Brazilian Lemonade

1 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
6 limes
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 can lemon-lime soda

With the peels still on, cut the limes in half, and the into quarters. Combine the limes, water, and sugar. Pulse for a few seconds, or 5 times, until the limes are slightly ground up.

Strain the limes from the liquid and discard the solids.

Add the sweetened condensed milk and blend to combine.

Add the soda and lemon juice and pulse again.

Serve immediately.

Tropical Smoothie

1 mango
10 large strawberries
1/4 fresh pineapple
1 - 2 c. cantaloupe chunks
1 orange
2 bananas
1 c. vanilla yogurt
1 handful of ice

Remove all the unwanted parts from the fruit, stems from the strawberries, peel from the orange, etc.

Puree all the fruit until smooth. Add the ice and yogurt and puree until the ice is chopped.

Bulgarianish Bubbles and Squeaks

My older brother gave me this recipe he made it while he lived in Bulgaria. He used a local sausage, a local cheese, and cabbage. I left out the cheese cause I didn't think it needed it and the cabbage cause my spouse wont eat cabbage.

1 kielbasa

4 large potatoes

4 Tbsp flour

3 Tbsp butter

4 c. dairy

(Heavy cream, half-an-half, milk, whatever combination you have on hand)

Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the kielbasa and cook over medium high heat until starting to brown.

While that is cooking peel the potatoes. Cut the peeled potatoes into quarters lenghtwise and then cut into 1/8th inch pieces.

When the kielbasa is cooked, add the potatoes to the pan and cook until the potatoes are brown.

Pour the bechamel sauce over the potatoes and kielbasa and bake at 350 for 30 - 45 minutes until potatoes are very tender

For the Sauce

Melt the butter, add the flour and stir to avoid lumps. Cook for a minute or two and stir in the cream. Cook, stirring until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Summer Corn Pasta

This recipe is a combination of two other recipes. The first one being the test recipe for one of my online cooking groups that reminded me a bit of the second recipe, a soup my mom makes when fresh corn is in season. I like to add the cobs to the cooking liquid a little to give the sauce a really fresh corn flavor.

I also plan on sending this to Presto Pasta Nights host this week by Helen at Fuss Free Flavors.

This can very easily be made without the chicken by skipping the chicken, just cook the onion in the bacon drippings right after removing the bacon and add a can of white beans.

Summer Corn Pasta

6 oz. bacon

3 chicken breasts

Lawreys Season Salt

8 oz. rigatoni or penne

1/2 onion, chopped

2 large carrots, grated

1 c. water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 medium zucchini

4 ears corn

2 1/2 c. half-an-half

2 tsp. flour

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and butter to prevent sticking.

Saute bacon until crisp. Remove from pan.

Remove fat from the chicken and fillet. Sprinkle with the lawrys seasoning and cook in the bacon drippings until browned on both sides. Remove from pan

Without cleaning out the pan cook the onion and carrot in the bacon drippings.

Add 1 cup of water to the pan along with one of the chicken cubes and the lemon juice.

Cut the zucchini into quarters lenghtwise and the then slice 1/4 inch thick. Add to the pan with the carrots and onion. Cut the corn from the cob. Add the cobs to the simmering zucchini. When the zucchini is tender remove the cobs from the pan and add the corn, half-an-half, pepper, and remaining chicken cube.

Combine the flour and enough water to form a thin pasta. Stir into the half-an-half and vegetables in the pan. Heat, stirring, until thick.

Slice the chicken, and add the chicken, pasta, and bacon to the pan. Add more half-an-half as needed to thin out the sauce.

After I took one shot of it on the plate I tossed it all together to serve for dinner.

Pork, Southern Fried Rice, and Steamed mixed veggies

• 
  
• Pork Loin
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1/3 c. lemon lime soda
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp granulated garlic
• 2 tsp. powdered ginger
• 1/3 c. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp horseradish
• 3 Tbsp lemon Pepper seasoning
• 2 - 4 lb. pork loin, boneless
• 
  
• Combine all the ingredients, except the pork and whisk together. Add the pork, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Place a long sheet of tin foil in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Add the pork and the marinate. Pull the tin foil up around the sides and ends of the pork and seal on top. Bake at 350 for 2 hours, remove the tin foil and bake an additional hour until meat thermometer reads 145.

Southern Fried Rice

1 lb. bacon

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, grated

1/2 c. peas

2 eggs, very lightly beaten

4 c. cooked rice

Saute bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and reserve drippings. Saute onion in drippings until onion is almost tender, add carrots the last 30 seconds of onions. Add peas and rice. Toss to mix and heat rice. Push rice mixture to the sides creating a well in the middle. Add eggs, scramble until solid. When cooked, chop up fine. Mix with the rest of the rice mixture. Top with crumbled bacon and serve immediately.

Veggies

1 lb fresh asparagus

1 carrot

lemon pepper sprinkle

oil

Peel the carrot, and then use the carrot peeler to make thin ribbons of carrots. Saute the carrots and asparagus for about 3 minutes, add 1/3 c. water. Cover and steam until veggies are tender. Sprinkle with lemon pepper.

Garlic lemon Chicken

I got this recipe from Johns mom, and with minor tweaking here it is. I always make a large batch and then use the chicken without the gravy chopped up in salad.

I alternate what I serve it over, I had been serving it with rice, but I have been really into pasta with tangy lemony sauces over them, so this week I am serving it with pasta and sending it over to Presto Pasta Night hosted by Simona at Briocle

1 tsp. each salt, black pepper, garlic powder

½ tsp. each onion powder, thyme

¼ tsp. each cayenne pepper, paprika

6 chicken breasts, cut into fillets

4 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

4 Tbsp. lemon juice

4 tsp. cornstarch

Mix seasonings in a bowl and then evenly sprinkle on both sides of chicken. Heat butter in a skillet on medium high. Sauté chicken until golden brown on each side. Remove chicken and add the lemon juice and chicken broth to pan, whisking to remove browned bits off the bottom. Cook 3 or 4 minutes and then combine cornstarch and enough water to form a thin pasta, add cornstarch to the pan and cook until thickened. Return the chicken to pan, coat in sauce, heat though, and serve.

Squiddy

Those of you who have gotten to hear me complain about "squiddy" on facebook can now see what I was talking about. And you can see what I made for a friends homecoming.

That black streak?? It doesn't go away and you cant see whatever is behind it.

Who doesn't love White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake?