google existed, LOL).

As an adult, I absolutely adore tea, and the many variations of it. I'm a huge foodie, and tasting teas (as well as preparing them differently) is something that excites me! I'm not sure if this is the authentic way to prepare Chai, but this is how I do it. Adjust your sweetness accordingly.

♥Preparation of Indian Chai (Tea)♥

Ingredients:
2 Cups of Organic Milk
2 Tazo Chai Tea Bags
2 TBSP of Raw Cane Sugar
Method:
Pour 2 cups of milk into a small pot. Bring the heat up to a rolling simmer, taking care not to scald the milk. (Milk burns very easily!) Turn off the heat. Place the tea bags, and the sugar into your cup. *Carefully* pour your hot milk into the cup, and let it steep for about 4 minutes or so. (I've never had bitter Chai before, you can let it steep for quite a while, and the spice intensifies the longer you let it steep). Enjoy!
Alternate Method:
If you prefer Iced Tea, cook as directed. Let the tea cool, and pour over ice and enjoy! Feel free to add a dried rosebud (as I did) for garnish! Dried Roses available here.

What are your favorite teas? Have you tried a milk tea before?

Bourbon Beauty: Dragon Fruit Snack Recipe

I'm a foodie in every shape, color, meaning of the word. I love trying new things, and I'm intrigued by new foods! Fruit is no exception, and when I saw pictures of Melissa's Dragon Fruit (Also known as Pitaya) I knew I wanted to try it! (I'd really love to know who was the first human being to see this growing on a tree and think "Wow, that looks tasty!" The bright colors would deter me lol. Thank you to whoever discovered it hahaha.) I ran to Krogers, and grabbed a few pieces of the fruit along with my groceries.

When I first tasted Dragon Fruit, it reminded me somewhat of Jicama. Don't get me wrong, it tastes nothing like Jicama (I know lol, bare with me), and while its no where near as firm in texture, it has a rather bland and mellow flavor like Jicama. Its one of those fruits/veggies that are so bland that they taste wonderful dressed sweet or savory. When I ate the fruit, I thought, why not try and dress it up like the Mexican Street "Fruitas en Vaso" that we occasionally have at home.

After I cleaned the fruit, I cut it in half, and scored the fruit in both directions (Vertically & horizontally) with a knife. I cut into the flesh, taking care not to penetrate the skin.

Once I scored the flesh, I scooped out the cubes with a spoon into a small bowl.

(Tajin & Chamoy Seasoning I used to dress it)

Once it was scooped out, I seasoned it with 2 TBSP of Chamoy Sauce (its a tangy sauce used for dressing fruits and veggies), and a few shakes of Tajin Powder according to taste. I mixed it all well (taking care not to smash the cubes of Dragon Fruit), and placed it into the skin of the fruit I saved.

I added more Tajin to the plate for garnish and dipping. I loved how it tasted, and can't wait to snack on some again.

What's the craziest fruit you've ever tasted?

Bourbon Beauty: Fall Recipe Round up.

I thought it would be fun to try out some new fall foods/diy! Seems like fall is just zipping by...

{Confetti Pumpkin DIY By: A Subtle Revelry}

{Pumpkin Magic Custard Cake By: The Gunny Sack}

{14 Easy One Sentence Recipes By: BHG}

{Low Carb Taco Soup By: Mountain Mama Cooks}

What are some new recipes you're trying out this year?

Pulpo (Octopus) and Buttered Jasmine Rice Recipe

If you love seafood, I promise you'll love this! Sometimes I'm a little skeptical about writing recipes that are considered delicacies, that others may considered a huge turn off. But I figure there are plenty of foods that some may think look awful, which could be completely normal to others! I grew up eating all kinds of different foods that others may think are crazy... As long as it tastes good, I'm ready to try! Bizarre Foods anyone? lol.

Anyways, I thought this turned out great, so for anyone looking to try something a little different, this is super easy to make.

Pulpo (Octopus) and Buttered Jasmine Rice

Ingredients:

Octopus Tentacles (I purchased this at Whole Foods)
Salt (to taste)
2 Cups Jasmine Rice
1/2 Green Bell Pepper Diced
1/2 TBSP Butter
Ponzu Sauce to taste

Method:
Place raw octopus in a stock pot, and fill with water to cover. Sprinkle a bit of salt to flavor the broth. Bring to a rolling boil. Once the meat is tender enough to pierce with a fork, remove from heat (Save the delicious stock for later use by freezing.).

