“Mixed Drink” for Family Night

Pepsi or Coke

Water

Ice

In a “special” juice-size glass, mix a small amount of Pepsi or Coke with water served over ice.

New Year’s Eve
“Mixed Drink”

Grape Juice

Ginger-Ale

In a juice-size glass, mix a small amount of grape juice with Ginger-Ale and serve over ice.

Lemonade

½ cup sugar

½ cup lemon juice from concentrate

3¼ cups cold water

Ice

In a pitcher, dissolve sugar in lemon juice; add water. Cover; chill. Serve over ice. For a slight variation: club soda can be substituted for water.
Or, try 2 – 3 drops of peppermint extract to make a minted lemonade. Or, increase sugar to ¾ cup. In a blender, purée 1 quart fresh strawberries (cleaned and hulled); add to lemonade.

Sun Tea

6 – 8 tea bags (we use decaf)

12 cups (1½ quarts) water

Mixed Drink, anybody?

When we were small kids, a “mixed drink” was a glass of water mixed with a small amount of Pepsi or Coke—just enough to color the water and deceive us into thinking we were drinking the real thing! (In truth, mom and dad believed sodas were bad for little kids—too much sugar and caffeine—and thus limited the amount we could drink.)

The “mixed drink” was served on Family Night, along with popcorn that dad made in our old popcorn maker—not in the microwave, like it is today.

The “mixed drink” concept was not without its controversy:

One night, mom and dad went out for the evening and an older lady from the neighborhood babysat. As she was getting the children ready for bed, Brian (who was about 5 or 6 at the time) demanded that he get his “mixed drink” before going to sleep. Well, she was absolutely appalled!

Right as mom and dad came through the door, she said, “I am so disappointed in you as parents and I won’t baby sit for you anymore!”

“Why?” mom asked.

“I can’t believe you would give your children MIXED DRINKS!”

Mom calmly explained to her what a “mixed drink” was and that it was their fault for not telling her. But she was still very upset. Apparently, Brian was “very naughty” and wouldn’t obey her. Actually, he tried to explain to her what a “mixed drink” was, but she refused to listen to him!

Funky clothes that we wore…

Silk shirts

Fat ties

White, wide belts with matching white shoes

Bell bottoms

Clogs

Rugby shirts

Platform shoes

Shirts with large lapels

Strapless or spaghetti strap sun dresses

China shoes

Peasant blouses

Cut offs

Plaid polyester pants

Smocks

Striped turtle-necks, full around the collar

Plaid skirts, various lengths

Parkas

Wool plaid pants

Sailor outfits

Saddle shoes

Bib overalls

Skinny metallic belts

Vests

Shirts with hoods

Mom’s Lime Punch

9 bottles (7 ounces each) chilled lemon-lime drink

1 3-ounce package lime-flavored gelatin

2 cups hot pineapple juice

1 6-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate

Pour 2 bottles lemon-lime into ice cube tray. Freeze.

Dissolve gelatin in hot pineapple juice. Stir in lemonade. Cool. Just before serving, pour in punch bowl. Add remaining drinks and ice cubes.

Makes 20 (4-ounce) servings.

To decorate punch bowl with frosted grapes:

Grapes

1 egg white, slightly beaten

Sugar

1 – 2 Tbsp. cold water

Dip small bunches of grapes in egg white diluted with water, then in sugar. Allow to dry.

Mom’s Tea-riffic Punch

2 cups boiling water

8 tea bags

2 cups cold water

1 6-ounce can frozen Hawaiian punch concentrate

1 6-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate

1 bottle rosé wine, chilled

1 bottle sparkling burgundy, chilled

In a saucepan, bring water to a full rolling boil. Remove from heat. Immediately add tea. Brew 4 minutes. Stir and strain into a container holding an additional 2 cups cold water. Add frozen concentrates and rosé wine. Stir to blend. Chill until ready to serve. Pour into punch bowl and float a heart-shaped piece of ice. Add sparkling burgundy. Garnish with fruit.

Mom’s Party Punch

1 large can pineapple juice

1 large can orange drink

2 cans condensed frozen lemonade with water added (one quart water per each can)

1 pint pineapple sherbet

1 pint lemon sherbet

1 large bottle Ginger-Ale

Pour all ingredients above into a punch bowl except Ginger-Ale. Chill in refrigerator. When ready to serve, add Ginger-Ale and ice to the punch bowl, a little at a time. Serves 50.

Apple Wine

3 medium unpeeled cooking apples, cored and finely chopped (about 4 cups)

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. water

3 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces

4 whole cloves

3 cardamom pods, crushed

1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine

In a large saucepan, combine apples, sugar, and water. Cook over medium-low heat about 3 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Place spices in a small square of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string.

Add spice bundle and wine to apple mixture. Cook
5 minutes longer. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Place in a covered plastic bowl (not metallic) and refrigerate for 2 – 4 weeks.

Strain wine and pour into gift bottle. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 4 cups of wine.

Mom and Dad-speak…

“Get the lead out.” (move faster)

“Gotta make a pit stop.”

“It’s the nuts!” (translation: it’s really good)

“I got shafted.” Or, “I got snookered.”

“If you don’t quit that, I’m going to clobber you.”

Expletive: “What the hotel?!”

“Nip it in the bud.”

“He’s a bottomless pit.”

“Practice what you preach.”

“You’re a disaster!”

“Fit to be tied.”

“He doesn’t let any grass grow under his feet.”

“They’re not worth a tinkers darn.”

“You’re just a glutton for punishment.”

“This room is a shambles!”

“Growing old is for the birds.”

“You got your ears lowered.” (a haircut)

“Close, but no cigar.” Whatever that means

“Win one for the Gipper!”

