Beverages

Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

April 17, 2013 by Rebecca 18 Comments

Piña Colada Smoothies are my new go-to smoothie. They’re kind of fabulous.

You know how I’ve told you I was a picky eater when I was a kid? I was a total texture-phobe and I was dead picky about flavour combinations. My mom now says, “Hey, we just didn’t know you were gourmet.” My mom is the Queen of the Euphemism.

I must’ve been a righteous pain in the rear to feed.

The reason I’m confessing this (again) is that pineapple and coconut were both on my no-fly list. I didn’t like pineapple because of the stringy texture. I didn’t like coconut because the sum exposure I had to coconut in Northern Michigan in the 70s and 80s was the über-sweetened stuff in the middle of Mounds candy bars or in a macaroon. Both grossed me out, so piña coladas were a serious no go.

Fast forward to now and my insatiable desire to eat both of those ingredients. (Okay, I still dislike sweetened coconut flakes, but honestly, can you blame me?) I love the fruity, tangy, acidic pineapple AND its texture. I can’t get enough coconut milk -which I’m pretty sure is an ingredient given to humanity by the grace of God-, fresh coconut or unsweetened coconut flakes.

And piña coladas? Well, until recently they were still on my no-fly list because -frankly- I don’t really like alcoholic smoothies, which is what I always viewed piña coladas as being. Pardon me while I go bang my head against the wall for a moment, would ya?

THUD THUD THUD

Howzabout just omitting the hooch, dingbat?

The result of leaving out the high octane stuff was a creamy, dreamy, coconutty, silken pineapple, thick concoction that pretty much makes my eyes roll back into my head. Let me let you in on a little something… There is ZERO added sugar and there doesn’t need to be because the frozen bananas do double duty. They thicken the mixture to milkshake consistency and they sweeten it to boot. Oh and HEY! If you happen to be vegan or cutting back on dairy OR allergic to anything dairy, this is still kosher for you (small ‘k’ kosher because I make no claim to understand kosher law!)

It’s warming up out there, friends. You need this in your lives this summer.

Double Bonus: If you have leftover smoothie (HA. Like that would happen here unless I plan for it.) you can freeze it in ice pop molds for some wicked good popsicles. You are welcome. Mwah.

Rebecca

Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

These super creamy, indulgent tasting, family friendly pineapple and coconut Piña Colada Smoothies will transport you to the tropics in a matter of minutes. Using only 3 easy-to-find and healthy ingredients just boosts the appeal of this naturally vegan, dairy-free treat!

If you've got a hankering to make this a true piña colada, you can stir in a shot of rum before serving.

Ingredients

1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice
1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
3 bananas, peeled and frozen

Optional Garnish:

A slice of pineapple
a dusting of shredded coconut

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth. Divide between glasses and serve immediately!

Leftovers can be frozen in ice pop form.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/17/pina-colada-smoothies-vegan-and-dairy-free/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Beverages, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: Beverages, Breakfast, dessert, family-friendly, kid friendly, quick and easy, Snacks, vegan, Vegetarian

Dark & Stormy Orchard | Spice Up The Holidays Announcement

November 23, 2012 by Rebecca 9 Comments

It was a Dark & Stormy night in the orchard…

No, let’s start again.

“You poured your apple cider in my Dark & Stormy.” “No, you poured your Dark & Stormy in my apple cider!”

Hmmm. Closer, but not quite right. Let me start at the beginning.

I’m in a contest. (Ah, that’s better.) In the Spice Up the Holidays contest, nine of my fellow bloggers and I will be duking it out (virtually, ’cause I’m a lover not a fighter, man…) over the next couple of weeks to throw a party spiced up with the aid of Captain Morgan’s Original Spiced Rum and Black Spiced Rum. We’ll all be developing recipes for an appetizer, a cocktail and a dessert that are oomphed up with rum.

This whole shebang will be judged by Spike Mendelsohn: the former Top Cheftestant and current Next Iron Chef contestant. Chef Spike. When I was watching him on Top Chef admiring his creativity I never expected to have him inspecting my food. Eep.

I feel obliged to tell you your left shoelace is untied, Spike. If you fell and got hurt, I’d feel guilty. What can I say? I’m a mother.

“Why are you doing this?” you might ask. Here’s why I’m all in; they will donate $1,000 to the charity of the winner’s choice. The generous prize package they’re offering the winner doesn’t hurt, but that donation to charity? That’s SWEET! That’s worth all the jitters and visions of abject humiliation. (Totally healthy self-image, I assure you. So long as I’m not in a swimsuit. Ahem.) Also? I love a challenge.

