Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of Mrs*Molly

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 8 slices of bacon
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup milk
• 4 TBSP butter
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 8 green onions, sliced, divided

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins.

To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.

Bake for another 15 minutes.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of Linda98ny

• 6 medium potatoes
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine softened
• 2 cups cheddar cheese
• 8oz sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1tsp chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

1. Wash potatoes, rub with vegetable oil.

2. Bake at 400 for 1hour

3. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise

4. Carefully scoop out pulp, leave shells intact

5. Mash pulp, stir in butter, 1 1/2 cup cheese, sour cream, milk, parsley, salt and pepper.

6. Stuff shells with potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

7. Bake at 350 for 20 min.

Tomorrow's Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of Wedding905

• 2 pounds russet potatoes scrubbed
• 1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 6 green onions (roots trimmed) thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• Salt and pepper
• Paprika

Place potatoes in a 3 to 4 quart pan and add 2 inches water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently until potatoes are tender when pierced, about 45 mins.  Drain, let cool then peel and coarsely shred.

In a large bowl, combine shredded potatoes, cheese, onions and sour cream.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Butter a shallow 2 quart casserole, pour in mixture.  If making ahead cover and chill until next day.

Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven until hot throughout and gold brown on top, about 1 hour.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Makes 5-6 servings.

Sweet Potatoes in Cinnamon Sauce

Recipe courtesy of Finally!5-06

• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon light tub margarine 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange the sweet potato slices in even layers on the bottom of a non-stick 8-inch round or square baking dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, brown sugar, orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes.  Dot with the margarine.

Bake uncovered for 35- to 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender, stirring once halfway through the baking time.

Sweet Potato Fries

Recipe courtesy of jimmysgirl82005

• 3-4 large sweet potatoes
• onion and garlic powder
• paprika
• olive oil or cooking spray

Grease a large flat cookie sheet with cooking spray or oil. Pre heat oven to 350.
Cut potatoes into desired shape - steak fries style or julienne
Sprinkle fries lightly with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and paprika. Bake until crisp.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Recipe courtesy of Smallbutfiesty

• 1 40 (oz.) can cut sweet potatoes, undrained
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Butter a 2 quart baking dish.  

Place the sweet potatoes and their liquid in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil.  Cook 15 minutes, or until tender.  Remove from heat, drain, and mash.

In a medium bowl, mix the mashed sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, 1/3 cup butter, milk and vanilla extract.  Spread evenly into prepared baking dish.  

In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, chopped pecans, flour and 1/3 cup melted butter.  Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture.

Bake 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Saffron Mashed Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of akayf

• 1 lb potatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 tsp saffron threads, crushed
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I’ve used broth when I don’t have stock in the house)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Put potatoes, garlic, and saffron in a large pan.  Add stock and bring to a boil.  Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes or until tender.

Drain the potatoes and return the contents of the strainer to pan.  Add olive oil and milk and mash until smooth.   Add salt and pepper to taste.

Rosemary Potato Wedge "Fries"

Recipe courtesy of Celestevie

• 4-6 large Potatoes (Idaho or Russet)
• Dried Rosemary
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

*Wash several potatoes and cut into long wedges about a 1/2 in thick

*Drizzle olive oil (or spray PAM) on a cookie sheet

*In a separate bowl, drizzle olive oil on potato wedges and toss to coat.  Sprinkle Dried Rosemary and a little salt and pepper (to taste) on the potatoes.

*Arrange potatoes in a single layer on the cookie sheet.

*Flip potatoes 1/2 through during baking. 

*Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until tender and the outside is slightly golden.

*Sprinkle additional salt and pepper if needed.

Rosemary Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of mrs.jennandkyle

• Red Potatoes
• Rosemary
• Dill
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil
• Water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash, and cut red potatoes with skins still on. In large bowl, mix cleaned potatoes, rosemary, dill, oil, salt, and pepper. Mix until all spices are evenly distributed over potatoes. Put potato mixture in long Pyrex dish and add water to the bottom of the dish. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Roasted Red New Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of Triciabell

Ingredients:

3 pounds small red new potatoes, halved

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1.  Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees.  Toss potatoes with oil, salt and pepper.  Arrange, cut side down, on a large lipped cookie sheet.

