Strawberry-Lime Punch

For any of you who were at the "Alice in Wonderland" party last September, you may remember this punch. It is delicious!

Strawberry-Lime Punch

1 ½ cups pineapple juice
½ cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. lime juice
½ cup sugar
1 package (10 ounces) frozen sliced strawberries with sugar, thawed
4 ½ cups lemon-lime soda

Place juices and sugar in pitcher. Mix well until sugar is dissolved. Add strawberries. Mix well until combined. Slowly add lemon-lime soda to pitcher. Mix just until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish glasses with fresh fruit slices if desired. until combined. Yield: 16 servings.

Enjoy! Cami

grapefruit slushie

I haven't tried this out yet, but just had it at a friend's house. She served it with sliced grapefruit skewers, and it was good. I'm waiting for a sunny to day to try this - waiting and waiting and waiting...

Mix together:
46 ounce can Texas grapefruit juice
large can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 packet unsweetened strawberry Koolaid
1/2 cup sugar

Freeze until 1/2 hour before ready to serve. Scoop into glasses and add ginger ale.

amy

christian's amazing smoothies

i will probably not do this recipe justice since christian is the one who makes them in our house! but we always keep a supply on hand of frozen strawberries and pineapples (or when you have fresh on hand that's even better!)

he puts fruit in (strawberries, pineapple, nectarine, peach, raspberries, whatever you want), a banana, a scoop of sherbet, one container of yogurt, some orange juice and i like to add *lime. mix it up and you have some pretty amazing smoothies. i like to think they are actually a healthy food!

*someone posted earlier about fun ice cubes, i like to do a slightly different version. i am constantly trying to cook with lime or lemon. it makes meals taste amazing, but you don't always have them on hand or they are rotten before you use them. i suggest buying about 4 lemons and 2 big limes. squeeze their juice out into an ice tray and freeze them up. when they are frozen i wrap them in saran wrap and then put them in a ziploc baggie... so you have lime or lemon juice whenever you need it! (even for smoothies)

fresh fruit smoothie

we have this for breakfast and my kids love it sipped through a straw!

frozen strawberries
pineapple juice or orange juice
lime juice
banana

i don't do exact measurements, but the frozen strawberries eliminate the need for ice. this is a good recipe because you can use whatever fruit you have on hand, we have added pineapple, kiwis, mangos, blueberries and watermelon, and it has always turned out delicious, just don't skip the lime juice.

fun ice cubes

I like to freeze berries or slices of limes or lemons in ice cubes for water or drinks. It not only
looks pretty but adds a little flavor.

Kim C.

Pina Coladas

1/2 can frozen Bacardi Pina Colada mix (our very favorite)
1-2 c ice cubes (depending on what else you add)
1 c water
1 c frozen mango chunks
1/2-1 banana (opt)

Blend in a blender until smooth.

You can also add vanilla ice cream instead of ice cubes, it sweetens it a lot but makes it lots richer. We also like to make fruit juice based smoothies and add a spoonful or two of the Bacardi mix, it's great.

Wedding Punch

1 two liter ginger ale
1 can frozen white grape juice

mix together and serve, it tastes a lot like Martinelli's Sparkling Cider

Three Fabulous Punches

Hey Everyone! It has been a very long time since I last posted a recipe. I hope you enjoy these; they're three of the best punch recipes I know of. Nothing brings people together better than a good cup o' punch!

Lime Slush Punch

2 c. sugar
8 c. water
1 (12-oz.) can frozen limeade
5 fresh limes, juiced
2 (12-oz.) cans lemon-lime soda (take your pick)

~Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan and heat slightly until the sugar is dissolved. Add frozen limeade and juices of the limes. Mix and pour into a shallow pan. Freeze. Remove from freezer about an hour before serving and break up into slush. Pour into punch bowl and add soda. Yields 18 (4-ounce) servings. (I think a 4-ounce serving is pretty wimpy, so I usually make more.)

Very Cherry Slush Punch

2 1/4 c. water
1/3 c. sugar
1 large lemon
1 (12-oz.) can frozen apple-cherry or cherry drink concentrate
2 cans ginger ale

~In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Juice lemon(s) to measure 3 Tablespoons. Stir lemon juice and concentrate into sugar syrup. Pour in a shallow pan. Freeze. Remove from freezer about an hour before serving and break up into slush. Pour into punch bowl or serving glasses, and add ginger ale soda. Yields 16 (4-ounce) servings. (Again, these servings are wimpy, so I make more. I even like to add a fresh cherry or two to the drink. Fun!)

