Peach, Blackberry, Colada Popsicles

Posted By: Christian (Audra’s daughter)

I live in Texas, and here summer is dreadfully hot! The temperature always seems to be a steamy hundred degrees. Here it is not safe to go outside without a bottle of water, because the fear of dehydration is serious. Ok… I may be exaggerating a little, but not by much. Us Texan’s have to find ways to keep cool during summer, and my peach blackberry colada popsicles will do just the trick! This popsicle is very refreshing after yard work, a work out, or just being outside in general. Hey, they are even enjoyable after a walk around the house, because even my house seems toasty in this sun!

Makes about 10-12 popsicles

Ingredients:

Peach layer
2 Cups frozen peaches thawed
3-4 TBS SO Delicious Coconut Milk: Vanilla Creamer
1 TBS of Simple Syrup (recipe below)

Blackberry layer
2 Cups frozen blackberries thawed
3-4 TBS So Delicious Coconut Milk: Vanilla Creamer
1 TBS of Simple Syrup (recipe below)

Colada layer
1/2 cup fresh pineapple cubed
3/4 cup canned coconut milk
1/4 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk: Vanilla Creamer
remainder of the simple syrup

Simple Syrup
1/4 cup + 1 TBS sugar
1/4 cup + 1 TBS water

In a small sauce pan combine sugar and water over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Set the Simple Syrup aside for later use.

Directions:

Method to unthaw fruit fast: Being the innovative person I am, I put the frozen peaches and blackberries in separate bowls, covered the bowls with foil, and placed them outside to let the hundred degree sun thaw the fruit. Takes about a full hour to a hour and a half.

Place thawed peaches, So Delicious Coconut Milk: Vanilla Creamer, and 1 TBS of Simple Syrup in a blender and blend until pureed. Pour the peach puree into into popsicle molds, I poured about 1-2 TBS of puree in each mold, and DO NOT place the sticks in until the second layer. Place in the freezer and let the peach layer freeze for an hour or until the peach layer is mostly frozen. By doing this it ensures your popsicles will have defined layers.

Next, place thawed blackberries, So Delicious Coconut Milk: Vanilla Creamer, and 1TBS of Simple Syrup into the blender and blend until pureed. If you would like to remove the seeds as I did, place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour blackberry mixture into the fine mesh strainer and  work the mixture through the strainer with a spoon. Once seeds are removed, pour the blackberry layer into the popsicle molds, I poured about 1-2 TBLS of puree into each mold. Now place sticks in the molds and place back into the freezer for about an hour, or until the blackberry layer is slightly frozen.

Now, place pineapple, So Delicious Coconut Milk: Vanilla Creamer, Coconut Milk, and the remainder of the simple syrup into the blender and blend until all combined. Pour the colada mixture into the remaining space of the popsicle molds. Place in the freezer and allow popsicles to freeze for about 4 hours or until completely frozen.

Enjoy!

Shredded Chicken Quesadillas

Last week I posted my homemade chicken stock and shredded chicken recipe, click here if you missed the post. So today I am going to share an amazing recipe for Shredded Chicken Quesadillas. It is definitely the shredded chicken that makes this recipe so fresh. The chicken is so tender and full of flavor. I know you are ready for the recipe so lets get started... 



This recipe serves 2-4, but definitely double the recipe if needed.

Ingredients:
olive oil
4 taco size flour tortillas
1 1/4 cups shredded chicken
click here for my homemade shredded chicken recipe
chili powder (to taste)
cumin (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)
corn salsa, recipe below
fresh chopped cilantro (to taste)
shredded colby jack cheese

Corn Salsa
2/3 cup corn frozen or fresh
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 TBS shallots, finely chopped
olive oil

In a small sauté pan warm 1 TBS of olive oil over medium heat.  Add corn, bell peppers, and shallots. Combine all ingredients and sauté for about 5 minutes. Set aside for the chicken quesadillas.

Directions:
First heat and lightly oil your griddle or pan over medium heat, adjust heat as needed. Divide ingredients between two tortillas. Layer your toppings: cheese, shredded chicken, sprinkles of chili powder, sprinkles of cumin, corn salsa, fresh cilantro, and finally your last layer of cheese on the first tortilla. Top with the additional tortilla and cook until the cheese is melted and the bottom tortilla is golden brown. Now carefully flip the quesadilla with a spatula and allow the other side to lightly brown while gently pressing down on the top of the tortilla.

Slice the quesadillas in 4 equal sections and serve with a side salad, a dollop of sour cream, chips, and salsa. These yummy quesadillas also pair well with my
pico de gallo and creamy avocado dip.

Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Stock & Shredded Chicken

Today I am going to share my recipe for homemade chicken stock and shredded chicken. I will be honest, in the past I rarely made homemade chicken stock unless it was around the holidays. I often bought the organic chicken stock cartons from the grocery store because it was one last thing I had to do in the kitchen. Well things have recently changed because of my daughter's diet and I now have to make homemade chicken stock for all my recipes that require chicken stock.

My daughter is 16 years old and has suffered from severe migraines since the 8th grade and it has been one awful ride. We have tried everything from chiropractic care to migraine preventatives and nothing seem to truly work, until one doctor at a urgent care clinic suggested a low tyramine diet. I have never even heard of this diet before we stepped into this clinic. My daughter was not happy and thrilled at first, but she was so fed up with the pain and sickness that accommodated these migraine episodes that she was willing to give it a try.

I can not tell you how wonderful it has been! She is off her preventives, no more sickness, and no migraines, all because of her diet! I am amazed! Here is a link to a low tyramine diet that we follow religiously.

http://www.headaches.org/pdf/Diet.pdf

Below is a link to hidden MSG in your food

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html
(I have not found a safe shelved organic chicken broth that does not have yeast extract. This was a huge migraine source for my daughter.)

I will be truthful, I am cooking more than I ever have and out to eat options are very limited, but the results have been tremendous!

I know you are ready for the recipe, so let's get started...

I used:
3 lbs whole organic chicken
10 springs of thyme
4 sprigs of rosemary
2 bay leafs
5 stalks of celery
3 medium carrots
4 whole shallots
5 garlic cloves
1/2 TBS of whole peppercorns
1 tsp kosher salt

This batch made 3- 32 oz containers of broth and approximately 4 cups of shredded chicken.



Please do not feel limited to my ingredients, homemade chicken broth is basically fool proof. You can use any variety of herbs, vegetables and seasonings. Although celery, carrots, and onions should be a must.

Directions:
Take the chicken out of the packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Sometimes a whole chicken may have a giblet package or the kidneys left on the inside, so be sure to remove those before cooking. Place the chicken in a large stock pot and fill with enough water to just cover the chicken. Next, add all the herbs, vegetables, and seasonings. Cover and simmer for at least 2 hours.

When the chicken is ready (falling apart tender). Remove the whole chicken from the pot with tongs. I use a pie plate to place the chicken on.  Once the chicken is cool enough, remove skin, shred and debone. Use the shredded chicken in any recipe you desire. This shredded chicken goes really well in my
Chicken Enchiladas with a Cream of Jalapeno Sauce!



Once you remove the chicken from the broth place a large bowl in a ice bath in the sink. Then place a fine mesh strainer over the bowl and slowly pour the broth over the strainer.



Now that your broth has cooled let it set in the fridge overnight. This will allow the fat to be easily removed. As you can see below the fat rises to the top and hardens. Remove and discard the fat with a slotted spoon.



Now you are ready to store the chicken broth in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When freezing only fill liquids to the bottom line.



If you are looking for awesome freezer storage containers such as these, I bought my from amazon. Click on the picture below and it will lead you straight to the page where you can purchase these wonderful containers. I absolutely love mine and do not only use them for broth, but they are great for freezing soups too. I use the smaller ones for freezing left overs and it works great on nights when I don't have anything planned!

3 Ingredient- Blackberry Mint Spritzer

As you can see mint is exploding in my garden and what better way to use it than in a Blackberry Mint Spritzer.



This refreshing summer time drink was initially designed by my lovely daughter, she is the drink and cupcake creator of the family! She is still in school this week, but wanted me to get this post up for everyone to enjoy :) I love all the combinations of this Blackberry Mint Spritzer, it is perfect for a warm summer night. I hope you and your family will enjoy this wonderful drink at your next outdoor gathering.

Ingredients:
1- 2 liter of Sprite (or any other soda that is similar)
Place Sprite in the freezer for an hour or refrigerate overnight.
1/2 cup fresh mint, packed
2 1/4 cup of fresh blackberries

Directions:
In a blender combine blackberries and mint, blend until well combined. Then slowly pour the soda in a gallon size pitcher. Place a fine mesh strainer over the pitcher and slowly pour the blackberry mixture into the strainer. Work the mixture through the strainer with a spoon to remove the blackberry seeds. Once the blackberry mixture has been strained stir slowly to combine all flavors. Then serve over ice and garnish with additional mint and blackberries.

Enjoy!