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Cara Cara Oranges

This post is sponsored by Melissa’s Produce. Their steamed veggies and fresh fruit are some of my favorite grocery items. We used Melissa’s delicious Cara Cara Oranges to make both of the recipes below. Enjoy!

Down here in South Georgia we have access to lots of Florida oranges this time of year. If you cross the state line going into Florida right now you see fruit stands setup everywhere and piles of oranges, grapefruit, and any other citrus you can think of. My thoughts on oranges changed quite a bit when I got my hands on a box of Cara Cara Oranges from Melissa’s. They are the sweetest, best-tasting oranges that I’ve ever had. Plus their ruby red colored flesh is super juicy. Making fresh squeezed OJ from these beauties is a wonderful breakfast treat right by itself.

Cara Cara Oranges

I wanted to make something worthy of these beautiful oranges, and we’ve been on a bit of an Asian cooking kick lately, so we came up with Orange Peel Beef. It’s a dish that you see in some Chinese restaurants, but it’s not that common around here. It’s one of Jim’s favorite Chinese dishes and we haven’t had it in quite a while, so we decided to give it a go. The Orange Peel Beef has a double-dose of Cara Cara Orange in it (both juice and orange peel), so it’s definitely citrusy. 

Orange Peel Beef

Orange Peel BeefOrange Peel Beef Recipe

Orange Peel Beef with Cara Cara Oranges
Our take on the Chinese restaurant favorite. Made with delicious Cara Cara Oranges from Melissa's Produce.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
35 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
25 min
Total Time
35 min
Ingredients
  1. 1/2 C plum sauce
  2. Juice from 1 1/2 oranges (we used Cara Cara oranges)
  3. Peel from 1/2 orange, sliced into strips
  4. 1 tbsp soy sauce
  5. 1 lb sirloin roast, sliced thinly
  6. 3 tbsp oil (your favorite type of oil will work fine)
  7. 6 green onions, chopped
  8. 5-6 dried chiles (optional)
Instructions
  1. Heat a wok over high heat until very hot
  2. Add oil and stir fry beef and chiles for 2-3 minutes. Remove beef and reserve.
  3. Add green onions and stir fry for about 2 minutes, until softened.
  4. Add plum sauce, orange juice, and orange peel. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
  5. Add beef to sauce and heat thoroughly, about 2 minutes.
  6. Serve over brown rice.
Notes
  1. You can adjust the heat level of the dish by adding/removing chile peppers and/or cooking them longer.
  2. We like to serve this over brown rice, but white rice or noodles would work just fine.
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For the last few weeks I’ve been doing smoothies for breakfast most mornings. Lately my smoothies have been pineapple and banana, but I decided to switch things up and use the Cara Cara Oranges one morning. It was a simple-yet-delicious smoothie that would work well with any type of orange, but the Cara Caras definitely take it over the top.

Cara Cara Orange Smoothie-2

Cara Cara Orange Smoothie
A simple and delicious smoothie made with super sweet Cara Cara Oranges from Melissa's Produce.
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
1 min
Total Time
5 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
1 min
Total Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 8 oz coconut water
  2. 1 banana
  3. 1 Cara Cara Orange, peeled
  4. 1/2 inch ginger, peeled
Instructions
  1. Add ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.
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Cara Cara Orange Smoothie

This smoothie would be great anytime of the year but it is particularly good right now. It is a great boost to your immunity with the ginger and also all the vitamin C from the oranges to help keep your body in tip top shape! 

These Cara Cara Oranges are so versatile, they can take you from breakfast all the way to dinner! The possibilities are endless! 

 Thanks again to Melissa’s for sponsoring our post. Check out Melissa’s full selection of fresh fruit!

His & Hers Hot Chocolate

How about this super cold winter weather, amirite? đŸ˜‰ It’s been in the 60’s and 70’s here for the past couple weeks, and that’s fine by me. I’m sure we’ll get our share of the cold weather soon enough, but for now I’m enjoying being able to go running in the mornings without freezing to death.

Even though the weather’s been warm Jim and I are getting our hot chocolate recipes into shape for when we need them. Everyone loves hot chocolate, right?? It’s the perfect indulgent way to warm up on cold winter days. We both love hot chocolate but we have very different ideas of what good hot chocolate is. Jim likes his super chocolatey and thick, while I like mine to be chocolatey and healthier. Needless to say we can’t settle on a single recipe, so we’re bringing you two!

First up is Jim’s super-dense and over-the-top chocolatey version. He uses regular milk and a little cream to make it creamier and richer. 

