Matcha Mint Smoothie

When biggest sis Claire was home back in April, we tried to balance our huge dinners with lots of smoothies and morning workouts. I made her my Perfect Green Smoothie, because, well it's perfect. She agreed. We also made a stop at Organic Squeeze for CB&J smoothies. You can find my recreation here. 

A few weeks later I got this snapchat from sis insisting that I needed to recreate a smoothie she had. I go weak for green smoothies, so I was game. Claire mentioned how the lady making her smoothie suggested she add matcha next time. Matcha is easily my favorite flavor right now, so that was a given addition when I was to recreate. 

After some trial and error, I give you this tasty matcha mint smoothie recipe! New to matcha? Jump on board. It's the purest form of green tea leaves, giving you so many more nutrients. It has magical energy, detox, and calming powers. Great for weight management,  your skin, combating aging and helps to build immunity. It has a crazy amount of antioxidants and just 1 cup of prepared matcha is equivalent to 10 cups of green tea. Combine it with warm or cold almond milk for a latte, use it in baking, turn it into ice cream, shake it up with ice water, or mix it into a smoothie!

Matcha Mint Smoothie
serves 1

Ingredients:
1 cup non-dairy milk, coconut water or H2O
1 cup spinach
a few sprigs of fresh mint
1/2 frozen banana
1/4 avocado (if you aren't into the avocado thing, use a full banana)
1 tsp. matcha powder (I use Vital Proteins, but any matcha will work here)
1 Tbsp. almond butter
a few shakes cinnamon
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
a handful of ice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until thick and smooth. Slurp up every last drop and thank me later. 
 

Annie

this post was updated on 6/5/20

Sugar Cookie Pizza with Strawberry Icing

Okay college friends, who's excited? I cracked the code on cookie pizzas. Whether it was someone’s birthday, finals week, a sisterhood event, or sometimes just because, these cookie pizzas used to always make an appearance during my time at OU.

A little shop just east of campus called Cookies and Cards is responsible for crafting up these cookie pizzas. They had all different flavors such as chocolate chip, M&M, red velvet, lemon, but everyone knows the sugar cookie with fresh strawberry icing was the best. 

I ate too many cookie pizzas to count during my four years at OU. Since graduating I still think about them often. They weren't just a cookie cake, they were a cookie pizza. Very important fact.

My new job has me working in Norman sometimes. It was my Maddie girl's birthday last week and I thought how fun it would be to surprise her with one of these coveted cookie pizzas. Work didn't pull me to Norman last week and I was too lazy to make the drive, so I thought why not make my own cookie pizza? 

Taking on this task involved a few requirements. The cookie needed to be slightly un-done and the fresh strawberry icing had to be spot on. You knew you got a good cookie pizza when it was basically dough in the center, and when you get one still warm, it was game over. The strawberry icing is what makes the sugar cookie flavor. This means puréeing fresh strawberries to achieve it.

Good news Normanites, I think I did it. Several friends came over to celebrate Maddie's birthday and several went to OU. They all got a bite and agreed it was delicious and fulfilled the Cookies and Cards' cookie pizza shoes!

Sugar Cookie Pizza with Strawberry Icing

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softned
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Icing:
1/4 cup puréed strawberries (about 4-5 strawberries)
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a large mixing bowl or round object, about 10 inches in diameter, trace a circle on the parchment paper. Flip the parchment paper over so you don't get any pencil or pen marks when you spread out the dough.

Cream butter, oil and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and both extracts. Add flour, baking powder and salt, and mix on low until the dough comes together.

With clean hands spread the dough out on the parchment lined baking sheet. Spread the dough out, filling the circle shape you drew. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Start on the low end. The key to yumminess in this cookie pizza is for it to be slightly underdone! You want to take it out just before it starts to brown. Let it cool completely.

While the pizza cools, purée your strawberries in a food processor or high powered blender. In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, whisk purée, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla on low until fully mixed. It should be the consistency of a thick glaze. Using a spatula, spread the icing over the cookie pizza leaving about a half inch border around the edges.

Cut with a pizza cutter and enjoy!

Annie

Watermelon Feta Pistachio Salad

Summer food is a love language of mine. It's colorful, fresh, bright, full of flavor, I love it. The unique combinations of summery fruits and vegetables totally gets me. This salad is just that. You get peppery arugula, juicy watermelon, crunchy pistachios, creamy feta cheese, finished off with salty sweet olive oil and balsamic. It works perfectly for a potluck side dish or a summer lunch or dinner. Bonus, there is no cooking involved. Just cut, chop and assemble. 

