Iced Tropical Rooibos for #IcedTeaDay #Giveaway

It’s #IcedTeaDay! Are you ready for some fun?

Welcome to #IcedTeaDay hosted by Sue from PalatablePastime. We are so excited to have you join us as we cool off with drinks and treats made with Adagio Tea.

Several bloggers, including Yours Truly, received wonderful gift packages from Adagio Teas and given an opportunity to use these teas in creating a recipe to share with you today.

We each had $50 to spend and I had a great time going through the website and choosing what I wanted.  I knew I wanted to get some Rooibos tea.  The bush that grows this herbal tea is found only in South Africa.  It is sometimes called red tea.  They had one flavored with Mango and that sounded absolutely delicious to me. I had originally spotted and was intrigued with the vanilla chai rooibos so I got some of that, as well.  I also chose some peach iced tea and some black tea flavored with coconut.  The teas are very reasonably priced so I also had enough credit left to get an Iced Tea pitcher and a jar of honey.  It felt like a holiday when that package arrived. That is only right since it is a holiday......National Iced Tea Day to be exact.

While I appreciate, very much Adiago Tea providing me with these teas and my readers with an opportunity to win a great package, I want to assure you that I received no monetary compensation nor was I required to offer anything other than the opportunity to you for the raffle and my honest opinion of the product I used in creating this recipe.

I was so excited to start experimenting with these teas.  I knew I wanted to make a summery cocktail of some sort and since the Mango tea was screaming summertime to me, that is where I started. 

I started off with 7 of the Mango and Rooibos tea bags.  I placed them in the basket of my Bunn coffee maker and let it brew.  When the water had run through into the carafe, I emptied the tea bags from the basket into the carafe and let it steep for another 15 minutes, off heat.

I ended up with 5 cups of brewed tea to which I added 1 cup of Mango Nectar and 1 cup of Coconut Rum.  I cooled this to room temperature and then refrigerated it until well chilled.  I served it over ice with a sprig of spearmint from our daughter's garden.

I ended up with a light, fruity drink that is perfect for hot summer days.  It is lightly spiked so that you are able to enjoy a glass or two poolside without any worry of over imbibing.  I am going to try making this non alcoholic by using the coconut tea so stay tuned for that next adventure.

Don't forget to stop by and see what the other's are sharing this National Iced Tea holiday.  You will find links immediately below my recipe.

Iced Tropical Rooibos

5 c.  brewed Rooibos Mango tea, cooled

1 c.  Mango Nectar

1 c. Coconut Rum

Spearmint Leaves for garnish, if desired

Combine the tea, mango juice and coconut rum in a large pitcher.  Place in the refrigerator for 4 hrs or overnight.  

Fill a tall glass with ice cubes and add the iced tea mixture to cover.  Garnish with spearmint leaves, if desired. Print Recipe

Take a look at what the #IcedTeaDay Bloggers are creating today!

• Caramel Corn Iced Tea from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Cold Brewed Yerba Mate from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Iced Redbush and Elderflower Lemonade Tea from Palatable Pastime
• Iced Tropical Rooibos from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mojito Iced Tea from Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks
• Strawberry Basil Darjeeling Iced Tea from Books n’ Cooks
• Strawberry Iced Tea from Feeding Big
• Vanilla Caramel Cream Tea Pops from Family Around the Table

Disclaimer: Thank you to our #IcedTeaDay Sponsor: Adagio Tea for providing the prizes free of charge. This company also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #IcedTeaDay.  This recipe does contain alcohol and is intended for adults age 21 and older.  As always, please drink responsibly and have a designated driver or alternate plan to travel home without driving after enjoying cocktails. All opinions are my own. 

Adagio Teas is giving away a gourmet teas gift pack (valued at $92)

Enter the Contest~Giveaway

Giveaway is open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Winner will be announced and the prize package sent after the giveaway ends on June 16, 2017. Bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Celebrations and the Weekly Menu

Happy Friday everyone.  This upcoming week is going to be a busy one.  Celebrations of all sorts are happening in our lives right now.

