toasted marshmallow milkshake

I made these at work a few weeks ago and they were delish. The coolest part was they let me use a flame torch. Not the super big ones like you see on the Food Network but the mini ones. It was awesome! 🙂 I didn’t burn anything or anyone.

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake
approx 10 toasted marshmallows (make sure they’re really toasted and not burned)
3-4 large scoops of vanilla ice cream (vanilla bean ice cream would be best)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2-3/4 cup of whole milk
extra toasted marshmallows for garnishing
whipped cream for garnishing

– in a blender, blend together the 10 marshmallows and ice cream until creamy
– add milk and vanilla extract and blend again
– if the shake it too watery, add more ice cream. if it’s too thick, add more milk. adjust to your taste 🙂

These are delicious! You can also add frozen strawberries and make strawberry marshmallow milkshakes. So so good!

Fail Sweetly,
Justina

toasted marshmallow milkshake

I made these at work a few weeks ago and they were delish. The coolest part was they let me use a flame torch. Not the super big ones like you see on the Food Network but the mini ones. It was awesome! 🙂 I didn’t burn anything or anyone.

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake
approx 10 toasted marshmallows (make sure they’re really toasted and not burned)
3-4 large scoops of vanilla ice cream (vanilla bean ice cream would be best)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2-3/4 cup of whole milk
extra toasted marshmallows for garnishing
whipped cream for garnishing

– in a blender, blend together the 10 marshmallows and ice cream until creamy
– add milk and vanilla extract and blend again
– if the shake it too watery, add more ice cream. if it’s too thick, add more milk. adjust to your taste 🙂

These are delicious! You can also add frozen strawberries and make strawberry marshmallow milkshakes. So so good!

Fail Sweetly,
Justina

avocado coconut smoothie

Did I say coconut? Yes, I did! I’m really lovin on the taste of coconut milk nowadays. I had some left over coconut milk from making the haupia so I decided to make a smoothie. I’m usually not a fan of avocado smoothies but what the heck right? You only live once! 🙂 I figured avocados and coconut milk go together? Or at least I hoped they did. It was pretty tasty, hehe.

Avocado Coconut Smoothie
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks
1/2 cup coconut milk
2-3 scoops of vanilla bean ice cream
1/2 a glass of ice (I used a mason jar so fill half w/ice)
sweetened condensed milk (optional)

– in a blender or using a magic bullet (that’s what I used), fill it with ice first then avocado chunks
– add ice cream on top and pour coconut milk over that
– if you want it to be sweeter, add a tablespoon or two of sweetened condensed milk

This smoothie is really refreshing. It’s sort of spring like and summer put together. I loved the flavors blended together because you could taste a little bit of everything. You can always adjust the ingredients to your taste as well. I like a little more coconut milk in my smoothies but my sister doesn’t. My mom would probably prefer not to have the ice cream and just have the avocado and coconut milk. Did I mention my mom loved this smoothie? It’s mama approved guys! 🙂 Those are rare aren’t they? haha

Fail Sweetly,
Justina

The Designated Driver (Harley Davidson Cafe)

Because Esther and I got to talking about Las Vegas yesterday, I began reminiscing of my Vegas trips over the years. I remember I went to Vegas for the first time when I was 16. Since I was still a baby back then, I ordered all the non-alcoholic drinks that appealed to me. The Harley Davidson Cafe on the strip has a drink called The Designated Driver. It’s a blend of ice, strawberries, and Sprite. It was so darn delicious, it’s the only drink I remember from Vegas. I didn’t have Sprite so I used 7Up but definitely use Sprite because the taste is a little different. As you can tell from the picture, I didn’t blend it with ice. It was late at night so I smashed up some strawberries and made a semi-puree. It was pretty good regardless but it definitely taste better with the ice. It’s an excellent spring and summer drink. The cafe also has a killer southwest chicken salad. Best I’ve ever had!

The Designated Driver (Harley Davidson Cafe)
1/4 part ice
1/4 part strawberry puree
1/2 part Sprite

– blend together until it resembles a smoothie
– pour into a glass and enjoy

Another thing I remember about my first trip to Vegas was all the weirdos handing out cards with hookers on them. The strip looked like an alley because people who took the cards out of politeness ended up throwing them on the street. Real nice guys! That was sarcasm in case you couldn’t tell. Also, I remember sitting in the car and being stuck in traffic. I think we were trying to get to Circus Circus. The car in front of us were full of guys and one of them decided to get out of the car and dirty dance next to the passenger side of the car in front of them. I’m pretty sure she was some rich lady cause she smacked him with her door. Totally unexpected but it was so hilarious. That teaches you not to do stupid things. I had delicious gelato from the Bellagio hotel and watched the water fountain show several times. I think my favorite one is still Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On. The M&M and Coca Cola factories were awesome too.

Fail Sweetly,
Justina

watermelon agua frescas

My daddy bought a delicious watermelon today so I made watermelon agua frescas. I was eating watermelon cubes but I wasn’t satisfied. I began browsing for drink recipes and stumbled upon Southern Livings agua frescas. It’s delish 🙂 Perfect for a summer day since it’s been really hot in the house at night. Yes, at night…it really makes no sense to me.

