Cozy up to a hot fire with crusty bread, warm feta spread and Yellow Tail’s Pure Bright Chardonnay
We’ve been seeing this baked feta trend all over TikTok and couldn’t wait to try it ourselves. This recipe leaves so much room for improvisation, add your own favorite ingredients and make it uniquely yours.
This time year apples are everywhere and they come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and flavors. Visit your local grocer, farm or market for the freshest apples you will find all year.
Although they are great to bite into all by themselves they present so many options for preparation and devouring. Pies, cakes, sauces, butters, breads, caramelized and candied. Those last two mentioned are such an incredible treat for children and grown ups alike.
Caramel apples can be as easy as a trip to your grocery, pick the apples and purchase a small kit which typically includes the sticks, caramel and instructions. I am including in this post two recipes for making your own.
One very quick and easy way to prepare them is to use the individually wrapped caramels you usually find in the sweets isle. This time of year your grocer may have them conveniently placed near the apples in produce.
The one item I would change is keep it fun and in the season. Go outside and find your own sticks instead of the craft or lollipop sticks. They need to be small yet sturdy enough to hold your apple up so you don’t drop your sugary goodness on the ground.
Remove the stem from each apple and press a craft stick into the top. Butter a baking sheet.
Place caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave 2 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool briefly.
Roll each apple quickly in caramel sauce until well coated. Place on prepared sheet to set.
With this next one, you need to get a little bit more involved but the flavor is just out of this world.
Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 Granny Smith or Red Delicious apples
1 cup toasted pecans (optional), coarsely chopped
Directions
Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and coat it with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil over high. Reduce to medium-high and simmer, undisturbed, until caramel is golden brown, 8 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully stir in cream (mixture will sputter, be very careful and keep little ones away). Transfer to a small bowl and let cool 5 minutes.
With a paring knife, make a small slit in top of each apple. Insert an ice-pop stick, lollipop stick or branch, 1 inch deep into each slit. Dip apples into caramel, swirling to coat. If you are using nuts or other sprinkling type goodies, now is the time to add them and transfer to your waxed paper coated baking sheet.
Welcome to basil & salt’s first ever cocktail week!
I know what you’re thinking. How is this different than any other week?
This week is editor’s choice and I thought I would share my favorite cocktail recipes with readers, and I would really like to know what your favorite cocktail is!
If you would like to share, find the menu tab at the top of the page, poke ‘cocktail questionnaire’ and fill out the form. I look forward to reading your responses.
The Select Spritz
Ingredients
3 Parts La Marca Prosecco
2 Parts Select Aperitivo
1 Splash Soda Water
Garnish: 1 Large Green Olive
Directions
Pour Select, La Marca Prosecco, and soda water into a wine glass over ice.
The peach. One of Mother Nature’s greatest summer gifts.
There’s nothing like biting into a ripe, juicy peach. Whether you’re eating it whole, slicing it into fresh cream, ice cream, or canning or baking, the smell of the peach reminds us that fall is on its way. Summer’s last hurrah.
We have paired our late summer peach with Four Roses Bourbon. This decadent, delicious recipe is simple to prepare and perfect for your Labor Day cookout.
Note:Set aside a bit of extra sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling and cream for brushing over the top.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, add peaches, bourbon, 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a large bowl and toss to coat.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt.
Cut 1-1/2 sticks of butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Cut it with a pastry blender, fork, or your hands until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Slowly add cream and mix just until the dough comes together, being careful not to overwork the dough. It should be slightly sticky.
Melt the remaining 1/2 stick butter in a 10″ skillet or large stock pot over medium-low heat. Carefully add the peaches and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart baking dish and immediately drop the dough by tablespoonfuls over the peaches. It’s okay to leave gaps or spaces as the dough will puff and spread. Brush the top with some heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar and a little extra cinnamon.
Bake in the oven on a baking sheet, it will drip, until the cobbler is browned, and the fruit is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm with the ice cream or freshly whipped cream.
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Weekday perfect, you can make the dough ahead of time or pick up fresh-made dough from your local deli. Have your hungry crew top their own pie with their favorite flavors.
Late summer shows off Mother Nature’s best work of art. Leaves become restless in anticipation of the fall dance, gourd foliage is in full bloom and ripe, plump tomatoes are heavy on the vine.
I love to pick tomatoes at the end of the day, when they’re still warm from the sun. ~Alain Ducasse
Pizza is a $30 billion dollar per year industry with approximately 61,269 pizzerias across the United States. Americans eat about 3 billion pizzas annually and the flavor combinations are endless.
