I'm Dreaming of a Dark Chocolate Cheesecake!

Only 25 hours and 47 minutes, people! Do you have any idea how long I have waited for this moment? I do! I have waited 524, 113 minutes! Yup, in only 25 hours and 46 minutes (time is a ticking!) I CAN HAVE CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!! And I am just a wee bit excited! And the first bite of sweets to cross my lips and tickle my tastebuds? I've done a lot of thinking and cheesecake it is. Deep Dark Chocolate Cheesecake drizzled with Raspberry Coulis and garnished with a hint of whipped cream! Oh, I think I shall die, it will be sooooo good. A little dramatic, yes, but you try going an ENTIRE YEAR without sweets and then see how much you look forward to that first delicious bite! Jay was smart enough to buy my favorite chocolates for my stocking - Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, M&M's, Chunky Kitkat, Ferrero Rocher, other dark chocolate goodness (actually only the Reese's were actually in the stocking, the rest I am supposed to pretend I don't know about but I was right there when he bought it!). Oh, I am drooling with excitement! Gotta go pull out the cream cheese from the freezer so I can make the cheesecake first thing in the morning to give it time to chill before MIDNIGHT! I have never looked forward to January 1 with as much anticipation as I am right now (and I am now down to 24 hours, 38 minutes)! What does January 1 hold for you?

More Christmas Baking

Over 200 cookies added to the 2010 Christmas Baking stash!

Today's recipes:

Secret Almond Cookies

(or called Secret Kisses Cookies if you use regular Hershey's Kisses)

Mini Kisses Chocolate Peanut Butter Blossoms

(The recipe above doesn't call for cocoa and uses regular Hershey's Kisses. On the back of the package of Mini Hershey's Kisses baking pieces is the recipe I used. Basically, make the recipe like the link says, adding 1/3 cup cocoa to the flour mixture, make the cookies slightly smaller and bake for 6 minutes, adding the mini Hershey Kiss instead of the regular one, as the recipe indicates.)

Horse Turds

Do you know that wonderful chocolate-peanut butter concoction called 'Puppy Chow'? It is a delectable treat made with Crispix cereal, chocolate chips, peanut butter and icing sugar! I got Jay to pick up two boxes of Crispix cereal the other day so I could make some of this deliciousness. I could see it now - little cellophane bags filled with this yummy treat, tied with a ribbon and shared with friends in the neighbourhood. Sunday was the magical day to make it - a first for me. Really, how hard can it be? You melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter, pour it over the Crispix until they are nicely coated then shake the chocolaty-peanut buttery Crispix with icing sugar until each individual nugget is nicely surrounded with a white powdery coating. Easy enough. Apparently not for me. Somehow mine turned into crushed Crispix that clumped into balls of chocolaty-peanut buttery goodness - they were not evenly remotely white. I was disappointed, to say the least. I am sure it still tastes great but the presentation does have to count for something. I poured the failed treats into a container and left the kitchen. I was not about to open the second box of Crispix and ruin it, too! Maybe somebody will take pity on me and show me how to do it! (Hint, hint!) A little while later the kids came to the kitchen (where Jay happened to be) wondering what I had made. Jay showed them and told them it was horse turds. Horse turds? I didn't think it was that bad! The kids laughed, ate it and left. Today, they continue to refer to it, with all seriousness, as horse turds and I think, in this household, that name will stick! Can you blame them? When you look at it, it looks closer to horse turds than to Puppy Chow!

Quick Cooking with Homemade Mixes

Life has been super busy around here with schooling taking a better part of the day (until 3pm)and the rest filled with household chores, cooking, cleaning, etc. It is at times like these I am especially appreciative of the homemade mixes I rely on to continue providing home baked goodies in a fraction of the time. These are three of our favorites.

HOMEMADE PANCAKE MIX

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda

For Pancakes:
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

For Blueberry Banana Pancakes:
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 medium ripe banana, mashed
3/4 cup blueberries

In a bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months. YIELD: about 6 3/4 cups (6-7 batches of pancakes)

To Prepare Pancakes:
In a bowl, combine egg and milk. Whisk in 1 cup pancake mix. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Cook until second side is golden brown. YIELD: about 6 pancakes per batch

To Prepare Blueberry Banana Pancakes:
In a bowl, combine egg, milk and banana. Whisk in 1 cup pancake mix. Fold in blueberries. Cook as directed above. YIELD: about 8 pancakes per batch

CHANTELLE'S NOTES:

