There are few summer traditions that equal the pure pleasure of a casual backyard barbecue with plenty of tasty side dishes and followed by a chilly dessert.

We’re slowly settling in after our move from San Diego and as much as we’re dreading the cold winter weather, at the moment it’s kind of gorgeous outside so it’s made a nice transition.

We took a break from unpacking to take advantage of the nice weather and had a summer barbecue together as a family.

We’d just taken a trip to the library so my kids were loaded up with fresh reading material. A quick trip to Walmart on the way home to grab some barbecue essentials and we had a quick and easy dinner.

My husband likes to joke that when I bought him the barbecue grill for Father’s Day one year I really bought it for myself because I’ve loved it just as much as he has. Besides the fact that food just tastes better on the grill, it gets me out of cooking and I’ll never turn that down.

So what does the perfect summer barbecue look like?

Appetizer

Wheat thins dipped in cottage cheese (don’t mock it until you’ve tried it. It’s a great low-fat snack)

Drink

Watermelon Smoothie

Main Course

Mushroom/Swiss burger topped with sauteed mushrooms and guacamole. We mixed mushrooms and shredded swiss cheese into each hamburger patty and then topped each burger with extra mushrooms that had been sauteed in just a little bit of butter. If you are trying to cut calories, you can mix in some cooked wheat berries into your meat before forming a patty.

Side Dishes

Baked beans (the real kind made from mostly scratch with lots of crispy bacon and brown sugar)

tortilla chips and salsa

A fresh summer salad filled with brightly colored berries and topped with feta cheese. This is delicious topped with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Dessert

Summertime is all about the ice-cream. Nestle Drumstick Lil’Drums for the kids (they are the perfect size!) and Dreyers Black Rasperry ice-cream for the grown-ups (f you haven’t tried this flavor yet you have absolutely got to).

We ended the night with the perfect sunset.

What does your perfect Summer Barbecue look like?

This shop/project has been compensated as part of a campaign for Nestlé. All opinions are my own.

There are few summer treats that are as refreshing as this simple watermelon smoothie. With nothing in it but watermelon and ice, this is a low-fat treat that you don’t have to feel guilty about.

We discovered this simple treat one summer when we were doing a lot of experimenting with our blender. We’d been making all kinds of smoothies and had an enormous watermelon that needed to be used up. Now my kids are old enough that they can devour an entire watermelon and still want a snack afterwards but at that point they were still young and eating that watermelon felt like an impossible task.

My husband, always willing to experiment with food, chopped the watermelon up and dumped the entire thing in the blender. After adding a few handfuls of ice, we had a deliciously refreshing summer drink and our watermelon didn’t go to waste. Now, this is our go-to recipe whenever we have leftover watermelon or just want a low-fat treat on a hot summer day.

Ingredients

• 1/2 Watermelon
• 1-2 cups Ice

Recipe

Chop half a watermelon into chunks. These don’t have to be very small. They don’t even have to look pretty. They just have to fit into your blender.

While you’re at it, you may as well chop up the whole watermelon. Cut watermelon keeps just fine in the fridge for a day or so but it probably won’t last that long because your kids are going to ask you to make the whole thing.

Dump the watermelon chunks into your blender. Because watermelon is mostly water, you don’t have to add any extra water unless your blender gets stuck. Once you begin blending, the watermelon will turn into nearly straight liquid so it’s fine on it’s own.

Add the ice on top of the watermelon. You’ll add 1-2 cups of ice but you may not be able to fit it all in the blender until the watermelon is blended up. I try and add 1 part ice for every 3 parts watermelon and that will give you a fairly slushy consistency.

Add more ice as needed to get the consistency you want. I like mine with a lot of ice so I probably put closer to 2-3 cups of ice by the time all is said and done. Truthfully though, I don’t really measure so you’ll just have to play with it.

Blend your watermelon smoothie until it’s nice and slushy and enjoy!

