Fun "Viernes" Friday

With so many events to celebrate this weekend, from College Graduation to Cinco de Mayo we had to give you some great "adult beverage" recipes.

Corona-Rita
Ingredients:
7 oz of frozen Corona (pour a 7 oz frozen Corona into ice trays or popsicle molds)
1 1/2 oz tequila
Squeeze of lime juice

Start by pouring a 7 oz bottle of Corona into an ice tray or popsicle mold. Once frozen, dump the frozen blocks or cubes of Corona into the blender. Add 1 1/2 oz of tequila and a squeeze of lime juice. Blend together and garnish with a lime slice. This recipe is a fun refreshing twist on a normal margarita. If you use a 12 oz Corona, double the tequila to 3 oz.

Margarita Ice Pops Recipe

Ingredients
yields 2 cups (16 oz) of batter
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup tequila
3 T. triple sec
3/4 cup water

Directions
1) Combine lemon juice and lime juice in a bowl. Add sugar and whisk until completely dissolved.

2) Add tequila, triple sec, and water. Stir until combined.

3) Pour into pop molds or dixie cups. If you are using dixie cups then cut a small square of tin foil for each cup. Secure foil over the top of each cup and puncture with a knife. Insert Popsicle stick into the hole. This will keep the stick from moving, falling, etc. while the pops set up in the freezer.

4) Freeze for at least 6 hours. Serve with a pinch of salt on top and a lime wedge... ¡Salud!

http://www.cookingbymoonlight.com/2012/05/margarita-ice-pops.html

 

Man Dip - Husband Approved Cheese Dip

16oz block 2% Velveeta

2 - 12.5oz cans white chunk chicken, drained (or two cooked chicken breasts, chopped)

1 package taco seasoning

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 - 14 oz can original Rotel (don't drain)

8 oz fat free sour cream

2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 Tb diced jarred jalapenos

Turn crock pot on high. Cut the Velveeta in to small chunks and place in the crock pot to start melting. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring to combine. It will take a little while for the cheese to melt and for everything to incorporate. Continue checking and stirring until desired thickness is achieved.
*To speed things up, place cubed Velveeta in a microwave safe bowl and microwave before transferring to slow cooker and adding remaining ingredients.

-Denea Duran

Fun Friday

This month has been full of events around the community that SERVPRO has participated in. I thought that I would make FUN FRIDAY extra special today.  Here is a blog filled with delicious recipes.




Skinny Low-fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 12 • Size: 2 cookies • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 170.7 • Fat: 5.0 g • Protein: 1.4 g • Carb: 34.5 g • Fiber: 1.4 g • Sugar: 25.4 g
Sodium: 113.1 mg

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp apple sauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line two cookie sheets with non-stick silicone baking liners or lightly spray cookie sheets with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt and stir to blend. In another bowl, whisk the sugars, butter, egg white, applesauce and vanilla together until light and fluffy.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions until the batter is very well blended. If the batter looks more “crumbly” than smooth, add just a drop of water at a time (ONLY if needed) until it smooths out.

Fold in chocolate chips.
 
Drop by level spoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto baking sheets.

Bake 8 - 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let them stand 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the pans to cool on wire racks.
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/08/best-low-fat-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Quesadillas

4 medium-sized flour tortilla shells
1 lb chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
1/2 cup scallions, diced
8 strips of bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 avocado, diced
mild cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tbsp butter
Arrange bacon on a cooling rack (like for cookies) and set it on top of sheet pan. If you don’t have a cooling rack, you can just put the bacon straight on the sheet pan. Or in a 9×13 baking dish. Either way will work. Place bacon in a cold oven, turn heat to 400, and cook 15 mins per side.
Add 1/2 tbsp bacon drippings to a skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and saute about 2-3 mins until softened. Add the chicken in a single layer, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 5 mins or until chicken is golden and cooked through, flipping just once during cooking. Remove the chicken and scallions to a plate and rinse out the skillet.
Add about 1/2 tbsp butter to the skillet over medium heat. When foamy, add a tortilla and swirl it around to get it nice and buttery. Layer one side of the tortilla with chicken, bacon, avocado, and a little cheese. Use tongs to flip the other half of the tortilla over and press down. Cook the tortilla for about 1-2 mins on each side or until golden brown and crispy.
Repeat with the rest of the tortillas, adding a little more butter for each tortilla as needed. Eat & enjoy!
Makes 4 quesadillas.


Read More http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/cheesy-chicken-bacon-avocado-quesadillas.html#ixzz1tGYylXt4


There is just one more recipe I wanted to share with you guys!
I got this recipe from 'The Chew" on ABC. Hope you all enjoy!

 Mama T's Baked Ziti with Eggplant 


We've Made Cooking As Easy As 1-2-3!

• step 1
  ingredients 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  instructionsFor the Eggplant: Preheat the oil to 350F.
• step 2
  ingredients 1 Eggplant
  Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
  instructions Cut the eggplant into rounds about 1/2-inch-thick dice. Saute in olive oil until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• step 3
  ingredients 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  1 Onion (diced)
  2 cloves Garlic (minced)
  2 28-oz can San Marzano Whole Tomatoes (crushed)
  Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
  Fresh Basil
  instructionsFor the Marinara Sauce: In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 90 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook and reduce slightly for about a half hour. Top with fresh basil.
• step 4
  ingredients
  instructionsFor the Assembly: Preheat oven to 350F.
• step 5
  ingredients 1 pound Ziti
  instructions Cook the ziti to half of the time on the package instructions.
• step 6
  ingredients 1 pound Mozzarella (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
  instructions In a bowl, toss together the ziti, mozzarella, and half of the marinara sauce.
• step 7
  ingredients Pecorino Romano
  instructions On the bottom of a casserole, create a bed of the eggplant. Grate pecorino over the eggplant and then top with half of the sauced ziti mixture. Grate more pecorino over the ziti mixture, then cover with another layer of the eggplant rounds. Add the remaining sauced ziti mixture. Cover with the remaining sauce and grate pecorino generously over the top.
• step 8
  ingredients
  instructions Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and melted.
•       http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Baked-Ziti-Eggplant-Mamma-T

-Denea Duran

Fun Friday

If you're like me, April 1st is considered one of your favorite holidays! Here are 10 harmless pranks!

