Buttercream Dreams by Jeff Martin

Book: Buttercream Dreams

Author: Jeff Martin

Release date (if applicable): Published

Synopsis: Jeff Martin presents the how to of creating unique cupcakes for any occasion.

My rating: 4 Stars

My opinion: I must say that Andrews McNeel is my favorite in cookbook publishers. I have yet to review one from this publisher that isn't unique, yet simple enough for even the novice of novice bakers.

Jeff Martin's Buttercream Dreams is no exception. Mr. Martin's cakes are simple, elegant and sometimes fun, but easy to prepare treats for any occasion. The recipes are laid out with very simple instructions and then partnered with outstanding photos.  This book will create dessert ideas outside of the run of the mill cakes.

Source: Netgalley review for publisher

Would I recommend? : Yes

Stand Alone or Part of a Series: Stand Alone

Real Food for Everyone: Vegan-Friendly and Vegetarian Meals for Meat Lover, Vegetarians and Vegans by Ann Gentry

Book: Real Food for Everyone: Vegan-Friendly and Vegetarian Meals for Meat Lover, Vegetarians and Vegans

Author: Ann Gentry

Release date (if applicable): Published

Synopsis: Ms. Gentry offers more than 100 recipes to satisfy all eaters whether one is vegetarian or non vegetarian.

My rating: 4 Stars

My opinion: As a newbie, who is slowly working towards more of  a vegetarian lifestyle, I loved this cookbook. Even as a non-vegetarian, I found there were recipes that would apply to me or that I would make. I couldn't get enough of the soup and salads sections and found myself hanging out there most in all the book.

As one who is learning this lifestyle, I found her explanations and descriptions on the use of ingredients to be incredibly helpful. On that note, I would have liked to have seen more photos used especially because this book includes a target audience who might not be familiar with how some ingredients are prepared.

Unfortunately, and I apologize for this, I was unable to grab some of the recipe titles prior to my copy expiring.

I agree with another Goodreads' reviewer who stated that the author took more of an educational approach to teaching about vegetarianism versus a judgmental approach to those who eat meat. I felt it really opened me up to what she was saying.

Source: Netgalley for Publisher

Would I recommend? : Yes. Plus, I will be purchasing this cookbook.

Stand Alone or Part of a Series: Stand Alone

Linguine with Chicken, Spinach and Feta Cheese

Going from cooking for three, plus needing leftovers for lunches, to cooking for one has been a difficult journey for me. I really enjoyed cooking for my guys and have to admit miss it immensely. When I first moved to Corpus Christi, I knew that I didn't want to become one of those women who ate standing over the kitchen sink or gained weight due to eating out for every meal. However, I found myself doing exactly that my first two months down here and knew that it needed to stop. At first, I did the making a meal that served four to six and stashing leftovers in my freezer. That didn't last long. I live in an apartment and the freezer space is limited.

My way to do this accomplish this was to return to what I did best in Illinois. I returned to meal planning. I took it a step further and started researching cookbooks for two and converting some of my favorite Allrecipes recipes into two servings and developing a recipe binder specifically for one to two serving dishes. I already have six binders on all kinds of recipes, so what was one more binder!  Allrecipes also has a nice selection of Cooking for One or Two recipes that became part of my recipe box on the site.

Next, I did an Amazon search for cookbooks specifically for smaller servings. I was amazed at what I found after ordering a couple of them, I saw the cookbook One Pan, Two Plates: More Than 70 Complete Weeknight Meals for Two by Carla Snyder. The book was $1.99 for the ebook, so I grabbed it. It was less than a latte that I get, so what the hell? Plus, I could return it if it stunk really bad. I have to say that it was the best $1.99 I have spent. I had only wished I had purchased the paperback copy because I don't take my tablet into my kitchen.

This was one of the recipes from the book. If I had changed anything about the recipe, I would have added more spinach. Now, I am a spinach fiend and just thought this didn't have enough. I also thought that I would have liked it if I would have thrown in some zucchini, I think this recipe could have pulled it off. As I am trying to cut down significantly my meat intake, I only used one chicken breast and thought it was fine. One of my regrets is that I also decreased the amount of lemon and wish I would have used the full amount called for in the recipe.