2.  Roast until tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes (check after 20 minutes).  Transfer to a serving dish.

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of ghl

***I just realized looking at the recipe that this is the scale I cook it at for thanksgiving when we're feeding a small army. It can be scaled down to normal dinner for 2-4 sizes and most of the seasonings can be adjusted to taste. For the garlic, I like to roast the whole head and keep it in a zip lock in the fridge if I don't use the whole head anyway for a variety of uses.

• 5 pounds russet potatoes 
• 3 cups half-and-half 
• 1 head of garlic
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt 
• Pepper to taste
• 6 ounces grated Parmesan

Roast the garlic - cut the top off the head of garlic and drizzle a little olive oil over the cloves. Wrap in foil and roast for 45 minutes at 400.

Peel and dice potatoes, making sure all are relatively the same size. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork. 

Squeeze the roasted garlic into the half and half. Heat the half-and-half and the roasted garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water. Mash and add the garlic-cream mixture until it reaches the consistency you would like, salt, pepper and Parmesan; stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens and then serve.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of NJMandy

Ingredients:

• 4 lb. small Yukon Gold potatoes, skins on and left whole
• Salt, to taste, plus 1 Tbs.
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups half-and-half, warmed
• 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 3 Tbs. roasted garlic paste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Put the potatoes in a large pot and add water to cover the potatoes by 2 inches. Generously salt the water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain well in a colander.

Set a potato ricer over a large bowl and pass the potatoes through in batches. Add the butter, 1 1/4 cups of the half-and-half and the sour cream and stir until smooth, adding more half-and-half until the desired consistency is reached. Stir in the garlic paste, the 1 Tbs. salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately. Serves 10 to 12.

Note: Potatoes boiled whole in their skins absorb less water and produce lighter, fluffier mashed potatoes. 

Potato-Gruyere Gratin

Recipe courtesy of wrysmyguy

• 5 large Baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 
• 4 large Red potatoes, unpeeled and thinly sliced 
• 1 tsp. Minced garlic 
• 1 Tbsp. Fresh thyme leaves, chopped, or 1 tsp. dried 
• 1 tsp. Salt 
• ¼ tsp. Pepper 
• 8 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded 
• 1 Can chicken broth (13 3/4oz) 
• 2 Tbsp. Butter cut into small pieces 

 Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 3-quart gratin or other shallow baking dish. Spread half the potato slices in dish. Sprinkle with the garlic and half the thyme, salt, pepper and cheese. Top with remaining potato slices, overlapping, for an attractive top. Pour broth over potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining thyme, salt, pepper and cheese. Dot with butter. Bake 30 minutes. Tilt pan to spoon up broth to baste potatoes. Bake 30 minutes longer or until top is browned and potatoes are tender. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Potato Gratin with Fontina Cheese

Recipe courtesy of LizDP

• 1 garlic clove, minced (I use more)
• 3 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ cups whipping cream
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 cup grated Fontina cheese
• 2 TBSP chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional)

Recipe Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Sprinkle garlic over bottom of 13x9 inch gratin dish.   Arrange potatoes in dish, overlapping decoratively, and sprinkling with salt and pepper.  Pour cream and broth over.  Cover with foil and bake until potatoes are almost tender, about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle cheese over potatoes.  Return potatoes to oven and bake uncovered until top is just golden brown, about 25 minutes longer.  Sprinkle with parsley, if desired and serve.  

**Do Ahead Note -- The potatoes must be baked soon after being sliced or else they will discolor.  

Nannie's Make-Ahead Potato Casserole

Recipe courtesy of doubleeagle2222

• Three lbs. medium potatoes  (about 6 large)
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 4 tbsp of butter  (melted) 
• 1 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Cook potatoes in salted water, add sour cream, butter, salt and pepper............beat on low speed until blended.  Then use high speed until they are fluffy.

Butter a 2 qt casserole - fill with potatoes - . Cover and refrigerate over night. (You can also make the recipe in the morning for an evening dinner.)  Bake at 325 degrees covered for 1 hour - remove the cover and bake for another 30 minutes.