Deep dish, thin or hand tossed, pizza can be customized to suit any flavor. For this post today, we chose a simple ‘Margherita’ style with a variety of late-summer colors. It’s not necessary to follow exact directions, experiment a bit with toppings, tweak and twist a recipe until it’s your own.
If time is an issue, make your pizza dough one day ahead of time. Cover well with plastic wrap and chill so dough does not dry out or you can freeze the dough in well-wrapped 1/2 pound dough-balls for 1-2 weeks.
Time Saver! Visit the deli counter at your local grocer and ask for pre-made pizza dough.
Note: As always we highly recommend you use a pizza stone. An hour before you toss your pizza in the oven, place your stone on the oven rack in the lower third of your electric oven. If you’re using gas, on the floor of your gas oven, and preheat to 500°F.
1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided, plus a bit more for dusting
3/4 cup warm water, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
Stir together yeast, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1/4 cup warm water in a large bowl. Let stand until surface appears creamy, about 5 minutes. If it doesn’t look creamy, toss and begin again.
Add 1 1/4 cups flour, remaining 1/2 cup water, salt, and oil and stir until smooth. Stir in enough flour (1/4 to 1/3 cup) for dough to begin to pull away from side of bowl. Dough will be a bit wet.
Knead on a floured surface, lightly re-flour when dough becomes too sticky. Knead until smooth, soft, and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form into a ball, put in a bowl, and dust with flour. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise at warm room temperature until doubled, about 1 1/4 hours.
The Topping
1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 3 ounces mozzarella cheese, your choice
4 to 5 basil leaves, torn
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, your favorite summer colors and flavors
A small bit of salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional Toppings: SprinkleFeta or goat cheese across top after baking
Directions
Shape the dough.
Do not punch down. Pat out evenly with fingers and stretch into a 14″ round.
Assembly.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil in center of dough and brush outwards toward edges, leaving 1″ dry on the edges.
Place garlic evenly across dough. Slice mozzarella cheese into equal sizes and place evenly across the dough, do the same with tomatoes.
Slide pizza onto pizza stone, bake until dough is crisp and browned about 9-12 minutes.
Transfer to cutting board with pizza peel and cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil before cutting.
Choose the cheeses and toppings that appeal most to you and your guests. Experiment with flavors, colors and textures. We would love to hear about your favorite flavor combinations.
It’s been a long, hot summer already this year and one pot meals are the way to go to keep the kitchen cool. Drop it in the crock pot and leave it. This dish can be made as mild or spicy as you like, twist, tweak it and make it your own.
Olive Oil (enough to coat the bottom of a large sauté pan)
¼ cup of Minced Garlic
1lb of ground turkey 85/15 (or other ground meat of your choosing. You can also combo other meats also like pulled chicken, ground beef, ground pork, etc.)
1/8 cup of granulated garlic
1/8 cup of granulated onion
1/8 cup of paprika
1/8 cup of ground cumin
A pinch of Italian seasoning
A pinch of ground coriander
A pinch of smoked sea salt
A pinch of ground pepper
2 16 oz cans of organic vegetarian chili (if you cannot find organic canned veggie chili, a nonorganic one is fine also. *Note: if you prefer and have time, you can use dried beans
1 16 oz can of cannellini beans (rinse and drain)
½ of a 28oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 6oz can of tomato paste
½ cup of homemade or jarred tomato sauce of your choosing
¼ cup of BBQ sauce (homemade or brand of your choosing)
¼ cup of Heinz ketchup
½ of a 12 oz bottle/ or ½ of a 16 oz can of Sapporo Premium
Instructions
Cover bottom of large sauté pan with olive oil and add minced garlic
Season ground meat with a pinches of granulated garlic, onion and chili powder and salt and pepper
Brown ground meat in large pan with heat turned up about half way so to not burn meat and spice mixture
Once meat is browned, transfer to slow cooker
Add canned chili or soaked beans, rest of all spices, sauces, pastes, beer and stir in crock pot to blend all ingredients together
Set cooker to low and timer to 8 hours. After 8 hours, cooker will switch to warm if you are not serving right away
Make sure to stir every hour or so, so chili doesn’t stick and tomato based products don’t burn
Feel free to top with chopped up cooked bacon, fried onions, shredded cheese, sour cream, scallions or anything you like
Serve with tortilla chips and an ice cold Sapporo!
**Note: We tweaked the recipe just a bit, adding one medium bell pepper, and added one small roasted chili pepper for garnish on top of each bowl filled with chili.
