Phoenician Gold Margarita
1 ½ ounces gold tequila
1 ounce Cointreau
½ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
4 ounces fresh lemonade
Combine ingredients in a shaker and mix well. Salt the rim of the glass if desired and pour the drink over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge if desired.
Minty Brain Tonic Tea
Enjoy a cup of this brain tonic tea the next time you need to study. With its nervous system and cardiovascular system benefits, it’s sure to support healthy brain function and help you make the most of your next study session!
2 T. spearmint (Mentha spicata) leaf
1 T. holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) leaf
2 tsp. sage (Salvia officinalis) leaf
Bring water to a boil in a kettle or pot. While the water is heating, place your herbs in a pint-sized glass canning jar. As soon as your water comes to a boil, remove it from heat. When it stops boiling, pour hot water over the herbs. Cover the jar with a lid to prevent volatile oils from escaping with the steam. Steep for 5-20 minutes. The longer you let it steep, the stronger it will taste! Filter the herbs using a tea strainer into another clean pint-sized glass canning jar. Press down on the herb(s) with a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Sweeten as desired, and drink 1-2 C. of tea 20-30 minutes before studying to stimulate the senses and increase blood flow to the brain!
Lemon Berry Flush Fat Spa Water
1/2 C. blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 C. raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 lemon, sliced
3 C. water, purified
Add all ingredients to a large glass, cover with lid and allow to chill overnight in the refrigerator, drink throughout the day.
Shirley Temple Recipe with Sour Cherries
2 fl. ounces (¼ cup/60 ml) sour cherry syrup or grenadine
8 fl. ounces (1 cup/240 ml) ginger ale or lemon-lime soda
Fresh sour cherries or maraschinos, to garnish
Place plenty of ice into a tall, kid-friendly glass. Pour in the soda. Stir in the syrup. Garnish with cherries, add a fun straw if you like, and serve. Sour Shirley variation: Our twist on the classic incorporates sour cherries to give the drink a dimension beyond sweetness. If you’re using grenadine, you can also give the drink a nice tart edge by adding a couple of T. of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Dirty Shirley variation: This grownup-friendly version incorporates vodka. Use two ounces per drink.
Batch variation: If you like, you can mix a batch of Shirley Temples in a pitcher and pour into ice-filled glasses. For eight drinks, two liters (64 fl. ounces) soda and 2 C. (16 fl. ounces) syrup.
Color Changing Lemonade Slushies
4 tsp. Blue pea flower tea
2 C. Boiling Water
2 C. Lemonade
Steep tea in water for 8 minutes. Strain into 2 C. measuring C.. Pour tea into ice cube tray and freeze until solid. Place tea cubes in blender and crush. Add ½ C. crushed ice into a glass. Pour ½ C. lemonade over ice.
Veggie Vitality Juice
Experiment with the proportions to get the taste you want. If you want more of a neutral taste, then add more cucumber; if you want it sweeter add more carrots or peppers.
8 tomatoes, roughly chopped
7 carrots, trimmed
2 celery stalks, trimmed
half a cucumber, halved lengthways
1 handful cabbage leaves, roughly chopped half a yellow pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 green beans or snow peas
1 garlic clove, peeled
half an onion, peeled
Juice all the ingredients following the instructions for normal juicing in your juicer manual. Drink immediately, or chill an hour and then enjoy.
Turmeric Tonic
This Anti-Inflammatory, Immune-Boosting Turmeric Tonic is packed with antioxidants, nutrients, vitamins, and healthy fats, making it the perfect healthy morning beverage.
1 2†piece peeled turmeric
1 2†piece peeled ginger
½ lemon
3 T. agave syrup (nectar)
Sparkling water (for serving)
Cayenne pepper (for serving)
Pass turmeric, ginger, and lemon (with peel) through a juicer. Stir in agave syrup. (Alternatively, chop turmeric and ginger and purée in a blender with agave syrup, 2 T. fresh lemon juice, and ⅓ C. water; strain.) Serve juice over ice, topped off with sparkling water and sprinkled with cayenne pepper.
