Paper Straws in My Etsy Shop

Strawberry Lemonade

Rinse and slice 1 lb of fresh strawberries, set aside some for garnish. Place the rest in a blender or food processor with 3 tablespoons of sugar. Puree until smooth.

Pour the strawberry puree into a pitcher, or you can divide it among your serving glasses. These would look really cute served in mason jars with a lemon and strawberry garnish and a paper straw.

Now you can add your lemonade to the puree. I used the Simply Lemonade that is not from concentrate instead of making homemade lemonade. However, you could always make homemade lemonade, you can find a recipe here.

Stir, and garnish with some lemon and strawberry slices. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Pour over ice and enjoy!

Mango Margaritas

In honor of Cinco de Mayo today I am posting a recipe for Mango Margaritas. The recipe originally came from Martha Stewart for peach margaritas, but we substituted mango for the frozen peaches. You could use fresh or frozen mango. My friend Amy and I LOVE to make them and love drinking them even more. We like to rim our glasses with sugar and garnish with a lime wedge. You can also find a recipe for Strawberry Margaritas here and Watermelon Mint Margaritas here.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (16 ounces) frozen sliced mango
• 3/4 cup tequila
• 1/4 cup triple sec
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 3 limes)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup ice cubes

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine frozen sliced peaches, tequila, triple sec, fresh lime juice, sugar, and ice cubes. Puree until smooth (stop blender and stir if necessary) and serve immediately.
   

Coconut Mojito

I don't like a lot of drinks, but I do love Mojitos, and I also love Pina Coladas! So when I saw this recipe for Coconut Mojitos in People Magazine I had to write it down. I have been saving it for a while now and finally got to try it out now that I am no longer pregnant! They are really good and sweet; just how I like my drinks.

Makes one drink

Ingredients:

• 8 mint leaves
• ½ lime, cut into 4 wedges
• ¼ cup coconut rum
• 2 tbsp. sour mix
• 1 tbsp. coconut cream, such as Coco Lopez
• ¼ cup lemon-lime soda
• ¼ cup club soda

Place mint leaves and 3 lime wedges in a cocktail shaker and muddle. Add rum, sour mix and coconut cream, then fill shaker with ice. Close and shake well. Strain mixture into a glass, and top with lemon-lime soda and club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.

SERVING TIP: Serve in Mason Jar Mugs, $24 for a set of 6; potterybarn.com

Mason Jars

Lots of mason jars to put to use after Carley and Matt's wedding. I started putting them to use last night to hold some lemonade. I garnished the drinks with lemon slices and mint leaves. A simple summer drink, but the jars and straws make it more fun! Planning to add some wire to others to hang in the trees out back with candles.

Watermelon Mint Margaritas

Use leftover watermelon to make this slushy summer drink.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Freeze: 4 hours
Yield: Makes 5 cups

Ingredients

• 4  cups  seeded and chopped watermelon
• Fresh lime juice
• Sugar
• 1/2  cup  tequila*
• 1/4  cup  sugar
• 1  tablespoon  grated lime rind
• 1/4  cup  fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh mint leaves
• Garnish: fresh mint sprig

Preparation

1. Place watermelon in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze 4 hours or until firm.
2. Coat rims of cocktail glasses with lime juice; dip in sugar.
3. Process frozen watermelon, tequila, and next 4 ingredients in a blender until slushy. Pour into glasses. Garnish, if desired.

*1/2 cup orange or apple juice may be substituted for tequila.

 

Southern Living, JULY 2006

Champagne Cocktails

Frozen Champagne

Ingredients:

• 4 scoops lemon sorbet
  
• 2 ounces chilled vodka, citrus vodka or limoncello (Italian lemon liqueur)
• 2 ounces prosecco or other sparkling wine or Champagne
• 2 sprigs fresh mint

Directions:

Blend lemon sorbet on low speed and pour in vodka or lemon liqueur in a slow stream. Add prosecco or Champagne. Pour cocktails into a chilled martini glass and serve, garnished with a sprig of mint.

Recipe by Rachel Ray

White Nectarine and Raspberry Champagne Floats

Ingredients:

• 3 very ripe white nectarines, halved, pitted and cut into eighths
• 1/2 pint fresh raspberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 2 pints vanilla ice cream
• 1 bottle chilled Champagne, Prosecco, or sparkling wine
• 1/4 cup Chambord
• Mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions:

Combine nectarine slices, raspberries and sugar in a small bowl and mash with a fork.

Add scoops of ice cream to 4 large glasses and divide most of the nectarine and raspberry puree among the glasses. Top each with a few more scoops of ice cream then the remaining puree. Fill the glasses to the top with the prosecco and drizzle each with some of the Chambord. Garnish with mint sprigs.

 Recipe by Bobby Flay

Strawberry Margaritas

I bought 4 lbs of strawberries at Costco this week and have been trying to use them up before they go bad. I made strawberry margaritas for Casey and I tonight and they turned out pretty good! Here's how I made them:

• 1 1/2 cups of strawberries rinsed with stems cut off
  
• 2 cups of ice
• 2 tablespoons of sugar, plus more to rim the glass
  
• 2 limes, 1 juiced and use the other to slice for garnish
  
• 2 shots of tequila
• splash of orange juice

Squeeze lime juice along the rim of the margarita glasses, then dip in sugar (or salt). Place the ice in the blender followed by the strawberries, sugar, lime juice, tequila, and orange juice. Pulse to break up the ice, then blend on high until smooth. Pour into the glasses and enjoy!

Mojitos

I don't like many drinks, but this is one of my favorites. Here's the recipe, you're going to want to write this one down!

Mojitos

1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons sugar
1/4 fresh mint leaves
4 limes juiced, 1 for garnish
4 oz white rum

Prepare the glasses by dipping the rims into lime juice and then sugar. Bring the water to a boil and dissolve the sugar in the water. Stir the leaves into the hot water. Add the juice of the limes and the rum. Pour into a pitcher and refrigerate if making a larger batch or into a shaker with ice and shake. Pour over ice and garnish with a few mint leaves and a lime wedge. Enjoy!