thursday's ten: refreshing summery drinks

is it HOT where you are?
because it's totally past that here.
yesterday we set record-breaking temperatures for june 1 in mid-tn
this plus all the cicadas swarming constantly outside makes it slightly miserable at times to visit the great outdoors

alas, i have not seen radnor lake for awhile
or a greenway
too many trees equals too many cicadas

BUT

i do love a good summer drink.  and here is a list of favorites


1.  sun tea
something about my childhood comes back when i drag a big container filled with water and teabags and a few hours later sip the sweet sun-brewed tea.
2. pink lemonade
regular lemonade is usually a little tart for me.  but pink lemonade is perfection
3. mojitos!
ok, not for daytime consumption, but for an evening watching chick flicks or just hanging out on a patio?  perfection.  i've perfected (i think!) a strawberry mojito recipe and i looooove it.
4.  iced green tea
this is a recently discovered treat at a local mediterranean restaurant, and i am determined to have a recipe down for it in the next couple of weeks.  theirs was infused with mango juice...i've also read a couple of recipes for passion fruit juice.  i think i shall play.  :-)
5.  freshly squeezed (by me!) orange juice
i.hate.packaged.orange juice.
for some reason there is a bitterness there that makes it not even taste like it came from an orange.  to me.  but squeezing my own oranges for a glass of juice?  yes PLEASE
6.  sangria
another non-daytime consumption drink, and one that i have never even attempted to make on my own.  but it's SO.GOOD (and i have friends that make awesome sangrias...)
7.  san pelligrino water
yes, i've sung it's praises here on the blog several times, but the fact is that i rarely drink it in the winter.  it's soooo yummy in the summer though!
8.  trader joe's french berry lemonade
i'd never even try to make this, it's worth buying the bottle.  :-)
9.  italian sodas
(or italian creme sodas)
sooooo good year round, but especially summer.  and so easy!  syrup, sparkling water, dash of cream for the cream soda...and you're done.
10.  just plain water
i sometimes add the mio enhancer (or crystal light if you're so inclined) but honestly?  a cool refreshing bit of water is the absolute best thing to put in your body, and after a long hot day...it really is perf

Recipe of the Week -- Turtle Martinis

For the first time EVER I'm posting a recipe here that I haven't tried. I'll be making it this Saturday, however, for the boyfriend and I to have when we come back from dinner to watch Casablanca :) So, I'll post a picture sometime soonish...anyway, I'm assuming by the ingredients alone that it'll be fabulous. I can see me serving it as a girl's night beverage too ;)

Here it is, from food network

Turtle Martini

cocoa powder
powdered sugar
caramel sauce (in a squeeze bottle)
chocolate sauce
2 ounces vanilla vodka (I'll use Stoli)
2 ounces white creme de cacao (or dark if you prefer more of a chocolate look)
2 ounces Praline New Orleans Style Pecan Liqueur
crushed ice

garnish ideas: roughly chopped chocolate squares, roasted pecan halves, turtle candies

mix cocoa powder with powdered sugar until it's sweetened to taste. Take large martini glass and very carefully coat the rim in caramel sauce, being careful not to let it drip too far down the sides. then, dip the entire rim of the glass into the sweetened cocoa powder, being sure to coat all of the caramel so that you have a "dusted" caramel effect. put just a drop of chocolate syrup at the bottom of each glass for color.

for the drink, shake vodka, creme de cacao and praline liqueur in a martini shaker with ice to chill. Fill the martini glass with crushed or shaved ice, strain the drink into the martini glass.

garnish atop the floating ice with the roasted pecan half or small piece of chopped chocolate. Or garnish with a half of a Turtle candy by making an incision and hanging it on the rim of the glass.

Recipe of the Week -- Iced Coffee Latte

My friend Beth gave me this recipe a few months ago when I went over to her house and fell in love with the homemade frappacino-type thing she gave me to drink :) It's easy and a lot cheaper than going to my favorite place...Starbucks. :0)

Iced Coffee Latte (from Pampered Chef)

1/3 cup instant coffee granules
1/2 cup boiling water
(for this I substitute 1/2 cup of hot coffee)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups cold water
1 qt cold chocolate milk

mix coffee granules and hot water, whisk in milk and cold water
pour into pitcher, add chocolate milk
chill at least one hour before serving

I'm going to try a few variations on this, like adding cinnamon to the coffee and other fabulous spices. Let me know if you add something that works well!