Watermelon Lemonade

We have been enjoying these on the lake for the past few weeks.  A great way for kids and adults to brave this summer's heat.  Just don't forget to leave out the vodka for the little ones! 

For more cold drinks, check out Lindaraxa

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 lemons, quartered

1 cup fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/2 medium seedless watermelon (about 9 pounds), rind removed, flesh cut into chunks

1 cup vodka (optional)

Directions

1.Squeeze lemons into a large pitcher; add squeezed lemon quarters. Add mint and sugar; mash with a wooden spoon until mint is bruised and sugar is dissolved.

2.In a blender, puree watermelon in batches until smooth; pour through a fine-mesh sieve into pitcher (you should have about 8 cups of juice). Stir to combine. (Refrigerate, covered, up to 3 days.) Add vodka, if using; serve over ice.

Martha Stewart

Light 'N Lovely...Peach Smoothie

The term smoothie is fairly new to me.  In my day, these frosted concoctions were called shakes or frosties and they were fairly simple and uncomplicated, unlike the ones they serve today.  Perhaps because we were thinner in a world of smaller portions and real food we were not as concerned with what we put in our mouths!

Weight was always a concern and one of the things I remember about going to Weight Watchers (even though I was not THAT fat) was the peach shakes we were allowed ocassionally.  These were made out of frozen skim milk, peaches and Equal or that other pink sugar substitute.  That was it, but they tasted divine, particularly when it was hot and muggy.

I had a couple of peaches sitting in my counter begging to be made into a smoothie and I thought I would share with you my 2011 version of the Weight Watcher's Peach Shake

Ingredients

2 small ripe Georgia peaches

1 Yoplait peach yogurt

1/2 cup 2% milk

1 cup of ice

Pour everything into a blender and turn it on!

I did not use any sugar or artificial sweetener as the peaches were very ripe and there was enough in the yogurt.

Yields 1 very large serving or 2 regular servings

Dinner Tonight...Farfalle with Tuna, Lemon and Capers

A yummy dinner, you will never know its canned tuna. Be sure to get the tuna in oil, it has much more flavor than the one in water.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

4 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves minced
3 (5-oz) cans Italian tuna, packed in oil, drained and flaked
1 pound dried farfalle (bow tie pasta)
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup coarsely chopped frsh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Cook pasta in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.

While pasta is boiling, cook remaining garlic in oil in a small heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Toss pasta in a large bowl with tuna, 1/2 cup reserved cooking water, zest, juice, garlic and oil, capers, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste (add remaining 1/2 cup cooking water as needed if pasta seems dry.

Recipe courtesy of Kitchen Daily 

Kayaking Westie!

Last Fourth of July as we were getting ready to filll up the tank this is what Lucy spotted coming out of the marina.  Needless to say, she was beside herself barking and running all over the boat, ready to jump overboard!

Get your camera out, Mom...you are not going to believe this!



A Kayaking Westie!





Gruyere And Parmesan Beignets

This delicious beignet recipe is courtesy of chef April Bloomfield.

Ingredients

Makes 60 beignets

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups finely grated Gruyere cheese

1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese

4 large eggs

Coarse salt

Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

1.In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring 1 cup water and butter just to a boil. Whisk in flour and stir with a spatula to blend completely. Transfer mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

2.Add cheeses and mix on high speed until well combined. With mixer on low, add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition; season with salt. Transfer batter to refrigerator and let chill for 30 minutes.

3.Drop tablespoon-size balls of batter about 1-inch apart onto 12-by-2-inch pieces of parchment paper; refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 3 days. Beignets may also be frozen for up to 1 month.

4.Fill a large heavy-bottomed pot 4 inches high with oil. Heat oil until it reaches 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, carefully place entire piece of parchment into hot oil. Using tongs, carefully remove parchment from oil and discard. Fry beignets until golden and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

From The Martha Stewart Show, April 2009

A Rustic Meringue Tart With Strawberries And Mint

I had every intention of making strawberry shortcake for dinner tonight but, in this heat, I am getting lazier by the minute.  That means no cooking and very little work around the house. 

At Costco yesterday we picked four artichokes, a box of strawberries and  fresh salmon for the grill tonight.  Hollandaise sauce to accompany the artichokes is a must in this house and little meringues for dessert with the leftover egg whites are a tradition with the "children" now passed down to the grandkids.  It's a great way to con them into eating artichokes at a very young age. "Nany Surprise" for dessert is the code and they bite! 

This weekend, with the grandchildren away at another lake with another set of grandparents, I decided instead to make a simple meringue tart  filled with the strawberries and served with ice cream.  The oven temperature is a low 275 degrees for an hour. 

For a hollandaise sauce, remember the eggs must be at room temperature.  Once I take them out of the fridge and separate them, the yolks are left in a bowl on top of the counter until the sauce is made.  The meringue is made soon after the whites have warmed up and the tart is left in the oven until dinner time.

Serves 4-6

1 pint fresh strawberries
2 TB sugar
8 leaves mint
Grand Marnier (optional)

Meringue tart

3 egg whites room temperature 
9 TB sugar
Pinch of salt

Wash and slice strawberries and put them in a bowl.  Add sugar and mint, cover and set aside.  Once the strawberries have rendered their juice, drain them  and transfer the juice to a small saucepan.  Boil it down until it is reduced by half.  You may have to add some sugar to make it more syrupy.  Set aside until ready to use.  Place strawberries in the refrigerator.

Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt to a stiff peak.  Add sugar gradually.

When the meringue is ready, spread in a circle on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Indent the middle so you can lay strawberries on top.

Bake at 275 for an hour.  Turn the oven off and leave tart in the oven until ready to fill.

Bring out of the oven.  Let cool for a half hour.  With a sharp knife make a circle on the top being careful not to cut all the way to the bottom.  Add strawberries, the syrup and some chopped mint on top.

 Slice as you would a pie. Serve with vanilla ice cream.