Strawberry Pazzo Cocktail
1½ ounces black pepper-infused gin (must be prepared well in advance)
¾ ounce fresh lime juice, chilled
3 ounces strawberry purée, chilled
½ ounce Simple Syrup, plus more to taste
Ice cubes
1 large, perfect fresh basil leaf for spanking
Mix the pepper gin, lime juice, strawberry purée, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Taste and add more simple syrup if you like a sweeter drink. The character of strawberries changes from month to month, so add more syrup or lime to adjust the flavor. Spank the basil leaf and float it on the drink. (Hold basil in on palm, and slab it hard with the other hand to release the oils)
Black Pepper-Infused Gin
2 cups gin, preferably Tanqueray 10
½ cup (4 ounces) black peppercorns
Pour the gin over the peppercorns in a clean glass container. Store in a cool, dark place for 24 hours. Strain, and put the peppercorns aside for another use. Cover the container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
The Ruby
makes 1 cocktail
1 shot vodka
1 shot triple sec
2 shots pomegranate juice
1 shot orange juice
squeeze of lime juice
fancy sugar to rim glass
Fill a shaker with 4 – 5 ice cubes and add vodka, triple sec, pomegranate juice, and orange juice. Shake vigorously to combine. Rub the rim of a martini glass with a lime wedge and dip in sugar. Pour drink in glass and add a squeeze of lime juice.
So This is Christmas Cocktail
1/2 ounce Rosemary Simple Syrup (see below)
1/2 ounce pomegranate juice
1 tsp. pomegranate seeds
Champagne, for topping glass
Rosemary sprig, for garnish
Rosemary Simple Syrup:
1/2 C. water
1/2 C. sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2 cardamom pods
2 small fresh rosemary sprigs
In a champagne flute or highball glass, combine the rosemary syrup, pomegranate juice, and pomegranate seeds. Top off the glass with champagne and add a rosemary sprig for garnish.
Rosemary Simple Syrup: Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Strain, transfer to a lidded jar and refrigerate; the syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 11mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 48g
Vanilla Vodka Lemonade
1 1/3 C. Sugar
1 C. Water
8 Lemons
1 C. (or more) Vanilla Vodka
1 L Bottle Club Soda
5 large Sprigs Fresh Mint, more for garnishing glasses
First you will need to make a simple syrup mixture: place the water and sugar in a small pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved—about 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and chill. Now cut all of the lemons in half and juice them over a bowl large enough to hold all the juice. Mix the juice with the simple syrup mixture and vanilla vodka in large pitcher (or 2 carafes). Slowly pour in the club soda—you may not want to use all of the soda so taste it after you’ve added about 2/3 of the soda . You can also add more vanilla vodka if you want it a little more boozy and vanilla-y. Add the mint sprigs to the pitchers. Pour the lemonade drink over a glass of ice and add a sprig of mint. Salut!
Cocktail Syrups
Fennel-Orange Cocktail Syrup
4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons grated orange zest, plus 1 cup fresh juice (from 4 oranges)
1/4 cup fennel seeds
8 star-anise pods
Orange peel, cut into long strips, for bottling (optional)
Combine sugar, orange juice, fennel seeds, star anise, and 3 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, stirring until sugar is dissolved (if it begins to boil, reduce heat — boiling will make the syrup cloudy). Remove from heat; stir in orange zest. Let steep 1 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large liquid-measuring cup; discard solids. Refrigerate until completely cool, 1 hour. Pour into gift bottles, adding orange peel, if desired. Syrup can be stored in bottles, refrigerated, up to 1 month.
Hibiscus Ginger Syrup
4 cups sugar
24 whole cloves (1 teaspoon)
1 cup julienned fresh ginger (from a 4-ounce piece)
1 ounce dried hibiscus leaves (about 3/4 cup)
Combine sugar, cloves, ginger, and 4 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, stirring until sugar is dissolved (if it begins to boil, reduce heat — boiling will make the syrup cloudy). Remove from heat; let steep 10 minutes. Stir in hibiscus leaves; let steep another 35 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large liquid-measuring cup; discard solids. Refrigerate until completely cool, 1 hour. Pour into gift bottles. Syrup can be stored in bottles, refrigerated, up to 1 month.
Spicy Cinnamon Syrup
4 cups sugar
24 cardamom pods, crushed (1 tablespoon)
4 cinnamon sticks
2 vanilla beans, halved crosswise
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Combine sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Split vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape out seeds; add seeds and beans to sugar mixture with 4 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, stirring until sugar is dissolved (if it begins to boil, reduce heat — boiling will make the syrup cloudy). Remove from heat; add cayenne. Let steep 1 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large liquid-measuring cup; discard cardamom pods but reserve cinnamon sticks and vanilla beans. Refrigerate until completely cool, 1 hour. Pour into gift bottles; divide reserved vanilla beans and cinnamon sticks among bottles. Syrup can be stored in bottles, refrigerated, up to 1 month.
