Watermelon Slush

"fabulous and so easy.....add a shot of gin for the adults!!! "

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups diced watermelon
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup crushed ice
• 1/2 cup water

PREPARATION

1. Blend watermelon, lime juice, sugar, ice and water in a blender until smooth.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 48 calories; 0 g fat ( 0 g sat , 0 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 0 g fiber; 2 mg sodium; 137 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: A natural sports drink with vitamins A and C, potassium.

Carbohydrate Servings: 1

Exchanges: 1/2 fruit

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Spiced Apple-Pear Sauce

The natural sweetness of fresh apples and pears makes this homemade sauce a standout over the store-bought version. Lemon juice adds brightness and keeps the fruit from browning, and cinnamon and nutmeg lend warm spice notes.

Ingredients
3 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
3 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 cinnamon sticks
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
Directions
Combine the apples, pears, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the apples and pears are very soft but still a bit chunky, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste the mixture and add the remaining tablespoon of sugar if desired.

Remove the sauce from the heat and stir a few times until the sauce is well combined with small chunks. Cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon sticks and serve. (For a smoother sauce, remove from heat, remove the cinnamon sticks and then whisk the mixture until smooth before cooling.)

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spiced-apple-pear-sauce-recipe/index.html

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Watermelon Popsicles

Makes about 8 popsicles

4 cups cubed watermelon flesh (about 1 pound, rind removed)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon honey, optional

Blend the watermelon, lime juice and optional honey in a blender (or process the melon through a juicer then stir in the lime juice and honey). Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing the fibrous melon with the back of a spoon to extract the maximum amount of juice. Carefully pour or spoon the juice into popsicle molds and freeze until solid. If using popsicle sticks, insert the sticks when the popsicles are partially frozen.

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Honey Pineapple Greek Froyo

 

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Author: Heidi @ Food Doodles
Ingredients

• 3 C plain Greek Yogurt(low fat is fine, but higher fat yogurt will be easier to “scoop”)

• ⅓ C mild flavored honey + 1 tbsp extra

• 1-2 tbsp pineapple juice or lemon juice

• 2-3 C fresh pineapple, chopped into small bite sized pieces and frozen overnight

Instructions

1. In a bowl stir together the Greek yogurt, ⅓ C honey(reserving the 1 tbsp for another use) and pineapple or lemon juice. When fully combined place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, until ready to make froyo.

1. When ready, freeze the froyo according to your ice cream makers directions. When the froyo is almost done, remove the chopped pineapple from the freezer and drizzle with the extra honey. If you’re able to, drop the pineapple into the machine and let it mix. If your machine is not able to handle it, stop the machine and stir in the frozen pineapple by hand. Pour mixture into a chilled loaf pan or another container and place in the freezer until completely frozen.

Notes
To serve either let the froyo warm up for 10-15 minutes before trying to scoop or dip the loaf pan into hot water to loosen the froyo. Remove the frozen yogurt and slice with a s

Source: http://fooddoodles.com/2013/05/31/honey-pineapple-greek-froyo/

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Minted Gin Sour

• a handful of mint leaves, divided
• 1 1/2 oz gin
• 3/4 oz lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• lemon slices for garnish

 Place gin and mint in shaker. Muddle the mint.  Add lemon juice, and sugar and ice.  Shake well.  Strain over ice in a prechilled glass. Garnish with torn mint leaves and a slice of lemon.  Enjoy!

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Ginger Lime Daiquiri

Ginger Lime Daiquiri

Yield: 1 cocktail with plenty of simple syrup for several more drinks

Ingredients

Ginger Simple Syrup:
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup ginger, peeled and sliced
Ginger Lime Daiquiri (makes 1)
• 2 ounce golden rum
• 1 ounces lime juice
• 1 ounce ginger simple syrup
• Dash fresh ginger, grated with a microplane or fine zester

Instructions

1. Make the ginger simple syrup: Add water, sugar and ginger to a pan over medium-high heat. Stir continually until sugar has dissolved, remove from heat. Allow the ginger to steep until syrup has cooled to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Strain out the ginger and store simple syrup in a plastic squeeze bottle or jar in the fridge until ready to use (can be made up to a week ahead of time).
2. Make the Daiquiri: Add rum, lime juice and ginger simple syrup to a shaker full of ice. Shake gently for 15-30 seconds, strain into a cocktail glass. Grate fresh ginger into the glass.

Notes

Ginger simple syrup also makes a fantastic addition to watermelon margaritas

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Raspberry Rose Fizz

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz gin
• 3/4 oz liqueur framboise
• 3/4 oz lemon juice
• 3/4 oz raspberry syrup
• 3 drops rosewater
• 1 egg white
• 1 1/2 oz sparkling water
• rose petal for garnish

Raspberry Syrup:

• 1 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar

Start by making the raspberry syrup. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a simmer and then remove from heat and let cool completely (approximately 30 minutes) before adding the raspberries. I like to combine the raspberries once the syrup has cooled because you get a bright, fresh flavor, rather than a cooked, jammy flavor.

Once you’ve added the raspberries to the saucepan with the syrup, use a potato masher to crush them to a pulp. If you don’t have a masher you can use a large spoon or the bottom of a glass. Pour the resulting mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the pulp.

