Yummy Summer Drinks Series - Mocktails Part 2

Happy Thursday everyone! I hope you enjoyed Mocktails Part 1. I would love to hear if you tried any of the drinks and how you liked them, or what you did to change them to your tastes. Today is the last of the mocktails. Starting next week I will be talking about smoothies and shakes (healthy!).

Cosmo-not

1 cup crushed ice

3 fluid oz. peach nectar

2 fluid oz. cranberry juice cocktail

1/2 oz. grenadine syrup (I used my homemade raspberry simple syrup)

1 fluid oz. lemon flavored soda

lime wedge or curl

Fill a shaker or lidded container with ice. Pour in peach nectar, cranberry juice and syrup. Strain into a glass and top with lemon soda (personally, this drink is too sweet for me and I like to top with sparkling water or leave out the syrup). Garnish with lime. Serves 1.

Raspberry-Lime Rickey

1 lime, quartered

8 oz. sparkling water

1.5 oz. raspberry simple syrup

Fill a glass with ice. Squeeze each of the lime wedges into the glass and drop in. Fill glass nearly to the top with sparkling water and top with raspberry syrup. Delicious and not too sweet. Serves 1.

Mock Champagne

4 cups sparkling water, chilled

4 cups ginger ale, chilled

3 cups white grape juice, unsweetened

Mix together and serve. Serves 10

Citrus Cooler

2 cups orange-pineapple juice

1 cup limeade

4 cups ginger ale, chilled

Orange or lemon slices for garnish

Combine juice, limeade and ginger ale in a large pitcher. Stir. Garnish with lemon or orange slices. Serves 6.

Exotic Fruit Drinks 

1 cup each of assorted fruit juices, kept separate

Sparkling water

Ice cube trays in various shapes

Pour juice into ice cube trays and freeze. For the photo above, I used pomegranate juice. When completely frozen, place in a glass - all the same flavor ice cubes, or mixing different flavors. Pour sparkling water over all.

You may also enjoy:

Introducing the series  

Simple Syrup

Lemony Deliciousness  

Presentation 

Mocktails 1

Yummy Summer Drinks Series - Mocktails Part 1

 
Some of you may feel that it's skirting the edge a bit to be making "mocktails" with a 12 year old. Maybe so. We really had a good time though. My floor is also really, really sticky. Why? I was making mocktails with a 12 year old. It doesn't help at all that he's grown about 3 inches and gained 22 lbs since December. "Hey Mom, I'll bring that drink over to the table. Oops. I spilled a little. Oops, I spilled some more." Was heard more than once. But hey, I've got a mop and I know how to use it.

That's enough chit-chat though, right? On to the recipes.

Margaritas

I went with frozen here because it's hot outside, and we like them. 

Spicy Grapefruit Margarita (adapted from bon apetit)

1 habanero chile, halved with seeds removed (if you haven't worked with hot chiles, use caution)
Kosher salt
6 cups fresh pink grapefruit juice (I used light grapefruit juice)
ice cubes

Steep habanero chile in grapefruit juice 1-2 hours, depending on how spicy you want it. Remove chile and pour grapefruit juice into blender filled with ice cubes, pouring juice to level of ice cubes. In my blender, that's ice to about the 4 cup mark. I made this margarita in two 3-cup batches.
Serve in frosted glasses, garnish as desired.

Lime Margarita

Kosher salt or salt/sugar mixture to rim the glasses

1/2 lime, cut in wedges, or desired garnish

6 oz can frozen limeade concentrate

1/4 cup orange juice

4 cups ice cubes

Frost glasses, if desired. In blender, blend the limeade, orange juice and ice cubes until well blended and ice cubes are crushed. Pour into glasses, garnish as desired.

Strawberry Margarita

6 oz can  frozen limeade concentrate

1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries

2 Tbsp. strawberry simple syrup

3 cups water

3/4 cup orange juice

4 cups ice cubes

1 liter lemon-lime soda pop, chilled

Combine limeade, strawberries, simple syrup, water and ice cubes in blender. Blend until ice is  completely crushed. Freeze in a 2 quart container to use later. To serve immediately, pour 2/3 cup slush into each glass and top off with 1/3 cup soda. Stir, garnish and serve. 

