Brazilian Lemonade

 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 juicy limes (try and find ones with thin, smooth skins; they’re the juiciest and the thin skin cuts down on the chance of your drink being bitter)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 cups cold water
• 6 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix cold water and sugar very well and chill until ready to use. This step can be done ahead of time.
2. Wash limes thoroughly with soap (hand-dishwashing soap or regular hand soap works great). Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into 8ths.
3. Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender.
4. Add 1/2 of the sugar water, place the lid on your blender, and pulse about 5 times. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher (the one you’ll serve the lemonade in) and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Dump the pulp and stuff in the strainer into the trash. Repeat with remaining limes and sugar water.
5. Add sweetened condensed milk and stir.  You may want to taste test it at this point; Sometimes if you use bitter limes, it will need more sugar and maybe a little more milk.
6. Serve immediately over lots of ice. This does not keep well, so don’t make this in advance (although you can cut the limes, mix the sugar water, and measure the sweetened condensed milk in advance).

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NOTES

Serving Note

• Serves 4, technically, although I can pretty much guarantee you that people will want more.  You can double, triple, etc.  the recipe.  Just make in batches that will fit in your blender.

Cheesy Potato Wedges

 Ingredients:
6 potatoes

6 butter cubes

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

mozzarella, shredded

Directions: Quarter red potatoes and place in muffin tin. place a butter cube in the center of each. Place minced garlic in center of each and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 360 for 50 minutes. Place mozzarella cheese on top of each and bake for 5 more minutes.

Oven Roasted Asparagus with Garlic, Parmesan and Lemon

 

INGREDIENTS

  

• ▢1 bunch asparagus
• ▢3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
• ▢Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ▢2 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢3 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ▢Juice of ½ a lemon

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Wash the asparagus and trim the bottom inch of so of each stalk to get rid of the tough, fibrous part. A good way of telling where you should cut is to bend one stalk of asparagus toward the bottom until it snaps off. Then lay it next to the rest of the asparagus and cut them all to be the same length.
• Pat the asparagus dry and spread it out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Give the asparagus a toss to coat it evenly in the olive oil and seasoning, then roast it in the oven for 8 to10 minutes, depending on thickness, just until tender.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the garlic, Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice and give it another toss before serving.

Puppy Chow

 Here are the ingredients you will need to make this delicious recipe:

• • •  9 Cups of Corn Chex
    • 1/2 Cup of Peanut Butter
    • 1/4 Cup of Butter or Margarine
    • 1 Cup of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
    • 1 tsp of Vanilla
    • 1 1/2 Cups of Powdered Sugar

HOW TO MAKE THIS PUPPY CHOW CHEX MIX RECIPE

Directions:

1.In a large bowl  place your 9 cups of Chex cereal and set aside.

2. In a medium size saucepan , melt the chocolate chips, butter and peanut butter on low heat until completely melted and smooth. Stir frequently to prevent the mixture from sticking. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

3. Pour the chocolate mixture over the dry cereal and stir carefully until it is completely coated.

4.In a large ziplock bag pour the cereal mixture inside and then slowly add the powdered sugar. Seal the bag and shake well until all of the cereal is coated.

5. Spread the mixture out on waxed paper until the Puppy Chow is completely cool and dry. Seal in an airtight container  and place it in the fridge (if it lasts that long!)

French Toast Sticks

 

Ingredients

• 8 slices White Texas Toast Bread
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• powdered sugar
• maple syrup

Instructions

• Cut each slice of bread into 4 equal strips; set aside.  
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, whipping cream, milk, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon.  
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  
• After butter is melted, dip each piece of bread in egg mixture, let excess drip off and place in saucepan.  
• Don't place too many pieces of bread in the pan so it is overcrowded.  
• Once one side is golden brown, flip over and cook the other side until golden brown and crispy on the outside.  
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

Notes

• You can use any bread on hand for Homemade French Toast Sticks. But the thicker the bread, the chewier and more delicious your French toast sticks will be.
• We like to use a loaf of Texas Toast that can easily be purchased at most grocery stores. We have even sliced a loaf of French Bread. That way you can slice it to your desired thickness.
• Homemade bread is also another great option. You can easily switch it up for white or wheat bread. The options are endless and they all result in yummy French Toast sticks for you and your family.