Watermelon Agua Frescas
3 cups watermelon cubed
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 1/2-2 cups cold water
1 key lime for garnishing, optional

– puree watermelon and sugar in a blender
– add water and mix
– pour into mason jars or cute cups
– garnish with lime if desired

This drink is soooo good when it’s cold. There’s just something about the watermelon juice. I’ll have to try this recipe with ginger ale instead of water. Happy drinking 🙂

Fail Sweetly,
Justina

boston iced tea

I was surfing the web yesterday and came across a blog called ValSoCal. She had a recipe for Boston iced tea which looked awesome (because it’s red). It’s super easy to make too! 🙂

Boston Iced Tea
– a mason jar
– 3/4 sweet tea (I used Pure Leaf)
– 1/4 cranberry raspberry juice (I used Ocean Spray)
– 2-3 slices of lemon
– 5-6 ice cubes

– add ice cubes and lemon slices to mason jar
– pour the sweet tea 3/4 of the way full in your jar
– pour the cranberry raspberry juice until it fills up the jar (about 1/4)
– put the lid on the jar and shake to combine

I highly suggest using the lemon slices. I drank some with and without the lemon slices and it definitely taste better with the lemon. There’s that ice tea/lemonade taste from the slices of lemon. I love the color. It’s absolutely gorgeous for a summer day. Thanks Val! 🙂

Fail Sweetly,
Justina

lemon bars

I made lemon bars yesterday because a coworker of mine has been nagging me about making them. They’re the perfect summer treat and they were delicious. The crust was awesome 🙂 The picture doesn’t do it any justice because my lighting was horrible.

Lemon Bars (adapted from Christy Jordan)
Crust:
2 sticks of butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
Filling:
4 eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar for garnishing (optional)

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees
– In a bowl, mix the butter, powdered sugar, and flour together for the crust (I did it by hand with a fork)
– Once the crust comes together looking like coarse bread crumbs, press the dough into a 13x9in pan and bake for 20 minutes
– While the crust is baking, make the filling
– In a separate bowl, beat the four eggs
– Add the sugar and mix
– Whisk the lemon juice in carefully
– Sift the flour and baking powder together
– Mix that into the egg mixture, 1/3 of it at a time
– Once it’s all combined, pour it over the top of the baked crust
– Bake again for 25-30 minutes
– Let the bars cool for about 30 minutes and sprinkle powdered sugar on top if desired 🙂

These were really yummy and went fast when I brought them to work. Everyone wanted to try one because it was a great summery treat. These have lemon flavor but don’t overpower the crust or the sugar. Everything mixes well together. Make these for a bbq this summer! 🙂

Fail Sweetly,
Justina

frozen java chip pie

This ice cream pie is awesome! And the best part is it only has two ingredients if you can find it in your grocery store. It’s no secret that I love coffee ice cream. So I stood at the grocery store and thought to myself..what’s better than pie with ice cream? 🙂 I really just wanted ice cream in a pie shell.

Frozen Java Chip Pie
1 chocolate pie shell (you can use the oreo one too)
1 pint Starbucks java chip frappuccino ice cream
whipped cream (optional)
chocolate curls (optional)

alt ver. (if you can’t find the ice cream in store)
1 pint coffee ice cream
1/2 cup chopped mocha beans (I get them at the Sweet Factory)

– unwrap your pie shell and let the ice cream soften
– scoop out the ice cream into the pie shell and smooth the top
– freeze until the ice cream hardens again (takes about an hour)
– garnish with whip cream or chocolate curls if desired!

This dessert is super easy and delicious. There’s really nothing like a good ice cream pie. People will never know it only has two ingredients. I think it would taste better with the oreo crust but I couldn’t find it at the store. The chocolate crust isn’t bad but I think the oreo one would bring out the coffee flavor even more. Happy eating! 🙂

Fail Sweetly,
Justina

easy salmon salad

Yesterday night was extremely humid so instead of eating hot rice for dinner, my sister and I opted for salads. I’m not a huge fan of salmon. Especially in a salad..BUT ours was pretty darn tasty. The lemon in the salmon sent the salad over the top. It had a very refreshing taste in every bite.

Easy Salmon Salad
– baked salmon fillets (similar here)
– baby spinach
– diced tomatoes
– Litehouse ginger sesame dressing

– to assemble the salad I put the spinach on the bottom
– I’m a huge tomato freak so I like a lot of tomatoes in my salad so I piled on the tomato on top of the spinach
– drizzle a little dressing on top of the tomato and spinach
– layer with salmon depending on how much you want
– drizzle more dressing on top of salmon (I do two drizzles because too much dressing on the salmon will make it taste funky and no one wants a funky tasting salad)

This salad is real refreshing. You could add julienne carrots or maybe eggs if you want but I hate eggs in my salads so I never add them. I have a week off of work starting tomorrow! So expect to see more recipes now that I have time to make stuff 🙂 I’m making calzones and a frozen java chip pie. I’ll also be making trips to Oldtown Pasadena for the glorious hotdogs at Dog Haus and cupcakes at ConfeXion Cupcakes. See ya soon 🙂

Fail Sweetly,
Justina