You may also enjoy:

Introducing the series  

Simple Syrup

Lemony Deliciousness  

Presentation

Yummy Summer Drinks Series - Presentation

Today, I'm going to talk a little bit about decorating those yummy summer drinks.

Presentation is everything, right? It's the reason someone will choose to pick up that drink and give it a try. I'm betting that a study would show (probably has shown) that most people enjoy their food more if it looks pretty. 

There are so many ways to garnish a drink. I'm going to share a few that we thought up. If you are so inclined, please leave a comment and share any garnishing ideas you may have.

• Frosting the glass. This is always pretty, and it's easy. I use a mixture of 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. of kosher salt. I like a little salt kick with my drink. Take the glass you're going to use and get the rim wet. You can dip it in water, or, like me, rub a lemon wedge around the edge of the glass. Then, dip it in the sugar/salt mixture.

• Fruit on a toothpick or skewer - pick a fruit that complements your drink in both flavor and color. 

• Citrus twists or curls are pretty- especially when they don't uncurl and fall in the drink before you take the photo...

• Flavored or fruited ice cubes - I use juice. Pictured are stars made of pomegranate juice and stirring sticks made of grapefruit juice. I got the trays at IKEA several years ago. 

•  Fruit, mint leaves or citrus peel frozen into ice cubes - very pretty
  

 

• Lemon or lime wedges

• Mint leaves or edible flowers

I hope you found something fun to try! Join us on Tuesday for mocktails!

Summer drinks - earlier posts

Introducing the series  

Simple Syrup

Lemony Deliciousness 

Yummy Summer Drinks Series - Lemony Deliciousness

 

Homemade Lemonade 

Simple Syrup

10-12 lemons - juiced. Should yield about 2 1/2 cups lemon juice

Make your simple syrup and cool. Add lemon juice through strainer. Taste it. If you like it this sweet, cool and chug away. If it's too sweet for you (like it is for me), then add water to taste.

Minty Lemonade Slush 

you will notice that this recipe is very similar to the one you will find on Fuzz Food. 
That's because it's where I got it...it's kind of like a slushy mint julep.

Lemonade

Ice

Fresh Mint Leaves

Fill your blender about 3/4 full with ice

Add lemonade to ice level.

Add 3 fresh mint leaves.

Blend it until ice cubes are completely crushed.

Garnish with mint leaves, serve, and enjoy! Perfect for a sunny day.

 

Pomegranate Lemonade

Lemonade

32 oz. pure pomegranate juice. 

Chill and serve. Delicious. 

Again, you can add water to dilute to taste.

Coming Thursday: Presentation (serving, garnishes, frosting glasses) 

If you get a chance to try these - comment and let me know what you think!

 

Summer drinks - earlier posts

Introducing the series  

Simple Syrup

Yummy Summer Drinks Series - Simple Syrup

 photo credit

 

Simple syrup is the most useful thing. It is mostly used in beverages, but can also be used to keep a cake moist and delicious. Why use it? Well, sugar and water don't mix well in cold drinks. To get a really smooth clear drink, the water and sugar need to be heated so that the sugar completely dissolves. It's really convenient as well, if you're making a large number of drinks. It cuts way down on mixing time.

Simple syrup is really, really easy to make. It is exactly 1 part water to 1 part sugar. Here's the basic recipe I use:

2 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 cups sugar

Bring water and sugar to a boil over medium high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar. Boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Use in your favorite drink mix, or refrigerate until needed. Depending on the drinks you are making, you can soak things (vanilla bean, lemon or lime slices, cinnamon) in the syrup as it cools. Once the syrup is at room temperature, remove the items you were soaking before refrigerating your simple syrup.

Next Tuesday, I will be posting a series of lemonade recipes. The lemonade is made with this simple syrup. Make sure and stop by!

Introducing the Yummy Summer Drinks Series!

Please welcome a new, regular contributor to Fuzz Food! Jenn from my lavender ave:  blogger and owner of Lavender Avenue on Etsy. She's also the executive chef in her house, and like me, she likes to keep it interesting.