Let me throw in that I had the leftovers for breakfast the next day and double yum! The flavors melded together beautifully. This will definitely be a repeater!

So, here we go!:

Ingredients:

10 oz FRESH linguine
2 T. Olive Oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, chunked
Coarse ground pepper
5 oz bag baby spinach
1 cup Feta cheese
1/3 cup FRESH SQUEEZED lemon juice (none of that concentration garbage)
Red Pepper flakes (optional, I didn't use them)

Directions:

1) In a 12 inch pot that can double as a frying pan, add water, salt (as indicated on package) and olive oil. Add linguine when water is boiling. Cook as directed on package. Prior to draining it, grab 1/2 cup of the boiling water and set aside. Drain and do a quick rinse with cool...not cold water. This is to stop the cooking process, but not cool off the pasta.

2) In the pan, heat the olive oil to shimmering and add the onion. Cook for about 2 minutes or until almost cooked. Add the chicken and 1/2 t. of salt and a dash of the pepper. Sauté the chicken until almost cooked through about 2 minutes. Add some of the reserved water to scrap up the bits. Add the spinach to the pan by handfuls and cook until wilted.

3) Return the pasta to the pan and add the feta cheese and lemon juice. Toss until well blended. If desired, add the red pepper for some heat. Divide onto plates and serve with garlic bread and salad.

This is a really simple, quick to throw together recipe that most people have the ingredients already in their freezer.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think.

Dinner Solved! 100 Ingenious Recipes that Make the Whole Family Happy, Including You!

Be sure to watch The Pub and Grub Forum closer to the publication date for tested recipes from this cookbook.

Book: Dinner Solved: 100 Ingenious Recipes that Make the Whole Family Happy, Including You!

Author: Katie Workman

Release date (if applicable): August 11, 2015

Synopsis: Ms. Workman presents a collection of recipes that are based on a standard, basic recipe with a variety of additional ingredients to give a nice twist from the same old, same old.

Recipes include:

• Fish and Shrimp Tacos
• Hummus
• Oven Fried (Spicy and Non Spicy) Chicken
• Pasta Selections
• Breakfast Wraps
• Vegetarian

My rating: 5 stars

My opinion: I loved this ingenious cookbook. I will admit that I was skeptical when I signed up to review it, but found the book to be awesome. There was a nice variety of recipes from very light to heavier dinner ideas. While she had several recipes that were just basic recipes, the majority of recipes in the book offered different twists/combinations.

Bright, colorful photos accompanied the recipes giving cooks an idea of what the end product should look like. Even the most novice of cooks and kidlets could pick this book up and prepare the recipes they were that simple.

Even though my focus lately has been cooking for two, I pre-ordered this cookbook. The recipes were enticing and looked as though they would halve easily.
  
 Source: Netgalley for Publisher

Would I recommend? : Very much so. In fact, just recommended to a number of my friends.

Stand Alone or Part of a Series: Stand alone

Be sure to watch The Pub and Grub Forum closer to the publication date for tested recipes from this cookbook.

I'm Back!

I can't believe how long I have been gone...over 6 months. I had to shake my head when I saw that was the last time I posted.

I can't believe how much a life can change in 6 months. How much it can be upended, turned on its side and then put back down while shaking my head trying to figure out what just happened.

Since my last post, I have changed jobs, changed cities and had serious health problems in my family. What a trifecta! On top of all of that, I have become an empty nester. I remember when it was going on I thought I would breeze through it. I am a strong woman. It will be easy, right?? WRONG! I wanted to give myself the peace of mind to take care of myself as to not go into health issues of my own.

So, I am back with more recipes, both food and drink. Some tested. Some my own concoctions that have woken me up in the middle of the night dying to be tried. I will even have a new section for cooking for two as that is my new lifestyle. I can't forget the cookbook review section. I have seen some great ones while I have been gone and can't wait to share them.

It feels good to be back.

Naomi

Smokey Citrus Bloody Mary

Here is a little secret about me...I am cheap. I prefer to make dishes/drinks at home versus going to a restaurant, particularly if we will be having drinks with the meal.

On that note, Pat and I love a good Bloody Mary drink on a lazy Sunday morning  I will partner them with a nice little brunch. Problem is that I can't stand commercial Bloody Mary mix, so I went on a search for a homemade one. I found this recipe on Allrecipes and we loved it. I made it the day before just to give the flavors a time to meld. The nice thing about this mix is that even though it made a ton of mix, we were able to put it in serving size packages and freeze it.

I decided to partner this with a citrus vodka. It had a sweet yet smoky taste to it. We also tried a plain vodka version, and it was awesome too. What I liked about this recipe is that I seemed it could be easily adaptable for a Bloody Maria which has a tequila base. We even tried it straight with no alcohol and it was pretty dang tasty.

Garnish these as desired. I like the "meal in itself" component of these drinks and will go crazy with my garnishments. I have used green onions, celery stalks, green olives, large shrimp, chunks of cheese, chunks of summer sausage, etc. I am reminded of that photo where the Bloody Mary is garnished with a baby cheeseburger, a chicken sandwich and a buffalo wing.

So, here we go!:

Ingredients:

1 (46 fluid ounce) can HIGH QUALITY tomato juice

1/3 cup steak sauce

3 tablespoons hickory smoke-flavored

barbeque sauce

1 teaspoon ground celery seed

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

Lemon wedges

Directions:

1)  Stir tomato juice, steak sauce, barbeque sauce, celery seed, garlic salt, cayenne paper and black pepper in a large pitcher. 

2) Serve in glasses over ice. Add 1.5 ounces vodka and top with 4 oz of mix.  

3) Garnish each serving as desired above.

Stephanie O'Dea's Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

Sorry for the messy bowl. It didn't want to clean up for me!

From: MORE MAKE IT FAST, COOK IT SLOW Stephanie O'Dea


This recipe is a classic example of why I love Stephanie O'Dea's cookbooks so much that she is my "go to crock pot girl". I have every cookbook that she has written and make meals at least once a week from them. I have only found a very small handful of recipes from each book that I have said yuck to. When I do my meal planning, all of her books are front and center on my desk.

One comment that I will make in regards to these cookbooks that is a common complaint, not only from myself, but friends who are regular users of Stephanie O'Dea cookbooks, is that the actual cooking times are less than what Stephanie recommends in her cookbooks. Most of the time, this isn't an issue, but just be aware of that ahead of time. With this soup, because it is a soup, this wasn't an issue.

This soup was awesome and simple. I simply threw everything, but the pasta, in the slow cooker in the morning. After I came home in the evening, I added the macaroni to cook while I made the salad to go with it. It was PERFECT! It was incredibly rich and loaded with veggies. It made plenty enough that not only did we have enough for dinner, but lunches after.

I partnered this with a Caesar salad and Bread Machine Focaccia Bread. So yummy!

I made a couple of additions due to my love of tomatoes. I included a couple of cans of tomato sauce and an extra can of diced tomatoes.  Plus, I felt that the broth was a bit too weak for MY likings and I thought this really made it pop. I will do my additions in red and feel free to choose whichever method preferred.

One other change that I made is that I used canned beans versus the dry beans that Stephanie called for. Using the dry beans required extra steps that I will cop to being too lazy to do. The canned worked fine and I will be using those in the recipe below.  I used black beans because that is what I had in the house and I liked how small they were

On a last note: Wanna make it vegetarian? Stephanie says that vegetable can be switched out for the beef broth.

So, here we go!:

Ingredients:

8 cups beef or veggie broth
1 (14.5 oz can) diced tomatoes (2 cans)
1 can pinto, black, lima or kidney beans
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 small onion diced (or 1 T. dried minced onion)
1 T. Italian seasoning (2 T.)
1 t. Kosher salt
1 t. coarse ground black pepper
1 or 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (10 oz) package chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup dried pasta (I used elbow macaroni)
Parmesan cheese to pass at the table

Directions:

1) In 6 qt crock pot, place first 8 to 11 ingredients. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.

2) Turn crock pot to HIGH, add pasta. Cook an additional 30 minutes or when pasta is fully cooked.

