POM Vanilla Punch

Unfortunately I don't have great pictures of this punch, but it was party time.  You can understand, right?  I made two batches of this and it was gone before the guests, so you don't have to take my word for it that this was delicious!!  Perfect for kids and adults alike, I served it with some bubbly on the side for those who wished to imbibe.

Pomegranate Vanilla Punch
adapted from How Sweet It Is
yield ~ 10-15 glasses

1 lg orange, sliced
1 lg apple, sliced
1 lg pear, sliced
airls of 1 large pomegranate
2 cinnamon stick
seeds and pod of 1 vanilla bean (optional)
1T vanilla extract
48oz pomegranate juice (not from concentrate, I used POM Wonderful)
1L vanilla seltzer
prosecco, optional

In a large pitcher, combine all ingredients except prosecco.  Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Serve with prosecco on this side!

This one's a keeper folks!

Rosemary Ginger Fizz

One cannot live on cookies alone (or can they?), so when I was planning my cookie swap, I wanted to provide a drink option...  besides water and almond milk.  A make-your-own drink sounded like fun, so I prepared some simple syrup and sugared cranberries  (perfect as they can be done ahead of time!) and let everyone serve themselves.  Sweeter, not so sweet, your choice!

Drink Station:  assembly required

I actually forgot the lemon slices at the cookie swap, but I liked the dimension it added when I went to try and take another photo the following day, so I'm including it in the recipe.

Rosemary Ginger Fizz
Recipe by Shannon

for the rosemary ginger simple syrup:
1c water
1/2c evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)
3 sprigs of rosemary
2" knob of ginger (or more), peeled and sliced into thick coins

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the temperature a simmer for a few minutes.  Remove from heat and let steep 10min.  Strain out the rosemary and ginger, then transfer to a jar and refrigerate.

to prepare the drink:
rosemary ginger simple syrup
ice
seltzer
lemons, cut into wedges or slices
sugared cranberries, for garnish if desired

Add seltzer to a glass with ice, then mix in your desired amount of rosemary ginger simple syrup and a squeeze of lemon juice.  Stir and taste, then adjust as you see fit.  For the wine glasses shown below, I was using ~2T simple syrup and the juice from 1 slice of lemon.

This could certainly be made alcoholic, if you're into that kind of thing ;)  Which alcohol would you pair with this?

Peach Sangria

A couple of weekends ago, I happened upon a large basket of peaches.  Topping out over 20lbs, I had fun trying to figure out what to do with them all (fun, in a stressful kind of way when they all ripen at once)!

Halfway through!

There was a request for Brown Sugar Peach Ice Cream, so that was done.  And there had to be pie.   Joanne's Peaches and Dream Pie of course!  I used a frozen pie crust from my last baking adventure and baked it right up, my only other change being 4 egg whites instead of 2 eggs (I had them after ice cream making, recipe to come).  Light and peachy, everyone enjoyed :)

And then there was something I've had in mind ever since I visited Bishop's Orchard last summer.  We did a wine tasting there and I picked up a bottle of wine I thought would be perfect for sangria.  I planned it out before realizing it was, in fact, a peach wine (Blushing Beauty)!

Peach Sangria
Recipe by Shannon

The mint isn't overwhelming in here, but I think it adds a little something-something!

1 bottle peach wine (or other semi-dry white wine)
1c vodka (Absolut Acai Berry)
1c mint simple syrup*
3 peaches, thinly sliced
1 orange, sliced horizontally
club soda
frozen mango cubes
frozen raspberries

In a pitcher, combine wine, vodka and simple syrup.  Stir to combine.  Add peaches and oranges, and refrigerate a few hours, or overnight.

When ready to serve, pour sangria into wine glasses (~3/4 full) and top off with club soda.  Drop in a few frozen mango cubes and raspberries and serve!

*Mint Simple Syrup

1c water
1/2c evaporated cane juice  (or granulated sugar)
large bunch of mint

Bring water and sugar to a boil over medium heat.  Once sugar has dissolved and mixture comes to a boil, turn off heat and add mint leaves.  Steep for ~30min, then strain out mint leaves.  Store simple syrup in the refrigerator until ready to use.




It sure was a tasty way to pass the time through Hurricane Irene!

Strawberry Lemonade Cocktails

Shula attempting her own version of cornhole

I don't know that the .75mi swimming, 66mi biking and 4.5mi of running I did compensated for all of the eating and drinking that happened this weekend.  But it was absolutely delicious, so I'm not complaining :)

Crazy Feta, Cilantro Lime White Bean Hummus and Strawberry Mango Salsa

We're talking things like chocolate chip cookie-stuffed cinnamon rolls, homemade veggie burgers, no-bake smores bars with homemade marshmallows, chickpea salad sandwiches, crazy feta, cilantro lime white bean hummus, strawberry mango salsa, a zucchini ricotta galette, an arugula potato green bean salad, cherry pie and blueberry balsamic meatballs w/goat cheese to name a few.  And did I mention I didn't do a whole lot of cooking?  Rebecca did the heavy lifting this weekend with a little help here and there from the rest of us!

Rebecca and Mike with their cherry pie!

I was spoiled, no doubt about that!!  Hopefully my beverages provided some refreshment for those doing the hard work ;)  First up was Jessica's watermelon float, with a scoop of homemade vanilla bean coconut milk ice cream in a sea of watermelon mint soda.  Incredibly refreshing, and a great way to cool off after an afternoon of kayaking!!

Watermelon float

And then there was, dare I say it, the star of the two drinks I prepared...  a Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail.  It all started when I saw Dave's post about Strawberry Vodka.  Immediately I thought of the Absolut Wild Tea in my pantry and knew it'd be amazing.  I was right.  Perfect on its own, in ginger ale, or homemade strawberry meyer lemon juice.

Oh yes, I made some strawberry meyer lemonade to go along with the infused vodka.  I must have had some foresight when freezing down extra juice during my meyer lemon craze this year, because it created an amazing lemonade and probably one of the best drinks I've ever had.  No joke.  Dangerous, too, if you know what I mean ;) 

Srawberry Lemonade Cocktail

Strawberry Meyer Lemonade

Recipe by Shannon

A great summer drink in its own right, this is a great addition to strawberry infused vodka!  Regular lemon juice could be used as well, just taste as you might want to add more sugar.

1/3c evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)

1c water

1c meyer lemon juice (fresh or frozen, thawed)

1lb strawberries, washed and hulled

16oz seltzer

Prepare the simple syrup by combining water and sugar in a small saucepan and cooking over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and let cool.  This can be done ahead, simply refrigerate until using.

Blend strawberries and then pour through a fine mesh sieve (I used a hand held strainer) to remove the solids/seeds.  Mix with simple syrup, lemon juice and seltzer, then serve!

Edited to add:  This is also delicious when made with a basil simple syrup.  Simply add a bunch of basil leaves after bringing the simple syrup to a boil.  Let steep for 15-30min and then strain out basil!

How was everyone's 4th of July?  Any delicious eats you'd care to share??