Roasted Peach Bourbon Lemonade {Hamilton Beach Blender}

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Kelley

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The weekend might be over, but summer certainly is not.  Ninety degree weather always leaves me craving a fruity, summery drink more than anything else (except maybe ice cold water)!  I picked an abundance of peaches last week, so I’ve been working through the load trying to use them in different ways.  Although, we like to eat them as is, there are still more than we can keep up with!  I decided to sprinkle and handful with sugar and roast them in the oven.  This really brings out a deep, sweet flavor in the peaches.  After roasting, simply peel off the skins and give them a quick whir in the blender.  Voila!  You have a puree you can add to your morning oatmeal, top your ice cream or add to your favorite summer drink!

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My last blender recently broke and I’ve been using my immersion blender for everything. Well, those just don’t quite cut it for all of your blending needs. Since I received this Hamilton Beach blender, I’ve been whipping up tons of smoothies for the kids, fruit purees, milkshakes and even ice for summer drinks! This blender is very light weight, which made me hesitant about its durability at first, but so far so good. I keep my blender in a bottom cabinet too, so bonus that it is much easier to get in and out than my last one. I have never had one of those $500 blenders, because I just can’t bring myself to spend that kind of money on a blender. Plus, we don’t use a blender every day our house, so it just feels like it wouldn’t be worth the investment.  This blender, however, can be picked up for less than $50! A much more palatable price, and it works for my needs.  I have blended up a variety of different ingredients for smoothies and shakes, and even ice.  So far I have been happy with it’s performance and will continue to use it!

photo courtesy of Hamilton Beach

Now, this lemonade would be delicious as a non-alcoholic beverage, but let’s spike it with a little bourbon and toast our remaining days of summer!  What are you toasting to this summer?

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Roasted Peach Bourbon Lemonade
Author: 
Recipe type: Cocktail
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 1 drink
 
Roasted peach puree mixed with bourbon and topped with fresh lemonade.
Ingredients
  • 4 medium sized peaches
  • 2 T sugar
  • bourbon of your choice (I used Angel's Envy)
  • 4 oz fresh lemonade (or homemade if you're feeling really ambitious)
  • fresh thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat over to 400 degrees.
  2. Slice peaches in half and place in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the peaches are soft and skin peels away easily.
  3. Let cool. Peel off skin and place peaches in a blender. Blend until smooth.
  4. Fill glass with ice and pour approximately 1oz of bourbon and 2 teaspoons of peach puree. Top off with lemonade and stir. Garnish with thyme sprig if desired.
  5. Cheers!

I received this blender free of charge as part of the Hamilton Beach Blog Ambassador Program.  All opinions are my own.  I only recommend produts or services that I use personally and I believe would be good for my readers.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

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FlexBrew Coffee Maker review and Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Kelley

I have been a coffee lover for years, but coffee never felt like an essential part of my life until I had children.  Now I have a hard time getting through my day without a cup.  My husband, who rarely enjoyed a cup of coffee when we first started dating, now drinks more than I do!  He’s even become an afternoon coffee guy.  Kids will do that to you.  Not sleeping as much as you should, and running after toddlers all day long will have that effect!  But a little sleep is an easy sacrifice to make for my kids.  Every minute I get to spend with them is so precious, and I never take one minute for granted.  It requires some late hours working and housekeeping after they’ve gone to sleep, but it is worth it.  I would much rather be up late finishing up my daily chores activities, if it means I can give my undivided attention to my children when I get home from work.

And now for the coffee.  We have been Keurig users for a couple of years.  The Husband leaves before me during the week and usually takes his morning coffee at work.  I, however, work from home sometimes and these days one cup of coffee rarely cuts it!  It feels wasteful to use K-cups when I plan on drinking more than one cup of coffee.  Or on the weekends when we’re both home and drinking coffee in the morning, it would make more sense just to make a pot.  We also keep our old coffee pot in the basement for use when company is over.  Obviously that is easier, and more economical, for serving with company.

I was very excited when I received the opportunity to try this new coffee maker from Hamilton Beach.  The best of both worlds in one machine!  It is always nice to find a product that will eliminate another and free up some space on my counter.  We used this maker in lieu of our other ones for two weeks.  Below is my breakdown of the good and bad.  Overall I thought it was a good product.  It did leave a few things to be desired, but it’s a great option for those who use both types of coffee makers and only want one machine.

Image courtesy of Hamilton Beach.