This week and next, I’ll share the recipes I’m making for this big par-tay of mine. I’ll share the plans and then photos of the party and then finally the name of the winner. Judging by the competition, we are in for some spectacular food and cocktails.

Now that you know what I’m doing, let me tell you where you all come in to the picture because I need you. I love having people over to share dinner with us, but I don’t do a lot of “entertaining”. As in get-out-the-nice-plates soirées. I need help. Big time. What do you do to make your parties fun/exciting/fancier-than-Chinet? I mean beyond getting the Legos off of the couch and the science experiments off of the table. Do you see how much assistance I need here?

Oh dear.

I think we’d better start with the drinks.

Ah, the Dark & Stormy. What’s not to love about that? Spiced or dark rum with burny ginger beer. That’s my kind of adult beverage. I couldn’t very well do a plain old Dark & Stormy for a competition, though, so I ran it through the orchard. Not literally, mind you. I don’t run unless something is chasing me with a big knife.

I added just the right amount of boiled cider syrup (a.k.a. apple molasses) to my gingery rummy concoction to make it seem like Captain Morgan got himself marooned on the Maine coast and made the best of it.

The tart, concentrated apple molasses add both flavour and perfume to the party. It’s a natural match for the cinnamon, clove, and nutmegy goodness of the Captain Morgan’s Black Spiced Rum.

My husband -who is most assuredly NOT a cocktail kind of guy- declared it delicious and drank the whole thing. He even SIPPED it. His pinky, however, was not up. That’s okay, there’s only so far a guy can deviate from the path before he has to rethink his life.

So please, whip up a Dark & Stormy Orchard for yourself and contemplate your best entertaining tips while you sip away. Pinkies are optional, but do share your ideas with me, please!

Dark & Stormy Orchard | Spice Up The Holidays Announcement

Ginger, spiced rum and apples are a match made in the orchard. The classic Dark & Stormy takes Captain Morgan's Black Spiced Rum on a tour of the Maine coast with the addition of boiled cider syrup (a.k.a. apple molasses) and a cinnamon swizzle stick.

Ingredients

Per Drink:
a highball or double old fashioned glass full of ice
1 tablespoon Boiled Cider Syrup (a.k.a. Apple Molasses)
2 ounces Captain Morgan's Black Spiced Rum (Dark Rum or Original Spiced Rum may be substituted if desired.)
11 ounces Ginger Beer (Use Q Ginger, Barr's, Reed's, or Papa's Hooch for best results.)
Optional: A cinnamon stick for stirring.

Instructions

Pour the boiled cider syrup over the ice. Follow this by adding the Black Spiced Rum and then the ginger beer. Use a cinnamon stick or spoon to stir lightly. Serve immediately.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/11/23/dark-stormy-orchard-spice-up-the-holidays-announcement/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Once you have your drink in hand, stop on by and say hi to my fellow competitors. They’re good people, people!

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Spice Up the Holidays contest sponsored by Captain Morgan USA. I received products to use in my recipe development and compensation for additional ingredients but all opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Beverages, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: Beverages, party food, quick and easy, seasonal

White Russian Milkshake

September 14, 2012 by Rebecca 8 Comments

When I was in Oregon a few weeks ago, my friends were shocked- SHOCKED, I say- to find out I had never had a margarita in my life. They remedied that pretty quickly, let me tell you…

Everyone wanted to know why I hadn’t had one before. The truth is, I’m picky. I’m not a big drinker, so when I have one, I want to make sure it is a good one (and preferably not a strong one or I’m going to need to go to bed very quickly after having it. Zzzzzzzzz.) I didn’t dare tell them how short the list of mixed drinks I’ve actually had in my lifetime is. Honestly? I can count them on one hand; Long Island Iced Tea (meh), Daiquiri, Gin & Tonic, Mojito, and now Margarita. I’m a sophisticated party animal, apparently.

One drink I’ve always thought sounded appealing was the White Russian. The thing is, I don’t go out for drinks and when I go out for dinner, I’ll have a glass of wine if anything at all. (I’m sounding more and more exciting by the moment, aren’t I?)

While I’m clearly not a real adventurer when it comes to mixed drinks, I do like to make alcohol-laced desserts. I love rum soaked cherries, flambéed bananas, Grand Marnier cheesecakes, and more. There’s something about the way spirits enhance sweets that just dings my chimes. I decided to play around a little bit with the classic White Russian* cocktail to turn it into a dessert.

*Before you ask, no. I hadn’t ever had a White Russian. That kind of thing doesn’t stop THIS gal from playing around with things, no-siree-bob. And I have a great reason for not having had a White Russian. I don’t drink milk.