Chicken Madeira Cheesecake Factory Copycat

 

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup balsamic vinaigrette
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped

Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 cups white mushrooms sliced
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions

• Pound chicken breasts until they are about 1/4" thick.
• Shake balsamic vinaigrette, brown sugar, and olive oil together in a sealed Ziploc bag. Add chicken and marinade for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove chicken from bag and place in a large skillet with olive oil, cook 4-6 minutes on each side (until chicken is a golden brown).
• Once browned, remove chicken and place in an oven safe dish. Bake for 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
• In the same skillet used for cooking the chicken, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by about 50%.
• Top cooked chicken with mozzarella cheese and broil for 3-4 minutes, until the cheese starts to turn golden. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
• Serve chicken immediately with sauce poured over top. We serve it with potatoes and asparagus or green beans, just like the Cheesecake Factory.

Notes

Chicken Madeira doesn’t taste quite as good without a delicious balsamic vinaigrette in the sauce and in the marinade.

You can buy balsamic vinaigrette by the salad dressing at your grocery store, or whip up your own real quick at home.

Here’s our quick recipe for homemade balsamic vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Whisk all ingredients together until combined

Skinny BBQ Chicken Tostadas

 

Ingredients

• 4 (6") corn tortillas
• 8 Tablespoons BBQ Sauce
• 1 cup cooked chicken shredded
• ½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 4 Tablespoons red onion diced
• 4 Tablespoons roma tomato diced
• 4 Tablespoons cilantro chopped

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place corn tortillas on a baking sheet.
• Spread 1 Tablespoon BBQ sauce on each tortilla.
• Top each tostada with 1/8 cup mozzarella cheese.
• Mix remaining BBQ sauce with shredded chicken and put 1/4 cup BBQ chicken on top of each tostada.
• Sprinkle on 1 Tablespoon red onion, 1 Tablespoon tomato and 1 Tablespoon cilantro on top of each tostada.
• Bake for 6-8 minutes. Turn oven to High Broil and broil for 1-2 minutes.

Notes

Other toppings you could add:

–Pineapple. If you have never put pineapple on your bbq chicken pizza, you need to. It can be from a can, but the real fresh stuff is out of this world.

–All the Meats. We love meat pizzas. We put sausage, pepperoni, ham, chicken, bacon, and even steak. Yes steak. You can never go wrong with meat on pizza.

–Various Sauces. Most people stick to marinara sauce. I love some good marinara, but I also love barbecue sauce, or Alfredo sauce. When I make a vegetarian pizza, I love using Alfredo sauce as the base.

–Veggies. I love putting a ton of vegetables on my pizza. They add such a unique states and texture, and they taste best when they have melted cheese on them.

I love artichokes, peppers, tomatoes, olives, green onions, spinach, cilantro, diced zucchini, etc. Really and vegetable would work on pizza as long as it is cooked and softened.

Nutrition

Copycat Arctic Circle Lime Rickey

 Copycat Arctic Circle Lime Rickey

2 liter bottle of Sprite or 7UP

1-2 limes, cut into wedges

ice cubes

grape snow cone syrup (see recipe below)

Grape Snow Cone Syrup

2 cups white sugar

1 cup water

1 (0.14 oz.) package grape Kool-Aid flavored drink mix 

1. In a saucepan, stir together the sugar and water. Bring to a boil and boil for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the drink mix. Allow to cool completely and store in a container for pouring. 

2. Once the syrup has cooled, fill a glass with Sprite and add as much ice as desired. Pour 2-4 Tbsp. of grape syrup into the glass. Add more or less, depending on how much grape flavor you want. Squeeze a fresh lime wedge or two into the drink and throw the squeezed wedge into the drink for good measure. 

Grilled Hawaiian Pineapple Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 20 ounces sliced pineapple 1 can, reserve juice
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 6 pork chops

Instructions

• Mix together the pineapple juice (reserved from the can of pineapple slices), brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder together in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the pork chops and zip closed. Store in the fridge for 8-12 hours (the longer, the better!).
• When ready to cook, preheat grill to medium-high heat. Remove chops from bag and place on grill. Brush pork chops with marinade while they are cooking to let the flavor really soak in.
• Grill until pork chops are browned and no longer pink inside (about 6-8 minutes per side- depending on thickness of chops).
• While chops are cooking, place pineapple rings on grill and cook until they are warmed through and have slight grill marks on them. Serve pork chops with grilled pineapple on top.

Notes

One way we like to keep the pork from drying out while cooking on the grill is by replacing the juice cooked off in the grill by basting the pork chops with more of the marinade as it cooks. Well, that and of course marinating the pork chops for at least 8 hours.