Now time for the cocktail: Add the egg white to your shaker and shake for 10 seconds without ice or any other ingredients. This will help you to create the lovely light foam that gives this drink its silky texture. Once you’ve agitated the egg white, fill your shaker with the remaining ingredients, except for the sparkling water. Add ice and shake vigorously for a full 30 seconds.

Once thoroughly shaken, add ice and the sparkling water to your glass and double-strain the shaker contents overtop. I like adding the sparkling water to the bottom of the glass, pouring overtop, so that the bubbles incorporate throughout the drink without stirring. Garnish with a rose petal and straw, and voilà.

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Spiced Apple Pie Smoothie (vegan, gluten-free)

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 3 minutes

Yield: about 16 ounces, 2 generous smoothies

Smooth, creamy, refreshing and tastes like a slice of spiced apple pie in a cup.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups apple cider or apple juice

1 cup yogurt (vanilla, plain, or apple cinnamon; use regular, vegan, soy, coconut milk, or your favorite yogurt)

1/4 cup milk or non-dairy nut milk, optional (omit for a thicker smoothie)

1 medium ripe banana (previously frozen is ideal but not required)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch nutmeg and/or cardamom, optional

sugar or sweetener (agave, stevia, maple syrup, etc.) optional and to taste

2 cups ice, optional and as necessary

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, except ice, in a large blender or Vita-Mix and blend until smooth and creamy, taking care any sweetener used has dissolved and is well incorporated. If desired, pour over ice or blend ice into the smoothie noting that this will water it down a bit; if time permits refrigerating or freezing smoothie to chill is recommending.

Tips: Pour excess portion(s) into glasses and freeze ahead for later (30 seconds in the microwave is what I do to thaw in a hurry); pour excess into bowls and freeze for apple pie frozen yogurt; or pour into Popsicle molds, paper cups, or ice cube trays and freeze for homemade frozen treats.

Optional: Add 1 to 2 ounces of Rum, Vodka, Marshmallow Vodka, Apple Vodka, Apple Schnapps, Gran Marnier or similar, per smoothie portion, or to taste. Or add 1 to 2 scoops of vanilla or plain protein powder. Use caramel sauce in the mixture or drizzled over the top before drinking.

Source: http://www.averiecooks.com/2012/02/spiced-apple-pie-smoothie.html

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Layered Ice Cubes

Aren't these pretty?  They're just ordinary ice cubes, made with layers of fruit juices.  And they're not just pretty, they actually have a purpose--- as they melt they flavor whatever you've plopped them into.  The drink below started out as just plain sparkling water.  Now it's a rhubarb/sour cherry/pineapple/lime all natural soda.  

Pinterest is pretty awesome.  If you're willing to scroll through a few hundred  thousand or so pins you might just find a gem.  Like these ice cubes.  Sometimes little projects like this work out, and sometimes they don't.  This one was easy and straightforward, and I'm happy to report they came out looking  just like I'd hoped.  Better still, they actually made my drink taste good.  It's a win win for this pin.

It works best if you have an ice cube mold that makes large square cubes.  That way you have room to layer the different colored juices, and they look good when they're frozen.  I used these silicone molds.  The silicone makes the ice easy to remove, and they're sturdy so they hold their shape as you put them in the freezer.

There are so many ways to do this, but keep in mind the relationship between the flavor of your ice cubes and the liquid you're going to put them into.  Use a combination of flavors that sounds good to you.  I think mixed citrus cubes in rum or vodka would be fantastic. You can used canned, bottled, or fresh juice.  The more colorful, the better.

For these cubes I used an assortment of bottled, (sour cherry and pomegranate) canned. (pineapple) and fresh (orange and lime) juices.  I added water to my rhubarb simple syrup and used that too.  Then I just layered the juices in different combinations.  I wouldn't use smoothies for these because they will become muddy as they melt and make your drink unappealing.

Layered Ice Cubes         ~~~Pinned from Martha Stewart and Oh Joy!

at least 3 different fruit juices; you can use tonal colors, or contrasting shades

• Spoon or pour a little juice on the bottom layer of your cubes.  Freeze the tray until the layer is frozen, this might take 30 minutes or so, depending on how much you pour, the size of your tray, and the temperature of your freezer.  
• Once frozen, spoon a different layer over the top, and freeze again.  Repeat with the third juice.  
• When the cubes are frozen, remove and add to your drink of choice.  It will help preserve your pretty ice if the drink itself is already cold.

Notes:  I found that the more pronounced flavors worked well, like lemon, lime or sour cherry.  They really added a nice punch to the water.  If you want to make these ahead of time and store them, I would arrange them on a flat surface and separate each layer of cubes with waxed paper because they tend to be stickier than regular ice.

I'm not done playing with ice cubes.  I love the idea of flavoring hot weather drinks this way.
How about:

• coffee cubes in iced coffee, or in Bailey's Irish Cream
• lemonade cubes in iced tea 
• coconut milk cubes in Thai iced tea
• lime and mint cubes in a mojito
• chocolate cubes in cold milk
• blood orange cubes in a rose spritzer

What will you put in your glass?

Source: http://theviewfromthegreatisland.blogspot.com.br/2013/05/minimal-monday-layered-ice-cubes.html

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