Watermelon Mocktail!

What could be cooler than
a slice of watermelon on a hot day?
How about a Watermelon Mocktail?

• Place 1 cup watermelon puree, 1 teaspoon grenadine syrup, the juice of 1 fresh orange, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and 2 cups ice into a martini shaker.

• If you want to turn the mocktail into a cocktail, add a shot premium vodka.
  

• Shake for 20 seconds and strain the chilled liquid into a sugar-rimmed martini glass.YUMMY!!!

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Little O's of fruity goodness! :)

When I was drawn to receive a box of Fruity Cheerios's at Five Minutes for Mom's I was excited to have won .. but a box of cereal? Why couldn't I have won the Ipod they gave away last week!? :) Then, get this, the Fed Ex truck pulled into our driveway the day after learning we had 'won' and delivered our full size box of cereal. I opened it, looked at it, smelled it, and thought ... hmmmm .... miniature fruit loops :) - but then I tasted them ... and they were yummy. I looked at the nutrition panel - and not so bad :) - and another plus, they didn't shred the inside of your mouth after eating a bowlful (ya know what I mean!?).

• 25% less sugar than the leading fruity cereal*
• 12 essential vitamins and minerals
• An excellent source of whole grain in every serving**

Fruity Cheerios Certified by

*Fruity Cheerios: 10g sugar, 110 calories per 30g serving. Leading fruity cereal: 14g sugar, 110 calories per 30g serving. **Excellent source of whole grain is at least 16g per serving; at least 48g recommended daily.

OK -I like them ... how about the girls? LOVE....LOVE.....LOVE. OK - it is a sugar cereal, and that is something that doesn't normally make it into our home (mean mommy, yeah, I know). But, I would seriously consider buying them. Yogurt covered Cheerios have been on our shelf for months. The girls love them too, as are the traditional 'Os' (in a cleverly packaged store brand box) - but it's nice to have a little treat that you know comes from a name Mommy's have depended for ions!

Fresh Lime & White Grape Iced Green Tea

Oooohhhhh ... gotta try it.

Combine 2 cups chilled green tea, 2 cups chilled white grape juice, 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice and sugar (to taste) in a medium-size pitcher. Pour over glasses filled with ice. In each glass, float small lime wedges or add a skewer threaded with lime slices or green grapes.

Better yet, give Green Tea: 50 Hot Drinks, Cool Quenchers and Sweet and Savory Treats a peak - available at Amazon, Borders, B&N and other bookstores. You will find the above recipe among others (50 for that matter!). Looks like an investment well worth the money!

Freezer French Toast - Check it out!

I found this on another blogging mommy's site. I'm having a 'why didn't I think of that' moment. If only I had this last FALL for the school year. Lexi is finished with school, but I'll be making a batch of these to avoid being over the stove on a warm sunny morning. Just pop in the toaster oven and 'voile'.

Freezer French Toast Recipe
Make your own freezer french toast rather than buying similar commercial frozen ones from the grocery store! Makes 16 slices for quick breakfasts.

5 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp salt
16 slices white bread

Heat oven to 500F. Combine eggs, milk, sugar, and salt, mixing well. Dip slices, then place on baking sheets sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake about 5 minutes, until bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. Cool then freeze in single layer. Once frozen (about two hours) they can be packaged individually or placed in a single freezer bag.

To cook:Remove from freezer, and heat in toaster or toaster oven, then serve

Wait ... what did I just say?!

Have I given up the last of my Minnesota roots?! Did I actually use the word casserole?!? THAT is NOT in the vocabulary of a true Minnesota'n! The word would be HOTDISH!! - of which we had one of a tuna variety :) - see below - with the essential ingredient to ALL great hotdish's - CREAM of MUSHROOM SOUP :). We enjoyed - and in the back of my mind, felt like I was home for a second :)

"Hotdish is any of a variety of casserole dishes popular in the Midwest of the United States and especially in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

It consists of a starch and a protein (meat and/or a vegetable) mixed together with a binding ingredient (most often canned soup or a sauce) and a topping.

In practice, typical ingredients are potatoes, ground beef and corn, with canned soup added for flavor and as a sauce, and seasoned with salt, pepper or tabasco sauce. Another popular hotdish is made with Kraft macaroni and cheese or plain noodles, canned tuna and peas, with canned soup - usually cream of mushroom - for binding. Cream of mushroom soup is so ubiquitous in hotdish that it is often referred to in such recipes as "Lutheran Binder," referring to hotdish's position as a staple of Lutheran-church cookbooks, although also made and enjoyed by all faiths in the region. Hotdish even made its way into books; Hotdish to Die For, a collection of six culinary mystery short stories in which the weapon of choice is hotdish, is a upper regional bestseller in Minnesota. Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) have in recent years become a popular topping, replacing the traditional (and higher in fat) potato chips.

Hotdishes are generally filling, convenient and easy to make, and well-suited for potlucks; they can be eaten either on a plate or in a bowl and may be considered comfort food." - Wikipedia