Friday Faves

Happy Friday everyone!

My work life has been crazy for the last two months coordinating a huge conference happening next week. Considering our corporate is in Australia, the time difference has sometimes consumed my nights to coordinate with the team over there, instead of blogging which I only find time to do at night or weekends.

Friday Faves

As always I'm relieved it's Friday! I can't even complain that I had a crazy week or anything because it was quite stress-free for a change. I'm just looking forward to a fairly quiet weekend with no big plans or traveling so I can enjoy some downtime at home.

Friday Favorites

With Monday being a work holiday, this week seemed to just fly by which is always a great feeling! After the busyness of the holidays, I'm welcoming a fairly relaxing weekend which is perfect since the weather forecast isn't looking good!

 
On Fridays I usually post about some favorites from the week. Today I wanted to change it up and share favorites that are relevant to the theme of my blog (all listed in my navigation bar above).

Martinis & Bikinis is a Lifestyle Blog so I talk about a hodge podge of things which inherently means these are the things I love and enjoy doing.

Orlando Living

I talk about my weekend whereabouts and all the things I love about my city including my favorite sushi restaurants, happy hour hot spots...and other fun things to do.

Travel
I have a huge passion for traveling so this comes in 2 parts...

Travel Planning
The only trip I have signed and sealed for 2017 is Boston in the Spring and I'm super excited about planning out the details of that trip!

I'm sure there will be other travel adventures throughout the year once we figure out our work schedules.

 via

Travel Recaps
A recent one was our company Cruise to the Bahamas last month and how much fun we had exploring Nassau.

That's me learning how to use a selfie stick. Still don't own one.

Style & Fashion

I'm a shopper at heart but I like to find the best deals and stock up when things are on sale. I mainly share fashion and beauty products that are very affordable, not that $3000 purse that nobody can afford. 

Recipes

I love cooking and sharing new recipes. Sundays are usually when I have time to try a new recipe and share the details on the blog. My recipe posts have slowed down recently but I do plan to share some healthy new recipes for 2017 such as this Jalapeno & Swiss Stuffed Chicken dish.

My Life: Family & Friends

With all of the fun things aside, I don't share too much details of my family life to keep a level of privacy from the internet creepers.

What I can tell you is....

- K and I have parents that are still married (40+ years)

- We both have one sibling - both sisters

- Our extended family is huge on both sides & very close knit

- We have no kids but Lola is the love of our life (and a handful enough)

- We have a great group of friends in Orlando 

- Both of our best friends are from childhood days

Happy (almost) weekend and I hope the weather treats you better wherever you are!

Grilled Mexican Street Corn

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I made this delish recipe a while ago but didn't manage to snap many good photos. The original recipe has much more enticing photos if you want to check it out. This was my first time trying Mexican Street Corn and I really love how it turned out. I left out one or two ingredients that I didn't think were necessary and adjusted the cooking method slightly so here's my version of the recipe.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serving size: 4

Ingredients:

For the Spread

4 ears fresh corn, husked
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 tbsp. light sour cream
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

For the Topping

1/4 cup grated Cotija cheese
1 teaspoon paprika

Chopped cilantro

What To Do:

1. Soak 4 wooden skewers in water for about 20 minutes. 
2. Pierce a skewer halfway into the end of each corn cob.

3. Preheat the grill to medium heat (about 400 degrees F).
4. Combine the spread ingredients in a bowl and the topping ingredients in a separate bowl. 
5. Smear the spread over each cob and sprinkle on the topping mixture.
6. Wrap each corn individually in a piece of aluminum foil securing it so the toppings don't fall out.
7. Place the foil wrapped corn directly on the grill, cover at let cook for a total of 20 minutes, turning often until the kernels are tender.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Here are a few other Mexican Street Corn recipes I found if you want to experiment with different/healthier ingredients and cooking methods.  

Recipe links: 1 * 2 * 3

Bite Me Dip

This is my mother in law's recipe which makes an appearance every year at our family gatherings for Christmas, Easter & Thanksgiving. "Bite me" dip is one of the staple appetizers we share while dinner is cooking and it goes extremely quickly because of how delicious it is. The ingredients are also very random but they blend together nicely to make a cheesy dip that has lots of flavor and a little bit of kick.

