Fruit Punch

Ingredients

2 pints strawberries, hulled

3 cups sugar

1 48-ounce can pineapple juice

2  6-ounce cans frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

2  6-ounce cans frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 liter bottle lemon-lime soda

3 cups water

Directions

Combine the orange juice, lemonade and pineapple juice and stir well.

Bring 3 cups water and sugar to a boil in a heavy sauce pan and boil until sugar is dissolved, about five minutes. Let cool. Add the syrup to the fruit juices.

Place the whole strawberries into a ring mold.  Pour in enough of the syrup/fruit juice mixture to fill the mold. Freeze. Refrigerate the remaining mixture.

When ready to serve, pour the fruit juice into a punch bowl and add the soda.  Float the strawberry ice ring in the punch.

(approx. 20 servings)

Recipe Courtesy Paula Deen

Beerita

Ingredients:

2 – 12 oz. cans beer ( use a light beer or Corona )

8 oz. tequila

2 oz. fresh orange juice

1 can frozen limeade concentrate

8 wedges lime

1/2 cup salt

Directions:

Slowly pour beer over the ice. It will foam up so a slow pour is essential.

Add tequila, orange juice and frozen limeade.

Stir well to blend all ingredients.

Pour salt out onto a small plate; take a lime wedge and rub it around the rim of a glass.

Dip glass upside down into the salt plate to coat the rim.

Fill glass with Beerita and enjoy!

Gazpacho

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, halved and seeded but not peeled

2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded

4 plum tomatoes

1 red onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

23 ounces tomato juice

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup good olive oil

1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes and red onions into 1-inch cubes.

Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped.

After all vegetables are processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Mix well and chill before serving.

The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop

Bacon and Tomato Canapé

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise

½ cup cooked and crumbled bacon

¼ cup chopped green onions

Cavender’s seasoning to taste

10 slices of white or wheat bread

Cherry tomatoes

Directions:

Mix the first four ingredients together and set aside.

With a small round cookie cutter, cut the bread slices in four rounds each.

Spread mixture on each round and top with a slice of a cherry tomato.

Black Bean and Tropical Fruit Salsa

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped

½ white or purple onion, chopped

1 can of tropical fruit, drained (save ½ cup of juice) and cut into smaller pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Sauté onion and pepper in olive oil for about three minutes.  Add the beans, fruit and fruit juice and simmer for about five to seven minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Season with salt and pepper and enjoy over your favorite grilled fish or pork.

Tomato and Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients:

2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained

4 cups diced tomato

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

1 medium red onion, diced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:

Combine ingredients in large mixing bowl and serve with tortilla chips

(makes 8 cups)

*Recipe taken from Quick-Fix Southern by Rebecca Lang

Neely’s Lemon Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

Salt

1 pound corkscrew pasta

1 pound asparagus

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly-ground black pepper

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup freshly-chopped dill leaves

1 cup frozen peas, defrosted

7 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse. Set aside.

In another large pot of boiling salted water, add the asparagus and blanch until bright green and slightly tender, about three minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon or a spider skimmer and shock in icy cold water. Remove from the water and dry well.

Trim the ends of the asparagus and cut into bite-size pieces on the bias.

Whisk together the mustard, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the reserved asparagus and pasta in a large serving bowl.

Add the tomatoes, dill, peas, feta and the mustard dressing.

Toss with tongs to coat the salad well.

Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.

Mini Key Lime Tarts

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup key lime juice

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 4-ounce package mini graham cracker pie crusts (6 crusts)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Combine the egg yolks, lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla together in a medium mixing bowl.

Pour the filling into the pie crusts.

Bake for seven minutes

(serves 6)

Recipe taken from Quick-fix Southern by Rebecca Lang

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze

For tart shell:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons cold water

For filling:

1 1/2 pounds strawberries (about 1 1/2 quarts), trimmed and halved lengthwise

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup ruby Port

1 pound mascarpone (about 2 cups)

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Equipment: a 10-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom; pie weights or dried beans

Directions:

Make tart shell: Blend together flour, sugar, salt and butter in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps.

Beat together yolk, vanilla, lemon juice and water with a fork, then drizzle over flour mixture and stir with fork (or pulse) until mixture comes together.

Gently knead with floured hands on a lightly-floured surface until a dough forms, then gently knead four or five times and press into a five-inch disk.

Place in center of tart pan and cover with plastic wrap.

Using your fingers and bottom of a flat-bottomed measuring cup, spread and push dough to evenly cover bottom and side of pan.

Prick bottom of tart shell all over with a fork and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights.

Bake until side is set and edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes.

Carefully remove foil and weights and continue to bake until shell is deep golden all over, about 20 minutes more.

Cool in pan, about 45 minutes.

Make filling while tart shell cools.

Stir together strawberries and granulated sugar in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

Strain in a sieve set over a small saucepan, reserving berries.

Add Port to liquid in saucepan and boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer to a small bowl to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk together mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla and a pinch of salt until stiff.

Assemble tart:  Spread mascarpone mixture evenly in cooled tart shell, then top with strawberries.

Drizzle Port glaze all over tart.

(8 servings)

Campari-Orange Pops

Ingredients:

1/3 cup sugar

1 3/4 cups fresh orange juice

1/3 cup Campari

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Transfer syrup to a medium pitcher; chill until cold, about one hour.

Stir all remaining ingredients into syrup.

Divide among molds.

Cover; insert ice-pop sticks. Freeze until firm.

Dip bottoms of molds into hot water for 20-30 seconds to loosen pops.

Remove pops from molds and serve.

(makes 8 to 10)

Recipe taken from Bon Appétit

CHERRY CREAM CHEESE PIE

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 14- ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

1 9-inch graham cracker crust

1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling, chilled

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Gradually add the milk; stir until well blended.

Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla.

Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for two to three hours.

Top with the pie filling before serving.

(serves 6-8)

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen