Summertime Fruit Spritzers: Vacation Every Day with Palm Breeze

You wouldn't guess it by this goofy Illinois weather, but summertime is here. One of the best parts of summer is hosting friends on our back covered deck. We have the perfect outdoor space and we make good use of it. It's especially great this year, because with Ben...we sure need a breather and a chance to relax in the evenings! We won't be going on vacation this year with our new little one. But we still need to unwind.

My favorite way to relax is on the back deck--with a cocktail in my hand.

I have a few go-to drinks for this summer. Palm Breeze is a brand new drink perfect for mixing--and pretending like you are on a tropical island without a care in the world. It's flavored malt beverage (FMB). Which basically means it’s an alcoholic drink made with a malt base, kind of like beer. They created it with women as their target customers!

I found it at my local liquor store; sold by the case, or just by the can. I chose to purchase the cans individually so I could try both flavors. Palm Breeze comes in Ruby Red Citrus and Pineapple Mandarin Orange. Each can was just over a buck a piece. Since I planned to make mixed cocktails with them...that's less than a buck a drink. Delicious...and easy on my wallet.

I created 2 different drinks. I wanted to keep them both easy...I have a baby...ain't nobody got time for making fancy drinks with 10 different mixers.

Ruby Red Fruit Spritzer serves 4

• Palm Breeze Ruby Red Citrus (two cans)
• 34 oz Tonic water 
• Handful of fresh strawberries, sliced (even better if they are from your own garden!)

Muddled Pineapple Spritzer serves 2

• Palm Breeze Pineapple Mandarin Orange (two cans)
• Pineapple chunks muddled
• Ice

They were both simple to make, inexpensive, and yummy. This beverage is for those who are: spontaneous, carefree, confident, social & stylish; loves to spend her free time hanging with her girlfriends; loves to travel, enjoys outdoor activities and tries to soak up the sun!
I will be enjoying a few more of these this summer....all the while dreaming up my next vacation. Happy Summer!

P.S. If you are in a big city check out the Palm Breeze Bar Events near you!

• San Diego
• DC
• Austin
• Dallas

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Summertime Kabobs ((perfectly paired with CK Mondavi Wines!))

Summer food is my favorite part of summer. If I were a teacher, lounging in the pool would probably be the best part, also if I had a pool. But I did not pick the right line of work---I am not a teacher. I don't have a pool either. So, food it is. Food; the best part of summer.

Summer always makes me think of grilling out, fresh veggies from the garden, wine, ice cream, strawberries, wine...did I say wine already?

Today I'm sharing a delicious marinade we put on our summertime kabobs. But it's so yummy and scrumptious, you will probably want to brush it on all of your favorite grillin' foods.

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast &/or Pork Sausage

Bacon
Green Apples

Red, Yellow, & Orange sweet Peppers
Kabob sticks

Marinade:
Apple Cider Vinegar 1/4 cup

Brown Sugar 1/4 cup
Olive Oil 2 tablespoons

Soy Sauce 1 tablespoon
Honey 2 tablespoons

I pretty much threw together what we had in the fridge for the kabobs. Pork sausage, chicken breast--with bacon wrapped around the chicken. We are serious about our pork in this house. I stuck a few green apples on there too. They were great with the sweet peppers!

We brushed on the marinade right before we put them in the oven. It was rainy the day we cooked this meal, so we decided to cook them in the oven. It was not a mistake.

Ready for cookin'!

Perfect summertime meal. Wine & kabobs.

I think they'll be great on the grill too this summer! I made a quick (pinnable!) recipe card so you can add it to your summer party food pinboards!

Ck Mondavi wines was nice enough to send us 4 of their wines to pair with our favorite summer recipe!

Sometimes, it pays (in wine) to be a blogger!

This treat made the kabobs 1,000x better. Honestly, wine makes everything better!

Their brand new Blonde Five was my favorite and reminded me of summer the most! I could have finished the entire bottle on my own.  It’s light and airy with a hint of pear and honeysuckle.

CK Mondavi Blonde Five recommends accompanying spicy chicken dishes, shrimp, and mild cheeses. I was smart to pair my bottle of the Blonde five with a chicken dish…and I have to agree with them!

I can’t wait to try the other white wine CK Mondavi offered me. They say to try it with roasted chicken and pastas. I’m a pasta girl, so this one will be next on the menu!

Adam is more of a red wine dude. He tried the Cabernet Sauvignon first. This one is a classic red, perfect for a chicken kabob dinner. It boasts a strong cherry & blackberry flavor with a hint of oak.

My new go-to wine is CK Mondavi. Yours should be too, here's why:

• CK Mondavi is the only American made/grown wine in the “supermarket wine under $10” category.
• CK Mondavi Winery is a family owned and operated business. Made in America!
• CK Mondavi is the only wine in this price point to be 100% American made & grown
• The perfect wine to serve on Independence Day: They participate in the Intrepid Fallen Heros fund a percentage of their sales goes to supporting Veterans! #CKMondaviHeroes
• BONUS fun fact: Owner Marc Mondavi was born on the 4th of July and 2014 marks his 60th birthday!