While the Octopus is cooking, cook 2 cups of rice, butter, and diced green bell pepper in a rice cooker, according to your rice cooker's instructions.

Serve sliced octopus over a bed of rice, and drizzle Ponzu Sauce on top. Enjoy!

What's the most unique food you've ever tried?

Plantains!

{My Seared Ahi Tuna & Plantains}

Lately, I've been trying to incorporate healthy foods into my everyday diet. I love sushi... but unfortunately, I have to watch my intake of soy sauce due to the sodium (and I can't have sushi without my soy sauce and ginger!!). Instead of tempting myself with sushi, (and watching the carbs/calories) I've been making Tuna steaks, which are surprisingly SUPER easy and quick to make! (Defrost, season, and sear, voila.) I was getting bored of eating it with avocado, so I thought something sweet would compliment it! While grocery shopping, I picked up some plantains, and waited impatiently for them ripen....

I was scrolling through pinterest (my go to for recipes), and found a recipe that was very easy and quick to make.

{Via: The Fit Cook}

I used this recipe for my plantains (use the ripened/black plantains), but I omitted her last step of steaming them. I personally found that pan sauteing them cooked them well :-)

Have you made plantains before? What's the most exotic food you've cooked?

Snow Ice Cream! Recipe/DIY

I don't know how the weather is where you live, but Lousville, Ky.? We just got *pummeled* by almost a foot of snow! The last time it snowed (and when it snows, everything shuts down... we literally had a full week of school off due to hazardous road conditions), my kiddos were both ill, so they weren't able to go out and play. Thankfully, this time they were in great health and we were able to enjoy our days off and play outside :-)

A friend of mine had some pictures on instgram of their "snow ice cream", so I thought it would be fun to re-create our own version. I'm pleasantly surprised at how good it actually tasted. I sort of modified my "tres leches" recipe to make a cinnamony-sweet ice cream.

Snow Cream Recipe

What you need:

1 20 Quart Stock pot full of fresh snow.
1/2 a can of Sweetened Condensed milk
1 1/2 cups of whole milk
1 tsp. of ground cinnamon.
a container to keep the ice cream in.

Method:

First, as soon as I saw it was starting to snow, I placed a clean stock pot out on my porch to catch fresh clean snow. The next morning, I mixed the condensed milk, cinnamon & whole milk in a container. I then grabbed the fresh snow, scooped out one cup, placed it into a bowl, and mixed a bit of the milk mixture in. Once completely mixed, I took turns placing one cup of snow at a time & the milk mixture until I got it to the consistency I wanted. I've seen versions of snow ice cream that resemble more of a slushy, where as other ones were very thick. We preferred ours a bit on the thick side :-)

After playing in the snow, and enjoying our snow ice cream, & I made some hot chocolate from Nestle Abuelita Hot Chocolate (You've never had hot chocolate until you've tried this stuff! Amazing!). I had every intention of using our snowman wilton kit for hot chocolate, (during their Christmas Vacation) but never had the time to. As much as I'm not a fan of the snow, I'm glad the kids had an awesome snow day, and we were finally able to make the snowmen hot chocolate I thought we had missed out on. :-)

Happy Snow Day!

Dia De Los Muertos Cake DIY

For Dia de los Muertos, I decided to do a few activities with our boys. One of them was to make a quick an easy 2 ingredient pumpkin cake!

First, I used our favorite baking mix (Pillsbury Classic Yellow) and mixed it in a bowl with 1 can of pumpkin puree. I also added a few dashes of pumpkin spice seasoning.

I purchased this skeleton cake mold from Krogers, washed it, and lubricated it with butter. I poured the batter into the mold, and placed it into a preheated oven of 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I cooked it for about 30 minutes (cook according to the box instructions.)

Once it was completely cooked and cooled, we decorated! (the boys' favorite part). Funfetti is by far our favorite icing, I used it along with cake mate writing icing.

I frosted the cake with the vanilla icing, and then we decorated it with the gel little squeeze tubes.

This was our finished product (the boys later sprinkled sprinkles all over the cake!). It was so delicious, the cake was super moist!

I can't wait to use the pumpkin puree mixed with the boxed cake mix again. I'll probably experiment with other canned fruit purees for easy cakes!

Have you ever made a pumpkin cake?

Pumpkin Puree Face Mask DIY

I'm always looking for natural ways to cleanse and brighten my complexion. I have Atopic Dermatitis, which causes my skin to have small dry spots from certain products. All natural is usually the way to go.