I am really excited to be here - guest posting at Fuzz Food. Mrs. Fuzz always has great recipes. Love, love, love the MPM's too, don't you?

Let me tell you where I got the idea for this series. My husband and I just celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. I know. Wow, right? I looked it up. It's the porcelain anniversary. Huh. It turns out that in my world, the 18th anniversary is the BlendTec Anniversary. Who knew? It's a nice change from the years (5, 10, 14) that were "baby" anniversaries. That said, I am expecting somewhat bigger things for year 20. Just saying. And not a baby.

I really like this machine. We have made tortilla soup, ice cream (with spinach in it) and many, many smoothies. It really does blend just like they say it does.

I thought it would be really fun to make a bunch of different summery drinks, mostly using the BlendTec, but sometimes not, and share them with you here. Some of them will be sweet (lemonade), some will be thick (smoothies) and some will be whole juice (think V-fusion). So join us here every Tuesday and Thursday for the next 4 weeks or so for some Yummy (non-alcoholic) Summer Drinks!

Coming Thursday: Simple Syrup

mpm: week of July 11th

for more menu inspiration or to submit your own go here

MONDAY

Southwestern Grilled Chicken with Lime Butter :: Cuban beans and rice

TUESDAY

Blueberry Cinnamon French Toast (minus the compote) :: fresh berries :: turkey sausage

WEDNESDAY

Black Bean Sliders w/ Spicy Mango Sauce and Guacamole :: sweet potato fries :: mint lemonade

THURSDAY

Veggie & Cheese Bagel sandwiches :: fresh fruit :: chips

FRIDAY

Amy's Organic Pizza (clearance sale at store-I bought a bunch) :: green salad w/ grape tomatoes

SATURDAY

leftovers day

SUNDAY

Broccoli & Bowties :: fresh fruit :: garlic bread

Sweet Roasted Almonds

One of our family's all-time favorite snacks. Even the baby loves these. We usually just make them at Christmastime, but now we make them whenever anyone has the hankering for one. They are sooooo easy to make and I love that there are only three ingredients. Well four, if you count the almonds. We give them as gifts at Christmas and Thanksgiving and people always comment how much they taste like the almonds you get at the mall during the holiday season. Well I can tell you this for sure. They are not the same. The ones you buy at kiosks at the mall or at other stores are loaded with corn syrup and other ingredients. Although these are coated in raw sugar, you won't find the ingredients so complicated or so unhealthy. Enough talking. Here is the recipe.

2 cups raw almonds
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons butter (use coconut oil for a vegan treat)
1 cup organic or raw sugar

Spread almonds evenly on rimmed cookie sheet. Place in 350° oven and roast about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until well roasted.

Meanwhile, on medium heat, heat honey and oil to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add almonds; simmer and stir for two minutes, until almonds are evenly coated.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer almonds to a lightly greased baking sheet, or sheet of wax paper and spread in a single layer. Cool slightly. Toss almonds with sugar until coated.

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled, etc. Great as a compliment to fruit, cheese, and other dishes. Or on their own as we prefer them!

National eclair Day

image credit

June 22nd is National Eclair Day! I like special days like that. Here's an old post I did of Chocolate Eclair Cake that I make every now and then for the kids. It's a good summertime dessert and super easy to make.

Will you be having an eclair today?

Cherry-Almond Smoothie

I am not sure where I came up with this recipe. I found it written in my own handwriting in my recipe binder. So either it's a recipe I found and altered to my own liking, or it's from somewhere else. If you recognize it, please let me know the source!

Cherry-Almond Smoothie

1 cup frozen cherries

1/2 banana

1 cup almond milk

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt (we use Greek)

1 Tbsp. sliced almonds

ice (1/2 cup-1 cup pellets)

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

dinner is served: Macho Nachos

Nachos. This is one of our go-to meals when I have zero desire to think of what to make for dinner. I usually have these ingredients on hand.