I decided to try my hand at making my MIL's famous dip to bring to Kate's annual holiday party back in December hence the festive serving dish. It's a great appetizer to feed about 15-20 people.

Ingredients:
8 oz. sour cream
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 jar sliced jalapeños, chopped
16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can chopped olives
1/2 cup chopped deli ham (not shown in photo above)
1 round loaf of sourdough bread

What To Do:
Hollow out bread to1 inch thickness and keep pieces for dipping. Combine all other ingredients. Mix well and put into bread. Wrap in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Serve with torn bread pieces, tortilla chips, crackers or bagel chips. 

 Enjoy!

Friday Favorites

This was the sunset I caught in my neighborhood last night arriving home from work. Absolutely breathtaking! I also posted a live video on SnapChat if you follow me (emilyalisonb).

This week was the coldest one for the year so far. While I don't mind a break from the heat, I seem to get shocked by everything I touch when it gets cold outside ~ every door handle, the gas pump, my car, and sometimes other people. Back in UCF days, I remember stepping into the campus shuttle and getting shocked by the railing to walk up the stairs and yelling "F*#%" in front of a bus full of people. It wasn't pretty! So I guess that's my pet peeve when it comes to cold weather but on a brighter note, how about some faves for the week?

ONE

K left on Sunday morning for work and returns today so lots of "me time" was had this week...or shall I say "Lola and me time" because she requires all the attention. Either way it was nice to rule the remote and get caught up on my shows.

TWO

These Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps are on my radar to make at home. I've ordered lettuce wraps before at restaurants but it's about time I try my hand at making them for a healthy weeknight dinner.

THREE

I stumbled on the Look Human online shop this week via Pinterest and love all of their cute tops and sweaters with fun sayings/designs such as this Mascara & Mimosas pullover sweater.

FOUR

National Popcorn Day was celebrated at the office on Tuesday. I'm just thankful it wasn't national chocolate or cheesecake day because diet out the window.

FIVE

I loved reading this article about Meditation for Beginners and really want to incorporate some meditating into my routine to clear my mind and relax since work and life can be stressful. Kerri also talks about her Meditation Journey here which is a good read.

Enjoy the weekend!

Linking up with my fellow Florida girl Amanda for her Friday Faves linkup.

Homemade Moscow Mule Cocktails

This cocktail recipe is so simple and delicious. I made the mistake of presuming ginger beer was alcoholic so I couldn't find it in the grocery store only to find out it's not alcoholic and can be found in the same aisle as all the sodas such as Coke etc.

Serving size: 1 cocktail

Ingredients:
Ice cubes
2 oz. Vodka

6 oz. Ginger Beer
1/2 oz. lime juice
1 lime wedge (for garnish)

What To Do:
Fill cup with ice cubes and pour vodka and lime juice over ice. Then add ginger beer and stir well. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Most restaurants serve Moscow Mules in a copper mug. Either way they're delicious with a nice combination of sweet and spicy flavors. Here are some fun variations of this recipe that I found on Pinterest (titles are clickable):

The Angry Mule

The Apple Pie Moscow Mule

Strawberry Basil Moscow Mules

Moscow Mule Margarita

Blackberry Moscow Mule

Joining the gals over at The Sequin Notebook for their monthly cocktail linkup.

Easy Pumpkin Soup

Soup season is upon us and one of my favorites since childhood has been pumpkin or butternut squash soup. I randomly bought a whole pumpkin so I was able to a make a few recipes with it including the Turkey and Pumpkin Chili recipe I posted a couple weeks ago. Pumpkin soup is really easy to whip together and only requires a few basic and inexpensive ingredients.

Ingredients

4 cups chicken stock
1/2 Medium white onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
4 cups fresh cubed pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp curry powder (optional)
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Bacon crumbles, optional

What To Do:

Bring chicken stock, 1/2 inch cubed pumpkin, chopped onion, and garlic to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered or until pumpkin is cooked through fully. Use a blender or food processor to puree the soup carefully. Return puree soup to pot on medium heat and add whipping cream, black pepper, curry powder, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Garnish with bacon crumbles, peppercorns or fresh parsley.

Enjoy!

1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin.

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.

