5 Drinks to Spring You Into Summer!

Hello world!  It's been ages since my last post.  I apologize.  I hope you've been cooking and eating wondrously since we last spoke.  My busy life has gotten the better of me lately, but I'm back and ready to share some more approachable, impressive and delicious recipes!

Since summer has just started, I thought a series of refreshing drink recipes would be a good way to enjoy the new season.  In my opinion, everyone should be armed with several go-to beverages for their summer parties.  These recipes are simple, easy to personalize and thirst-quenching.  Happy drinking!


5.  Basil Bloody Mary

Bloody Mary’s are a staple at any worthwhile brunch.  They are a classic that rarely get enough attention, let alone a makeover.  Now, I know everyone makes them differently.  In fact, I know people who throw Bloody Mary parties with a bar-ful of ingredients, flavors and accoutrements.  To me, the Bloody Mary should be simple, fresh and crisp.  To achieve this, I employ basil ice cubes.  New, unique and unexpected, this Basil Bloody Mary will make you reconsider any reservations about tomato juice.  

Basil Bloody Mary 

1 C. Tomato Juice (I prefer the spicy kind)

1 Basil Ice Cube (recipe follows)

½ T. Worcestershire Sauce

1 Shot of Vodka

Squeeze of lemon juice

Pepper, if desired

Basil, celery & lemon for garnish

In a blender, combine tomato juice, basil ice cube, Worcestershire and lemon juice.  Pulse to combine.  Add the shot of vodka and season to taste.  Pour into a tall glass and garnish with fresh basil, celery and lemon.  Enjoy.

Basil Ice Cubes

Unique.  Flavorful.  And yeah, a little badass.  Give these basil ice cubes a try.  They're perfect blended into tea or juice, as a surprising garnish in H2O or as the new chill factor for your vodka.

2 lbs. Basil leaves, cleaned
Water

Place the cleaned basil leaves in a large bowl of cool water.  The water helps provide more juice than the basil leaves would give by themselves.

Put the basil through a juicer, a handful at a time.  I juice the basil twice because I find that not all the juice comes out the first time.  Add water along with the basil as needed.

Immediately pour the basil juice into ice cube trays and set in the freezer.  Check back later this week for new recipes and ideas for Basil Ice Cubes!



4.  Blue Basil Vodka

Continuing with my rant on basil ice cubes, here’s another drink that highlights their unusual crisp, fresh flavor.  I actually made this drink a year ago and it was a total flop.  I blended blueberries and basil in a food processor and then froze them.  The mixture didn’t come out of the ice trays and when you took a sip, you had to chew the small pieces of berries and herbs.  Needless to say, it was a disaster.  So, this new version has been perfected and it’s impressive, if I do say so myself.  Pair the basil ice cubes with premium vodka and fresh blueberry juice for a provocative summer-inspired beverage.

Blue Basil Vodka

3 oz. Blueberry Juice

1 oz. Vodka (I use Finlandia)

1 Basil Ice Cubes

Combine the blueberry juice and vodka (shaken, never stirred) and pour into a martini glass.  Gently add the basil ice cube on top.  As the basil cube begins to melt, the drink changes its flavor and color subtly.  

3.  White Chocolate Milk

In this mix of heavy hitting summer drinks, I felt that we needed some whimsy.  So, take a break from your overwhelming everyday and regress to a simpler time with a cool glass of white chocolate milk, littered with coffee ice cubes.  

4 t. white cocoa powder or melted white chocolate

2 C. Whole Milk

Coffee Ice Cubes (a pot of cooled coffee frozen in ice cube trays)

Fill a glass with coffee ice cubes.  In a measuring cup, stir the drinking chocolate into the whole milk.  Pour the chocolate milk on top of the coffee ice cubes and give it a stir.  Revel in sweet, delicious simplicity.



2.  Coconut Thai Iced Tea

Everyone loves Thai Iced Tea.  I’ve posted about it before and I’ll post about it again.  It’s such an exotic take on an afternoon tea (or latte, for that matter).  Why not take it to the next level?  Add some coconut to your next Thai iced tea for something truly remarkable.  Thanks to my friend Kye who gave me some fantastic suggestions on Thai tea leaves!

