Whiskey Wednesday: Strawberry Whiskey Smash

Happy Wednesday everyone!!!

In 2015, I started a fun new blog series - 

Whiskey Wednesday!!!

If you missed them, here are past posts:
Irish Mule
 Mint Julep
Bourbon & Sparkling Lemonade
Irish Redhead
Old Fashion
Jameson Coke Floats
Bourbon Cherry Coke
Bourbon Spiked Apple Cider
Hot Toddy
Whiskey Sour
Sage Brown Derby

Make sure to check back each month for a new recipe!

Whiskey Wednesday will happen every first Wednesday of the month.

My friends have really gotten into Whiskey Wednesday
and almost always say yes when I ask if they want to test drinks with me.
There were five of us hanging out the night that we made this month's drink,
and we all were savoring our Strawberry Whiskey Smash until the last drop!

We based the drink off of this recipe,
but added fresh strawberries to make it even better!
I'm sure any berry would be tasty in this drink,
so feel free to use whatever variety you like best!

The Goods:

Whiskey

Simple Syrup

Fresh Mint

Lemon Juice

Strawberries

In your cocktail shaker, add a few spoonfuls of chopped strawberries...

And then add a good amount of fresh mint leaves...

Now add two ounces simple syrup...

And two ounces of fresh lemon juice as well.

Muddle everything in the cocktail shaker to release the flavors.

And finally top off with four ounces of whiskey.

Get your glasses ready and add ice to your cocktail shaker.

Shake for about 30 seconds - until nice and chilled!

Strain into chilled glasses with ice and a lemon slice...

And garnish with more fresh mint leaves. 

Cheers with your close friends...

And then enjoy your Strawberry Whiskey Smash!

I foresee this drink being very popular in the months to come.

It'd be perfect to sip on while sitting pool side during the Summer.

Note - the above recipe makes two drinks,

but could easily be cut in half if you're only making one!

Baked Donut Monday: Blueberry Donuts

Oh hello there Monday!!!

I'm back again for another Baked Donut Monday post

and today I'm going to tell you about some super tasty

BLUEBERRY BAKED DONUTS!

After having a tough time coming up with last month's baked donut,

I decided to take a bit of time and research the next few to make.

I quickly found this blueberry one with just a hint of lemon zest,

and was so excited about it I almost made it that same day!

I held off, but did make them pretty soon after.

And not only were these some of the easiest donuts I've made,

but man oh man, were they so incredibly tasty!

Let me show you how easy they really are to make.

The Goods:

All-Purpose Flour

Granulated Sugar

Baking Powder

Baking Soda

Cinnamon

Lemon Zest

Butter

Milk*

Vinegar*

Eggs

Vanilla Extract

Fresh Blueberries

*Take a quick look to see how to make your homemade buttermilk. 

In a large bowl, add the following:

flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, 

baking soda, cinnamon and lemon zest.

Whisk to combine.

In a medium bowl, add the following:

homemade buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter.

Whisk ingredients together for about two minutes.

Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and combine completely. 

Add the blueberries to the bowl...

And carefully fold them into the dough.

Transfer donut batter to a large zipper bag.

Cut off the end of the zipper bag 

and fill your donut pan until 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

You can test that they're done with a toothpick.

Cool in the pan for five minutes, 

then remove and place on wire rack.

Dip both sides of slightly warm donut into a bowl with remaining 3/4 cup of sugar.

Return to wire rack to finish cooling and let excess sugar fall off.

Now it's time to take a big bite and ENJOY!!!

Blueberry Baked Donuts

Inspired by The Beach House Kitchen

3 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 3/4 cups Granulated Sugar, Divided

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

3/4 tablespoon Lemon Zest

1/2 cup Butter

Just shy of 1 Cup Milk*

1 tablespoon Vinegar*

3 Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 cup Fresh Blueberries

1. In a large bowl, add the flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and lemon zest. Whisk to combine.
2. In a medium bowl, add the homemade buttermilk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Whisk ingredients together for about two minutes. 
3. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and combine completely. 
4. Add the blueberries to the bowl are carefully fold them into the dough. 
5. Transfer donut batter to a large zipper bag. 
6. Cut off the end of the zipper bag and fill your donut pan until 1/2 to 3/4 full.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. You can test that they're done with a toothpick.
8. Cool in the pan for five minutes, then remove and place on wire rack.
9. Dip both sides of slightly warm donut into a bowl with remaining 3/4 cup of sugar.
10. Take a BIG bite and enjoy!!!

Things I'm Lovin' Tuesday: Suave Coconut Milk Infusion

This is an Influenster sponsored review.

I was given the Suave Coconut Milk Infusion free to try, but every opinion is 100% my own!

Last Summer I started another monthly blog series called

THINGS I'M LOVIN' TUESDAY!!!

If you missed the first few, you can find them:

here, here, here, here, here, here and here;

and make sure to check back every last Tuesday of the month!

Now onto what I'm lovin' this month...

In this post, I briefly shared my thoughts and reviewed
Suave Professionals Coconut Oil Shampoo and Conditioner.
And I was such a fan of it after the first use,
that I decided to share my love for it with you guys!!!

I'll be honest and was a little hesitant at first.

I was thrilled by the coconut milk, 

but I'm a little bit of a hair product snob,

and wasn't expecting much from Suave.

Well let me just say - lesson learned!

