Beat the Heat Snow Cone Syrups and Peach and Tutti Fruitti Smoothies

This summer heat is really taking it's tole on many of us. With school back in, these syrups are a really treat to use on snow cones for the kids to cool down after school!

Snow Cone and Slushie Syrups

Lemon: 1 Cup Lemon Juice (fresh) + 1 Cup Sugar

Peach~Mango: 1 Cup Peaches (fresh or frozen) and 1/2 cup Mango mashed + 1 Cup Sugar + 1/3 Cup Water

Cherry: 1 Cup Cherries, pitted + 1 Cup Sugar + 1 Cup Water

Watermelon: 4 Cups Watermelon Juice + 1 Cup Sugar

Add selected ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat on medium high and mash the fruit with a spoon or potato masher while mixture comes to a boil.

Boil syrup over medium high heat, watching carefully so it doesn't boil over. Boil for 5-10 minutes, or until syrup starts to thicken.

Remove syrup from heat and pour through a strainer and into a bowl.

Place bowl in the fridge for 2-3 hours or until completely chilled. Then transfer the finished syrup into a squeeze bottle. Store in the fridge for up to 2 months.

Peach Smoothie

1 8oz can peaches and syrup
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream
1/4 tsp almond extract

Combine in a blender and blend until smooth.

Tutti-Frutti Smoothie

1 8oz can fruit cocktail
1/2 cup grenadine syrup
2 cups strawberry ice cream
2 cups milk

Combine in a blender and blend until smooth.

Happy National Watermelon Day!

Happy National Watermelon Day! Here are some watermelon inspired treats to entertain you! I hope you enjoy them! Click on the links for the recipes. This first one is a watermelon cooler that is so refreshing on a hot summer night!

Watermelon Cooler

Next I have a refreshing fruit salad. I use the term "refreshing" a lot when talking about watermelon! It seems like a good word to use when talking about cold, juicy, yummy watermelon!

Simple Fruit Salad

Next is the Hash House A Go-Go's Tower of Fried Green Tomatoes separated by homemade (or house-made) Chicken Salad with a Balsamic Drizzle all on top of a HUGE chunk of Watermelon!

Las Vegas Hash House A Go-Go

Finally, just for giggles, Willie the Whale in Disney Inspired Treats! I had a little boy's birthday to carve a watermelon basket for fruit, and his theme was whales. We carved the watermelon into a whale! That was a fun one!

Willie the Whale

I hope you have enjoyed these watermelon treats!

Happy National Watermelon Day!

Simple Fresh Fruit Salad

Simple Fresh Fruit Salad

• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Honeydew Melon
• Strawberries
• Grapes, Red and Green
• Granny Smith Apples
• Gala Apples
• Pineapple (can/cans of DOLE® chunk)
• Mint, optional

Simply cut the fruit into bites size chunks and toss. I used DOLE® canned pineapple and use part of the juice as a sauce for the salad. If you use apple or a fruit that might brown, quickly toss in the pineapple juice after slicing.

Las Vegas... through a foodie's eyes!

Since we arrived in Vegas early in the morning, our travel mates (Carl & Lynn... yes, another Lynn) had rented a car. We decided to travel out to Red Rock Canyon and do some site-seeing until we could check in to the hotel. On the way out, we decided to get a quick bite to eat. In Vegas, the highways are lined with a wall to create a noise barrier for the housing developments, which makes it hard to spot a restaurant from the road. We were getting close to the end of town, so we just ducked down the next exit. That's when we came across Beach Pizza. There was a menu on the window, and it looked good... so that was it. It was about 10:30 in the morning, but it was open. The lady running the place said that she opens early on Sundays for a little lady that comes in every Sunday morning. She orders her food and sits reading her paper... lucky for us! Carl & Lynn ordered Sausage and Pepper Subs.

The hubby got a Steak and Pepper Sub.

Guess what I found on the menu???

A REUBEN!!! YAY!!!
I was hungry so I ordered a large.

When she sat this in front of me, I almost fell out the chair!
Ummm! This is two sandwiches, not one large! LOL

I have no idea what I was doing...
but it was 107 degrees in the desert,

and the wind was blowing like a furnace!

Red Rock Canyon

We watched a Thunderstorm roll through the canyon.
That cooled it off, and it was nice... for a little while!

Then, it was off to the hotel! We checked in and took a little break... about 5 minutes and off to the races again! We decided to just get a quick bite in the casino before hitting the strip. Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill was on the second floor of the hotel/casino. I was so excited! 

