Homemade Sports Drink

Chad drinks a lot of Gatorade and I just kept wondering if there was something less chemically that he could drink sometimes instead. There are pioneer recipes for schrub and switchel, but they both have vinegar and are not my favorite thing to drink (neither are most sports drinks). So I did a search and found several recipes for sports drinks. I only tried one version, but I thought it was really good with a light flavor that quenches thirst better than plain water (and no, it doesn't taste salty). My kids really liked it too. Chad liked it, but I think it will take a while to wean him from the convenience of the powder mix stuff.
And that is the downside to this - it's not as readily available as the pre-made or powder mix. But for times when you know you're going to want some, you can make it ahead and have it ready. And I also mixed the base syrup and kept it in the fridge for a couple of days and then mixed in the water and ice and it was still good too.

Homemade Sports Drink
1 c. hot water
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4-1/2 c. orange juice
1 T. lemon juice
ice
cold water

Mix the sugar and salt into the hot water until completely dissolved. Stir in the juices. Put into a quart size water bottle along with a handful of ice cubes. Fill the rest of the way with cold water and shake or swirl to combine it all.
Yield: 1 quart

This recipe adapted/combined from The Daily Garnish and One Good Thing by Jillee

Perfect Cupcake Frosting

This is my new favorite cupcake frosting (along with cream cheese frosting, of course).  It is sooo much better than buttercream.  I love it for a few reasons: 1) it's much lighter than buttercream so you can actually eat it along with the cupcake (I almost always scrape most of the buttercream off before I eat my cupcakes) 2) it's kind of glossy and pretty and looks almost like it has egg whites in it 3) it's sweet and very smooth (think silky even!) but it doesn't overpower the flavor of the cupcake itself.

Perfect Cupcake Frosting
ourbestbites.com

Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling
3 T Flour
1/2 C milk (whole milk is best, but I use non-fat when it’s all I have and it’s actually fine)
1/2 C real butter (I prefer salted, but you can use also unsalted and add salt to taste)
1/2 C sugar (that’s granulated sugar, not powdered sugar)
1 t vanilla extract, or other flavor if you wish.
Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat.
Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Let it cook, while stirring with a rubber spatula, until you can start to see the bottom of the pan.   Continue to cook until mixture has the consistency of thick pudding or paste.
Put  mixture in the fridge and let it cool completely, it’s fine if it stays in there long enough to get chilly, you just don’t want it warm at all. As it’s cooling, feel free to stir it occasionally to speed up the process and keep it from forming a crust on top.
It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. You’ll want to use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer if you have one, instead of the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat to combine and then scrape down the sides. Mixture will separate and look messy, keep beating!  Continue beating until mixture comes together and is light and fluffy, about 7-8 minutes, but time varies.  Take a sample of frosting between your fingers; frosting is done when light and fluffy and sugar granules are dissolved.

Stuffed Mushroom Guac Poppers

This is a yummy stuffed mushroom recipe!

 

Stuffed Mushroom Guac Poppers

Ingredients

• 4 slices diced bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 ripe, avocado, peeled, seeded and mashed in a small bowl
• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 12 medium mushroom caps, cleaned
• 1/8 cup beef or vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp. smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
• salt, to taste

Instructions

Yields 24 stuffed mushrooms

1. Heat olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, cap sides down, and cook without stirring for 4 minutes. Caps should look caramelized.
2. Add the broth, lemon juice, paprika and half the crushed red pepper to the skillet and toss with the mushrooms. Stir and simmer for about 3 minutes or until mushrooms are tender but still very juicy.
3. Add the garlic and bacon to the mushrooms in the pan; cook about 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. (Cut the one extra mushroom in half to test, enjoy the other half if ready or continue cooking.) Turn mushrooms caps sides up and remove to a serving plate. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
4. Add any remaining garlic from pan, pan juices and remaining red pepper to avocado in bowl. Stir to combine; adjust salt and seasonings to taste. With a small spoon top mushroom caps with avocado mixture. Serve immediately.
   
    From California Avocado Commission 
   

Avocado, Tomato and Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

The original recipe called for 3 cups cream and I used 2 cups half and half and 1 cup milk.  You could probably play around with it and see if you could lower the fat content even more.  Jeremy, the mac and cheese hater, really liked this one too.

Avocado, Tomato and Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• ½ tsp. salt, plus more for cooking pasta
• 1 lb. fusilli (corkscrew) pasta
• 5-6 slices bacon, crumbled
• 2 cups half and half
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cup firmly packed shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ripe avocado, seeded, peeled and finely diced
• 1 large fresh tomato, finely diced

Instructions

1. Bring a large (6- to 8-quart) pot of water to a boil. Salt generously. Stir in pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and return to the empty pot.
2. Meanwhile, place a large (12- to 14-inch) sauté pan over high heat for several minutes. When hot, add bacon and sauté until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and, using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Let bacon cool. 
3. Pour off fat from pan and return pan to medium-high heat. Add half and half and milk and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower heat to medium and continue to simmer until the cream is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
4. Add cheddar cheese. Stir well and cook over medium-high heat, stirring now and then, until the cheese has melted and the mixture is thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Gently stir in the diced avocado, bacon and tomatoes.
6. Pour the sauce into the cooked and drained pasta in the pot and mix well.

