Holiday Heat Relief

The heat is on, the people have gathered and it is time to keep things cool this holiday weekend. Here is a last minute idea that is fun, quick and plays a double role; beverage and dessert. Plus it is easy enough to leave you free to join in on the fun.

Happy Memorial Day!

7-UP Fruit Freeze - It's a dessert, it's a cocktail, it's a punch, it's a Blast!

1- 6 ounce can of orange juice concentrate

1- 1/2 cups of water

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of lemon juice

2 pkgs. of. Frozen strawberries, using the juice as well
1 can crushed pineapple with juice
6 bananas, diced

Combine all ingredients. Pour into 9 x 13 inch pan. Freeze. Take out 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. Put a scoop of the fruit ice into glass of your choice and fill remainder of glass with 7-UP. It's just fruity, fizzy fun on a hot summer day.

Prepped And Ready To Go!

Isn't it funny how our fruit consumption increases when someone else has taken the time to do all the work? Prime example, my uncle and I enjoy fresh pink grapefruit segments not the ones that come in a can or jar. Sure, we could purchase the grapefruits and segment them ourselves but it is so much nicer to enjoy the corning glass container full of them that could always be found in my grandmother's refrigerator. My grandmother prepped melons, berries and grapefruit every week and kept them chilled in the fridge ready to be enjoyed at all times.

Sometimes you just hate to work at your food but the rewards are great if you do and even greater when someone else is kind enough to do it for you.

I find I tend to eat more often and automatically healthier by having containers of fruit and veggie's prepped and ready to eat on hand.

I had a friend who would always have a large container filled with assorted melon balls in her fridge. In the heat of summer this was a much appreciated treat after a long day of yard work or just a day of fun in the sun. I am sure if that melon was not in the fridge we would have opted for something less than nutritious. My friend also made this sour cream dressing that went wonderfully with the melon. The dressing will add a few calories but all you really need is about a teaspoonful of dressing per serving for it is quite rich and flavor dense. Feel free to opt out of the dressing and just stick with the melon which is fine and satisfying on its own.

Melon Balls - Use any type of melon

1 whole watermelon
2 whole cantaloupe
1 whole honeydew melon
Juice of half a lemon, lime or orange helps fruit stay fresher longer while adding extra flavor.
Mint sprigs, optional

If you feel that your melon is not sweet enough just add a tablespoon of sugar to the cut up melon and stir in before placing in the fridge.

Scoop balls from melons (for less work you may just cube the melon). Chill and serve with garnish of mint sprigs.

Optional Dressing:

8 ounces of Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon of orange juice concentrate
1 Tablespoon of powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

Mix all ingredients together, place in covered container and refrigerate.
One spoonful of this dressing is just enough to make that melon salad extra special.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

A thirsty girl needs to start planning for all the hot weather ahead and what better way than with a pink girly girl cocktail. This will put the blush in those pretty little cheeks and keep you smiling through the rest of the day.

These slush type drinks are the perfect thing to keep on hand during the summer months. Whether it's a party of one or one hundred, it never hurts to be prepared!

Pink Lady Slush

1 lg. can pink frozen lemonade
1 lg. can water
1/2 c. grenadine
1 cup of vodka

Mix well and freeze until mixture turns to slush (at least 2 to 3 hours); stir occasionally. Fill glass 1/2 full with slush. Fill remainder with 7-Up or if you want your drink to pack more punch skip the 7-Up and use sparkling wine or champagne instead.

Just keep doubling and tripling the amounts, so your freezer never runs dry.

Black Beauty

                                                                Black Garlic

For all of us who can't imagine life without garlic, there is a new stinking rose in town and she's a beauty......a black beauty. Yes you heard me right, I was watching the Foodnetwork the other night and an ingredient that was being used on one of their shows was; Black Garlic. I know I nearly fell off my chair, why had I not heard of this and where do I have to go to get some. Well it turns out there is a website devoted to this amazing bulb. It almost looks like pieces of shiny black onyx cradled in antique white. I cannot wait to try it, so I am including the link to the website where you may order it direct or find a nearby location that carries it.

I look forward to seeing how it tastes and all the new recipes that I can create with it.

Here is one of the recipes from the website using this new culinary find. If anyone has already tried this please let me know what you thought of it and more importantly....what type of dish you made using it.

Here is another wonderful site for Black Garlic called Black Garlic Love, Thanks Lydia.

Black Garlic Linguini

Ingredients

• One portion of linguine

• 4 cloves of peeled black garlic – sliced

• A glug of extra virgin garlic oil

• A handful of chopped fresh herbs – chives, parsley and basil

• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• A few slivers of fresh mild red chilli (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook the linguine according to the instructions on the packet.

2. Once cooked drain thoroughly. Set aside.

3. Heat the garlic oil in the same pan. Add the black garlic, herbs and chilli (if using). Stir.

4. Quickly toss in the linguine. Stir.

5. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Garnish with a few whole fresh basil leaves.

7. Sit back, relax and enjoy!!!

Abracadabra Watch Me Pull A Pie Crust Out Of My.........

As soon as I see a recipe for any type of impossible pie it instantly reminds me of my grandmother. My grandmother loved all of those impossible pie recipes and there was actually a period of time when she was making a couple different impossible pies per week. I think besides the fact that they were easy to make and that they tasted good, I believe my grandmother derived a bit of amusement and fascination by the crust that would magically appear from nothing but a pool of wet batter. My grandmother was not alone; all of us kids loved the magic pie crust trick....especially the part where we made the magic pie disappear one tasty bite at a time.
This impossible coconut pie turns out with the consistency of a crème Brulee that just happens to have a very thin crust. You could probably sprinkle some sugar on top and use a torch to melt the sugar and actually turn it into a coconut Crème Brulee pie.

Impossible Coconut Pie

4 eggs

1/2 stick melted butter

2 cups milk

1 cup coconut

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

You may substitute a 1/2 cup of Bisquick as a replacement for the flour and baking powder in this recipe.

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a greased pie pan. Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes at 350°F.