Raspberry ice cubes keep this shandy cool and never diluted for a 2-for-1 cocktail experience, as the ice melts so does the raspberry flavor adding a new layer to your cocktail’s flavor profile.
4 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 oz. simple syrup (3 for a sweeter cocktail)
Sapporo Premium Beer
Raspberry ice cubes*
Add raspberry ice cubes, lemon juice and simple syrup to pint glass or beer mug, top with Sapporo and gently stir with a bar spoon.
*Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of fresh raspberries to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Once water begins to boil, turn heat to a simmer and let steep 15-20 minutes or until raspberries begin to lose their color. Strain the raspberries and fill ice cub tray with flavored water and freeze until solid.
The partnership connects Vimeo’s powerful creation tools with TikTok Ads Manager; Vimeo is the first video software company to join the TikTok Marketing Partner Program
Vimeo (NASDAQ:VMEO), the world’s leading all-in-one video software solution, and TikTok, a leading destination for short-form mobile video, today announced a new partnership that integrates Vimeo’s powerful video tools with the TikTok platform. The partnership gives small and medium businesses (SMBs) everything they need to make effective video ads to engage customers, while enabling them to take full advantage of Vimeo’s suite of video tools and the broad reach of the TikTok platform. In pre-release tests of the combined capabilities participants saw up to 50% higher clickthrough rates compared to previous campaigns on other platforms and were able to double the number of videos they created in a short timespan.
Vimeo is joining TikTok Marketing Partners, a group of vetted experts who create, implement, and measure TikTok ad campaigns. Vimeo is the first partner to be badged under TikTok’s all-new Creative Tools subcategory of Creative Partners, who help brands produce creative assets that leverage TikTok’s best practices.
With this first-of-a-kind partnership between TikTok and a video software company, SMBs can now use Vimeo Create, an advanced AI-driven video production tool, to produce and publish ads directly into the TikTok Ad Manager in minutes. The companies also collaborated on developing custom video templates exclusively available in Vimeo Create, optimized for the TikTok platform.
Pre-Release Test Advertising Ahead of launch, Vimeo and TikTok invited small businesses to try Vimeo Create and advertise on TikTok for the first time. More than 85% of participants reported successful campaign results and plan to run additional TikTok campaigns. NaturalAnnie Essentials, a family-run, Bridgeport, CT-based soy candle company, saw a 5.5x increase in conversion rate within the first two weeks of the trial campaign when compared with other forms of online advertising.
“We’ve saved thousands of dollars, the stress of shipping candles to a production studio, and lots of headaches by using Vimeo for our TikTok ads,” said Annya White-Brown, CEO of NaturalAnnie Essentials. “Vimeo Create made it super easy — it was as simple as adding your assets to the templates to fit your brand. Now we create anywhere from 30-75 videos per month.”
TikTok gives small businesses opportunities to reach and attract wider communities where they spend their time today. However, the high level of user engagement on the platform creates a challenge for marketers who need to publish new content and ads with far more frequency than on other online channels. It’s recommended that businesses test new TikTok ad creative on a bi-weekly basis, and that they post new organic TikTok videos multiple times a week – if not every day – to maximize their engagement.
“Vimeo and TikTok are solving one of the most significant pain points for SMBs in reaching customers — how to easily and affordably create professional-quality content at scale,” said Richard Bloom, SVP, Business Development, Vimeo. “We’re thrilled to be the first video creation platform to integrate with TikTok For Business and to expand the reach of Vimeo Create, so more businesses can engage even more customers online.”
“As small businesses recover and rebuild after a challenging year, TikTok is working on ways to make it easier to reach their community and grow their business,” said Melissa Yang, Head of Ecosystem Partnerships, TikTok. “Our partnership with Vimeo provides small businesses with simple, effective video tools that rival what the biggest brands in the world have access to — and they drive real results.”
Following the launch, Vimeo and TikTok plan to find more ways to join forces in helping every SMB succeed with video. This integration is available immediately to all Vimeo users.
About TikTok TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
About Vimeo Vimeo (NASDAQ: VMEO) is the world’s leading all-in-one video software solution. Our platform enables any professional, team, and organization to unlock the power of video to create, collaborate and communicate. We proudly serve our growing community of over 200 million users — from creatives to entrepreneurs to the world’s largest companies. Learn more at www.vimeo.com.
While treating yourself to the spa or a nice massage is a happy occasion, having a dedicated room inside the home to disconnect and rejuvenate is essential. Many could agree there’s nothing more satisfying than unwinding in a hot bath after a long, hectic day, and a well-designed bathroom with a statement bathtub can be the perfect retreat for indulging in some much-needed self-care.