***You can also sauté finely chopped onions in butter until soft and add to the potatoes.

Mashed Maple Sweet Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of ladyredlight

• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & quartered
• 1/4c maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup half&half, light cream or milk

1. In a medium saucepan cook potatoes, covered in a small amount of boiling water for 30 to 35 minutes or until very tender. Drain. Mash with a potato masher or beat with an electric mixer on low speed.

2. Add maple syrup, butter, and salt. Gradually beat in cream or milk to make the potatoes light and fluffy.

Lemon and Thyme Potato Gratin

Recipe courtesy of Lishie0729

• 2 TBSP unsalted butter, plus more melted for pan
• 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced very thinly
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Zest of 1 lemon, finely chopped
• Salt & fresh pepper
• 1 c milk

1) Heat oven to 400° with rack in center. Place a baking sheet on rack below to catch any drips from gratin. Brush a 10-by-5 1/2-inch gratin dish with melted butter.
2) Cover bottom of gratin dish with one-third of potato slices in an even layer. Sprinkle potatoes with one-third each of thyme, nutmeg, and lemon zest; season with salt and pepper. Dot with butter. Add a second layer, and season. Top with a third layer of neatly arranged potato slices. Pour milk over potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining third thyme, nutmeg, and lemon zest, and dot with butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil.
3) Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil, and continue to bake 10 to 20 minutes, until top is golden brown and potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. If the top of the gratin is not golden brown but potatoes are tender, heat the broiler. Place gratin under the broiler for just a few seconds to brown nicely. Serve gratin hot, spooned out into individual servings. Potato gratin will hold well in a low oven (about 200°), covered with aluminum foil for up to 1 hour.

Garlic Roasted Red Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of Natalie99

• 3 lbs. of small red potatoes
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 TBSP minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
• Parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  

Cut clean potatoes in halves or quarters, leaving skins on.  Place them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper & garlic; toss until potatoes are well-coated.  

Spray a large baking sheet well with cooking spray.

Dump potatoes onto baking sheet and spread into one layer.

Roast for at least an hour, until brown and crisp, TURNING them twice with a spatula during cooking so they will brown evenly.

Toss with a little parsley before serving.

Cheesy Ranch and Bacon Mashed Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of wrysmyguy

Wisk together 1 (1 oz.) package Ranch dressing mix, 1 cup sour cream, and 1 ¾ cups milk in a large glass bowl. Stir in one (22 oz.) package frozen mashed potatoes. Microwave on high for 12 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes. Stir in 6 cooked and crumbled bacon slices and ½-cup cheddar cheese. Garnish with sliced green onion, if desired.

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of HarrietNJMommy

• 2 baking potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds) 
• 2 bacon slices 
• 1 cup broccoli florets 
• 1 cup pre-sliced mushrooms 
• 1/2 cup chopped onion 
• 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic 
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese 
• 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream 
• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk 
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 

Preheat oven to 450°.

Pierce potatoes with a fork; arrange on paper towels in microwave oven. Microwave at high 16 minutes or until done, turning and rearranging potatoes after 8 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. 

While potatoes cook, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; reserve 1 teaspoon drippings in pan. Crumble bacon; set aside. Add broccoli, mushrooms, onion, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 7 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. 

Cut each potato in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell. Combine potato pulp, onion mixture, cheese, and remaining ingredients; divide evenly among shells. 

Bake at 450° for 8 minutes or until potatoes are thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with reserved bacon. 

Baked Pecan Yams

Recipe courtesy of ilovedave

• 4 medium Jewel or Garnet yams
• 2 TB butter melted
• ¼ cup orange or pineapple juice (optional)
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Bake yams for about an hour, or until soft.  The skins should peel off easily when they are still warm.  Mash yams well and mix with butter and juice, if desired.  Place yams in a square, glass baking dish.  Spread evenly and flatten the top.  

Toss pecans with maple syrup, cinnamon and pinch of salt.  Spread evenly over the top of the yams.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until pecans are lightly toasty and the yams are hot and bubbly.

Baked Mashed Potatoes w/ Parmesan Cheese & Bread Crumbs

Recipe courtesy of Angela&Frank

• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 cup whole milk 
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 
• 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella 
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter and set aside. 

Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until they are very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; return the potatoes to the same pot and mash well. Mix in the milk and melted butter. Mix in the mozzarella and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the potatoes to the prepared baking dish. Stir the bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the mashed potatoes. Recipe can be prepared up to this point 6 hours ahead of time; cover and chill. 

Bake, uncovered, until the topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes. 

Sangria

Recipe courtesy of lilmuggle05

Per gallon jug of Burgundy wine 

add 1-2 bottles of triple sec 

2 bottles of 7-up or Sprite. You can add more or less of either depending on taste. 

Fruit:

Apples, oranges, lemons, limes and star fruit (for appearance)

It is usually best to let it sit with fruit soaking for at least a few hours. If you don't have the time I have served it immediately. I recommend that if you are going to add a lot of ice to the container use less 7-up because as the ice melts it starts to water it down.

Enjoy!!

Sangria

Recipe courtesy of mrs.marie.g

• 1 Jug Carlo Rossi Sangria
• 1 Cup OJ
• 1 Cup Vodka
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Orange
• 1 Apple
• 1 Peach

In a bowl or pitcher mix Sangria/OJ/vodka and fruit. Let sit at least 6 hours overnight preferably. Feel free to use any kind of fruit you like.

Red Sangria Wine

Recipe courtesy of Joe-Joe’sGirl

Ingredients:

• 1 gal. Burgundy wine
• 1 quart, Orange juice
• 1 cup Lemon juice
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Brandy
• 1/4 cup Cointreau
• 1 quart. Club soda
• 2 Oranges, thinly sliced
• 1 Lemon, thinly sliced

Directions:
Mix wine, orange juice, sugar, brandy and Cointreau. Chill. Add chilled soda and pour into a punch bowl over an ice ring. Float orange and lemon slices on top.  

(Serves/makes 10)

Martini's (Various)

Recipe courtesy of Traba

Sweet Sextini--Skyy Orange, Peach Schnapps, cranberry juice

Ultimate Cosmo- Grey Goose L'Orange, Ketel One Citroen, Cointreau, cranberry juice, and lime...finished with Grand Marnier

Flirtini-Vodka, Champagne, and pineapple

Espressotini-Stoli Vanil, espresso, starbucks liquor

Cafe Cheesecake-Cruzan Vanilla, Strawberry Liquor, triple sec, oj, and a splash of cream

Bubblicious-Cruzan pineapple, orange, banana, and citrus rums with cranberry, oj, and pineapple

Orange Creamsicle- Skyy Orange, Liquor 43, milk and OJ

Watermelontini- Skyy Melon, Watermelon pucker, and Midori

The Almond Joy-Malibu, Ketel One and Amaretto

Tiramisutini- Stoli Vanil, Godiva Cappuccino

Banana Splitini- Stoli Vanil, Banana Liquor, Godiva, and Cream

Chocolate Dipped Rasptini- Stoli Razz, Godiva chocolate, and rasberry puree

Linda's Famous Irish Cream

Recipe courtesy of Mrs.LB705

• 1 bottle (750 mL) Irish Whiskey
• 8 3/4 oz. milk chocolate (I use a bag of chips)
• 2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 2 (14 oz.) cans evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp. instant coffee

Pour a small amount of whiskey into a large bowl. Melt chocolate in a double boiler, stirring constantly until smooth. Pour chocolate into the bowl with whiskey. Slowly stir in the condensed AND evaporated milks. Stir in cream, instant coffee, and the rest of the whiskey. (***Please note: this much whiskey makes for STRONG Irish Cream. I usually only use 3/4 of the bottle or less, and it's still too strong for me, but everyone else says it's perfect.) Pour mixture into 3 750mL bottles and close tightly. Store in fridge for at least one month before using. Shake well, and enjoy!! 

(***Oh, another note, be careful how cold you keep the fridge where you store this: if it freezes AT ALL, the cream separates and NO AMOUNT of shaking can re-blend it. It ends up making an oil slick in your coffee and just being generally pretty gross . . .)

Key Lime Pie

Recipe courtesy of Mai420

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz Licor 43 
• 1 splash Vodka 
• 1/4 oz Rose's sweetened lime juice 
• 1/2 oz Milk or cream 

Mixing instructions:

Pour ingredients into mixing cup filled with ice, shake and strain into glass. Rim glass with brown sugar.

