• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Its a Hero

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Sponsor and Advertising
  • Categories
    • recipes
    • brews + food
    • wellness
    • events
    • dairy-free
    • money saving tips
    • Explore Ohio
    • Family Travel
    • tips + tricks
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • giveaway
    • printables
  • Instagram Links

celebration

Easy 4th of July Apple Galette Recipe — VEGAN!

June 28, 2020 by Rachel 27 Comments

As things really hang in limbo with the reopening of everything, the kids and I have been still hanging at home. But this has left a lot of time to try new recipes. Lucky for me, I have three little taste-testers — and one big one! Creating a vegan apple galette recipe just in time for the 4th of July was a huge success!

tart dessert

While not everyone agrees on meals I make (mostly because kids are picky, y’all!). They will always agree on dessert! And, can you blame them? Nope!

So I’m sharing this delicious (and vegan!) Apple Galette recipe — just in time for the upcoming 4th of July holiday! It’s sweet, a little tart, and a whole lot of delicious!

Apple Galette

APPLE GALETTE RECIPE
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup of whole wheat flour OR all purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon of powdered sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons of cold butter / butter alternative
  • 1/4 Cup of water, ice cold
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon of AJOYO Unsweetened Almond Milk (for brushing)
  • 1 teaspoon of sliced almonds (optional)

Filling

  • 2-3 apples, sliced and cored
  • 4 Tablespoons of powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of powdered cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

Instructions

To make the crust:

  1. Place the flour, salt, sugar, and butter into a bowl and give this a mix, breaking the pieces of butter into smaller chunks, rubbing into the flour.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE PROCESS
  2. Add the apple cider vinegar and ice cold water to the mix. Gently start mixing it with the dry flour until it starts to form a ball.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE PROCESS
  3. Once the dough is well mixed, wrap it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE PROCESS

To make the filling:

  1. Place the sliced apples in a large bowl. Toss the apples with cinnamon, powdered sugar, and lemon juice until well-coated.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE PROCESS

To assemble:

  1. Preheat the oven 350 degrees.
  2. Remove the dough from the fridge. Roll out until relatively round and thin.
  3. Sprinkle half of the sugar on the rolled crust.
  4. Place the sliced apple filling in the middle of the rolled crust and spread it evenly leaving a half a centimeter edge.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE PROCESS
  5. Sprinkle the remaining sugar on top of the filling.
  6. Take a small edge and fold it over the filling. Repeat this step taking small sections of the dough until the galette is formed.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE
  7. Brush the folded over crust with AJOYO Unsweetened Almond Milk and sprinkle the sliced almonds on top.
  8. Bake the galette for about 30 minutes or until the crust turns golden brown. 
  9. Let it cool before serving.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE
  10. ENJOY by itself or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
© Rachel

As you can see, this recipe can easily be modified to be made into a fully vegan recipe. Some of my favorite butter alternatives are coconut oil and avocado oil, but I wouldn’t recommend either of those for this particular recipe. Instead, try and use the Country Crock Plant Based Butter Sticks! They have the same density and consistency of milk-based butter, which definitely helps in this recipe.

PIN ME - APPLE GALETTE

Tell me — what’s your favorite apple recipe?!

PIN FOR LATER

pinterest pin - apple galette recipe vegan
Vegan pie

Filed Under: baking, brews + food, celebration, dairy-free, desserts, food, holidays, picnic, recipe, recipes Tagged With: baking, brews + food, celebration, dairy-free, desserts, easy recipes, food, holidays, recipes

Boozy Red, White, and Blue Popsicles Recipe

June 23, 2020 by Rachel 18 Comments

Is it even the 4th of July if you’re not donning red, white, and blue and eating an array of themed foods? No — no it definitely isn’t! If I’m being honest, I am a tad bit obsessed with themed foods. For my eldest child’s first birthday party I used puns and themed foods for literally every. single. thing. While it’s been increasingly difficult to be that ‘extra’ with each subsequent child, I still go all-out for the important parties!

And, even though we’ll be homebound for this Independence Day, we’ll be holding our own little backyard celebration. Complete with mocktails, cocktails, and snacks of all kinds!

