Fire Up the Grill: Grilled Peaches

Summer's here which means it's grilling season. This post isn't a recipe, rather, it's a method for grilling peaches for a healthy dessert.

First, turn on the grill. Halve peaches and dip flesh side down in sugar (brown or granulated). Some balsamic vinegar would be great, too; it'd create a delicious, syrupy, crust. Once sugared, place peaches on the grill.

Review: Michelob ULTRA Light Cider

I love hard ciders, so when I was recently given the opportunity by BlogHer to try Michelob’s new ULTRA Light Cider, I jumped at the chance.

To learn more about this review and see other bloggers opinions visit Michelob ULTRA Light Cider page on BlogHer.com. And please don't forget to visit the Sponsor's site.



Immediately, I noticed the smell as I poured it in a glass; it smells like deliciously ripe green apples.



Upon tasting it we noticed a prominent crisp, green apple flavor with a hint of pear; we were pleasantly surprised by how much flavor and flavor complexity it had. It leaves an after-taste similar to green apple Jolly Ranchers candy.

The flavor was light and not too sweet nor tart. If you are a regular reader of my blog you know I don’t like things too sweet. This cider is naturally sweetened, which puts it head and shoulders above a cider like Woodchuck’s Granny Smith.

It was a hot day outside, 90 F, and this cider was so refreshing.

Oatmeal Crusted Chicken

I am constantly thinking of new ways to prepare chicken. Since raw meat makes me squeamish, I like coatings on chicken when preparing to hide the sight of the raw meat.

I like the idea of an oatmeal coating. I am trying to eat low gluten to help my stomach bloat and I bought rolled oats from Trader Joe’s that claim to be gluten free. Oats are naturally gluten free, but oats are often processed near wheat, and the tiniest bit of wheat will contaminate the oats and be a disaster for anyone with celiac disease.

These oats from TJs claim to be processed in a wheat-free environment. Even if there was a bit of wheat, it wouldn’t affect me since I do not have celiac disease. But for those of you with celiac or a gluten intolerance, these oats might be for you. I know that Bob’s Red Mill also makes gluten free oats.

Anyway, back to the chicken. Regular readers know how much I like the sweet and spicy combo. The cayenne and honey give this chicken that sweet and spiciness that I love. I wanted to eat my entire chicken breast, but my bloated stomach and gastroparesis prevented me. The topping is so good; I wanted to eat it by the spoonful.

Cucumber Margarita

I’m finally trying to get back into the habit of regular blogging. May was a bad month for me illness-wise, so I’m hoping June will treat me better. I’m finished with hospital visits at least until July. I have so many posts I need to get to. I hope I have the energy.

Back in May, for cinco de mayo, I bought the big bottle of Patron. We had traditional margaritas and then the tequila sat around. We aren’t big tequila drinkers, mine due a college incident that involved me and half a bottle of the stuff; I’m sure you can imagine the rest.

So I began looking for interesting drinks involving tequila and came across this one. It sounded refreshing and I love cucumbers.

My goodness, was this tasty. Nice and cooling on a hot day. I could sit outside under an umbrella drinking a few of these.

My Happy Place

Over memorial day weekend Mr.Surly and I made a stop back to our old stomping grounds up north to eat at our favorite restaurant.


You may or may not remember me posting the recipe for my favorite drink here, the shooting star.


My roommate worked here while he was finishing up classes at OSU; we only lived a block away. He used to bring home yummy left overs and he was the "juice boy" which is how I know the ingredient list (but not the ratios) of the famous Shooting Star beverage.