Basic Ingredients:
Tortilla chips (we used Costco's organic)
Shredded cheese (Mexican blend, cheddar, Monterey Jack, etc.)
Beans (we used S&W chipotle pinto beans for flavor, we also like just black beans)

Optional Toppings:
2 Chopped fresh tomatoes (we used organic)
2 Avocados (a must have for me)
2 finely chopped green onions
a small bunch of cilantro, or to taste
1 cup chopped meat (we used grilled chicken in the ones pictured above, but I prefer mine meatless)
Sour Cream
lime wedges

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread tortilla chips evenly on foil-covered and rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle desired amount of cheese evenly over chips, about 1-2 cups. If using meat, we put the warmed meat on and then the cheese and then bake. Bake for 5-6 minutes or until cheese is melted. While cheese is melting, heat beans in microwave or on stove top. Spread evenly over nachos. Top with desired toppings. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a lime wedge. Squeeze lime wedge evenly over all and enjoy!

If you don't mind the extra calories, try queso in place of the shredded cheese. Then you don't need to heat anything up in the oven, just make sure your queso, beans, and meat are warm or hot when topping your chips. Delicious. And I love that I can just plop down one pan on the table and everyone can go to town.

mpm: week of May 16th

to see more menu plans or to join in on the fun, go here

MONDAY

fly-off-the-plate pancakes :: cherry smoothies (recipe to come)

TUESDAY

Ina Garten's Broccoli and Bow Ties

WEDNESDAY

Spanish Beef Stew :: rolls

THURSDAY

Cheesy Stuffed Shells :: garden salad

FRIDAY

pizza night :: pita bread recipe :: toppings-asparagus, red onions, mushrooms, etc.

SATURDAY

Cool Italian Pasta :: garlic bread :: watermelon

SUNDAY

 Slow-Cooker Orange-BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches :: garden salad

MPM: week of May 2nd

for more menu ideas or to submit your own this week, go here

MONDAY

Broccoli and Bow Ties :: fresh fruit

TUESDAY

1-2-3 Soup in bread bowls

WEDNESDAY

Spaghetti Carbonara with Spinach :: Bruschetta (recipes for both to come)

THURSDAY

Curried Chicken legs with carrots, rice, and lime

FRIDAY

Pizza night :: Papa Murphy's Take-Out

SATURDAY

leftovers day

SUNDAY

Happy Mother's Day!

Spinach and Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken

Flower Pot Desserts from Pioneer Woman

Mint-Lemonade Slush

I cannot even begin to describe how much I love this time of year. I feel like a bear coming out of hibernation. I've stored up enough hearty winter foods to survive the winter and now I'm ready to be outside and enjoy the light seasonal food of Sping and Summer. One of my favorite things are refreshing drinks, other than water. I love lemonade and this recipe is so tasty and the mint gives it that refreshing quality.

What you will need:

Blender

Water

Ice

Fresh Mint Leaves

Powdered lemonade mix or lemonade (such as Simply Lemonade)

1. Fill your blender about 3/4 full with ice (We like to buy a big bag of ice pellets from our grocery store or from Sonic for making drinks).
2. Add water to about the same or a little less than the level as the ice. If you are using lemonade instead of the powder, omit the water and powder and fill to ice level.
3. Add 3-5 scoops of the powdered lemonade (or depending on brand, fill lid to the 2 quart line with powder).
4. Add 4-6 fresh mint leaves.
5. Blend it until ice cubes are completely blended.
6. Garnish with mint leaves, serve, and enjoy! Perfect for a sunny day.

**NOTES** This is all done by taste, so adjust according to taste.

police bento and bentos 93-96

Even though it is a Japanese police car, I still have to have one or two of these, don't you think? Love this little bento box. Saw it at Wendolonia. You can buy it here.

Speaking of bentos, I've got a few I haven't posted. I'm still being lazy and stressed!

 Easter Bento: Peanut Butter and honey bunny sandwich on Dave's Killer Bread, mandarin orange, baby carrots, Annie's Bunny Grahams (some inside the egg also).

 This is inside the Laptop Lunchbox. Potato and rosemary pizza cut into pieces, Liberte yogurt, strawberry slices, pistachios, and a brownie for dessert. Utensils and a water bottle fit perfectly on the side.

