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Toasting with Holiday Beverages

December 1, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment

punchBeverages are a big part of a holiday celebration. Holiday beverages are the perfect topper for a great dinner or the wake up for morning breakfast and are important when it comes to those holiday toasts.

Eggnog tops the list of holiday beverages. Eggnog is made with eggs of course. Some people may be concerned about raw eggs. If that’s the case, you can purchase chilled eggnog in the carton. There are numerous recipes for eggnog. Finding the one that suits your taste buds and needs won’t be hard to do.

Eggnog is traditionally an alcoholic drink but it’s not an absolute necessity to add the alcohol. Adults and children alike can enjoy a tasty non-alcoholic version. Add a little nutmeg or cinnamon to the top of each glass to give it a special holiday taste.

Heat up some apple cider for the holiday toast. This warm apple drink keeps the chill away when the weather outside is frightful. Add slices of citrus fruits and cinnamon sticks. Use citrus peels to garnish each cup.

Wassail is a popular European holiday drink that has found its place in our holidays. Served hot this spiced punch can be made with mulled cider instead of the traditional mulled beer. The ingredients were heated together and topped with toast. Even with the soggy bread this punch is a holiday tradition in many homes.

Punches of all kinds are a hit when it comes to holiday beverages. A sparkling punch, fruit punch or citrus punch can spruce up any holiday gathering. For presentation add colored ice cubes. Red and green Kool-Aid make great holiday punch ice cubes. Add red and green maraschino cherries for a special touch.

How about a Christmas tea? Peppermint teas are a great way to toast the holiday. Cinnamon teas give you that Christmas warmth. If you have a diabetic family member teas may be easier to handle than some of the sweet or alcoholic type of beverages.

One last beverage to remember is the hot chocolate. Use milk instead of water for a creamier version. There’s nothing like hot chocolate to warm the body on a snowy Christmas night. Don’t forget the marshmallows.

There are so many different types of beverages to help you toast the holidays. Try one of these or create your own. Either way here’s to you and yours and a happy and safe holiday season.

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Holiday Citrus Christmas Punch

November 28, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
orangeinpunch

orangeinpunchWhat You Need:

4 maraschino cherries
1 orange, sliced thin
1 lemon, slice thin
1 lime, sliced thin
2 3/4 C of water, divided
1 (12 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 (12 oz.) can frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
1 (12 oz.) can frozen pineapple orange concentrate, thawed
2 liters ginger ale, chilled

How to Make It:

Layer the cherries, orange, lemon and lime slices into a ring mold.
Add enough of the water to the mold to fill 2/3 full.
Place the mold in the freezer and freeze until solid.
Place the remaining water into a punch bowl.
Blend in the lemonade, limeade and pineapple orange concentrates.
Pour the ginger ale into the bowl and stir to combine.
Place the fruit ice ring in the punch fruit side up.

Makes 24 servings

This punch is tasty and a colorful addition to your Christmas buffet. Pineapple rings or chunks may also be added to the fruit ice ring.

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Strawberry Pineapple Citrus Punch

November 19, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
punch

punchWhat You Need:

1 1/2 C of sugar
8 quarts of water, divided
4 (.14 oz.) pkgs. unsweetened strawberry drink mix
3 (6 oz.) cans frozen orange juice, thawed
2 1/4 C frozen lemonade concentrate
2 (46 oz.) cans unsweetened pineapple juice
2 liters of ginger ale

How to Make It:

In a large saucepan over medium heat put the sugar and 2 quarts of the water.
Cook until the sugar is completely melted, stirring constantly.
Take from the heat and add the strawberry drink mix.
Cool the mixture to room temperature.
Put the mixture in a large punch bowl to serve.
Stir the orange juice and lemonade into the strawberry mixture until well combined.
Stir in the pineapple juice and remaining water.
Pour the ginger ale into the punch and stir slightly to combine.

Makes 3 gallons

This is a quick and easy drink to serve on your Christmas buffet. The kids will love the taste.

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Scary Spider Punch

October 3, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
cauldron

cauldronWhat You Need:

12 gummy spiders
1 vinyl glove
1 gallon green fruit punch, chilled
2 (1 liter bottles) ginger ale
1 qt raspberry sherbet

How to Make It:

Fill an ice cube tray 2/3 full of water.
Gently place a gummy spider into each of the ice cube tray compartments.
Put in freezer until completely frozen.
Fill the vinyl glove 2/3 full of water and tie the opening closed tightly.
Freeze the glove until solid.
Place the fruit punch and ginger ale into a punch bowl.
Fold in the raspberry sherbet.
Add the frozen spider cubes and lay the frozen hand in the middle of the punch bowl.

Kids love the taste and the scary aspect of this punch. You can use any type of fruit punch you like and lemon lime soda can be used instead of the ginger ale.