3) Ladle into serving bowls and pass the Parmesan.

Mojo Marinade

I love Chef Aaron McCargo and have his book SIMPLY DONE, WELL DONE. I have pulled numerous great recipes from this book. This is one of my top favorites and I make this stuff at least twice per month during the summer months. It is fresh, flavorful and preservative free unlike the commercially prepared one found in grocery stores. Each batch makes 3 cups. I have used it chicken, pork and beef and it is just super yummy. I want to try it with fish, as well but simply haven't had the opportunity yet.

One of the ingredients is jerk seasoning that he has included the recipe. I don't use a whole lot of jerk seasoning so I simply purchase McCormick's jerk seasoning. The bottle is small and lasts me forever. Another note, the original recipe calls for 1.5 TABLESPOONS of salt. I don't like to use that much salt in my cooking, so I have cut that in half. Don't mind the salt, use the full amount. 

Finally, the directions call for the ingredients to be placed in a blender and processed until smooth. I don't do that. I mix it up in a very large bowl. I like the chunks of onion in my marinade.

According to Chef McCargo, each batch will last one month if refrigerated in a glass container with a tight lid. Mine never lasts that long.

So here we go!:

1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup FRESH SQUEEZED orange juice
1/2 cup FRESH SQUEEZED lemon juice
6 cloves chopped or 3 t. jarred garlic
2 T. Chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 t. Kosher salt
1 T. Honey
1 T. Jerk Seasoning
1 T. coarse ground pepper
1 t. dried oregano

Directions:

1) Place all ingredients in a blender and process. Pour into glass container and refrigerate unused portions for no more than one month.

The Spiked Siesta Frappe

I love coffee drinks. Because of this love, Pat and I purchased a bottle of Patron's coffee tequila because it is coffee AND tequila(!), but by itself, it is pretty disgusting. Needless to say, it was time to start concocting so that it didn't go to waste and what a better way than in a frozen coffee drink. I will say that this is one of the top 5 drinks that I have concocted. There is a cinnamon coffee taste partnered with a creaminess of the half/half and Rumchata to it that just rocks.

Because of the tequila base, I decided to go with more of a Mexican flare and added Kahlua and RumChata to it to expand the flavors. Now, this drink has a whole lot of alcohol in it, so I stretched out one recipe to 4 drinks. Top it with canned whipped cream and drizzle with a tablespoon of Kahlua for extra pizazz.

So, here we go:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup STRONG brewed coffee
1/2 cup half and half
3 ounces Patron coffee tequila
3 ounces RumChata
2 ounces Kahlua
3 ounces Creme de Cacao
3-4 cups ice

Directions:

1) Place all ingredients in a blender and processed until smooth.

2) Pour into a well chilled 8 ounce glass. I place glasses in freezer about 2 hours before making the drinks.

3) Top with whipped cream. Very slowly drizzle one tablespoon of Kahlua over the whipped cream as to not break it down, but give it the color. Place a straw in the glass and serve.

The Citronella Cooler

I keep talking about my new love. Nope, not a new man, but a new site! I absolutely love The Tipsy Bartender that can be found on Instigram and Youtube. He has some of the most creative and fun drink recipes on it that allow me to add to my drink recipe catalog and takes some of the pressure off me for concocting drinks for Bette Lee Croby's Midweek Mixers. I also get to try them out before recommending them highly or giving them a thumbs down.

This one was a HUGE hit in my house. I partnered it with steak tacos and EVERYTHING was gone by the end of the night. It almost acted as a palate cleanser. It is a blend of citrus flavors that are softened with the cranberry juice. It is perfect for warm Summer days and just went down like a smooth lemonade.

Just a note: He poured the cranberry juice on top of the drink and let it settle. I poured everything into a shake and blended it that way. I loathe, simply loathe unmixed drinks!

So, here we go!:

1.5 oz Citrus Vodka

2.5 oz Lemonade (the "premade" stuff. Not the powdery garbage!)

.5 oz FRESH SQUEEZED lime juice

1 oz cranberry juice

Lemon slices

Lime slices

Fresh strawberry

Directions:

1) Place hurricane glasses in freezer to chill.