Ginger Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 piece (about 10 inches long and 4 ounces; or use several small pieces) peeled fresh ginger, cut into very thin rounds
Put sugar and 1 cup water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add ginger; bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, and let stand 30 minutes. Pour syrup through a fine sieve into an airtight container; discard ginger. Refrigerate for up to a month.
Mixed Berry Smoothies
1/4 C. water
1 C. raspberries
1 C. strawberries
1/2 C. blueberries
1/2 C. cottage cheese
1 handful of ice cubes
2 tsp. honey or agave nectar
Add all of the ingredients to the blender in the order in which they are listed. Blend until smooth and pourable. Taste and adjust the sweetness by adding more honey or agave nectar as desired. Start with a medium size handful of ice cubes and add more to adjust the consistency of your smoothie. Adding more ice will both thicken and chill your smoothie.
Fennel Apple Limeade
1 apple, chilled
2/3 C. sliced fennel bulb
1 (4- to 6-inch) celery stalk, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 T. lime juice
1 3/4 C. cold water
4 ice cubes
3 drops stevia, or sweetener of choice, as desired
Wash and core the apple, and cut into slices. Place the apple, fennel, celery, lime juice, water, and ice in a blender. Blend on high until fully incorporated. Taste, add the sweetener as desired, then blend again to incorporate. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or nut milk bag. Pour and drink!
Raspberry Twist Smoothie
Creamy, frothy, and lightly sweet, this pretty in pink smoothie is a snap to put together and goes a long way to keeping you satisfied through the morning.
½ C. Frozen Raspberries
½ Banana, sliced, Frozen
Juice 1 small Orange
¼ C. Unsweetened Almond Milk
¼ C. Greek Yogurt
1 T. Almond Butter
1 C. Raw Spinach
Blend on high until smooth.
Throwdown Cocktail
2 lime wedges
¼ cup finely diced fresh pineapple
6 fresh mint leaves, plus whole sprigs for garnish
4 fresh Thai basil leaves, plus whole sprigs for garnish
1 T. sugar
2 T. Ginger Simple Syrup
3 ounces golden rum
Ice cubes
2 T. cream of coconut, such as Coco Lopez
Combine the lime, pineapple, mint leaves, Thai basil leaves, sugar, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker and muddle well. Add the rum and shake for 10 seconds. Fill 2 rocks glasses with ice, pour the drink over the ice, and float 1 T. of the cream of coconut over each drink. Garnish with mint and Thai basil sprigs.
Mango Smoothie with Chili and Lime
1 ripe mango, peeled, cut in pieces, about 1 1/2 cups
1 cup peeled, chopped fresh pineapple
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 red jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons peeled and finely grated fresh ginger with juice
1 cup ice cubes or frozen coconut water cubes
Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve cold.
Rhubarb Simple Syrup
When fresh rhubarb is not available, frozen can be used in its place. Also, keep in mind, rhubarb stalks range in color, from a light green to a stunning red. The lighter stalks will create a less vivid red syrup. Adding a few cranberries during the cooking process will enhance the color of the simple syrup.
4 cups fresh Rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups Water
1 1/2 cups organic granulated Sugar
Add the water, sugar and rhubarb to a heavy bottom pot. On medium heat bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, cooking until rhubarb has softened and is breaking apart. Set mixture aside until it has cooled. Using a fine mesh strainer, reserve the syrup. Allow mixture to strain naturally without pushing down on the rhubarb. Doing so will leave sediments in the syrup. Â Store in refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Reserve the cooked rhubarb to be used in cakes, muffins, breads, as well as to top ice-cream.
Rhubarb & Strawberry Vodka
4 C. rhubarb (the pale pink, thin-stemmed kind), cut into short lengths
8-12 ripe strawberries, halved
1.5 C. Granulated sugar
2 thin slices fresh ginger
2 pints vodka
Optional, vanilla bean, halved
Put all the ingredients in a large clip top mason jar and shake well to dissolve the sugar. Leave in a cool place and shake 2-3 times a week for 3-4 weeks until the liquid is a rich pink color. Set a large sieve over a large bowl and line the sieve with muslin. Strain the vodka though the sieve, then transfer to a jug and pour carefully into clean, dry bottles. Seal and label the bottles. The vodka is now ready to drink, or will keep in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Serve over ice or neat in chilled shot glasses or make into a long drink topped with soda or fizz, adding half a strawberry just before serving.
