Brazilian Lemonade

Brazilian Lemonade

I never understood why the name of this drink is Brazilian Lemonade because there are approximately ZERO lemons in it. Give or take. 

Why isn't it named Brazilian Limeade, you ask?
Just drink it, and I swear it won't even matter anymore. This drink could be named poopoo lemonade and I wouldn't even question it after trying it. Okay, I might be a little more hesitant, but still. It is THE BEST.

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites, and it has become a favorite in our household. If you haven't tried this yet, you need to because you will want to drink it everyday for the rest of your life. If you've ever been to Tucano's Brazilian Grill, then you have tried this before... and now with only 5 ingredients you can have it again in the comfort of your own home. 

Are all of your dreams coming true? 

Brazilian Lemonade

Ingredients:

6 cups cold water
1 cup sugar
4 limes
6 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
Rum

Directions:
Mix water and sugar together until sugar is dissolved. Put in the fridge to chill until ready to use. Use soap and water to thoroughly wash the limes. You want to scrub really well because you are going to be using the whole lime! After you've washed and scrubbed your limes, cut the ends off the limes (DO NOT MISS THIS STEP!) and then cut them into eighths. Place half of the limes and half of the sugar water in your blender and pulse a bunch of times. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into the pitcher that you are going to serve it in. Discard the pulp. (Or check out the recipe for Lime Bars. They go amazing with this drink! Yes, you have my permission to hate me later.) Repeat with the second half of your limes and sugar water. Mix in the sweetened condensed milk. Serve over lots of ice with rum. Now add a little more rum. A little bit more. Seriously, are you a priest or something? Give it some rum, matey! Just a little though, to taste of course. 

Mental note: I need to buy more rum.
When picking your limes, try to pick out the ones with the thinnest, smoothest skin possible. Supposedly they are less bitter and the most juicy. If you do end up with a more bitter drink, add more sugar and maybe even a little more sweetened condensed milk to taste. 

Beer Batter Crepes w/ Cardamon Crema Syrup

Beer Batter Crepes w/ Cardamon Crema Syrup

It is 103° outside today! I was originally going to grill up some lamb, but finally decided I enjoy NOT melting into the patio. So, I decided to make crepes! The recipe calls for "beer". I used Blue Moon's new First Peach Ale. It was amazeballs. ~Beast

Crepe:
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup beer
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter


Filling:
4 cups mixed berries
1/2 cup sugar


Syrup:
12 oz Mexican double crema
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tblspn vanilla
1/3 cup cardamon simple syrup
1/2 cup powdered sugar


DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and beer. Gradually whisk in flour. Add the salt and oil, then whisk the batter vigorously for 3 to 5 minutes, so all is thoroughly incorporated. Let the batter sit for 1 hour.

2. Pour the berries in a bowl, mix with the sugar to mascerate. Let sit for half an hour.

3. Heat a 10 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Brush it with butter, and when it's hot but not smoking, pour a scant 1/3 cup of batter into the center of the skillet, and rotate it so the batter covers the bottom of the pan in a thin layer, pouring out any excess batter. Cook the crepe until it is just golden on one side, 1 to 2 minutes, flip it and cook until it is golden on the other side, about 45-60 seconds. Transfer to a plate, and keep warm by covering with aluminum foil. Continue until all of the batter is used.

4. Spoon a large spoonful of berries into the center of a crepe. Roll into a tube.

5. Mix all ingrediants for the syrup in a mixer, and blend for 3 minutes. Once its all blended and smooth, pour over the crepes!

Cooper sure did like them!

Roots n Leaves Hash

This recipe comes from the collaborative minds of Beast and Laurel. We had some greens that were needing cooked, and this is what came of it.

Ingredients:

3-4 tbsp oil
2 medium parsnips
1 rutabaga
1 turnip
5-6 small red potatoes
1 bunch swiss chard
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
1 egg, fried
1 kielbasa  (or other smoked sausage)

Dice up all the root veg, and toss into a hot pan with the hot oil. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the herbs and seasonings. Cook for another 5 minutes, then add the sausage. Fry till the root veg and sausage are almost browned. Toss in the cut up swiss chard. Cook till everything is browned and crispy, stirring as needed so as to not burn.

Plate the veg mixture, topped with the fried egg. A little smoked Chipotle tabasco, some grated cheddar, a dash of ketsup.. yum!

For the vegetarian, fry the sausage in a separate pan, and add to the plate after the vegetables.

 For those watching carbs, here's your break down. A single serving, roughly a cup and a half of hash = 34ish grams of carbohydrates. 

1 medium parsnip - 19 grams
1 rutabaga - 24 grams
1 turnip - 6 grams
1 small red potato - 34 grams
1 cup swiss chard - 1 gram
1 small onion - 6 grams
1 clove garlic - 1 gram
1 tsp smoked paprika - 1/2 grams
2 tsp oregano - 0 grams
Salt & pepper to taste - 0 grams
1 egg, fried - 1 gram
1 kielbasa - 21 grams