I am no longer anti-Suave 

and it has a lot to do with these products.

They made me a believer in inexpensive hair care!!!

I love the way the shampoo lathers,

I love the way my hair looks after it's air dried,

I love that if/when I re-buy it I won't be breaking the bank,

But most of all - I really really really like the scent!!!

The coconut milk gives the shampoo and conditioner an amazing smell.

It's not too strong or overpowering, but surprisingly it sticks around for hours!

I typically wash my hair at night and when I woke up the next morning after using these,

I WAS STILL SMELLING THE COCONUT!

If you're looking for a new shampoo and conditioner to try,

I highly recommend you give these two a try.

I can't speak on their long-term use because I've only used them a few times,

but so far I've really loved what they've done to my hair!

Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce

I'm a pretty big fan of salmon and am always looking for new ways to make it.

So after seeing this recipe mentioned on this blog more than once,

I decided to head to the store to get the ingredients I didn't have

and made it for dinner for myself not too long ago.

After just one bite I knew I would be making the recipe again.

And of course I wanted to share it's deliciousness with you guys!

I can't eat something super yummy and not share it.

So enough talking, let me show you how it's made!

The Goods:

Salmon

Cornstarch

Soy Sauce

Brown Sugar

Ground Ginger

Garlic Powder

Honey

Mayonnaise

Sriracha

Sweetened Condensed Milk

Combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Sriracha 

and 1 1/2 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk.

Set aside.

Mix together 1/4 cup of water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch.

Set aside.

Add 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoons honey 

and 1 cup water to a small saucepan. 

Heat over medium until simmering.

Stir in the cornstarch mixture and continue to cook until sauce thickens.

It should take about 2 minutes and coat the back of a spoon once done.

Let marinade cool completely to room temperature.

Place your salmon fillet(s) in a shallow container.

Pour your marinade over your salmon and let sit at least 30 minutes.

I was only making one salmon fillet,

 so I saved the rest of the marinade to use for something else!

Transfer your salmon and marinade to a greased baking dish

and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Salmon is done with fish flakes easily with a fork.

Immediately serve salmon topped with Sriracha Cream Sauce!

Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce

Inspired by Damn Delicious

4 (5 Ounce) Salmon Fillets

1 Tablespoon Cornstarch

1/4 Cup Soy Sauce

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

2 Tablespoons Honey

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons Sriracha

1 1/2 Tablespoons Sweetened Condensed Milk

1. Combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Sriracha and 1 1/2 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk. Set aside.
2. Mix together 1/4 cup of water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Set aside.
3. Add 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoons honey and 1 cup water to a small saucepan. Heat over medium until simmering.
4. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and continue to cook until sauce thickens. It should take about 2 minutes and coat the back of a spoon once done.
5. Let marinade cool completely to room temperature.
6. Place your salmon fillet(s) in a shallow container. Pour your marinade over your salmon and let sit at least 30 minutes.
7. Transfer your salmon and marinade to a greased baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Salmon is done with fish flakes easily with a fork.
8. Immediately serve salmon topped with Sriracha Cream Sauce.

Favorite Adoptable Bunnies

Happy Friday you guys!!!

I'm back today for another Friday Link Up!

This week, I'm linking up with THREE different groups.

Make sure to check them all out at the bottom of this post!

Since Easter is just a few short days away,
and I already blogged about my Favorite Easter Candy last year,
this year I'm straying from my normal blog posts and today's will be about
FIVE FAVORITE ADOPTABLE BUNNIES!!!

So why bunnies you may wonder?

Bunnies, specifically adoptable ones, have been a big topic at my office lately.
One of my closest friends and co-workers has been looking for a bunny.
Her and another co-worker are a little bunny obsessed,
so I decided to let them take over today's post.

So without any more out of me,
I'll let Phoebe and Alanna take over.
They've seen LOTS of bunnies over the last few months,
and these are just FIVE of their favorites up for adoption!

Hi Robyn's Hobbies readers!
(Or Mama Robz as we like to call her.)

We both really LOVEEEEEEE bunnies!
In fact, one of us just recently adopted one as our own.
While bunnies don't seem like a typical pet to adopt,
we're here to show you FIVE adorable ones you can adopt in the LA area.

There are many different resources when it comes to adopting a bunny,
but after looking at quite a few, Los Angeles Rabbit Foundation was by far our fave.
They're currently in the middle of updating their website,
but we've found that their Facebook is just as useful too!

Before we show you these five adorable bunnies for adoption,
let's go over a few important things to keep in mind when adopting a bunny!
We want to make sure you're fully aware what you're getting into,
and also make sure you've done your research.

Bunnies require just as much work as any other pet.
They love to be snuggled and get human attention just like cats and dogs,
so make sure you're prepared for this type of time commitment.
Bunnies are MUCH more than just a cute Easter present - they live a long time!

Now time for the bunnies!!!

ONE

Bluebelle

TWO

Alexia

THREE

Chocolate Stripe

FOUR

Kringles

FIVE

Thin Mint

And because we mentioned that Phoebe recently adopted a bunny herself,
we couldn't end this post without including a picture of her too!

Meet Moo, formally known to LA Rabbit Foundation as Hip Hop.

Now for more Friday Link Up Fun, check out the blogs below!

Andrea and Erika's blogs from Friday Favorites.

April and Christina's blogs from 5 on Friday.

Karli and Amy's blogs from oh hey friday!