Spring is in the air and the nursery flowers are beckoning us to pick up some plants and enjoy being outside. This year when you are at the nursery, take a look at plants that you can plant and have some awesome fresh herbs for the dinner table.  Having plants that provide food for the table are really fun projects for the kids and it is a great way for them to try new foods. Kids love to try whatever they plant.

Planting herbs in containers is easy and if you live in a cold climate you can bring them indoors for the winter.  If you group the containers near your kitchen door or on the patio, you tend to use them more than if they are scattered around the yard.

If you have a walkway going to the house, you might to plant some plants that will add color with the foliage on the plants as well as the blooms.

Herb Gardening

Rosemary
Rosemary is very tasty with a variety of foods like chicken, lamb, pork, pastas, breads, and sauces. You may need to bring the container indoors in the winter in cold climates.

Thyme
Thyme is used in French and Italian recipes. The more you cut the thyme, the more it will grow. Thyme is used in potpourris.

Sweet Basil
A very popular herb used in many Italian recipes. Sweet basil is very tasty with tomato based dishes. Sweet basil has an aromatic and spicy flavor that resembles cloves.

Mint
All of the mint family grows like crazy and will spread and take over a garden. It is better to grow the mint in a container. Mint is very easy to grow and can be used in vegetables, salad dressing,  and teas.

Oregano
Oregano is used in Italian, Greek and French recipes. The most popular uses of oregano are the Italian dishes like pizza and sauces.  Oregano dries well and will keep for at least one year.

Garlic
If you have purchased garlic at the grocery store you may have seen the green shoots on the cloves of garlic where they are trying to sprout.  You can plant one clove and you will have a garlic bulb in a few months.

Spearmint, Peppermint, Lemon Balm, Chamomile

Spearmint, Peppermint, Lemon Balm, Chamomile are herbs that you can plant in containers for a cup of tea. You will need a tablespoon of herbs for one cup of tea. Rinse the leaves and put in hot water to seep.  Drain the leaves and enjoy. The herbs dry very well. Hang the herbs upside down to dry. Once they are dry, remove the leaves and store the leaves in an airtight container.

Buy decorative containers like 3 Garden Pots Safari Scenes Flower Tin Planter Plant
for your herbs and place them on your patio or near your kitchen door. The herb plants are very attractive, taste wonderful, and will save you money.

Photo credit Erik Kabik

After the hustle and bustle of shopping, cooking, and the millions of things that have to be done, it is now time to slow down and have a fun party with friends. Whether you are having a formal New Year’s Eve party, an intimate party, or perhaps a white elephant after Christmas party, keep the menu simple. Appetizers and drinks are suitable for a New Year’s Eve party and these recipes will be fun to try and they will spice up your party.

The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is toasting the holidays with festive specialty cocktails that were created by their mixologists. The mixologists at Rare 120, AGO, Johnny Smalls, Luxe Bar and Mr.Lucky’s 24/7 restaurants designed these specialty party-starting drinks for the holidays and have shared their recipes. Just add a few appetizers and you are ready to ring in the New Year!

Pumpkin Smash by Rare 120

1 oz. Makers Mark
¾ oz. MB Orange Curacao
½ oz. rock candy
½ oz. half n half
2  teaspoons of pumpkin puree

Combine above ingredients in mixing glass and add ice, shake well and strain into a Chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish: Ground Nutmeg

Holiday Flip by AGO

1 oz. Amaretto
1 oz. Dark Crème de Cacao
1 oz. Half N Half
1 Egg

Combine above ingredients in mixing glass like the Oggi Dial-A-Drink Cocktail Shaker and add ice, shake well and strain into Chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish: None

Mint & Chip by Johnny Smalls

¾ oz.  Mount Gay Eclipse Rum
¾ oz. Marie Brizard White Crème de Cacao
¾ oz. Marie Brizard Green Crème de Menthe
¾ oz. Half-N-Half Cream

In an ice filled mixing glass, add above ingredients, Shake vigorously. Strain into a Chilled Cocktail Glass

