Strawberry Mint Spa Water

Sassy Water caused quite a fuss on this little website.  To date, it is my most trafficked post which Jason and find slightly hilarious.  For all the trouble, planning, and effort I put into most of my recipes, I'm best-known as the girl that put cucumbers, lemons, and mint leaves in a pitcher of water. But, I do love Sassy Water.  I still drink it and can definitely tell a difference in water retention and weight loss on the weeks I'm faithful to whip it up.  Plus, it's all natural and totally safe for me and the baby.

But, what I love most about Sassy Water is how refined it makes me feel.  I'm not just downing a detox tea... It's a pretty, light drink.  Spa water in general makes me feel a little more elegant than normal. There is something delicate and relaxing about drinking a lightly flavored water with pretty pieces of fruit laced throughout it. So when we hosted brunch for Jason's mom last weekend, I wanted to make sure we served it.

I turned to lemons, strawberries, blueberries, and mint for this beverage.   Lemons and mint provided a nice refreshing base flavor. The strawberries added a faint sweetness and a ruddy color.  I really added the blueberries for a pretty color contrast, but you could sort of taste them. It was a lovely, leisurely drink with zero guilt.  In fact, lemon water promotes hydration and detox.  An all around win... Pretty with substance. Enjoy!

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Weeknight Wonders: Chipotle Pulled Pork with Tangy Mustard Coleslaw

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a lovely Mother's Day weekend.  We did.  On Thursday, we had a cozy dinner with my mom and on Sunday we had a leisurely after-church brunch with Jason's.  Both were lovely!  We got our moms necklaces from Etsy that said "Grandma".  After the baby is born, we can have the baby's name engraved on a separate little charm.  Fun stuff, and I'm so glad they liked them. :)  I was also very surprised to wake up Sunday to find art supplies and flowers waiting for me from Jason.  Fresh brushes, canvas, and an easel... now I can attempt to paint something for our flat. His parents also got me a gorgeous necklace and my brother, Steve, bought me flowers.  I felt very spoiled and very loved.  I really wasn't thinking of this year as my first mother's day, but I guess it really is.

 Sometimes, it's the little, unexpected things that brighten your week. 

And, sometimes, an unexpected ingredient can transform a recipe.  Dr. Pepper is the secret to crock pot pulled pork. I've tried time and time again to cook pork with bbq sauce, and I think it's cause I'm gone for about 9 hours most days, but every stinking time it ends up burned to a crisp.  Even on low.  Dr. Pepper, however, works like a charm. It keeps the pork moist, juicy, and caramelizes during cooking to lend a sweet, rich flavor to the dish.  It really is a bit surprising, but key to this Chipotle Pulled Pork.  This roast takes about 5 minutes of prep time, cooks for 8 hours, and is absolutely delicious.  It makes a great sandwich, although I have made carnitas with the same recipe before. The smoky chipotle pepper really makes this barbecue a whole different animal... It's different from Carolina BBQ or Texas Brisket, but equally delicious.  

I like to serve it with my mom's tangy mustard coleslaw.  I'm not a big fan of coleslaw, but this one is tart, savory, and light, but not sweet, making it the perfect companion for the smoky bbq sandwiches. Enjoy and I hope you had a lovely weekend! 

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fluffernutter chocolate chip cookies

Sometimes pregnancy causes really weird cravings... like my random mid-week craving for a fluffernutter sandwich.  For those of you whose childhoods are clearly incomplete, a flufernutter sandwich is a peanut butter and marshmellow fluff sandwich.  Pure heaven if you are seven years old or pregnant.  

These cookies are a little bit of a compromise.  Instead of cramming my face with fluffernutter sandwiches, I made mini chocolate chip peanut butter cookies laced with marshmellows.  Delicious? Yum, yeah.  Every bite filled with marshmellow-y, peanut butter-y, chocolate-y goodness?  Check!  Bite sized so that I can still exercise some self-control? Yes! They are perfect for lunches, coffee breaks, midnight snacks... Enjoy and have a great weekend! 

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