Berry Grapefruit Mimosa Popsicles | Get Lush (4th of July Style!)

Are you ready for the weekend Lushies? It's a three-day-er, thank you national holidayyy! In honor of this fabulous occasion, I've whipped up a cool and bubbly treat: Berry Grapefruit Mimosa Popsicles. This easy alcoholic popsicle recipe was partially inspired by the anniversary mimosas I enjoyed this weekend (and the leftover grapefruit juice in the fridge), and partially inspired by a desperate search for lush but easy red-white-and-blue-ish coloured food items.

All you need is the following:

Champagne

Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice

Strawberries

Blueberries

Popsicle Molds

Assemble patriotic food items. The popsicle molds could really be any variety. I just so happen to have the two dollar version from Ikea (you'll notice they're the same as Gu's), but these ring pop ones are fun too! 

Please try to keep your shit together and do not spill all over the table like my messy self did.

I gave the blueberries a little squish and dropped them in the base of the popsicle molds. I then added some champagne and put these in the freezer.

While you let the bloobs freeze, slice some strawberries. Maybe have a little dinner like I did. Maybe do a little research and find out that cocktail-popsicles are called poptails. Who knew?!

Once the tips of the popsicles are frozen, gently place a few strawberry slices in; 2-3 so that there is still room for the stick works best. Then add some grapefruit mimosa that you pre-mixed in a cup. After you finish adding the mimosa, feel free to drink the rest.

From there, add the sticks and freeze. I left mine overnight and they were completely ready by the following evening.

The next day, you can break these boozy popsicles out for your enjoyment. Or you can wait until the 4th of July to enjoy.  It's your life and you are a smart, strong, beautiful, independent woman and you don't need a man to complete you. I recommend heating the outside of the mold for a moment with your hand before gently tugging on the stick. This helps your delicious treat come out in one piece!

Even my flatemate enjoyed (and was a very good model/sport for letting me take her picture when it was basically hotter than the devil's buttcrack in our apartment. Then again she did get free popsicles and mimosas out of it!).

Seriously though, look at the festive red, white, and blue! They're so pretty you almost don't want to eat them, but then the grapefruit mimosa calls your name and you have to dig in.

Do you have any special recipes for the 4th, Lush Scouts?

You've been lying, when you should have been truthing,

Cait

Sweet Pepper and Kielbasa Tortellini with Lemon White Wine Sauce | Fat and Happy

It's almost Friday Lush Scouts! And that means you probably need a delicious and yet easy thing to cook to impress your bff/boyf/mom this weekend. I've whipped up a similar recipe to the below a couple of times using different vegetables, but this was my favorite combo thus far. I apologize that there aren't too many process pictures, but mostly I just want to show off these photos because I'm very pleased with how they turned out.

You're going to need the following (but feel free to make substitutions because a Lush Scout always follows her heart and sometimes has empty cupboards):

kielbasa (I use Turkey kielbasa)

tortellini

white wine

lemon or lemon juice

mozzerella or parmesan cheese

garlic scrapes

fresh basil

sweet peppers

green beans

spinach

edamame

butter

First things first, start the water boiling for the Torts. Cook them according to the packaging while you perform the more interesting portion of this recipe. Slice the peppers latitude wise so you get nice rings of pretty peppers. I also cut the green beans into smaller pieces. The edamame should be shelled already so no worries there. I roll and cut the spinach and basil into thin strips. I also cut the garlic scrapes. 

A side note on garlic scrapes: I've never used them before, let alone heard of them before this spring. It's the part of the garlic that grows above ground and it has a delightful, almost sweet garlicky flavor. When preparing my scrapes, I went with the theory of 'use all the soft parts'. I chopped off the harder stems and used everything that was left. This seemed to be the correct strategy.

Melt the butter on the stove. Add the basil and garlic scrapes once the butter is hot enough to sizzle. Once your kitchen fills with a toothsome aroma (but before anything starts burning), add the peppers, edamame and green beans. As they begin to cook, slice the kielbasa and add it too. Throughout the cooking portion, I gave a squeeze of lemon juice and a splash of white wine every couple of minutes. These cook out pretty quickly, so you shouldn't have to worry about the sauce being too soupy. At the very end, while you are removing the tortellinis from the boiling water, add the spinach. Add the tortellinis to the pan with the veggies, mix, and add a little more wine. Shake some cheese into your creation and behold: a fabulous dish that will definitely impress (also just saying you made 'white wine sauce' is going to sound fancy!).

Do you have any favorite spring vegetables you think would taste good in this recipe? Let me know how it goes Scouts! 