Coconut Thai Iced Tea

2 C. Water

1/4 C. Thai Tea leaves
1/4 C. Sugar

2 C. Half & Half

Coconut Milk Iced Cubes (frozen coconut milk in ice cube trays)

Tip:  Don’t let the leaves steep in hot water for more than a few minutes or your tea will be bitter.  Thanks, Kye!

Fill a tall glass with lots of coconut ice cubes.  Pour the cold Thai tea over the ice, almost all the way to the top.  Gently pour a splash of half and half on top and let it cloud down.  

1.  Raspberry Rosemary Blended Iced Tea

Last, but not least.  My dear Kateryna introduced me to an amazing Brazilian Iced Tea during our visit in New Hampshire earlier this spring.  I was hooked after the first sip I took and I felt so inspired by its unique flavors that I had to experiment with them at home.  This recipe is my spin on the outstanding concoction from Pao Cafe. My Blended Iced Tea with Rosemary and Raspberry is sweet, frothy and herbaceous and a brilliant new thirst-quenching delight.

Raspberry & Rosemary Blended Iced Tea

2 C. Hibiscus Tea, chilled

The juice of ½ a lemon

1/3 C. frozen raspberries
2-3 T. Rosemary Simple Syrup (recipe follows)

In a blender, combine the hibiscus tea, lemon juice, frozen raspberries and simple syrup.  Pour into a chilled glass and escape. 

Rosemary Simple Syrup

1 C. Water
1 C. Sugar
5 Rosemary Sprigs, finely chopped

In a small saucepan, heat the water, sugar and rosemary over medium heat.  Stir gently until the sugar dissolves.  Remove from the heat and cool.  Strain the mixture and discard the rosemary.  

Lemon Raspberry Bars

Wish your sweetie a ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ with these sweet and sumptuous lemon raspberry and blackberry bars.

Lemon Raspberry Bars

1 C. butter, at room temperature

½ C. powdered sugar

2 C. flour

¼ t. salt

Zest of 2 lemons

2 C. sugar

6 T. fresh lemon juice

1 t. vanilla

6 T. flour

1 t. baking powder

4 Eggs

About 24 raspberries (or your favorite berry)

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350.  Generously spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with non-stick spray. 

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar with a mixer.  When it is light and fluffy, add the flour a little at a time, mixing well between each addition.  Add the salt and mix until combined.  With your hands, press this mixture into the baking dish evenly.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the sugar and the lemon zest.  Rub the zest and the sugar between your thumb and fingers to release all of the oils and to flavor the sugar.  (*You could save this lemon sugar in an airtight container for other uses if you’d like).   Add the lemon juice, vanilla, flour and baking powder to the lemon sugar and beat with a mixer.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time and mix thoroughly. 

Pour the egg mixture over the baked crust.  It should level out by itself, but you may need to use a spatula and push it around so it is even.  Carefully place the raspberries into the lemon filling, spreading them out so that the whole mixture is dotted with red. 

Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place back in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 10-12 minutes.  Your lemon bars are ready when the filling has set and the top is lightly browned.  Cut into your favorite shape, making sure to include raspberries in each one.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Serve with extra berries.

This recipe is loosely adapted from:  http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/lemon-bars-recipe/

BBQ Raspberry Chicken Sandwich

This is what I like to call the Perfect Brunch Sandwich.  Sometimes for Sunday Brunch, I’m just not in the mood for breakfast.  And sometimes a heavy lunch causes too much lethargy even for a lazy day.  So, this sandwich fits splendidly in between.  I like to serve it small, because the ingredients are rich and sinful.  The combination of flavors in this sandwich marries beautifully.  It is smoky and sweet, with just the right amount of crunch. 

1 Grilled chicken breast, thinly sliced

4 Ham slices

3-4 T. Soft goat cheese

2 T. Raspberry preserves

3 T. BBQ sauce

¼ Red onion, thinly sliced

Cilantro, roughly chopped

Small loaf of French bread

In a small bowl, mix the raspberry preserves and BBQ sauce until combined. 

