Summer Drinks: Grapefruit Beer

After a gin & tonic, my go-to summer drink as of late has been grapefruit and tequila. It’s tart and refreshing without being as fizzy as a tried and true paloma. But sometimes I want to drink a grapefruit libation throughout the evening and too much tequila usually = poor life choices (or just as likely, me asleep by 8pm).

Enter grapefruit beer. One of the ultimate thirst quenchers, beer and summer go together like peanut butter and jelly. (or is that beer and sports?) But I enjoy a bit of flavor to my brews, and the addition of grapefruit is seasonally perfect.

Here a few I’ve had a chance to try - any others you would recommend?

Schofferhofer Grapefruit My first foray into grapefruit brews also claim to be the first grapefruit beer on the market. Schofferhofer says their beer is a 50-50 split between heferweizen and carbonated grapefruit juice and it sure does taste a bit like a soft drink. The sweetest of the three, you can barely tell you’re drinking beer at all. And sometimes that’s exactly what I’m looking for. (available at Anderson’s)

Leinenkugel Grapefruit Shandy Leinenkugel’s beers can be so hit or miss for my palate, some of them are great and some of them are just plain terrible. But having spent a portion of my childhood in the badger state, I don’t mind supporting great products from Wisconsin, and I’m happy to report Grapefruit Shandy is one of them. Here Leinie’s starts with their famous Weiss beer and combines it with “white grapefruit flavor” and the result is definitely more beer-esque than the Schofferhofer. Served super cold on a hot summer day, its twice as refreshing with its grapefruit finish. (available at Kroger)

Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin This beer is a serious new find for me and its one I never would have picked for myself with out being forced to try it. You see, if there’s one type of beer that I’m usually guaranteed to refuse while out with friends, its an IPA. In general I hate how hoppy they are and I’d much rather enjoy a smooth dark brew. But there’s something about the grapefruit in this IPA that turns my IPA hate upside down. To be sure, this is a BEER. It’s not a hybrid like the two options above, it’s a 100% brewski - you can even tell just by looking at it (and at 7% alcohol, you'll start to feel it to). The grapefruit shines here though, its tart, it’s fresh, and perfect when you truly want a beer to finish off the day. (available at Trader Joes)

The A List: 4.22.16

It’s the return of the A List!  The crazy season of my job has finally winded down and with the return of my social life and my free time has started. And while I’ll miss the excitement and adrenaline of the season, I’m thrilled this “me” time is coinciding with daylight hours. Anyways, here’s a collection of things I’ve been loving this past week (or month) or so.

Grey’s Anatomy

TV isn’t doing much for me these days, I don’t have a whole lot of time to watch it at the moment and nothing seems too enticing to tear me away from my web videos. So it’s a little bizarre to me that the one show I do make time for, is the one I picked back up again last year. Grey’s Anatomy is under a refresh to me with Meredith Grey leading the way. Her journey back to herself and her social life is great tv at the moment, and I’m loving the Jackson and April dynamic too.  And can we talk about how amazing the Denzel Washington directed episode was? #TGIT

Tyler Knott Daily Love Haiku’s

Romantic. Dreamy. ALL THE FEELS. Every one of Tyler’s daily haiku’s that he posts to his instagram just speak to me, even when I don’t even expect them to. What makes them even more special is that he handwrites them, making them all that more emotional to read each and every day. Seriously, ALL THE FEELS.

Style Code Live

Speaking of web videos, there’s another appointment video for me at the moment, Amazon’s Style Code Live. Streamed nightly at 9pm, it’s a half hour of fashion and beauty and I’m obsessed. And the geniuses at Amazon have made everything on the show available for purchase, so it’s essentially one big commercial without feeling like one. Miss an ep? They’re handily available on Amazon’s Video App – great for binge-watching all of the latest trends (and safely tucked away from that pesky "one-click" purchase button).  =)

InStyle Redesign

Despite my addition to online magazines and lifestyle blogs, I still try and find time each month to catch up on my old magazine standbys. (My Texture app makes this infinitely easier – if you haven’t purchased it yet, do so now). InStyle has long been one of my favorite glossies, I love how they deconstruct outfits each month and how their editorials are a bit more approachable than some of the other high fashion pubs. But what I’m loving right now is their latest redesign, it’s fresh and sleek, and somehow remains luxurious, all while looking totally modern. So fabulous.

Lilacs

If daffodils are my favorite spring flower, lilacs might be my favorite other flower. Our place lucked into a huge lilac bush surrounding our back patio, and on slightly breezy springs days, especially the ones we’ve been super fortunate to have of late, the fragrance of them is transcendent. A bit feminine, but still fresh, right now they’re quite literally a breath of fresh air.

15 minute weeknight soup: kale and chicken sausage soup

When a week goes by where temps rarely reach freezing, there’s only one food group that I want to reach for: soup. And when you have a week where there’s nary a time to sit down and plan like I just had, this soup is the perfect weeknight warmer. With the exception of the garlic and chicken sausage, there are no real culinary skills required to cook this soup. All you need is a handful of ingredients, a big soup pot, and about 15 minutes.

Yup, only 15 minutes until a soup full of depth and flavor that will warm you right up.

