Saturday, June 21, 2014

Leader Enterprise - June 18, 2014 - Helpful Tips/Smoothie recipes


Sure hope you're taking time to enjoy the sunshine. I love the cooler evenings for taking walks. We waited a long while for these lovely days, right?

Here's more tips to make life easier for you. Enjoy!!

Use rubber bands to help open a jar easily: place one around the jar lid and another around the middle of the glass. The rubber provides friction to prevent your hands from slipping.

Store bed sheets inside their pillowcases for easy storage and access.

Slot the stick of a popsicle through a cupcake paper to prevent drips on little fingers.

A ball of aluminum foil makes a great glassware scrubber!

Place a few drops of essential oil on the inside of the cardboard tube of a toilet paper roll to make your bathroom smell wonderful.

- If you don't have a double boiler when candy making, place a towel inside an electric skillet, warm to about 200 degrees, and place your melted chocolate in a glass bowl on the towel to keep it warm. 

- To test baking powder for freshness, add 1/2 tsp. to 1/4 c. hot water; if it fizzes, it's good. 

- To make your own baking powder, combine 1 tsp. baking soda with 2 tsp. cream of tartar to equal 1 Tb.baking powder. 

-Replace 1 TB. cornstarch with 2 TB. all-purpose flour as a thickener in recipes. 


- Spoon fruit or veggie salads into mini mason jars - fun for summer picnics and easy to tuck into a picnic basket. 

- Top bowls of hot soup with plain or cheesy popcorn for a crunchy surprise. 

Here are a few tasty drinks to help cool you down in these warmer temps.

ICED VANILLA COFFEE


1/3 c. double strength regular or decaf coffee, chilled
1/2 c. nonfat (or 1%)milk
1 Tb. instant (sugar free) vanilla pudding, dry
1 pkt. Truvia or liquid stevia to taste
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c.crushed ice 
coffee flavoring syrup, optional, to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender, blending on high until drink is smooth. Pour into a glass-top with light whipped cream if desired.
Yield: 1 large drink. Enjoy every awesome cooling sip! 

COPYCAT ORANGE JULIUS

1 (6 ozs) can frozen orange juice concentrate,partially thawed
1 c. milk
(we are loving unsweetened almond milk!)
1 c. water
1/3 c. sugar
(or liquid stevia to taste: 2 drops=1 tsp.) 
1 tsp. vanilla extract
12 ice cubes 

Put all the ingredients into the blender. Process until blended and frothy. Pour-relax and enjoy every sip. Yield:3-4 yummylicious servings 

Here's a little 'trick' to help you with this one. Before squeezing lemons, prick with a knife and microwave for 30 seconds. You'll get more juice that way.

WATERMELON LEMONADE

2 c. water
1 c. sugar (or sweetener)
1 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (strained) 
(about 6-8 lemons)
2 generous c. of cubed watermelon(seeds removed)
2 c. cold water or sparkling water
Ice

In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool.Meanwhile, puree watermelon in blender and strain to remove any seeds. You should have about 1 c. watermelon juice. Add lemon juice, watermelon puree to the simple syrup (sugar water); add water; chill. Serve over ice.


STRAWBERRY PEACH SMOOTHIE

1 c.strawberries, cleaned (fresh or frozen)
1 large peach, cut in to wedges (fresh or frozen)
1 c. milk or orange juice (more or less, depending on the consistency you want)
1/2 c. favorite(Greek) yogurt (I used peach)
1 TB. honey or 1 sm.packet sugar or sweetener
Strawberries or peaches for garnish, optional

Place all of the ingredients in a blender; process on high until smooth. Garnish with additional strawberries or peaches if desired. Serve and enjoy! Yield:2 servings


It's not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.-Charles Haddon-Spurgeon






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