Rhubarb & Strawberry Martini
2 oz. Rhubarb & Strawberry Vodka
1 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. Lemonade
4 Crushed Strawberries
Squeeze of Lemon Juice
Shake all ingredients together and pour into martini glass. Garnish with strawberry if you like.
Sunburnt Greyhound
304 Mint Leaves
2 oz. Rhubarb & Strawberry Vodka
6oz. Grapefruit Juice
Juice of half a Lime
Add ingredients to muddler and muddle the mint. Shake with ice and pour into glass.
Pear, Lemon & Mint Smoothie
2 Ripe Anjou Pears
½ C. packed Mint Leaves
1 ½ T. Mint or Simple Syrup
4 T. Lemon Juice
2 C. Water
2 ½ C. Ice Cubes.
Peel and core pears. Add everything to blender and puree until smooth. Drink immediately; pears will oxidize and turn an ugly gray.
Canning Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate
Makes 6-8 pints or 3 quarts of canned concentrate
6 C. strawberries, cleaned and hulled
4 C. freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 C. sugar
In a food processor, blender or bullet puree strawberry in batches.  Transfer strawberry puree to a stainless-steel saucepan over medium-high heat. DO NOT BOIL. Add lemon juice and sugar and stir to combine. Using a thermometer heat to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. Because this recipe has sugar it will get to temperature rather quickly so keep your eye on the thermometer. Remove from heat. Ladle mixture into jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe rims, add hot lids, and tighten rings just finger tight. Process in water bath canner at a boil for 15 minutes. To reconstitute, mix one-part concentrate with one part water, tonic water or ginger ale. Adjust concentrate to suit your taste. You can use bottled lemon juice for this recipe as well! If you do not want to process this concentrate in canning jars, freeze the concentrate in 1 to 2 C. portions.
Vanilla Vodka Lemonade
1 & 1/3 C. sugar
1 C. water
8 lemons
1+ C. vanilla vodka
1 liter bottle of club soda
5 large sprigs of fresh mint & more for garnish
First you will need to make a simple syrup mixture: place the water and sugar in a small pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved—about 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and chill. Now cut all of the lemons in half and juice them over a bowl large enough to hold all the juice. Mix the juice with the simple syrup mixture and vanilla vodka in large pitcher (or 2 carafes). Slowly pour in the club soda—you may not want to use all of the soda so taste it after you’ve added about 2/3 of the soda . You can also add more vanilla vodka if you want it a little more boozy and vanilla-y. Add the mint sprigs to the pitchers. Pour the lemonade drink over a glass of ice and add a sprig of mint. Salut!
Orange Creamsicle Cocktail
4 oz orange juice (or more to taste)
2 oz vanilla infused vodka
Ice
Fresh orange rounds for garnish (optional)
Blender (optional)
Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour in vanilla infused vodka, top with orange juice. Stir. Serve with fresh orange rounds for garnish. Optionally, you may blend the ingredients with ice to make a slushy/daiquiri-type drink!
Pineapple Peel and Core Lemonade with Mint
Peel and core from 1 pineapple
3 generously sized mint sprigs
1 C. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 C. simple syrup
Place the pineapple core and pieces of peel in a medium size pot with 4 C. of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, add the mint sprigs, and let the mixture steep, covered, for 25 minutes. Strain the mixture into a pitcher or serving vessel and discard the pineapple core, peel, and mint sprigs. Add the lemon juice to the pineapple-infused water, stir, and slowly start adding simple syrup, tasting as you go, until the lemonade is sweetened to your liking. Refrigerate until chilled. This lemonade is at its best the day it is made, but can be kept for a few days in the refrigerator. Stir before serving. Any remaining simple syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
Slow Cooker Cocoa
2 C. Whipping Cream
6 C. Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 – 1 ½ C. Semi Sweet Chips
Optional: ¼ C. baking cocoa
Optional: ¼ C. Sugar
Combine all ingredients except marshmallows in a slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook, covered, until everything is melted, stirring occasionally, 2 – 2 ½ hours on LOW. Stir well after heated and melted. Taste. Adjust sweetness with cocoa or sugar if desired, cook 30 additional minutes, and stir well before serving. Optional: Ten minutes before serving, add marshmallows and let them get melty. Garnish with more mini marshmallows, if desired.
