Peach Raspberry Mint Julep
Race Day is almost here, y'all. Can't you just taste the mint juleps? Lexington-based blogger Jennifer of a girl eats world was kind enough to share a delicious, fruity take on Derby Day's favorite cocktail. It sounds delicious! -- HCW
Hey everyone!
I'm Jennifer, the mad-woman behind
, who is bringing the world to your kitchen table one recipe at a time. I love and adore this beautiful state of Kentucky and all she has to offer. I use local ingredients especially in the summer when the farmer's markets are open! Using those KY ingredients for international cuisines is pretty perfect in my world!
We all know what's right around the corner--the Kentucky Derby! One race tradition is to have the famed
! According to
, the Mint Julep has been sold at the Derby since 1938. Mint Juleps are traditionally served in silver or pewter cups, but this recipe is too beautiful to place in anything but a Mason jar!
{Peach Raspberry Mint Julep}
Traditional mint juleps are just simple syrup, bourbon, mint and ice, but I wanted something a little different this year. I was speaking with a bartender, and they made some suggestions that I had to try! For instance, using honey instead of simple syrup and adding some fruit. At the last minute, I decided to pour some sparkling cider in this drink which gives this a light, crisp finish. Watch out though! Those peaches pack a bourbon punch!
{I used
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon
(seriously delicious, and I am not a bourbon drinker!)}
{Peaches soaked in bourbon overnight}
{Muddle fruit and mint together to release and mingle the flavors}
Peach Raspberry Mint Julep
Serves 8
Prep time: 10 minutes
Stand time: 1 day
Assembly time: 10 minutes
- 2 peaches, cut into bite-sized chunks
- 1 cup Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon (or whichever bourbon you prefer)**
- 1 pint raspberries
- 1 package mint leaves
- 8 tablespoons KY Proud honey, divided (one for each drink)
- Ice
- 1 liter sparkling cider
1. The day before your event, mix peaches and bourbon together and allow to set overnight.
2. Place a few peach chunks, a couple of raspberries, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 4-5 mint leaves in each glass.
3. Take a spoon and muddle the fruit together.
4. Add 1 oz of bourbon to each glass.
5. Top with ice.
6. Pour cider over ice.
7. Stir drink with a spoon.
8. Serve!
**Bourbon is a form of alcohol so please be responsible while consuming any beverage containing it.**
To say that this was delicious was an understatement! I can see making this beyond just for the KY Derby, during those hot summer days, when we have fresh peaches (we used peaches that we froze from last year) and mint that we planted.
A New Generation of CATS Fans: Baby's First Final Four
The best part of the game being in Dallas was we were home for game time. Heidi loved showing off the moves she learned from the cheerleaders before she tucked in to bed.
7 Tips for Beating the Winter Blues
Are you “over” this winter? From school cancellations and delays, to sloshing through snow, it’s easy to fall into a funk in February. Don’t get down, though, as there are simple things you can do to ease cabin fever. Here are my seven tips to help you make it through the rest of the winter with a positive outlook:
- Slow Down. Bears hibernate for a reason, right? This is the season right before the great awakening that is spring; use it to do your best work… the work on yourself. I tend to go 100 miles a minute, but winter forces me to slow down a bit. What do I do with my “extra” time? Read, bake, go to movies, and catch up on TV shows.
- Treat Yourself. I’m a firm believer that we all deserve a big slice of happiness! Rewarding ourselves with a bit of a treat is incentive enough to keep us moving until spring. I buy loose-leaf tea and local honey and savor every sip of it. I’ll spend time with friends who make me laugh. What small ways can you treat yourself?
- Exercise. I do hot yoga, so it’s easy for me to go in the winter because it’s hot and feels like a bit of a vacation from the cold. We all know exercising is good for you, so take some time to work up a sweat. Your mindset, and your spring and summer clothes, will thank you!
- Wear something bright. Don't feel like you have to wait until spring to wear bright colors. They will help boost your mood and add a bit of pep into your wardrobe.
- Get rid of stuff. Go through your house and get rid of things you don't need, use or love. This act of making room for spring will get you in the right frame of mind for a new awakening. Make sure you donate and/or recycle the things you can. You'll feel good about the extra space and giving to those in need.
- Embrace the cold. Make an effort to go outside to take in the crisp air and get a bit of sunshine. The vitamin D is good for you, plus you can take in nature’s splendor.
- Do something you've been putting off. Use this time to do something you've been procrastinating about. Frame pictures, knit a scarf, call an old friend to catch up. Pick one thing and tackle it!
Which of these will you embrace to help beat your winter blues?