And every single bone in my brain is electric,

Cait

Strawberry Rhubarb Oat Walnut Crumble | Fat and Happy

Happy Birthday to me Lushies!

That's right, you heard me, it's my birthday today! And part of my birthday this year was my parents coming to visit last weekend and bringing my most aderbs nibling, Harlee. We went business-action-lady clothes shopping, hit the American Girl Doll store, and visited the aquarium. I absolutely loved having them here and wish so much that they were closer to me. They also brought this amazing recipe, most of the ingredients for it, and a big bundle of rhubarb from my mom's garden!

So the first trick to this recipe is to have a great mom! 

In any case, I'm telling you, this recipe is amazingly delicious and so little work compared to the payout.

There are two parts to the recipe: the crumble and the filling. The crumble contains the following:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup toasted & chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. You make the crumble first. You mix all of the dry ingredients (flour, oats, sugar, salt, and nuts) and then pour the melted butter over top. Mix those bad boys up and set it in the freezer while you work on the filling.

The filling is just as easy:

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp tapioca

6 cups rhubarb (cut into one-inch pieces)

6 cups strawberries (sliced)

1 Tbsp vanilla

In all honesty, I don't think I really used 6 cups of rhubarb or strawberries. I used 15 stalks of rhubarb give or take a few. I used just under 1 pint of strawberries. No precise measurements here.

You mix the sugar and tapioca. Then add the fruit and vanilla. Toss those mama jammas gently. Seriously. How fricken good do these look?

Pour the filling into a dish. Add the crumble on top. Pop the whole shebang in the oven for approximately 45 minutes. You'll know when it's done because the crumble will look all melty and golden.

Mom advises that half the recipe can be made, which would be a good choice for a lone person, since a full size crumble could be easily consumed just as quickly as a half-size, it's so good. I chose to make the full thing and split it into a crumble for myself and a crumble to take to the office. 

I highly encourage you to try it. Heck! You could even go crazy with it; my mom made a version last summer with raspberries in addition to the strawberries and it was incredible. One comment from my coworker was 'SO GOOD IN MY BELLY.' Another had second helpings. Seriously. Bitches don't joke around when it comes to crumble. I clearly don't!

The birthday morals of this story are that moms are great and crumble is serious business. Now get cracking on your own crumble and let me know how it goes!

I do it for the love,

Cait

Meatball Minestrone Soup | Fat and Happy

Get out your best cauldrons, Lush Scouts, it's stirrin' time!

If you've found yourself with a hankering for something warm in this winter of polar vortexes (I can hear you all saying "amen sista!!" from here), this is a nice snow day treat that will feed you for days. Better yet--it just takes an hour or so from start to finish! Just about the best thing that you can do for yourself on a week when you know you'll be cold, busy, and lazy. Feel free to do some cost-benefit analysis if you don't believe me, but you're just going to make yourself hungry so you should probably get chopping.

Here's the recipe I used from the food network as my starting point. It was a great base for the measurements and the directions, but I think my distaste for following rules keeps me from ever doing a recipe perfectly. Ooooh you rebel Gu. I know. I know! Lets get on with this soup, Lushies, I'm getting cold!

Meatball Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbs Olive Oil

1 lb ground mild italian sausage

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

2-3 stalks celery, sliced and then chopped a little smaller

1 cup kale, chopped finely

1 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Salt & pepper

1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz)

1 can crushed tomatoes (14 oz)

6 cups chicken broth

1 can red kidney beans, strained (15 oz)

1/2 cup (dry) Stelline pasta -- that's right, get your stars on!

Makes about 10 servings

Phew! I know that feels like a long shopping list, but it separates pretty easily into one trip to the produce section, and one to the canned veggies. Then get thee to the kitchen!

I started with my lazybones meatballs. Without adding a single thing to the sausage, roll it up into 24 meatballs, each a little less than an inch in diameter. There, you finished your meatball prep. Is that lazybones or what?! Anyway, heat up your olive oil in the pot you'll be using to get ur get ur soup on, and toss in those meatballs. Let them fry, stirring every four or five minutes, until they're cooked through. Using a slotted spoon and leaving as much meatball flavor behind as possible, scoop them out onto a paper towel-lined plate and save for later.

Now toss your veggies in there! First cook the onions for about five minutes, then add the celery and carrots for about five more, then toss in the spices and the kale and give it a stir for another few.

