WATERMELON, LIME & MINT CORDIAL: Double Duty, dairy free, low-sugar

Healthy, cooling, refreshing...delicately delicious with or without alcohol...

Watermelon, lime & mint Cordial
'lovely cooling refreshing drink'

 
Everyone loves watermelon, especially when it's ripe and sweet.  But increasingly,   there's disappointment when you get it home and - whatever its price or provenance - it's underpowered and disappointing.

No one can afford to toss it in the bin but there aren't many things you can do with under-par watermelon.

Well, here's a solution...a low-sugar cordial topped up with alcohol or fizzy water.

67goingon50 combined watermelon, lime and mint in this almost effortless cordial which can be combined with alcohol or fizzy water.  

It was inspired by a  combo of watermelon & lime stumbled on in a well-known fried chicken joint (don't ask!).

It was surprisingly nice though way too sweet.

67's version is low/no sugar and lovely in a long cool refreshing drink.

It must be made in advance.  The melon flesh is frozen and once blitzed into a slush, left overnight for flavours to deepen.

It's perfect for a small household or a crowd and it will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days.

Cost: maybe £2'ish depending on the source of the watermelon

Serves: 3-4 but multiplies easily

Ingredients

Watermelon Nectar: 

half a watermelon (you won't need all of it)

330g/11.5x oz frozen watermelon (peel removed)

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

3 good-sized leaves mint (no twigs), very finely sliced

1tsp-1tbsp maple syrup/sugar if needed

                      

Method:

WHITE CHOCOLATE BLONDIES, indulgence

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for the latest grocery/food news

and tips on turning economy food into tasty satisfying dishes

Lovely tray-baked version of chocolate chip cookies... 

Indulgent Blondies stuffed with white chocolate chunks & walnuts

Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies and no one ever turns down a brownie.  Blondies combines the two in a quick and easy traybake.

The recipe, from tv chef INA GARTEN, is very popular in the States.

Part of its appeal come from ease of preparation -- just mix & slide into the oven -- no fussing with spoons or hinged ice cream scoops.  

When temperatures are as high as they are right now, it's great knowing they can be whipped up quickly in the cool of early morning or late evening.

Like brownies and chocolate chip cookies, there's not much you can do to make Blondies healthier.   But 67 tried.  Half the white flour was replaced with self-raising brown to add fibre.  The huge amount of chocolate recommended was also reduced.

The blondies are very rich.  Portions are smaller than normal, making the recipe go further.  

They are perfect for a crowd and I await comments from the the numerous volunteers working on a by-election campaign, for whom this was made.

Blondies keep very well up to 3 days - if they last that long.  They can be frozen but the quality drops a tad.

(See review of Cherry Blondies, with cherries replacing some white chocolate chips,   below)

Cost: £5'ish

Feeds: a crowd

Ingredients

222g/8oz room temperature unsalted butter 

155gr/5.5oz light brown sugar lightly packed

106gr/3.75oz granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Two extra large (or 2.5 regular) room temperature eggs

144g/5oz all-purpose flour

144g/5oz self-raising brown flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

125g/4.4oz walnuts

200-300g/7-10.5oz white chocolate chunks

Method:

PENSIONERS' DELIGHT: BUTTERMILK UN-FRIED CHICKEN:

A healthy twist on buttermilk fried-chicken:

(Un)fried buttermilk chicken in challah rolls: an impressive portable lunch
'Crunchy creamy chicken.' 'Where's the fat? Chicken is usually full of fat!'  Tasters

photo 21/9/16

Note: this recipe needs to be marinated overnight

American inspired buttermilk chicken, gloriously crisp and crunchy, is popular picnic food.  But usually deep-fried, it's high in fat and so, so bad for you.

This version, created by 67goingon50 is low-fat/cholesterol, not fried but prepped and baked to ensure a crispy shell. 

Even supermarket chicken tastes excellent and has fabulous texture; chicken within is tender and succulent .  

Buttermilk Chicken can be served hot with steamed green beans, potato wedges and Iceberg Lettuce topped with Skinny Thousand Island Dressing.

Or it makes perfect portable food, eaten by hand or stuffed into salad-filled rolls and served with 15-Minute Smashed Potato Salad.  

Both 67 tasters preferred the chicken without bread, whether hot or cold. 

But the Blogger tested the crunchy fillets in challah rolls (from Jewish bakeries)* and the contrast with the pillow-y, slightly sweet bread was exceptional.  

However it's eaten, Buttermilk Un-fried Chicken will appeal to young or old. 

Coventional buttermilk chicken uses flour to coat but oven-baking requires finely    blitzed breadcrumbs (fresh if poss using a stick or bowl blender) or ground almonds to maintain crunchiness.  

67's Buttermilk Chicken needs marinating at least 10 hours or overnight but is a doddle too prepare.   

*Roni's, Panzer's Deli

Cost: min £3.75'ish???  
Feeds: 4

Ingred: 

    4 large or 8 small chicken thighs, 2 large chicken legs or 4 chicken breasts

    250 ml buttermilk
    1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
    1/4 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp celery salt (opt)
    1/2 tsp pepper
    1/2 onion sliced
    1/2 tsp smoked paprika
    1/2 tsp cayenne

    seasoned finely ground breadcrumbs (67 used spelt) or ground almonds
    
garnish: iceberg lettuce, tomato slices

Method:

STRAWBERRIES 'N CREAM WITH A SWEET GINGER TWIST: Indulgence (incl dairy free option)

Strawberries 'n Cream but not as we know it, Jim...it's even better!

  Sophisticated twist on a classic: sweet ginger in syrup with ginger nuts  'Rather unexpected but stunning!' Taster 

Wimbledon season again!  

If you're not up to braving the crowds, there is nothing better than sitting in front of the telly, fan whirring gently in the background, with a bowl of strawberries and cream watching a fine match.

Strawberries are at their best now and found just about everywhere.  

Many of us will stick with the old favourites...slightly sugared berries floating in a sea of thick cream OR Eton mess with crushed meringues plus mashed strawberries and their juices mixed into thickly whipped cream.

But 67goingon50 presents another variation to tempt the tastebuds: Strawberries 'N Cream with Sweet Ginger.

It's rather delectable and has an intriguing tasty twist.

67 nearly always has a jar of ginger in syrup in the cupboard; it lasts forever and adds a jolt of unexpected deliciousness when used in biscuits, cakes or puddings.  (See How to Use..Fresh Ginger Root, bottom of page).  They're found in Waitrose & M&S among others.

Cost: £5.00'ish (7/23)

Feeds: 2-3; recipe halves easily

Ingredients:

generous 1.5 coffee mug fresh strawberries

1-2 med balls ginger from syrup

1-2 tbsp syrup from the jar

half a dozen ginger nut biscuits

200ml double or whipping cream or plant cream

200gm plain Greek/Icelandic yoghurt

1/3 tsp powdered ginger

1 scant tablespoon sugar

Method:

Equipment: regular plastic wine glasses (from Nisbets online -they can be washed and re-used several times) or similar sized pretty glasses