Rich Hot Chocolate

Jim's Indulgent Hot Chocolate
Serves 1
The rich, thick, and chocolatey hot chocolate recipe that you've been waiting for.
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
10 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 3/4 C milk
  2. 1/4 C cream
  3. 1/8 C sugar
  4. 2/3 C chopped dark chocolate, plus additional for shavings
Instructions
  1. Heat milk, cream, and sugar over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Do not let boil.
  2. Place chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl and pour hot mixture over. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
  3. Pour into a cup and top with chocolate shavings.
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Thick Hot Chocolate

My recipe is for coconut hot chocolate. The coconut milk is definitely a healthier alternative that is still chocolatey without too much coconut flavor. Over the recent months I have been using coconut milk in any recipe that calls for milk. Sometimes I use unsweetened coconut milk other times like in this hot chocolate I use vanilla coconut milk. It’s delicious and I urge you to give it a try. If you have a little bit of extra time you could also whip up some coconut whip cream. I decided to sprinkle mine with unsweetened coconut flakes for a festive touch! 

Coconut Hot Chocolate

Coconut Milk Hot Chocolate
Serves 1
A lighter take on hot chocolate made with coconut milk.
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Prep Time
1 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
6 min
Prep Time
1 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
6 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 C vanilla coconut milk
  2. 1.5 Tbsp sugar
  3. 1/3 C cocoa powder
  4. 1 tsp shredded coconut for topping
Instructions
  1. Heat coconut milk, sugar, and cocoa powder over medium heat, whisking constantly, until all ingredients are incorporated. Do not let boil.
  2. Pour into cup and top with shredded coconut.
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Coconut Hot Chocolate

One of the keys to making great hot chocolate is having good chocolate. Jim uses chopped dark chocolate (usually in the 60-70% range). It ends up being a little creamier. I like to use unsweetened cocoa powder. It’s pure chocolate taste without adding extra sugar. You should experiment with different types of chocolate to find your own favorites. 

Chopped Chocolate

Who else loves some hot chocolate? What’s your favorite recipe? Tell us about it in the comments. Stay warm out there!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Hi everyone! Jim here, bringing another one of my favorite recipes. This one is definitely inspired by one of my favorite childhood treats… CHOCOLATE MILK. There’s nothing simpler and more delicious to kids (and grown-up kids like me) than liquid chocolatey goodness. 

Chocolate milk was my favorite easy treat growing up, probably because it was something that I could make myself and we almost always had the ingredients on hand. All you need is milk and chocolate syrup. I don’t know about you, but I was definitely team Hershey’s syrup growing up…. I wasn’t having that Nestle’s Quick.

One time at my grandma’s house (I was probably 8 or 9) I remember having a hankering for some chocolate milk. I looked through her cabinets and fridge and didn’t find chocolate syrup. I did find some cocoa powder though. I added the cocoa powder to a glass of milk, thinking I was just using a strangely named version of the dry chocolate milk mix. I learned quickly that it was most definitely not equivalent. Cocoa powder + milk =  a powdery mess that won’t mix. Looking back, that was my first attempt at homemade chocolate milk. I had no clue what I was doing, but I was definitely pointed in the right direction.

Homemade Chocolate Milk

Skip forward to present day and I’ve discovered the holy grail of chocolate fanaticism… the perfect recipe for homemade chocolate syrup. It’s pure chocolate bliss. This recipe makes incredible chocolate milk, is a wonderful topping for ice cream, and is the key ingredient in the greatest chocolate milkshakes you’ve ever had. And if you’re feeling particularly hedonistic, it’s great eaten right by itself. 

Chocolate syrup (and therefore chocolate milk) is really simple to make. Its simplicity is part of the beauty. The quality of your syrup depends entirely on the quality of the chocolate that you use… my current favorite is Callebaut dark chocolate. Plus, homemade chocolate syrup doesn’t have any nasty preservatives, flavorings, or anything else that’s wholly bad for you. Yep, there’s sugar, but it’s much less than what you get in the store bought syrups and prepared chocolate milks. Did you know that a lot of store-bought chocolate milk has corn syrup in it? No thanks.

 Chocolate Syrup Recipe

 

Homemade Chocolate Syrup
Yields 1
Delicious, dark, and supremely chocolatey. This syrup makes irresistible chocolate milk and ice cream topping.
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
10 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 1/2 C water
  2. 1/2 C sugar
  3. 1/2 C bittersweet chocolate, chopped (70%+ chocolate preferably)
  4. 2 Tsp vanilla extract
  5. Dash salt
Instructions
  1. Place the sugar and chocolate in a mixing bowl. Heat the water until almost boiling and power over the sugar and chocolate.
  2. Add salt and vanilla to chocolate and then let sit for 2 minutes so chocolate can melt. Whisk to combine.
  3. Place mixing bowl in an ice bath to quickly cool the syrup. Keep whisking until mixture is completely smooth.
  4. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
  1. This syrup can get thick when refrigerated, that's normal. If you want a thinner syrup then add a little more water when making it.
  2. For chocolate milk, add 1 Tbsp syrup at a time to a glass of milk until desired chocolatey-ness is achieved.
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We drink a lot of different milks in our house. I drink regular cow’s milk, Jen drinks goat’s milk or coconut milk (sometimes) and the kids drink almond milk. You can make chocolate versions of any of those. One of the items on my personal to-do list is to make a chocolate almond milk using this syrup. 