PROS:

  • one machine that can use both K-cups and brew a whole pot of coffee
  • aesthetically pleasing design, color matches other appliances in my kitchen
  • performance of brewer was adequate for our level of usage
  • easy to use, once you get used to how it works, and reading the water level
  • comes with reusable single serve filter
  • competitively priced
  • single serve side is high enough to fit most travel mugs right under the brewer
  • programmable timer

CONS:

  • both sides heat up when brewing
  • no automatic water shutoff on the single serve side, so you can only pour what you need in the reservoir
  • water reservoir has 2 compartments, so it is difficult to see the water level
  • does not come with a reusable filter for the 12 cup carafe side

This Mother’s Day I’d love to say that a great gift from my husband would be for me to be able to sleep in.  And even though a morning to sleep in would be amazing, (and probably much-needed) it’s not realistic.  Besides, it would be more appropriate to spend the morning snuggling in bed with my little ones since one of them at least will be up early! This Mother’s Day I hope all of you moms out there are able to enjoy this special day with your children, big or small.

Maybe I’ll get to enjoy my morning coffee in bed at least… 🙂

Here are a few fun coffee recipes with a little kick that you can whip up for Mom at your Mother’s Day get-together on Sunday. Mom’s need liquor as much as they need caffeine sometimes.

Iced Coffee Cocktail from Jelly Toast

Dublin Iced Coffee from Bon Appetit

Keoke Coffee from POPSUGAR

*I received a Hamilton Beach 2-Way FlexBrew Coffeemaker free of charge.  This is an honest review of the product.  All opinions expressed here are my own.

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Shamrock Shake Celebration Cake

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Kelley

shamrock shake cake

Oh yes, it’s that time of year!  I actually haven’t had a shamrock shake in years, but I still feel like I should go get one every time March rolls around.  There are plenty of copycat recipes out there to make your own version of the fast food treat at home, but I was feeling like I wanted to put my own spin on it.  I’m on a cake kick as well.  Ever since I had kids, I feel like I need to perfect my cake-baking skills.  I am a long way from perfecting these skills, but I also feel like I have come a long way since I really started cranking out cakes a couple of years ago.  I only wish I had more excuses to make them!

Since my birthday is on Friday I thought that a little cake this week would be in order!

shamrock shake cake

If I had to make this cake again, I would be a little more careful with my measuring.  The cake itself turned out a bit dense, probably due to too much flour and a bit of over-mixing.  It’s difficult to be quite as precise and needed though when you have two little rug-rats at your feet trying to get their tiny fingers into the bowl frosting!  However, the frosting flavor was spot on!  It’ll really give you that minty flavor you’re used to with the shake!  The key is using the clear imitation vanilla extract, and mint extract (not peppermint or spearmint), but a generic “mint” flavoring.

I made a Swiss meringue buttercream for this cake because it is a little less sweet than American buttercream.  This cake is all kinds of sweet, so the sugary American buttercream might be a bit too much if you want to be able to eat a full slice.  Don’t forget the cherries on top!

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Shamrock Shake Celebration Cake
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2-8" or 9" layer cakes
 
Ingredients
  • Cake:
  • 2¾ cups cake flour
  • 1⅔ cups sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 large eggs whites plus 1 whole large egg
  • 1 cup full-fat vanilla yogurt or 1 cup whole milk
  • 3 teaspoons clear imitation vanilla extract
  • Frosting:
  • 5 large, fresh egg whites
  • 1¼ cups sugar
  • 1½ cups unsalted butter, cut into cubes and cool, but not cold
  • 2 teaspoons mint extract
  • 1 teaspoon clear imitation vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • green food coloring
  • maraschino cherries for topping (optional)
Instructions
  1. For the cake:
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8" x 2" or 9" x 2" round pans by greasing and flouring; or lining with parchment, then greasing the parchment.
  3. Mix all of the dry ingredients on slow speed to blend. Add the soft butter and mix until evenly crumbly, like fine damp sand. It may form a paste, depending on the temperature of the butter, how much it's mixed, and granulation of the sugar used.
  4. Add the egg whites one at a time, then the whole egg, beating well after each addition to begin building the structure of the cake. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt (or milk) with the vanilla and almond extracts. Add this mixture, ⅓ at a time, to the batter. Beat 1 to 2 minutes after each addition, until fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes for 8" or 9" rounds. Remove from the oven, remove from the pan, cool on a rack completely before frosting.
  7. For the frosting:
  8. Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer with paper towel and lemon juice, to remove any trace of grease. Add egg whites and sugar, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 140°F.
  9. With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes or so).
  10. Switch over to paddle attachment and, with mixer on low speed, add butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth). Add extracts and salt, and beat until well combined.
  11. Put about 1-1½ cups of frosting into a piping bag with a star tip. This will be used as your "whipped cream".
  12. Add green food coloring to the remaining frosting and mix well. Frost with green frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Then pipe the white frosting whipped cream dollops in the center and perimeter of the cake. Top each dollop with a maraschino cherry.

Cake adapted from King Arthur Flour, frosting adapted from Sweetapolita.

shamrock shake cake

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