*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.

I got some nectarines in my Bountiful Basket this week that were not super flavorful and they had that dry-ish texture.  So, I decided to make a yummy dessert with them and it turned out delish!

Nectarine and Blueberry Crisp

Ingredients

serves 16,

• For the Oatmeal Streusel:
• 1 ¾ sticks unsalted butter
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ -1 cup rolled oats
  ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon, heaping
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Blueberry-Nectarine Crisp Filling
• 16 large ripe nectarines
• 1 pint blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¾ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Procedures

1. Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.
   
2. Chop peaches into small pieces, about 1-inch in size.
   
3. Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. Spread mixture into a 9”x13” baking dish and evenly top with Oatmeal Streusel.
   
4. Place crisp on a parchment paper or foil-lined baking sheet to avoid any mess from bubbling over in your oven. Bake for 45-60 minutes, rotating after 25 minutes, or until crisp is golden brown and bubbly.
   

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

The fish by itself is really good, if you don't want to make the salsa.  I left the Tabasco sauce out of the marinade, just so that it wouldn't be too spicy for the kiddos.  Oh, and I only let it marinate for about 10 minutes because I might not have read through the recipe ahead of time, as usual.  : )  This is a great summer dish.  And if you don't like grilled pineapple I'm sure that the salsa would be just as good if you don't grill the pineapple.

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

Mahi Mahi:
4 Mahi Mahi fillets, skin on
6 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt - to taste
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
Tabasco sauce - to taste (optional)

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish.  Add the fish, skin side up.  Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.  Meanwhile, make the salsa:

Grilled Pineapple Salsa:
1 small fresh pineapple, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 onion, diced or minced
2 jalapenos, diced (or to taste)
Juice and zest of 1 lime
salt to taste

Heat your grill to medium-high heat.  Lightly brush the pineapple slices with oil and grill for 2 minutes on each side.  Dice the pineapple and mix all of the ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Grill the fish over medium high heat until opaque and fish flakes easily with a fork.
Serve warm with pineapple salsa.

Soft and Chewy French Bread

This bread is really good with a chewy crust and soft middle! It takes a little follow-through, but really isn't hard at all. It makes 2 regular sized loaves so you can have one for dinner and the other for French Toast in the morning!

Soft and Chewy French Bread 

1 1/2 Tbl. instant yeast

1/2 c. warm water

1 1/2 Tbl. sugar

2 c. water

1 1/2 Tbl. oil

2 1/4 tsp. salt

6+ c. all-purpose flour

Combine the yeast, 1/2 cup warm water and sugar; let it proof for ten minutes.  Then, add 2 cups water, oil, salt and 3 cups of flour.  Mix until flour is incorporated, then gradually add remaining 3 cups* of flour.  Using the dough hook on a stand mixer, knead about five minutes, then turn out onto generously floured surface.  Every ten minutes, for the next hour, knead two or three times.  This is what gives the crust that french bread chewiness.  It is not crucial that kneading takes place at exact 10 minute intervals, just make sure to come back at least four times in the next hour to knead the dough a few times, then form back into a ball (keep dough covered between kneads, so it doesn't dry out). 

Divide dough into 2 portions for regular-sized loaves or 4 portions for small loaves.  You should be able to fit 4 on a jelly-roll style cookie sheet if you line them up on it the the short way - it's ok if they touch a little after they rise. Spread each portion out into a rough rectangle and roll up, jelly-roll style.  Take the two ends of each loaf and tuck under slightly. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Spray a sharp knife with cooking spray and cut 3 diagonal lines into the tops of each loaf, about 1-inch deep.  Brush loaves with a beaten egg white, making sure to get every single spot.  Whatever doesn't get covered with egg wash won't brown.  Raise until doubled or 30 minutes.  Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through.         

*Notes: Some bread recipes tell you to keep adding flour until the sides of your bowl come clean - DON'T do that for this recipe.  This bread is incredibly tender, which means the dough is going to be softer and stickier.  Much of the dough will be hanging onto the dough hook and some will still be stuck to the bottom and sides of the bowl.  You can tell you've added enough flour and you've kneaded the dough long enough when you can pinch off a small bit and easily roll it into a little ball in the palm of your hand.  It will still be a little sticky to the touch, but not so sticky you can't roll it into a ball. I had to add more flour than the 6 cups to get it not sticky enough. This will depend on humidity, temperature, etc.

From eatcakefordinner blog.