Slice the bread laterally.  Spoon a thin layer of sauce onto each slice of bread.  On the top slice, spread the goat cheese.  Set this slice aside.  On the bottom slice of bread, place the ham, chicken, onion and cilantro.  Carefully place the top and bottom layers together.  Slice the sandwich in half and share it with your best brunch pal.  Serve with a light salad on the side. 

Raspberry Sorbet with Pinot Noir Sauce

I don't know about you, but I have lists upon lists of recipes.  And by lists, I mean an exorbitant number of files and folders, pictures, links, URL's, ideas, ingredients, menus, magazines, etc.  It's ridiculous really!  Sometimes I scare myself.  If I removed all of the food-related documents from my computer, I don't think I'd have anything left.  I tell myself though, that one positive thing about all of these food-related paraphernalia is that I will truly never go hungry.  

Some of the ideas I keep stock-piled away, take a v-e-r-y long time to come to fruition on the blog.  This post is a perfect example of that long process.  I've had Raspberry Pinot Noir Sorbet on my mind for a couple years now - (crazy, I know!) - and it has finally made it's way through "the process" onto the blog.  Don't get me wrong - sometimes I will just run to the supermarket and buy it, but that really takes all the fun out of it.  

Process:  

        [idea spark]  +  [ingredients]  +  [sketch]  +  [experimental disaster]  +  [2nd attempt]  +  [plating perfection]  +  [photograph]  +  [excerpt/story]  =  acceptable blog post  

*2 spelling mistakes - goes to show how long perfection really takes ;)

For some reason, I've never been a huge ice cream lover.  I'll have the occasional scoop with birthday cake or an affogato on a special occasion, but I'd much rather have gelato (less heavy cream & fat) or sorbet.  I like the texture of these much better as well as the fresh fruit flavors.  Today's recipe pairs sweet raspberry sorbet with the rich flavors of Pinot Noir and chocolate.  It's a refreshing and seductive combination of flavors.  

The sauce is a bit thin, so I may work with it a bit more to thicken it up, but the flavors are wonderful!

Store-bought raspberry sorbet

Pinot Noir, cheap bottle is fine as long as you'd drink it
1 T. Berry jam or preserves

Melted chocolate, for garnish

In a small sauce pan, combine 1 C. Pinot Noir with the jam or preserves.  Bring this mixture to a boil and allow to reduce by half.  Set aside and allow to cool.

Drizzle your melted chocolate on your plate making sure to close off whatever shape you choose, so that the sauce can stay inside the chocolate.  Place a scoop of the sorbet on top.  

Fizzy Piña Colada

This weekend, Sean and I reunited with my “work family” for a pool party in Gilbert, AZ.  We had a great time catching up on everything from new jobs and crazy coworkers, to summer vacations and baby stories.  We had delicious food – the biggest sandwich I’ve ever seen & my friend Lisa’s husband Darrin’s creamy guacamole.  I brought a drink that my dad taught me to make – and it was a HUGE hit!  I figured this was good timing, since today is father’s day. 

My dad’s been making this drink for 30 years and I know why.  I couldn’t even find a thing about it to change.  It’s perfect.  I just added some vibrant garnish for looks.  Thanks dad for this incredible summer staple and for always being my go-to guy for advice, help and a grounded, objective opinion.  Happy Father's Day!

This drink’s got the pineapple and coconut flavor that you expect from a Piña Colada, with a tart fizziness that everybody loves.  It is frothy and icy and temptingly refreshing.

1 12 oz. can of frozen lemonade concentrate

12 oz. pineapple juice

½ C. cream of coconut*

¼ C. clear rum (or to taste)

Lemon lime soda

Raspberries

Lemon wedges

*Cream of coconut can be found in the liquor section, although it’s not alcoholic

In a freezer-safe container, whisk together the frozen lemonade, cream of coconut, juice and rum.  Make sure these ingredients are well combined, without lumps, and place the container in the freezer for at least 12 hours.  It will form a sorbet-like mixture.  Don’t worry – it’s not supposed to harden completely, because of the rum. 

Drench a glass of ice with the lemon lime soda, leaving just a smidge of room at the top.  Scoop a healthy (read: extra large) spoonful of the sorbet into the soda and stir until it’s completely combined.  Complete this drink with a wedge of lemon, some raspberries and a place by the pool for an amazing tropical getaway in a glass.