This morning, Frank is at Little Miss Melody's daycare center for a luncheon celebrating Father's Day.  Tomorrow morning we head north to attend our Lili Bug's party celebrating her graduation from High School.  When we return home on Monday, we will be celebrating the life of my dear friend, Sister Geraldine Arnold csj with a vigil service at the local funeral home.  On Wednesday we will be travelling to the east side of the State to have the final celebration Mass in her honor and lay her to rest at Nazareth, her Mother House.  On Friday, we will be celebrating with our local community at a Memorial Mass for our parish.  The following week commences with a Birthday Celebration for Frank's sister, Roz.

Burial Date June 14, 2017

Visitation will be 1-4 and 6-9 PM Monday June 12, 2017 with a Vigil Service at 7:00 PM in the Gilbert Funeral Home, Algonac. A Welcome Home to Nazareth and Rosary will be held at 3:30 PM with a Vigil Service at 7:30 PM Tuesday June 13, 2017 in the Holy Family Chapel, 3427 Gull Rd. Nazareth, MI. 49074 Funeral Mass 10:30 AM Wednesday June 14, 2017 in Nazareth. Burial will be in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Nazareth. A funeral mass will be held at Our Lady on the River Parish St. Catherine

 Church at a later date.

In between all these celebrations we will be, occasionally, eating at home and I will be providing some food to be taken to these events.  So without delay, I will share our Weekly Menu and ask for your prayers for all the fathers, grandfathers and uncles that are there for our children.  For all graduates that their futures may be bright and their roads free from hazards.  For all our loved ones who have gone before us that they may find peace in the Lord's loving embrace and For all those who celebrate their birthdays during this month that they may be joyful and have many more to come.

Saturday
Heading North to Great Wolf Lodge and Lili's Party

Sunday
Lili's Party- I made Stuffed Cabbages

Monday
Dinner out between returning home and attending vigil

Tuesday
Hamburgers
Pasta Salad

Wednesday
Dinner out after Funeral

Thursday
Dinner at Rebecca's

Friday
Reception after Memorial Mass

Nacho Bites #ImprovCookingChallenge

June's Challenge

Jalapeno + Cheese = These Amazing Nacho Bites

I have been making these nacho bites for at least 40 years and have never shared them with you. Well, I have shared them with some of you when you have come  over to visit but I have never posted about them on this blog.

When the assignments were made for this month's Improv Cooking Challenge, I immediately knew what I was going to make.  These are one of my favorite snacks and I love serving them up to guests.

They are great for an appetizer or just as a munchie with Margaritas or Cervezas.

They are easy as can be and I usually have all the ingredients on hand in the case of unexpected guests.  They are simply round tortilla chips, canned refried beans, cheese of your choice, and pickled jalapenos.

This time around, I used colby jack but you could use any kind of melty cheese.  No jalapenos on hand?  Try it with pepper jack cheese......YUM!!  

You will find all the other member's jalapeno and cheese creations at the bottom of this post.  Enjoy.

Nacho Bites

1 package round tortilla chips

1 (14 oz) can refried beans

1 block Colby Jack Cheese

1 jar pickled diced jalapenos 

Spread refried beans onto the tortilla chips.  Top each with a slice of cheese and a sprinkle of dice jalapeno.  Place onto a cookie sheet and broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Transfer to a platter and serve. Print Recipe

More Jalapeno and Cheese Creations

An InLinkz Link-up

Shrimp Martini #FoodieExtravaganza

Welcome to this month's edition of Foodie Extravaganza.  Our host for this month is Caroline of Caroline's Cooking.  Caroline went over to The Nibble and discovered that June 15th is World Gin Day.  Who knew there was even such a thing?  I certainly didn't and if you are in the same shoes as I.......not to worry.....we are sharing some great recipes containing gin with you today so that on the 15th you can celebrate with ease.  You will find links to all the recipes at the bottom of this post.

I thought this was such a fun theme.  We are not gin drinkers around here, preferring vodka, but I was game to pick up a bottle and give it a try.  My brother will be here soon from CA and he is a gin drinker so I know that it won't go to waste.