Fruity White Sangria

Recipe courtesy of Fall2004Bride2B

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Bottle of your favorite white wine (I always use a sweet wine like a Riesling) 
• 1 Lemon cut into wedges 
• 1 Orange cut into wedges 
• 1 Lime cut into wedges 
• 1 Peach cut into wedges 
• 1 Cup sliced strawberries
• 1 Apple cut into cubes 
• 1 Jar maraschino cherries
• 1 Can diced pineapple pieces with juice
• 1/2 Cup lemonade or limeade 
• 1/2 Cup Sugar 
• 2 shots of apricot, peach or "berry" flavored brandy 
• 2 Cups ginger ale 

PREPARATION:

Pour wine in the pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and add sliced peaches, strawberries, apples, pineapple, cherries, limeade/lemonade, sugar and brandy. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale and ice just before serving. 

Espressotini

Recipe courtesy of Angela&Frank

Equal parts of:
espresso (cold) - I use instant
vodka
bailey's Irish cream
kahlua

Put it in shaker & serve in martini glass. Nice after dinner drink.

Creamsicle

Recipe courtesy of Lishie0729

1 part vanilla ice cream
1 part orange juice
1 part Orange Stoli

Blend. Garnish with orange wedge.

Cosmopolitan Slushy

Recipe courtesy of wrysmyguy

• 10 ounce (1 1/4 cups) citrus-flavored vodka 
• 1/2 cup Rose's lime juice 
• 2 cups cranberry juice 
• 4 ice cube trays 

Combine vodka, lime juice, and cranberry juice in a pitcher with 2 cups water and stir to blend. Divide between ice cube trays and freeze at least 4 hours or overnight (the drink cubes will freeze only partially). Just before serving, empty trays into a large bowl and using a fork, break up cubes to loosen ice crystals (the ice will be slush-like). Spoon slush into tall stemmed glasses and serve immediately. 

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Cosmopolitan

Recipe courtesy of smallbutfiesty

Fill a pint glass with about 4 fingers of ice. Add lemon vodka (I like Absolute Citron) to the top of the ice. Add a little bit of Triple Sec, and an equal amount of lime juice. Add a VERY SMALL amount of cranberry juice (for the color more so than any flavor). Shake and strain out the ice. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Cider and Tequila Hot Toddy Recipe

Recipe courtesy of 3Guys&AMomma

• 4 cups apple cider
• 1 cup cranberry juice cocktail
• 1/2 cup tequila                          
• 1/4 cup Triple Sec or other orange-flavor liqueur

Lime and lemon slices for garnish

In a crockpot, heat cider and cranberry juice cocktail on low just until hot for 2 hours (do not let boil). 

Just before serving, turn on high for 10 minutes and stir in tequila and liqueur. 

Serve toddy in mugs, garnished with lime and lemon slices. 

****This recipe for Cider And Tequila Hot Toddy serves 6 but easily doubles.

Caipirinha

Recipe courtesy of 3Guys&AMomma

• 1 lime                              
• 2 ounces of cachaça                                       
• Sugar to taste
• Ice cubes  

Wash the lime and roll it on the board to loosen the juices.   Cut the lime into pieces and place them in a glass. 

Sprinkle with the sugar and crush the pieces (pulp side up) with a pestle.   Just enough to release the juice, otherwise it'll get bitter. 

Add the cachaça and stir to mix.   Add the ice and stir again. 

Serve.

Appletini

Recipe courtesy of Angela&Frank

Equal parts of:

Vodka
Apple Pucker
Apple juice

Shake it up in shaker & serve with a skinny slice of an apple.

Steamed Vanilla Milk

Recipe courtesy of Mrs.Aly&Mr.Jim

8 oz. milk
1 1/2 oz. Torani Vanilla Bean syrup

Steam Torani syrup and milk together; pour into glass.

Peach Melba Breakfast Smoothie

Recipe courtesy of Cathy&John

• 1 peach (cut up) 
• 1 single serving non-fat yogurt (plain, vanilla or peach work well) 
• 1/4 cup orange juice 
• A couple of ice cubes 

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Makes one serving. 