Garnish: Fresh Mint Crown & Shaved Chocolate Flakes

Belgian Mint by Luxe Bar

1 ½ oz. Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
¾ oz. Remy VSOP Cognac
¾ oz. Marie Brizard White Crème de Menthe
¾ oz. Half-N-Half Cream

In an ice filled mixing glass, add above ingredients, Shake vigorously. Strain into a Chilled Cocktail Glass

Garnish: Fresh Mint Crown & White Chocolate Stick

Gingerbread by Mr. Lucky’s 24/7

1 oz. Stoli Vanil
¾ oz. Godiva White Chocolate
¾ oz. Gingerbread Syrup
Dash nutmeg

Combine above ingredients in mixing glass and add ice, shake well and strain into Chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish: Cinnamon Stick

Appetizer Tips

Pizzas

Buy a variety of pizzas and ask the restaurant not to cut the pizzas into slices. Cut the pizzas into 1-3 inch squares depending on the number of guests. Warm and serve on platters.

Serve toast with a variety of toppings for appetizers. Look through your pantry and refrigerator and be creative when making the toppings.

Toast
Slice the baguette, into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Brush the slices with melted butter.

Place the slices on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10-15 minutes. Bread should be crispy and slightly brown around the edges. Turn the bread slices over and brush with melted butter. Bake until slightly brown around the edges.

For a light appetizer spread the toast with cream cheese and add three thin slices of strawberries or a slice of kiwi on top.

Fall has finally arrived where I live.  It was so cold in my house this morning that I finally turned on my heat.  I was also looking for a nice hot drink to warm me up.  Since we are not a coffee drinking family, hot cocoa is our choice of hot drinks.  Even my kids love it!  So, I went to look for some hot chocolate packets and we were all out.  So, I decided to pull out my hot cocoa mix recipe, since I usually have all of the ingredients in the house to make it.  I have shared this before but thought it would be good to share again with the colder fall weather.  Here it is in case your family wants to try it. Don’t forget to include you kids they will love helping with this recipe.

Hot Cocoa Mix

4 cups instant powdered nonfat dry milk

1-1/2 to 2 cups sugar

1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 gallon size zip lock storage bag or sealable container

1 small package of instant store-bought chocolate or vanilla pudding mix (optional but really good)

Measure all of the ingredients into a gallon size zip lock storage bag.  You will need to decide how sweet you want your cocoa but 2 cups is usually well liked by kids. When everything is inside, you just close the bag making sure to get out as much air as possible and shake it all up making sure all of the ingredients mix well.  You can also store this in a sealed container,  just mix in a bowl with a whisk then add to container.  This can also make a really nice inexpensive gift for friends and family.   For adults, if you like coffee, you can add ¼ cup of instant coffee to make a mocha flavor cocoa.

To Prepare:  Add 1/3 cup of the hot cocoa mix to 1 cup of boiling water.  Mix well with a whisk. Serve and enjoy 

My Review

This is some of the best hot cocoa I have drunk.  My kids also love it.  It’s really good on a cold morning or after you go sledding or caroling.  Actually it’s great anytime it is cold out.  My family has it every Christmas with homemade cinnamon rolls.  Yummy!

Other Homemade Cocoa Recipes

Are you watching what you eat?  Here’s a recipe that you can use for cocoa mix that you do not have to feel guilty about.

Fat Free/Sugar Free Hot Cocoa Mix

3 cups instant nonfat powdered milk

1 cup Splenda Granular

½ cup baking cocoa

1 small box fat free/sugar free instant vanilla or chocolate pudding

Mix ingredients together in a large zip lock bag and shake.  Store in bag or an airtight container.  To make a cup of hot chocolate, add ¼ cup of mix to 1 cup hot water.

Makes 18 servings

Per serving 58 calories, 0 g fat, 1g fiber

In the summertime, we drink gallons of iced tea, juice, and water. Making iced tea is a daily occurrence during the summer and we found an easy way to make it by accident.  One morning, my son was going to help with breakfast. He made the coffee while I was busy finishing up breakfast. When I went to pour the coffee, it was rather strange looking for coffee. I tasted it and by accident he had made tea instead of coffee. We had our first iced tea maker! We have used our electric coffeepot for tea ever since.