Pumpkin is full of vitamins and anti-oxidants, some of them include;

Alpha & Beta Carotene
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Potassium
Magnesium

One of the reasons I use this mask/scrub during the chilly weather, is because the enzymes in pumpkin help dissolve dry skin cells. Also, the Alpha-Hydroxy acids help to brighten and smooth out the skin.

I personally love adding peppermint to my face masks. It gives me a great "cooling" sensation, and makes my skin feel extra clean. Use very sparingly, and adjust the measurements as needed. Essential oils are very concentrated, and the potency can cause irritation if not used in correct moderation.

Pumpkin Face Scrub Recipe

Ingredients:

3/4 cup pureed pumpkin

3-4 drops of essential oil (I used peppermint)

1/3 cup Ground Almond Flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Mix all of the ingredients, place into a sealable bowl. Keep it in the fridge, I typically use it within 5 days.

I placed everything into a hello kitty container I got from Target in the dollar bins. It was super easy to do, and I feel good knowing the ingredients in my skin care.

What's your favorite at home beauty DIY?

**Editor's Note** This face scrub is very "wet". Its best to be patted on, and scrubbed with a face cloth since the little bits of pumpkin can easily fall off. The facial scrubber helps to rub the pumpkin in while exfoliating :-)

All Natural Raw Pumpkin Puree

I wanted to try some new recipes using pumpkin ('tis the season!), so what better way than to use my Magimix.

Raw Pumpkin Puree Recipe

What you need:

1 Small Pie Pumpkin

1 and 2/3 cups of distilled water

Dice up the small pie pumpkin (remove the seeds, and cut off the stem). Place the diced up pumpkin pieces into the Magimix, cover, add the water, and pulse it until you get it to a thick paste like consistency. That's it! Super Easy.

I scooped it into 3 mason jars, and placed it into the fridge for later use that week. I used the raw puree in a few recipes I tried out, along with making a DIY all natural face mask. I'll post the face mask recipe next :-)

Have you tried making pumpkin puree before? I don't think I'll ever purchase the canned version again.

Fall meals to try!

I've been soooo super busy. I promise things will be picking up soon :-)

This next week, to keep things chugging along with fall inspiration, I based my weekly menu on fall foods that I found on pinterest. I've been sticking to a low carb diet (Info and result post in the works now), so I made my meal plan somewhat around that. Although I'm no longer preparing for my brother's & sil's wedding, I decided that on Monday, I will resume my low carb lifestyle until I get down to my goal weight. {I've had a long week full of cheating...}

Anyways, here are my meals for this week. I can't wait to try some of these babies out.

Green Chile & Chicken Casserole By: Kalyns Kitchen

{Recipe Here}

Pumpkin Pie Custard By SugarFree Mom

{Recipe Here}

Zucchini Boats By Persnickety Plates

{Recipe Here}

Apple Pie Cake By Recipe Girl

{Recipe Here}

Beef Curry with Pumpkin By Rasa Malaysia

{Recipe Here}

Beanless Pumpkin Chili By Wicked Stuffed

{Recipe Here}

Hopefully all of these taste as great as they look (chances are I'll probably tweak a few of these to ingredients I already have on hand.

How is your fall coming along? I myself can't wait to try a few crafts.

Summer Sandwiches

I love visiting my parent's home during the summer and fall. Its funny, when I first visited their newly built house, I had a hard time calling it "home". Being born and raised in the same home, for 19 years in Chicago, it was tough seeing it sold & demolished. Moving to Kentucky was a HUGE adjustment for all of us. It seemed almost foreign seeing them in a new house.

Probably about a year ago, it finally felt like a home. Even though I have never "lived" there per say, it finally felt like it really was my parent's place. Its hard to explain. Even returning from my last trip from Chicago, I think that was the first time I felt as serene as I ever have coming back to Louisville. It feels good to call Kentucky home<3

The pictures of my parent's garden doesn't do it justice. It feels so serene and peaceful there<3 I can't wait until the day I can have my own garden lol.

My parents always send us home with goodies, so I grabbed bag fulls Baby Beet greens & tons of other herbs and veggies.

With all of the veggies, and some deli meats I had, I decided to make us a sandwich for lunch. I stopped at Lucky's Market, and grabbed some their fresh Ciabatta bread.

Their bread was delicious! I cut a few slices for sandwiches, and froze the rest of it. (Fyi, it worked out great! I just defrosted it in the microwave a few weeks later, and made garlic bread for our spaghetti night.)

This was so easy and simple to do. I used Arugula, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Avocado, Ham, Turkey, Cheddar Cheese, and Ciabatta Bread<3 This was probably one of my most favorite sammies I have ever made. So incredibly simple. Their Ciabatta bread somewhat reminded me of Panera's, I'll definitely be buying more of it soon.

