Rhubarb lemonade

Rhubarb lemonade is a sweet, tart, refreshing drink for a hot day! It's lovely for sipping outside on the patio on a summer day or evening or having with an outdoor meal.

Caramel apple cider slushies #AppleWeek

This post is sponsored on behalf of #appleweek. Our generous sponsors, Envy Apples, Torani, Chocoley, Bob's Red Mill, The Republic of Tea, Taylor & Colledge, Flahavan's Irish Oatmeal, Nairn's, and Zyliss have provided us with products for recipe creation and a giveaway for our readers. As always, all opinions are my own.

Two ingredients are all it takes to make delicious and refreshing autumn caramel apple cider slushies! These drinks are perfect for when you have a warm fall day and a super yummy way to enjoy apple cider.

Beet lemonade

Sweet, tart, and a little earthy, beet lemonade is a delicious, colorful, and different drink for a hot summer day! 

Peppermint white hot chocolate

My posts have been a little sparse this month, and also very short on the usual Christmas cookies and other holiday treats! That's because we are in the process of moving! So, the majority of the kitchen stuff except for what we absolutely need has been packed away. I expect it will be a couple weeks before we get into our new house and settled and I get back into a normal cooking routine. We are moving from a rental into our first house, so we are super happy! But, not having all of my kitchen stuff and props at hand has been a little difficult for me.... Plus, we have NO Christmas tree or any Christmas decorations out. We are really missing our tree this year. Between that and the warm weather, it's not feeling like the holidays at all to me! But, we are so excited to move into our new house. So, after a long day of packing I whipped us up some of this white hot chocolate with a bit of peppermint flavor to help get us into the Christmas spirit. This recipe will make two servings. 

Vanilla Earl Grey lattes

Cozy up with a hot cup of this vanilla Earl Grey tea latte that is creamy, sweet, and yummy for a chilly day.

Hot buttered spiced apple cider with rum

This recipe contains alcohol and is intended for those readers who are 21 and over. Please drink responsibly. 

How can it be that this is only the second drink containing alcohol that I've shared on this blog?!? I mean, really? I guess it's mainly because my husband and I are generally boring drinkers - beer, whiskey on the rocks, or the occasional glass of wine. We don't really make a lot of mixed drinks except when he whips up a martini every now and again... However, I think it's time to change that. 

I've been wanting to try a buttered rum or hot toddy or some other warm and festive drink for a while now. This drink is a combination of hot buttered rum and hot spiced apple cider and it's delicious - so perfect for the holidays or any cold evening. A lot of the recipes I read for buttered rum were loaded with butter and brown sugar! My version is lighter on both of those and will make two drinks. The addition of butter is just enough to add a touch of creaminess and froth to the drink. 

I'm sharing this cocktail recipe today in celebration of 5 years of this blog! I never imagined I'd still be blogging about recipes and, even crazier, that I don't see an end in sight - I still have so many recipes I want to make and share! I'm thrilled to have "met" so many fantastic, creative, and inspiring people through this medium. I truly thank all of you who stop by and read, leave comments, share and talk on social media, etc. So this drink is a toast to all of you! Cheers!

Banana and pineapple sage smoothies

These smoothies are something I've been making for a few years, but only when I'm lucky enough to find a pineapple sage plant for my herb garden. I found this recipe all over the internet years ago when I was first trying to find ways to use this interesting herb. 

I've slightly modified this recipe over the years to the one below. This smoothie has a tropical taste from the pineapple sage and the banana. I love fresh herbs and finding interesting ways to use them in my food. Use the smallest, newest leaves as they have the most pineapple flavor. It's perfect for a breakfast or brunch drink on a warm morning.

 I love the combination of the fruit with fresh herbs in a drink. This recipe will make two servings.