Pineapple Nectar Punch

For a summery drink, I like combining fruit nectars with lemon lime soda. It's easy and refreshing on those hot summer days and a good change from the usual sodas. You could also substitute the pineapple nectar with any other kind of fruit nectar. I prepared the following for a Cuban inspired lunch and it was nice served up in a punch bowl. (So if you have a punch bowl that needs a reason to come out and be used, this one is it!)

Pineapple Nectar Punch
original Joelen recipe

1 2-liter bottle of lemon lime soda
2 quarts pineapple nectar
1 quart ice water
Fresh pineapple, diced and maraschino cherries (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a punch bowl. Add the fresh fruit if desired.

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Brazilian Caipirinhas

For our Brazilian Carnival dinner, I prepared a Caipirinhas bar for my guests to enjoy. The following was taken from DonaBrasil:

Caipirinha is the best known Brazilian drink. Brazil's national cocktail is made of cachaça, sugar, limes and ice. Cachaca is a distilled alcoholic beverage made of sugarcane.

It is not necessary to use an exclusive, artesanal cachaça. For caipirinha, an industrial cachaça like Pitú or 51 is perfect. In fact, some artesanal cachaças may have very specific tastes that do not blend well in caipirinha, or the special taste of an artesanal cachaça is lost if you use it for caipirinha.

Ingredients for one glass of caipirinha

lime
cachaça
granulated sugar
two icecubes

Preparation
Cut a lime into pieces and put these in a flat-bottomed glass. Add one or two spoons of sugar (Brazilians like it probably sweeter than you do). Crush the lemon with a pestle or a spoon to release its juice. Add the ice cubes. Some people like to crush the ice before adding, others simply add the whole ice cubes. Add the cachaça while mixing until the lemon and the ice cubes are just covered.

Caipivodka? Caipifrutas?
Two popular variations on caipirinha are caipivoda or caipiroska and caipifrutas. If you replace the cachaça with vodka, you’ll have a drink called caipivodka or caipiroska.

If you make a caipirinha with other fruits then lime, you will have a caipifrutas.

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Sassy Water

Looking for a way to jazz up water? My friend Betsy prepared this 'Sassy Water' which comes from the Flat Belly Diet. It has a nice tang and is said to help with digestion!

Sassy Water
recipe from Flat Belly Diet

2 liters water (about 8 and 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 medium cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
12 small spearmint leaves.

Directions Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and let flavors blend overnight. Drink the entire pitcher by the end of each day.

Note: The ingredients in Sassy water aren’t just for flavor: the ginger helps calm and soothe your GI tract.

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Holiday Cranberry Apple Citrus Punch

Holiday Cranberry Apple Citrus Punch

original Joelen recipe

1 2-liter bottle ginger ale or lemon lime soda

1 64-oz bottle of cranberry juice
1 frozen tube of apple juice concentrate
apple slices for garnish
ice

Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl and stir.

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Martini Mixer Adventure Round Up!

For this month's TGIF Happy Hour event, I hosted a Martini Mixer paired with Swanky Snacks. This was such a great night with friends... but then again, you can't go wrong with some delicious martinis. We set up our "Martini Room" with a whole assortment of fun ingredients for martinis including:

Fruit juices: Peach, mango
Flavored liqueurs: Apple Pucker, Papaya Schnapps
Mixers: Raspberry Vodka, Triple Sec

Fruit juices: Pineapple, pear, strawberry
Flavored Liqueurs: Blue raspberry, Mango, Double Chocolate, Mint Chocolate

Flavored Liqueurs: Grand Marnier, Godiva
Mixers: Gin, Vermouth, Vodka, Rose's lime juice

Accompaniments: Limes, lemons & maraschino cherries
Olives: Garlic stuffed & Blue cheese stuffed

Rimmers: salt, Lemon Drop, Pomegrante, Chocolate

To pair with our fabulous martinis, we had a feast of appetizers and bite sized eats. Here's what we noshed on while we sipped our martinis:

Camille's Smoked Salmon Cracker Rounds
topped w/Creme Fraiche & Dill

Linda's Shrimp Canapes

Linda's Cucumber Cream Canapes
Betsy's Cucumber w/Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade
Howard's Phyllo Quiche Cups
Nelson's Salame & Marinated Mushroom Plate
Yumi's Onion Veggie Dip w/Crackers
Joelen's Chicken Gyoza
Ruby's Tabbouleh

Joelen's Spinach & Ricotta Rolls & Crab Rangoon Rolls

Naveen's Chicken Kabobs

Tricia's Pate & Water Crackers
Carrie's Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Susan's Toffee Bars

Harvey's Nutella Ravioli

To join in the fun, my fellow bloggers have submitted their favorite martini drinks and appetizer recipes! As I do with each blogging event I host, a lucky blogger receives a giveaway related to the food theme. This event's winner is Cara of Cara's Cravings! Cara has won a wine markers and a martini recipe book. Congratulations Cara and thanks to all that participated in the blogging event! Read on to check out the recipes submitted by my fellow bloggers...

