|
|
Yield: 2 quarts |
|
1 cup warm water 1 cup sugar 1 ½ cups lime juice or lemon juice Cold water and ice |
Add the warm water and sugar to a 2 quart pitcher. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the lime juice. Fill to 2 quarts with cold water and ice. |
Welcome to the Blue Sky Cookbook. Here’s what’s cooking today:
Limeade or Lemonade
Guacamole
|
|
Serves 4 |
|
2 ripe avocados 1 lime 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp garlic powder
|
Cut the avocado in half lengthwise, leaving the pit intact. Twist apart and squeeze out the avocado. Leave the pit in the bowl, it will keep the avocado from turning brown. Cut the lime in half and squeeze half of the juice over the avocado. Salt. Chop to desired smoothness with a spoon. Taste and add additional lime juice if desired.
|
|
Tortilla chips |
For a special treat, warm the tortilla chips: place the chips on a cookie sheet and heat for 5 minutes in the oven at 300 F.
|
Finding a perfectly ripe avocado in the supermarket can be difficult. The avocado is ripe when slightly soft; squeeze it gently to test- it feels like squeezing a greenish banana. I prefer to buy the hard avocados 3-4 days before I need them and store at room temperature to ripen. To speed up the process, place them in a brown paper bag. Once the avocado is ripe, store in the refrigerator up to a week.
Rum Punch
|
|
Yields: 6 cocktails |
|
8-10 medium oranges 3 limes
|
Squeeze the oranges with a juicer to yield 5 cups (40 ounces). Squeeze the limes. Pour the juice into a medium size pitcher.
|
|
4 jiggers (6 ounces) Baccardi Gold Rum 6 jiggers (9 ounces) Meyers Dark Rum ½ jigger Grenedine Syrup 6 drops Angostura Bitters
Ground nutmeg Fruit garnish
|
Add the liquor and mix well. Pour into tall glasses over ice. Sprinkle nutmeg on top.
Garnish with orange, lime slices and marishino cherries if desired. |
Our love affair with rum punch began with our first visit to the Caribbean resort, Caneel Bay in the ‘80s. The bartender taught a class in mixing rum drinks. His rule of thumb was “one part sour, one part sweet, one part strong, one part weak”. This drink is Fred’s perfection!
Daiquirita
|
|
Yields: 4 cocktails |
|
6 ounces frozen limeade concentrate (1/2 can) ½ cup fresh lime juice 1 ½ cups golden rum ¼ cup Cointreau liqueur
|
Pour into the blender. |
|
Ice
|
Add ice cubes to the blender up to the 5 cup mark. Blend well.
|
|
Lime wedges Kosher salt Meyers Dark Rum
|
Place 2 Tbsp salt on a small plate. Run the lime around the lip of the glass and turn over into the salt to coat the edge. Fill the glass with ice cubes. Pour the Daiquiritas into the glasses. Pour ½ shot of Meyers Dark Rum on top of the glass to float. Garnish with lime wedges.
|
This is my original version of a margarita made with rum.
Sausage Cups
|
Oven 350 F Approx 60 Appetizers |
|
|
1 lb ground beef or turkey 1 tsp minced garlic 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp Frank’s Red Hot Sauce ½ red bell pepper, finely chopped |
Crumble the meat into a frying pan over medium heat. Add spices and cook till done. Add the red pepper and sauté for 5 minutes. Drain excess fat. |
|
½ cup of black or green olives, pitted ¾ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese 1/3 cup Ranch Dressing |
Add ingredients and toss together. Taste the mixture. If you want to heat it up, add an additional ¼ tsp cayenne pepper.
|
|
60 mini phyllo (fillo) shells, frozen |
Fill the cups with a teaspoon and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted. |
This makes a great brunch dish- substitute spicy breakfast sausage and omit the spices and olives.
