Pouch Sippin

You know what’s awesome about being stuck at home? Being stuck at home with a good beverage, having booze for breakfast, and getting booze delivered to your door step!

My good friend Dee Dee decided to take a leap of faith during this pandemic, and start her own mobile bartender business. Talk about brave!

De’Qustay J Cocktails was already in the making a few years ago, it was put out into the universe and now it’s officially here! What better time to focus in on your craft, dig deep, and push through than right now?! Yass Queen Yass!

Ok let’s get back to the booze!

I tried 2 of her many flavors, the Jungle Juice and the Asian Pear. The Asian Pear was made especially for me because I’m not a big juice person so the pop of ginger beer with fresh pears was crisp and refreshing! The Jungle Juice is one of her signature flavors. I saw oranges and strawberries in it so I figured it’d count as a breakfast drink 😆. There’s no rules in quarantine. Do you!

Can’t you see yourself Pool side pouch sipping these? Or a chillin at the lake with your friends? Or A cute tub filled these in your backyard hosting a cookout ? Ok ok I’m done I promise.

De’Qustay J Cocktails ( IG: instagram.com/dequstayjcocktails) is now serving the Metro Atlanta area! You know you need booze, and I’m sure the liquor store attendant has seen your face quite often. Take a day off and let Dee Dee do the work for you. Tell her Foodiecutie sent you 😉.

Be sure to follow me on IG instagram.com/foodiecutie ! Send your friends and mama nem to the blog!

Happy Thirsty Thursday y’all!

Be Safe, Be Sweet

Xoxo

Ash 💚

Chamoyada for Cinco de Mayo!

Since Cinco de Mayo is coming up, I wanted to do something different than the norm of making tacos and drinking tequila. I stalked a few Cali foodie pages, lots of YouTube and googling and decided that a Mango Chamoyada was the perfect fit!

This is a traditional sweet and spicy Mexican American drink. Mango shaved ice/mango sorbet and Chamoy are you star players here! Let’s talk about what you need!

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Chamoy (found at international markets)

1 pint of Mango Sorbet

Tamarindo Candy (also found at most international markets)

Any kind of fun sweet/sour candy of your choice

Fresh lime slices

Tajin

Fresh fruit of choice (mango, pineapple, watermelon you choose!)

Here’s the how to:( and don’t overthink it, make it fun!)

Use a line and coat the rim of your class

Place the Tajin in a saucer and cover the rim of the glass

Drizzle the Chamoy in the bottom of your glass and swirl it around a few times to make it a coat around the glass

Scoop about 4-5 scoops of sorbet, add your toppings, drizzle more Chamoy, garnish with a lime wedge and finish with a sprinkle of Tajin

That’s it! And boom you have a cool colorful sweet and spicy drink to show off to your friends! All of the flavors are harmonious together and it’s really a great balance! I urge you to do something different and give it a try, you just might like it!

Don’t forget to follow my IG @foodiecutie for fun videos and instastories of the things I make or like to eat!

Be sweet, Be safe

Xoxo

Ash

Sexy Salads on Wellness Wednesday

My girlfriend Julie sent me this beautiful salad, and the colors and presentation drew me in. Little did I know, it would blow my mind!

This Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad is the perfect wellness Wednesday addition to your healthy eating rotation during quarantine. This bowl may look small, but it’s a huge salad. I made enough to share with my neighbor and eat enough the next day for lunch and dinner. If you wanted a little extra protein, seared Salmon or Chicken would be a nice addition, but I promise the cauliflower and chickpeas are enough!

What you need:

2 pound bag of Baby Spinach (I didn’t have arugula, but it would a great peppery addition to your salad

1 small Cauliflower head

1 can of Garbanzo Beans

4 oz of Goat Cheese

1 small can of Mandarin Oranges (I didn’t have any mandy’s so I supreme’d an orange)

1/2 of a Cucumber

Olive Oil, Salt/Pepper/ Your Favorite Seasoning

This doesn’t require tons of time so here we go:

Set your oven temp to 375 degrees

Drain your can of Chickpeas, and toss them with olive oil, Salt/Pepper and whatever tangy seasoning you have in your pantry

Trim half of your Cauliflower head into florets, toss them in olive oil, salt/pepper, cayenne pepper and your favorite tangy seasoning

You can roast them both on the same sheet pan for about 15-20 min. You want a beautiful toasty look and a semi soft/crunchy texture for your cauliflower.

While that’s roasting, toss your spinach/arugula together and place in a large bowl

Thinly slice your cucumbers in to half moons, and evenly scattered them around the greens, along with your oranges.

Once your cauliflower is cooked and cooled, spread around the salad as well

Sprinkle chick peas over entire bowl, then pinch about 1/4 of your goat cheese log all over your salad and boom! That’s it!

As far as dressing, I mixed a simple bottle of vinaigrette with a simple bottle of honey mustard dressing and my goodness! It made the salad pop!!