Makes 32 servings

Preparation Time: approximately 10 minutes
Freezing Time: approximately 4 hours
Total Time: approximately 4 hours 10 minutes

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Recipes from the Bubbling Cauldron

October 3, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
brightcauldron

brightcauldron Finding great recipes for your Halloween party can be a little tricky sometimes especially if your looking for new ideas. Here are a couple of recipes you can create in your bubbling cauldron that don’t need tricks to achieve but will be a treat to those who try them.

Witch’s Brew is a great Halloween punch. It should be served in a punch bowl and not a pitcher because of the gelatin. To keep the punch cold fill a couple of plastic gloves 2/3 full of lime Kool-aid. Tie the ends and freeze until very solid. Add 1 glove to the punch and when the ice melts open the glove and add the cold liquid to your punch. Place the second frozen hand into the punch.

To make this great brew you will need 2 packages of lime gelatin. Make the gelatin as directed on the box. Keep chilled until ready to serve the punch.

You will also need 1 gallon of chilled green punch. Lime (or any type of green Kool-aid) can be used to make your green punch. Follow the directions on the packages for making 1 gallon.

When it’s time to serve your witch’s brew pour the chilled punch into a chilled punch bowl. Break up the gelatin into small globs and stir the globs into the punch. Add the frozen hand ice and serve.

How about serving goblin slime in a bread cauldron? Here is what you need: 1 (16 oz.) pkg. of Velveeta cheese, cubed; 16 oz. of Swiss cheese, shredded; 1 (10 1/2 oz.) can cheddar cheese soup; 2 (15 oz.) cans of black beans, drained well; 1 jar of salsa; 1 round loaf of pumpernickel bread, unsliced; and 2 loaves of round marble rye bread, sliced

To prepare place the both types of cheese and the soup into a saucepan over low heat. Stirring almost constantly, heat the cheese until completely melted and smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the beans and salsa. Remove a slice from the top of the pumpernickel loaf and scoop out the inside bread. Place the bread aside. Fill the loaf with the dip.

Use Halloween cookie cutters and cut out pieces of the rye bread. Place the bread bowl on a plate and lay the Halloween cut outs around the bowl for dipping. The remaining pumpernickel bread can be cubed and used in the dip also.

These are just a couple of cauldron recipes that can help make your Halloween party a hit.

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Independence Day Celebration Made Easy

June 27, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
flagflying

flagflying4th of July is a great day to celebrate! It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to entertain your friends, family or guests. Food, decorations, and fireworks are what the day is all about.

For decorations, all you need to think about is the colors of white, red and blue! Cover your table with a red tablecloth; add some blue plates and white cups and white silverware and you have a very festive background for your 4th of July.

For centerpieces, try a red vase with some white carnations and add a blue ribbon around the vase. Presto, a great centerpiece was created for very little cost! Flags are also a good idea! Line your driveway with them or use them as the centerpiece on your tables. You can use them in any way to make your party special, you choose. The choice is never wrong.

Why not make your food fall into the same easy choice? There are a lot of choices to use white, blue and red to make your food fall into the 4th of July theme. Take some strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream and mix them together in a glass bowl and serve! White, red and blue…isn’t that the theme?

Jell-o is a great idea for the 4th. It’s cool on a hot summer day. Take blue jello and add strawberries and add some whipped cream on the top. Then add some strawberries and blueberries on the top, slice and serve. Even the kids will like it! How about making some sugar cookies and alternating white, blue and red icing with different color sprinkles? Try this on the white cookies sprinkle blue, on the red cookies sprinkle white and on the blue cookies sprinkle red. Festive and cute is a great idea!

Try blue cheese dip on slices of red pepper, or sour cream and salsa on blue tortilla chips for a great appetizer.
Why not take a slice of garlic bread and add a slice of tomato and a slice of mozzarella cheese and broil for just a minute and make a quick bruschetta? This will be a great Italian 4th of July!

Independence Day punch is a great way to celebrate the 4th! Take 3 c. of ginger ale, 2 c. of cranberry juice, 6 c. of orange juice, and a 20 ounce package of strawberries and serve in a punch bowl. Serve in blue, white and red cups to make your punch a festive treat on that day! Even though it is not white, red or blue, sweet tea is a great American tradition and a great thirst quencher on a hot summer day!

What about a great summer freeze drink? Take ½ c. of frozen blueberries, 1 c. of whipped cream, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and some sugar to make it taste right and blend together. Add some strawberries on top and you have a white, red and blue taste sensation!

White, red and blue should be the colors of the day! Wear them and be proud to be an American! Play God Bless America, the Star Spangled Banner and Proud to be an American as background music to this great day. And if you have a flag be sure to fly it with pride! With all of our troops all over the world, let’s make sure they know we support them in any way we can!

