Fruity Cole Slaw

At a young age I was introduced to a slightly sweet coleslaw with fruit and marshmallows that a local Mexican restaurant served with their grilled chicken dishes. I'm not sure why they served a version of slaw like that, since I'm pretty sure that's not something that would be served in Mexico.

Anyway, it became a fast favorite and it was hard to eat regular coleslaw after that.

As I was walking past the bags of prepared cabbage (slaw mix) in the produce section, I suddenly remembered the fruit slaw I'd had so long ago and knew I had most of the ingredients already on hand.

I did buy the shredded cabbage/shredded carrot mix, just for convenience.

Ingredients:

1 lb. bag cole slaw mix

1 or 2 diced apples (I used 1 pink lady)

1 lrg. 20 oz. can crushed pineapple with juice

1/2 C chopped pecans

1/2 C mayonnaise

1 1/2 C small marshmallows

1 T sugar (optional)

Mix together in large bowl and allow to chill for 30 mins. before serving.

This makes enough for 8-10 people or more, so it would be perfect to take to a cookout this summer.

We ate ours with sloppy joes.

I would share the recipe for the "joes" but I didn't care for the one I tried.

It was okay, but too sweet. I'll keep looking and post it when I find one.

Mexican Banana Smoothie

I used to make bread when I had an overly ripe banana that needed to be used.

Then I started making banana chocolate chip muffins.

Today I didn't feel like turning on the oven when I remembered a drink my friend from Mexico makes when she has a black speckled banana laying around.

Lately my kids have really enjoyed drinking smoothies, and since I had a couple of bananas 

sitting on the counter, I whipped this up. 

Here's my version:

2 ripe bananas

3 C cold milk

(I used whole for creamier consistency)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

6-8 ice cubes

Blend until smooth.

Extreme Bottled Water

My husband and I got a chance to sneak away to Miami Beach for a weekend retreat. It was greatly needed to escape the bitter cold. When we left home it was 9 degrees; we forgot what 80 degree weather felt like. Since this trip was all inclusive, courtesy of "the firm", I was able to walk up to the bar and order anything I wanted free of charge. 

Here's the bar:

This is what I ordered:

The bartender handed me a glass bottle containing artesian water from Norway!

It tasted like regular water but without the plastic after taste some bottled water has.

Fancy Hotel = Fancy Bottled Water

Care to guess the cost of 12.6oz of imported water? 

True Story #1

Several years ago I took my three small children, one of whom was a newborn, to lunch at an Italian restaurant. My oldest son really likes Margarita pizza (tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves), so when the waitress took our order I pointed to the Margarita pizza on the menu and said "we'll take the Margarita, and some spaghetti". While waiting we colored with crayons on the paper covered table and snacked from the basket of complimentary bread. Moments later our server brought me a Margarita, the kind you drink from a glass. I looked at the server and kindly stated that we wanted the Margarita pizza, please. She was a little embarrassed and stated that she did think it was a little bold of me to be drinking early in the day with three little ones in tow...ya' think? It still makes me laugh to think about.

Since then we have tried many different types of recipes for crust, attempting to find just the right balance of crispy and chewy, while maintaining a good flavor, not to mention how easy the dough is to work with. I think we have finally found just the right crust. Every once in a while I catch an episode of Mad Hungry, hosted by Lucinda Scala Quinn. I love the show's format since she makes real food (meaning something a busy person can pull off), full of flavor, and always from scratch. She also involves her family which resonates with me. I would like to be able to send my kids to the kitchen someday, by themselves, and know they will produce something healthy and tasty.

So back to my point. Her recipe for Margarita Pizza is excellent. I also really like the simplicity of her tomato sauce. It is the perfect pairing with the crust and fresh ingredients.

Click on the item below for a link to the recipe:
Dough - if you don't own a peel or pizza stone it would be wise to invest in these items. It really does make a difference. I promise.
Sauce- I didn't add the butter just to keep down the calories.

Inspiration

Our family made a trip to Disney World during the Christmas holidays. While there my husband and I had the pleasure of eating at an amazing Italian restaurant. The pizza was incredible. So good, in fact, I have yet to find an equal. The only bad thing I can say is that when I asked the waiter for a non-alcoholic version of a drink on their menu he looked at me like I was trying to pull a prank on him. He was so puzzled by my request that he wasn't sure what to do. Really? With a restaurant of this caliber had he never received a request like this before?

This started my quest. Instead of asking the servers to come up with something I knew I needed to have an arsenal of options at my disposal. I've spent several months researching drinks, website, bartenders guides, etc. to find options that are refreshing and memorable, yet free of alcohol for anyone who needs (or wants) to keep that out of their body.

As far as munchies are concerned, I love food. Who doesn't? However, in my case I'm picky about the quality of the ingredients and how my food is prepared. Part of my preference stems from food sensitivities and the other comes from plan old palatability. I have become a little snobby about preservatives and I prefer food made from the freshest ingredients. More on that later...

So I dedicate this blog to anyone who shares a love for good quality food and has a taste for drinks from the bar that are alcohol free. Welcome!