Resourceful Girl

Need a New Years app? Make your own fancy cheese balls. Roll 2 inch sections of a goat cheese log into a ball and roll in anything. Chives, crushed walnuts, cranberries, and sunflower seeds were pretty tasty.

Everything Fabulous is just that. I’m so addicted to this blog. Here are 3 cocktail recipes for that classy lady-like brunch you always knew you had in you.

All recipes found on EverythingFab.com.

Lillet Rose Spring Cocktail

Words to describe Lillet Rose: “The smell of Rose wine grows out of the humidity along with floral notes of primrose, rose water, honeysuckle and then fades into an earthy, dewy, after-a-rainfall finish.” 

Lillet Rose Spring Cocktail

Ingredients (Serves 6)
* 12 ounces Lillet Rose
* 12 ounces Ruby Red grapefruit juice
* 6 ounces gin
* 6 edible flower blossoms (optional; chefs-garden.com)

Directions
1. Combine 6 ounces Lillet, 6 ounces grapefruit juice, 3 ounces gin, and ice in a cocktail shaker.
2. Shake until well chilled.
3. Strain and divide cocktail among 3 stemmed cocktail glasses, such as Champagne coupes. Repeat.
4. Garnish with flowers. Serve immediately.

I can’t seem to find a distributor online of Lillet Rose in the US, so I contacted the company to find out. I will update and tweet about the info once I have it. For Europe you can buy it {here}.

Rose Petal and Prosecco Punch

Lavender Vodka Lemonade

Glass:
* 1.5oz Vodka
* 1.5oz Lillet Blanc
* 1oz Lavender Syrup (recipe below)
* 1oz Lemon Juice
* 2oz Chilled Soda Water
* French Lavender Flower for Garnish

Pitcher (makes 4 glasses):
* 3/4 Cups Vodka
* 3/4 Cups Lillet Blanc
* 1/2 Cup Lavender Syrup
* 1/2 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
* 1/4 Cup Chilled Soda Water for each glass
* French Lavender Flower for Garnish

Preparation:
1. Mix first four ingredients with spoon.
2. Pour over ice,
3. Add chilled soda water and
4. Garnish with lavender flower (or lemon wedges if you can’t find fresh organic lavender).

Lavender Syrup:
1. Add equal parts sugar and water to a medium saucepan and bring to boil.
2. Add fresh organic French lavender to taste (or 1/2 cup dried food grade lavender for every 4 cups water/4 cups sugar)
3. Boil for one minute over medium/high heat.
4. Remove from heat and let steep for an hour.

 

Egg + Asparagus + Cheese = Yum. Sleep in this weekend and make this Simply Recipes tasty and filling brunch.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off, spears cut diagonally into 1-inch lengths
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

1 Heat olive oil into a 10-inch oven-proof frying pan over medium high heat. Add onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add asparagus, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, until the asparagus are barely tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour in eggs and cook until almost set, but still runny on top, about 2 minutes. While cooking, pre-heat oven broiler.

2 Sprinkle cheese over eggs and put in oven to broil until cheese is melted and browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from oven with oven mitts and slide frittata onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges.

Eat a healthy breakfast AND make it to work on time. Bake this Oatmeal Banana Bread today and have breakfast for the week. This easy and healthy bread can be made ahead of time, sliced and frozen. Pop a slice in the microwave or toaster oven and *poof* breakfast is served. This recipe was found among other fabulous recipes on Joy The Baker.

- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tsp canola or walnut oil
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 medium egg whites, beaten
- 3 large bananas, ripe
- 1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients including the oats and cinnamon.

In a smaller bowl, mash bananas with a potato masher or fork. Add oil and whole egg and mix thoroughly.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Batter will be fairly thick.

In a medium sized bowl, with an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until medium stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter in three additions.

Pour batter into pan and bake until top of loaf is firm to touch, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Flip out and cool on a wire rack for another 10 minutes. Slice loaf into 10 equally sized slices.

Makes 1 loaf of 10 slices.

This painless – yet delicious – recipe is perfect for little gatherings or to serve before a meal. These are so easy to make, but still look impressive.

12 frozen puff pastry shells, unthawed (you can even find ones that already have a hole cut in the middle)
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/4 cups grated Fontina cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
3 to 5 green onions, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the frozen pastry shells on the baking sheet and bake until they puff and become golden brown, about 20 minutes. Using a small knife, cut out the center of the pastry shells.

Meanwhile, stir the cream, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the spinach, Fontina cheese, Parmesan, and green onions. Spoon the spinach mixture into the baked pastry shells. Bake until the pastries are golden brown and the filling is hot, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pastries to a platter and serve.

Found on FoodNetwork.com

And by the classy way, I mean the few hours before you go out and drink your face off. Think of it as the sophisticated pre-game. After all, we are adults here. Make yourself a fancy cheese plate and sip a glass of red wine while you reflect on all of the special moments of 2011… because you will probably be spending the first few hours of 2012 with your face in a toilet.

Here are some cheese plate tips from RealSimple.com:

Selecting the Cheese
Try to include a variety of textures and flavors. Most cheese belongs to one of four basic categories: aged, soft, firm, or blue. For a good variety, choose at least one from each group.
Some examples:
Aged: Aged Cheddar, Comte, Goat Gouda
Soft: Constant Bliss, Camembert, Brillat-Savarin
Firm: Manchego, Mimolette, Parmigiano-Reggiano
Blue: Gorgonzola Dolce, Valdeón, Stilton

You can also try selecting cheeses by the type of milk used (cow, goat, sheep). This will ensure a range of different flavors on the plate.
Serve at least one familiar cheese.

Accompaniments
Offer a selection of breads, including sliced baguette, bread sticks, and crackers in all different shapes and sizes. It’s a good idea to vary taste and texture among the breads as well as the cheeses.

Jarred condiments and vegetables are quick and fuss-free. Try sweet preserves or honey, tart chutneys, and spicy mustards. You can also add artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and caponata. If you have a bit more time, prepare caramelized onions, which complement most cheese plates.

Various other sweet and salty items can work as well. Try cured meats such as prosciutto and salami, or candied nuts and pistachios. Assorted seasonal and dried fruits can include figs, cherries, apples, and pears.

Photo by MarcLaFountain