![Strawberry Lemonade]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Aug 9, 2014 | Drinks, Summer
Lemonade is the quintessential summer time drink in America, isn’t it? I absolutely love it and it will always remind me of my childhood days when I had my own lemonade stand outside of my house where I grew up. I set up a small table with my mom’s pitcher full of lemonade made from Country Time® lemonade packets, paper cups and napkins for every customer. Each cup was a quarter and my best customer was always our regular postman. Do kids still do this today?
Nowadays I don’t care for lemonade out of a packet, at most restaurants or from a bottle bought at the store. It is so super easy to make at home, but you just need to be patient about preparing a lot of lemons, of course.
As well as fresh mint.
To use lemons, you can add strawberries and make strawberry lemonade, like I made here.
What I do during this project of a recipe is to save all the lemon peels and dry them. They are so wonderful dried because you can use add them to hot boiling water to make tea or add them to soups and stews. You can even candy them, if you like.
To make the lemonade, add ice to a blender first. That’s sort of the rule of thumb when blending- get the iciest or frozen things at the bottom so the blades can start breaking those down first. If they’re on top, it’s nearly impossible for the blades and can actually ruin the motor of your blender if it works too hard like that.
Then add frozen strawberries, or fresh if that’s what you have.
Next, some cane sugar. I don’t like sweet drinks, so I go easy on the sugar but you can always add more if you prefer it sweeter.
Next some cool water.
Now squeeze all those lemons. I like to use my handy citrus press that I got from a local Mexican store.
Next, blend it all up in the blender for about 30 seconds to a minute and it’ll froth like this. But that will settle. 
Just pour into serving pitcher or glasses directly.
Then add a sprig of fresh mint to flavor it even more.
That’s it- just a refreshing taste of summer every time.
![Strawberry & Watermelon Zipzicles®]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Aug 5, 2014 | Dessert, Summer
As a kid I remember having popsicles from those thin and vertical ziploc-like bag almost every day of the summer. My mom used to buy them from the grocery store and many times they weren’t frozen until you put them in the freezer; instead they had some sort of colored juice or syrup in each bag. I loved the various colors and definitely had my favorites- strawberry and grape. Who knows what in the world kind of ingredients were in those things to make their shelf-life practically eternal!
I’m not really sure how I came across the brand Zipzicles® last year, but I did and was fascinated that the average consumer could now purchase those little freezer bags and make our very own and very healthy sort of ‘popsicles’ just like we had from childhood, but this time knowing exactly what’s inside of each one. Each packet of Zipzicles® comes with enough to make 12 popsicles, so that’s great. I would stock up on these for summer, especially since you can make them so easily with the recipe I’ll show you here. This isn’t the only recipe and in the comments section I’d love to hear what fruity/veggie combo you would make with these!
I start and finish with a few simple ingredients- fresh or frozen strawberries, cut watermelon, mint leaves, and vanilla flavored Monin syrup (which is halal-certified by IFANCA).
Use a food processor or blender to grind up the fruit and everything else. If you’re using frozen strawberries, make sure they go in first so that the blades can get to them first.
Next add the watermelon.
And mint.
Syrup or sugar (please not both).
Give it a whirl. It does not have to be thick. It should not be thick, otherwise it will not pour easily into the Zipzicle® bag.
Use a funnel to get the juices into the bag.
Use a scoop to pour it into the funnel if you’re using a food processor, otherwise it gets messy. Believe me.
This is so much cleaner.
Don’t fill it all the way to the top. Zipsicles has a nice little ‘fill line’ for you so that you don’t over do it. Remember, these have to freeze, which means the liquid will expand.
Be sure to label the bags ahead of time- see the first one? We didn’t label it until after the liquid went in and because it was cold and wet, the market didn’t work. The others were labeled before anything went it. Nice difference.
Stick them in the freezer and let them be frozen. Overnight is best. Then, simply enjoy it like the summer should be enjoyed! And you don’t have to be a kid to eat them!
Which flavors would you like to combine when making your own Zipzicle®?
*Note: I received a packet of Zipzicles® and the Monin syrup free of charge, without request for review or payment. All opinions expressed are my own.
![Refreshing Limeade]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Jul 16, 2014 | Drinks, Ramadan, Summer
It’s been a hot, steamy summer around Chicago- lots of rain, lots of heat. If you wouldn’t know it, you might think we’re sitting in the middle of the tropics. And that’s what makes me think of drinks with citrus, especially lime. It makes me think of Mexico where limes are everywhere and in everything, so why not drink it up? 
The ingredients in this super refreshing drink are really quite simple (and you could use lemons instead, making lemonade, or a combination of the two): limes, cane sugar, fresh mint leaves and ice. 