The flavor depth is hidden in the ingredients; seasoned chicken sausage, the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, diced tomatoes with a little extra sumthin’, and the soup is surprisingly healthy as well, full of beans, tomatoes and kale, which all pass the new years resolution test.

Next time you only have 10 minutes in the store to pick up dinner, grab these ingredients and assemble, instead of the instant food you’ve always grabbed.

Recipe adapted from this one by Real Simple.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 12-ounce package fully cooked chicken sausage links, sliced thin *I love the al fresco brand with roasted red pepper and asiago 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) ¼ teaspoon thyme leaves 1 19-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed 1 14.5-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano 1 bunch kale leaves (I used an entire package of the baby kale from the bagged salad section) kosher salt and black pepper grated parmesan cheese to finish

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring once, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
3. Stir in red pepper flakes and thyme leaves
4. Add the beans, broth, and tomatoes and their liquid and bring to a boil.
5. Add the kale and salt and pepper to tase. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Serve soup in bowls, top each bowl with grated parmesan to finish.

The A List: 01.15.16

More and more I seem to be discovering my newest faves via SnapChat - which is no surprise because it's jumped facebook to my second favorite social app. (Insta, you're still number 1 in my <3).

But with no todo, here's a collection of things that caught my eye this week.

Carpool Karaoke with Adele: The Late Late show has been hyping this all week, and it doesn’t disappoint. Adele couldn’t be more adorable, and man, does she have a pair of pipes! I especially loved the Spice Girl part since we’re both former Geri’s, and loved how real and approachable she is in this video. Another fabulous Carpool Karaoke James Corden!

Alterna Rapid Repair Spray: I was watching an snapchat story with the Olsen’s stylist Mark Townsend during the holidays, and his number one recommendation for holiday hair was to finish it with shine spray. During a Sephora outing I happened to spot this one on the shelf and decided it couldn’t hurt to try it. OMG, it turned out even better than I thought. This spray manages to keep the frizz away and keep my scalp moisturized during the winter months, and it gives that perfect glossy finish that induces hair envy. If your hair is thick like mine, I definitely recommend giving this one a try.

E! News Glam Snaps: during the Golden Globes this past Sunday, E!News introduced their Glam Snaps, snapchat stories that recreated looks on the red carpet at home. It. Was. GENIUS. With a professional makeup artist and hair stylist on hand, they took a snap from the red carpet and followed it up immediately with the celebrity’s makeup look or hair style created step by step so watchers could easily follow it at home. What an amazing way to capture and recreate real time red carpet style.

Benjamin Clementine: snapchat discoveries seem to be a theme this week, and this one is no different. Burberry has always been a social media pioneer in the fashion industry and this week their channel was completely dedicated to their men’s fashion show. From backstage snaps, to reverse vids of sewing and fittings, their snapchat was everywhere including on stage with Benjamin Clementine. With just his voice and a piano, his songs move with reckless emotion, rushing and building to their next peak. And how cool is it that his album starts with him singing a Winston Churchill speech?

Floss Gloss: when Refinery 29 declared this polish “The Only Polish You’ll Need this Winter” they weren’t lying. I’m in love with this glittery pink polish, aptly titled The Pink Nugget. It’s a build-able pink glitter, with one coat it’s a nude shimmer, but as you add coat after coat it creates the most beautiful pale pink shimmer, a touch of sophistication with your glitter.

Golden Globes Fashion Wrap

Last night’s Golden Globes hit the mark across the board, great fashion, great celebrity spotting, and great jokes. While not as funny as Tina and Amy, Ricky Gervais was hilarious, often at Hollywood’s expense. His intro of Matt Damon? Awkward and hysterical.

But as always, my favorite part of the show is before the show, yup, I’m talking about the red carpet. The interviews are random and I love when the celebs pass each other on the podium and fawn all over each other. But let’s be honest – the fashion is the icing on the cake.

Last night featured a bunch of different trends, ethereal whites and blushes, classic reds, bold patterns, smoky and sexy jeweled tones and golden goddesses, but only eight can make my best dressed. Drumroll please…

Olivia Wilde: deep v's seemed to be the trend of the night and none were better than Olivia's, who smoldered in this burgundy Michael Kors dress.

Brie Larsen: she dressed to look like the statue and ended up winning the statue. Brie Larsen was glowing in this glittery Calvin Klein dress.

Julianne Moore: red-head envy alert! Julianne Moore is a goddess in this sequined midnight-coloured Tom Ford column. Even better? The long sleeves.

Laverne Cox: the lines on the white number number are so flattering on Laverne, she looks amaze. Love how modern the dark plum lip looks with this as well.

Alicia Vikander: at first a thought this dress looked like a smock, but once I saw Alicia move on the red carpet, I knew it was anything but boring. The sequin pleats with the contrast thread are everything.

Amy Adams: red-head envy part 2! Amy looks gorge in this orange/red number, the sequin lines are so flattering and her hair was the best on the carpet hands down.

Lily James: i'm not usually a fan of the dresses with tulle, but there's something so ethereal about this white Marchesa number that I can't help but love it.

Jennifer Lawrence: quite possibly saving the best for last - J Law slayed the carpet. I honestly thought she's show up in another Dior ball gown, but these cutouts, those abs, and the diamond collar knock this look out of the park.

All images via Vogue.