Blackberry Vodka Gimlet

Recipe from Margaritas, Mojitos & More  

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

(Makes 1 drink) Easily doubled :-)

Last week, we went blackberry picking with our good buddies, Janet and Nathan. Most of the berries ended up in the freezer. I was dying to make a pie with them, but my hubby didn't want to heat up the house with the oven on. (Hmmmmm. Heat or Sweet. I was surprised with his decision.) Anyway, I went on a girlie shopping trip in Louisville and found this book with drink recipes. Lo and behold, there was this blackberry drink recipe and I thought, "No oven for this treat." We tried it out on our friends and we all found it to be deeeeelicious! I'm sure you can leave out the alcohol if you wish and it would still be refreshingly yummy. Lost River Market & Deli now has local blackberries, so make plans to whip this up and take a moment to relax and enjoy this glorious summer heat!

5 large blackberries

1 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

1 teaspoon Simple Syrup (recipe on this blog) (I used a bit more)

Ice cubes

1-ounce vodka (I used a bit less)

1 sprig mint for garnish

Combine the blackberries, lime juice, and simple syrup in a glass. Crush the berries with a muddler or spoon until they are mashed into the mixture. (You can do this with an immersion blender, if you have one.)

Put a handful of ice in a cocktail shaker. Add vodka and the blackberry mixture over the ice. Shake until very cold.

Pour into a glass and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Note:  To have it ready in advance for four dinner guests, quadruple the recipe and leave the blackberry mixture in the fridge until it’s time to mix with the ice and serve.

Minty Limeade

makes ABOUT 2 QUARTS Makes 8 servings

Recipe from Food52.com

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Start by making mint infused simple syrup. You’ll end up with plenty more than this recipe calls for, but that’s great if you make lots of iced tea or other cold beverages which need a bit of sweetening.  Mint simple syrup can keep for a while in the fridge. Then fill your glasses with ice, a bit of fresh lime juice, mint simple syrup and club soda and you’ve got yourself a refreshing summer drink.  If you're so inclined (as I was) try adding a splash of vodka.

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves, washed with stems removed

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice or lemon juice

ice

club soda

vodka (optional)

Make mint simple syrup by combining sugar, water, and mint in a saucepan and bringing it to a boil then immediately allowing it to simmer for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Strain the leaves.

To assemble the limeade, add about 1 ounce each of the simple syrup and lime juice in a tall glass filled with ice.  Add ½ ounce to 1 ounce of vodka, if using. Top with about 6 ounces of club soda. Stir. Garnish with fresh mint or a lime wedge.

Try making up the syrup and freezing the extra in ice cube trays. 

Skinny Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes at http://www.skinnytaste.com/
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

When I was teaching in Evansville, I would stop by Starbucks once a week before school and order a Pumpkin Spiced Latte as a fall treat. I'm retired now and living in the woods, well away from a Starbucks. Now, I just make my own pumpkin lattees at home. Make a batch of Pumpkin Butter (This easy recipe is on this blog) and you’ll be ready to make this special coffee for a leisurely Sunday breakfast. The lattes pictured did not have the whipped topping. It’d be a nice touch, but the lattes are yummy (and healthier) without it too.

1 ½ cups skim milk
2 Tablespoons Pumpkin Butter (recipe on this blog)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons sugar or sugar substitute (to taste) (I used Stevia.)
¼ cup of espresso (or 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee works)
Fat free whipped topping (Optional)
Pumpkin pie spice for topping (Just a sprinkle to make it pretty.)

In a small pan combine milk, pumpkin butter and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until boiling. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth (or whisk well with a wire whisk)

Pour into two mugs, add the hot espresso and top with fat free whipped cream and a dash of pumpkin pie spice on top.

Servings: 2 • Serving Size: 1 latte • Weight Watcher Points: 2 pts
Calories: 115.6 • Fat: 0.4 g • Protein: 6.6 g • Carb: 20.8 g • Fiber: 0.7 g

Banana Mango Smoothie

Recipe from Fiona Haynes of About.com Guide Low Fat Cooking
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 4 Servings

When I gave my husband took a taste of this, he said, “Mmmm, yummy. It tastes like it’s something bad for me. What’s in it?” Well, was he happy to discover that this is one of those delicious drinks that’s actually good for you. What a great after-school snack this would make for the kids! This is so tasty that you could serve it as a healthy dessert. Lost River Market & Deli now has frozen mangos and fresh mangos!