Stina of Eat Something

from Tennessee
The Disco Duck & Pecan Bars
Stina joins us to share two fab things - The Disco Duck martini and Pecan Bars using pecan liqueur. You must check out Stina's blog for details and the recipes... who knew orange juice could taste so good and pecan liqueur existed?!
Becke of Columbus Foodie
from Ohio
Roasted Chioggia Beets with Feta
Are you a fan of beets? If so, great! If not, this recipe for Roasted Chioggia Beets with Feta that Becke shares with us just might make you change your mind. Aside from the rich color, this dish is sure to be a hit... especially with a nice martini to wash it down. Check out Becke's blog for the recipe!
Courtney of Cook Like a Champion
from Florida
Roasted Chicken Purses
Courtney joins us for her first blogging adventure and she chose an awesome recipe to share! Her Roasted Chicken Purses had a bit of Florida flair by using Mojo seasoned chicken. To check out how she did it and for the recipe, click on her blog link and give them a try!
Jen of Beantown Baker
from Massachusetts
Bacon Wrapped & Goat Cheese/Almond Stuffed Dates
Isn't it true that bacon makes everything better?! Jen proves my point with her Bacon Wrapped & Goat Cheese/Almond Stuffed Dates. I'm seriously craving them and the combo of goat cheese & almond sounds so amazing. Check out her blog for the recipe and the step by step guide to prepare!
Karen of Loves to Eat Weblog
from Florida
Grapefruit Martini
Karen joins us with a fabulous martini - the Grapefruit Martini! She has quite the advantage by having some fresh grapefruit to use, coming from the Sunshine State. Check out how she learned about the Grapefruit Martini and the recipe in her blog!
Jess of Cooking Up Memories
from Wisconsin
The Gambler-Tini
Jess's husband gets into the action by concocting this martini with both their favorite liqueurs, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum and Dr. McGuillicuddy's Cherry SChnapps. Check out Jess's blog for the recipe and serve this up at your next get together!
Cara of Cara's Cravings
from Massachusetts
Nutty Pumpkin Pie Martini
Cara is an inspiring person and friend of mine for many reasons... and on top of that, she is quite a fan of pumpkin. I'm so glad she's participated in this event by sharing her Nutty Pumpkin Pie Martini. It's a perfect martini to enjoy in the fall, especially during the Halloween and Thanksgiving seasons. To serve this up at your next fall party, check out Cara's blog for the recipe!

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Margarita Adventure Round Up!

My friends love their drinks... especially when I'm hosting my monthly TGIFriday Happy Hours! This month we celebrated all things Mexican with margaritas and their delicious cuisine. For the event, I provided a margarita bar. Actually, it was more like a margarita room because there was so many things involved to create it that it took up a whole room.

For my margarita bar, I provided the following for my guests to have free reign to experiment and whip up some custom margaritas. Everyone had so much fun creating some fun margarita flavors!

Blender, Shakers, ice
Liquors: 2 kinds of tequila, Grand Marnier, Triple Sec, Papaya liquor, Bacardi rum
Juices/nectars: pineapple juice, mixed berry puree, pear nectar, mango nectar, peach mango juice, sweet & sour mix, sweetened lime juice
Wines: red & white
Beers: Corona, Malt Goya
Sodas: misc assortment
Condiments: rimming salt, rimming sugar, limes To pair with our margaritas, we feasted on a fabulous spread of Mexican inspired fare. Here are pictures of the event and unfortunately, not everything was pictured: And to end our event with a bang, our friend John brought a special treat... a pinata! It was a blast to give the ol' pinata a whack after a long week. It was seriously the pinata that would not break open. Here are pics of our pinata whacking...

Lisa of Lime in the Coconut
Firecracker Shrimp & Fiesta Peppers
Lisa joins us to share 2 fabulous Mexican inspired recipes for Firecracker Shrimp & Fiesta Peppers! Both look wonderul and so colorful. Check out her blog for the recipes and learn where she found them!

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