I found this great website for Gin and Vodka out of the UK.  This site answers any questions you might have regarding these liquors and offers a great selection of recipes including one for Gin Infused Prawns with Martini Aioli.  

I thought this recipe sounded like so much fun that I took the idea and ran with it, making it my own. I cut down on the measurements, deleted some items, added some items and served it up, Martini Style.  

I loved the presentation and it was met with delight when our friends, Kim and Kurt, joined us for dinner.  I served this as a first course while we enjoyed cocktails....sorry no gin....we had a vodka tasting along with this wonderful appetizer.

I hope you try this easy and fun dish and I hope you share it with good friends and good cheer.  Then your evening will be as pleasant as ours.  Cheers.

Shrimp Martinis for Four

adapted from the Gin and Vodka website

1/4 c. dry vermouth

2 T. gin

3 grinds of black peppercorns

3 grinds of sea salt crystals

15 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/3 c. avocado mayonnaise

1/4 t. garlic paste

zest and juice of 1/8th of a lemon

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 t. dijon mustard

2 drops of hot sauce

1/2 t. gin

2 large olives and 1 pimiento, minced

1 t. finely chopped parsley

1 c. mixed baby greens

Place vermouth, gin, ground peppercorns and sea salt into a medium pan with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil, stir in the shrimp, cover and steam for 1 minute.  Stir and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat and allow the shrimp to finish cooking off heat in the hot liquid.  When liquid has cooled transfer contents of the pan to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve giving enough time for the shrimp to be well chilled.

Whisk together the avocado mayo, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, gin, mustard, hot sauce, olives and parsley in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, allowing flavors to meld.

When ready to serve, fill 4 martini glasses with the baby greens.  Hang 5 shrimp around the rim of each glass and divide the mayo among the 4 glasses placing a dollop in the center of the greens. Serve immediately.  Print Recipe

See all the other gin-spiration for today's Foodie Extravaganza:

• Bulago Gin Breeze from Food Lust People Love
• Gin-Steamed Bratwurst with Kraut Slaw from Palatable Pastime
• Grapefruit Salty Dog with Fizz from Hardly A Goddess
• Jamuntini from Sneha's Recipes
• Raspberry Collins Cocktail from Caroline's Cooking
• Shrimp Martini from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Posting day for #FoodieExtravaganza is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE.

My Personal Favorite Recipe from Last Month #FirstMondayFavorites

My friend, Sid, of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking, invites us each month to link up on the First Monday and share our personal favorite recipe of the previous month.

Surprisingly, my favorite recipe from last night was not even planned to be a blog post.  It was a side salad that I was serving with one of my featured recipes for #BBQWeek.  I ended up loving this Thai Noodle Salad so much that I gave it a post all of it's own.  It was the first time I made this salad but it will certainly not be the last.

First Monday Favorites

An InLinkz Link-up

The Gardens and the Weekly Menu

The weather has finally gotten beautiful here on the farm and I have been busy in the flower gardens, seeing what is here and making plans for what I would like to add.  While trimming the Rose of Sharon tree I found a nest of robins.  They look like they will be leaving the nest very soon now.

The gardens are really very nice here.  I have a lot of the same plants that I had at the other farm.  Hostas, daylilies, irises, peonies, euonymus, burning bush, roses.  I have some beautiful rhododendrons, forsythia and clematis growing.  I am very pleased.  I know that I want to add some bulbs for next spring, daffodils, crocus and tulips as well as some lilac bushes. Pierre is growing some lavender for me and I know just where I want it.  

This weekend I will plant my herb pots for on the deck and I want to get some wave petunias for that area as well.  I also have chosen where to put the fruit trees.  I want to get a cherry, peach, apples and pears.  I would also like to get a prune plum tree.  We had one when I was growing up and I just love prune plums.  We do have some olive trees on the property and the previous owners said that they do bear fruit so I am looking forward to learning how to preserve the olives.