Most of the limes are cut in half in preparation for juicing and a few others are cut into slices to add directly to the drink once it’s ready. I also peeled the limes ahead of time (before cutting) so that I could have fresh or dried citrus zest later for cooking. 
The fresh mint is from my garden, and it’s the only way I’ll go in this drink. No dried mint- it just doesn’t taste the same. 
I also use cane sugar because it’s the most natural. You can see it’s not white, but more of a tan-ish color. When you buy it, look for labels like “raw cane sugar” or “organic cane sugar”. 
You also need ice for this drink. I don’t use water because it doesn’t turn out the same consistency that I like when I want to serve it up, but you can use cold water instead, if you prefer. You really wouldn’t need the blender at that point, either. 
After squeezing in each of the limes (and making sure seeds don’t get in), add the ice. 
Add the sugar. 
Now prepare the bottle where you’ll be adding the drink. Shove the mint inside- it’ll perk up once the liquid hits it. 
And the thinly cut limes. 
I love these glass bottles and their necks are perfectly paired with most funnels to easily pour liquids into them. 
Blend up what’s in the blender- the ice, lime juice and sugar. It’ll come out nice and think, almost like a slushie. Pour it into the bottle or pitcher. It’ll look icy and thick, but in a few moments, that will melt away.
What’s left will be a nice and cold limeade drink that’s so refreshing, you won’t want to make it any other way. It’s the perfect make-ahead drink for guests when you don’t want to be blending up things at the last moment while guests arrive or don’t have room in the fridge to keep things cold all the time. I just love the way this turned out and hope you will, too. 
![Cilantro & Mint Dipping Sauce]()
by Yvonne | Jul 19, 2012 | Appetizers & Snacks, Iftar, Ramadan
While Ramadan could begin tonight, I am beginning to think about one of my favorite times of the month- the breaking of the first fast. What will we have to savor the moment when the sun sets and it’s time to enjoy something sweet, a date perhaps, and then something quick yet savory before it’s time for the maghreb (sunset) prayer?
Cilantro & Mint Dipping Sauce with Saffron Road‘s new savory phyllo hors d’oeuvres
I love crunchy appetizers, but I’m not fond of deep fried foods, particularly after a long day of fasting. I love baked things and I particularly love anything wrapped in flaky phyllo dough, so Saffron Road’s new savory appetizers– Crispy Samosas with Saag Paneerand Crispy Samosas with Vegetables will be on our Iftar table with my homemade Cilantro & Mint Dipping Sauce. Its creamy yogurt-base is stretchable- if you want more, just add more yogurt; if you want it thicker, use less yogurt to begin with. (more…)
by Yvonne | Dec 2, 2009 | Mediterranean, Red Meat Dishes
I’ve been told that I’m obsessed with lamb, which is not quite the case although I do love the taste and versatility of how it can be prepared. When you have a lot of this type of meat on hand- as we do now- you have to come up with clever and interesting ways to cook it to make it seem as though you’re not always eating the same thing.
I haven’t always been fond of making lamb chops, though. I avoided cooking it for years because of a guilty association I had with it since childhood, coming from an occasion I vividly recall:
My father used to take me to many fine restaurants as a child, so I grew up with a willingness and interest in trying a plethora of unique cuisines. One time while vacationing in Florida we visited a Greek restaurant. As a pre-teen, I found myself old enough to make my own decision from the menu and confidently told the waiter I would be ordering the lamb chops. They were delicious.
They were also very expensive- $17.95 for just a couple of chops! That’s pricey nowadays. Imagine back then…
I didn’t know what “market price” meant at the time and didn’t bother to ask. No one questioned me, either. License to eat? I thought so…
Hopefully I’m forgiven for it. Dad, I’m sure I owe you more than just a lamb chop dinner.
At least I can make my own now…
Lamb Chops in Creamy Mint Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 medium-size lamb chops
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoon whole milk
one handful of freshly cut mint
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a large oven-proof sauté pan, heat olive oil.
- Salt and pepper both side of the chops.
- Add lamb to sauté pan and cook on one side until the meat easily turns over without any pulling or tearing, approximately 3-4 minutes. Do the same to the other side.
- Put entire pan into the middle rack of the oven (be sure there are no handles on your pan that will melt in the oven).
- Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven (make sure to use thick potholders or oven gloves because the metal handle will be extremely hot).
- Add whipping cream, milk and mint to pan by simply pouring into the bottom of the pan, not on top of the meat.
- Return pan to oven and continue to roast for an additional five minutes, or until meat is thoroughly cooked on the inside. Be sure to keep an eye on the sauce if you decide to cook for longer than five minutes. It will begin to curdle and burn if kept too long in the oven.
Bismillah and Bon Appetit!
