Watermelon Lime Agua Fresca

Our local farmers market has been loaded with watermelons lately, and with such an abundance of them - the prices have been really good too.  So, we have been in watermelon heaven!  
Now, usually I just cut it up, sprinkle on a little bit of salt - and eat to my hearts content - but this year, I've strived add them to various things, like the watermelon feta salad tarts I made not that long ago.  But, I wanted to do a beverage of some sort too.  I stumbled across a recipe inside of Rachael Ray magazine for watermelon agua fresca, and it looked delicious.  I adapted it a little for our tastes by increasing the lime juice that was called for - from 1/3 of a cup to 1/2 of a cup.  I just couldn't taste the 1/3 of a cup, and I wanted to have a little background of tartness in it.

The combination of the watermelon with a slight hint of lime is the perfect combination.  Not too sweet, not too tart.  Perfect for sipping on the front porch on a summers night.  

Watermelon Lime Agua Frescaadapted from Rachael Ray magazine

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Ingredients:

• 8 cups seedless watermelon cubes
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 1.5 cups water
• sliced lime & mint for garnish

Instructions:
Puree the watermelon in a blender or food processor.  Strain with a sieve, and discard the pulp.  Stir in the lime juice, honey, & water.  Place pieces of sliced lime inside the pitcher.  Chill & serve over ice - garnish with mint & additional sliced lime.




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Swedish Low Acidity Coffee & A Fika Lesson!

Borrow a Swedish cultural tradition and do something for you!  Slow down, spend some time on yourself, and with a hot cup of coffee – throw yourself a fika! 
Fika essentially means “coffee break,” but in Sweden it’s not just grabbing coffee on the go.  There Swedes take breaks, true breaks twice a day, where they actually slow down, sit and savor a rich cup of coffee (like Swedish-heritage Gevalia, which is my favorite!), a sweet snack and even the company of family or friends. 
A Fika can be 15 minutes or as much as an hour - and it can really be that 'pick me up' that a lot of us need in the middle of the day.  That little break that gives us the drive to finish up our day on a positive note.  The Swedes also serve their coffee alongside something sweet - how about a maple cinnamon roll or a homemade danish?  Just make sure you save a spot for me at the table.  :)

Love coffee, but can't do it because of acidity?  

Well, don't worry - you can enjoy one too. The Swedes have a beautiful way of creating a low acid cup of coffee, and it really isn't hard. It sounds weird - yes. I know.  But if you are a coffee lover who has to stay away from it because your acid reflux kicks up - I'm here to save the day! Yes, the recipe seems odd with an egg in the ingredients - but don't worry.  It cuts the acidity dramatically, and there is no trace of an egg flavor in your finished product.

Swedish Low Acidity Coffee 

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Ingredients:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 crushed eggshell
• 1 cup ground Swedish coffee (Gevalia)
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 8 cups boiling water

Instructions:
In a small bowl, mix the ground coffee with the beaten egg until the coffee grounds are well coated. Stir in the crushed eggshell, then add in the cold water.  Meanwhile, bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan.  Add the coffee mixture to the boiling water & stir for about 4 minutes, or until the foam subsides.  Remove from the heat & cover the pan.  Let stand for 7-10 minutes, until the grounds & eggshell have settled to the bottom of the pot.  Strain the coffee through a wire or cloth strainer into coffee mugs, or into a carafe to serve. Add sugar & cream to taste, if desired.



*I received a sample of Gevalia Coffee from Kraft Foods for this post.  However, all opinions are my own.

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Mean Green Smoothies

Ok - I admit it.  I don't eat enough vegetables.  Wait, I take that back.....  I don't eat enough vegetables that haven't been fried.  Probably not the best way to eat them for nutritional value, but heck - they sure do taste good.  ;)
But, I need those vegetables.  My kids need those vegetables.  Heck, we all need them!  Even if we don't wanna.  

We don't have to eat them per say though when we can throw them in a blender with some yummy fruits to make one awesome treat.  This Mean Green Smoothie is a personal favorite of mine because it packs in the nutrients that we all need - and more importantly (in my mind) it tastes good. 
Click here to get my recipe over at Life Around Home!

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Cherry Limeade

The warmer weather is upon us - but if you live in an area like I do, the cold weather never came this year.
We have already set up our back porch with our picnic table & patio umbrella. The kids outdoor toys are all being used again, and it's getting close to that time where we will need to be getting our pool ready for swimming.  It's also the beginning of the backyard barbecue season, and you need a refreshing beverage to go hand in hand with it.  
It doesn't get much more refreshing than Cherry Limeade!

But, don't wait til the next time you have a barbecue to make it.  Make it sooner than that.  Like right now.
You only need 3 ingredients - lemon lime soda, a jar of cherries, & lime juice. Then, it's done & in your glass, ready to sip.  This stuff is in my fridge more times than not in the warmer months......and this year that seems to be all year long!  I absolutely love the sweetness & the tartness together.  

So, what are you waiting for?  You can't drink my pictures.  Go make some!!