• I always make a double recipe of the dry ingredients, putting everything into an icecream pail, putting the lid on the pail and shaking until well mixed. You can label the pail with the directions for pancakes.
• When I make pancakes for the whole family, I always make a double recipe of the plain pancakes and a single recipe of the Blueberry Banana. That provides enough for the meal plus a few extra! Hey, we are pancake lovers!
• My personal favorite are the Blueberry Banana pancakes - they taste excellent!
• My mix never lasts 6 months, not even 6 weeks, its that good! :)

When Pepe was only 5 months old, we made a trip to the West Coast to visit Jay's relatives I had not yet met. What a wonderful time I had meeting these delightful family members. I now wish we lived closer so we could see them more often as they have left an indelible mark on my heart! Jay's gracious Aunt L let us stay with her for a while and she always made these muffins fresh every morning. Although I believe they are called 6 Week Bran Muffins, I call them Aunt L's Bran Muffins.

AUNT L'S BRAN MUFFINS

2 cups Nabisco 100% Bran
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup shortening
4 eggs
1 litre buttermilk
5 cups flour
3 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoon salt
4 cups bran flakes cereal
2 cups raisins

Pour boiling water over 100% bran and let stand while creaming sugar, shortening and eggs. Add buttermilk. Add bran/water mixture. Sift flour, soda and salt in separate bowl. Add bran flakes. Fold into wet mixture until moist. Add raisins. Store in ice cream pail for up to 6 weeks in refrigerator. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes.

CHANTELLE'S NOTES:

• You can switch the amounts of the bran and bran flakes cereal if you so desire.
• You can also substitute wheat bran for the 100% bran
• These make excellent snacks throughout the day. I bake about 9 fresh in the morning and they are usually gone by supper.
• These are really really good with peanut butter spread on top! Mmmmm!
• Ideally, after these are mixed, wait to make the muffins until they have sit in the refrigerator for one day. If you make muffins right away, they tend to be really flat and hardly rise at all. Wait a day or more and they turn out much nicer!

Finally, fresh baked buns are such a treat around here but I rarely have time to mix a batch each time we want them! Welcome to the world of refrigerator rolls! Oh, these yummy buns sure hit the spot and take so very little time to prep. I can usually form them during morning recess and have fresh baked buns for lunch or I form them right after school and have fresh baked buns for supper. Now I just need to tweak them a bit to include some whole wheat flour and maybe some ground flax.

REFRIGERATOR ROLLS

2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
2 pkgs dry yeast (or 2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup warm water
2 beaten eggs
7-8 cups all-purpose flour

Mix boiling water, sugar, salt and shortening together and cool to lukewarm. Soften yeast in 1/4 cup water and stir into first mixture. Add beaten eggs. Stir in 4 cups flour and beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour to make a fairly stiff dough. Place in greased bowl and cover then place in refrigerator. This dough will keep for up to 6 days. When wanted, roll into 24 evenly-sized balls. Place on greased pan and allow to rise until double in bulk, about 1 -1 /2 hours. Bake in a 400F oven for 15 minutes.

CHANTELLE'S NOTES:

• I make this recipe x 1 1/2 then store it in a large Tupperware bowl in the fridge.
• I make 1 dozen fresh buns daily then whatever dough is left over at the end of the 6 days, I make into buns and freeze if necessary (which it hasn't been!).

Happy Birthday, My Love!

Yesterday we celebrated the 34th birthday of the love of my life, my constant and steady love, my dearest husband, Jason! I am so thankful the Lord chose to make him and that He chose to bring him into my life! Jason is the steady and constant one in this crazy family. (You may not know it but I am the emotional up and down energetic one! When we were engaged, my mom said he was the piece of wood that I would bounce up and down on!) Some of the things that I love so much about him:

• the way he can be content with so little


• the way he can walk up to a complete stranger, engage them in a conversation and make them feel like they are important


• the way he makes me feel beautiful no matter how ugly I feel


• his gorgeous smile


• the way he makes us laugh


• the way he loves our kids and plays with them


• the way he loves me

I could go on and on but . . . well, you get the point! I asked him if he wanted to go out or have me make one of his favorite meals - he opted to stay in so I made curried chicken, something he loves! And, for dessert, I made this beauty - White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake. Jay loves fruit and white chocolate and cheesecake so this was the perfect combination. (Recipe at end of post).

Finally, though it was Jay's birthday, he bought me a gift. Okay, so I might have indicated in a very subtle way that I would really like this but the fact is that he bought it! It will look splendid in the new house but we are enjoying it just the same here. The kids have spent hours on it and when they allow it, I enjoy it too! And, no, this picture is not of my house (though I really do like that zebra rug!).