Sunshiny Smoothie
1/3 C. orange juice
1â„2 frozen banana
1â„2 C. frozen fresh pineapple
1/3 C. mango
1â„2 C. low-fat vanilla yogurt
1â„4 C raw slivered almonds
1 T. ground flax seed
1 tsp. honey
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth (even when it appears to be blended, blend a bit longer). Pour into a glass and enjoy a bit of sunshine in a glass. Makes 1 tall smoothie. Note: This recipe if a perfect way to use up bananas or fresh pineapple that may be overripe or may be on the verge of going bad—simply toss the fruit in a plastic bag, put it in the freezer and pull out pieces of fruit as needed to make this smoothie. Frozen over-ripe fruits make smoothies even more luscious
Apple Peel Tea
The peels and cores of 5 apples
4 C. water
2 1/2 T. brown sugar
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Place the apple peels and cores, water, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a full boil, then reduce to a simmer/low boil and add the cloves. Let simmer for one hour. After one hour, turn off the heat, add the cinnamon stick, and let sit for 45 minutes to an hour. You can also taste for sweetness when you add the cinnamon stick, adding more brown sugar if you like a sweeter tea. Pour the tea through a fine strainer, and discard the strained apple mush. The liquid can be stored in a container in the fridge (I generally use a mason jar), and leftovers can be drunk cold, or reheated on the stove or in a microwave.
Blue Apple Nut Oatmeal
1â…” cups water
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
â…“ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 apple, chopped or grated
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
In a saucepan, combine water with cinnamon and oats. Simmer about 5 minutes, until oatmeal is creamy. Stir in blueberries, apples, and nuts.
Yield: 2 servings
Calories: 174
Fat: 6.3g
Fiber: 7.6g
Carbs: 29g
Lemonade with Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena
Although you can experiment using all sorts of different fresh herbs, this combination makes for a relaxing tonic, as both lemon balm and lemon verbena are known for their calming properties.
6 fresh lemon balm leaves
4 fresh lemon verbena leaves
Juice of 4 lemons, plus 1 thinly sliced lemon
4 C. water Honey or organic dry sugar to taste
Pinch of salt
Combine all of the ingredients except the lemon slices in a blender, starting with a modest amount of sweetener. Blend until the herbs are pulverized, about 5 seconds, then taste and adjust the sweetness. Chill for an hour, or serve immediately over ice, garnished with a slice of lemon. The lemonade is best drunk within two days.
Homemade V-8
6 lb. of vine-ripened, organic tomatoes (preferably heirlooms), coarsely chopped
2 C. chopped organic white or yellow onion
2½ C. chopped organic celery
1 C. chopped fresh parsley (stems are fine)
2 T. honey
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin powder
6 drops hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Sriracha
Splash or two of Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Put all the ingredients in a large stainless-steel pot. Bring them to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until very soupy, about 40 minutes. If a thicker juice is desired, first carefully blend the vegetable mixture in batches in a countertop blender, then put it through a food mill. For a smoother and more delicate juice, go straight to the food mill. A sieve might work but it would probably take forever. Next time I’ll try using my hand blender instead of the countertop blender. Update: The hand blender worked well. Chill for at least several hours before adding more salt or other seasonings. This juice will keep for at least a week in the fridge. I tried freezing some in a small plastic freezer container but haven’t defrosted it yet. I’ll let you know how it comes out when I do.
Update: When I defrosted the frozen tomato juice it had separated some, so that you could see teeny bits of tomato. It tasted okay but looked a little odd. I put it in the blender, and that made it all bubbly and sort of orange, though after sitting in the fridge for a while it settled down.
For long term storage, this juice would probably fare better if canned in glass jars using the instructions below. If you use the frozen juice in a recipe, I’m sure it would work fine.
To preserve your juice in glass jars: Heat juice 5 minutes at 190°F (I love my digital kitchen thermometer). Do not boil. Add 2 T. lemon juice or 1/2 tsp. citric acid to each quart jar. Add 1 T. lemon juice or 1/4 tsp. citric acid to each pint jar. Ladle hot juice into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints 40 minutes and quarts 45 minutes in a water-bath canner.
Simple Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
1 banana
6-8 frozen strawberries
8 oz. plain lo-fat yogurt
8 oz. apple cider
Place all ingredients in blender. Process until smooth
Blueberry Smoothie
2 quarts (2-1/2 pounds) frozen blueberries, slightly thawed or 2 quarts fresh blueberries
1 quart pineapple, orange, and strawberry juice blend or pineapple-orange juice
1 quart low-fat vanilla yogurt
8 tsp. sugar
For each serving: In the container of an electric blender, combine 1 C. (5 ounces) blueberries, 1/2 C. juice, 1/2 C. yogurt and 1 tsp. sugar. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Serve immediately in a tall glass garnished, if desired, with blueberry skewers spiraled with a thin strip of orange peel.