Watermelon Cooler

Howdy all!
I'm still here, I've just been busy and haven't spent much time on the computer lately.
Today begins Spring Break for my kids and I am so glad.
My oldest son was supposed to have all of this week off but due to snow days from this winter they were forced to use their days off as makeup days.
So all they get is today and Monday off but hey that's better than nothing. He will return to school on Tuesday but then he is off on a Geology field trip for the rest of the week. So it's counted as a school day but it sure won't be like a regular school day.
I'm hoping that this rain will let up by then so that he will have a nice trip.
Speaking of the rain, I wish we could bottle all this extra rain up and send it to some of you that are in drought stricken areas.

Now to the recipe!
This would make a great summer drink to have by the poolside or to serve at a picnic. You can add as little or as much sugar as you wish to get the desired sweetness.

Watermelon Cooler

1 baby seedless watermelon (about 4 cups worth)
3 cups water
4 tbsp. sugar
1 lemon

Chop watermelon in small chunks and place in blender.
No need to worry about any small seeds. Blend it all!
Add water and blend for 1 minute.
Pour into a pitcher and add sugar and the juice of 1 lemon.
Stir, chill and ENJOY!

Be sure to check back later as I will be hosting a giveaway!!! (Pampered Chef)

Have a great Easter Weekend!

Make Your Own Cranberry juice

I bought a large bag of whole cranberries before Thanksgiving with the hopes of making several desserts and bread with them.
Well that didn't happen and that huge bag of berries kept staring at me everytime I opened the refrigerator door.

So what to do with them???

Since all of my kids and myself love to drink cranberry juice I thought I'd try my hand at making my own.
Not hard at all!

Cranberry Juice

3 lbs. fresh cranberries
9 cups water
Sugar

Wash cranberries.
Place in a large stockpot and cover with 9 cups water.
Cover and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down a bit and let simmer.
As the berries heat you will hear them pop as they burst open.
When they have all burst open then they are done.
Place a mesh colander on top of a large pan or bowl.
Pour berries into the colander and let it sit for about 2 hours until all the juice has drained.

Now you have fresh cranberry juice that is very tart. You will need to add sugar to your own liking. I started out adding a 1/2 cup at a time until I got the desired sweetness.

As for my weekend, it was cold and snowy.

I did get some shopping and wrapping done as well as planned my Chirstmas cookie bake list. I also finished a few stitched gifts for Chirstmas and cuddled a bit with the kids (and Snickers the cat) as we read more from the Little House series.

Hope you all are staying toasty warm!

Oh, and I almost forgot...be sure to stop back tomorrow. I'll have my Season of Giving giveaway #2 ready for you.
Have a great day!

Birthday Punch

Actually this punch would be great for any party but it was served tonight at my nephew's birthday. Tyler turns 14 tomorrow but since everyone has school and work we celebrated tonight with a party at his house.
We munched on pizza, veggie and cheese trays, chips & dips, cake and this delicious punch that I just had to get the recipe for.
Katie's birthday is in a few short weeks and this will definitely be on the menu for beverages.

Luscious Slush Punch

2 1/2 cups white sugar
6 cups water
2 (3 oz.) packages Strawberry Jell-O
1 (46oz.) can Pineapple Juice
2/3 cup Lemon Juice
1 quart Orange Juice
2 (2 liters) Sprite

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water and Jell-o.
Boil for 3 minutes.
Stir in pineapple, lemon and orange juice.
Divide mixture in half and freeze in 2 separate containers.
When ready to serve, place frozen contents of one container in a punch bowl and stir in 1 bottle of Sprite until slushy.
When that batch is gone repeat with second batch and the other bottle of Sprite.
Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Tyler!
I hope your day is great!

Another Treat to Help Beat the Heat!

I found this recipe over at Keepin It Simple and thought I'd give it a try.

I wasn't wild about the thought of adding vegetable oil to a drink but we tried it and it was delicious!

My blender isn't used very often so I keep it stored under the counter in it's original box. However, after trying this recipe it now stays on top of my counter because this treat has become a favorite and is often requested.

I had to experiment a little to see what would happen if I cut the oil back and I am happy to say that it worked. My kids and husband all said that it gave it an even bigger chocolate taste.

You can find the original recipe at http://simplysandras.blogspot.com/ under desserts or you can try my trimmed down version below.

Homemade Frosty

1 1/2 cups ice water

2/3 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups non fat dry milk powder

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. oil

5 second spray of (Pam) cooking spray

4-5 cups ice cubes

Place first six ingredients in to blender.

Spray the top with Pam.

Add ice cubes and blend 2 minutes.

ENJOY!

Homemade "Gatorade"

Football season is here which means many evenings sitting in the blazing sun watching practice or games. It has been so hot and humid here for the past week that it is just miserable. When we come home after practice we are just zapped...and I'm talking about ME and the 2 younger kids. The football player himself seems fine, all energized and ready to go. In an attempt to keep cool we have all been slurping away on cold beverages. (More to come later!) I've been making this homemade "Gatorade" for him to take to practice for the past few days and all seem to like it.

I am not a big fan of the taste of Gatorade but surprisingly this doesn't taste too bad. But then again, that just depends on what flavor you make. So far we have tried tropical punch, orange and lemon. My favorite so far is the fruit punch. Give it a try, it makes a good bit more than the store-bought and is a whole lot cheaper.

Homemade "Gatorade"

1 pack unsweetened Kool Aid (any flavor)

2 quarts cold water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cups orange juice

Mix all together and enjoy!

(I usually double this to make a large family-sized pitcher!)