Boozy 4th of July Popsicles

My favorite part, by far, is my delicious Boozy 4th of July Popsicles. Patriotic and the perfect adult frozen treat! Sure, there will be other goodies — like red, white, and blue kabobs! And even other adult beverages (helloooo, red wine!). But these “Adult Bomb Pops” are just too perfect.

Boozy 4th of July Popsicles

But the best part of this recipe? Is it’s EASY! No blender required and nothing over the top. Just simple, straightforward fun!

Boozy 4th of July Popsicles

I’m OBSESSED! And you will be, too! If you need a recommendation for freeze pop ziploc bags, check these out here.

Yield: 3 pops

Boozy 4th of July Popsicles

Boozy 4th of July Popsicles

An adult version of the kid-favorite, BOMB POPS! Easy, unique, and FUN!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle of Red, White & Berry Smirnoff Ice
  • 3 ounces of Vodka
  • 3 teaspoons of patriotic sprinkles
  • 3 ziploc popsicle bags

Instructions

  1. Pour 1 ounce of vodka into each of the Ziploc Popsicle Bags.
  2. Pour Red, White, and Berry Smirnoff Ice into bag until fill line.
  3. Add a teaspoon of patriotic sprinkles.
  4. Seal the bag and shake before freezing overnight.
  5. ENJOY RESPONSIBLY!
Category: brews + food

Tell me — what’s your favorite boozy beverage?!

PIN FOR LATER

PIN ME - Boozy 4th of July Bomb Pops Popsicles
PIN ME - Boozy 4th of July Bomb Pops Popsicles

Post may contain affiliate links.

Filed Under: baking, brews + food, celebration, desserts, drinks, easy recipes, recipe, recipes Tagged With: alcoholic beverages, baking, celebration, desserts, drinks, easy recipes, recipes

Kid-Friendly Holiday Decorating Tips

November 26, 2019 by Rachel 31 Comments

This post has been sponsored by Big Lots. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Does anyone else feel like for all of the Christmas songs there should be at least a couple tunes for Thanksgiving? I, for one, am beyond excited to have our family over for our first Thanksgiving in our forever home. Our century-old farmhouse is the perfect place to host and decorate for this special occasion.

In our family, Thanksgiving officially kicks off the holiday season. We all have to be separate places on Christmas morning, but for Thanksgiving, we are always together. This years’ total attendance will be 6 adults, 5 (young) children, and 3 dogs.

I picked up all of the necessary decorations and table settings at Big Lots. They’re both adorable and kid-friendly — on a budget. The rustic holiday look with buffalo check, burlap accents, and red vintage feel was exactly what we need to keep the farmhouse-feel.

Big Lots Kid Friendly Decorating Tips

Kid-Friendly Holiday Decorating Tips:

Limit the breakables.

Instead of trying to keep breakable decorations away from my littles, I just eliminate them almost entirely. The items I’ve decorated with are sturdy, inexpensive, and made of soft or plastic materials. No glass here!

buffalo check living room decor

Get them involved.

Want your kids to respect the items you decorate with? Have them help you pick out the items at Big Lots! Getting them involved in the process gets them excited to have the items displayed in your home.

woman sitting on couch with coffee mug

Also? Kids love holiday chores. Get them excited to have company over by enlisting their help setting the table! My kids treat it like a craft project. They get to ‘put together’ all of the seats, plates, and settings.

woman sipping from coffee mug

Don’t take it too seriously.

I know so many people who take their holiday decorating to a whole other level. That’s great, but it also can set you up for major disappointment when something is out of place or doesn’t look right.

hot cocoa in front of christmas tree

Instead, have fun with it. Do you want to put your tree up now? Go for it! You don’t want to stick to one theme? Then don’t! The holidays should be a fun and happy time for everyone. So let it be.

If decorating farmhouse chic isn’t your thing, Big Lots also has a super gorgeous blue and gold line of decor as well as a colorful line! So something for everyone!

christmas living room

What’s your favorite holiday decor trend this season?

