Rise ‘N Raspberry Smoothie
-recipe from The Little Black Book of Smoothies by Ruth Cullen

Makes 2 10-ounce smoothies or 1 big smoothie.

You can’t go wrong with this tangy-sweet, berry blend. Add 1 tablespoon rolled oats or wheat germ for added texture and taste.

1 cup chilled orange juice
1/2 cup non-fat raspberry yogurt
1/2 frozen banana*
1-1/2 cups frozen raspberries

Pour orange juice into blender and add yogurt, banana, and raspberries. Blend at high speed until smooth.

*Buy golden yellow bananas without any visible bruises, and prepare for freezing by removing peel and slicing. (One cup of sliced banana is approximately 1 whole banana.)

Rich and chocolatey, this homemade hot cocoa mix is easy to make and a perfect treat on a cold winter day! You might be thinking, “Why do I need to make it from scratch when I can buy it in little packets at the store?” Well, it makes a nice gift for a chocolate lover when packaged in a pretty jar (just be sure to include directions on how much cocoa mix and milk to use per mug). Also, there’s no funky additives or preservatives. Plus, it’s easy to make so why not?

The recipe calls for using white chocolate chips. I have found that not all brands are created equally. In fact, some white chips I’ve tasted are downright nasty and artificial tasting. The only brand of white chocolate chips I buy are Guittard Choc-Au-Lait Baking Chips. Not all stores carry them so I usually stock up on a few bags when I find them. It really comes down to what tastes good to you…find a white chocolate chip you like and go with that. Now if it were only snowing outside…!

Best-Ever Hot Cocoa Mix
-recipe from Cook’s Country Magazine February/March 2007

Why this recipe works:
We wanted a recipe for hot cocoa that was creamy, rich, and big on chocolate flavor. Nonfat dry milk lent our Hot Cocoa Mix recipe a sweet dairy flavor, especially when we reconstituted the mix with hot milk instead of hot water. Confectioners’ sugar worked best in our recipe because it dissolved quickly, and cornstarch helped thicken the hot cocoa. And for complex chocolate flavor and a soft, creamy texture, we used a combination of white chocolate and cocoa powder.

Makes about 20 servings

3 cups nonfat dry milk
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients in large bowl. Working in two batches, pulse ingredients in food processor until chocolate is finely ground. Store in airtight container for up to 3 months. To make hot cocoa, stir 1/3 cup of this mix into 1 cup of hot milk. Top with whipped cream or mini marshmallows.

Offer up a toast this New Year’s Eve with a pretty glass of bubbly splashed with pomegranate juice for a bit of color and a hint of sweetness. While the pomegranate seeds are a nice touch, I usually don’t bother with them.

These days you can get good bubblies from Spain (cava) or the States (California, Washington) for under $10 a bottle. I always use a brut (dry) sparkling wine. Stay away from demi sec (sweet) bubblies unless that’s what you prefer. Make sure your sparkling wine is well chilled…then let the festivities begin!

Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail
-recipe from Seriously Simple Holidays by Diane Rossen Worthington

This is a festive way to begin a special brunch or dinner. Serves 6.

6 tablespoons pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
One 750-ML bottle Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled

Pour 1 tablespoon of the pomegranate juice into each Champagne flute. Add a few pomegranate seeds (they will drop to the bottom). Pour about 4 ounces of Champagne into each flute. Serve immediately.

Sangria, like most things, can either be really bad or really good. This peachy-flavored recipe for White Sangria is definitely in the really good category! It’s delicious, refreshing and super easy to make.

I chose a bottle of Red Cliffe Sauvignon Blanc (under $10 at Trader Joe’s), and used triple sec for the orange liqueur. Instead of peach nectar, I used Trader Joe’s Dixie Peach juice because that’s what I had on hand. I loved the blend of flavors and didn’t want to dilute it too much so I only added a little club soda. Start with a 1/2 cup or so and add more to get the flavor you enjoy. A combination of sliced nectarines, peaches and apples added to the flavor and presentation (next time I’ll also add in sliced plums for extra color).

Invite some friends over, set out a few appetizers and you’re set for a great summer evening! Enjoy!

White Sangria
-recipe from Williams-Sonoma.com (adapted from Williams-Sonoma Entertaining: Outdoor, by George Dolese)

Use whatever stone fruits look freshest at your market to create this refreshing sangria. Its the perfect cooler for a hot summer day. Serves 6 to 8.

6 peaches, plums or nectarines, or your favorite combination of stone fruits, halved, pitted and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups peach nectar
1/4 cup orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
1 bottle (750ml) dry Spanish white wine (white Rioja) or Sauvignon Blanc
2 cups club soda, or more, to taste
Ice cubes for serving

In a large pitcher, combine the fruit, peach nectar, orange liqueur and wine. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.

Stir in the club soda and ladle the sangria into ice-filled glasses. Serve immediately.

The Strawberry Muddle
-recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine

Created by Jon Hoeber, the farmers’ market-prowling mixologist at Rustic Canyon restaurant in Santa Monica, The Strawberry Muddle is a midsummer dream of a drink that involves little more than crushing berries at the bottom of a glass, then dropping in a lemon slice, ice, and a good slosh of Prosecco. Don’t even bother stirring—you want the heavy cubes to hold down bright bits of berry as well as keep the drink good and cold. Makes 6 drinks.

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups chopped hulled strawberries
6 thin lemon slices
Ice cubes
1 750-ml bottle chilled Prosecco

Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Cool syrup.

Divide strawberries among six 6- to 8-ounce glasses; add 1 tablespoon syrup to each and mash with muddler or handle of wooden spoon. Add lemon slice to each and mash to release flavor. Add several ice cubes to each glass, then fill with Prosecco.

Today is my birthday and I made this delicious sparkling wine cocktail to celebrate my day. It’s easy, delicious, and perfect for spring and summer festivities!

I used frozen raspberries, which worked great  because they get smashed with the lemoncello so they don’t need to be beautiful, whole berries. Also, choose a brut sparkling wine, unless you prefer a sweet sparkler. Brut means very dry and refers to the sweetness of the bubbly. There are many good Italian (prosecco) and Spanish (cava) bubblies on the market that are under $10. To make the drink even prettier, serve in stemware like these pretty French Country flutesmade by Mikasa. Cheers to me!

Sparkling Limoncello-Raspberry Cocktail
-recipe from Williams-Sonoma

A bright yellow liqueur, limoncello is imbued with the refreshing flavor of lemon, without any of the bitterness. This sunny drink speaks Italian, so embrace its homeland and serve with crostini, bruschette or breadsticks. Or, set out a cheese plate with such Italian favorites as Taleggio or fontina.

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. sugar 
1/4 tsp. grated lemon zest 
A few drops of fresh lemon juice 
3 raspberries 
2 Tbs. limoncello  
Crushed ice as needed 
1/2 cup sparkling wine 
Lemon zest strip for garnish 

Directions:
On a small plate, stir together the sugar and grated lemon zest. Dip a clean finger in the lemon juice and moisten the rim of a Champagne flute or other glass. Dip the rim in the sugar mixture to coat.

In a small bowl or ramekin, using a cocktail muddler or the end of a wooden spoon, pulverize the raspberries with the limoncello. Transfer the puree to the sugar-rimmed glass. Place a spoonful of crushed ice in the glass, then pour in the sparkling wine. Garnish with the lemon zest strip and serve immediately. Serves 1.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Good Food to Share, by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan (Weldon Owen, Inc., 2010).

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I used plain non-fat yogurt and frozen mangoes and strawberries. The smoothie was good but I know it would be even better with perfectly ripe mangoes and strawberries. The squeeze of lime juice and little bit of freshly-grated lime zest adds a lot of flavor and tropical flair to the mango portion of the smoothie.

Layered Fruit Smoothie
-recipe from The Sunset Cookbook (Oxmoor House, 2010)

If island-inspired cocktails warm your soul, this smoothie might just tip your taste buds over the edge. Blend mango, yogurt, honey, lime juice, lime zest, and ice until smooth; do the same with the banana, strawberries, yogurt, honey, ice, and lemon juice and zest. Pour the mango smoothie into a glass and layer the strawberry-banana mixture on top for a drink that’s as much a feast for the eyes as it is for your stomach. Makes two smoothies (serving size: 2 cups)

1 mango (peeled, pitted, and coarsely chopped)
1 1/4 cups plain low-fat yogurt
4 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1 banana (peeled, and chopped)
10 medium strawberries (washed, and hulled)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

In a blender, whirl the mango; 3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt; 2 tablespoons honey; the fresh lime juice; 2 ice cubes; and the freshly grated lime zest until smooth. Divide mango-lime smoothie between 2 straight-sided glasses and set aside.

Rinse blender, then whirl the banana; the strawberries; 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt; 2 tablespoons honey; the fresh lemon juice; 2 ice cubes; and the freshly grated lemon zest until smooth. Layer banana-strawberry smoothie onto mango smoothie, gently spooning mixture around inside edge of each glass to create a clean horizontal line.

Many scenes from life go unnoticed or are easily forgotten, so I was delighted to capture this photo of Grandpa enjoying a cool glass of peach iced tea under the shade trees while watching the youngsters playing in the yard. It’s so Norman Rockwellish, don’t you think?

The peach iced tea I am referring to is a simple and lightly fruity drink I like to make in the summertime. Many peach iced tea recipes use peach nectar mixed with black tea. My version, however, is made by steeping Peach Black Tea made by Stash Tea Company in hot water. I make the tea double strength using 2 teabags for each 8 ounces of water. Add sugar to taste to the hot tea if you like it sweetened. Let the tea cool then pour into glasses filled with ice. Garnish each glass with a slice of fresh peach, a lemon wedge and a sprig of mint. Refreshing!

Here’s an updated version of the bellini, a cocktail that originated in Italy that consists of sparkling wine and white peach purée. This recipe features mango nectar (or juice) instead of peach purée. It’s beautiful, festive and delicious! This cocktail would be a perfect beginning to a brunch or an al fresco (outdoors) dinner party. For an extra ”pop” of color, garnish each champagne flute with 3 whole raspberries.

As a side note, my pretty French Country flutes are made by Mikasa. If you don’t already have champagne flutes, you should buy a few. They don’t take up much space and they make a celebration that much more special!

Mango Bellini
-makes 1 drink.

1 part mango juice
2 parts chilled Champagne or sparkling wine
3 whole raspberries

Fill a champagne flute one-third full with mango nectar. Top with sparkling wine, leaving a little room for the raspberries, and stir gently. Place raspberries in champagne flute. Enjoy!

Morning Mango Smoothie
-from the Little Black Book of Smoothies

The perfect breakfast for mango lovers!
Makes 1 smoothie.

1 cup chilled mango juice
3/4 cup low-fat lemon yogurt
1/2 frozen banana
1 cup frozen mango chunks

Pour mango juice into blender and add yogurt, banana, and mango. Blend at high speed until smooth.