Hot Cocoa Mix
|
1 (8 qt) box dry milk 1 (22 oz) box Nestle Quick 1 (10 oz) jar dry creamer 1 cup powdered sugar |
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl or large plastic bag. Store in an airtight container. To serve, measure 1/3 cup of Cocoa Mix in a mug and fill with hot water. |
Spicy Shrimp
|
Serves 6-8 |
|
|
2 lb frozen raw shrimp |
Remove the frozen shrimp from the package and place in a bowl of cool water to thaw for 30 minutes. Peel the shrimp and place in a colander to drain. Leave the tails intact or remove if you prefer. |
|
3 cloves garlic ¼ cup olive oil 4 Tbsp butter 1 Tbsp Frank’s Red Hot sauce ¼ tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp ½ tsp salt Grated black pepper |
Mince or finely chop the garlic.
Heat the oil, butter and garlic in a sauté pan or wok over medium heat. Add the seasonings.
Carefully add the shrimp, protecting yourself with a splatter screen. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon and cook for 4-5 minutes, just until the shrimp becomes pinkish-white and opaque.
|
|
1 fresh lime |
Remove from the heat and squeeze the lime juice over top.
For an appetizer, serve on a bed of crisp Romaine lettuce leaves.
For a main dish, serve on top of rice or pasta. |
Thinking of Bing Crosby? No wonder… Christmas Eve dinner starts with this shrimp appetizer at our house.
Olive Tapenade
|
1 jar (12 oz) green olives stuffed with pimento 1 jar (8 oz) Kalamata olives, pitted 1 can (15 oz) black olives, pitted 1 jar (4 oz) tiny capers 2 cloves garlic ½ tsp salt 1 tsp Provence herbs or Italian herb mix ¼ cup olive oil Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy)
|
Drain the olives and capers well. Mince or finely chop the fresh garlic. Blend everything together in a salsa chopper or blender using the pulse mode. Don’t over-blend; try for 1/8” bits. Serve with warm Herbed Flat Bread or garlic toast. |
Bruschetta Salsa
|
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes or 1 large fresh tomato 3 Tbsp pine nuts ½ sweet yellow onion 2 cloves garlic 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp dried oregano
|
If you are using a fresh tomato, cut in quarters and peel. Pour the tomatoes into a sieve or colander and press out the water with a paper towel. Blend everything together in a salsa chopper or blender using the pulse mode until fairly smooth. |
|
2 cups fresh basil leaves 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes or 1 large fresh tomato
|
Wash the basil leaves and dry with paper towel. Add another can of well-drained tomatoes and remaining ingredients and blend a few times until the basil is well chopped.
Serve with warm Herbed Flat Bread or garlic toast. |
Herbed Flat Bread
|
Oven 425 F |
|
|
1 cup of warm water 2 pkgs dry yeast 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt 3 Tbsp Provence Herbs or Italian Mixed Herbs 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 ½ cups flour |
Warm the mixing bowl by filling the bowl with hot water, pour it out and dry. Add the cup of warm water. Dissolve the yeast into the water with a fork. Add all ingredients. Mix with the mixer on low speed for a few minutes. Cover with a warm damp towel and let it stand for 15-30 minutes.
|
|
½ cup flour ¼ cup course cornmeal 1 Tbsp olive oil |
Spread ½ cup of flour on the countertop in a 12” circle. Turn out the dough onto the flour. Gently knead about 50 times, push with your palms from the center to the outer edge, pick up the outer edge and fold in to the center. Knead until the dough is no longer sticky. Sprinkle a little more flour on the counter. Use a rolling pin to roll out a thin circle about ¼” thickness. Make a circle for one large pizza pan. If you don’t have a pizza pan, divide the dough for two smaller circles on a cookie sheet.
Sprinkle corn meal on the baking pan. Lift the dough and place it on the pan. Brush lightly with olive oil.
Bake on the center rack of the oven for 12-15 minutes until the bread is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and slide onto a cutting board. Cut into 2 “ strips and across into diagonal shaped pieces.
For a wonderful appetizer, serve this fresh bread with Bruschetta Salsa or Olive Tapenade. |
This is a basic pizza crust recipe, with the addition of herbs to jazz it up for appetizers.