Homemade Chocolate Syrup Recipe

As you can see below, this recipe makes children happy! Enjoy!

Chocolate Milk Happy

Best Southern Sweet Tea

Hi all! Jim here, pitching in one of my most treasured recipes. 

If you know me then you know that I absolutely LOVE sweet tea (or as we call it in South Georgia, tea). I’ve had sweet tea my entire life and can’t imagine life without it. There have been several periods over my 34 years where I’ve switched to the unsweetened variety, which is just fine and I do like it, but I always come back home to the delicious original.

Best Sweet Tea Recipe

I’ve used approximately 3,804 different methods of making sweet tea over the years, but I’m going to share with you my best current recipe. It’s a bit involved, and much more complicated that how most people in the south would actually make tea for daily consumption. But connoisseurs like myself don’t mind a bit of extra work to achieve a superior product, at least that’s what I tell myself.

Loose Leaf Tea and Why It’s Better

I’m a BIG proponent of using loose leaf tea whenever possible. The difference in quality of loose leaf versus the stuff you get in tea bags is tremendous. I like to think of it like this: tea bags are filled with the dust left over after all of the loose leaf tea has been taken out of the container. My favorite teas for sweet tea are Ceylon Sonata from Adagio and Golden Monkey from Teavana. Ceylon Sonata is more traditional, like the stuff you get in tea bags, just much better quality. Golden Monkey has more of a malty, chocolatey taste and is a sophisticated twist that I really like. You can mix the two varieties 50/50 or come up with your own blend. Experiment and have fun with tea varieties… lots of really good and interesting choices out there. 

Loose leaf tea for sweet tea

Turbinado Simple Syrup

Another secret to taking your sweet tea to the next level is using simple syrup for sweetening as opposed to adding sugar to the entire batch. Simple syrup serves multiple purposes: 1) it allows everyone to sweeten the tea to their liking. 2) simple syrup converts the sugar to fructose, which is sweeter than sugar. This allows you to use less sugar in your glass. I prefer to use turbinado sugar in my simple syrup recipe because it has a richer, more complex taste.

It’s All About the Water

All water is definitely not equal. To make the best tea you will want to use the best water you can get your hands on. A good rule of thumb is to use the water that you like to drink for your tea. We live in Georgia and have very hard water, so I don’t like to use that in my tea. I prefer using bottled water, but filtered water from the fridge works in a pinch. 

Hardware Needed

I make a LOT of sweet tea, so I have all of the requisite hardware on hand. I like to use the PerfecTea maker from Teavana for steeping. It makes the process of steeping and then filtering out the tea leaves super simple. I can’t recommend the PerfecTea makers enough. Get the big size, you’ll need it. 

As for service, any pitcher will work well. I like to use a plastic pitcher when possible so I don’t have to worry about shattering due to the extreme temperature changes you get when adding hot tea to ice or vice versa. Just being on the safe side. As for what you drink iced tea out of… anything will work but you definitely get bonus points for using a mason jar.

Ultimate Sweet Tea
The best sweet tea around. Uses loose leaf tea and turbinado simple syrup.
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
15 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
15 min
Ingredients
  1. Turbinado Simple Syrup to taste
  2. 8 Tsp (heaping) Loose Leaf Tea
  3. 3.5 C Filtered Water
  4. 3 C Ice
Instructions
  1. Place the 8 tsp of tea in your tea brewer of choice.
  2. Bring water to a boil and pour into tea brewer.
  3. Let tea steep for 3 minutes then express into pitcher.
  4. Add remaining 1/2 C water to tea brewer (does not need to be boiling).
  5. Let tea steep again for 1 minute then express into pitcher.
  6. Add ice to pitcher and stir thoroughly.
  7. Serve over ice and sweeten with simple syrup to taste.
Notes
  1. Lemons are a great addition to the tea. Uses the simple syrup recipe attached to this post.
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Turbinado Simple Syrup
A great simple syrup recipe that can be used for sweetening any drink, particularly sweet tea!
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
15 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
15 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 C Turbinado Sugar
  2. 1 C Filtered Water
Instructions
  1. Combine sugar and water in a pot over high heat.
  2. Let boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure sugar is dissolved.
  3. Let cool and store in a covered container in fridge.
Notes
  1. This can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It gets sticky, so be ready for that.
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Southern Sweet Tea Recipe

Whew, that’s a lot of info. Hopefully you can digest it and make some amazing tea. Let me know how it turns out for you!