A country toast to St. Paddy's Day...

Happy St. Paddy's Day to ya my friends!!  It's a beautiful spring day here in Zig Zag (although it would be even more beautiful if it would ever rain!).  J

I’m spending the afternoon (well most of it anyway) working in the yard with my hubby, brother-in-law and my darlin’ pups.  We’re enjoying the beautiful weather, yet working up a bit of a sweat, so we decided it’s the perfect time for our first batch of lemonade for the season.

I’ve posted the recipe before, but I thought I’d re-post the link (click here) and say “CHEERS” to you all, while wishin’ ya a special “Sonday” filled with blessings!  (I even added a slice of lime & a green glass in honor of St. Patrick!)

May the road rise up to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

I hope you can spend it with your family and a tall glass of lemonade!

Blessings, 

--Faithy

Chocolate Spiced Tea

HOWDY my long-lost friends!  Here’s hoping you had a wonderfully blessed holiday season, and are enjoying this wonderful new year.  I know I’ve been away for quite a while, but I’m still alive & kickin’ here in Zig Zag.

Just wanted to take a minute to send my love and share my new favorite evening treat with you.  Found this recipe on a box of Lipton tea bags, and adapted it (as usual) to make it my own.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!  I think it’s a delicious way to unwind at the end of a busy day!!

Chocolate Spiced Tea

1 cup water

1 cup skim milk

2 cup-sized decaffeinated tea bags

1 tsp. Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Syrup

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Whisk together water & skim milk, then bring just to a boil in a small saucepan.

Remove from heat & add tea bags.  Cover and let steep for 2 to 5 minutes - depending on how strong you like your tea.  (I leave mine for the full 5 minutes.)

Remove tea bags and whisk in remaining ingredients.  Serve hot.

Be blessed my friends…until next time…

--Faithy

When life gives you lemons...

I’ve always been a fan of fresh homemade lemonade, so I’ve made many versions over the years.  (ANYTHING is better than that powdered stuff!)  I came across this recipe in a magazine a few years ago, and have considered it my favorite ever since!  Sad to say, I can’t remember which magazine, much less which issue, but I do know it was something put out by Reiman Publications (my absolute favorite cooking publisher!).  They publish a variety of cooking magazines and cookbooks.  If you’ve never checked them out you should! (http://www.reimanpub.com/)

 

Faithy’s Favorite Lemonade

5 lemons

5 limes

5 oranges

3 quarts water

Sugar or sugar substitute, to taste (the original recipe called for 1-1/2 to 2 cups, but I generally use much less - I often use amber agave nectar http://www.madhavasweeteners.com/agave/ …delish!)

Squeeze the juice from four of the lemons, limes and oranges, and pour into a gallon container.  (I often use store-bought orange juice if I don’t have any oranges in the house.  Just measure the lemon juice and use an equal amount.)  Thinly slice the remaining fruit and set aside for garnish.  Add water and sugar to juices; mix well.  Store in the refrigerator.  Serve on ice with fruit slices:

Yield:  12-16 servings (about 1 gallon)

If you don’t want to make a whole gallon, just use 1 part each of the fruit juices add water and sweetener to taste!  By the glass or by the gallon, it’s guaranteed to refresh your body & spirit!!

Happy Monday!

--Faithy