Making your own fruit-flavored vodkas is the best way to preserve the season and take advantage of the abundance of fruit! This is the perfect way to preserve your left over fruit when you got just too much of it! {or picked too many!}
You can create single fruit-infused vodkas, or come up with a concoction of multiple fruit flavors. The possibilities are endless!
You don't need to get a fancy vodka for this. The fruit becomes the dominant flavor, so use a basic not too-expensive bottle.
What you will need:
2 cups chopped fruit, a single fruit or a mix of fruits
2 to 3 cups vodka
1 quart canning jar or other container with lid
Strainer
Measuring cup
Small funnel
The first step is to prepare the fruit to be infused. Wash and pat the fruit dry. Chop the fruit into small pieces, trimming away any stems or other inedibles. Peels can be left on or peeled off.
Transfer all the fruit to the canning jar and pour the vodka over the fruit. Use enough to completely cover the fruit and fill the jar, about 2 to 3 cups in a 1-quart jar. Seal the jar tightly and put it somewhere out of direct sunlight.
Next, infuse for 3 to 5 days. Make sure to shake the jar of fruit and vodka daily. You'll see the vodka gradually take on the color of the fruit. Taste it after 3 days and continue infusing to your liking. Most fruit vodkas are finished in 3 to 5 days, but you can continue infusing the vodka for longer.
Next, we need to strain the fruit vodka. When the vodka has been infused, separate the fruit and the vodka by straining it into a measuring cup. If your fruit had a lot of seeds or sediment, line the strainer with cheesecloth before straining. Discard the fruit after straining, or you can freeze them and use as garnish in a cocktail!
Lastly, you need to transfer the fruit-infused vodka into a bottle. Pour the vodka into clean glass bottles and store out of direct sunlight.
I have been a little MIA in blogland recently. But, that just means I have an overflow of unpublished posts!
What a better way to ring in Summer than with a hack to better your watermelon eating?
Where has this been all my life? It seriously reduces watermelon drippage all over the place, and myself!
First, cut off a small circle on the bottom of your watermelon, but not too deep. This will provide a flat bottom so that you can cut your watermelon in half.
Next, cut slices across the watermelon.
Then, just turn your watermelon 180 and cut slices in the other direction.
Now, you're left with square cuts. Just pull out one of the squares, insta-watermelon popsicle! Less mess all over your face. Plus, you can soak your popsicles in vodka (or your alcohol of choice) and freeze them for a great Summer treat!
Enjoy!
No morning is complete without my coffee fix! No matter what season, my coffee of choice is always over ice! I grew up in a coffee family {maybe that’s why I’m on the shorter side!} Coffee is connected to so many moments in my life: the smell of coffee at family breakfasts on the weekend, hanging out at Starbucks with friends, midday iced coffee with my mom and sister, and finally getting my husband to share my love of coffee with me.
However, when I try to make my own iced coffee from hot brewed coffee, it never tastes quite as good as the iced coffee I get at Starbucks or any other good coffee shop. Hot brewed coffee over ice always tastes watered-down and slightly burnt.
I think I have found the answer to my problems. I am going to share my secret, an at-home cold brewed iced coffee that is bold and flavorful.
First, you need to choose a coffee. You want to use a good quality coffee, as the taste will really come through.
I used one of my favorites, Starbucks Dark French Roast.
Once you have course ground your beans, {if you are starting from whole coffee beans like I am} measure out how much coffee you will need and pour it into you container. I used a mason jar since it closes airtight. You are going to want 4 ounces {1/2 cup} for every 1 quart {32 ounces} of water.
Pour in your filtered or spring water.
Give the coffee mixture a good stir to combine everything.
Screw the cover back on to your mason jar. You want it to be air tight, if using a container without a lid cover with saran wrap. Let the coffee sit for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
After 12 hours it's time to strain the coffee grounds out. {If you let the coffee sit longer, the final result will be more bitter and bold.} You can use a cheese cloth or a fine strainer like I did to strain the coffee.
To strain, place your strainer over a bowl or a pitcher and pour the coffee mixture through. The cold brewed coffee will filter through and the coffee grounds will stay in the strainer.
The cold brewed coffee will last in a sealed container in your
fridge for up to a week!
Save those coffee beans! I have an easy DIY coffee sugar scrubyou can make with them later in the week!
Now it's time to pour some of your cold brew over ice.
Tip: Make some coffee iced cubes so your coffee never gets watered down!
You can drink it black, as cold brewed coffee is naturally
sweeter than hot brewed coffee, it will naturally taste sweet.
Or, add some milk and sugar for even more decadence.
Enjoy!