2) In a metal shaker filled with ice, pour first four ingredients. Shake for no more than 30 seconds.

3) Pour everything into chilled hurricane glasses and garnish with lemon, lime and strawberry.

The Frozen Flying Monkey

Look at that well chilled glass!

I love fun drinks. When this one came across from Sue Dyer in my weekly Yahoo recipes batch of emails, I knew I was all over it and printed it off immediately for my "to make now" pile. This one wasn't only fun, it was pretty dang tasty too.

It is a frozen drink with no ice cream in it, but it does have that consistency of the ice cream. The fresh banana and banana liquor really helped to boost the flavor in it, so be sure to use both. Also, try to use an older banana. It will have more flavor to it than a brighter yellow one. I could taste the difference.

While the recipe called for a cherry to garnish, there was no way that I was going to do that. I went banana slices that were on top of whipped cream for this one.

Also, I added 2 ounces of white chocolate liqueur. I thought it gave it a real taste boost that was almost the flavor of a chocolate covered banana, which are one of my favorite treats.

Want a fun appearance for your guests, swirl chocolate syrup in a WELL CHILLED glass and place it back in the freezer while you make the drink. It is absolutely beautiful and will impress the guests.

This will make 2 drinks.

So, here we go:

Ingredients:

2 oz. Banana Liqueur
2 oz. Kahlua
2 oz. Baileys Irish Cream
2 oz white chocolate liqueur (such as Godiva)
4 oz. Half & Half
1 Banana
2 cups of ice
Canned whipped cream
Cherries to garnish

Directions:

1) If desired, prepare glasses as instructed above.

2) Place first 7 ingredients into blender. Blend until well combined and ice is broken down. It should almost have the consistency of an ice cream shake...ALMOST!

3) Pour into prepared glasses. Garnish with the whipped cream and sliced banana.

Belize Rum Punch

Adapted: Food.com

Pat loves a drink similar to these at one of our favorite restaurants. The drink is called the Problem Solver. The name should say it all. It is loaded down with several types of liquors and juices.When I sampled these for inclusion into The Pub and Grub, he became giddy as a school girl. He now gets excited whenever he has seen that I have made them.

It is a blend of two kinds of rum mixed with other Caribbean flavors to tickle the taste buds. Be sure to use CREAM OF COCONUT. No coconut milk. No coconut water. The cream of coconut helps to cut down on the bitterness of the drink. Plus, it gives it that really cool froth on top.

Note: Don't go nuts with the grenadine. A dash is just that...a dash.

So, here we go:

Ingredients:

2 ounces LIGHT rum
1 ounce dark rum
1 ounce triple sec
1 ounce sour mix
1 ounce cream of coconut
2 dashes grenadine
2 ounces pineapple juice

Directions:

1) Place a hurricane glass in the freezer. Allow it to get nice and chilled.

2) Fill a shaker with ice and add all ingredients. Shake for 30 seconds and pour into prepared hurricane glass.

Dew Drop

So, we have another Naomi Blackburn original. I was on a search for drinks for The Pub and Grub and Bette Lee Crosby's Midweek Mixers. I was watching a Tipsy Bartender video and he had a drink called the Mountain Dew Me that made me take a second look. Now, it seemed tasty and when I made it, it was ok, but was definitely missing stuff. Not to mention, there was no way that I could send Bette a drink called the Mountain Dew Me.

So, I got to concocting. This is definitely different. It is a blend of coconut, melon and pineapple. The Mountain Dew topper, definitely something I would never consider in tropical drinks, definitely adds a touch.

A huge shout out of thanks to my bud, Andrea Tiberi for the name. I wanted something creative. I can create the drinks, but stink at naming them. Dew Drop fits this drink perfectly.

On that note, here we go!:

Ingredients:

2 oz Malibu Rum
1 oz CREAM of coconut (not coconut milk or water)
1 oz triple sec
1 oz midori
1 oz pineapple juice
2 oz Mountain Dew (I only drink diet Dew and it was fine)

Directions:

1) In a shaker filled with ice, place first 5 ingredients. Shake vigorously to incorporate the cream of coconut.

