July 16, 2008
Strawberry Lemonade Punch
Normally for a birthday party or something of that nature I make Banana Punch. Banana punch was the go to recipe when I was growing up for parties, showers, etc. But this year for Alexis' birthday party I had a bunch of lemons and strawberries on hand, and in the spirit of not buying more stuff I decided to make something different and the results were stellar! You could even make this an adult punch by adding a little rum if you liked...The possibilities are endless! ;o)
What You'll Need:
6 cups of frozen strawberries
The juice of 12-14 lemons
4 cups of organic cane sugar
Seltzer water
Place frozen berries in batches of about a cup into a blender and blend until completely chopped. A few larger pieces here and there are not a big deal. Pour into a very large bowl. (Note: It would be MUCH easier in a food processor than a blender, but sadly I still haven't replaced my processor that died horribly. If you have a food processor then by all means use it instead! It will make the process MUCH easier and if you're using a food processor you don't even have to freeze the strawberries!)
Stir in lemon juice and sugar and let sit until sugar dissolves. Place into small airtight containers and freeze until solid.
Thirty minutes before you want to serve pull out one or two of the frozen containers and let thaw a bit. Place the still slightly frozen mixture into a punch bowl and cover with seltzer water and then serve.
Notes: You could do this with blueberries or peaches or pineapple or any other type of fruit that you like!
Posted by Dianne at 7:44 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 6, 2007
Hot Chocolate Gift Jar
Hot chocolate immediately brings to mind snow, warmth and the holidays! What better present to give than a jar of chocolatey goodness? Throw in some cookies and you could even leave out a cup for Santa! He'd really love that! ;o)
What You'll Need for the Jar:
1 quart jar
1 cup of powdered milk
1 cup of powdered cocoa
1 cup of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of vanilla powder (Note: If you've never used vanilla powder before you use it just as you would the liquid equivalent. Take the link to get more info. You'll have to scroll down until you reach the product.)
4 tablespoons of organic cane sugar
Mix ingredients in a food processor or sift together and stir until completely mixed. Dress up the jar however you like, but be sure to include instructions on how to make the hot chocolate (see below).
To Make the Hot Chocolate:
Add boiling water to 2 or 3 heaping spoonfuls of hot chocolate mix to taste. Top with marshmallows or whipped cream or even just drink it straight up! For an adult kick add in some rum or Irish cream.
Posted by Dianne at 7:53 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
November 15, 2007
Thanksgiving Yummy: Maple Pumpkin Bread
Oh my what a day, what a DAY! I don't think I've made an entry this late in the day (or night as the case may be! ;o)) since I started Dianne's Dishes, but that's neither here nor there. Let's get on to the Thanksgiving recipe instead, shall we? ;o)
Even on Thanksgiving you've simply got to eat breakfast! Why not go with a pumpkin theme? Mmmmm Pumpkin! Maple Pumpkin Bread is just the thing to get the day started off on a holiday note. This bread is simple, quick and delicious! The best part is that you can make it ahead of time and simply enjoy a leisurely breakfast before all the joy and thankfulness! ;o)
What You'll Need:
3 cups of unbleached all purpose flour OR white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice mix
1 1/4 cup of natural brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup of maple syrup
2 eggs
1 cup of buttermilk
1 - 15 ounce can of pumpkin (Note: NOT pumpkin pie mix!)
1 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (Also know as pepitas)
Preheat oven to 375 F.
In a large bowl mix flour through pumpkin pie spice mix, along with 1 cup of brown sugar and stir to mix. Add maple syrup through pumpkin and stir to mix thoroughly. Stir in nuts and pumpkin seeds until incorporated. Pour batter into 2 greased or sprayed loaf pans. Sprinkle the batter with 1/4 cup of brown sugar spread evenly between the two loaves.
Bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool to the touch before removing the loaves from the pans. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes: You could easily make this batter as muffins. They would most likely bake for 12-15 minutes or until they stick done. You could also add in a cup of raisins or use another type of nut. 2 cups of chopped apple would be a nice addition as well. You can serve it right out of the oven OR you can freeze it for up to six weeks and thaw before using. You can even top a slice with a little peanut butter...It sounds weird, but it's great so what are you waiting for? ;o)
Posted by Dianne at 9:56 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 18, 2007
Baked Pears with Goat Cheese and Honey
It's pear season! You've got to love Fall! Goat cheese and honey, meld together with the pears to makes a scrumptious taste combination. This is a simple, quick, delicious dessert that you'll love!
What You'll Need Per Person:
1/2 a pear with the core scooped out
1-2 tablespoons of goat cheese
Honey
Preheat oven to 375 F.
First you want to scoop out the core of the pear:
Next stuff the center with goat cheese:
Bake for 10-15 minutes until pear is soft and goat cheese is slightly golden.
Remove from oven and drizzle with honey. Serve immediately.
Notes: If you want to you could use blue cheese instead of goats cheese, but I'd omit the honey. Chopped pecans or walnuts would also be a good addition to sprinkle on top before baking.
Posted by Dianne at 9:56 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 14, 2007
Pumpkin Smoothie
It's amazing how much pumpkin three small sugar pumpkins actually put out! So that just encourages me to come up with new uses for pumpkin. This morning I was thinking about pumpkin and I wondered how a pumpkin smoothie would taste, so I whipped one up. If you like pumpkin then this little gem makes a great fall time breakfast or snack!