To give you the inspiration you need to create the relaxation space of your dreams, I have shared several swoon-worthy bath spaces below. From marvelous bathtubs to luxurious materials, these sumptuous bathrooms double as private getaways.
When you’re ready to create your own, visit the following links for shopping and inspiration:
Season Three of “NASA’s Curious Universe” Podcast Takes Listeners Into Deep Space
Season three of “NASA’s Curious Universe” podcast debuts July 12, and will explore the wild and wonderful places on our home planet and beyond.
NASA Logo. (PRNewsFoto/NASA) (PRNewsFoto/)
This summer, Host Padi Boyd, a NASA astrophysicist, guides listeners through NASA’s missions, projects, and people. Season three visits a wide range of tour stops along NASA’s journeys in science and spaceflight, and each episode is an invitation to an adventure with a NASA expert.
Listeners will traverse the Antarctic ice sheets with climate scientists, go “planet-hunting” with exoplanet researchers, and spend a day living and working in space with NASA astronauts. New episodes will be released every Monday through August 30.
NASA’s Curious Universe first debuted in March 2020 and has previously released 15 episodes focused on a range of topics, from asteroids to solar science. In February 2021, the show became the first podcast to feature microphone-recorded audio from Mars, collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover during landing.
NASA’s Curious Universe is for everyone and doesn’t require any prior knowledge of NASA or its missions. First-time explorers welcome!
Record Demand For Private Jet Flights To Continue, According To A New Survey of Private Aviation Users
69% of current private aviation users expect to fly more post-Covid than prior to the pandemic; 53% of new private aviation users will continue private flights on a regular basis after the pandemic; 100% retention rate for new users
Demand for private jet travel will continue at record levels, according to a new survey by Private Jet Card Comparisons
Half of the current private aviation users said they had started or re-started private flying due to Covid, and 100% of these new private flyers say they plan to continue after the pandemic. More than half (53%) said they would fly privately regularly even after the pandemic, a 29% increase from 41% who said they would continue private flights regularly in a January survey of subscribers.
“If the question is, will new users stick with private aviation even in a post-Covid world, the answer is a unanimous yes, with many (53%) saying they will now use private aviation regularly,” said Doug Gollan, Founder, and Editor-in-Chief of buyer’s guide Private Jet Card Comparisons.
‘The Flight Of The Monarch Butterfly – The Pollinator Project’ To Air On Discovery, Science Channel And Animal Planet
Most known for their winter and spring migrations spanning more than 3,000 miles, the monarch butterfly is a small but key component to the ecosystem in terms of food and its role as a pollinator. “The Flight of the Monarch Butterfly – The Pollinator Project” will explore the latest science, learnings and the species’ survival issues in its world premiere Sunday, July 25 at 8:30 a.m. (ET/PT) on Discovery, Thursday, July 29 at 5 p.m. (ET/PT) on the Science Channel and Saturday, July 31 at 8 a.m. (ET/PT) on Animal Planet.
A Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed
With exclusive access arranged by the Mexican Minister of Tourism, the program highlights the monarchs’ dramatic journey throughout North America and examines scientists’ concerns about the species’ diminishing numbers due to pollution and climate fluctuations. It also addresses what the declining population could mean for the future of the broader ecosystem.
“Sustainability is at the heart of our decision making,” said Kevin Butt, Toyota Motor North America’s environmental sustainability director. “As we plan, build and manage our facilities across North America, we proactively learn about local species and study how to minimize the disruption of their natural habitats – environmental stewardship then helps drive a culture of conservation beyond our company walls.”
The program also examines what American companies have created in the pathway of the butterflies’ northern flight pattern – a habitat rich with milkweed plants – and issues a call to action for interested people to get involved through local and national clubs and organizations that make their journey easier.
Presented as one example helping to save, protect and nurture the monarch butterflies migration to North America, the program explores Toyota’s 17 pollinator gardens throughout its North American operations and shows how they provide food and shelter to critical pollinator species, including the monarch butterflies at various stages of their life cycle along the seasonal migration path.
Viewers will have the opportunity to see it on the following broadcasts. Check local listings:
Discovery:
Sunday, July 25 at 8:30 a.m. (EDT & PDT)
Science Channel:
Thursday, July 29 at 5 p.m. (EDT & PDT)
Animal Planet:
Saturday, July 31 at 8 a.m. (EDT & PDT)
“The Flight of the Monarch Butterfly – The Pollinator Project” is produced by Bader Media Group for Discovery. Mike Leventhal is executive producer for Bader. Jay Foot served as producer/writer. Toyota funded the production.
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