What are your favorite sandwiches? Have you been to Lucky's Market? I'll probably do a post on stuff I've purchased there :-)

Lucky's Market

200 N Hurstbourne Pkwy

Louisville, Ky. 40222

4th of July food Ideas!

I was scrolling through pinterest and found a few awesome pins that look delicious and easy for 4 the of July. Show some love to these sites and take a look at their recipes<3 Happy 4th of July!

{Via: Hostess with the Mostess!}

So many great ideas here.

{Via:The Nerds Wife}

{iheartnaptime}

{HouseofYumm}

Are you making anything special this holiday?

Ramps From Rainbow Blossom & Fox Hollow Farm

I'm not sure why, maybe because I wasn't looking hard enough, or maybe I just didn't know *where* to look? Either way, I finally found these delicious goodies. Ramps.

If you don't know what a ramp is, its basically a Wild Leek, that is only found during the spring time. I've seen them everywhere, online, all over foodie websites, and Instagram, twitter, but I've never had the opportunity to try them, until now.

I don't remember if it was Twitter or Instagram that tipped me off, but one of the social media accounts from Fox Hollow Farm showed some pictures of ramps that were going to be available at Rainbow Blossom. I. was. psyched.

I ran to the Rainbow Blossom Location on Bardstown Rd., and unfortunately that wasn't the location that had it. I drove like 30 minutes away lol, dummy me should've checked the location. I looked up the other location, and ended up going to the one in St. Matthews. BLISS

This place was HUGE in comparison to the one on Bardstown Rd., the people were so incredibly friendly, and the best part? I found my ramps. I was in heaven.

On Fox Hollow Farm's Instagram, they wrote about how they needed help for their "rampage" to harvest ramps. I was sad I couldn't go, but hopefully I can get in touch with them to see what else they have available and check out their place! (I love locally farmed foods and veggies, closer to home the better.)

When I took the ramps home, I cleaned them up, and separated the onions from their stems.

I separated the ramp bulbs to make pickled ramps (a post for later.), and used a single bulb for a frittata & the rest of the ramp leaves to make greens. They tasted fabulous!

Taken on my iphone sorry so grainy!

The Frittata was so easy to make, and the tastiest one I've made at that. I buttered a pan, and pre-heated the oven to 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. I whisked 6 eggs, and mixed in a handful of spinach, and single minced ramp, 4 slices each of deli ham and turkey, and a slice of Sargento Cheddar Cheese. I put a bit of salt to season, and poured it into the buttered pan. I then threw it into the oven for about 15 minutes (Waited for the middle to kind of pop up :-)) and it was done! So cheesy and delicious.

I also made some greens, which were even more delicious! I took a picture on my phone, but the pictures turned out horribly :( I should've taken the pictures on my real camera before eating them, oops.

The Greens were so easy to make. I threw them on top of cheeseburgers with roasted red bell peppers. I even had them as a side dish to eggs I made the next morning. They were so easy to make, I really don't think a full recipe is needed. I just preheated the oven to 375 degrees, placed the greens (1 ramp bunch full), 3 tablespoons of ghee (Ghee is Indian clarified butter, but regular butter would be fine), a splash of Sherry Cooking Wine, and salt to season. I cooked it until the greens were wilted (about 7-10 minutes??) and voila! They were absolutely delicious on top of hamburgers, I can only imagine on top of a steak, or other meat.

Ham & Ramps Frittata Recipe

Ingredients:

6 Fresh Farm Eggs

A handful of Spinach

4 slices Deli Ham (I used Oscar Meyer)

4 slices Deli Turkey (I used Oscar Meyer)

1 slice (torn into pieces) Sargento Sharp Cheddar Cheese (I'd suggest to use more!)

1 minced ramp bulb

1 pad Amish Butter

Salt to season

Pre-heat your 375 degrees. Butter an over proof pan, set aside. In a bowl, whisk your 6 eggs. Next, mix in the Spinach, Ham, Turkey, Cheese, Ramp. Give it a good mix, add a bit of salt to season (I used about a teaspoon) and throw into the oven for about 15 minutes. (Continually check it after 10 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.)

Have you had Ramps before?

Rainbow Blossom (St. Matthews Location)

3738 Lexington Rd.

Louisville,Ky. 40207

502-896-0189

Fox Hollow Farm

890 Kentucky 329

Crestwood, Ky 40014

502-241-9674

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