WHITE CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

5/8 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup ground almonds

3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1 (14 oz, 300mL) sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

6 squares white chocolate, melted

1 cup strawberry puree

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Combine crumbs, ground almonds and melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan. Set aside.
2. With mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, add vanilla; mix well. Add melted white chocolate and mix again. Divide the batter equally in two separate bowls. Stir the strawberry puree in one of them. Pour a little amount of the white chocolate batter over prepared crust, followed by the strawberry batter. Keep repeating this step till both batters are finished. With table knife or metal spatula, gently swirl strawberry batter through white chocolate batter to marble.
3. Wrap the pan with foil paper and bake in a water bath for 1 hour 20 minutes or until set. Turn off oven. Cool in oven with door ajar. Chill at least 3 hours or overnight. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Chantelle's notes:

* The original recipe had some of the measurements as cups and some as grams. I made the appropriate conversions where necessary.

* I made my own strawberry puree by taking fresh strawberries and pureeing them in a blender, adding a little water for ease of mixing, then straining out the seeds. I also added a couple of drops of strawberry extract to up the strawberry flavor. Next time I would add a couple drops of red food coloring to up the pink color.

* The original recipe called for 100 grams of white chocolate. I upped that to 6 squares (1 box) as indicated in the recipe.

* I never wrap my pans in foil or bake them in a water bath. My cheesecakes still turn out wonderfully. It is your choice.

Gourmet Casserole

If there was such a thing as a gourmet casserole (in my head, those two just don't go together - casseroles are good and all but gourmet?!), this would be the one! It takes a little longer to prepare than most but it is oh-so tasty and makes a huge dish full. Plus, it is full of veggies and other yummy ingredients! I found this recipe in a Cookin' With Chicken pamphlet I received who-knows-when. And, no, no picture. My food pictures aren't that great anyway! Just make and see what it looks like and take a picture if you really need one!

Country House Chicken Penne

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz/796 mL)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
4 cups cooked penne pasta
1 package fresh spinach (10 oz)
1/3 cup grate parmesan cheese

Cheese Sauce
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat; stir-cook chicken, breaking up chunks, until no longer pink. Add onions, garlic, carrot and red pepper; stir-cook until softened. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. Toss penner with chicken sauce and spoon into a 9x13-inch casserole. Top with spinach. Pour cheese sauce over spinach and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes. Let stand 15-20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Cheese Sauce
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir-cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in mozzarella, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir until smooth.

**My personal substitutes/modifications**

• First of all, I don't use chicken. I know, it is called Chicken Penne but I don't use ground chicken. I use ground pork as I seem to have an abundance of it! I also don't use 1 1/2 pounds, I use 2 because trying to cut a frozen 1 pound package of ground pork is next to impossible!
• I add more veggies whenever I have them around. Yesterday, I added chopped zucchini and parsnip.
• I don't just use 2 Tbsp of tomato paste, I use the whole little 5.5 oz container. For me, the extra would just go to waste so I might as well use it up.
• I add a layer of cottage cheese when I have it on hand. I add it just after putting the chicken sauce into the dish and before sprinkling with parmesan.
• I never measure the amount of spinach, I just use however much fills up my dish.
• Finally, I don't use a 9x13 pan. I use a large stoneware bowl that I got at a garage sale somewhere. It is so fantastic for this meal and keeps it hot for a long time.
• I love to serve garlic bread/biscuits/toast with this meal. It seems to compliment it so well.
• This reheats really well!

Nothing Like Homemade Pizza

Fridays around here have been Pizza Fridays for a long time (well, okay, they were around for a while, then they weren't and now they are back again). And for us that means homemade pizza! To me, you just can't beat the taste of a lovingly handmade pizza hot from your own oven. I haven't found a frozen pizza that doesn't taste like cardboard and ordering in? Well, I am not too fond of the places we have close by. So, a couple of years ago, I made a search online for some pizza recipes that I could try. I found these and haven't turned back since!

If you are looking for a tender and chewy crust that rises oh-so nicely, this is the recipe to try! I honestly have no idea where I got this from but it is not my original recipe.

PIZZA HUT'S PIZZA DOUGH

1 1/3 cup (scant) warm-hot water

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons cornmeal

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

Place water, sugar, salt, yeast and olive oil in bowl of mixer and dissolve sugar, salt and yeast. Stir in remaining ingredients and knead with dough hook to form a soft but not-too-sticky dough, about 8 minutes. Remove from machine and allow to rest, covered with a tea towel, about 45 minutes. Prepare pizza as desired and bake in a 425F oven for 18-20 minutes.