A White Russian is usually nothing more than coffee liqueur, vodka and heavy cream (or half and half or full-fat milk.) “White Russian Milkshake!” said my brain. I don’t drink milk, but if it’s blended with a bunch of ice cream, I’ll toss it back faster than you can say “You’re nuts!” Because the White Russians look so pretty with their black and white layers, I opted to layer my milkshake instead of tossing all the ingredients into the blender willy-nilly.

What was the verdict from this unsophisticated lady? It was darned good. It was slurp it with a straw good. I highly recommend you give this creamy twist on tradition a spin!

This drink is to celebrate the anniversary of The Friday Cocktail over at Creative Culinary. Barb, unlike me, is a wildy creative cocktail creator. The fact that she invited me to be part of the party is both befuddling and flattering. Thank you for including this classy, drinking-wine-from-a-jar gal, Barb. Can I say bottoms up?

White Russian Milkshake

Give this sweet and creamy spin on the traditional White Russian a whirl!

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces Kahlua liqueur
1 1/2 ounces vodka
2 ice cubes
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup-3/4 cup whole milk or half & half

Instructions

Add the vanilla ice cream and milk or half & half to the carafe of your blender. Fix the lid in place and blend until smooth and creamy.

Add the ice cubes to the bottom of a glass, pour both the Kahlua and the vodka over the ice cubes and then slowly pour the vanilla milkshake over the liquor. Serve with a straw and slurp!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/09/14/white-russian-milkshake/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Beverages, Desserts, Recipes Tagged With: Beverages, party food, quick and easy

Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone (Starbucks Knockoff) and a Giveaway! | Make Ahead Mondays

August 27, 2012 by Rebecca 127 Comments

Giveaway details below the recipe!

I got my dog fixed on my birthday.

It’s a glamorous life. Try not to be too jealous.

Because Frijole is a rescue dog (although some folks would argue that his inclusion in the dog category is in doubt considering he’s half daschund half chihuahua), we were invited to bring him to a free spay and neuter clinic about two hours from home. “Free” is one of my favourite words, so I grabbed the leash, the understandably unexcited dog, a cup of tea and set out at six in the morning on a Sunday to drop my pup off for ye olde snip-snip.

After depositing the dog (and a surprise attack of tears when leaving my sweet wittle puppykins in the arms of those strangers) I drove into town a little further and found the Holy Grail, Nirvana, Kismet, Shangrila…

I found Barnes and Noble in Elmira, New York.

Since it was my birthday, I gave myself permission to go a little wacky in the bookstore. Aside from living in a library, this is my idea of the ultimate in fun. I felt like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. I walked in, twirled around with my arms in the air, and sang (in my head.)

I walked up aisles. I walked down them. I tucked into ill-lit corners with piles of books by authors of whom I’d never heard. I sniffed new books.* I scoured the clearance and mark-down books. When I tell you I spent hours, I mean it.

When all was said and done, I carried my teetering stack of books to the register. While the clerk was scanning, scanning, scanning, I glanced at the time and realized I still had a couple of hours to go before I could pick up my now frijole-less Frijole. A glance to my right showed the semi-ubiquitous Barnes and Noble Starbucks, so I paid and scooted over there to spend a little air-conditioned time admiring my new acquisitions.

*Please tell me someone else loves the smell of books…

There are a couple of impulse buy food words that get me every time; citrus, lemon, lime, orange, berry and hibiscus. Lo and behold, Starbucks had a little something called a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher. I was all over that like my kids on chips. I ordered one at the counter and they asked, “Can we make that a venti?” I am not a Starbucks veteran, so I had NO IDEA what that meant, but I wanted to be agreeable, so I said yes. Heck. It was my birthday.

I watched while she mixed up my refresher, took it back to the table, took a sip and did what any self-respecting blogger does when she likes something. I posted a picture on instagram. Then? Then I did what any self-respecting member of my family would do. I vowed to learn to make it myself because at that point, I had learned what venti meant. It meant EXPENSIVE.

With the justification, “It’s for research!” singing in my head, I ordered a second venti Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher while tucking an information card in my pocket and asking the poor gal what went into the drink. She said “Green Coffee Extract, this hibiscus mix stuff, dried berries, water and ice”. All that was left was for me to slurp my drink, call my sister to tell her how she needed to try one, pick up my drugged and tender puppy and drive home for my annual birthday fried chicken extravaganza.

Being cheap (and living a couple hours from the nearest Starbucks) is a marvelous recipe development motivator. I ordered green coffee beans from Amazon.com, busted out my stash of dried hibiscus flowers and freeze dried berries and set myself to experimentation.