2) Pour into a well chilled hurricane glass filled with ice. Top with the Mountain Dew.

3) Stir gently to incorporate the Dew, but not to break up the bubbles.

Quick Pork Soulvaki

Adapted from Recipes.com

I love this recipe! I love the simplicity in it. I love the taste of it. I love the versatility of this dish.  I really love the authenticity of the taste to the real deal. On that note, this is not authentic soulvaki, but a really close off shoot that is perfect for nights I don't feel like grilling...like in winter!

The main key to this dish is the timing. Every aspect to it requires some kind of sitting/marinading time. I frequently start this in the morning and wrap it up in the evening. The meat requires marinading and I have found the longer it marinades, the better I like the turnout. The Tzatziki sauce requires two steps of extended prep. First, I have found that allowing the cucumber to sit with salt on it removes the better chunk of the water from the cucumber. This leads to a less watery sauce that is just better all around. One last note on the salt. I have used both Greek yogurt and regular yogurt. I find both work well. I just use the Greek yogurt if I am in the mood for a thicker sauce.

I have said that I love this meal due to its versatility. I have used this meal as a heavier meal with a side of couscous and Greek style veggies or as a sandwich done gyros style with a side of chips or fries. Both have worked well. It is whatever floats your boat. 

So, here we go!:

Ingredients:

Meat:

1.5 lb Pork Tenderloin, chopped into medium sized chunks

1 onion, cut into 8 wedges

1/4 cup Olive Oil

3 T. FRESH lemon juice

2 T. FRESH oregano, chopped

1 t. jarred garlic

1 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. pepper

Tzatziki Sauce:

1 cucumber, seeded and finely chopped

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 t. jarred garlic

1 t. FRESH lemon juice

2 T mint leaves, chopped

salt/pepper to taste

4 Pita Bread, warmed

sliced onions (optional)

sliced tomatoes (optional)

Directions:

1) In a strainer that has been place over a bowl, add cucumber. Sprinkle with salt. Let sit for no less than 30 minutes. This step removes the excess water from the cucumber that can often water down your Tzatziki sauce.

2) While cucumber is sitting, combine all ingredients for meat and let sit for no less than 30 minutes. I have often done this in the morning and finish up the cooking in the evening.

3) In a cast iron skillet sprayed with cooking spray, add 3 T. additional olive oil. Heat until very hot and add meat mixture including marinade. Fry until cooked through. Mine is usually done in 10 minutes. Place in warmed oven while finishing Tzatziki sauce.

4) For Tzatziki sauce, drain off cucumber water and add cucumber to bowl. Add rest of ingredients and stir until combined. Add in a bit extra salt and pepper to taste.

5) Serve over warmed pita bread with tomatoes and additional onion slices, if desired.

The Spiked Firecracker

Adapted from: The Tipsy Bartender

I have a secret to tell my followers. I am ADDICTED to The Tipsy Bartender. The dumbing down of the girls in the videos drive me crazy, but, at this point, I look past it. I have found some really rocking drinks on their site.

My Facebook friend, author Jackie Channel, had posted one of their drink recipes to her Facebook page, which had me clicking on it. When I came across a recipe for THE CINCO DE MAYO MEXICAN FLAG, I knew I had to try it. Although I regularly develop drinks and play with liqueurs, I am normally intimidated by frozen drinks. Amazingly, I felt calm going into this one. I couldn't believe I had been intimidated. It ended up being so simple that now I just whip out the frozen/slushy type drinks.

The secret to this drink is to place the glasses in the freezer while preparing the layers. It will give them the separated look that makes it such fun. Also, remember, about my advice regarding the simple syrup. There is no reason to go out and purchase a $3 bottle of sugar water. Simple syrup is nothing more than equal parts of sugar and water simmered until the sugar melts. Then, let it cool. Because it lasts a while, I will normally do 1 cup water to 1 cup sugar at a time. Just remember to refrigerate it.

For July 4th, I wanted to base my drink off the Cinco de Mayo drink because it really is fantastic! The red and white levels are the same, but I needed to concoct the blue level. I went with a lemon flavoring for it.