Lots of Robins, Sparrows, Finches and Butterflys in the gardens.  I have yet to see any hummingbirds.  We do have squirrels here though that love to tease my dogs and rabbits that know exactly how far the dogs can chase them before they get stopped by the electric fence.  We had 3 deer in our back yard after Frank disposed of the coyote.  Then they disappeared again and another coyote was spotted by our neighbor across the street going from his yard to ours and into the woods.  Hopefully we spot him before he takes out all the deer.  The chickens are back to being stuck in their pen until we take care of the coyote problem.

Tonight, Kurt and Kim are coming for dinner.  Tomorrow, John is coming over to help Frank finish up the installation of the whole house generator.  I am going to hit the Farmers Market in the morning for my herbs and flowers for the deck.  I will spend the afternoon getting them planted.  The pool should be opened this weekend.  The Gazebo is up and the deck furniture is all in place.  Stay tuned for those photos.

Sunday, my grandniece Lili has high school commencements up in the Traverse City area.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that the weather is good enough for us to fly up and watch her walk.  She will be attending University down state near us.  I am excited to have her closer.  Her party is on June 11th. We will be driving up for that.  We are taking our Little Miss and spending the weekend at Great Wolf Lodge.  It will be a lot of fun.  I am going to be making up an electric roaster full of cabbage rolls on Thursday. We will have some for dinner and freeze the rest to take up for her party.

That's it for the plans for the week. Choir practice is over for the summer and we are waiting to see what our new schedule is like with our Angel Face now that Mama is nearly done with her Tuesday evening class.  

So here is our Weekly Menu.  I look forward to sharing photos and recipes with you during the week. Have a great weekend.

Saturday

Honey Lime Chicken Fajitas

Sunday

Lili's Commencements (weather permitting)

Meatless Monday

Tuscan Bean Pasta (moved from last week)

Tuesday

Chili Cheese Dogs 

Potato Chips

Wednesday

Peach glazed pork loin

Baked Potatoes

Green Beans

Thursday

Stuffed Cabbage

Mashed Potatoes

Corn

Fish Friday

Grilled Scallop Teriyaki Salad

Lemon Bars #FilltheCookieJar

A tender butter cookie crust covered with a creamy, bright, lemon filling with the top having just the right amount of crunch makes these bars perfect for our Summer themed Fill the Cookie Jar event.

This recipe comes from Ina Garten.  She sprinkled hers with powdered sugar which would probably make for a prettier presentation.

However, I, personally, love the look of that tender top crust that forms when you make lemon bars. These bars are perfect to take to a potluck picnic this summer.  They are sure to be a hit.

Our friend, Cynthia of Feeding Big, invites us all to post our Cookie recipes on the first Thursday of each month.  You will find a lot more Summer cookies following my recipe.

Lemon Bars

slightly adapted from Ina Garten

2 sticks butter, room temperature

3 1/2 c. sugar, divided

2 c. flour

pinch of salt

6 eggs

zest of 3 lemons

1 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

1 c. flour

Cream together the butter and a 1/2 cup of the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the flour and salt.  Mix at low speed until incorporated.  Increase speed and mix until combined. Press the dough into the bottom of a 9x3x2" baking pan.  Place in refrigerator while oven preheats to 350*.  Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.

Whisk together the eggs, 3 cups of sugar, zest, lemon juice and flour until smooth.  Pour over the crust and return to the oven for another 30-35 minutes, until the filling is set.  Cool to room temperature before cutting.  Print Recipe

Make sure you take some time to see what the other home bakers have been creating. 

•  S'mores Sandwich Cookies by Jolene's Recipe Journal 
• Pink Lemonade Cookies by Palatable Pastime 
• Lemon Bars by A Day In The Life on the Farm 
• Double Strawberry Hazelnut Cookies by Cindy's Recipes and Writings 
• Red White and Blue Striped Tuiles by That Recipe 
• Easy Whoopie Pies with Ice Cream by Organized 31 
• Red, White and Blue Cookies by Cookaholic Wife 
• Basil Lime Cookies by Join Us, Pull Up a Chair
• Orange Drop Cookies by Big Rigs n' Lil' Cookies