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Easter Drinks for Kids and Adults

April 7, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment

easterduckWhen it comes to Easter dinner, food is always at the top of our list. We compliment that food with the drinks we serve. Often times those drinks include soda or other items that are easy to throw together. Dazzle them this year by serving something a little different. Whether young or old these drinks will have them coming back for more.

The Easter Egg Hatch is a drink anyone can enjoy. You will need 3 1/2 ounces of frozen vanilla yogurt, 2 ounces of orange juice, 1 T of sugar syrup and 3 1/2 ounces of crushed ice. Place the ingredient into the blender. Blend on medium speed for 1 minute or until creamy and smooth.

Easter Cream is another drink to be enjoyed by all ages. Place 1/2 ounce of chocolate syrup into a 10 ounce glass. Fill the glass 2/3 full of cold milk. Finish filling to the top with seltzer. Stir and enjoy.

Malted chocolate is a hit with all the kids. Place 2 scoops of chocolate ice cream into the blender. Pour in 1 C of milk, 2 ounces of chocolate syrup and 1 T of malt powder. Blend about 15 seconds or until smooth.

An Orange Sparkler is also a great treat for the kids as well as adults. It’s so easy and all you need is 3 ounces of orange juice and 3 ounces of club soda. Fill a glass with ice. Pour in both of the ingredients, stir and serve.

Making dinner for a large crowd? Punch may be the way to go. Golden Easter Punch is a tasty addition to any meal. Use 6 C of water, 4 C of sugar, 1 (46 oz.) can of pineapple juice, 1 (12 oz.) can of orange juice concentrate, 1 (6 oz.) can of lemonade concentrate, 1/2 t vanilla, 1 bottle of lemon lime soda and 1 quart of pineapple sherbet. Place the water and sugar into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature. Pour the mixture into a punch bowl. Add all the other ingredients except the sherbet and stir well. Place the sherbet in the bowl just before your ready to serve.

Rainbow Punch is also another great hit on Easter. To make this scrumptious punch you will need 8 ounces each of orange juice, pineapple juice and Hawaiian Punch, 1 liter bottle of Club Soda and a 1 liter bottle of Ginger Ale.You will also need 1 quart of Rainbow Sherbet. Place a large block of ice into a punch bowl. Pour all the liquid ingredients into the bowl. Just before serving add in scoops of the sherbet.

If you are giving an adult only Easter party and would like to add a little adult refreshment here are a few ideas. Give the Easter Bunny a try. This drink uses dark crème de cacao, vodka, chocolate syrup and cherry brandy. Put the crème de cacao and vodka into a shaker with some crushed ice. Shake until well blended. Pour into a glass and top with the syrup and brandy.

You can also serve the Easter Egg Cocktail. This drink includes 1 ounce of blue Curacao, 1 ounce of white crème de cacao and a little half and half. Fill a glass half full with ice. Pour the Curacao and crème de cacao over the ice. Float the half and half on top.

No matter what type of Easter celebration you may be having there’s sure to be a drink that will fit the bill. Find just the right one and impress your guests with something a little different on the drink menu.

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Fresh Fruit Easter Punch

March 17, 2009 By The Recipe Mom 1 Comment

What You Need:

2 pints strawberries
4 fresh peaches, sliced
2 (6 oz.) cans frozen pineapple juice
24 ice cubes
4 C sparkling mineral water

How to Make It:

Put the strawberries and peaches together in the blender.
Add the frozen pineapple juice concentrate to the fruit.
Puree the mixture until blended together well.
Add the ice cubes one at a time and blend after each addition.
Puree the mixture until it becomes very creamy.
Pour into a punch bowl and add the mineral water, stirring to combine well.
Add fresh sliced strawberries to the punch just before serving.

Serves: 24

Many times Easter dinner means serving a large crowd of family and friends. This punch is simple to make and will add a special treat for both children and adults. Seltzer water or club soda can be used in place of the mineral water.

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Passionate Pomegranate Punch

February 14, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
Cranberry fruitImage via Wikipedia

What You Need:

2 tubs Cherry Pomegranate flavor drink mix
8 C water
2 C club soda
2 C cranberry juice
1/2 C lime juice
1/2 C orange juice
Crushed ice

How to Make It:

Put the drink powder into a punch bowl.
Pour the water into the punch bowl and stir until the powder has completely dissolved.
Add the club soda and mix well.
Pour in the cranberry juice, lime juice and orange juice and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated together.
Add the crushed ice just before serving.

Serving Size: 24

This is a great punch to serve if you are having a Valentine’s party. Pretty it up with heart shaped ice cubes colored red and pink with food coloring. If you prefer to serve an alcoholic punch you can substitute vodka for the club soda.

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