Party Drinks

Drink recipe from fireside:

1 can limeade frozen concentrate
2 - 2 liter 7-up
1/2 c. sugar
1 T almond extract
1 T vinegar
Lemon slices and ice cubes to float on top.

You can substitute different concentrates (or additional ones on top of a basic one), add mashed bananas, or berries to come up with a variety of party drink concotions.

If you want it to be slush, just freeze for 24 hours before serving w/o the 7-up and add it prior to party.

The secret to the zing is the vinegar and almond extract for the extra flavor. I thought of trying rum extract, that might be tasty, too.
(I'll add a picture next time I make up a batch of party drink.)

Family Favorite

It's been a while since a new post on here.  Hopefully, everyone is busy having fun. This year's menu for us (so far) has been full of dishes that are "all-in-one"type dishes- with a little something from each food group to make it a complete meal.  Ham Fried Rice: rice, ham, carrots, peas, scrambled eggs.  Pesto Pasta: topped with turkey bacon, tomatoes, and a little cheese. And this Dorito Taco salad. I'm sure you all have this recipe, but I thought I'd share anyway.

1 pound ground beef or turkey

3/4 head of lettuce 

3 tomatoes

Doritos (you can use baked if you want)

1 can kidney beans (we like black better) drained and rinsed

a little onion

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

3/4 bottle Thousand Island dressing (you can use light or Fat Free)

Chop and mix tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese.  Mix with dressing.  Brown hamburger, drain, and add the beans. Simmer for 10 min. Add to salad.  Serve with crushed Doritos.  I like it topped with sour cream and avocados.

Southwestern Sloppy Joes with Honey Lime Coleslaw

It seems like I've started most of my posts lately with "I don't normally like such-and-such" or "Ben doesn't usually eat yada-yada". This post is no different.....

Ben is not a fan of sloppy joes. I think I've asked him why about 10 times in the course of our relationship. Do I remember? Nope. Either I'm a very bad wife or the answer was just that vague.

Anyway, when I saw this recipe on Debbi Does Dinner I was fairly sure that this sloppy joe would be the exception. And I was RIGHT! Boo-yah! In fact, Ben's review, simply stated, "This is good. And not just for a sloppy joe."

I didn't take a picture, sorry, but Debbi has two yummy pictures on her post.

enjoy!

Southwest Sloppy Joes with Honey Lime Coleslaw

Honey Lime Coleslaw:

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

2 tbsp. sour cream (or use all mayo)

3 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. lime juice

2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper

Pinch of cayenne

about 4 cups of coleslaw mix

Sloppy Joe

1 lb. ground turkey

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup ketchup

1 can black beans

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 can diced green chiles

1 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. mustard

1 tsp. ground cumin

Salt and pepper

Combine coleslaw mix and coleslaw ingredients, mix and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cook ground turkey and onion. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir to combine. Let simmer for about 10 minutes or until it thickens and is the desired consistency. Serve on sandwich thins with coleslaw on top if desired.

Crockpot BBQ Country Ribs

These were so yummy! They rekindled my desire to us my CrockPot more often. I pulled this recipe off of the 365 Days of Crockpot blog, which, I recently discovered, is written by a girl who lived in my Freshman dorm at BYU. You can see the original recipe here. Below is how I made them.

(Sorry I have no picture. Go to the link above if you want one.)

Crockpot BBQ Country Ribs

2 lbs boneless country-style pork ribs


1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tsp ground mustard

2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup brown sugar

8 oz BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's because that's what I had on hand).
In a small bowl, stir together the vinegar, mustard, onion seasoning, salt, pepper, brown sugar, and bbq sauce. Place the pork ribs in the bottom or your slow cooker. Spoon the sauce over the top of the ribs and coat really well. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cooies

These are so yummy! Super fast and easy to make. We gobbled them right up!

1 box chocolate cake mix (any variety)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 C oil
2 eggs
2 Tbsp water

1 (10 oz) bag Nestle dark chocolate and mint morsels

Mix cake mix, eggs, oil, and water until soft dough forms

Fold in morsels. Drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Carrot Cookies with Orange Glaze

These are the cookies I brought to the cookie exchange. I decided to try a new recipe. I thought they were just so-so.

This recipe came from The Daily Dish blog.

Batter:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (about 3 medium carrots)

1 egg, beaten

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups flour

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

grated zest of one orange

2 T freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. Add the shredded carrot, egg and vanilla and mix well. Sift in the baking soda and flour and stir until combined.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for a minute on the cookie sheet. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, measure the powdered sugar into a small mixing bowl. Add zest and juice and stir until a glaze consistency. Spread, drizzle or pipe onto cooled cookies.

Molasses Cookies

As most of you know my mom died in December. She went in the hospital 7 years ago today and never came back home. I wanted to do something in her memory so I baked one of her most favorite cookies. She would have loved to have shared them with you. I wish you all could have known here. She was a pretty special person.

Molasses Cookies

Beat together well:
1 1/2 cups Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Here's a hint I think I learned from Martha Stewart - spray your measuring cup with PAM before you measure the molasses and it will slide right out.

Add:
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons baking soda

Roll into balls and drop into some granulated sugar. Place approximately 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven until cookies have definite cracks and the edges aren't burnt. 6-7 minutes.