What You'll Need:
1 ripe banana
1 cup of cooked pumpkin
1 cup of milk (Note: I used EdenBlend's Rice Soy blend, but you can whatever type of milk you like.)
1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter
1 cup of ice
Dump all the ingredients into the jar of your blender and blend on high until smooth. Serve immediately.
Notes: If you wanted to add some cinnamon they that would be a great addition, but I'd leave out the peanut butter. Also I think the banana and pumpkin "sweetens" the smoothie without having to add any other sweeteners, but if you think it needs something more then I would go with either a tablespoon of honey or a tablespoon of maple syrup. I'ts nice to stick with natural sweetners and not processed ones.
Posted by Dianne at 7:49 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 17, 2007
Lemonade
What's better than a nice, big, cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day? The two go hand in hand!
What You'll Need:
1 1/2 cups of organic cane sugar
1 1/2 cups of water
9-10 lemons, juiced
More water to fill the pitcher
Heat sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water over medium heat until sugar dissolves and syrup forms. Remove from heat and let cool. In a gallon pitcher add lemon juice to cooled simple syrup and stir to mix. Fill up the rest of the pitcher with water and viola...Lemonade! Pour over ice and garnish with a lemon round if desired.
Notes: You can add in some lime juice instead of lemon for Limemade. You could also add in any other fruit juice you wanted for a lemonade combo deal (Watermelon Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, etc.)
Posted by Dianne at 2:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 10, 2007
Frozen Fruity Rum Punch
I still have some frozen Banana Punch concentrate in the freezer from Alexis' birthday party and I decided it would be fun to thaw some out and have a little fun with it...Add in a little rum and you've got a wonderful summer treat for the adults!
What You'll Need:
4 cups of Banana Punch concentrate, thawed until slushy
2 cups of ice
1 cup of dark rum
1 cup of ginger ale
Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.
Posted by Dianne at 7:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 18, 2007
Banana Punch
When I was growing up this was the go to punch for baby showers, bridal showers and parties. It's simple to make and it's delicious. It always gets raves! Try it at your next party and see!
What You'll Need:
5 crushed bananas
The juice of one lemon
4 cups of organic cane sugar
1 – 46 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
1 – 46 oz unsweetened orange juice
1 – 46 oz unsweetened apple juice
Ginger ale
Squeeze lemon juice over the crushed bananas. Mix together everything but the ginger ale in a very, very large bowl or in batches and freeze until solid. Take out of freezer about 1 hour before needed. Pour ginger ale over mixture in a large punch bowl and mix in a large punch bowl just before serving. As you use the punch you can keep adding more ginger ale and more frozen punch. Quick, easy and delicious!
Notes: If you can't get juices in the exact sizes don't sweat it, it will still taste delicious! As long as you have some amount near the above recommendations of each juice you're fine. You can't mess this one up...it's foolproof! Also don't sweat it if you can't find unsweetened juice. Just take out some or all of the sugar depnding on how sweet you like things.
Posted by Dianne at 1:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 27, 2007
Frozen Pineapple Margaritas
I love margaritas and I always like to try new renditions. Watermelon? Check! Strawberry? Check! Peach? Oh yeah!
This pineapple version is cool, fruity and oh so lovely. It's just perfect for a warm summer evening! If you like margaritas give this one a try...You won't be disappointed!
What You'll Need:
The juice of 12 limes
1 cup of pineapple juice
1 cup of simple syrup
1/2 cup of triple sec
1/2 cup of tequila
Ice
Dump all ingredients in the ingredients into the jar of your blender (add enough ice to fill the jar) and blend on high until smooth. Serve with a salted rim or even a sugar rim. Drink and enjoy.
Simple, easy and delicious!
Posted by Dianne at 12:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 12, 2007
Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Sometimes I like to make a smoothie for breakfast. I've seen a lot of smoothie recipes that call for sweeteners, but the reality is that natural sugars in the fruit are more than enough! Smoothies are fast, easy, healthy and delicious!
What You'll Need Per Person:
1 cup of milk (skim, soy, etc.)
2 strawberries, sliced
1 banana
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
1 cup of crushed ice
Place all ingredients in the jar of you blender and blend until smooth.
Notes: You can use peaches or blueberries or any other fruit that you like. You can even use frozen fruit! You can also add in some yogurt if you like as well. It's another one of those recipes that you can play with and the possibilities are endless!
Posted by Dianne at 9:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 25, 2007
Dianne's Tropical Lemonade
I was reading the current issue of Cooking Light and they had a frozen lemonade made with coconut rum. The only problem is that I don't keep frozen lemonade concentrate on hand (high fructose corn syrup anyone?) and usually make lemonade straight from lemons. I decided that it had to be easy to make my own little concoction and this is what I came up with. It's fruity, tropical and oh so good!
What You'll Need:
The juice of 2 lemons
2 cups of water
1 cup of club soda
1/2 cup of coconut rum
1/2 cup of organic cane sugar
2 cups of ice
Sliced lemon for garnish (optional)
Mix lemon juice, water, club soda, rum and sugar in the canister of your blender. Add ice and blend until smooth. Serve with sliced lemons to garnish if desired!
Who says you can't be tropical in February? ;o)
Posted by Dianne at 10:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack