Healthy Fruity Smoothie

Smoothies are so delicious and so easy to make. I always say I'm going to make them before work so that I start the day off right, but it never happens. Let's face it, I'm lucky if I show up before 9 with dry hair- breakfast is beyond hope!

Frozen dairy drinks are stuck as a special treat on the weekends. I wish I had weekend time everyday though, because this was so delicious. And it is so healthy! Calcium, antioxidants, vitamins, low sugar & fat! And it's such a pretty color on top of all that- what's not to love?


Banana Blueberry Smoothie

• 1 1/2- 2 C. Skim Milk
  
• 1 Banana, in pieces
  
• 1 8 oz. Container Fat Free Banana Yogurt
  
• 1/2- 1 C. Frozen Blueberries
  
• 1 Tbsp. Honey
  
• 3-4 Ice Cubes

1. Place all ingredients in a blender according to the manufacturer's instructions. I believe usually you put in liquid, then solids, then frozens- in that order.
   
2. Blend, pour, and enjoy!

A Rich Treat- Guinness Ice Cream

Nothing says St. Paddy's Day like a pint of the black stuff, Guinness. Yessiree, I'll dance a little Irish jig for you to enjoy a nice cold black brew!

Of course we were going to have Guinness with our meal on March 17th- but I wanted to do something special to cap the evening off right. After some searching, I found an interesting recipe for Guinness ice cream at Boston.com. This, certainly, was what I had been looking for! Too bad I had no ice cream maker at my disposal... but as you may have seen a few posts down, a quick trip to Target elminiated that issue!

So on Sunday night I made the beer flavored custard, which was a little scary for me, since custard is kind of like cooked pudding, which I have a poor track record with. Happily, I came out beautifully. Tonight I got out the frozen canister and got it churning. Oh, it was gorgeous! Thick, creamy, icy- just like ice cream from the store! My only complaint was the molasses flavor- next time I'll reduce it from 2 T, 2 tsp, to just 2 T. of molasses.



Overall, a triumph! It had such a nice bite accompanied by a nice sweetness, and the shortbread I garnished it with added a perfect crunch. Mmmmm-mmmmm!


Guiness Ice Cream
From Boston.com

• 1/2 Madagascar Vanilla Bean, split lengthwise
  
• 1 C. Whole Milk
  
• 1 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
  
• 3/4 C. Guinness
  
• 2 Tbsp. and 2 tsp. Molasses
  
• 4 Egg Yolks
  
• 1/3 C. Sugar
  
• 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1. (As written by The Boston Globe- my edits are in italics and green.) In a medium saucepan, scrape in the vanilla bean seeds. Add the pod, milk, and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let the flavors infuse for 30 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the stout and molasses. Bring to a boil and turn off heat.
   
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk in a few tablespoons of the hot cream mixture, then slowly whisk in another 1/4 cup of the cream. Add the remaining cream in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
   
4. Stir the beer mixture into the cream mixture. Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, for 6 to 8 minutes or until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. (It didn't really "coat" it, but when you are cooking, you'll notice the difference when it just pours right off, versus when it thickens up some.)
   
5. Pour the mixture into a bowl, removing the 2 vanilla bean pod halves and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Process the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Happy New Years- Spain Style!

Happy New Years blog readers!

Ok, so yeah, New Years has long come and gone. It's a time for resolutions- should one of mine be to post my recipes in a timely manner? Probably- too bad I don't do resolutions!

We had a fantastic New Years Eve here in Maine. My co-blogger Dianna Lee and her new husband came up from Boston for a night of delicious food, fun games, and good company. The best is that they stayed over, so there was no curfew or restrictions. We opted for a Spanish feast theme. Sangria, ceviche, Spanish almonds, and paella... delicioso!

We started the evening with the almonds, ceviche and sangria.


Sangria
From all sorts of places- and I don't really remember the exact quantities now- but here goes nothing!

• 4 C. Red Wine- a big jug o' the cheap stuff!
  
• 1/2 C. Triple Sec
  
• 1/4 C. Plain Rum
  
• 1/2 C. Orange Juice
  
• 1/4 C. Maraschino Cherries, with liquid
  
• 1 Orange, Sliced
  
• 1 Lime, Sliced and Squeezed
  
• Lemon flavored Seltzer

1. Mix together the wine, liquors, OJ, and fruits in a large pitcher. Chill for at least 8 hours.
   
2. Add ice before serving. Pour into goblets, leaving room to top off with seltzer to the top.

Ceviche

• 8 Large Scallops
  
• 10 Raw Shrimp
  
• 3+ Large Limes
  
• 1 Avocado, chopped
  
• 1 Tomato, chopped
  
• 1/4 Cilantro, chopped

1. Place the seafood in a small bowl. Juice the limes over the seafood. You'll need enough juice to cover he shellfish. Cover with saran wrap and leave in the fridge overnight. The acid in the lime juice will cook the scallops and shrimp.
   
2. The next day, remove the seafood and rinse in a colander.
   
3. Mix together the fish, avocado, tomato and cilantro. Serve in clear bowls with a nice red wine.

Mexican Fish Hash and Rosalitas

Years ago I had a subscription to Food & Wine magazine and the only recipe I ever made was this one- and it is such a keeper. I never would have thought fish and mint and thyme and jalapenos would have made such a delicious Mexican dish! We like to have it with white rice or even in a tortilla.

As for a beverage, I have found a way to get rid of this wretched raspberry vodka I purchased a while ago. It's like some kind of awful alcoholic Jolly Rancher and I struggled to find something drinkable to do with it. Now, I am my mother's daughter, and we believe in margaritas that have 3 ingredients- tequila, triple sec, and lime. Dare not bring a mix into my house- perish the thought! Ha ha! In the spirit of Miss Margarita, I've created a beverage I like to call her cousin, the Rosalita. It's a raspberry margarita, and it's a nice change of pace for a drink from South of the Border. Ole!


Mexican Fish Hash
(modified from Food & Wine magazine)

• 4 Garlic Cloves, 2 of which should be chopped
  
• 4-6 Bay Leaves
  
• 1 Small whole and 1 Large chopped White Onion
  
• 1-2 Lbs. Firm White Fish (cod, tilapia, etc)
  
• 2 Medium Tomatoes, chopped
  
• 1/4 C. Plain Parsley, chopped
  
• 1/2 C. Fresh Mint, chopped
  
• 1 Tsp. Thyme
  
• 1/c C. Green Olives, chopped
  
• 1/4 C. (or less) Pickled Jalapeno Chilies, chopped
  
• Olive Oil

1. Bring a large, preferably wide, pot of water to a boil. Place the whole small onion, 2 bay leaves, and 2 whole cloves of garlic into the water and let simmer for at least 15 minutes. Add in the fish and let it cook until it is flaky, about 5 minutes.
   
2. When fish is cooked through, remove using a wire basket or other utensil that will not let the fish pieces go to waste. Put the fish in a bowl and break into small pieces with a fork. Set aside and keep warm with a towel over it.
   
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm around 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Add chopped onion to brown.
   
4. Add in tomatoes, parsley, mint, thyme, and remaining bay leaves. Cook until it tomatoes thicken, around 8 minutes.
   
5. Stir in olives, jalapenos, and garlic. Cook until warmed through.
   
6. Add in fish pieces and simmer on medium heat until the liquid is mostly gone.
   
7. Remove the bay leaves and sprinkle with salt. Serve hot and enjoy!

Rosalita (to serve 1)

• 1 oz. (shot) Tequila
  
• 1 oz. Raspberry Vodka
  
• 1/2 oz. Triple Sec
  
• Juice of 1 Lime
  
• Splash of Grenadine for color
  
• Kosher Salt to rim glass

1. In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine all ingredients. Give a good shake to mix.
   
2. Using the lime rind, moisten the edge of a margarita glass. Dip the edge in the salt. Load it on... it gives the drink a little more kick when the salt gets in the bottom of the cocktail! If all that salt doesn't work for you, 1/2 salt and 1/2 white sugar can be substituted.
   
3. Put a couple of ice cubes in the margarita glass and pour the drink in. Garnish with a raspberry or maraschino cherry.