Once the veggies are a bit soft and the onions are nice and translucent, add the chicken broth and the diced and crushed tomatoes. I would recommend briefly taking the pot off of the burner as you're doing so, otherwise there will be lots of scary sizzling and whatnot before things get back to normal. Return the full pot to the burner and bring your soup to a boil.

Reduce to medium heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the beans, stir long enough to sing the 'magical fruit' song to yourself a couple times, and then add the stars. Despite your every instincts, only give the soup about 5 minutes once the pasta is in--those puppies will keep cooking and take over! I don't think it matters too much when you add the meatballs during these last few steps. I think I did so when at the same time as the stars!

And there you have it! As long as you have an affinity for serenely stirring a pot of soup, this recipe is a great one to have in your back pocket. This was my first time making it--my first time making soup at all come to think of it--and I am in love. 

We're gonna have a tv party tonight, alright!

-gu

Eggplant Pizzas (Pinterest Win!) | Fat and Happy

Greetings Lush Scouts! I don't know if you've heard, but I'm quite a pinner, and I actually find the majority of new recipes in my life on Pinterest. I have yet to have what they call a 'Pinterest Fail'. Maybe I'm just not motivated enough to try things that look difficult.  But the recipe below came directly from this pin (which lead me here)and into my kitchen. It's simple, delish, and not-too-bad-for-you: basically English muffin pizzas for grown-ups!

The ingredients list is crazy simple:

An Eggplant (not a shrimpy one, not a giant, just average)

Tomato Sauce (lucky for you, I posted a simple recipe last week!)
Olive Oil (it's a given right?)
Italian Seasoning (or whatever you have available)

Pizza Toppings (the hardest part, I know, but I went with fresh mozz, olives, and salami)

First, you want to slice the eggplant. The recipe I was following said to go with 3/4 inch slices. I, however, didn't have a ruler, so I just followed my heart. Here comes the weird thing with eggplant: you have to draw some of the water out before cooking with it. So you then salt both sides of the eggplant and put them on a paper towel. Leave them for 30 minutes to an hour, and then wipe the excess moisture and salt off with the paper towel.

Put the slices on a cookie sheet, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with slices and throw in the oven to roast. I gave them about 30 minutes at 400ºF. I was really hungry at this point and couldn't do more than 30 minutes. 

After you remove your roasted eggplant from the oven, set your oven to broil. Then slather those babies in tomato sauce. 

Add your favorite toppings. I chose to go simple since it is such a small amount of topping-space.

Just mozz and olives for me (I thew salami on some, but it was weird tasting, so I ended up taking it off.) Let it broil for 8 or so minutes. Keep an eye on it because every broiler is different. When it's melty and the cheese is starting to get some of those beautiful golden brown bubbles, you'll know it's time to eat.

Chow down! I had a couple right out of the oven and MAN were they good. I also put some in a tupperware, layered up and reheated at work. STILL DELICIOUS. 

And there you have it, lovely Lushies, a handheld pizza reminiscent of the English muffin pizzas of your youth. I recommend experimenting with different toppings. I'm thinking I'll go with hawaiian for my next go-round. Or maybe I'll throw some fresh basil on. The possibilities are endless!

I take my lunch up on the roof,

Cait

Simple Tomato Sauce | Fat and Happy

Gutentag meine schöne Lush Scouts. I have a recipe for you today that is both simple and extremely versatile: Tomato Sauce (street name: Marinara). It can be paired with noodles, slathered on pizza, mixed with quinoa, used as a dipping sauce (why helloooo mozz sticks) and so so much more. It has very few ingredients and takes very little work (no peeling involved, Scout's honor), making it a perfect Lush Scout recipe. This also means that you know exactly what is in your sauce and there are no crazy dyes, chemicals you can't pronounce, or preservatives; I assume this means healthy! Besides, this bag of tomatoes cost only 1 dollar more than a can of sauce, so it doesn't get any better! 

You can throw it in the freezer or eat it up right away. If you know things about canning you could do that too, but I have a healthy fear of Botulism, so I won't attempt that without the proper know-how. 

To get crackin' on this delicious sauce, you'll need the following:

Tomatoes (whatever kind you like, and however much you think you'll use)

Garlic (I prefer fresh, but powder would work too)

Italian Seasoning (or a mix of your fave spices Italiano, or some fresh oregano and basil)

Salt

Pepper

Paprika (optional, but I put it in everything)

Carrots (the secret ingredient!)

Olive Oil (I forgot this in the above photo. My bad)

Start by peeling your garlic. I probably used about ten cloves (half a head) but this can be adjusted to taste. There's no need to mince the garlic, go ahead and roast them whole.

