Creating memorable and healthy dining experiences.
Lemonade Floats – johanna
June 29th, 2008 | Filed under: RECIPES - Beverage
This recipe is from the Martha Stewart website. Tastes similar to a punch I have had at many party’s. The one with ice cream and ginger-ale. This recipe calls for raspberry or strawberry sorbet. We tried it with a mix of lime, raspberry and orange. Cheers.
Lemonade
Raspberry or strawberry Sorbet
Use a melon baller to make scoops from sorbet. Drop sorbet into individual glasses of lemonade.
Refreshing Homemade Summertime Lemonade – johanna
June 29th, 2008 | Filed under: RECIPES - Beverage
I bought a huge bag of lemons with the idea that it would be fun to make lemonade with the kids. I only have a hand reamer, nothing fancy, powerful or fast. My son was anxious to get to the good part, drinking it. We tried several ratios to get it just right. First we started with 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice (my son wanted to use all the lemons) plus 1 cup of sugar and 1 3/4 cups water. Then we tried 1 cup sugar and 4 cups of water but the little chef thought it was still too bitter. Finally, we went to the internet and found a recipe and it worked. I think the site was allrecipes.com.
1 3/4 cups sugar
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups lemon juice (about 8-10 lemons)
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Remove seeds from lemon juice. In a pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water.
Alternatives:
Pink Lemonade - 1/4 cup cranberry juice
Ginger ale
Strawberry Lemonade - 1 pint strawberries, 8 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons superfine sugar. Puree strawberries and sugar in a blender.
Try making Lemonade Floats or set up a Lemonade Bar. Set out the simple syrup, lemon juice, water and ice. Grab a glass and make your own cup of lemonade.
Baked Summer Veggies – johanna
June 29th, 2008 | Filed under: BUDGET MEALS, RECIPES - Sides
This recipe is from the Rodriquez family in Freemont Texas. We had it with Posole, a soup with pork and hominy.
Zucchini, sliced
Yellow squash, sliced
1 small can of corn, do not drain
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Pour corn into a casserole dish. Add other ingredients on top. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 350 until top is melted and bubbly.
Alternatives: From time to time I add something new.
1 small onion, sliced (optional)
Mushrooms (optional)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
Green and red pepper, sliced (optional)
How To Make Homemade Rocket Pops – johanna
June 22nd, 2008 | Filed under: RECIPES - Snacks
I found this recipe, along with several other cool treats, on the internet some time ago. Sorry I do not remember the site.
2 Cups boiling water
1 Package Jell-o Gelatin Dessert, any red flavor
1 Cup sugar, divided
2 Cups cold water
Ice cubes
16 Paper Or Plastic Cups — (5 oz)
1 Package Jell-O, Berry Blue Flavor
8 Oz Cool Whip
STIR 1 cup of the boiling water into red gelatin and 1/2 cup of the sugar in medium bowl at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Mix 1 cup of the cold water and ice cubes to make 2 cups. Add to gelatin, stirring until ice is melted.
POUR about 1/4 cup gelatin into each paper cup. Freeze 1 hour.
MEANWHILE stir remaining 1 cup boiling water into blue gelatin and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in medium bowl at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Mix remaining 1 cup cold water and ice cubes to make 2 cups. Add to gelatin, stirring until ice is melted. Refrigerate 1 hour.
PLACE about 3 tablespoons whipped topping over red gelatin in each cup. Carefully pour about 1/4 cup blue gelatin over whipped topping. Freeze 1 hour or until almost firm. Insert wooden stick into each cup for handle.
FREEZE 4 hours or overnight until firm. Place bottom of cup under warm running water for 15 seconds. Press firmly on bottom of cup to release pop. Store leftover pops in freezer. Makes 16 pops.
Raspberry Shrub – johanna
June 22nd, 2008 | Filed under: RECIPES - Beverage
This recipe came from my sister-n-law Emily.
4 packages (10 oz each) frozen raspberries, thawed
1 can (6 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 quarts ginger ale, chilled
Cook raspberries 10min. Rub through strainer with wooden spoon. Cool. Add lemonade concentrate; stir in ginger ale. Serve immediately with crushed ice. 12 servings (1 cup each)
Summertime Pasta – johanna
June 22nd, 2008 | Filed under: RECIPES - Soup / Salad
I got this recipe from a magazine but the name eludes me. The recipe was submitted by Bob Barker the late host of the Price is Right. Beware this makes a ton.
1 pound tri-color fusilli pasta
3 bell peppers (yellow, red and green), cut into strips
6 oz grape tomatoes, halved (1 cup)
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 (6.5-oz) jar marinated artichokes, drained and chopped
1 red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and transfer to a baking sheet to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss together the bell peppers, tomatoes, olives, artichokes, onion, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Add the pasta, basil and lemon juice and toss again. Season to taste with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Summer Fun in the Sun – johanna
June 22nd, 2008 | Filed under: CREATING MEMORIES
Summer is a perfect time for creating memories. There is so much to do both indoors and out.