Each of the layers is enough for 3 Hurricane sized glasses. Have fun with this drink!

So, here we go!:

Ingredients/Directions:

Red Layer:
1 oz white rum
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz grenadine
1 cup FROZEN strawberries thawed with their juices
2 cups ice

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Divide equally between the 3 glasses.

White Layer:

1 oz White Rum
1/2 Oz Coconut Rum
10 chunks pineapple
1/2 oz Cream of Coconut (Not coconut milk!)
1.5 oz pineapple juice
2 cups ice

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour on top of red layer. Divide equally between the 3 glasses.

Blue Layer:

1.5 oz White Rum
1/2 oz Blue Curacao
1.5 oz frozen lemonade concentrate
2 cups ice

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour on top of blue layer. Divide equally between the 3 glasses.

Mint Meltaway Tini

Adapted: Yahoo groups and noshingwiththenolands.com

I have another Sue Dyer-Weekend Recipes find.

My weakness is mint and chocolate combined. I can NEVER say no to it, so when this hit my box, I couldn't hit print fast enough! It is a blend of chocolate with a very gentle twist of mint. I must admit that I screwed up and added a tad of mint extract to it, but I won't make that mistake in offering the recipe.

This recipe does take a bit more prep, so give yourself time and plan ahead. I was very lucky in that I simply went outside and grabbed mint out of my mint garden. If that is not an option, know that it will take about a package of mint to make two of these tinis.

As I am a huge fan of rimmers, I did a chocolate rimmer with this drink in addition to the chocolate splashes through out the glass. I won't do that again. Forget the fact that my husband and I had chocolate mustaches, but it was too much chocolate that deterred from the drink.

So here we go!:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of half-half (no substitutions)
1/4 cup mint leaves
2 oz chocolate vodka
2 oz Bailey's Irish Cream
Melted semi-sweet chocolate

Directions:

1) In a small saucepan, bring the cream and mint to a low simmer. Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Remove mint leaves and place cream in refrigerator to cool.

2) Melt chocolate and swirl into glasses. Place glasses in freezer.

3) In a shaker filled with ice, combine half and half mixture, vodka and Baileys. Shake for 30 seconds and pour into prepared tini glass. Swirl some more chocolate on top and serve immediately.

Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

Adapted: Taste of Home

I have to admit that I do not like jarred pasta sauce. I find the majority of it mediocre and overpriced, so I enjoy trying to find a cook sauce recipe that freezes well.

I will admit that although I have made this recipe five times, I have not duplicated it as a marinara to freeze it. I will be though. I just haven't had the time. I have also decided that as my tomatoes ripen in my garden, I want to try it with fresh diced tomatoes versus canned diced tomatoes.

This sauce was perfect to me. The original recipe called for either ground beef or Italian sausage. I had frozen meatballs that I wanted to get used up so I chose to use those. They worked perfectly! They stood up well to the 8 hours in the crock pot.

I partnered these with my bread maker bread sticks (which will be featured on a later P&G) and a Naomi Blackburn "everything but the kitchen sink" salad and it really made a delectable meal that required little work from me after a hard day. Just the way I like it! 

 So, here we go!:

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef, mild ground Italian sausage or prepared meatballs  

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped (optional)

8 oz sliced mushrooms (optional)
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons dried basil
1 to 2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Hot cooked pasta (penne or spaghetti)

Directions:

1) In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat
is no longer pink. Drain.
2) Transfer to a 4-qt. slow cooker. 

3) Add the next 13 ingredients (or 10 if omitting optional ingredients).
4) Cook on low for 7-8 hours or until heated through. 

5) Discard bay leaf. 

6) Serve with pasta. 

 

Summer Shandy

Adapted: Yahoo Weekend Recipes

I really enjoy Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. It is a blend of beer and lemonade. However, I will cop to the fact that I don't like the heaviness on the beer flavoring versus the focus on lemonade. Yes, I know Leinie's is a beer brewer.

Again, Yahoo Weekend Recipes offered this recipe and I knew I had to give it a try. Now, they had recommended a cayenne/kosher salt rimmer but that just wasn't happening.

