White Sangria

White Sangria
Windy Reay via Betty Crocker

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice, chilled
1 cup lemon-lime soda pop, chilled
2 medium peaches or nectarines, thinly sliced
1 medium orange, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 lime, thinly sliced
3 1/2 cups white grape juice, chilled
4 cups club soda, chilled

Stir sugar, orange juice and lemon-lime soda pop in a large pitcher until sugar is dissolved. Pour half of mixture in a separate pitcher. Divide fruits and white grape juice evenly between pitchers.

Refrigerate until serving. Just before serving, pour half of club soda into each pitcher; stir gently to mix. Serve immediately. Serve over ice if desired.

Sweet Basil Smoothie

SWEET BASIL SMOOTHIE
Rachel Bingham via Giada De Laurentiis -- Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups plain yogurt
• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 1/2 cups Lemon Simple Syrup Recipe (follows)
• 1 cup ice

Directions

In a blender, combine the yogurt, basil, Lemon Simple Syrup, and ice. Blend until smooth and frothy. Pour into frosted glasses and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 (6-ounce) servings

Lemon Simple Syrup:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and lemon zest over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Take the pan off the heat and allow the syrup to cool, about 20 minutes. Strain before using.

STUFFIN EGG MUFFINS

Stuffin Egg Muffins
Michelle Cutler

6 oz. pkg. chicken stove top stuffing

12 eggs

bacon bits

shredded cheese

Prepare stuffing mix as directed (omit standing time)

Spray muffin tins with Pam

Press 1/4 cup stuffing mix into the bottom and up the sides of each muffin tin. ( It's much easier if your fingers are wet) Crack 1 egg into each stuffin lined muffin cup. Sprinkle with bacon bits and shredded cheese. Bake @ 400 for 20 min. Let stand 5 min. Remove. Delicious served with fruit.

Fruit Dip or Hot Fudge

HOT FUDGE, OR ICING FOR A CAKE, OR SAUCE FOR FRUIT

Cheri Bowen

8 oz. chopped chocolate (we love Symphony bars)
1 - 2 C. heavy cream
1 T. Karo syrup

Boil cream and Karo syrup together for 5 minutes or until it boils down. The cream will boil up to almost triple the amount of cream you use. I boil until the cream has boiled back down to normal size again. It’s longer than five minutes. Pour hot cream into chopped chocolate and stir. Use, when warm, as a hot fudge topping. Also delicious as a dip for strawberries etc. Chill to thicken and use as an icing for cakes. This tastes wonderful on homemade Boston cream pie. Make double or as much as you want for whatever you’re serving.

The photo below is of the beautiful arrangement of strawberries Cheri brought to the brunch.

BURNT ALMOND FUDGE ICE CREAM

BURNT ALMOND FUDGE ICE CREAM

Cheri Bowen

6 eggs

3 C. sugar

2 qt. cream

2 cans evaporated milk

½ teas. Salt

2 T. vanilla

3 sq. (1 oz. each unsweetened chocolate) and 1 Large Symphony Choc. Bar

1 Instant choc. pudding

1 (5 oz.) pkg. slivered almonds

Milk

1 bottle Crackle ice cream topping (the kind that goes hard and crunchy when placed on cold ice cream)

Beat eggs, add sugar and continue to beat until lemon yellow or foamy. Add melted chocolate and pudding; mix well. Mix in vanilla and salt. Add in evaporated milk, cream, and milk. Chop almonds and roast in 400 degree oven until toasted. Add cooled almonds to ice cream mixture. Pour into freezer and add enough milk to bring to full line. Freeze as usual. The Crackle topping needs to be poured into the ice cream just before it is done and the ice cream maker stops. This will give the ice cream a chocolate chip.