yummy mango lassi

 

One of my FAVORITE drinks in the whole world!! It is light and refreshing and so very easy and YUMMY!! You can also freeze it for a super yummy frozen treat!!

2 cups of fresh chopped RIPE mango pieces (3 or 4 MED mangoes)
2 cups REAL plain good quality yogurt (I like to use Liberté)
2 to 3 tbsp REAL cream
½ TSP cardamom powder
4 to 5 tbsp RAW sugar (sometimes I use honey when I can get it at the farmers market)
whole milk can be added to desired consistency 

Peel the mangoes and chop them. In a blender or mixer, puree the mangoes with sugar or honey. Slowly add the plain yogurt, cream, the cardamom powder and blend well until really smooth. Serve over ice and sit back and enjoy!!

strawberry italian ice

This is perfect for a hot summer day and so refreshing you might just skip the ice cream!!

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon finely shredded orange peel
2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
1-1/2 teaspoons finely shredded lime peel
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 cups sliced fresh strawberries

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, water, and peels. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Strain and discard peels. Stir in orange, lemon, and lime juices. In a blender container or food processor bowl combine half of the juice mixture and half of the strawberries. Cover and blend or process with several on/off turns or until nearly smooth (leave some small chunks of strawberries). Transfer to a 2-quart freezer container. Repeat with remaining juice mixture and strawberries. Cover and freeze 6 hours or overnight, stirring once after freezing for 3 hours. To serve, scrape across frozen mixture with a large spoon and place into individual serving dishes (if mixture is too firm, let stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes). Makes about 8 servings.

raspberry pecan smoothie

Ok, This is really good, but not my idea!
Thanks Renee!!!
Delicious!

3 cups raspberries
3 1/2 cups ice
2 cups yogurt or milk
1/2 cup pecans
3 tbsp. honey

Get out your best blender and add ice and start blending. Blend in pecans and raspberries. Add yogurt and honey and ENJOY!!!!!!!

renee's perfect hot cocoa

ok guys...throw away the Stephen's hot chocolate mix! OK, you don't have to throw it away ...just save it for the kiddos. When you want creamy decadent hot cocoa, this is the one for you.

1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
8 teaspoons sugar
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a small heavy saucepan over medium heat mix together the milk, half-and-half, sugar, chocolates, and brown sugar. Heat until the chocolate melts and the sugar dissolves. Do not bring to a boil, but make sure the mixture gets steaming hot. Reduce the heat and keep the chocolate hot. Place half of the mixture in a blender and mix until frothy. Return to the pan, add the vanilla, and pour into glasses. Serve immediately. This recipe doubles and triples easily. Choose your favorite eating chocolate for this recipe as that will really influence the flavor of the final drink. This makes 2 servings...Enjoy!!

renee's frightfully fantastic halloween punch

This is a great way to start any Halloween party, kids and adults both love this!!

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 (2 liter) bottle orange soda, chilled
1/2 gallon orange sherbet
1 (46 fluid ounce) can pineapple juice, chilled
1 can pineapple tidbits
1 can mandarin oranges

In punch bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk and pineapple juice; add orange soda. Top with sherbet and sprinkle in fruit. ENJOY!!!

rotten apple punch

Don't forget the punch!

1 gallon Apple cider
(adjust the amount for the number of people you plan to serve)
Five 1/2-cup containers
(I use Pyrex glass dishes; other small containers or cups will also work)
Red and green food coloring
10 to 15 gummy worms
Punch bowl

Pour apple cider into all 5 small dishes, stopping about 1/2 inch from the top. Add 2 drops of red and 1 drop of green food coloring to each dish and stir until the colors have blended. Hang 2 or 3 gummy worms around the edge of each dish and place the dishes in the freezer. If you use more than 3 worms, the rotten apples won't float as well. Freeze until the rotten apples are solid. Just before serving, slip the frozen wormy apples out of the dishes by setting them briefly in a few inches of warm water in your sink. Float the rotten apples in a large punch bowl filled with untinted cider. For added creepiness, drape the gummy worms over the edges of your serving bowl.

Tip: Do steps 1 and 2 the day before serving the punch.

mulled cider

Mmm... the smell of fall!

4 c. water

2 tsp. ground allspice

1 cinnamon stick

1 dash ground cloves

1 gallon of cider or apple juice

1 can (12 oz.) frozen lemonade, thawed

3/4 c. orange juice

1/3 c. honey

1 tea bag (we use herbal tea)

Cinnamon sticks for garnish (optional)

Combine the water, allspice, cinna-stick and cloves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and return to a boil. Turn off heat and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 12-18

I got this recipe back east in Charlottesville, where we spent some of our fall days at the top of the grassy rolling hills of Virginia at the apple orchard.

