Apple Limeade (Sandra)

This is a great summer drink..not sweet at all..nice and tart. (from Williams & Sonoma)

To vary this quick and easy drink, add 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves or 1 Tbs. peeled and finely grated fresh ginger to the juice mixture before refrigerating. Seek out unfiltered apple juice, also sold as sweet apple cider, for its intense apple flavor.

Ingredients:

• 12 limes
• 4 cups unfiltered apple juice
• Ice cubes as needed
• 1 bottle sparkling water
• 2 small Granny Smith apples, halved, cored and sliced

Directions:

Cut 10 of the limes in half and juice them. You should have about 1 cup juice. Reserve 6 squeezed lime halves and discard the rest.

In a large glass jar or pitcher, stir together the lime juice, apple juice and the reserved lime halves. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours to blend the flavors.

When ready to serve, cut the remaining 2 limes into 6 slices each. Fill a large serving pitcher half full with ice and add the sparkling water, lime slices and apple slices. Strain the apple juice mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the pitcher and stir. Pour into tall chilled glasses over ice and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Entertaining with the Seasons (Free Press, 2010).

Make Ahead Frozen Fruit Daiquiris (Sandra)

(taken from "theyummylife.com blog)

 

Frozen Fruit Daiquiris

By Monica              Servings: 5-6 (1-cup) servings

Ingredients

• 6 oz. (3/4 cup) frozen lemonade or limeade concentrate
• 6 oz. (3/4 cup) light rum
• 4 cups frozen fruit*; may substitute fresh, flavorful, ripe fruit
• 2 cups ice cubes
• sweetener (optional), to taste, if desired (superfine sugar, agave syrup, or other preferred sweetener)
• fresh fruit for garnish (optional)

Directions

In a blender, combine lemonade/limeade concentrate, rum, and fruit. (Berries can be added whole; other fruits should be cut into cubes/pieces.)  Blend until smooth. Add ice. Blend until smooth, and no ice chunks remain. Taste and add sweetener, if desired. If flavor is too intense, add more ice cubes and blend. For stronger fruit flavor, add more fruit and blend.

*RECOMMENDED FRUIT:
--Strawberry (raspberry & blackberry not recommended for this "whole fruit" method, because their larger seeds result in a gritty drinking texture)
--Blueberry
--Mango
--Peach
--Pineapple (optional: add 1 cup canned light coconut milk for a Pina Colada)

MAKE AHEAD MASON JAR DAIQUIRIS:
Pour blended daiquiris into 1/2 pint (1 cup) mason jars, leave at least 1/2" at the top to allow for expansion when they freeze, screw on the lids and freeze. To serve, remove from freezer (let them set out for 5-15 minutes if they're too hard) & use a fork to break up and stir the semi-frozen daiquiris into a slushy consistency.  The alcohol keeps them from freezing to a hard solid state, so they're always ready to remove from the freezer, stir, serve, and drink. These will keep for up to 1 month in the freezer.

TO MIX FLAVORS IN ONE JAR: Layer 2 or more layers in a single jar for a pretty presentation and mixed fruit flavor. Pour 1st layer into jar, freeze for 2 hours, add 2nd layer and freeze, repeat with any remaining layers. Try layering Strawberry, Pineapple (or Pina Colada), and Blueberry for a festive 4th of July daiquiri.

VIRGIN DAIQUIRIS: omit rum and substitute equivalent amount of water. Taste and add sweetener, if needed. If made ahead, these will reach a hard ice state when refrozen due to the lack of alcohol. Remove them from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for 15-25 minutes before stirring into a slushy consistency.

Hot Spiced Cranberry Cider (Sandra)

2 qts apples cider
6 c cranberry juice
1/4 c packed brown sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 tsp whole cloves
1 lemon thinly sliced

Combine everything in a large pot, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 min. Remove cinnamon, cloves and lemon and serve. (I did mine in a crockpot, so I left the lemon slices out until about 20 min before serving..then added them in to simmer a few min).

Holiday Punch (Kim)

Despite the ingredients, it is light tasting!

2 melted medium-sized tubs of Hagendas vanilla ice-cream
1/3 c. orange liquer
1/3 c. brandy
1/3 c. rum
2 c. orange juice
cloves
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
sprinkle of ginger

Just before serving mix in 1/2 bottle of ginger ale. Grate nutmeg on top.
Delicious.

Banana Slush Punch (Hilda)

11/2 c                   sugar                                                3c               pineapple juice
3 c                        water                                                2 tbsp         lemon juice
3                           Bananas - ripe                                  1 - 2 litre     Sprite, Mountain Dew, or
                                                                                                        Sparkling Grapefruit cocktail

In a saucepan, combine sugar and water.  Bring to a boil and boil gently for 5 min.  Cool.  Put bananas, pineapple juice, and lemon juice in a blender and blend until bananas are  well mashed.  Mix with sugar mixture in a non-metal container and freeze.  Remove from freezer 2 or 3 hours before serving.  Put punch mixture in punch bowl and mash as it thaws.  Just before serving, add the bottle of pop and stir.

Frozen Cocoa (sandra)

1 c milk
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla
2 Tbsp skim milk powder
2 cups ice cubes

Put all ingredients into a blender. Whirl until smooth. Makes 3 cups.

Punch (Elsie)

I got this recipe from a friend in Kansas. They referred to it as wedding punch.

1 46 oz can of unsweetened pineapple juice
1 12 oz can of frozen orange juice, include the amount of water recommended on can
1 6 oz can of frozen lemonade, include the amount of water recommended on can
3 bananas
2 quarts (litres) of club soda or ginger ale
Blend bananas in blender with some of the pineapple juice. Combine with remaining ingredients.

Banana Punch (Erma's)

1- 48oz tin pineapple juice
1- 12 oz forzen orange juice
1- 6oz frozen lemonade
2 c sugar
2 c water, blended with 3 bananas

Mix together. Before serving add: 2 large bottles 7-Up. Makes 1 1/2 gal.

Raspberry Mocktail (Sandra)

1/4 c frozen raspberries
5 torn mint leaves
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz maple syrup
3 oz white cranberry juice
Shake and strain into a tall glass filled with ice. Garnish with mint. Serves one.

Strawberry Lime Punch (Sandra)

1 1/2 c pineapple juice
1/2 c orange juice
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 c sugar
10oz pkg frozen sliced strawberries
1 bottle lemon-lime soda
fresh fruit slices for garnish

Crockpot Hot Chocolate

1/3 c cocoa powder
5 1/2 c milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cinnamon stick

Whisk cocoa with milk, add remaining ingredients.Pour into 3qt crockpot and cook on low for 4-8 hours. Discard cinnamonstick and stir well before serving.

Frozen Shark Bite Drink (Sandra)

1/2 oz grenadine
1 c ice cubes
1/4 c frozen 5 alive concentrate
2 oz amber rum
1 Tbsp lime juice

Drizzle grenadine into highball glass. Blend together ice, 5 alive, rum & lime juice until smooth. Slowly pour over grenadine.Makes one serving.