Extra Yummy!

Two yummy summertime drinks:

I served Amaretto Slush to a group of friends years ago.  My sis shared the recipe with me, and she said it was always a hit. She wasn't kidding.  My friends drank and drank and drank.  Nobody felt the effects of the drink until the next morning when, um, getting up for work was a bit more difficult than anyone imagined.  BUT they ALL ask for this every single time we get together, so it's worth it! 

Amaretto Slush

6 oz frozen oj

12 oz frozen lemonade

3/4 c lemon juice

1 1/2 c amaretto

40 oz Sprite

Mix and freeze.  *I freeze in gallon sized ziplock bags on a cookie sheet. It freezes much faster this way.

Bourbon Slush

1 c sugar

1 c brewed iced tea

2 c bourbon

6 c water

6 oz frozen oj

6 oz frozen lemonade

Mix and freeze.  

And my all time favorite punch:

Coffee Punch

2 qt strong brewed coffee, chilled (double the coffee or 1/2 the water)

2/3 c sugar

2 qt vanilla ice cream

Prepare the strong-brewed coffee. While the coffee is still hot, add the sugar and mix.  Chill coffee.  Before serving, add the ice cream to punch bowl. Serves about 30 punch cups.

*If you don't mind spiked punch, it's really yummy if you add 1/2 pint rum. 

Enjoy!

Extra Help, Please

It is supposed to be h-o-t next week.  It's time for me to do my meal planning, and I'm trying to keep the temperature in mind.  Like most, our house really heats up with cooking.  I'd like to keep the inside temperature lower than the outside temp.  We have no problem with sandwiches and salads, but I can only do that for so long before I get bored.  What are some of your favorite summertime meals?  And while we're at it, do you have a favorite summertime drink?  I'll share some of my summertime standby drinks tomorrow.  

Extra Stressed Tonight

I'm stressing out tonight. My house always appears clean, and for the most part, clutter free. Now that we're getting it market ready, I'm realizing how much junk we really have. We've taken embarrassing amounts to be donated. We've probably thrown out an equally embarrassing amount. We do go bare minimum when we have a house on the market, but geez, this is ridiculous! And it's not even over yet.

To make matters worse, Army says I can't have a new laptop until we sell our current house because he doesn't want to pay a double mortgage and pay for a new laptop all at once. I'm LOST without my laptop. We close on the new house in a month. Cross your fingers, toes, hair, ANYTHING that we sell soon.

And even worse, I'm having to stress with NO chocolate at all. WHAT was I thinking? I even had to deal with a female monthly issues (my apologies to any male readers!) without chocolate. UGH!

I'd be lying if I said I'm doing it without any sweets at all. Pralines are my current best friend. I'm going to leave you with a sinfully easy and good recipe for pralines. It's actually my mom's recipe, but since she doesn't have my blog addy, she won't know that I'm taking credit! Best part: you make them in the microwave!

Lanny's Pralines
1 Cup brown sugar
1 Cup white sugar
1/2 Cup evaporated milk
2 Tbsp butter (not margarine)
1 Tbsp rum extract
pecans

Mix sugars and milk in a glass microwavable pitcher. Microwave on high for 7-9 minutes (until soft ball stage). Stir in butter and rum extract. Add pecans. Drop by spoonful on aluminum foil. *It hardens pretty quickly, so you must move fast!
Enjoy!

An Extra Yummy Dose of Cake

Today is my husband's birthday. Linus wanted to make a cake for her daddy. Together we mixed, poured, baked, and iced the cake. As soon as Army got home from work, Linus started in with "Do you want some cake, Daddy? I made you a cake. It's chocolate. It's yummy. Want some? We could have a little bite now. Ok?" Army told her over and over that we'd have to have dinner first. She finally relented and ate (and no, she didn't have a grilled cheese!). I made one of Army's favorites: Monterrey Chicken and baked beans. Everybody enjoyed it, and as the last bite was taken, Linus started in again on the cake. "Daddy, ready for your cake? I made a yummy chocolate cake for you. It has chocolate mousse on top. Want some? You ready?" Linus isn't a huge sweets eater, so this was kind of shocking. As Army took his first bite, Linus was glued to his expression. As he smiled and said, "Thanks, Linus, this is so yummy!" she smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it since I made it. If you didn't like it, it would have to be the part Mommy did." Gee thanks!

Monterrey Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts
4-6 T bbq sauce
4-6 slices bacon (I use Hormel Bacon pieces when I'm feeling lazy)
grated cheddar
grated Monterrey jack

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken breasts in greased glass baking dish. Top each with 1T bbq sauce and one piece bacon. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Sprinkle cheeses on top and bake another 10 minutes. SO easy!

Baked Beans
1 qt beans (I pick them up at a local restaurant, but I've used canned before)
2 T molasses
Hormel Bacon Pieces

Pour beans into baking dish (I use a glass loaf pan) and add molasses. Stir. Top with bacon pieces. Heat through in oven (10-15 minutes at 350). This is also yummy with onions added, but Army hates onions.

Happy Birthday Army!