I don't have any pictures, because quite frankly, I was very disappointed. The waitresses were very tackily dressed. Yes, I know it's Vegas, but I really don't want to see boobs and butts while I'm eating! Guys, I'm not being prejudice! I don't want to see half dressed men while I'm eating either. Well, shirtless men wouldn't be as disturbing as girls in push-up bustiers and chaps with black shorts that looked more like thongs! Yikes! Well, I had a Catfish Po' Boy... It was supposed to have "fried, cornmeal dusted catfish topped with Toby's slaw & a tangy remoulade sauce served on a hoagie roll". Well, there was definitely bread. As for the rest of the ingredients, there was a very small, thin piece of fried catfish and maybe a tablespoon of slaw, and I saw some color on the bun. I was left to assume that that was the remoulade. Why didn't I send it back? Well, apparently the jacked up boobs prevented them from hearing me. I would say that it affected their sight also. No one got refills either. Ugh! I hope they were just having an off night, because I had heard good things about the place. On to the strip...

The hubby to took this one for our friend Michele! :-)

The next morning, we ate at the Harrah's Flavors Buffet for breakfast. Not bad food, but not photo worthy. Enough fuel to get us underway! LOL We traveled to the Hoover Dam. We walked the Mike O' Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. Now, I'm not truly afraid of heights, but I'm not that fond of them either. I'm ok not looking down and staying away from edges, but  this bridge has a concrete wall on one side and railings on the other. Needless to say, I hugged the concrete wall, until I was MADE to stand by the railing to take a picture. We took the cruise tour around Lake Mead on the Desert Princess.

TAKE THE PICTURE, AND LET ME GO!

Well, that night I got to make the supper decision! My friend Ally, had suggested that I try Firefly. I almost didn't take pictures there also... not because it was bad, but because it was AWESOME! I almost forgot to take pictures! Firefly is a tapas restaurant. It's a wonderful way to sample a lot of different foods without having to take an extra trip to the bank! (It was cheaper than that breakfast buffet!) Excellent food... when we drove up to the restaurant, Carl and the hubby weren't too thrilled. They're thinking... I don't like Mexican! I told them that this is not rice and beans like we are used to at home, and it's Spanish, not Mexican! Same difference, they say... NOT!

This was the point where I realized that

I hadn't taken any pictures. LOL

Complimentary plate of crispy bread,

Almond-Honey Butter and Olives. YUM!

 Firefly Fries... Parmesan, Herbs and Aioli

Babyback Ribs with a Mango BBQ Sauce

(Not Pictured... Steak and Mushroom Skewers)

I don't know why... 

Petite Filet with Herb Cheese, Roasted Potatoes,

Mushrooms and a Red Wine Sauce

Finally... 

Big Bowl - Pasta with Veggies and a Tomato-Pepper Sauce

and an add-on of Grilled Chicken

Then... Another night on the strip catching the

different shows at the hotels and casinos...

the water show at the Bellagio Fountains,

the Sirens show at Treasure Island,

and the Volcano at The Mirage.

A couple of breakfasts at Denny's under the belt... eh... so-so. The hubby loves his breakfast omelets and grits and eggs, so I go along and eat a Fried Chicken Caesar Salad for breakfast. You have to work hard to screw up a salad! I forgot the camera, but I don't think you'd care about pictures of Denny's food. The pics in the menu look better anyway!

We were on our own for a while and the hubby remembered the other place that my friend Ally had suggested. I was sure that the restaurant was in The Quad, but most of it was under renovation. Well, the hubby found out where it was and how to get around the construction. My next culinary treat was in the making... Hash House A Go-Go!!!

The hubby ordered...

Slow Cooked Bar B' Que Pork Ribs

St. Louis ribs braised with the house soy bar b' que sauce, carrots

... and a side of Bacon cheddar mashed potatoes!!!

Under the "Just For Grazing" section of the menu was Fried Green Tomatoes, so I figured that since I wasn't starving, I should just order something to nibble on... BOY HOWDY was I wrong! It was HUGE!!!

Fried Green Tomato Stack
with Homemade Chicken Salad, Goat Cheese & Balsamic Vinaigrette

... served on a big ole chunk of watermelon!