W

Filed Under: Akron, budget, celebration, children, cleveland, creative, holidays, home decor, money saving tips, parenthood, shop my favorites, tips + tricks Tagged With: celebration, Christmas, holidays, home decor, life on a budget, money saving tips, shop my favorites, tips + tricks

Home Safety at Your Fingertips

May 24, 2019 by Rachel 12 Comments

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY GUARDIAN ALARM BUT THE CONTENT AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE MY OWN.

 

Ohh, Memorial Day weekend! We’ve officially been in our home for 6 months — can you believe that?! Where does the time go? As we enter this weekend I feel… calm. Truly, I feel calm. Yes, we will be traveling to visit family and attend various celebrations, but I am breathing a breath of fresh air in the fact that I have not once hesitated on whether or not our home is safe while we are off living our busy lives.

I have to admit, looking back at our situation in our previous home, safety was certainly a concern, but not enough so that we did anything about it. There were many times where Chad was out of town for work and I was left alone with our children, and I just didn’t feel ‘safe.’ I would spend those days (and nights) worrying about a home intruder — just hoping that we would not have to deal with that type of situation. I’m thankful that those fears can now be put to rest.

See, while the kids and I are on the go this Memorial Day weekend, Chad will be off working the entire weekend. But we’ll both be able to monitor the safety and security of our home with Total Connect, the mobile app from Guardian Alarm.

Total Connect allows me to monitor the safety and security of our home when we’re away. I can control the handy lamp module that’s currently installed in our living room so I can effortlessly turn lights off and on (and thus give the appearance that we’re home even when we’re away). I can also check on that big package we’re expecting by live-streaming our Guardian Alarm camera. It’s so handy and easy to use.

I’ve long wondered what the fuss of automation in a security system was all about, but having the Total Connect app at my fingertips has truly changed our lives. Entering the house when I get home from Memorial Day festivities is made so much easier because I’m able to both disarm and unlock our back door with the push of a button.

While we’re off playing in the park, meeting up with friends for playdates, and enjoying the nice, long, weekend, Guardian Alarm will be taking care of the rest.

Now if only Guardian Alarm could help with keeping three crazy kids under control during all of these outings! Ha! I’m kidding, obviously, but I seriously wouldn’t mind if someone invented a teleportation device to effortlessly get us to-and-from our destinations without having to battle traffic!

How are you

 

keeping your home

 

safe and secure

 

this holiday?

 

 

Filed Under: #MomLife, busy mom, celebration, children, home decor, Home Safety Tips, money saving tips, Ohio, parenthood, tips + tricks Tagged With: #MomLife, being a mom, busy mom, celebration, children, home decor, home safety tips, money saving tips, ohio, parenthood, tips + tricks

Remy Bea’s Pink, Blue, + Gold Birthday Party

March 13, 2019 by Rachel 5 Comments

Remy Bea celebrated her 3rd birthday in January. Last year, for her second birthday, I planned an elaborate party. But January is a rough month in general. And between flu season and weather, I feel like I can never count on anything to fall into place, let alone everything that needs to for a party. Alas, it had to be cancelled.

So this year I felt like I really needed to make sure she had a great birthday party. And that’s why I planned a delayed birthday party for March!

Her one request from her Mimi was a Barbie cake. I don’t know what happened, but this child turned 3 and she decided she was a million percent girly. Well, a Barbie cake she received!

Her theme? Well, technically she didn’t have a “theme,” but she had a color scheme! And that color scheme was baby blues, pinks, gold, and GLITTER — so much glitter and sparkle!

The day of her party we were lucky to have so many of the people who love her present! Cousins, friends, grandparents, aunts, and uncles — they were all ready to celebrate our special little lady.

I debated the food for forever. I usually keep the food “on theme” but I was coming up blank for a kid who either wants to eat everything or wants to eat absolutely nothing but yogurt. Well, we went with a simple route — Philly Cheesesteak Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls (thank you, Instant Pot!), Remy’s favorite veggies (carrots + cucumbers) with dip, chips (obviously a toddler staple), and salad (oddly enough, also a Remy fave)

Her Mimi (my mom) made her two cakes — her requested Barbie cake and a blue ombré round cake with pink candies in the center. The ombré was a surprise from Mimi to Remy and she loved it!

