Okay, I know what you're thinking. I've gone off my rocker. That debate is still open for interpretation though.
Anyway, there is a TON of swiss chard in this, but you would never be able to tell. I mean, for one... the color isn't green - but that's due to the addition of certain fruits. Fruits that help ease me into the realm of "green" smoothies.
Back in the early weeks of the CSA, we had tons of greens that I kept needing new ways to use up. And so I decided to delve into smoothie making. While I'm not completely on the bandwagon with all-green smoothies - I really need the fruit in there! - this was definitely something I can find myself drinking after a weekend of really bad eating. You know, we all have those weekends every now and then, but downing one of these smoothies just might make you feel a little bit less guilty about it!
Ingredients:
1 bunch swiss chard 1/2 cup frozen raspberries 1/2 cup frozen pineapple 1/2 cup frozen peaches 3 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped Ice 1/4 cup orange juice
Combine swiss chard, raspberries pineapple, peaches, and orange juice in a blender.
Add a few handfuls of ice to the blender (this is really up to your discretion) and puree until all ingredients are smooth.
Pour into a tall glass and garnish with additional mint, if desired.
This is definitely one of those feel-good drinks. I thought the greens would make me not like this, but really, you couldn't even tell. So a great way to sneak in some healthy greens to your unsuspecting children! It's not evil, I promise.
It's raining today. In fact, it's been raining consistently for the past week. It's really cramping my style. Especially since our volleyball courts have flooded and the games were cancelled. I was really looking forward to playing in the sand tonight. Who cares about safety, right? Well... see, the rain is even making me think crazy thoughts! Safety is more important, so I guess it's for the best. But seriously... the rain needs to stop.
Anyway, I was off from work yesterday and got a lot of food/drink related things done. This punch was one of those things. It actually stopped raining momentarily. It gave me enough time to go out back on the deck and take some pictures. And then my camera battery died. Seriously. FML.
But rain and a dead camera battery (which is now fully charged, thank you) aren't reasons enough to complain. Life ain't so bad.
And this punch proves it. Easily adaptable to be an "adult" beverage (throw in some bourbon and you've got yourself something delicious), but delicious enough on it's own, sans-alcohol. And I don't know if the University of Louisville Cardinals have an official drink or not, but the punch definitely has the team colors going on.
Ingredients:
Adapted from the 1945 Edition of the Boston Cooking School Cookbook
2 cups cranberries (the last of my frozen babies - until next fall!) 3 cups water 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup orange juice Juice from 1 lemon 1 can of ginger ale (Ale 8 is the best!)
In a medium saucepan, cook the cranberries in 2 cups of water until they are soft, about 10 minutes or so. Drain the liquid into a juice pitcher through a metal strainer or cheesecloth. Discard solids.
In a small saucepan, make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and remaining cup of water for about 5 minutes, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add syrup to the cranberry juice in pitcher and place in refrigerator to chill, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Add in orange juice, lemon juice, and ginger ale.
Fill glasses with ice and pour punch over top. If you're feeling up to it, splash a little bit of bourbon or vodka in there, too. Or not. It's up to you! Oh, and if you didn't want to go through the whole making your cranberry juice sort of thing (especially if you didn't hoard any in your freezer, like I did), you could always just get cranberry juice (you'll need about 3 cups) from the store - just skip down to adding the orange juice, lemon juice, and ginger ale step if you do.
Hope you guys have a good rest of your Wednesday! I'm off to study for my last final ever.... well, in a traditional college course, that is. Until September when my finals will be Culinary School-related...
I have a confession. I've never had eggnog. I know, blasphemy! And honestly, after making these pancakes, I really still haven't. I mean, the eggnog is in the batter... and these pancakes tasted AMAZING, but I still couldn't get up the courage to have a glass of the stuff. I know getting the store-bought stuff is way different from making my own, but I think I'll stay timid from this nog for just a tad bit longer. But I don't think I can stay away from these pancakes. They were just the perfect way to start a lazy Sunday morning! And who knows... this could be your hangover cure for the morning!
(Don't forget to vote in the poll... I'm making ice cream and I need some input on what flavor to try out of The Perfect Scoop!)
Ingredients: Adapted from Real Mom Kitchen's Recipe
Cranberry-Orange Syrup:
1 & 1/2 cups fresh cranberries 3/4 cup of sugar 3/4 cup orange juice zest from 1 lemon 1/3 cup maple syrup
Pancakes:
2 cups all purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups egg nog 2 eggs 1/4 cup vegetable oil
In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, 3/4 cup sugar, orange juice, lemon zest, and maple syrup. Heat under medium and bring a slow boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until most of the cranberries have burst or become soft.
Remove from heat and set aside while you make the pancakes.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate medium bowl, mix egg nog, eggs, and oil.
Add egg mixture to flour bowl. Mix until combined - the batter will be somewhat lumpy still, but that's okay.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet under medium high heat. Ladle a decent amount of batter into the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles form. (I like to make pretty big pancakes, but if you want them smaller, go ahead, just adjust the time by about 30 seconds to a minute less!)
Flip pancake over and cook an additional 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Continue with remaining batter until you run out (I made about 6-7 giant pancakes).
Serve pancakes with butter and cranberry-orange syrup.
These pancakes were off the hook! Seriously. Best. Breakfast. Ever. The eggnog provided a distinct flavor that paired perfectly with the citrus acidity of the cranberries and orange juice in the syrup. Try these. Now. For Breakfast Tomorrow. On Sunday. Whenever. Just try them. I dare ya!
Well, I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years Eve! We're not too sure whether we'll be going out or not (Andy has a little stomach bug that he can't seem to get rid of, so I might be the good little fiance and stay home with my poor little guy). But either way, we'll be together and that's what matters!