Ingredients:
2 frozen, ripe bananas (I was in a hurry and didn’t use frozen. I just peeled a couple of bananas and broke them into chunks.)
1 mango, peeled and sliced (I used several chunks of frozen mangos.)
10 ounces calcium fortified orange juice
1 cup low fat or fat free vanilla or mandarin orange yogurt (I used fat free vanilla yogurt.)

Preparation:
Cut banana into chunks. In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. If the smoothie is too thick, thin with a little more orange juice. Pour into 4 glasses.

Per Serving: Calories 150, Calories from Fat 8, Total Fat 0.8g (sat 0.4g), Cholesterol 2mg, Sodium 29mg, Carbohydrate 32g, Fiber 1.9g, Protein 3.4g

Mocha Java Smoothie

Recipe from So Easy by Ellie Krieger
Makes 2 servings
Serving size: 2 1/2 cups

We gave our daughter-in-law the So Easy cookbook for Christmas. I couldn’t help but take a peek at the book before wrapping it up to put under the tree. The photo of this mocha smoothie caught my eye, so I copied down the recipe to try after the holidays. My husband isn’t much of a coffee drinker, so I decided to halve the recipe. My plan was to give him a little taste to make it official, and then drink the rest myself. I drank 2 glasses for a breakfast/coffee combo! I really like this and will make it again. I think it would also make a nice chocolaty dessert after a heavy meal. I followed the recipe exactly with one exception. I used stevia instead of sugar. Produced from a member of the daisy family, stevia is an all-natural sweetener with zero calories, zero carbohydrates and a zero glycemic index. These attributes make stevia a good alternative to sugar or chemical sweeteners. Especially popular as a sweetener for coffees and teas, Stevia can also be used in cooking and baking. (The nutritional information at the end of this recipe includes the sugar, so if you use stevia instead, the smoothie will have fewer calories.) You can buy stevia and instant espresso at Lost River Market & Deli.

1 tablespoon sugar or 2 packets SweetLeaf SteviaPlus Sweetener
2 rounded teaspoons instant espresso or 2 shots of espresso
2 teaspoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/4 cup boiling water
2 cups skim milk (or a bit more to thin the smoothie a bit)
2 ripe bananas, peeled, cut into chunks, frozen
1 cup ice (or a bit more to thin the smoothie a bit)

In a blender, stir together the sugar, instant espresso, and cocoa powder. Add the boiling water and stir until dissolved. (If using regular espresso, stir the sugar and cocoa into the coffee until dissolved.) Add the milk, bananas, and ice, and blend on high until smooth.

Quick tip: To help your morning go more smoothly, put all the smoothie ingredients, except the frozen bananas and ice, in the blender jug the night before. Cover and stash in the refrigerator. In the morning just add the frozen ingredients and whir.

Makes 2 servings.
Serving size: 2 1/2 cups
Per serving:
Calories 210 (It’s only 165 calories if you replace the sugar with stevia.)
Total fat 1 g
Sat fat 0.5 g Mono fat 0 g Poly fat 0 g
Protein 10 g
Carb 44 g
Fiber 4 g
Cholesterol 5 mg
Sodium 130 mg
Excellent source of: Calcium, iodine, phosphorus, potassium, protein, riboflavin, vitamin B6, vitamin C.
Good source of: Fiber, magnesium, manganese, pantothenic acid, vitamin B1.

Cranberry Cream Punch

Recipe from Sheila Wheeler and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Bill and Sheila hosted this year’s holiday party for the band. Sheila made this fabulous punch. It’s really pretty on the table and was addictively delicious. We all kept going back for more. Everyone (including me) asked her for the recipe, so here it is. This was perfect for the Christmas holiday, but if you’re having a gathering for Valentines Day, this is the perfect solution for a special drink to serve your valentines!

Cranberry Ice Ring:
2 cups of cranberry juice cocktail
1 ½ cups cold water
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 -2 limes, sliced
Combine the cranberry juice and water. Pour ½ cup of the mixture into a
1½ quart ring mold. (A Bundt pan or an angel food cake pan would also work and in a real pinch, muffin tins might do the trick.) Arrange the cranberries and lime slices in the mold and freeze. Pour the remaining mixture over the frozen mold and refreeze.

Punch:
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 (12 oz.) can frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
1-1 ½ of a one liter bottle(s) ginger ale, chilled, or to taste
½ of a large bottle Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail, or to taste
⅓ of a one liter bottle of rum
Combine all of the ingredients in a large punch bowl. Carefully place frozen cranberry ring on the top of the punch and allow it to float.