*(though I know some will say "It is nothing like Pizza Hut's dough" - hey, that's the name that was on it when I got it and it tastes good so I don't care!)

** Sometimes, I will make a batch of dough to bake into breadsticks. Just take the dough, after it is done resting, roll into a jelly roll pan (I use stoneware), brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt, then bake. Cut into sticks and enjoy.

If you are looking for a great tasting sauce recipe, I love this one for the "regular" pizzas, like pepperoni, ham & pineapple, etc. It is also great warmed and used to dip breadsticks.

EXQUISITE PIZZA SAUCE

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

3/4 cup warm-hot water

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon honey

3/4 teaspooon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

salt to taste

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients; mix together, breaking up any clumps of cheese (also works great to blend it with the Magic Bullet). Sauce should sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors; spread over pizza dough and prepare pizza as desired.

My absolute favorite pizza, for its tastiness and ease of preparation, would be this one, featured in a Pampered Chef cookbook called Seasons Best Fall/Winter 2005. I make this pizza often and, though the combination of ingredients seems bizarre, it is just fantastic!

MOLE CHICKEN PIZZA

Mole Sauce

1/4 cup barbeque sauce***

2 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tsp creamy peanut butter

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

1 tsp lime juice

1 clove garlic, pressed

Pizza

1 plum tomato, sliced

8 oz cooked chicken, chopped (2 cups)

1 green pepper, diced (about 1 cup)

1/4 cup chopped onion *

1/4 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced *

1 pre-baked pizza crust (I use my regular pizza crust recipe, not pre-baked)

4 oz marble cheese, grated (1 cup)

1 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro *

*Due to personal taste, we omit these

**I love pizza sauce so I often double this recipe

***The barbeque sauce you choose will change the taste of this sauce. My favorite to use, which creates a zippy but tasty sauce, is President's Choice Smokin' Habenero! Oh so good!

Preheat oven to 425F. For mole sauce, combine barbecue sauce, chocolate chips, peanut butter, chili powder, lime juice and garlic. Microwave on high 30-60 seconds, stirring after 30 seconds, until melted and smooth; set aside. For pizza, slice tomato, chop chicken and green pepper; set aside. Chop onion. Slice olives. Combine chicken, green pepper, onion and olives in a bowl. Place pizza crust on pizza stone; spread mole sauce over crust to within 1/2 inch of edge.

Evenly spoon chicken mixture over pizza. Arrange tomato slices around edge of crust. Grate cheese over pizza. Slice cilantro; set aside. Bake 18-20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cilantro. Cut into wedges and serve.

Finally, this pizza I don't make very often, because I don't always have the ingredients on hand, but it tastes AMAZING!!! I love alfredo so this pizza just made sense. It comes from a cookbook called "Don't Panic - Dinner's In The Freezer."

CHICKEN ALFREDO PIZZA

Alfredo Sauce

1/4 cup butter

scant 1 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Pizza

1 pizza crust

10 large fresh spinach leaves, rinsed and dried

6 green onions, sliced diagonally, including tops

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded

1/2 lb. bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, cooked until crisp

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated Swiss cheese

For sauce: Melt butter in large saucepan or skillet. Add cream and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Add Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat under pan.

For pizza: Roll out pizza dough to form crust. Spread alfredo sauce evenly over pizza crust. Arrange spinach leaves over sauce. Add green onions, shredded chicken, and bacon. Sprinkle cheeses over top. Preheat oven to 450F. Bake 15 minutes or until bubbly.

One thing I learned recently about pizza crusts - if it goes into the oven sticking, it will come out sticking. So add more flour to make sure the dough is not too sticky.

I love to use my Pampered Chef stoneware pan to make pizzas but just recently bought 4-7" pizza pans for the kids from Epicure. They are heavily perforated aluminum and make perfect personal pizzas. Now the kids can have whatever kind of pizza they want and so can we!

I am always interested in new pizza recipes so if you have any, send them my way! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you find at least one recipe you enjoy!

Mint Tea

When I was perusing the green houses this spring contemplating which herbs to plant in the garden, I happened upon mint. Immediately I thought about spending time in my grandmother's kitchen, making a cup of tea from mint that grew in her garden. I decided to buy some mint and plant it in hopes that I would be able to brew one cup of tea and sit and think of my grandmother. Little did I realize that the mint would grow so well or that there was such a shortage of recipes needing mint - and by mint, I don't mean just a sprinkle here or there - I mean, copious amounts of mint. So, I checked out the web and came up with my own way for making mint tea, thanks to tidbits of information here and there. If you want to make your own tea, the steps are rather simple (and I am sorry that I have not illustrated these steps with photos!).