Bluegrass Junior Woman's Club Poinsettias for a Purpose
Every year many families "deck the halls," but what if your seasonal decorations could help support charitable projects in your community? Bluegrass Junior Woman's Club in conjunction with Pemberton's Nursery are offering poinsettias, fresh wreathes, and garland. A large portion of the proceeds will go to the Bluegrass Junior Woman's Club and the many projects we conduct in the community. Bluegrass Children's Fund, Santa's Shoppers, along with partnership organizations such as Bluegrass Domestic Violence (now known as Greenhouse 17), Ronald McDonald House of the Bluegrass, Hope Center, Children's Advocacy Center, and many more local agencies benefit from the hard work of Bluegrass Junior Woman's Club. We are unable to fulfill all of our commitments without the support of our community. We ask that you consider purchasing your live and fresh holiday decorations from BJWC this year. Poinsettias are $13 each.
In addition to the poinsettias, we have several greenery options:
Tuesday, November 19. Please contact bjwc@twc.com or me directly.
Federated in 1970, Bluegrass Junior Woman’s Club (BJWC) is a non-profit organization made up of women who are committed to improving the quality of life for disadvantaged women, children, and families in central Kentucky through volunteerism and fundraising. During the 2011-12 club year, the BJWC donated over $16,800 and many volunteer hours to local charitable organizations such as the Children’s Advocacy Center, Ronald McDonald House, and the Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program. Our hallmark project is Santa's Shoppers. The event aims to help selected children and their families have a happier holiday season. We generally have the privilege of shopping for approximately 25 students. BJWC purchases gifts for each participating child. These are wrapped prior the event and handed out by Santa Claus. The children are allowed to shop for a new coat, shoes or boots, hats and gloves, pajamas, socks and underwear. The children are then allowed to purchase small gifts for each member of their household. The children are sent home with their new winter necessities, gifts, and a large box of grocery items. It is a very successul event due to a collaborative effort among the event chairs, membership, prospective members, volunteers, and school staff. We are each reminded of how truly blessed we are during the holiday season, and our club couldn't pull off the event without our fundraising efforts and generous donations from members of the community.
Strawberry Yogurt Cake with Lemon Glaze: a Guest Post from Picture Perfect Cooking
When I got the opportunity to guest post at HerKentucky, I really wanted to use local ingredients in the dish. You can’t get much more local than strawberries that grew a couple of miles from your house and eggs fresh from your grandmother’s farm, can you? This cake has a delicious flavor with a moist texture that is highlighted by the sweet tart of lemon glaze. The recipe originated from Tide and Thyme and I found it on Pinterest.
Strawberry Yogurt Cake with Lemon Glaze
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour, divided
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 8 oz. plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 12 oz. sliced strawberries (thawed frozen berries or fresh will work)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees the grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sift together 2 ¼ cups flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest.
Cream the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, and then stir in 1 tbsp. lemon juice. Alternate adding the flour and yogurt, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. ;Add the buttermilk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
If you are using frozen strawberries, drain as much of the juice off as possible and toss with the remaining ¼ cup flour. Add them to the batter and gently combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.]
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan then turn out on to your cake plate to cool completely. To prepare the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar into the remaining lemon juice. When the cake has cooled, slice and drizzle with the glaze.
PinkLouLou and American Blogger
This is from Chris, explaining a little more about his vision:
What started this whole film idea for me was how my wife loves to blog/instagram so much and she is always meeting new people and, in most cases, really (sincerely) connecting with people around the country (and world). I was really more interested to dig deeper into all this blogging/instagram/twittter world and one, help people understand how cool it is to have an area on the internet that is all yours. And two, I hope to sort-of take a visual snapshot of this time in history when all these instagrammers/bloggers are able to put something out there into the world and really shape culture (in a positive way). An example of a visual element (besides the interviews and actual stories) - Imagine a woman sitting in a skyscraper apartment in NY and she reaches in her pocket and grabs a phone, takes a pic of the city below and uploads it. Then imaging another, sitting on a porch looking at the mountains, grabs their phone, takes a pic, and uploads it. This is so visually beautiful because they are both doing the exact same thing from two completely different worlds and perspectives. I think this is important to show the differences and similarities!!! I truly think this will be a emotional movie as well as a big hit.Oh yeah, and Chris is traveling around in THIS.
(my cute little momma came over in her pink skinnies!)
June 1, 1980 -- A Guest Post by Allison Johnson of PinkLouLou
Sweet parents :)
My teeny tiny adorable momma!
And last but not least, meet Imogene. I am pretty sure I got my poofin' skills from my g-ma. I mean look at that volume!