This weekend will be filled with friends, food and family. What better than to look at some of the great recipes covered in the past few months. If you have missed any, this would be the time to re-visit the site and try some new recipes at your summer cook-out.
Let's start with drinks. There is always beer and wine, but what about a Bourbon Annie, a Bacardi Mint Mojito or a Cilantro Infused Margarita (see story below from the monthly newsletter).
A friend of Jeff's was telling me about a great margarita she had created for a Cinco de Mayo party. It was a cilantro-infused tequila which she mixed with some sparkling grapefruit juice. This sounded very interesting and I pursued the conversation to find out exactly how she made it. She had chopped some cilantro and mixed it with some white tequila. After 24 hours she strained the mix and blended it with some Izze Sparkling Grapefruit Juice.
This weekend while we were preparing the guacamole, I decided to try this margarita concoction. I had about 2 cups of white tequila and mixed it with 1/4 cup of cilantro. I let it sit for an hour and then strained it. I mixed 1 shot of the tequila with 4 ounces of Izze Sparkling Grapefruit Juice (which I found at Brooks Pharmacy). I shook the mixture with ice, gave a squeeze of fresh lime and poured it into a salted margarita glass over ice. The taste was very different as the cilantro flavor comes through, but the grapefruit juice gave it just enough sweetness to make it smooth and clean tasting. I actually liked it so much, I saved some tequila and plan on heading home to enjoy a glass with the remainder of the guacamole. YUM!
Thank you, Janice McDonald, for the recipe and for that I name it the Cilantro-Infused Grapefruit Margarita by Janice!
Now for appetizers. You'll need Killer Guacamole for the salsa and chips, Ginger-Garlic Shrimp and Carrot Top Pesto to go with your cheese and crackers.
Then there are Great Steak Marinades, Apple Baked Bean Casserole, Red Skinned Potato Salad and Sausages, Peppers, Onions and Potatoes.
For dessert, you definitely need Strawberry Shortcake, maybe some of Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chip Brownies and don't forget the refreshing Pineapple Fruit Dip.
These are just a few of the tasty recipes available on Friends Food Family. Please visit our archives, which are categorized into food groups, to view more cook-out ideas.
Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July.