Watermelon Feta Pistachio Salad
yields 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
1 medium watermelon (soccer ball size)
1/3 cup pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese
3 cups arugula
salt and pepper
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Cut your watermelon into 1 inch cubes, removing any seeds, then set aside. Roughly chop the pistachios. 

On a large platter layer your arugula. Top with half of the chopped watermelon, then sprinkle with some of the feta cheese. Layer on the rest of your watermelon and the rest of the feta. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios all over the top. Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

All hail summer food!

Annie
 

4 Recipes for the 4th

Holidays these days are really more of an excuse to make festive dishes and overstuff yourself with delicious eats. Here is a small list of what I hope to make this weekend. Any specific recipes you are making for the 4th?

Fruit and Pretzel Flag Dessert // Bourbon Peach Baked Beans // Blueberry Corn Salsa // Cherry Peach Pie 

Annie

Cherry Peach Pie + Homemade Pie Crust

Holy moly baking success. But really, we couldn't stop moaning and groaning over how good this sucker turned out.

A couple weeks ago for Father's Day, I knew I wanted to make a peach pie for my dad. We were grilling out, it's summer and it's one of his favorite desserts. But I had to find a way to amp it up a bit! I decided on cherries, but chose rainier cherries, a Tucker favorite. Their coloring almost looks like a baby peach with a stem.

Besides Thanksgiving I don't ever make pie. I like pie it's just not quite in my repertoire, time to change that. I firmly believe the best summer dessert is some kind of fruit pie or cobbler or crumble served up with cold ice cream!

Homemade crust was a definite for this pie. Again not something I ever make. We go straight up Pillsbury on Turkey day, but not anymore. The crust made this pie. It was thick and flakey with a touch of sweetness. I'm all about the crust. I struggle to understand people who don't eat their crust. Pizza crust, hand it over. Pie crust, scoop me some more ice cream and I gobble it up.  

I firmly believe in this pie. It had everything I want in a pie. One of my favorite parts is how well it stays together when you cut it. Fruit pies struggle in this category. Our Thanksgiving apple pie is delicious but comes spilling out after the first slice. Give this recipe a try, I'm not letting you down here!

Cherry Peach Pie

Ingredients:
5 ripe peaches
2 cups rainier cherries (the light red and yellow ones)
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2/3-3/4 cup sugar (I only used 2/3 but it depends how sweet you want it)
pinch of salt
egg for egg wash
Perfect Pie Crust (recipe to follow)

Directions:
Using a paring knife, peel your peaches. Slice in half and remove the core. Slice into thin wedges and place in a large bowl. Pit your cherries, slice in half and place in bowl with the peaches. Toss with sugar, almond extract, lemon zest and juice and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Lightly grease your pie pan. On a floured surface, roll out both crusts to about a 1/4 inch thick. Gently press one crust into pie pan. Fill with pie filling and make sure peaches and cherries are evenly distributed. Slice your other pie crust into thick slices and alternate pieces creating a lattice top. Pies are supposed to be rustic, so no need to beat yourself up about trying to do a pretty edge. I just cut off the excess pie dough then roll it inward and give it a pinch to seal the two together.

Place your pie in the freezer for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. After 15 minutes, give the pie an egg wash and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 min. Lower the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 35 to 45 minutes until lightly brown and bubbly. Serve with some homemade vanilla bean ice cream and enjoy!
 

Perfect Pie Crust
yields two pie crusts, enough for a top and bottom

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cup flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
9-10 Tbsp. ice cold water

Directions:
Combine flour, salt, sugar and cold cubed butter in a food processor until pea size crumbs form. With the food processor on, drizzle in the ice cold water until a ball forms and it pulls away from the edges. The dough is slightly slightly sticky, but if you think it's too dry or need it to come together more add an additional tablespoon of water. Flatten the dough into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Dough can also be frozen. I suggest wrapping in plastic wrap and placing in a ziplock to store. 

I know this pie is good from the fact that my brother-in-law was still talking about it three days later. Some things you just can't get off you mind-ha! Don't forget to serve with some vanilla bean ice cream. And it's even cuter baked up in cute pie pans like this "I love you more than 3.14" made by local, Designs by Kace. 

Annie