It's 5 o'clock somewhere! This post goes along with the
dessert post from the other day... so now I'm going to the beginning of our night - drinks and appetizers. With a little help from
Pillsbury's Fun Summer Recipes booklet, we created this drink that was light, refreshing and perfect for a warm summer night. I'm giving it a new name and calling it:
Peachy Keen
1. In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water and a 2" piece of fresh ginger that has been peeled and chopped. Bring to boil for one minute or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, cover and steep 15 minutes. Strain; discard ginger and chill until cold.
2. In a large pitcher combine syrup, 2 cups chilled white grape juice (peach and mango flavored), 1 cup vodka, 1 cup Moscato type wine (or nonalcoholic sparkling white wine), and 2 T fresh squeezed lime juice.
3. Serve over ice and peach slices; garnish with lime wedges if desired.
It's good and it's strong so you may want to cut back a bit on the alcohol or maybe not :-)
The appetizer tray
One of my go-to appetizers that is always a big hit is the Roasted Red Pepper Dip. After you read the ingredients, I'm sure you will want to give it a try!
Source: Betty Crocker December 2002 Appetizers
Recipe:
Take 5 large red peppers, roasted on a grill until skin is blistered and evenly browned (looks black); then place in a plastic bag and seal for about 20 minutes; remove skin, seeds and stem; chop in 1" pieces.
In large bowl combine peppers, 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion, 2 cups pitted and chopped Kalamata olives, 8 oz block of feta cheese cut in 1/2" pieces.
In separate shaker combine, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 T fresh lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, and 2 tsp dried oregano leaves. Shake well and pour over other ingredients and toss well.
It can be chilled or served at room temperature with baguette slices.
I've also been known to serve the leftovers heated a bit and served over grill chicken... pretty tasty that way too!
Cheers!
I don't think I mentioned it but we were celebrating our friends 30th anniversary - it was this past January but we have had some challenges getting together until now! I sent them this invitation - hahahahaha... pretty funny, huh?
You are cordially invited to dinner in celebration of your 30th Anniversary
Next post will be be main course...
>Frequent Party Stops
