Take lime and mint, the classics of the mojito, and combine them with strawberry and watermelon, for a cooling summer beverage.

Strawberry Watermelon Mojito

Just a quick fly-by since I promised to post this in the 4th of July recipes post.  My computer is runnin' slow as Moses tonight anyway. I'm pretty sure its memory is a bit sluggish and I know how it feels.

A refreshing summer beverage, that borrows the classic lime and mint of the mojito and marries it with strawberry and watermelon - a great adult cocktail for any summer celebration.

Here's how to make one.

Grilled chicken is first brined in a salt water solution, then given a light rub, and finally glazed with a root beer reduction.

Root Beer Glazed Drumsticks

I have been wanting to get a root beer glaze up for awhile and finally got around to it - just in time for the 4th! You can use whatever chicken parts you prefer, drumsticks just happen to be my most favorite part of the chicken - so juicy, tender, and full of flavor, especially with a brine.

4th of July Menu Ideas and Recipes

Check out my newly updated page of July 4th menu ideas and recipes - just pop by right here to view the list!

I can't believe that it's almost the 4th of July!!  Course the fireworks have been popping around my house ever since the stands opened a few weeks back.  Last year we had a front row seat on a boat in the Gulf to watch the Biloxi firework display and I hope the oil in the Gulf and the weather from tropical storm Hurricane Alex doesn't interfere with our view this year.

Here are a few of my favorite hand picked recipes you might want to consider if you're still looking for menu ideas for your celebration.  There's plenty more in the archives under the "Past Post Archive" over there in the right hand sidebar, and also in my e-Cookbook - though I confess I'm a bit behind in updating those manual links. 

Bow tie pasta, onion, bell pepper, celery and black olives with seasoned boiled shrimp, dressed with a creamy mayonnaise and mustard vinegar dressing.

Shrimp with Bow Tie Pasta Salad

This pasta salad recipe for shrimp with bow tie pasta is hands down one of my summertime favorites, but honestly it is great for any time of the year. It's a great dish to make when you need something for a potluck, church social, and any party you have in mind.

A lovely pimento cheese made with roasted red peppers.

Roasted Red Pepper Pimento Cheese

I don't what it is about pimento cheese, but I sure love it.

Yeah, I even like the stuff in the little containers in the refrigerator case at the market, though I admit, homemade is so much more delicious, and just super easy to throw together.

A southern favorite, and of course, like most traditional and old fashioned recipes, every southern cook has their own way of making it too. I happen to have a couple of my own, but I love this one that replaces those little jars of chopped pimiento peppers with flavorful roasted red peppers.

Introducing House-Autry Mills

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Whew y'all, it has been the dog days of summer around here for sure.  You know that sun is beating down when you have to put on sunscreen to take out the trash for pete's sake!  Well, who couldn't use a little bit of help to cut down on time in the kitchen, and House-Autry is a sure bet to get supper on the table in record time and with practically zero effort too!

I was introduced to House-Autry Mills products by my dear friend Christy over at Southern Plate, when she asked if I would be interested in partnering with her to try the products and share my experiences with them. Well, imagine my surprise when I received this gorgeous basket, chock full of a variety of the House-Autry Mills products, and a few nice kitchen goodies thrown in.

Weekend Cocktails - Watermelon Pomegranate Rum Cooler

Chunks of watermelon along with pomegranate juice, grenadine, lemon-lime soda and rum, makes for a great adult beverage.

Watermelon Pomegranate Rum Cooler

I have talked before about the benefits of pomegranate juice and specifically the quality of POM Wonderful brand of pomegranate since being introduced to it last year. Back in the fall, I made several recipes using POM, so I was delighted when the POM Wonderful folks offered to send me another case to try some summer recipes. Loaded with powerful antioxidants and frankly pretty great just straight up, if you haven't gotten around to trying POM Wonderful, you should!

 

A tender, fluffy sweet buttermilk cobbler dough, dropped like dumplings into freshly stewed blackberries and topped with homemade whipped cream.

Iron Skillet Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler

When I was in what we used to call junior high school, it's hard to believe now, but we actually used to walk home from school a lot.  It wasn't that we didn't have an easier way home - we certainly did - but there was something much more peaceful about that long, casual stroll from school to home than there was riding in that hot, smelly bus.

Eggs are dropped into a bed of fiery tomato sauce, made from fresh tomatoes paired with chunky Rotel and enhanced with bacon, onion and sweet bell peppers, and then passed in the oven to set, topped with cheese and served over cheese grits.

Eggs in Purgatory

Eggs in Purgatory is one of those recipes that I consider to be a lost classic. You don't hear about it much anymore, though thanks to us bloggers, it seems to be making a resurgence in the past couple of years.

I see folks doing it all the time, but I have never been one to put ketchup on eggs, though I do love them with salsa, especially in a breakfast wrap. I absolutely adore these Eggs in Purgatory though, done up in a bed of thick and spicy creole tomato sauce. They are just delicious!

Father's Day Menu Ideas

Photo Credit: The Daily Green

Need some ideas to put together a great Father's Day meal? Be sure to check my newest, updated menu of great Father's Day recipes by clicking right here!