1. Fingernail polish spill- take a piece of wax paper and a bottle of fingernail polish that you don't mind sacrificing for the cause. Spill out contents onto paper, let dry, peel paper off, and leave on victim's clothing or an important document. You may want to do this one a week in advance. It takes quite a while for the polish to dry. I'd recommend using quick-dry nail polish and a hairdryer. If your "spill" doesn't peel off the wax paper very well, just cut around it as close to the edges as possible.

3. Blue teeth/ numb mouth- put a small drop of food coloring in center of toothbrush. Make sure to use the same color as the bristles. ALSO, you could put some oragel numbing gel deep in the base of the bristles.

4. Superglue shampoo lid shut. It will make them have to unscrew the lid.

5. Soap that won't lather- paint soap with clear fingernail polish and leave in the shower!

6.Glue end of toilet paper roll onto itself so victim can't find it!

7. Glued-shut card- make a nice card for someone you owe a "thanks" to. Glue it shut so they can't open it.

8. Vaseline door knob- place a hidden glob under the door handle. This is my ultimate favorite prank!

9. Place piles of confetti on top of ceiling fan blades so when it turns on, surprise! This one would be fun for somone's birthday, too!

10. Plastic wrap shampoo/salt shaker- Unscrew lids, place a small piece of plastic wrap over opening, replace lid, and tear off the excess evidence.

Have fun and if you have any prank suggestions feel free to leave a comment!




Of course, it would not be Fun Friday if I did not have a recipe to for you to try. Since Easter is fastly approaching, we need to get in the Holiday spirt. I hope you all enjoy this great recipe!

Coconut Cream Marshmallow Eggs

Yield: 26 to 30 eggs

Ingredients

• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 T. butter, at room temperature
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1 c. marshmallow creme
• 3 c. flake coconut
• 2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 T. shortening

Preparation

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, marshmallow creme, and coconut, stirring to blend completely. Refrigerate mixture for 1 hour. Then use your hands to mold the coconut mixture into egg shapes. I rolled about a tablespoon of coconut mixture into a ball, laid it on a baking sheet lined with wax paper, and then flattened the ball a bit and shaped it into an egg. Once your pan is full, place it in the freezer or refrigerator for an hour or two to firm up.

Melt chocolate chips and shortening over very low heat. Place melted chocolate in a small but deep bowl. Remove a few coconut eggs at a time from the freezer and dip them into the chocolate mixture. I like to use a fork to remove them from the chocolate...just pick up the egg on top of the fork's tines, gently tap any excess chocolate off, and then slide the bottom of the fork out over the edge of your bowl to remove excess chocolate underneath the egg. Return the chocolate coated egg to the wax paper. Refrigerate again to set. Store in the refrigerator.

-Denea Duran

Content Credit: http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2012/03/23/chocolate-coconut-cream-marshmallow-eggs/

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

                    CAN I PLEASE HAVE THE CUPCAKE? IT'S VALENTINES DAY!

For those who haven't met Luna....This is our SERVPRO MASCOT! Let's just say she is quite the character and definitely gave me a big welcome my first day at the office. How could you not love her? Look at her!

Today I was planning to blog about how to prevent a fire in your home/ business, but there will be plenty of time for that later. First, we need to pay a respectable tribute to VALENTINES DAY!  To me, this holiday means celebrating love. Not just celebrating love with a significant other, but with friends/family and community! When I was young, my mom would give us baskets with our favorite things ranging from movies, CD’s, to our favorite foods! So, since we consider our blog followers as friends of SERVPRO, I thought it would only be right to share a great recipe with you! I definitely have a sweet tooth and can eat tons of chocolate,  so take my advice on this one-- it's YUMMMY! ENJOY!

 

Mint Oreo Truffles   

Ingredients

■1 package mint Oreo cookies

■1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)

■12 oz. white chocolate

■2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil (optional)

■1 teaspoon peppermint extract

■green food coloring

Directions

1. Finely crush 5 cookies in a food processor or place them in a ziploc bag and crush into a fine consistency. Reserve for later.

2. Crush remaining cookies and stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together.

3. Roll the mixture into 1″ balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet in freezer for at least 15 minutes.

4. Melt chocolate in a double boiler, or in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, ensuring the bowl does not touch the surface of the water. Remove from heat, and stir in peppermint extract. Add green food coloring until desired shade of green is reached. If your brand of white chocolate melts a little thicker, you can use vegetable oil to thin it.  (Folks have told me they’ve also tried almond bark and candy melts to BAD results. The peppermint seizes the whole mixture. So please, only use white chocolate!)

5. Dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry. Sprinkle the tops with the 5 crushed cookies for decoration.

6. Once dry, refrigerate and enjoy!

 

Content, Image Credit: http://amandeleine.com/2011/09/22/mint-oreo-truffles/

-Denea Duran