Strawberry Pizza

Tags

berry, brunch, cheese cheese frosting, cookie, cookie pizza, cream cheese, dessert, food, foodie, fruit pizza, pizza, postaday2011, recipe, strawberry, sugar cookie, summer desserts, summer recipe, vegetarian

This weekend we had picnics on Saturday, Sunday and Monday… and yesterday was the picnic for my classes! What did I plan it the day after a full 3 day weekend? Each marking period I have a competition between my three classes, and one section has won every single marking period this year! Their final prize? They wanted me to make them some of my fruit pizza. I’m not sure how the word of mouth reached my students, but I willingly agreed. So yesterday, they gobbled down this delicious Strawberry Pizza.  I used my trusted fruit pizza recipe, appropriate since I was harassed this weekend for not bringing this dessert to our family & friends’ picnics.

Strawberry Fruit Pizza

What is your go to summer dessert recipe?

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Summer Beverages

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alcoholic tea, BBQ, beverage, ice tea, iced tea, lemonade, limeade, limeade cocktail, party, peach iced tea, peach tea, rose spritzer, summer beverages, summer drinks, summer recipe, wine spritzer

I was recently told that I make the best lemonade and Iced Tea. Seriously? Do these people ever drink things that aren’t bottled or doesn’t come from a mix? Since it’s BBQ and party season I decided to share my summer beverage recipes perfect for entertaining any group.

Three Gallon Beverage Dispensers

Lemonade: For every gallon of water, mix together 1 c. sugar and 1 c. lemon juice. You can either use fresh squeezed lemon juice or from the bottle, but never frozen or from a mix! If I squeeze fresh lemon juice, I leave the lemon halves in the pitcher. Most people prefer the juice from the bottle, with just a few lemons as garnish.

Limeade: For every gallon of water, mix together 1/2 c. sugar and 1 c. lime juice. You can either use fresh squeezed lime juice or from the bottle, but never frozen or from a mix! If I squeeze fresh lime juice, I leave the lime halves in the pitcher. Add light rum, vodka or tequila for an adult drink.

Iced Tea: For every gallon of water, use 10 tag bags (I always use Lipton) and 3/4 c. sugar. Bring about half of the water to a boil, add tea bags and allow to steap. Squeeze tea bags to remove extra fluid, and discard. Mix in sugar while tea is still hot, this will allow it to dissolve. Add a sprig or two of fresh mint and a splash of lemon juice if desired. Then add ice to fill pitcher or container and finish off with water.

Alcoholic Peach Iced Tea: For every gallon of water, use 10 tag bags, 1 c. peach schnapps (or more to your liking), 1 fresh sliced peach. Bring about half of the water to a boil, add tea bags and allow to steap. Squeeze tea bags to remove extra fluid, and discard. Add ice to fill pitcher or container, then peach slices and finish off with water.

Wine Spritzer: I use 1 gallon of rosé wine, two 2-liter bottles of citrus soda and fresh fruit (one chopped green apple or a pint of sliced strawberries). Fill pitcher halfway with ice and add fruit. Pour wine and soda on top.

Grilled Corn on the Cob Discs

Tags

appetizers, barbacue appetizers, basil, basil lemon, BBQ appetizers, cilantro, cilantro lime, corn, corn on the cob, dill, dill orange, Father's Day Menu, grill, grill recipe, grilling, lemon, lemon basil, lime, lime cilantro, orange, orange dill, summer grill, summer recipe

Summer Grilling
June is here and summer is around the corner (my summer vacation starts Friday!)… These corn discs are great for parties, everyone can have as little or as much as they like. Their tiny size makes them perfect for kids or as appetizers. Great idea for a Father’s Day Menu!

Grilled Corn Discs

Ingredients:
corn, butter, fresh chopped cilantro, fresh ground sea salt, fresh ground pepper, lime juice, lime zest

Directions:
Husk corn and throw away husk and silk. Slice cob into 2″ thick discs. Soak in water with a splash of lime juice (or lemon juice). Grill discs over medium heat, turning a few times. Mist discs with lime juice as they grill. Remove from heat and brush or rub with butter to your liking, toss in cilantro, sea salt, pepper and zest. Serve hot.

*Play around with combinations of lime, orange and lemon juice and zest for the corn. Change it to use and match your favorite fresh herbs.

My Favorite Combinations: Lime Cilantro, Lemon Basil, Orange Dill

Guacamole Chicken

Tags

avocado, chicken, cilantro, Cinco de Mayo, dinner, fiesta, food, grill, grilling, guacamole, guacamole chicken, lime, recipe, Semi-Mexican, spring recipe, summer chicken, summer recipe, Tex-Mex

First of all, Happy Birthday to my big sister! She turns 30 today!

Cinco de Mayo week continues with last night’s dish: Guacamole Chicken
This was very delicious! I served it with the Mexican Rice I had left.

Guacamole Chicken

Guacamole Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados, 1/2 red onion, 1 lime, 2 chilies, handful fresh chopped cilantro, fresh ground sea salt, fresh ground black pepper

Guacamole Directions:
Half lime, squeeze juice, zest and set aside. Cut avocado in half, discard seed, and scoop fruit from skin. Immediately add lime juice to avocado and mash together. Add all ingredients in processor and blend until smooth.

Chicken Ingredients:
lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, fresh cilantro, chicken breasts, lemon juice, garlic powder, fresh ground sea salt, fresh ground black pepper

Chicken Directions:
Marinate chicken in lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper for a few hours. Grill (or bake, or cook) over medium heat until no longer pink inside and juices run clear. Place chicken breast on a bed of lettuce, cover with guacamole, top with sour cream and fresh chopped cilantro.

Ole!

*You can also leave ingredients in small cubes for a chunkier guacamole. For this dish I prefer a smooth guacamole.

*Next time I’ll top with fresh diced tomatoes, I just happened to be out of them this time.

I hope you all had a wonderful Cinco de Mayo…

Lime Chicken

Tags

chicken, chicken recipe, Cinco de Mayo, dinner, grill, grilling, lime chicken, lime recipe, lunch, recipe, Semi-Mexican, summer chicken, summer grill, summer recipe, Tex-Mex

I’m ready for warm weather, ready to grill… on my new deck. With Cinco de Mayo tomorrow, I decided make things a bit festive (last night) with a semi-Mexican dish. Time for Lime Chicken…

Lime Chicken

Ingredients:
chicken breasts, 1/4 c. red wine vinegar, 2 limes, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. sugar, salt, pepper, handful of fresh cilantro, shredded lettuce (or mixed greens), diced tomatoes, sour cream, shredded Pepper Jack cheese

Directions:
Juice and zest lime, mix in vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Add chicken breasts and marinate for a few hours. Grill, sauté or bake chicken. Remove from heat and add cheese to melt. Add a squeeze more of fresh lime juice. Serve on a bed of shredded lettuce, top with diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.

*Serve with your favorite rice side dish.

What are your Cinco de Mayo plans?