Watermelon Sorbet

I love my local farmers' market in Statesboro.  One of the vendors gave me the recipe for melon sorbet.  I made it with watermelon, and it was fabulous!  It is so good on a hot day.  I don't know how to explain it, but it is the coldest thing I've ever eaten- colder than ice.  I don't know how that is possible, but try it and see for yourself.  My sister has been after me to post the recipe, so here it is.  I adjusted it to make enough to fill my ice cream churn.

UPDATE:  I tried this substituting agave nectar for the sugar/simple syrup, and it was just as fabulous without sugar!  Also, I think it works best in a food processor than a blender. 

Ingredients:
- 2 c. sugar
- 2 c. water
- 10 c. cubed watermelon with seeds removed
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
- Make a simple syrup by boiling the water and sugar until dissolved.  Cool in the refridgerator. 
- Working in two batches, put half the watermelon, half the cooled simple syrup, and half the lemon juice in the blender and puree.  Pour mixture into your ice cream churn.  Repeat with the other half of the ingredients. 
- Follow the directions for your ice cream churn to process the sorbet.

Buff Smoothie

I saw Alton Brown, our favorite Food Network guru, make this smoothie on the episode where he shared how he lost 50 pounds in 9 months.  It looked good, so I gave it a try.  I love it-- it is my new weekday breakfast.  I pour it in a sports bottle and drink it on the way to work.  When I first saw soy milk in the ingredients, I thought no way!  But trust me- while I certainly won't be drinking it by itself, it makes the smoothie taste like there is ice cream in it and the protein keeps you full.  This makes a 24 oz. smoothie.  I was worried that I would be hungry, but the mixture of fruit, fiber and protein keeps me full until lunch!  And according to Alton Brown, eating purple equals antioxidents!

Ingredients:

4 oz. soy milk (I used 8th Continent Vanilla Complete that has added Omega 3, fiber and calcium)
4 oz. grape, acai berry, or pomegranate juice (I used pomegranate)
4 oz. frozen bananas
4 oz. frozen strawberries
4 oz. frozen blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries (I used blackberries- but you will have seeds!)
4 oz. frozen peaches, mango, or pineapple (I've made it with peaches and pineapple- both are great.)

Directions:

Prep your smoothie the night before.  Put all ingredients in the blender and put in the refridgerator overnight.  This will save you time in the morning and allow the fruit to thaw slightly.  In the morning, blend starting at low speed.  When you get a vortex (like a tornado), blend on medium for 1 minute then on high for 1 minute.

A Gift from the Kitchen

For the last several years, I've created homemade gifts from the kitchen for Christmas.  This year, my idea came from a friend who makes the most wonderful ranch snack mix.  So, I borrowed her recipe, found some cute jars, cut some Christmas fabric, and made some cute gift jars. 

Recipe for Ranch Snack Mix

1/2 box White Cheddar Cheez-Its
1/2 box oyster crackers
1 bag Goldfish crackers
1/3 bag pretzel sticks (broken in half)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix

In a large bowl, mix crackers and pretzels.  In another bowl, mix oil and seasonings.  Pour oil mixture over crackers and mix to coat.  Pour into a baking pan and bake at 250 degrees for 15 minutes.  Allow to cool before packaging. 

I made 4 recipes of the mix.  This filled twelve 12 ounce jars and sixteen 16 ounce jars.  You can use any combination of crackers you like!