I opted to make my green coffee extract using cold extraction. This sounds far more difficult than it actually is. In short, grind unroasted coffee beans, cover with water, let it set in the refrigerator overnight then strain it. Ta da! Yes. It truly is that simple. I make a quart at a time, so I can have this whenever cravings strike.

While researching green coffee beans, I found out that green coffee is currently the golden child of the diet scene. Evidently, taking green coffee extract (in any form) jacks up your metabolism so that -all other things remaining the same- you metabolize your food more completely and therefore lose weight. Who knew?

Because cold brewing/extraction is a gentler process, I used my beloved new Krups coffee grinder/spice mill from BigKitchen to break the beans up just a bit. I didn’t need to obliterate them like you would for a regular cuppa joe, just break them open a little. Can we talk about why I love this grinder for just a moment? My husband is the coffee drinker in the house. I’m a tea drinker. For years, our coffee grinder has been ‘his’. I borrowed it once -just once!- to grind some spices and we both ended up unhappy with the results. My cumin tasted like coffee and his coffee tasted like cumin. The rest of my spice and herb grinding took place in the pestle and mortar. Sigh. This new grinder is mine, MINE I TELL YA, and it will never have a roasted coffee bean in it as long as it lives. The green coffee beans don’t count because they don’t have that strong flavour, aroma, etc… that you find in roasted beans. Additionally, green coffee contains about one-fifth of the caffeine of its roasted counterpart. This probably accounts for why I can drink it without having to be scraped from the ceiling.

So why do all this? Hibiscus and berries are bright and fresh and naturally vibrant pink and full of vitamins and minerals. Green coffee is a metabolism booster and makes you feel energetic without feeling strung out. Put them together with ice and water and you have a truly refreshing drink.

If you have a Starbucks lover in your life, a jar each of the hibiscus syrup and green coffee extract in a basket with a couple bags of the freeze-dried berries would make a wonderful gift!

Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone (Starbucks Knockoff) | Make Ahead Monday

Zingy hibiscus and sweet freeze dried berries get shake-shake-shaken into homemade green coffee extract (yes you CAN do that at home!) and ice creating a fabulous knock-off of the Starbucks Very Berry Hibiscus Refreshers at a fraction of the cost.

Ingredients

For the Green Coffee Extract:

1 quart cold water
1/4 pound green (unroasted) coffee beans

For the Hibiscus Simple Syrup:

1 cup, lightly packed, dried hibiscus flowers
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups water

To Make a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone:

2 cups of ice cubes
1 tablespoon green coffee extract
1-4 tablespoons hibiscus simple syrup (to taste)
2 tablespoons freeze-dried berries
2 cups water

Instructions

To Make the Green Tea Extract:

Add the beans to a scrupulously clean spice or coffee grinder, pulse the grinder about 10 times just to break up the beans a little. Empty the beans into a half-gallon glass canning jar or another similarly sized container with a tight fitting lid. Pour the cold water over the beans, fix the lid in place and shake a couple of times to make sure it is all good and distributed. Stash in the refrigerator overnight to extract.

After it has soaked for at least 8 hours, line a fine-mesh sieve with a coffee filter or a piece of cheesecloth positioned over a pitcher. Shake the green coffee and water mixture one more time and pour it through the lined sieve. Transfer the strained liquid to a jar (it should fit into a quart jar) and store in the refrigerator for up to a month, using as desired.

To Make the Hibiscus Simple Syrup:

Add hibiscus flowers, sugar, and water to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium high heat. Stir frequently to dissolve the sugar and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture boils, turn off the heat and add a lid to the pan. Let it steep for at least 20 minutes, but not more than 40 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter into a canning jar or pitcher. Store in the refrigerator in a tightly lidded jar or other stain-proof container. Hibiscus syrup WILL stain!

To Make a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher Clone:

Add 2 cups of ice to a quart canning jar. Pour the green coffee extract and hibiscus syrup over the ice, add the freeze-dried berries and pour the water over everything else. Fix the lid tightly in place and shake vigorously for about 25 seconds. Pour into a pretty glass and sip. Heck, gulp if you want to gulp! This is good stuff and it's good for you!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/08/27/very-berry-hibiscus-refresher-clone-starbucks-knockoff-and-a-giveaway-make-ahead-monday/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Now let’s talk goodies, shall we? The folks at BigKitchen -the same ones who provided my best beloved grinder- are offering to give away another one just like mine to one of you folks.

