Horchata (Mexican Rice Drink)

I discovered Horchata about 12 years ago in Utah. There was this fabulous 24 hour Mexican restaurant called BETO'S. I asked about a white drink in the fountain and they said it was Horchata. I tried it and I was in love! Since then, it has been difficult to find a restaurant to buy the drink - so I started making my own. Big thanks to Martha Stewart for sharing it in her magazine this month! :)

Horchata
INGREDIENTS:
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup rice or almond flour
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Ice cubes
• Garnish: ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks
• Milk – add to taste (I added quite a bit – I thought it was too sweet, otherwise)

HOW TO PREPARE:
1. Bring whole milk and cinnamon stick to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, and transfer to a bowl. Whisk in condensed milk, flour, and vanilla. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Strain mixture through a fine sieve. Divide among 4 ice-filled glasses. Garnish with ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks.

Photo found here.

Slushy Punch

This is a recipe from a friend in OK. Once I tried it - I had to have the recipe! Now I'm sharing it with you!


Photo found here.

Slushy Punch
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ cups unsweetened pineapple juice
1 ripe medium banana, cut up
½ cup sugar
½ of a 6oz can (1/3 cup) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1-liter bottle carbonated water or three 12-z cans lemon-lime soda, chilled
Finely shredded orange peel, optional

HOW TO PREPARE:
1. In a blender container combine pineapple juice, banana, sugar, orange juice concentrate, & lemon juice. Cover and blend until smooth. Stir in 1 1/3 cups water. Transfer to a 1 ½ or 2 quart glass baking dish. Cover and freeze overnight.

2. To serve, let mixture stand at room temperature about 20 minutes. To form slush, scrape a large spoon across frozen mixture; spoon the slush into a punch bowl. Slowly pour soda down side of bowl; stir gently to mix. If desired, garnish with orange peel. Makes about fourteen 4oz servings. Can double for a shower or party.

Hot Chocolate Mix

My mom made this hot chocolate mix for us when we were growing up. I can drink this all year long! It's easy to put together and stores well in a tupperware container.

Photo found here.

Hot Chocolate Mix
INGREDIENTS:
16 oz non dairy creamer (creamora)
1 ½-2 cups powdered sugar
16 cups or 4 quarts dry milk
1 can or 2lbs nestle quik

HOW TO PREPARE:
Mix together well. About ¼ cup per mug of hot water.

Orange Julius

I remember the first time I had an orange julius at the mall - so delicious! I came up with these recipes (somehow!) when I was a teenager - enjoy! :D

Photo found here.

Orange Julius
INGREDIENTS:
Orange juice or can (1 cup water)
Milk-1 cup
Vanilla-1 tsp
Sugar-1/2 cup
Ice cubes
HOW TO PREPARE:
Blend in blender

Or

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup water
1 cup milk
6oz frozen OJ
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Ice cubes
HOW TO PREPARE:
Blend in blender

Delicious Orange Punch

I made this for a Halloween Party - it was a huge hit! Delicous AND super easy to make! I found the recipe here.

Photo found here.

Delicious Orange Punch
INGREDIENTS:
1 gallon orange sherbet, softened
1 quarts pineapple juice, chilled
1 liter lemon-lime soda, chilled
Gummy worms (optional)

HOW TO PREPARE:
Combine sherbet and pineapple juice in a punch bowl; stir well. Add soda; stir until sherbet is almost dissolved. Decorate bowl with gummy worms. Serve immediately. Yield: 20 (1 cup) servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 212 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 7 mg cholesterol, 61 mg sodium, 48 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 1 g protein.
20 Servings
Prep/Total Time: 10 min.

Mallow Mint Choffy

Mallow Mint Choffy
INGREDIENTS:
96oz strongly brewed liquid Choffy
1 cup sweet cream creamer
2/3 cup thin mints creamer
1 tsp mint extract
marshmallows

HOW TO PREPARE:
Pour Choffy, creamers, and extract into 4 quart crockpot. Put on keep warm until 10 minutes before you plan to serve. Sprinkle marshmallows on top and close lid. Delicious!


Photo found here.

Crockpot Apple Cider with Shrunken Apple Heads

I put these two recipes together for a Halloween Party and they were delicious together! I found the cider recipe here and the shrunken heads recipe here. I doubled the cider recipe and put it all in a 6 quart crockpot. It was perfect and so delicious!

Photo found here.

Crockpot Apple Cider with Shrunken Apple Heads

Crockpot Apple Cider
8 Servings
Prep: 5 min. Cook: 2 hours
INGREDIENTS:
2 cinnamon sticks (3 inches)
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole allspice
2 quarts apple cider
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 orange, sliced

HOW TO PREPARE:
Place cinnamon, cloves and allspice in a double thickness of
cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with a string to form
a bag.

Place cider and brown sugar in a 3-qt. slow cooker; stir until sugar
dissolves. Add spice bag. Place orange slices on top. Cover and cook
on low for 2-3 hours or until heated through. Discard spice bag.
Yield: 2 quarts.

Nutritional Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 177 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 30 mg sodium, 44 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, trace protein.

Shrunken Apple Heads
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups lemon juice
2 tablespoons coarse salt
8 large Granny Smith apples
32 whole cloves

HOW TO PREPARE:
1. STEP 1
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together lemon juice and salt; set aside.
2. STEP 2
Peel apples and cut each in half through the stem; remove seeds and core. Using a sharp paring knife, carve a face, as desired, on the rounded side of each apple half. Place apples in lemon mixture for one minute; transfer to paper towels to drain.
3. STEP 3
Place apples, face-side up on prepared baking sheet and transfer to oven. Let bake until apples are dry and begin to brown around the edges, about 90 minutes. Remove apples from baking sheets and press cloves into the "eye" sockets.
4. STEP 4
Pour cider into a 6 quart crockpot; float shrunken heads on top.