CK Mondavi wine can be purchased in every state! Pick it up for this year's fourth of July party! Don't forget to make it with your favorite summer recipe! What will you make?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Happy SUMMER! We are BACK!

Even though we've been doing summer-ish type stuff since May it's finally summer-summer-summer time with this Saturday being June 21st. We've been super busy doing mostly nothing at all...just taking a blog break. But we wanted to catch you up a little on our life before we get back into the DIY and home decor stuff that is on the way!

Summer starts with selfies with the dog on car rides!


And Snapchat selfies (everyone piled in the guest bedroom bed) when friends come to our house for a weekend of fun!

True beauts in the morning! Photo/Snapchat Credit to Hollie @ Fancykins 

 Partying with family especially my sissy...

 My grandma knows how to really get the party going!

Grillin' out....

Throwing a kegger for memorial day....

A quick girls trip to Nashville!

Dressing in that good old red white and blue...and matching your husband.

Don't think we would forget to get our house summer ready too!

Planting fake succulents in cute vintage pots, and tricking your friends into thinking you now have a green thumb...

Taking a photo of a real life plant so you can remember it before you kill it. (I try to keep them alive, I really do.)

Jumping up and down and taking 13 photos of the very red and plump strawberry you grew all by yourself. There is hope for plants in my future!

Watched my husband play "The Hero" in a murder mystery in the local community theatre!

 What would summer be without flea markets!!

 3rd Sunday Market. My favorite.

Our next big project this summer....

Staining the deck, more on that soon.


Tons of posts sitting in the draft just waiting for me to finish edits and will be posted next week. Everyone enjoy your first weekend of summer!

You can see more of what Adam, Scout & I have been up to this summer by following us on instagram!
Follow me on instagram!

Kane County Flea Market shopping experience

Last weekend I took a day trip to the Kane County Flea Market with my mom to see what kind of deals & steals we could bring home. Although we are flea market queens, we hadn’t made it to the Kane County Flea market in years. We weren’t sure what to expect.

We arrived right at noon (Saturday it’s only open 12-5) and it was already packed. A majority of the fairgrounds was filled with vendors, even most of the barns.  We started outside thinking we would save the indoor vendors for when we needed to cool down. It was about 90 degrees and sunny. So we anticipated needing a break from the sun.

goodies at July Kane County Flea Market

My mom and I guessed there were approximately 500ish vendors this weekend. Maybe more, maybe less. Booths were filled with beautiful furniture, vintage treasures, fun junk-type finds, jewelry, food…really anything you can imagine.  We spent the first two hours trying to navigate the layout and going in and out of booths. We were able to make a few purchases and the dealers gave us great deals without too much haggling required.

We both seriously considered taking a few of these home with us...maybe next time!

stacked rock fountains!

Double gorgeous ombre dressers

old tables at Kane County Flea Market, July 2013

We took a late lunch snack break at one of the food stands then finished walking the fairgrounds.  After we thought we had walked the entire flea market we went back for the items we couldn’t decide on earlier. We made a few deals and then pulled the car in to load up our treasures.


Where: Kane County Flea Market, located at the fairgrounds in St. Charles, IL 
When: It's always the first Sunday of each month and the Saturday before, March-December.

Want to see my loot?

Large wicker basket, old green file box, Globe & stand, vintage school map.

 Want to know how much I spent?

$45 bucks for all of it. Yep. Deals!
The globe/stand and the vintage school map are both getting some makeovers before they find their spots in the house. But the basket and tin file box just need to be cleaned up.

Been to any flea markets lately?
Have you ever been to Kane County Flea Market?

Summertime at Bishop Creek

It's finally summer. We got our first power bill of of running our AC with our snazzy geothermal unit. It was only $111, HOLLA! That is a deal for our house and how large and open it is. We keep the temp at 72 degrees. Which to me is kinda cold. I am wearing a sweatshirt as I type this...
To Adam-bear it is still too warm.. To Scouty-bear it is just right.
(read more about the geothermal in our home here)


Maybe this is more of a winter thing. But I got a belated birthday gift last weekend. A Fiesta Crock. Or as some call it a dutch oven.
But it seems when I call it a dutch oven in this house, I get snickers and lols from the husband. Dutch oven or crock...I love it. I plan to use it all summer. Send your crock recipes my way!

 
Doesn't it looks like the angel of all fiesta in this photo??

Summertime also means summer beer to me. This summer's beverage of choice in this house is from Schlafly Brewery.

It's semi local as it's brewed in St. Louis, an hour away. It's delicious. I like to have one after work on the deck. I have not lost my love for wine, do not worry. Sometimes a girl just wants a delicious beer.
We stopped at the brewery this weekend for a lunchbreak while furniture shopping. I think we both needed a beer too.

Furniture shopping was not as fun as we thought it would be. I will share more details about the shopping trip later.
We did make some purchases and we will be having a delivery this week! Details to come!


Does it finally feel like summer to you?
Who else loves dutch ovens crocks?