Havarti & Ham Stuffed Chicken

 This recipe is very similar to Chicken Cordon Bleu but instead I made use of ingredients I had at home which happened to be black forest ham (lunch meat) and sliced Havarti cheese.

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 slices of black forest ham
2 slices of havarti cheese
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
black pepper to taste
cooking spray

 

What To Do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap and beat into 3/4" thickness.
3. Lay chicken flat (smooth side down) on one sheet of plastic wrap.
4. Add two slices of ham and one slice of cheese.
5. Roll chicken using the plastic wrap to keep together.
6. Unwrap the chicken and use toothpicks to keep chicken rolled. Sprinkle the seasonings and black pepper over chicken.
7. Bake on greased baking sheet for 35-40 minutes or until fully cooked.

Enjoy!

Chicken & Broccoli Rice Casserole

This is one of the more complicated recipes I've made recently only because it requires several different moving parts and pans to cook the chicken, broccoli and rice separately before assembling the casserole but it's worth the few extra dishes. Chicken & Broccoli Rice casserole it a great recipe for the Fall and can feed 8 to 10 people.



Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cooked & chopped
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 head of broccoli
1.5 cups cooked rice
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup of milk
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 eggs, beaten
1.5 cups shredded cheese
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste

What To Do:
1. Boil chicken breasts with poultry seasoning for 15 minutes or until cooked fully. Once chicken has cooled, cut into small bite-size pieces.
2. Cook rice according to directions on the package. I used instant brown rice to speed up the process a bit.
3. Cut broccoli florets off the stem and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Pour 1/2 cup water evenly over the broccoli and cook in microwave for 4 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9x13 backing dish with nonstick spray.

5.  In a medium skillet, melt butter and add chopped onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add cream of chicken soup and whisk in the milk, flour, and eggs. Finally add 3/4 cup of shredded cheese along with salt and pepper and whisk together until smooth. Cook for another 5 minutes or until thickened.
6. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked chicken, rice, broccoli and soup mixture and mix well with a spoon.
7. Pour mixture into baking dish, top with remainder of shredded cheese and then sprinkle panko breadcrumbs over cheese.
 8. Bake on 350 for 35 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Enjoy!

1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin.

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.

Easy Fried Rice

We ordered Chinese food the other day while my parents were visiting and had tons of white steamed rice leftover. I usually end up throwing away the white rice but this time I wanted to find a way to create a new dish with it instead of wasting food.

If you've eaten at a Japanese restaurant where they cook on the hibachi grill in front of you, you can see exactly how they make fried rice and all the ingredients that go into it so I wanted to try to recreate that although I switched it up a bit like using coconut oil instead of butter. 

Total cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients: 

3 cups cooked white rice

1 tbsp. coconut oil (or butter)

1 tbsp. sesame oil

4 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

3 tbsp. water

3 carrots, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 eggs (optional)

I had all intentions of adding eggs in this recipe but just forgot to do it.

What To Do:

Heat skillet over medium heat and melt coconut oil with minced garlic. Add chopped carrots and cook covered for approximately 5 minutes stirring occasionally.  Beat the eggs in a small bowl and add to the skillet along with frozen peas, stirring the eggs quickly to scramble. Cook covered for 3 minutes or until peas have thawed fully. Add white rice to the skillet and mix well with carrots and peas mixture. Pour soy sauce, water and sesame oil over rice and mix well (if the rice is still slightly dry you can add more water or soy sauce to moisten). Cover skillet and cook rice on medium-low until fully heated for approx 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin.

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.

Healthier Football Sunday Recipes

One of my favorite things about football season is the food that comes along with it although it can typically be high in grease and fat content. I wanted to find some slightly healthier (not deep fried) recipes to try this year for football Sundays and save the indulging for Super Bowl Sunday.

Skinny BBQ Chicken Flatbread

Buffalo Quinao Bites

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Grilled Pesto Chicken and Tomato Kebabs

Shredded Chicken Nachos

 Zucchini Pizza Bites

Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

I made this recipe in the crockpot a couple Sundays ago and it was a hit! We also had lots of leftovers to take to work for lunch during the week.

Baked Brown Sugar Wings with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

What's your favorite appetizer or dish for football Sunday?