Next you will need to half and core your tomatoes. I just slice in half and cut a 'v' shape in the middle to remove the core.

Put the tomatoes inside-up on a pan, strategically place the garlic cloves, and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with pepper, paprika, and Italian seasoning. Also add a dash of salt to taste.

Then, into the oven at 400ºF for one hour. Your tomatoes will look all squishy and may even start to blister, but never fear, that's totally normal.

While the tomatoes are roasting away, cut up those carrots and sauté in Olive oil. 

The carrots add some extra nutrients to the sauce, as well as some needed sugar. Additionally, they help it keep its bright orange/red colour.

After your hour is up,  scrape the tomatoes, juice, garlic, and carrots into a pot.

Here is the messy part: blending the ingredients. I used a hand blender, which as you can tell from the spatter in the above photo, may have gotten a little out of hand. You could just as easily use a food processor or regular blender though.

And then, VOILA!, you have sauce. If it isn't thick enough for your tastes, just put that pot on a burner and simmer it down. This is also the fun part where you get to taste and season. Add as much spices as you feel like. Follow your heart!

I then put mine in, no joke, an old spaghetti sauce jar. I used half of the sauce on dinner, and put the rest into the freezer. When I decide I need it, I'll just put it in the fridge before leaving for work in the morning and let it thaw right out.

That's all there is to it. You can make a lot or just one jar, like yours truly. Add more carrots if you prefer sweet sauce, or maybe experiment with different types of tomatoes. In the summer I'll definitely be playing around with some fresh basil and I'm also thinking of giving some lemon verbena a go. Let me know if you find any incredible combos!

then ride it with my surfboard,

Cait

Friday's Awesome Five

Salut Lush Scouts! I have a roundup of my faves from this week, and there are some really great things, if I do say so myself, so read on!


1. I had a great birthday this year! My parents sent me a package of cool things (including a neat bulletin magnet board my mom hand crafted), Gu got me a couple vinyls, my niece made me a card and sent me a picture of a rainbow unicorn, I went to a concert with Gu and some rad dudes, Gu brought me a donut cake (yes, those are giant donuts sculpted in the shape of a hamburger and fries, and yes, it did have real bacon on it), and she also accompanied me to Von Trapp's to drink Austrian beer and eat Käsespätzle!

I even got to partake in the sharing of a boot of Radler! (I have been informed by my uncle that I have betrayed my German ancestors by drinking without the toe up. My bad!)

Which brings me to my next point...


2. While living in Austria, I discovered the most refreshing beverage on the planet: Radler. It is a beer based, mixed 50/50 with soda, drink that comes in a variety of flavors from lemon to lime to grapefruit to berry and in Austria you can even get an Almdudler mix (if you know where to look). It comes in bottles, it comes in cans, it comes branded, and it comes generic. Similar to the British 'Shandy,' but better, I'm always shocked that it hasn't caught on in America. There is nothing like carrying your groceries from the store to the streetcar, to your apartment, and up several flights of stairs, just knowing there is an ice cold Radler to cheer you when you get to the top.

3. On an unrelated note, I recently ran across Fashion to Figure on Pinterest and I'm a big big fan! It's affordable, on-trend clothes for me! There are already many things in my cart to purchase. I've been wanting a galaxy dress for a while and I really like the colour and the style (especially the sleeves) of the one below. I'm just kind of in love with the striped illusion dress, and that skirt is so so so intriguing. The skirt is sheer, but there are boyshorts inside of it. It's just so crazy! Also interesting fact, the founders are the great grandsons of the Lane Bryant and the store is named after something she said in Glamour: You should never ask women to conform their figures to fashion, but rather bring fashion to the figure.

4. I made Gu this little craft project quite a while ago. It's a canvas with raised letters, all painted the same colour. I was making frames for my niece and nephew to keep pictures of themself with their brand new baby brother and had leftovers so I made one for Gu. It took us all of 6 seconds to decide that it should say 'LESS MOPE MORE DOPE' because that's her favorite slogan after 'Life's A Beach'.  I've been trying to figure out what I want to do with mine, but I think I've finally decided and I'll maybe do a quick little DIY when I get around to making mine this weekend.

5. I am considering putting myself on the market for a rug to brighten up the floor of my room/protect my carpet and thus far I'm finding a few things that draw my eye over at Urban Outfitters. I really like the split rugs that they are offering. I like the idea of getting two prints for the price of one. I'm also always a sucker for bright bright florals. I really like the half polka-dot/half floral rug pictured below and I've included a bonus, because I just really like that mat!

She Moves In Mysterious Ways,

Cait!