The Cause of My Headache

This morning I woke up with the most terrible headache. Most likely it was from celebrating the 4th too much. We had a great time visiting with our neighbors, watching fireworks, drinking jello shots and eating guacamole and chips. (What a combo!) This was my first time making jello shots, they are a lot easier to make than I ever imagined.

Tropical Jello Shots
16 ounces (2 cups) boiling water
6 oz. jello fusion - pineapple, cherry, orange flavor
6 ounces cold water (3/4 cup)
10 ounces chilled coconut rum (1 1/4 cup) - we used Palms

Bring water to a rolling boil. Stir together boiling water and powdered gelatin in a mixing bowl. Stir constantly until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in cold water and rum. Pour mixture into individual shot-size (1oz-2oz) plastic cups

Mark's Birthday

Sunday is Mark's birthday. He likes to celebrate it for at least a month. Last night we had a little soiree in the garage for the occassion. To kick the Houston heat, I made mojitos. Our neighbor proclaimed it was the best drink she had ever had.

Mojito
10 mint leaves, muddled
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
2 Tbs Bacardi limon rum
1/4 cup simple syrup
ice
soda water

Combine mint, lime juice, rum and syrup in a cocktail shaker and shake to combine. Pour into a pint glass filled with ice. Fill glass the rest of the way with soda water. Stir and enjoy!

I Heart Coffee

There is nothing better in the morning than a hot, freshly brewed cup of coffee. I drink mine black... enjoying all the earthiness of the brew. Recently, a friend told me about a website - uroastem.com where you can purchase your very own green coffee beans and roast them yourself. Considering the freshness that freshly roasted beans would bring to my morning cup of joe, in addition to the cost savings of doing it myself, I just couldn't pass up trying it. I ordered up a pound of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Fair Trade Organic Guatamala Genuine Antigua and Sumatra Mandheling Fair Trade Organic. So far I have tried the Ethiopian and Guatamala and they are just out of this world! The roasting process is so easy and the results are well worth the time.

Refreshing Cool Down

Every now and again, I crave a tropical drink. This weekend, the temperature was in the mid-90s and it seemed like a perfect time to recreate a favorite beverage of mine - the MJB. I'm really not sure what MJB stands for... someone suggested that it is short for More Jamaican Babies. Whatever the acronym means, the drink is a great way to cool down.

MJB
2 cups ice
1 cup pineapple juice
1 shot glass coconut rum
1/2 shot glass peach schnapps
1/2 frozen banana

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Wet and Refreshing

We enjoyed a refreshing beverage last night as the Houston heat ebbed off a bit.

Summer Beer
12 oz can frozen lemonade
60 oz beer (5 beers - we use bud light)
12 oz water
12 oz vodka

combine and serve in glasses over ice.

Dirty Bananas

Mark and I were married in Jamaica... one of our favorite drinks we had at the resort was the Dirty Banana. We made these recently to take the edge off the heat of the day.

Dirty Banana
In blender combine:
4 oz rum cream
3 oz dark creme de cocoa
1 banana (I use frozen)
3 cups ice
1 oz simple syrup
1 oz dark rum
Blend until smooth. Makes 4 servings.

Super Refreshing!

We made this for our last garage party... it was quite good! We saved what fruit was left over and used for our mimosas the next day.

Super White Sangria
1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry white wine, such as Chardonnay
1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate
1/2 cup light rum
1/2 cup orange-flavored liqueur, such as a triple sec
1 (15.25-ounce) can pineapple tidbits packed in natural juices
1 orange, thinly sliced
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 (20-ounce) bottle or 2 cups chilled sierra mist

In a 1-gallon pitcher, combine wine, frozen lemonade concentrate, rum, orange liqueur and pineapple with the juice. Stir well and refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours.

Hurricane Party

Living in the gulf coast in the summer is prime time for hurricanes. Thankfully, we have not had to evacuate or a direct hit. In the days of a hurricanes landfall, we have been getting together with our neighbors for a hurricane watch party. We made hurricanes at our last one.

Hurricane Punch
4 cups pineapple juice
4 cups orange juice
1 1/4 cup white rum
3/4 cup dark rum
1/8 cup sweet and sour
1/8 cup grenadine syrup

Combine and enjoy!