Big cheer for BigKitchen! This is a work horse of a grinder. These are the details about this gorgeous piece of kit according to BigKitchen:

Minces fresh herbs and dried spices and grinds coffee beans from
coarse to fine in seconds

Sharp stainless steel blades quickly chop for easy preparation of your
favorite dishes

Pulse action button lets you determine the degree of fineness

Brushed stainless steel finish

Safety lock lid

140W

Retails at: $29.99

I concur with all of that, but I’d add that it’s just plain gorgeous. It is super sleek and I do love stainless steel appliances. They are out of stock (sad trombone!) currently, but they do have one in stock for the winner of this giveaway and they’ll be back for the rest of the world very soon, indeed (happy cry from the crowd!) So how do you win?

For 1 Entry:

You need to scoot on over to BigKitchen and look around. For one entry, tell me here in the comments what you would be most likely to buy from BigKitchen.

For Additional Entries (Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry so we can have a truly random drawing!):

Like Foodie With Family on facebook, then come back here and say so.

Like BigKitchen on facebook then come back here and say so.

Follow Foodie With Family on Twitter and, well, you know, come back here and say so.

Follow BigKitchen on Twitter and… you know!

My word! That’s 5 different ways to win my favourite grinder. Make yourself a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher and start entering today! The giveaway will close on Thursday, August 30th with a winner to be announced on Friday.

BigKitchen was kind enough to send me a Krups grinder and offer one to give away, but all opinions are my own. I am not affiliated with Starbucks in any way.

Filed Under: Beverages, Component Foods, Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: Beverages, budget friendly, Frugal Food, frugal gifts, party food, Snacks, Vegetarian

Strawberry Wineade

July 25, 2012 by Rebecca 20 Comments

I should begin by saying that serious wine snobs should probably look away. Quickly.

I’ll give you a second or two.

Are they gone now?

Okay, it’s about to get all kinds of classy in here. And by classy, I mean serving wine in jars mixed with juice. Yeah, baby. That kind of classy.

I have had a couple of very crazy weeks here with various groupings of kids going to various camps, preparing for my brother’s wedding, getting the house ready for company, and then there was some very fun travel for yours truly.

How fun was that travel? Let me show you a picture or two…

So yeah. That’s me. Do you recognize the digs? Yes? No? How about now?

Maybe you recognize the lady behind my right shoulder? (Stage right. Not your left. Oh dear. Did I just make it worse?)

Last weekend, I had the incredible joy and privilege of visiting my friend and food blogger extraordinaire, Ree Drummond, a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman. For a little over a year, Ree and I have been planning a weekend workshop extravaganza of cheesemaking, bread baking, and canning. I couldn’t wait to get out there and show folks how to make some of my favourite foods. What I didn’t know was that Ree, in the way she does, was planning a surprise! She brought in a group of women and fellow food bloggers I’ve become friends with on Twitter to take part in the fun. We drank wine, we whined, we ate, we cracked adolescent jokes about cutting cheese, we made cheese, we ate cheese, we made bread, we ate bread, we ate massive steaks and barbecue chicken. We canned, we cried, and in short, had a seriously grand time.

My word. There just aren’t enough words to explain how fun it was. I was delighted to find out that Bridget, Robyn, Wendy, Sandy, Amy, and Georgia are not only every bit as nice as they seem on their blogs, they’re *gasp* EVEN NICER. And pretty. Holy wah, folks. Have you ever seen such a pretty group of women?

But there is a reason I’m bringing all of this up. Two nights before I left, I made a batch of strawberry lemonade for my kids. It was hot out that night, and I poured some into a glass (okay, a jar) that I’d been drinking out of moments earlier. The catch is that I forgot I’d been drinking white wine out of that jar. Like I said, classy.

The result was something so refreshing I ended up having another glass. Geez. Yes, it was still a jar.

It was delicious, it was light, it chilled me when I needed it most. As good as it was, I resolved to never, ever tell anyone about the fact that I was mixing strawberry lemonade and white wine. I guess I’m a prideful creature.

Then that weekend, at Ree’s, I was offered a glass of white wine mixed with French tangerine soda. It was good. No. It was guuuuuuuuud. After sipping with the ladies, I blurted out my strawberry lemonade/white wine transgression. When no one laughed me out of the Lodge doors and into the 115°F heat (Hey, Oklahoma… 115°F? Woah. I’m relieved to know the natives don’t even like that!) I figured I’d take the leap and share it here. So there you go, friends… My super classy, super chic, super refreshing wine thingy. If you’ve stuck with me this long, you’re either an oenophile who is absolutely horrified right now or you’re with me.