Italian Lemonade

Recipe courtesy of linda98ny

• 2 cups lemon juice (12-15 lemons)
• 2 cups Basil simple syrup
• 2 cups cold water
• Ice
• Lemon twists for garnish

Basil simple syrup:

• 1 bunch fresh basil washed and stemmed
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water

In saucepan, combine basil, sugar and water.  Simmer until sugar is dissolved about 5 min.  Cool, strain the syrup and store in refrigerator.

Mix lemon juice, syrup, and water together in pitcher and store in refrigerator.   Pour over ice filled glasses and enjoy!

Fruit/Yogurt Smoothie

Recipe courtesy of triciabell

In a blender, mix low-fat vanilla yogurt, soy milk, 1 banana and FROZEN berry(ies) of your choice (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries), etc. Mix until well blended.  Done!

The banana and vanilla yogurt make this smoothie naturally sweet and the frozen berries prevent you from having to add ice, which often waters-down the smoothie.  

Caribbean Smoothie

Recipe courtesy of Proud2bMrsV.

• 1 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup of crème of coconut (Coco Lopez)
• 3/4 cup of frozen strawberries (I use fresh)
• 1 sliced banana

Combine in blender. I add ice to the blender for my smoothie.

***You could also use pineapples or peaches

Cactus Pear Fizz

Recipe courtesy of GilliMax

• 1/2-ounce cactus pear syrup 
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice 
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 
• Ice 
• Lime club soda 

Stir together cactus pear syrup, orange and lime juice in the bottom of a glass. Add a few ice cubes and fill to the top with club soda. 

Blueberry Crunch Smoothie

Recipe courtesy of Cathy&John

• 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• handful of fresh blueberries
• enough milk to liquefy
• a couple of ice cubes

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Makes 1 serving.

Basil Lemonade

Recipe courtesy of wrysmyguy

• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, plus 8 sprigs for garnishing 
• 8 cups lemonade 

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, bring the sugar and 1 1/2 cups cold water to a simmer. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the basil, and let cool to room temperature. Strain the syrup into a re-sealable container and discard the solids. Pour 2 to 3 teaspoons of the basil syrup into each of 8 ice-filled glasses, then fill with lemonade. Garnish with an additional sprig of basil. (You can cover and refrigerate the remaining syrup for up to 2 weeks.)

Banana Split Smoothie

Recipe courtesy of Cathy&John

• 1 banana 
• 1/2 cup low-fat or non-fat vanilla yogurt 
• 1/8 cup orange juice 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 6 ice cubes 

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Makes 2 servings 

Banana Cream Pie Smoothie

Recipe courtesy of LizDP

• 1 cup sliced ripe banana (about 1 large) 
• 1 cup vanilla low-fat yogurt 
• 1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk 
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat graham cracker crumbs (about 1/2 cookie sheet) 
• 1  tablespoon nonfat dry milk 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 3 ice cubes (about 1/4 cup) 
• Graham cracker crumbs 

Arrange banana slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, and freeze until firm (about 1 hour). 

Place frozen banana and remaining ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Serve immediately. 

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Zucchini Pie

Recipe courtesy of shannonkm7

Ingredients:

• 4 Cups of sliced Zucchini
• 1 Cup Chopped Onion
• ½ Cup Butter
• 2 Tbsp. Parsley
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp basil
• ¼ tsp oregano
• 2 eggs – beaten
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella
• 1 Can crescent roll
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

Sauté Zucchini and Onion in butter until most of liquid is gone

Stir in parsley and seasonings

In a large bowl, beat eggs, add cheese and zucchini mixture

Press crescent roll into pie shell.  Spread Dijon mustard over crust, fill with zucchini mixture

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.

Wilted Spinach with Currants and Pine Nuts

Recipe courtesy of ilovedave

• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• ¼ cup dried currants
• 1 large bag, pre-washed spinach (10 oz.)
• Salt
• Juice of a lemon

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, pine nuts and currants and cook until the pine nuts are slightly browned, about 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the spinach and toss with tongs until wilted. Season the spinach with salt.  Remove the pan from the heat, drizzle the spinach with the lemon juice and serve.