Enjoy this fall infusion throughout your home!

italian sodas

Great Family Fun!

Sparkling Strawberry Lemon

1 oz. Lemon syrup

1/2 oz. Strawberry syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Citrus Twist

1 oz. Pink Grapefruit syrup

1/2 oz. Mandarin Orange syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Watermelon-Kiwi

1 oz. Watermelon syrup

1/2 oz. Kiwi syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Cranberry Breeze

3/4 oz. Cranberry syrup

1/4 oz. Lime syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Tangy Blush

1-2 oz. Pomegranate syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Cherry Cream

1/2 oz. Cherry syrup

1/2 oz. Vanilla syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Watermelon

1-2 oz. Watermelon syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

Simply Strawberry

1-2 oz. Strawberry syrup

8 oz. sparkling water or club soda

This Torani flavoring is the best kind I've found so far! Bottles can add up so just start out with your favorite flavor.

watermelon blaster

Here is a wonderful recipe I had to put up before we leave to Monterey Bay for the weekend.

Enjoy!

3 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
1 1/2 cups strawberries
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 cup of ice cubes

Sugar, to taste

Put watermelon, strawberries, lime juice, ice, and sugar if desired into the pitcher of a blender, and blend for 15 seconds on high speed. Stop machine, and stir ingredients with a long wooden spoon. Blend for 15 seconds more on high speed.

banana mama

Ah, this is the life!

We loved drinking these during our Christmas vacation at Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.

1 oz. cream of coconut (you can get at most liquor stores)

2 oz. pineapple juice

3 strawberries

8 oz. pina colada drink mix

1/3 banana

splash of grenadine

ice

Blend all ingredients together.

patriotic punch

Be sure to make this cool refreshing punch for the 4th of July or for any special occasion this summer, and especially if there are kids around or adults that are kids at heart, it's a definite crowd pleaser. I'll give you a hint, the secret is in the ice cubes!

1 qt. any flavor of blue Kool-Aid drink mix, prepared
1 pkg. any flavor of red Kool-Aid (already sweetened)
2 c. cold water
2 c. chilled pineapple juice
1 bottle chilled club soda

Fill 3 ice cube trays with the prepared blue drink, and freeze. Prepare red drink mix with water and juice, pour into punch bowl just before serving. Add club soda, blue ice cubes and enjoy!

virgin pina colada

If you like pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain...

1 c. ice

1 1/4 c. pineapple juice

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. heavy cream

2 tbsp. sugar

2 oz. coconut cream (coconut milk is also heavenly)

pineapple, sliced as garnish

umbrellas (optional)

In electric blender, blend ice, pineapple juice, milk creams, and sugar.

Blend until smooth and frothy.

Serves 2

peach dream

Peachmania!

13 1/2 oz. canned peach slices

3-4 scoops of vanilla ice cream

1/4 c. orange juice

2-3 drops of vanilla essence

2 c. milk, chilled

orange slices for garnish

Mix peach slices, vanilla ice cream, orange juice, vanilla essence and milk until mixed well. Garnish with orange slice. Serve immediately.

Serves 2

watermelon punch

a refreshing and tasty drink during the hot hot summer!!

2 2liters of sprite or ginger ale
1/2 watermelon
ice

Pour sprite into punch bowl or pitcher. Cut watermelon into 2 inch squares or uses melon baller and add to sprite. Refrigerate for 1 hour and pour over ice...Enjoy!!

cucumber lime punch

This is a hit every time I serve it and it's so refreshing!!

4 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 quart 7-Up soda or other lemon-lime soda
1 lemon, sliced
1/2 medium cucumber, thinly sliced

In a punch bowl, stir together the water, ice, lime juice and 7-up. Float slices of lemon and cucumber on top.

almond party slush

Reminds me of our days back east in law school!

12 oz. lemonade concentrate

12 oz. orange juice concentrate

4 c. sugar

18 c. water

1 tsp. almond extract

2 liter Sprite

sliced fruit as a garnish

Add all ingredients together, mix and freeze. Pull out of freezer a half hour before serving and mix with sprite and serve. I usually cut the recipe in half.

strawberry lemonade

* 2 cups water
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
* 1 cup fresh lemon juice
* 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
* 2 cups cold sparkling water or club soda
* Ice *
*Mint sprigs, garnish
* Whole strawberries, garnish

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon peel and lemon juice, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool completely, then strain into a clean pitcher. In a blender, puree the pint of strawberries and add to the pitcher with the lemon juice. Stir well to combine and refrigerate until well chilled. Add the sparkling water and stir well. Pour over glasses filled with ice and serve, garnished with mint and strawberries...YUMMY!!!