Cherry Limeade

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Ingredients:

• 2-liter bottle of lemon lime soda
• 3/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 (10oz) jar maraschino cherries, with juice
• thin lime slices 

Instructions:

Chill all ingredients before mixing.
When cold, combine all ingredients in a large pitcher.  Stir well.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving for flavors to marry.
*Serve with a ladle if you want pieces of lime & cherry in each glass.





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Funfetti Cake Batter Milkshakes

Three words.  Cake Batter Milkshakes.  Wait...make that four....because this isn't just any cake batter.  This is Funfetti!  
Yep - Funfetti Cake Batter Milkshakes.

Just saying those 4 words excites me.  It's like a birthday party in a glass. The kind of birthday party where you get everything you want. Because quite frankly, this milkshake has everything you could possibly want in it. Well, at least everything that I could possibly want.

It's drinkable perfection.  

Wanna know what makes this even better?  Only 3 ingredients.  Yep.  Well, 5 if you want sprinkles on your glass.  To get the pretty sprinkled rim, all you do is dip the rim of the glass in corn syrup & then give it a spin in a dish full of sprinkles.  Very simple.

Funfetti Cake Batter Milkshakes

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Ingredients:

• half of a box of Funfetti cake mix
• 5 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 3 cups milk
• corn syrup (optional)
• sprinkles (optional)

Instructions:
Put all the ingredients inside of a blender.  Combine at high speed until combined.  Scrape the edges of the blender pitcher with a spatula, and then mix at high speed for another minute.  
To serve with a sprinkled rim - spin the rim of the glass in a corn syrup & then into a dish of sprinkles.  Fill with the milkshake, insert a straw, and enjoy!










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The Best Iced Coffee - Cold Brewed!

Coffee is my best friend in the morning.  Actually - who am I kidding?  Coffee is my best friend all day.  I drink it like it is the essence of life.  
Actually, I think it just might be.  ;)
I love coffee in all forms.  Hot, cold, - even in food.  Today, we are going to talk about the perfect iced coffee though.

I'm completely serious.  This makes the most perfect cup of iced coffee you have ever had.  If you weren't a coffee addict before, well - I'm about to turn you into it.  
So, come on - let's get your coffee fix.

You will need 2 - 5 gallon food safe buckets.  I picked mine up from Lowes for a little over $2.00 a piece.  

Pour in one pound of coffee into one of the buckets.  Then, pour in 2 gallons of cold water.  Seal with the corresponding lid, or even tin foil in a pinch.  Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

  

Now, it's time for that other bucket.  Set a sieve on the other bucket & line with a cheesecloth.  Slowly & carefully - pour the coffee mixture through the cheesecloth lined sieve & into the other bucket.

Using a spoon, press out any other liquid from the grounds with a spoon. Waste nothing!

You can do a double strain if you like.  
Store in a beverage dispenser or pitchers in the fridge.

To serve - drizzle in a couple tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk (more if you are using a larger glass) & a couple splashes of milk.  You can use flavored coffee syrups if you want a vanilla or other type of flavor.  Stir it up really good - or if you are using a mason jar, put on the lid and give it a good shaking.  Taste, and add more sweetened condensed milk or regular milk if you feel the need.

The Best Iced Coffee

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Ingredients:

• 2 5-gallon food safe buckets
• 1 pound ground coffee
• 2 gallons cold water
• milk (a splash or two per serving)
• sweetened condensed milk (2-3 tablespoons per serving)
• *Note: Use skim milk, 2%, whole, sugar, sugar substitute, whatever!  Adapt to your liking!

Instructions:

In one of the buckets, mix together the coffee & water.  Cover & let sit for 24 hours.  Set up a cheesecloth lined sieve on top of the additional bucket.  Pour through the sieve into the other bucket.  Strain a second time if you would like.  Store in a beverage dispenser or a couple of 1-gallon pitchers in the refrigerator.

Mix in milk & sweetened condensed milk (or whatever additions of your choice) and combine well.  Taste, and adjust to your tastes if you need to.

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A Rainbow Party - Perfect for a Kid's Birthday Party!

Yesterday, my friend Tammy and I had another little get together for some of the homeschool kids and moms in our community.  This time, we did a rainbow/tyedye theme. I wanted to share this because I know how we are all looking for cute, but easy, birthday party themes - and I thought it would be adorable for one!   
We made Rainbow Cupcakes, and the kids got to choose what colors went into their cupcake.  I put a piece of tinfoil on the end of each muffin tin so I could tell one end from the other, and made a diagram of whose cupcake was whose once they came out of the oven.  
Once the cupcakes were done and cooled, I wrote the kids names on each plate, and placed a cupcake on each one.  

Tammy added food coloring to some store-bought icing and placed them on the counter alongside some sprinkles to top the cupcakes with.  

The blue was the most popular...Tammy's son, Jacob, really seemed to like it a lot.

We served them alongside some 'Magic Potion' which is just Kool-Aid ice cubes of different colors with lemon-lime soda poured on top.  

We didn't do this, but how fun would making tye-dyed t-shirts be at a party like this?

All the kids had an awesome time!  How fun would it be to incorporate a little color into your next kid's birthday party?

Check out the great blog parties I link to!

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