Simple Yet Gourmet

Hot Cocoa bombs are so delicious and so much fun!  My kids always get excited when I make these, much more so than with just regular hot chocolate because they are so fun to watch as the "bomb" goes off.  Picture chocolate melting and the marshmallows and other fillings popping up to the top.   These are really simple to make, and totally customizable, but you will need a mold.  I used a silicone mold, but I have seen plastic ones that make the process look even easier!  Don't have a mold? Try using the little dixie cups instead! Make it the same way as the bombs but just pour in melted chocolate to seal off the top. I love the peppermint/chocolate combo so much!  To me, it's the must have flavor of the season.  The fantastic thing about Hot Chocolate Bombs though, is that you can make them any way you want to!  Use your choice of chocolate for the shell and fill with any type of hot chocolate.  From there use whatever fillings your hear...

With summer upon us and fresh fruit abounding, I am always trying to find new recipes to use these treasures.  We have made fruit pizza, many different smoothies, zucchini and banana fruit bread, etc.  This week I happened to come across some wonderful strawberries recipes.  This one was a very simple  and refreshing drink the kids loved.  Great way to use up those strawberries as well as a  healthy afternoon snack for the family! (Sorry about the picture, very hard to photograph beverages!)

I have really been digging Mexican food lately and what's better to drink with it than a traditional Mexican Drink?  Horchata is delicious, refreshing, and easy to make, but it needs to be made in advance.  So with a little planning, and very little effort you can wow your family and make your meal extra special!

As promised in my last post , here is one of the recipes from the baby shower.  I decided not to go with the great white punch due to need for a punch bowl, which I couldn't find.  Instead I took some Country Time Lemonade and made it extra delicious by mixing in some homemade raspberry syrup.  I made the syrup a few days in advance to save time.  The morning of the shower all I had to do was pour the lemonade in a pitcher, stir in the syrup and slice few lemons to top it off.   A delicious drink with very little effort!

My kids love to have a smoothie when they come home from school. I love it as well for I add fresh baby spinach for extra vitamins and iron and ground flax seed for the omega 3's. I add yogurt for calcium, frozen fruit and orange juice. This smoothie has no sugar, honey, etc. It is only sweetened with the fruit I add. Get creative and make up your own recipe, but here is what I like to do! Enjoy.

Sweet and tangy, this drink is so refreshing and the perfect beverage for Summer! It does require a little bit of preparation before hand, but trust me...it's worth it!