 World's UGLIEST St. Patrick's Day bento: Yogurt cup with rainbow of fruit surrounding it (strawberries, pineapple, kiwi and a couple of rolos at the end for the pot of gold. Half sandwich on the other side with a super UGLY cheese clover on top. haha! Oh well. Sometimes they are just ugly.

A Spring bento for daddy: Ham and cheese sandwich on Dave's Killer Bread, carrot sticks, pistachios, kiwi slices, and a small handful of chocolate kisses.

MPM: week of April 25th

for more menu ideas or to submit your own go here

MONDAY
pizza night (take-out)

TUESDAY
Parmesan-Crusted Chicken in Cream Sauce :: cantaloupe

WEDNESDAY
grilled cheese and tomato soup from Smitten Kitchen

THURSDAY
My Brother's Tacos from Pioneer Woman :: minted lemonade (recipe to come)

FRIDAY
Cool Italian Pasta :: garlic bread :: watermelon

SATURDAY
leftovers day

SUNDAY
Breakfast for dinner:  fly off the plate pancakes :: sausage :: fruit

Chicken Masala

Hello Food Blogging World. Not up to much, just BUYING A HOUSE. I've been sick the last few days because of the worry and stress of buying a house. I never thought I would see the day and now here I am- a grownup. Our real estate agent made sure there was a garbage bin next to me as we were signing papers because I got really nauseated. It's a funny thing. I don't stress at all about my husband being a police officer, but make me buy a house and face other grownup responsibilities and I need to be given a tranquilizer. It'll be alright. I hope. I'm pretty sure.

Anyway, I knew that on Saturday I was in desperate need of relaxation and comfort food. I don't know how many people would say that Chicken Masala, basmati rice, and naan would bring them comfort, but as I prepped all the food, watched my bread rise, smelled the flavorful rice steaming and smelled the evolving aroma of the simmering spices, all my worries drifted away, and I was smiling. It truly comforted me. That, my friends, is comfort food! What does it for you? I think a number of foods do that for me, but I usually have to go home to my parent's to feel the comfort and nostalgia I long for. I can't always recreate it myself.

This recipe is from a swap. I traded this Indian curry recipe for the one I'm about to share. HF works with another cop that is from England. He loves cooking and especially loves his Indian food. As you are probably aware, England has a huge Indian culture and influence. He gave us his beloved authentic recipe, for our Americanized crockpot recipe, which is still quite tasty. I know you weren't expecting all this yappin', so now I am going to share it with you! Lucky Skunks...

simmering

 side by side basmati rice and masala

 dipping some homeade naan

 homemade naan recipe to come!

CHICKEN MASALA 

24 ounces fresh boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed off

4 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1 onion, thinly chopped

1 fresh green chile, seeded and finely sliced

1 fresh green pepper, seeded and finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp. ginger powder

2 Tbsp. curry powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. chili powder

2 (14 oz.) cans of chopped tomatoes

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

1 half pint carton of fresh whipping cream

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pan (I use enameled cast iron), and fry the cumin seeds for two minutes until they begin to sputter. Cut the chicken into cubes and cook until white. Add onion, green chili, garlic, ginger and green pepper; fry until the onion color is clear, about 6 minutes. Stir in the curry, cumin, coriander and chili powder and cook for another 6 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, cilantro, and simmer for as long as possible (a minimum of 5 minutes, but the longer, say an hour improves the flavor). Save a little cilantro for garnish.
3. Just before serving, pour in about half the cream, add more if necessary to change the color from the red of the tomatoes to a creamy pale orange.
4. Serve on a bed of good quality rice that has been washed several times before being cooked. (Costco premium basmati rice is very good indeed).
5. Cheers!

**my notes** The process goes much smoother if you prep everything before you begin cooking. Also, if you are wanting a spicy curry, it is not a hot curry powder you want, but the spicy green chile. If you are using a jalapeno, leave some of the seeds in your curry and that will add some heat. Otherwise, you are going to want a serrano or two, or other chile pepper that packs more heat.