Iced Tea

Ingredients

3 tea bags (paper tag removed) for medium strength
10 cups of water
1/3 cup of sugar or other sweetener for slightly sweetened tea, if desired
Lemon slice if desired

Preparation

Pull off the paper tags and put the teabags in the coffeepot where you normally put the coffee. You do not need to use a filter.

Add the water to the water reservoir in the coffeepot

Note: If you are using a glass pitcher, let the tea cool before adding it to your pitcher so it will not break your pitcher.

When the tea is finished brewing add the tea to your pitcher and finish filling the pitcher with water.

Add sugar or other sweetener if desired.

Serve over ice with a slice of lemon, add sugar or honey if desired.

Sun Tea

We have also made sun tea. It is a great way to make iced tea without turning on the stove or coffeepot. You will need a glass jar with a lid that will hold eight glasses of water. Add 6-8 tea bags and loosely put the lid on the jar.  Set the jar in the sun for 3-6 hours. Kids love to watch it change colors as it makes tea.  Serve over ice with a slice of lemon, add sugar or honey if desired.

Ice Cubes

When it is hot in the summer, it is so easy to be dehydrated. Drinking plain water can become boring. Instead of drinking plain water, kick it up a bit with some lemon ice cubes.

Ingredients

8-9 lemons juiced
ice cube trays

Add lemon juice to an ice tray and freeze. Add an ice cube to your water for a refreshing drink.

Try adding other fruit ice cubes to your beverages like lime, oranges, or pineapple.

No Tangled Necklace Chains

If you have old ice trays lying around that are cracked, do not throw them away. Put a necklace in each ice cube hole and your necklace chains will never tangle again. The ice cube trays stack well and it is easy to find the necklace you want. It is so nice not to have to untangle a necklace when you need one.

Enjoy!

A couple of weeks ago, my family was hit hard with the flu.   One of the things  my family asked for was hot cocoa, and a lot of it!  As one of the flu victims, I can tell you it was one of the things that just made me feel better.  One problem though, we ran out of hot chocolate packets.  I went online and found some recipes to make your own and found out that they were really good.  Luckily, I had all of the ingredients on hand, which was good because we really did not want to get out.  These would also make some really nice inexpensive Christmas gifts.  Just put in a nice container with a tag on in it telling them how to use it.  So, whether you get the flu or not, winter is here and it’s time to snuggle by a fire and drink a cup of hot cocoa.  Here’ a recipe I like and also a recipe for fat free, sugar free, for those watching their weight.

Hot Cocoa Mix Recipes

 Hot Cocoa Mix
4 cups nonfat instant powder milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup non-dairy coffee creamer
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 (4 ounce) package instant chocolate fudge pudding
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. If a finer consistency is desired, you can pour the mix into a blender or food processor and run it through that. Store in an airtight container. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup (depending on your cocoa preference) of the mix to an 8 ounce mug of boiling water.

 Fat Free/ Sugar Free Hot Chocolate Mix

3 cups instant nonfat powdered milk

1 cup Splenda Granular

½ cup baking cocoa

1 small box fat free/sugar free instant vanilla pudding

Mix ingredients together in a large zip lock bag and shake.  Store in bag or an airtight container.  To make a cup of hot chocolate, add ¼ cup of mix to 1 cup hot water.

Makes 18 servings

Per serving 58 calories, 0 g fat, 1g fiber

It’s July and it’s HOT!  What do you and your kids want most?  Well, if they are like mine they want cool treats like slushies, milkshakes, ice cream, and Blizzards from Dairy Queen.  The only problem is if I go out and buy these items they will freeze my budget.  So, how do I give my kids these cool summer treats but not freeze my budget?  Well, the thing I came up with is to make my own at home.  Not only are they cheaper, but you can also let your kids help you make them.  My kids love to make summer treats at home.  When I make Blizzards at home, I can make at least a dozen for the same cost as one at the fast food restaurant.  I have to buy 6 for my family when I go out, so for me making them at home is the best option right now.  So, if your kids are craving those expensive cool treats this summer, try some of these homemade recipes.  I hope your family loves them as much as mine does!

