Showing posts with label friday five. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friday five. Show all posts

Friday, September 9, 2011

FRIDAY FIVE! - An Italian Mojito!



This cocktail recipe uses less than five ingredients - and ONE of the five is one of my favorites - PROSECCO!!

I discovered Prosecco while in Venice (so loved the bellini!!). The rest of my family, while on a recent visit to Florence, discovered this drink, which I lovingly call an Italian Mojito!! Just replace the fresh mint with fresh basil and the sparkling soda with Prosecco. Nix the rum; exchange it for scotch & cointreau and there you have it!

Ingredients:
Bunch of Basil
1/2c. Lt. Scotch(like Dewers)
Almost 1/2c. Cointreau
1 bottle Prosecco

Mix Scotch, Cointreau, & Basil together, muddling (crushing) the Basil to bring out the flavor.
Add Prosecco & mix all together. Enjoy!
Above is an actual photo that my aunt took in Rome as this drink was being concocted. It may sound like an odd mix of ingredients, but it's surprisingly tasty! Cheers!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

FRIDAY FIVE! Blueberry Iced Tea & a little politics...


With all the heat the Tea Party has been getting lately, I figured I'd pay homage to TEA by posting an easy recipe for a fresh & fancy summer beverage. With five ingredients or less, you can't go wrong serving this at your next tea party! And if you can handle it, I would strongly recommend the addition of a sixth ingredient - perhaps some bacardi limon?!

Berry Iced Tea

4 qts brewed tea, cooled (I usually steep several green tea bags in 4 qts of water, but it will depend on your choice of tea and the strength you prefer)
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 TB lemon juice

In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, water, and sugar. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Strain, squeezing all the juice from the blueberries. Add the lemon juice to the strained mixture & allow it to cool. Combine the brewed tea and the syrup (do this a bit at a time, so as to control how much blueberry flavor you prefer in your tea) and chill in the fridge. Serve in a chilled glass over ice. I like to add a couple blueberries to the bottom:) Cheers!


And since I've already opened the can of worms, here's a little political humor for your Friday:)

Why did the chicken cross the road?


SARAH PALIN: The chicken crossed the road because, gosh-darn it, he's a maverick!

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN MCCAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken.

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a NEW CAR so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2011, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2011. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

Friday, August 5, 2011

FRIDAY FIVE: Brie Panini




How do you feed (and impress) a crowd with minimal effort? Two words:

Brie Panini.

RECIPE**
1 wedge Brie cheese
1 loaf ciabatta bread
1 - 2 lbs sandwich meat of your choice
4 thinly sliced roma tomatoes
arugala (optional)

Evenly slice the ciabatta and spread each slice with some brie. Top with the meat (I used turkey), tomatoes, and arugala. Close the sandwich and grill on an olive oil greased panini maker or grilling machine.

I served this for a crowd alongside pasta salad I love the versatility of pasta salad! If you're looking for a way to spice up your pasta salad, try this recipe or this recipe.


**Obviously, you can go SOOO many directions with this meal. Try different combinations for different tastes. The above combo is perfect for the kiddos that don't have a sophisticated prosciutto and pesto palette quite yet! I personally LOVE fresh mozarella with prosciutto for a mock caprese panino. Be creative and enjoy!**

Friday, May 27, 2011

Friday Five: Crustless Breakfast Quiche!



This is another GREAT breakfast meal to feed a crowd (a.k.a. just my family) and even prepare in advance. Just cook it up a day ahead of time, and then bring to room temp and reheat for a few minutes in a 250 degree oven. Easy as pie....or should I say, quiche?

CRUSTLESS BREAKFAST QUICHE
NOTE: There are so many adaptations for this recipe so experiment according to your liking. These are just some basic ingredients to get you started (and to keep it eligible for the "Friday Five!") This goes great alongside these biscuits! This recipe makes two pies.

*12 - 15 eggs, scrambled
*1/2 lb cooked ground breakfast sausage
*1/2 cup shredded cheese (any blend you prefer, I used Colby-jack because that's what I had on hand)
*1/2 cup cubed potatoes, cooked (I used leftover roasted potatoes. You could quickly boil some to soften them up for this recipe. You could also brown some in the pan first, and cook for a bit with the lid on... just don't use raw potatoes, they'll never cook all the way through.)

Fill a deep pie dish with the sausage, cheese, and potatoes. Season your egg mixture with salt & pepper to taste. Pour into pie dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes or until lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean. MANGIA!!!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

FRIDAY FIVE! Homemade Chocolate Syrup


Introducing....the Friday Five!
....where we'll showcase recipes with five (or less!) ingredients to simplify your life & time in the kitchen!!! If you have a "Friday Five" recipe that you would like to contribute, then please link it to this post, or email me at unamamma1@gmail.com, and I will use it as part of our once a month guest posts!

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE SYRUP!

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Water
A dash of salt
1 tsp. Vanilla

*Combine cocoa, sugar, and salt in a saucepan on low heat.
*Add water and mix until smooth.
*Bring mix to a boil.
*Allow to boil for 1 minute, careful not to overboil.
*Remove from heat & when cooled, add vanilla.

This is not meant to be a thick fudge, but rather more of a syrup. Pour it over ice cream, or in a smoothie, or make chocolate milk with it!!! ENJOY!



Thursday, May 12, 2011

FRIDAY FIVE! - Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing


This is a light and fluffy icing recipe that works great for something like my bananna cupcakes or zucchini bread:

1/2 cup whipping cream
3 oz. cream cheese
4 TB honey
1 tsp. vanilla

*Beat the cream cheese, vanilla, and honey until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
* Beat the heavy cream in a separate bowl until soft peaks form.
*Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
*Spread on the cake & enjoy!

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