Product Review: IZZE, Sparkling Peach

♥a.k.a my favorite IZZE drink!♥

Love this one, I'd like to drink it every day! :) Nice and tangy! Very natural peach flavor, almost wild tasting.

And it reminds me of something from my childhood. Can't quite put my finger on what it is though.

Product Review: Izze Soda Pop!

Love Izze!

It's basically sparkling juice, no sweeteners added! I think that's Mom and Dad's favorite part :P The girls just love the taste. (that sounded like a commercial LOL!). Very simple and natural ingredients, and it comes in glass bottles, neato! You can check out the flavors that are available and see all the nutritional facts on their website, izze.com.

Sparking Peach is my favorite flavor (or course!). In the photos Vi and Lib are enjoying Izze Esque Black Raspberry (esque is the lower calorie version), which they both said tasted yummy!

It's available all over the place, but I would say that the best deal I've seen is the bulk size box at Costco.

Recipe Review; Mock Champagne

I'm not really into making the non-alcoholic versions of alcoholic drinks. But I found recipe in an old Betty Crocker cookbook, and the name 'Mock Champagne' just caught my fancy.
It was nice. If you like apple juice and bubbles, than you would probably enjoy this. It's a very simple recipe and the soda pop could easily be substituted with carbonated water for a little healthier version.
The only thing is, it needs to be enjoyed right away, the bubbles soon expire. But a possible solution would be to store a pitcher of plain apple juice in the fridge, and then whenever it's wanted you could fill a glass, 2/3 soda pop - 1/3 apple juice.

Mock Champagne Cocktail
Betty Crocker's Cookbook; Text Edition
7 oz. lemon-lime carbonated beverage, chilled
1/2 cups apple juice
3 thin slices lemon
Just before serving, mix carbonated beverage and apple juice. Serve in stemmed glasses with lemon slice in each.
3 Servings.

I used a can of soda pop, and it was actually 12 oz., so I just doubled the apple juice and made 6 servings.

We really like our old cookbooks. They're like a history book, you can learn so much about past cultures from them.

Recipe Review; Picnic Punch

Ahhh, pineapple and orange juice. I simply love good pineapple and good oranges. I like it so much, sometimes I get sores in my mouth from (I think) too much vitamin C.

The cranberry, pineapple and oranges all went well together. I think I might skip the lemon next time, and add a little bit of sweetener. I really want to try stevia. Also, carbonated water might be something to try, instead of the ginger ale.
Of course, after adding the ginger ale, gotta serve right away, otherwise the bubbles get spent. But if you mix just the juices then it could be stored in the fridge and a cup could be mixed anytime desired.

Picnic Punch
(I have forgotten what recipe book this was from, but as soon as I figure that out, I'll mention it here)
2 qt.. cranberry juice
3 cups pineapple juice
3 cups orange juice
1/4 cups lemon juice
1 liter ginger ale, chilled
1 medium navel orange
Combine the juices in a large container, refrigerate. Just before serving stir in ginger ale and orange slices.
Yields: 5 qt.

Recipe Review: Orange Juice Cocktail

Now this is a teetotaling blog! We don't tolerate any recipes with alcoholic beverages! So don't stop reading at "cocktail" Hehe! :D

Orange Juice Cocktail
2c. orange juice
1/2c. sugar
2T. lemon juice
Ginger ale (iced)
Mix sugar, orange juice and lemon juice and freeze to a mush.
When ready to serve, half fill fruit juice glasses with frozen mixture. Open a bottle of Ginger ale and pour over the frozen fruit juice, filling the glasses. Serve immediately as the first course for luncheon or dinner. It may be served in the living room.

Both Rebecca and I thought this would be a terrific substitute for dessert, on a hot humid day etc. (I was imagining a barbecue :D) It's like a float with, the pop and how the frozen orange juice rises to the top.

Ginger ale is good, but I'm curious to try club soda or sprite? I imagine the club soda might need more sweetening. Going along on that train of thought, wouldn't substituting the orange juice with grape be good?! There are many possibilities.

I think this cocktail is better served to small groups, since the frozen juice melts quickly.

You don't need to worry about it being a mush when you are ready to serve. I let it freeze for most the day. The juice was solid when I took it out, all I had to do was scrape it with a fork, It wasn't difficult! The juice could probably be frozen for a week or more, just take it out when ready.

Isn't Rebecca a great photographer?

Note: This delicious recipe is from Everyday Foods. The same book as below! :D

Recipe Review: Mint Punch

Mint Punch
1 c. sugar
1 c. fresh mint leaves (crushed)
2 c. water
Juice from 6 lemons (which is about 3T each)

Ginger ale

Make a sirup of the sugar and water. Add crushed mint leaves to the hot sirup and let stand until cool. Strain. Add the juice of six lemons.

Fill 1/3 of each glass with the mint-sugar sirup, add crushed ice and fill with ginger ale. Stir well, and serve immediately. Carbonated or plain water can be used instead of ginger ale. A sprig of fresh mint in each glass is attractive. -Everyday Foods, by Harris - Lacey

If you've ever tried mint-lemonade, than you already have a pretty good idea how this punch tastes. Now, I don't know if everyone else felt, or feels, this way, but when I first heard of mint-lemonade, I wasn't very enthusiastic, mint and lemon just didn't mix in my mind. But I was pleasantly surprised, it was actually quite nice.

This punch is like a carbonated version. And it was very tasty, but maybe just a tad sweet for me. And I think I would showcase the mint a little more, so less of the lemon. We definitely want to try it with the plain carbonated water, as suggested.

And here is the book it came from. I'm not sure where we picked it up, but we are always on the look out for old "how-to" books. Everyday Foods, is by Jessie W. Harris and Elisabeth Lacey Speer, and was written for

high-school students. So it's not just a recipe book, it also has a bunch of great info on preserving and storing food, a balanced diet, planning menus, etc.