The Magic Milkshake (Taste like a Wendy’s Frosty)

1-1/2 to 2 cups ice water
1-1/2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 1-1/2 trays of ice cubes, as much as you can spare
2 tablespoons corn oil plus a 5-second squirt of non-stick spray for emulsification purpose (I used canola oil)
Place all of the ingredients into the blender, including the oil and the non-stick spray. Use less water for thicker milk shakes and more water for shakes that are easy on your blender motor. The blender should be about 3/4’s full. Place the lid on. Process for a full 2 minutes. Pour into cups and serve. Makes 4 – 12oz servings.

Recipe from Hillbillly Housewife

Slushies

2 cups ice water
1 packet fruit-flavored drink mix (use your favorite flavor)
2/3 cup sugar
4 cups or 1 full tray of ice cubes

You need a blender to prepare this recipe. Put all of the ingredients into your blender. It will be about 2/3 to 3/4′s full. Put the lid on. Process the mixture on high for a full minute. Stop the blender, use a spoon to stir it a bit. Look for unchopped ice chunks. If all the chunks are grated up, then go ahead and serve it. You may need to process it for another full minute though. Serve immediately. I usually have to spoon this out of the blender with a measuring cup because the mixture is so thick. Makes 4 – 8oz servings.
Recipe from Hillbilly Housewife

Homemade Blizzards

1 candy bar

1/4-1/2 cup milk

2 ½ cups vanilla ice cream

1 teaspoon fudge sauce

Freeze candy bar.  Break into pieces while still in the wrapper.  Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend on medium for 30 seconds or until well mixed. Pour into 16 oz glass

Makes: 1 serving

And don’t forget the Ice Cream in a Bag recipe for ice cream.

As the weather heats up nothing satisfies more than cold drinks and a dunk in the pool. I can’t help with the pool, but I can very much recommend making a pitcher of this orange-y smoothie. A definite knockoff of a popular chain’s signature drink, this is super simple and fast to make with the added bonus of not needing to gather everybody up to go to the mall to get one.

Experiment with different juice flavors if you like (apple is the only one I’ve found dissapointing), but this classic combination of orange and vanilla is a great place to start.
I give proportions for a single serving glass or a bullet-type blender cup here so that you can make as much or as little as you like. Just make what your blender can hold. If you want to disguise this as a more “healthy” type snack you can add some flax oil/meal or protein powder as well, though the meal will be noticeable in the finished drink and the oil or protein probably won’t be.

Orange Cream Smoothie

Per Person/Bullet blender cup
1 cup crushed ice
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
2/3 cup vanilla soy milk or rice milk*
few drops vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 banana, cut into chunks (optional)

Combine all ingredients in blender pitcher or bullet cup and blend until smooth. Taste and add more milk or water or orange concentrate to sweeten or thin if needed, blending once more to incorporate any additions. Serve immediately in frosty glasses.

*A word on the soy/rice milk–I use these because of the richness of the regular soy or rice milk and the lack of curdling when combined with the acid in the orange juice. The soy and rice milk especially make it taste like you’ve used sherbet as they do in the original, but without the added preservatives and fat usually present in commercial varieties. That said, my mom made us similar smoothies when we were kids with regular milk and they came out ok, though proportions might have had something to do with that. If you want to try this with regular milk, I’d recommend upping the banana to help emulsify the whole thing and drinking before it melts and separates so that if your milk does curdle it won’t be noticed. Taste-wise, it doesn’t make a huge difference if it does curdle. Definitely add the vanilla extract if you use regular milk since it will lack that extra creamy punch that comes with the vanilla orange combination.