With the new year approaching, I've been contemplating goals for 2016. As I was wandering around the garden with my morning coffee, I couldn't help but admire the Clementines draping off the trees and the Meyer Lemons just asking to be picked, made into something tasty. They look like little orbs of edible sunshine, and my brain went straight to Limoncello as a way to do citrus-y justice for them.

Limoncello is traditionally an Italian liqueur made by infusing lemon zest with a high-proof alcohol for a while, then mixing the infused alcohol with a simple sugar syrup. After a hefty dinner, there is nothing like a little glass of chilled limoncello to help with digestion and give you the zest to overcome a potential food coma.

 With homegrown lemons, I started my very first goal of 2016 - make limoncello! Pretty sweet goal, eh? I enjoy making it. Friends enjoy drinking it. Everyone wins with this goal.

Except instead of regular limoncello (because I can never make anything just regular), I also add a delicious twist into my mix with the garden Clementines. So what shall this hybrid creation be called, you ask?  CLEMONCELLO!

This Clemoncello can take anywhere from 4 days to 1 month to make, depending on how robust of a citrus flavor you want. Most of the flavor infusion happens the first 4 days, but the longer the lemon and clementine zests sit in the alcohol, the bolder the citrus flavor will be.

So technically, you could make this right now and have it ready for New Year's Day dinner, or you could host a New Year's Day Clemoncello-making party with your buddies, and have this tasty digestif ready in time for Valentine's Day to share with your special someone...OR YOU COULD DO BOTH! (Just sayin'.)

Either way, as you get the ingredients and stuff for this fun recipe, here are some important tips:

• Use vodka that is made from grapes. This type of vodka is considered one of the cleaner, more neutral tasting vodkas.
• Meyer Lemons are the best, but regular lemons are good too. Meyer lemons cost a little more than regular ones, but they'll give the Clemoncello a "sweeter" lemon taste and make the liqueur more fragrant. Using regular lemons are good too, and will still give you a great flavor.
• Pick lemons and clementines that have thick skins, if possible. The thicker the skin, the more zest you'll have for the infusion. Thin skins will run the risk of accidentally getting the white pith into your infusion, and the smallest trace of white pith from the fruit will yield a bitter taste in your Clemoncello.
• Make sure to really scrub those citrus fruits clean before using. It's super important to scrub off any pesticides or wax that is on the outside of the fruit - the alcohol will pull every flavor out of the zest, and you don't want any of that nasty stuff in your infusion. Better yet, buy organic if you can, but still scrub to the fruit to get the wax off.

Since I just decided to start this delicious adventure today, you could call this a "Clemoncello-along". We can embark on this journey together. :)

The sun is out, the temperatures are balmy, and the produce is getting amazing again - summer is just about here! My Chicago blood is still running thick from the winter, and I've been finding ways to cool down this week via cold treats. Paletas have become my newest chilled obsession. 

I've been buying up these delicious Mexican fruit popsicles at a Paleteria nearby, but honestly, they are so easy to make. Fruit, sugar, water (or milk) + 3 steps until tasty time - that's it! Plus, they seem to be healthier and more natural than most store-bought stuff.

So instead of single-handedly buying out all the paletas in my nearby store, I figured that this recipe will feed my cool appetite. There are ways to get super creative with this recipes, so many fruit combinations you can try:

• Mango + lime juice + chile powder
• Coconut milk (instead of water) + raw oats + cinnamon
• Watermelon + mint leaves
• Kiwi + Strawberry
• Coconut milk (instead of water) + Pineapple + lime zest/juice
• Raspberry + Blueberry
• Half & Half (instead of water) + peach
• Blueberry + Lemon Zest
• Orange + Passion Fruit
  
• Guava + Pear
• Lemon + Lavender

Can't wait to try all these flavors! Using just one fruit  is also super tasty if your a fruit flavor purist. :)

Finding a delicious gluten-free dessert is never an easy feat, as one of my closest friends will tell you. There's always the problem of texture. Many people who are used to baking gluten desserts have a tough time adjusting their baking style to gluten-free flours, with results that are usually a dry and crumbly mess.

However, today is a day to rejoice, gluten intolerant peeps - for I have a cookie recipe that will blow the socks off you and your gluten-eating friends. They're so delicious, moist, and soft that nobody can tell that they are gluten-free. 

Imagine ooey-gooey cinnamon bread...mmmm... now imagine a bunch of mini donut holes baked together in a way that you can pull apart little round bites of sweet deliciousness...MMMMM...these two visions combined are what make a tasty sweet treat called monkeybread. It could possibly be the bread that brings all monkeys and mankind together.

Those who have eaten this monkeybread know - it's amazing. I know that you're salivating right now from thinking about it. Those who have not had this bread before should probably rectify this situation very soon, if not right now. It doesn't take very long to make, and it can be enjoyed day, night, and anytime that your brain can justify reasons to eat it.