After everyone snacked and chatted, we headed down to the gymnastics center for some tumbling. All of the kids — young and old — had so much fun.

By the end of the day, we were all completely worn out. But it was entirely worth it to see the joy in Remy’s eyes as we all celebrated her big day!

 

Cake: Made by Mimi
Decorations: Party City
Plates/Flatware: Target
Location: Riverfront YMCA

Filed Under: #MomLife, Akron, baking, busy mom, celebration, children, desserts, family, inspiration, mommyhood, Ohio, parenthood, party, Remy Bea Tagged With: #MomLife, akron, being a mom, busy mom, celebration, children, desserts, family, mommyhood, motherhood, parenthood, party planning, pinterest party, Remy Bea

Holiday Brunch Lemon Mimosas with Discount Drug Mart

November 14, 2018 by Rachel 21 Comments

This post is sponsored by Discount Drug Mart but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I can’t believe we’re rounding out the last part of 2018. I mean, I look back at all that has happened in this last year and I’m truly amazed at how quickly 2018 flew by. But I’m beyond excited to begin celebrating and reflecting on all that 2018 has brought to our family and friends.

There have been new jobs, new homes, big contracts, and new babies in our family this year — so there is much to celebrate!

To kick off the holiday celebrations, we hosted a pre-Thanksgiving brunch with my Mom and Dad, who just happen to be celebrating the purchase of their new home!

I picked up all of the fixings for amazing brunch cocktails at our local Discount Drug Mart. They offer a wide selection of beer and wine at state minimum pricing, which is great for ease of convenience and my budget!

For this special occasion, I picked up Truly Spiked & Sparkling Water, White Claw Hard Seltzer, Cook’s Brut, and Martini & Rossi Asti — a little bit of something for everyone’s taste! In addition to these items, I picked up what I needed for our brunch menu. Discount Drug Mart really does save you the runaround!

The real showstopper of our brunch was the featured cocktail — what I like to call Mint Lem-mosas.

Here’s what you need to make them:

1 bottle of Martini & Rossi’s Asti
12 ounces of lemonade concentrate, frozen
1/2 cup of vodka
a handful of fresh ground mint leaves
Optional: sugar rim garnish

Mix liquid ingredients in a pitcher. Pour into individual flutes. Add ground mint leaves.

These delectable cocktails will truly make any holiday brunch or dinner party!

We laughed, we sipped, and we celebrated the beginning of what is certain to be a delightful holiday season — one filled with laughs, smiles, friends, and family.

I’ll admit it — we had been slacking on hosting much of anything since we started having babies. There was always something keeping us from hosting, but if these last few hard years have taught us anything, it’s that time waits for no one, so celebrate every day now.

For great deals on all the mentioned items at Discount Drug Mart, click HERE to find a store location near you!

#holidayparty #entertaining #entertainingathome #hardseltzer #champagnecocktail #DiscountDrugMart


 

Filed Under: brews + food, celebration, Christmas, cleveland, food, gratitude, money saving tips, NEO, Ohio, party, recipe, shop local, sponsor Tagged With: brews + food, celebration, Christmas, cleveland, family, food, foodie, gratitude, money saving tips, NEO, ohio, party, party planning, recipes, shop local, sponsor

Primary Sidebar

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Blog Archives

Grab the Button

It's a Hero

Recent Posts

  • Caramel Apple Air Fryer Dessert Pizza
  • The Bank Hilton Head Island
  • Everything You Need to See & Do at COSI
  • Unicorn Pop Tart Recipe
  • Air Fryer Turkey Breast
  • Instant Pot Creamy Sausage Rigatoni
  • Strawberry Shortcake Adult Milkshake
  • Easy Homemade Blueberry Lollipops
  • Air Fryer Chicken Hibachi with Veggies
  • Copycat Taco Bell Cheesy Gordita Crunch
Collaborate with Rachel Loza on influencer marketing
dealspotr.com
Follow