Give this a try and please let me know how you like it! Comment below, and don’t forget to follow me on IG @foodiecutie ☺️

Be Safe, Be Sweet

Xoxo

Ash 💚

Grandma’s Hands 💓

No recipe today, just warm happy thoughts of my beautiful Grammy on this gloomy Easter Sunday in Mississippi.

This time last year my Grammy transitioned. It was a very difficult time for us, because she was the matriarch of our family. She was sweet, sassy and creative! She loved the Jesus and all things that sparkled.

Today this apple pie was made in her honor. Apple pie was the first thing she taught me how to make. I was home from college and I asked her to teach me how to make a pie from scratch. Without hesitation we got in the kitchen and got our hands dirty! Smiles and flour every where. Her latticework was intricate and lovely and mine…rushed and all over the place. Her pie turned out perfectly beautiful, mine not so much.

Although she physically isn’t with me anymore, I wholeheartedly felt her guiding me while I baked. I enjoyed this lovely pie with my aunts over Easter dinner, and if I do say so myself… it was absolutely insanely delicious! We enjoyed pie with of course a dollap of cool whip (wouldn’t have it any other way ☺️)

This year isn’t the same without her, but I’m forever thankful that her spirit lives on! Happy Easter Y’all!

Almost Vegan Cookies

They’re super soft, and just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth!

I won’t get into a long spill about how much I love chocolate chip cookies. Instead I’ll tell you why they’re “almost vegan.” All of the ingredients to make vegan cookies were in my pantry except for vegan chocolate… so that’s it. Nothing elaborate or crazy. So let’s start baking.

Here’s what you need:

2.5 C All purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C white sugar

1 C semi sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 C un/sweetened applesauce

1/4 C refined coconut oil

Here’s the How To:

Preheat oven to 325

Mix all of you wet ingredients and sit aside

Sift all of your dry ingredients

Gradually add your dry to wet until evenly combined

Line your baking pan with parchment paper, use a large spoon to scoop and roll in to medium size balls. Press the center so they don’t bake like little domes.

Bake for 10 min.

Once removed from oven I sprinkled them with the best salt ever! Maldon just adds the perfect sweet and salty element, which I will forever be a fan of! The container is so small because a sample size I all I can afford right now 😆. It’s not cheap honey!

Feel free to share these with friends and neighbors!

I’d love to have your feedback! You can find me @foodiecutie on Instagram!

Be sweet, Be safe

K, byyyyeee

Ash

Semi-Loaded Smashed Potatoes

I must admit, I’m not a huge potato eater, but these were too cute not to try! I called the Semi-Loaded mainly because there’s no bacon added, and I didn’t want the bacon lovers to come for me.

There really isn’t a long drawn out how to either (thank goodness 🙌🏽).

What you need:

8-10 small red potatoes (or more depending on how many ppl you’re feeding

Green onions

Shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)

Sour cream

Optional add ons: Turkey or Pork Bacon to make them fully loaded

First:

I started by boiling my potatoes until tender. While the potatoes are boiling, preheat oven to 350. Use a fork to check for tenderness. Generally about 20 minutes for boiling.

Second

Once they’re boiled, remove from water and place on a baking pan. Drizzle potatoes with a little olive oil, and smash the center of the potatoes with a fork. Bake them for 5 minutes.

Third:

Remove from oven and sprinkle each potato with cheese. Place back in oven until cheese melts, about 3-5 minutes. Allow the spuds to cool for little (warm to touch), add a dollop of sour cream and chopped onions on top.

These spuds could be served warm or room temperature, really. They’re a great side for dinner or an appetizer for any small gathering. Smashed potatoes are hearty and hard to resist!

I hope you all are eating all the foods! If you try this yummy treat, feel free to tag and follow me on IG @foodiecutie ☺️

Be sweet, Be safe

K, byyyyeeeeee

Ash

Tandoori Masala Cauliflower

My mom randomly sends me cooking care packages. Like they’re boxes full of spices, sauces and/cooking utensils. Things I need, and some things I literally have no idea what they are. It’s a sweet gesture none the less. I was doing some COVID cleaning and stumbled across this packet of Tandoori Masala seasoning she’d sent me. I conveniently had cauliflower in the fridge and rice in the pantry so I decided this was lunch.

Let’s get to it, Ingredients:

1 pkg of Tandoori Masala (can be found at most international markets)

1 can of coconut milk

1/2 lemon or lime

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

1/4 red onion, large diced

1/2 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

8-10 large cauliflower florets

• cilantro, green onions, crushed peanuts for garnish*

Green Chutney : (optional, but trust me, you want this)

1/2 bunch parsley

1/2 bunch cilantro

1 lime, juiced

2 garlic cloves

1/2 jalapeño chopped

1/2 avocado

Blend until smooth. For a richer greener color, add more parsley/cilantro

Here’s the “How To:”

1. In a pan set to medium/high heat, drizzle about 2 Tbsp of oil and add your garlic/onions

2. Stir and let this harmonious scent fill your kitchen (cook for about 3 min) then add the cauliflower and carrots, add more oil if necessary

3. Allow veggies to cook/soften for 5 minutes and sprinkle 1/2 of the packet of seasoning. Stirring to evenly coat ***the packet suggests adding a few drops of red food coloring to enhance the color, I did, you don’t have to***

4. Add coconut milk and let simmer for another 7 min or until cauliflower is tender but not mushy

5. Remove from heat and serve!

⁃ Serve with Jasmine rice or Quinoa

⁃ Garnish with cilantro, chutney and crushed peanuts (bc texture is needed for this dish)

⁃ If you like a little heat like me, add extra crushed red peppers 🔥

If you try this, definitely let me know! Tag me @foodiecutie on IG !