Either way, I’m glad you’re here. I love you people. MWAH. (And that’s not the strawberry wineade talking…)

Strawberry Wineade

Super refreshing Strawberry Wineade is the result of a happy accident in hot weather. Fresh strawberry lemonade mixed with chilled semi-dry white wine over ice. There is NOTHING fancy about this other than the beautiful pink colour but it sure takes the edge off of the hot weather!

Ingredients

To Make the Strawberry Lemonade

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 quart cold water
1 cup frozen, hulled, unsweetened strawberries

To Make the Strawberry Wineade

1/2 cup strawberry lemonade
1/2 cup chilled semi-dry white wine

Instructions

Gently heat 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water together, stirring, just until the sugar is completely dissolved.Pour it into the work carafe of a blender and add the lemon juice, quart of cold water and frozen strawberries. Put the lid firmly in place and blend on HIGH until smooth. Pour into a pitcher or a jar with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To Make a Strawberry Wineade:

Fill a pint jar with ice cubes, pour the 1/2 cup of white wine over the ice and follow that with the 1/2 cup of strawberry lemonade. Use a chopstick or straw to stir gently.

Put your feet up in a classy way and enjoy!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/07/25/strawberry-wineade/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

I’d like to thank Ree for the use of the pictures of me making cheese above. The picture of people taking photos of me making cheese is by Sandy Coughlin, The Reluctant Entertainer. For more of our cheesemaking shenanigans, read Ree’s fantastic post here.

Filed Under: Beverages, Party Food, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: Beverages, budget friendly, dessert, party food, quick and easy, seasonal, Vegetarian

The Unsophisticated (Chilled Two-Wine Spritzer)

May 18, 2012 by Rebecca 7 Comments

A little housekeeping:

Unfortunately, I got a little education this week when I learned about Scrapers. Am I the last person alive to hear about these folks? What they do -in a nutshell- is steal the RSS feed from a blog and republish it for whatever reasons they have to doing so (getting hits, pilfering audience, what-have-you…) Evidently someone(s) have been doing this with my posts for quite some time. My band-aid fix is to truncate my feed to an abbreviated one. I do apologize to those of you who liked getting the entire post in an email, I hope you’ll stick with me until I can figure out another way to defeat these content thieves. I love y’all. Even the scrapers. Love the scraper not the scrape, right? Now… onto happier subjects.

I am not a fancy person. When my husband and I were engaged, we didn’t register for silver or china or those other grown up things. I’m not sure we registered for anything at all. The way I’ve always looked at it, if you have canning jars you are good to go. Plates and cups are nice and pretty, but strictly optional.

If you come visit me, you might find yourself sitting on the ground (on a nice blanket, of course) out in the yard balancing a plate on your knee instead of around the table with matching service. Okay, chances are very good that’ll happen. And if we’re at the table, your plate and mine are -in all likelihood- going to clash. You’ll have banged up forks and spoons and knifes and there just might be a chip or two out of the bowl, but you know what? You’re going to be so welcome here.

My Grandpa used to say, “You can put lipstick on a pig and it’s still a pig.” I apply that everywhere. I am what I am. And what I am is happy to see you but I’m still a piglet. I’m alright with that. I like our crazy home filled to the brim with boys and chickens and dogs and ducks and cats and musical instruments and tools and widgets and paper Viking ships and books and so on. It’s wacky, but it’s us!

When it comes to my summer beverages, I’m pretty equally simplistic (or simple, depending on who you ask.) I just want something refreshing and quick. It has to be something that I can bang out in time to sit on the porch and watch the kids ride their bikes around the driveway while the sun sets. It had better be able to be whipped up in a jar and it can’t be anything too potent. You’re looking at a lightweight here folks.

If you are elegant and sophisticated you may wish to look away for a moment. Otherwise, I have just the thing for you: it’s a three-ingredient mixed drink that is served over ice (HORRORS), needs only the most common ingredients (EGADS) and takes about as much time to throw together as it does to put on a coat of lipstick. Pig or not. Par-Tay!

It’s sparkly, it’s fresh, it’s light, it’s icy cold and it’s simple. This is almost summer, after all. Come on over. I’ll whip one up for you. It’ll probably be in a jar. Is that alright?

The Unsophisticated (Chilled Two-Wine Spritzer)

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 2 minutes

Yield: 1 spritzer

The Unsophisticated (Chilled Two-Wine Spritzer)

A refreshing, light, icy cold, sparkly, warm-weather drink that may not be sophisticated, but still manages to hit all the right notes.

