Beer Margaritas

It's summer, it's hot, bring on the tequila! This is one of those drinks that is great for a crowd, summer cookout or father day dinner celebration (like when I made them in these pictures). I absolutely love to entertain or go to parties or get togethers and this drink is perfect because you can make a big pitcher of them to serve up and you can enjoy the party, that way you aren't having to hand make every cocktail. What is great about beer margaritas is you can make them your own style and change up your flavor combinations. For example I've made raspberry beer margaritas and pomegranate ones before, but this time I stuck with my favorite original way.

First, in your pitcher add frozen limeade. This is a step where you could use any frozen juice you wanted to switch up the flavor. Though I'll stick with using limeade this time.

Then add your fresh lime and orange juice. I mean have you seen a bigger orange?!? Thanks whole foods! I love the fresh flavor and tartness that comes from the orange juice, but if you wanted you could always use triple sec (orange flavored liqueur)  for a more traditional margarita flavor. After you've got all your fresh fruit juices added then you can add the star of the show...tequlia.

Let me warn you, I've found that when it comes to tequila you get what you pay for. So I'm not saying to use Patron, but just think twice when picking out which kind you want to use. I add about 8-10oz for this size pitcher, if you are using something larger add more tequila. I like to pour the tequila into the frozen limeade container, to help me measure and to also help get any last little limeade drops I may have left behind.

Then you can add beer. I think a nice light Mexican beer is perfect for these. My favorite is Tecate. Stir well and you are ready to serve!

 Go ahead and slice up a lime and get a little plate of salt so you can salt the rim of your glass and serve it with a lime slice. It is that extra little detail that makes this drink extra yummy. There is just something so refreshing about this fun spin on a margarita, just in time for a summer party!

Kale Chips

I love kale. I know kale was so 2014 but I've joined the bandwagon and I love it! I love to sneak it into foods and dice it up into just about anything. It is kind of like spinach and can be hidden when it needs to be. Now kale chips, are a whole new awakening. It is something I feel like after much tweaking I've finally gotten good at. If you want a salty crispy healthy super food (see my trendy words I'm using) then you've come to the right place.

Lets get started.

First you want to wash your kale. I've made the mistake of just lightly rinsing it before and it actually can be quite sandy. So take the extra time and rinse each leaf. After you wash it you can start to de stem them. You can do this with a knife or you can do my favorite method and pull the leafy part away from the base and essentially rip the stem out. Pretty handy.

Once you have de stemmed you can tear the kale into pieces. Think bite size, its ok if some are small and some are big it makes them all the more chip-like. Get all your kale into a large mixing bowl. This is where my trial and error starts to come into play. I like to add fresh dill to my kale chips. I grow dill when its in season, it it one of the herbs I surprisingly don't kill, but if you don't have fresh dried dill is actually really flavorful so don't feel inadequate. Mince up your dill (or sprinkle a couple teaspoons if you are doing dried dill) and add it to your bowl. Next, is what I feel is the most important step. I have eaten a lot of sub par kale chips to get to where I am today and I think this next step has something to do with it. You'll want to coat your kale chips lightly with oil, I say lightly but it is important that it is an even coating. I use extra virgin olive oil, sunflower oil and vegetable oil. I think they offer a great balance of flavor, fat and freshness. Remember you'll just want to lightly coat the kale to keep it from getting greasy. After you've got it coated with oil its time to season. This is the fun part because you can literally use any combination you want. I like to go with a ranch style flavor with a touch of heat. I like to use salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and chipotle chili powder (this is the heat but also adds a great smokiness). Be sure you are stirring while you season so that the kale is evenly seasoned. Spread it out onto a sheet pan and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

I LOVE a crispy kale chip and so I always look for a bit of brown on the edges to know when they are done. Once you let them cool and try one there is no turning back. You get the fresh dill flavor and smokey chipotle with a great salty finish. If you can get them crispy enough they will literally melt in your mouth. I love taking these to a gathering because you can make a huge batch of them for a low cost and they go quick!