1. Pick Your Own Fruit Farm: My kids love fruit. This summer I thought it would be fun to take them to the U-Pick your own fruit farm. If you are not sure if there is a farm in your area log onto www.pickyourown.org and put in your zip code. You might want to ask around too. The website only list farms that have registered with the site.
2. Water Park: For more fun in the sun, try creating your own backyard Water Park. Build a pirate ship using sturdy buckets to support a wood plank over a kiddie pool filled with water. Watch out for the shark infested waters below.
3. Water Fight: Have a water fight using spray bottles or squirt bottles.
4. Slip-N-Slide: Use plastic ground cover and dish soap to make a “slip n slide.â€
5. Backyard Waterfall: Use a sprinkler as a shower waterfall.
6. Car Wash: Have a car wash. Line up the kiddie cars and bikes. Fill a couple of buckets with soapy water. Give each kid a sponge or wash cloth to wash the cars. We have also added small toys that needed to be cleaned.
7. Water Carnival: Plan a carnival with water games reminiscent of summer camp?
Water balloon toss- toss a water balloon back and forth. Take a step backwards after every toss. The last pair left with a water balloon wins.
Shave the balloon- Give each team a can of shaving cream, a razor and a balloon. Place the items at the finish line. The first player runs from the start line to the finish line, blows up the balloon, runs back and tags the next player. That person runs to the finish line and puts shaving cream on the balloon, runs back and tags the next player. That person runs to the finish line and shaves all the cream off the balloon. The first team to finish wins.
Sponge tag- throw a wet sponge at a player. If they get hit, they are it.
Sponge Race- give each team one empty bucket and one filled with the same amount of water. Place the bucket with the water at the starting line. The empty bucket is places across the yard at the finish line. Using a huge sponge the first person on each team soaks up as much water as they can and carries it to the finish line. Squeeze the water into the bucket and run back to fill the sponge up again. The team to empty their bucket first wins. You can also hand the sponge to the next person on the team.
Water hose limbo- attach a nozzle to a garden hose. Turn the nozzle to the strongest setting. Use the stream of water as a limbo stick.
Beach Ball Race - Place two beach balls on a starting line. Use a water gun to drive the ball across the yard. The first ball to reach the finish line wins.
8. Go Fishing: Take your kids on a fishing trip.
9. Go Camping: Depending on your level of comfort, you can rent a cabin or pitch a tent. If you have little kids pick a spot close to the bathrooms just in case they need to make a midnight visit.
If you have any summer traditions or activities you would like to share let us know.
PLAY GROCERY SHOPPING: – johanna
June 13th, 2008 | Filed under: CREATING MEMORIES
Whether it is cracking eggs, measuring ingredients, or setting the table, helping plan the menu, or anything else age appropriate; when kids are part of the preparation and cooking process, they tend to eat what they had a hand in making.
To help get my kids involved in the meal, we pretend we are going grocery shopping. We use a medium sized wooden basket to shop for the ingredients I need in the pantry and in the refrigerator. One of them will hold the basket while the other one puts the items in. Sometimes the oldest plays cashier.
Navajo Tacos – johanna
June 8th, 2008 | Filed under: BUDGET MEALS, RECIPES - Main Dish
This is a recipe inspired by my friend Jean S. The first time I had one was at her house. She is an amazing cook. I loved going over to her house for dinner because she always made something amazing. Her secret she said was cooking magazines. Essentially the Navajo taco is just that, a taco. The toppings are virtually endless. In fact the night I had this at Jean’s house we had grilled shrimp. You can also serve the fry bread for dessert with some honey butter.
Fry Bread:
2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c dry milk powder
1 tbsp baking powder
1-1/2 tbsp shortening
2/3 to 3/4 c warm water
Vegetable oil for frying
In a medium bowl mix dry ingredients; cut in shortening. Gradually add the water, mixing until dough comes together to form a ball. Be careful not to knead or mix the dough too much or the bread will be crispy or tough. Divide into 10 balls. Cover; let rest for 15 minutes. Roll each ball into a 6-inch circle. Make a small hole in the center of each disc. This will allow it to cook evenly. Pour the oil into a pan. There should be about 1-2 inches of oil. Heat to 375. Slide each disc into oil; fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until puffed and golden. Drain.
Toppings:
Chopped onions
Chopped tomatoes
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheese
Cooked hamburger
Refried Beans
Chili
Cooked shrimp
Salsa
Sour cream
Guacamole
To serve top the flat bread with your choice of meat then add the vegetables. Enjoy!
Father’s Day – johanna
June 8th, 2008 | Filed under: CREATING MEMORIES
Father’s day is the official day designated to give dad the recognition he deserves. Every year at our house, the kids make a card fashioned with their hand prints. It is sweet to look at the cards from the past few years to see how much the kids have grown both physically and artistically.
What kid does not love a party? Father’s Day is a perfect excuse to pull out the streamers and balloons. If you are planning to show dad how much you love him through food, we have a few menu suggestions that are kid friendly to make.
Create a tasty meal of German Pancakes and sausage links. If dad is not a breakfast person, Navajo Tacos are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. End the meal with a special treat of ice cream sundaes.
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