Ingredients

Crushed or cubed ice
3 tablespoons plum wine
4 ounces (1/2 cup) Pinot Grigio or any semi-dry to dry white wine
Chilled plain seltzer water

Instructions

Fill a tall glass (at least 10 ounces in capacity) with ice cubes. Pour the plum wine and then the Pinot Grigio over the ice. Fill the remaining space in the glass with seltzer water. Let the seltzer water settle a bit and give the glass a quick stir with a chopstick or (if you're better stocked on bar supplies than I am) a swizzle stick. Sip happily!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2012/05/18/the-unsophisticated-chilled-two-wine-spritzer/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Beverages, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: Beverages, budget friendly, seasonal, Vegetarian

Spiced Orange Chai Concentrate

November 3, 2011 by Rebecca 8 Comments

This is the time of year when I want nothing more than to traipse through the woods. The leaves have hit the deck and between the satisfying rustling sound they make, the scent of pine needles and apples, and the brisk air, a walk yields something that just might be the best feeling in the world. I’m getting ready to hunker down along with the bears, groundhogs, hobbits, squirrels, and other woodland creatures.

With last week’s snowfall, I feel a little like Robert Frost ‘Stopping by Woods’ on a snowy evening even though it has all melted. It’s just something in the air.

Coming back from those walks, we turn to warm fires, family, good books, old movies, quiet music and great roasts, mashed potatoes, pie, cookies and hot tea.

I know coffee is a perennial darling, but let’s talk tea for just a moment. Have you read the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder? I remember them taking the edge off of the long, hard winters with strong, hot tea more than once. There is something about tea that makes you slow down and relax because there is just something about tea.

The gnarly dried leaves unfurl and stretch in the hot water the way you do in the bath after a hard day. It’s impossible to watch that and not feel at least a little tension melt away. I think it must have something to do with the intensive manpower that goes into every cup of tea. Hand-picked leaves dried lovingly, packaged carefully and shipped to those who stand by, kettles in hand, ready to bring the water to a boil and coax every bit of flavour out of those tiny but potent shriveled leaves.

The glow of citrus, subtle sweetness and round but gentle heat of spices makes this Spiced Orange Chai Concentrate do exactly what all chai –all tea, for that matter- should do; it fills your belly and warms you from the inside out. Handily, the recipe makes a large amount and is good for up to a month in the refrigerator or up to three months in the freezer.

Chai is one of my favourite teas, but I don’t often get it when out and about because a.)I’m in the middle of nowhere and there’s no one to sell me one; b.)They often cost far more than I’m willing to pay for a cuppa; and c.)They’re often far too sweet. “C” is important. Great glugs of syrup cover up the flavour of the tea. You might as well just have hot spiced sugar water as many chai lattes available on the market.

An obvious advantage to making your own is controlling the amount of sweetness you add. Adjust it. Play with it. Get it perfect for your preferences. I suggest starting with less sugar and tasting it in milk. If it’s not sweet enough, simply add more until it is, as Baby Bear said, “Just right!”
While I prefer it served hot with banks of steam rising from it on chilly autumn and winter days, it is superb served over ice, ice cream, or yogurt just to keep things interesting. I’ve even been known to stir a tablespoon or two into an apple pie or galette. If a walk in the woods is the best feeling in the world, a Chai Apple Pie comes in pretty closely behind it.

Yes, this is caffeinated, but that’s no reason to deprive the kids out of the delicious warming powers of chai. Use a trick from the Little House books; cambric tea. When Laura Ingalls Wilder was young, tea was considered too stimulating for children (although coffee, interestingly, was often not.) Mothers would stir a hint of tea into hot milk to warm their chilled chilluns and make them feel like grown-ups. That seems like a pretty wonderful tradition to revive to me. Put a much-more-milk-than-tea mug of this into your young ones’ hands and let them sit to warm through and through with you after a fall hike. It’s a memory in the making.

Spiced Orange Chai Concentrate {Foodie With Family}

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 23 minutes

Spiced Orange Chai Concentrate {Foodie With Family}

With spice and the glow of citrus, this Spiced Orange Chai Concentrate stands at the ready whenever you need a seriously fast dose of warmth.

Ingredients

4 ½ cups water
1 stick cinnamon, broken into large pieces
1 piece fresh ginger root, 2-4 inches long (according to taste), unpeeled and roughly chopped
8 whole cardamom pods
2 whole star anise pods
10 whole cloves
8 whole black peppercorns
½ teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
1-3 slices of a fresh orange (according to taste), peel and all
10 teaspoons green or black tea leaves ~or~ 10 green or black tea bags ~or~ an equivalent amount of green and black tea combined
½ cup brown or raw sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

To Make the Concentrate:

Bring the water to a boil in a pan with a tight fitting lid.