Also, the original recipe called for 1 cup of lemonade for 24 oz of beer. I wanted to boost that some so I increased it to 1.5 cups of lemonade for 24 ounces of beer. Like the focus to be on the beer? Simply use the 1 cup and it will be fine. Also, no powdered lemonade on this. Only the real or minimally, refrigerated stuff, will do for this.

Be sure to serve it with a lemon wedge, especially for those who want an extra boost of lemon.

So, here we go!:

Ingredients:

4 bottles beer (your choice), well chilled
2-3 cups lemonade, well chilled (dependent upon preferred beer/lemonade ratio)
Lemon wedges

Directions:

1) Simply pour beer and lemonade into a pitcher. Pour into very well chilled beer mugs and serve with a lemon wedge.

Yes, it really is that simple!

Bourbon Punch with Grapefruit and Mint

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Here is another Sue D. gift to me that originally started from the Yahoo Weekend Recipe group.

I have something to admit. I didn't like this original recipe. I found that it was too bitter, bourbon(y) and if left as is, would put hair on my female chest! I know that I had to do some changes in it because to me, it did have potential. If you like strong stuff, keep the original recipe. I will be showing my changes in red.

Be sure to use pink grapefruit juice. It is sweeter than regular (yellow) grapefruit juice so that does happen some. Also, the original recipe called for club soda, which was just downright disgusting in this recipe. It added to its bitterness. Even my husband, who doesn't like sweet recipes, disliked the club soda, so we switched it out for 7-up.

One of the things that I did love about this recipe was that I was able to use a whole lot of mint from my yard. Don't have home grown mint, be prepared to need about 3 packages of mint for this one recipe. This recipe made so much that I have two (1) quart bags of this frozen in my freezer downstairs.

This drink doesn't require a high quality bourbon. In fact, my liquor guy discouraged it. I used a bottle of $8 bottle of bourbon (Benchmark) that covered two recipes, this one and my Citrus Bourbon Punch.

So, here we go!:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup BROWN sugar
15 FRESH mint sprigs (set aside half)
4 cups PINK grapefruit juice
2.5 cups Bourbon
12 dashes Angostura bitters
1 cup club soda (7 up)

Directions:

1) Make simple syrup by bringing the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. STIR FREQUENTLY...simple syrup burns easily. Place 8 sprigs of mint in the pan and swirl. This will wilt the mint and release the oils. Allow to sit/cool for about 20 minutes and remove the mint.

2) Combine grapefruit juice, bourbon and bitters in a pitcher. Add the simple syrup and stir well. Pour into ice filled glass and top with 7 Up or club soda.

Crunchy Italian Mix

Adapted: Weekend Recipes(Yahoo)

To celebrate National Library Week, I like to show appreciation for my library's staff by providing a lunch. I try to focus in on what each of them have told me that they enjoy and plan my menu around that. One of the employees loves Chex Mix/snack cracker type recipes, so I always try to find recipes that will show her that I am thinking of her in my preparations.When Sue D. sent me this recipe, I immediately printed it off. I knew I was going to make it for Sue M.

It turned out even better than I thought it was going to. The flavors are subtle, yet perfect. What I love about this one in particular is that it isn't overly salty. Normally, I can't stand that in the traditional Chex Mix recipe.

Because of its easiness, I make this recipe one to two times per week and it hasn't gotten old yet. Although the recipe calls for Crispix cereal, I use Corn Chex and I can't tell the difference. At this point, I keep the supplies for it stocked in my house so that I can just whip it up if I need to.

So, here we go!:

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, cubed
3 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. garlic powder
5 cups Crispix or Corn Chex
2 cups Cheerios
2.5 cups mini pretzels or pretzel sticks
1 can (10 oz) mixed nuts
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2) In a 4 cup measuring cup, combine butter, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Microwave until melted. Remove from microwave and stir well.

3) In a large bowl, combine cereals, pretzels, mixed nuts and Parmesan cheese. Mix well with your hands. Pour melted butter over this mixture and stir until very well coated.

3) Place in a 15x10 pan and bake for 45 minutes. STIR EVERY 15 MINUTES!

4) Allow to cool and place in a container.

Yield: 10 cups