Be sweet, Be safe

K, byyyeee

Ash

Cheesecake Bites for Breakfast. Get in to it!

During self quarantine there are no rules. You’re totally allowed to have dessert for breakfast!

My best friend Marty bought me cheesecake for my birthday, and I’ve slowly been pinching off of it out of guilt for not wanting to eat it all in one sitting. And still, I made these cheesecake bites and I’m here…in my cozy kitchen…sitting at the counter eating these…alone. It may sound pitiful, but trust me I’m content!

The cake he bought me had no graham cracker crust so I bought an entire box of graham crackers, just for this picture. True foodie indeed! Let’s be honest though, the crust makes the cheesecake!

There’s really no recipe for this. I cheated.

The cheesecake was already made (thanks Marty and Publix) and the crust I did make. So maybe it wasn’t a complete cheat.

Graham Cracker Crust: (small recipe for small batch)

1 packet (or 8-1 squares) of graham crackers

4 Tbsp of soften or melted butter

3 Tbsp of brown sugar

Finely crush crackers, with butter and sugar, press them into a square like bowl or pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 30 min. While I waited, I created a double boiler and melted the chocolate morsels.

I let the cheesecake sit out for a bit so it could soften and spread easily/evenly over the crust. Froze for another hour. Pulled them from the freezer, cut them in small squares, quickly tossed each square individually in the chocolate, placed them on a pan lined with parchment and froze them for another hour.

Plated them with fresh kiwi (use whatever fresh fruit you have for a pop of color) and sprinkled graham cracker crumbles for a little texture! That’s it. I cheated and I’m proud of it and I’m enjoy my dessert for breakfast!

Be sweet, Be safe

K, byyyyeee

Veg-Waffle Hashbrown

Vegg-affle (this sounds a little sexual, no?)

I still have my neighbors waffle maker so I figured, let’s keep making waffle stuff ! As I’ve stated before, I have a ton of fresh produce & decided to put it to good use.

Here’s what I used to create this savory dish:

3 small red potatoes

1 small squash 1 small zucchini

1/2 large carrot

1/4 white onion

1 egg

1 C sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp pepper

Grated all ingredients using a cheese grater, pressed the water out of the vegetables using a fine mesh strainer ( a cheesecloth would’ve been sufficient too), and boom it’s really for the waffle maker. Remember to Spray it with non stick spray before evenly disbursing ingredients. Let it cook for about 7-10 min.

While it was cooking I tossed about 10-12 shrimp in salt, pepper, paprika and corn starch (makes them a little crispy) and sautéed them in a well oiled pan on medium high heat until lightly pink/coral. And they’re done!

I probably put too many shrimp (who says that?!) around the waffle because you can’t really tell it’s a waffle shape. Anywho, figured a dollop of sour cream would perfectly tie this savory salty dish together. Cilantro and sliced Serrano peppers seemed like the obvious garnish.

A veggie waffle hash is perfect for brunch or dinner really. I’ve expressed that breakfast food is probably my least favorite type of food, but this…this doesn’t feel breakfasty and I’d eat it again. Next time with friends…and mimosas!

Be sweet, Be Safe

K, Byyeeee

Ash

Creating boards when you’re bored

Are adults even allowed to be bored? Like is that a thing? I’m currently self quarantined so I think it’s permissible.

So how’d this crudité board come about?!

My job gave the employees cases of fresh produce to make up for the fact that our kitchen is indefinitely closed. It’s given me a reason to get more creative and eat my veggies (not that it was ever an issue, I legit love vegetables!). Brussels, spinach and cucumbers are my tops 3 in cases you were just dying to know.

So this small platter includes squash/zucchini, roasted cauliflower, grape tomatoes, carrot and cucumber sticks and cute little sweet peppers. Of course you need dips so I chose French Onion and Everything Bagel hummus. I’m a dippin and babbling kinda gal, mkay!?

-Total side bar: Get in to Trader Joe’s Every Bagel Seasoning, IT 👏🏾 IS 👏🏾 BOMB👏🏾!

I’m not gonna keep rambling on, but I want to encourage you to get a cute platter/board or use whatever is accessible and get creative! It doesn’t have to be veggies, for all you fruit fans give it a go (Pinterest has great inspiration too). Board arrangements are all about flow and aesthetic. We eat with our eyes and I just love cute stuff! Especially food!

Be safe, fuel your mind/body with good things, and be nice to people.

K byyyeee,

-Ash