Add all of the spices and tea, remove from heat, cover tightly and let steep 15-20 minutes, depending on the desired strength of the tea.

Strain into a large container and add the brown or raw sugar, honey, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Transfer to a large canning jar with a tight fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator for up to one month.

To Serve:

Mix 1 part of the concentrate to 1 part milk. You can mix it with steamed milk or with cold milk and then heat it together. Alternatively, you can serve it cold over ice. Brrrr

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2011/11/03/spiced-orange-chai-concentrate/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Filed Under: Accessible Ethnic, Beverages, Happy Healthy and Wise, kid food, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: Beverages, Breakfast, budget friendly, Frugal Food, frugal gifts, kid friendly, Vegetarian

Cucumber Gin Coolers

April 28, 2011 by Rebecca 7 Comments

I’m not a very accomplished bartender. The sum of my barkeep experience was stalling the patrons at the restaurant where I worked on the late shift while the real, honest-to-goodness bartender ran into the back to make a personal phone call. When she returned to her post, I gratefully returned to mine; the deep-fryer and flat top pub-grub station in the kitchen.

I’m also not much of a drinker. The first few sips of a glass of wine or a beer leave me pink-cheeked and the last couple sips leave me looking for a pillow on which to lay my sleepy head.

For the most part, my indulgences are confined to a glass of red wine or home brewed beer. I couldn’t tell you what goes in most mixed drinks without the assistance of Google, but there is one cocktail I love in the summertime that I do very, very well: The Gin & Tonic.

As with most foods and beverages to which I am partial, there’s back story. The Evil Genius and I honeymooned in August of-way-back-when on a cruise that went up the East coast of the United States. We had used all of our funds on the wedding and the trip itself and had very little left spending money to take with us. In order to save our cash-ola for goodies in port (like lobster dinnahs in Maine and Nova Scotia, thankyouverymuch), we bought a bottle of Tanqueray Gin in the on-board duty-free shop, a bag of limes and a six-pack of tonic in the first town where we disembarked. For the remainder of the trip, instead of buying two twelve-dollar drinks in the evening, we mixed our own chi-chi hot weather G & Ts in our commemorative cups in the room before wandering around, pinkies in the air, enjoying the ship and our frugal triumph.

Those Gin & Tonics tasted like relaxation and summer. On super hot days, there’s really nothing like it. Or at least there wasn’t until I saw these Cucumber Gin Coolers over on Saveur. I knew right away that this was going to be good. A lot of gin tastes faintly of cucumbers already, so the pairing was inspired and natural. They mixed theirs a bit stronger than I like (using a 1:1 ratio of gin to lime juice with a splash of tonic) but the idea of combining my beloved Gin & Tonic with lime and seedless cucumbers caught hold of my brain. When our first legitimately warm day burst onto the scene yesterday, the evening was pre-destined to end with one of these…

To better suit my lightweight tastes, I changed Saveur’s ratios to a one part gin to two parts tonic to one quarter of a fresh lime and boosted the amount of cucumber in the drink. I fully intended to wait until the drink was finished to nibble those gin and lime and tonic soaked cucumber slices. The wait was worth it. Sitting in the glass, almost pickling a bit in the liquid left the slices crisp, bursting with flavour and a treat in themselves.

Since there are so few ingredients in this drink, it is important to use the best ingredients you can. Use a good, dry gin. I’m partial to Tanqueray, Bombay or Hendricks. Do not skimp and buy the el-cheapo stuff. For the love of all that is good in this world, do not use bottled lime juice here. I understand that a good lime can be hard to find occasionally, but this is one instance where you’re better off waiting than settling. The oils in the skin of the lime are crucial to the outcome of the drink. Tonic water is a matter of preference. I like Stirrings for a multitude of reasons; crisp, clean, quinine-centric taste and no high fructose corn syrup or aspartame. Use whichever tonic water flicks your Bic. And as for the cukes, use a nice, firm seedless variety with an edible skin. The skin of the cucumber stays in place for both visual and taste appeal here, so a thick, wax-coated number is going to be a giant sour clunker of a note in your symphonic cocktail.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Cucumber Gin Coolers

Author: Rebecca Lindamood (adapted from Saveur’s Helen Rosner)

Recipe type: Beverage, Cocktail, Mixed Drink

Prep time: 3 mins

Total time: 3 mins

Serves: 2

This cucumber and lime infused Gin & Tonic takes refreshing to a whole new level. Wait ’til you reach the end of the drink to nibble on the flavour soaked cucumber slices for an extra treat!

Ingredients