I have never tasted anything like it in my life! The crust on the tomatoes was

awesome, and the Balsamic Vinaigrette totally sent the dish over the top!
If you ever get a chance, this place is a MUST TRY!
(and if you leave hungry, it's your own fault! LOL)

We traveled over to Fremont Street that night. Fremont Street is the original Vegas Strip established in 1905. They had three different stages with different music style bands playing. They took occasional breaks for the light show to take place on the archway ceiling! 

On the last night, we grabbed a burger at Ruth's Diner in the Airport and caught our flight out at 10:55pm. When we arrived in Charlotte that morning, Carl & Lynn had a craving for Cracker Barrel's Sweet Tea and breakfast. As the hubby says, there's always room for breakfast!

Arrivederci... Las Vegas!

Watermelon Whale

Last night, we did a practice run on carving a 

whale out of a watermelon. 

It turned out really cute! Take a look...

Made a pattern and cut out the tail...

OUCH! Carving the eyes! I can't look!!!

Ewww! Do something about his eyes!

Seriously... do something about his eyes!

Much better looking eyes! :-) 

Now, he just needs fruit! 

Oooops! ... and finish his smile! :-)

Watermelon Cooler

The hubby brought home a big watermelon for the 4th of July and put it in the frig. I was just going to slice it up, when I remembered the watermelon coolers! Well, we had some that could drink and some that couldn't. So, I made up two different versions of this yummy cooler!

Kid-Friendly Version

4 cups chopped watermelon
1/3 cup Strawberry Sugar-Sweetened Drink Mix

Blend ingredients in blender until smooth. Divide evenly in 4 glasses. Add a splash of 7up or Sprite... Serve over ice. Garnish with melon cubes and mint.

Adult Version

4 cups chopped watermelon
1/3 cup Strawberry Sugar-Sweetened Drink Mix
4 oz Triple Sec
4 oz Vodka
Splash of Lime 

Blend ingredients in blender until smooth. Divide evenly in 4 glasses. Add a splash of 7up or Sprite... Serve over ice. Garnish with melon cubes and mint.

Southwest Wrap, Tomato Salsa and Watermelon Cooler

I've been looking for things to make that won't heat up the kitchen. It's already too hot as it is... Here are a few refreshing recipes that WON'T make you break a sweat!

Southwest Wrap

3/4 cup corn

1/4 cup chopped red onions

3 Tbsp. Chipotle Flavored Mayonnaise
4 tortillas (8 inch)
4 lettuce leaves
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
16 slices Ham
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

Combine first 3 ingredients. Top tortillas with lettuce, cheese, ham, corn mixture and tomatoes. Fold up bottom edge of each tortilla, then roll up starting at 1 side.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

3 tomatoes (1 lb.), chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup Italian Dressing

Combine ingredients. Serve salsa with tortilla chips, crackers or assorted fresh vegetables.

Watermelon Cooler

4 cups chopped watermelon
1/3 cup Strawberry Sugar-Sweetened Drink Mix

Blend ingredients in blender until smooth. Serve over ice.
Add a splash of 7up or Sprite, if it needs more liquid.
It will depend on how juicy the watermelon is...

Beat the Heat Recipes

With the heat index this past few weeks reaching triple digits, I've been looking for things to make that won't heat up the kitchen. It's already too hot as it is... Here are a few refreshing recipes that WON'T make you break a sweat!

Southwest Wrap

3/4 cup corn

1/4 cup chopped red onions

3 Tbsp. Chipotle Flavored Mayonnaise
4 tortillas (8 inch)
4 lettuce leaves
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
16 slices Ham
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

Combine first 3 ingredients. Top tortillas with lettuce, cheese, ham, corn mixture and tomatoes. Fold up bottom edge of each tortilla, then roll up starting at 1 side.


Fresh Tomato Salsa

3 tomatoes (1 lb.), chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup Italian Dressing

Combine ingredients. Serve salsa with tortilla chips, crackers or assorted fresh vegetables.
 

 

Watermelon Cooler

4 cups chopped watermelon
1/3 cup Strawberry Sugar-Sweetened Drink Mix

Blend ingredients in blender until smooth. Serve over ice.
Add a splash of 7up or Sprite, if it needs more liquid.
It will depend on how juicy the watermelon is...

Watermelon Salad

This is a refreshing simple summer salad. It may sound a little odd, but give it a try.

3 cups chopped watermelon
1 cup chopped cucumbers
1/2 cup crumbled Mild Feta Cheese
2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Garnish with fresh Basil leaves and thinly sliced red Onion

Combine and serve immediately.