Eggnog Punch (Serious Yuletide Joy)

1 qt. eggnog (the best kind to use is the country eggnog; I can't remember the name)
2 c. premade orange juice
1 c. half & half (or cream works too -- you decide :)
1/2 t. nutmeg or more to taste
1 qt. 7-up
1/4 gal. vanilla ice cream, scooped (sometimes I let the rest of the ice cream melt, and I stir it in as well. I know - really low fat huh!)

~Combine eggnog, orange juice, half & half, nutmeg, mix well. Add scooped ice cream. Place in a large punch bowl and pour 7-up over eggnog mixture. (So this recipe is tricky. I usually have to taste it and see what it needs. Experiment!)

Thanks,

Krista

ITALIAN SODAS

I love these!!! They are so easy to make, yet they look impressive!

Fill glass 1/2 full with Sprite (you can use club soda, but I like sprite better)

Add ice
Add a splash of half and half
Add a splash of Torani syrup
Whipping cream to top it off
Serve with a straw (it tastes better that way ;)

Crockpot Oatmeal

So this is also late but we were moving when we packing when we were doing the crockpot recipes. It is nothing great just something that saves me in the morning. My twins LOVE their oatmeal and walk around the house REALLY grumpy until we spoon it into their mouths. I discovered that I can cook it overnight on low and have it done in the morning ready to serve. You can adjust the recipe to suit you tastes or preferences. Here is the basic recipe:

2 1/8 - 2 1/4 c. water
1 c. old fashioned oats (I don't use the quick so if you do you might want to try it out see how it works)
1/4- 1/2 t. salt, opt.

put it in the crockpot on low before you head to bed and it will be done when you wake up in the morning.

This one is a great but I don't use it all the that often, a fun treat though!
Crockpot Apple Oatmeal

2 cups milk
1/4 cup brown sugar (it has been a few months since I made this but I think if I remember right I cut the sugar down to 1/8 cup)
1 Tbsp. melted butter (I think I also cut this down to 1-1 1/2 t.)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup regular oats
1 cup peeled, chopped apple
1/2 cup chopped dates or raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

lightly spray the crockpot with cooking grease. Mix everything but the oats and stir. Add the oats last and cook on low overnight. It is a realy treat and people who don't really care for oatmeal enjoy this.

Kim C.

Chicken and Bacon Roll-Ups

I made this tonight for the first time and it was great.

1/2 c. light mayonnaise
1 t. minced fresh tarragon (I used dried to taste)
bit of curry to taste and salt
1- 1 1/2 t. lemon juice
4 whole wheat flat breads/ whole wheat tortillas
shredded romaine lettuce
chopped tomato
crumbled bacon (costco fresh bacon bits are great)
2 c shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (I was short on time and used 2 cans costco canned chicken in water)

combine mayonnaise, tarragon, curry, salt and lemon juice to taste in a small bowl. Combine with chicken until lightly coated (I used all the mayo mixture and chicken and it was a great combination). Make into a roll-up using desired topping and enjoy.

Kim C.

Teriyaki Salmon Burgers

Sorry that these recipes are the current category but we are moving a lot right now and this was the best way to not loose them and we liked them SO much I wanted to share. They are both fairly easy to prepare and worth every minute!

1/4 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t garlic pepper blend (didn't have any so I added some garlic and pepper...seemed to work well)
1 salmon fillet (1 pound), skin removed and cubed
1/2 c. soft bread crumbs

In a large resealable bag, combine the first five ingredients; add salmon. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Drain and marinade and set aside (you are supposed to discard it but I used it to make the meat the right consistancy and then I discarded it) Place salmon in a food processor or mixer. Add bread crumbs (I never keep bread crumbs around so I just use the processor and crumb fresh bread when I need it. That way I can use whole wheat or whatever kind I prefer) and process until blended ( this is where I use the juices if it is dry or add a bit extra crumbs if to wet, you want it to form a patty and not fall apart); cover and refrigerate for one hour (I forgot to do this and it still turned out great!) Coat a grill rack with nonstick cooking spray or you can fry it on a griddle. Grill patties, uncovered, over medium heat for 6-7 minutes. Turn and grill 3-5 minutes longer or until thermometer reads 140 degrees.

Serve with mayo, tartar sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion or anything else you like on a bun! Really great summer dish, Isaac LOVED and turned out eating just the salmon burger without the bun!

Enjoy,
Kim C.

New Category for July

Sorry about the relapse, with moving and all, it has been a little bit crazy! In honor of the hot weather (it is even hot in Seattle) the new category is BEVERAGES (smoothies, punch, mixed drinks etc...) You can even suggest your favorite store-bought drink. So go wild and experiment.

hello? hello?

is anyone out there? maybe no one has crock pots... or maybe you were all having a blast for the 4th! just double checking!!