1. Get some mint and lots of it if you intend to make a lot of tea.
2. Wash the mint.
3. Fill a pot about 2/3 full with the clean mint - leaves, stems and all.
4. Fill the pot with water.
5. Put the pot on the stove element, turn on the element and let the water come to a boil.
6. Simmer for 1/2 hour? (I don't usually check how long but long enough to get some good flavor)
7. Remove sticks, leaves and stems with a slotted spoon. Don't be too picky as you will strain it later.
8. Add sugar to taste. For me it is about 1 - 1 1/2 cups for 12 liters of tea.
9. Return to boil and boil for about 2 minutes.
10. Strain tea and enjoy.
11. Chill for a very refreshing cold mint tea.

This is a beverage that makes me feel very "pioneerish" - you know, picking greens and boiling them to make something that tastes good. It just feels right. And tastes so much better than Nestea! Plus, everytime I enjoy this cold treat, I am reminded of my grandmother!

Nothing Like Homemade Bread!

I have purposed in my heart to stop buying bread products and, instead, make them myself. However, when you have fallen in love with a particular store-bought bread (Country Harvest Flax is my all-time favorite!!), it can be difficult to find a recipe you like. You find yourself comparing everything to that soft, tasty yet good-for-you loaf. In my attempt to recreate that wonderful bread, I have tried a few recipes. Most failed. Usually too heavy. I don't want a really hearty, really heavy wheat loaf. I also don't want a colon-clogging loaf of white nothingness. I think I finally found "the one!" The recipe I keep making over and over. It is soft. It is full of flax (a prerequisite for me!), it contains lots of whole wheat and it is delicious! And, I will happily share the recipe with you!

FLAX 'N BRAN COUNTRY WHEAT BREAD

6 3/4 tsp. yeast

3 cups warm water

3/4 cup sugar

Mix this together and let the yeast bubble up and then add:

1 tbsp. and 1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup and 2 tbsp. oil

1 cup ground flax

1/2 cup 100% natural wheat bran

1/2 cup wheat germ

3 cups whole-wheat flour*

1 tsp lemon juice

Mix together well then let stand for 10 minutes. I was told the lemon juice softens the whole-wheat flour, creating a softer loaf of bread.

Add:

5 tbsp. whole flax seeds

approximately 5 cups white flour

Mix well and knead for 10 minutes. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Place in a greased bowl and then spray the top of the dough with oil,too. Cover with a piece of waxed paper and a tea towel then place in the oven with the oven light turned on. Let rise for 1 hour. Punch down dough and divide into 4 loaves. Place dough into greased bread pans. Spray tops of loaves with oil again, cover with waxed paper and tea towel. Place back into oven for 1 hour rising time. Remove from oven, preheat oven to 375F. Bake for approximately 25 minutes (I usually check at about 20 minutes) or until golden brown. Slice and enjoy!

* I use home-milled whole-grain whole-wheat flour. I am sure store-bought whole-wheat flour would work just as well.

**For a softer crust, cover loaves with a tea towel while cooling. The steam cannot escape as easily, creating a softer crust.

Doesn't that look yummy? My dough is currently rising and I look forward to slathering that first hot slice with butter and savoring every moment of home-baked goodness!

Fabulous Friends, Divine Dinner and Perfect Punch

One of the things we enjoy around here is having friends over and sharing our home and our lives while we indulge in some yummy food. Yesterday was just such an occasion. Friends we've known since before we were married joined us, along with their 2 sweet little boys. If you didn't know this about me, I love to cook and bake and especially love trying new recipes. Cookbooks are a treasure in this house and I have way too many for the space they are supposed to occupy. One great recipe makes any cookbook worth its price! So, what did I serve? Lemonade Chicken (http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Lemonade-Chicken-2), white rice (I would have preferred brown but I didn't start it soon enough), grilled peppers and mushrooms, and fresh carrots from the garden! Yum, yum, yum!! I also made a fabulous punch, courtesy of my neighbour! Here is the recipe for your drinking pleasure!

Annette's Awesome Punch

1 can frozen concentrated lemonade
1 can frozen concentrated limonade
frozen strawberries, partially thawed
2 L gingerale

Blend lemonade and limonade in blender. Gradually add strawberries, blending well. (I only add stawberries until my blender is full) Pour punch mixture into a punch bowl. Add gingerale, mixing gently. Garnish each glass with slices of lemon and lime? Rim top of glass with a nice fruity sugar mix? Easy to make this wonderful beverage look really classy. Serves 8-10ish (this is only a guess - it depends on how much you drink!!)

What are your favorite summer beverages?