“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

“The straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Live well, laugh often,
love much…

Jeaneane’s Mimosa

Champagne

Pineapple-orange juice, orange juice, or cranberry juice

In a champagne glass, pour half a glass of champagne, and the rest with your juice of choice. (Jeaneane prefers pineapple-orange juice.)

This is a very common drink for brunch, any time of the year, but especially around the holidays.

Janke Brandy Slush

7 cups water

2 cups sugar

4 cups water

4 bags green tea

1 12-ounce can frozen lime-ade

1 12-ounce can frozen orange juice

2 cups brandy, gin, or vodka

Boil 7 cups water/2 cups sugar. Cool and set aside.

In a separate pan, boil and then cool 4 cups water with the 4 bags green tea. Remove tea bags.

Then pour all together and include frozen lime-ade, orange juice and brandy (gin or vodka).

Freeze overnight. Scoop into glasses. Pour Sprite over it.

Note: To cut down on caffeine, I buy decaffeinated green tea bags. Also, if you’re short on time and can’t wait overnight for it to freeze, place slush into smaller containers vs. one large one. The slush mixture will freeze faster this way.

Spicy Hot Apple Cider

1 gallon of apple cider

½ cup honey

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

½ of a small can of frozen orange juice

¼ tsp. cinnamon oil (regular cinnamon is fine, too)

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. allspice

½ tsp. cloves

Mix all liquids together and then add the ground spices. Simmer and drink!

Note: I like to make this up ahead of time and let it simmer in a crock-pot. This way the aroma permeates the entire house and greets our guests as they enter.

Oh, word of warning, the cinnamon oil is HOT! Just use a few drops and avoid touching your face (or eyes) after handling the oil. It’ll burn and you’ll remember never to do it again.

Christmas Tea

1 gallon water

3 family-size tea bags, decaffeinated

3 cups sugar

3 tsp. cloves

3 cinnamon sticks

1 quart cranberry juice

1 quart apple juice

2 cups (16-ounces) orange juice

Snapshot memories…

Doodling on frost-covered windows

A good ‘ole fashioned blizzard!

Smoke billowing from a nearby chimney on a crisp winter night

Snow-sculpting contests at school

The quiet solitude of a newly fallen snow, knowing its pureness is ephemeral

Cardinals frolicking about in bare trees

Walking to school in a snowstorm. The teacher making me go down to the office, change out of my wet clothes and into out-dated spare ones

Snow-mobiling

Salt trucks and snow plows scraping snow off the roads

Howling winds; snowdrifts across drive-ways; cars buried under mounds of snow

Wood burning in the fireplace, hot embers popping out onto the carpet

Brian and David buried under a mound of blankets; windows open during sub-zero weather

Icicles crashing down from the gutters

It’s all in the details…

A heavy snow has fallen during the night and has blanketed the neighborhood. Despite the wind and the bitter cold, the outdoors beckons us. We check our winter gear, worn the day before, and pray that our snow pants, mittens, scarves and hats are dry. Yes!

Mom gives the go-ahead and helps bundle us up (a task that seems to take hours). We can go outside and play: make snowmen, igloos, snow angels. Get in snowball fights with siblings and neighborhood kids. Go skating (for me, in my rubber boots), sledding, play ice hockey, make snow sculptors.

And when we suddenly realize we can no longer feel our fingers, toes, nose, we reluctantly succumb to the elements and make our way back home—our journey labored since we can’t bend our arms or legs. Our clothes heavy, frozen, stiff, and next to the skin very wet.

Finally home, mom helps pull off our boots, multiple layers of socks and the rest of our snowy attire, rubs our fingers and toes ‘til we have sensation in them again (chastising us for staying out too long and risking frostbite), and leads us to the kitchen.

Mom’s Hot Chocolate

This is the hot cocoa mom made for us when we were kids!

5 – 6 Tbsp. cocoa

4 – 6 Tbsp. sugar

½ cup water

3½ cups milk

Marshmallows, optional

Whip Cream, optional

Mix the cocoa and sugar. Then add the water. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Then stir in the milk and heat it just to boiling—do not boil.

Beat it with a hand-beater (this makes it frothy) and add marshmallows or a dollop of whip cream, if desired.

This makes 6 servings.

Jeaneane’s Winter-Time Drink

1½ ounces Bailey’s Irish Cream

Hot coffee

Cream (plain or whipped)

Add Bailey’s to coffee. Stir in cream or top with whipped cream, if desired.

This drink will surely warm you from the inside out!

Try other variations using different liqueurs, like Kahlúa, Amaretto, Frangelico (hazelnut), or Crème de Cacao.

Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur

2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk

2 cups Irish whiskey

2 cups half and half

¼ cup instant coffee granules

2 Tbsp. chocolate syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

Using your largest bowl, combine all ingredients; whisk until coffee granules dissolve and mixture is well blended. (If coffee granules do not easily disintegrate, you may want to use a blender to mix well. If you opt for a mixer instead, be prepared: this really splatters!)

Pour liqueur into containers with lids.

Chill at least 3 weeks before serving.

Store in refrigerator. Makes about 6 cups liqueur.

From The Spirit of Christmas, book 9, by Leisure Arts, 1995, pg. 153.

Italian Cream Liqueur

1½ cups whipping cream

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 cup Frangelico^® (hazelnut flavored) liqueur

¾ cup vodka

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. almond extract

Place all ingredients in a blender and process briefly until completely blended. Pour into decorative bottles or airtight container and refrigerate.

Serve chilled.

Makes about 2½ pints of liqueur.

Sipping Irish Cream Liqueur after dinner is a luxury that we allow ourselves on cold, wintery evenings—especially around the holidays. I say a luxury because this is LOADED with calories and fat grams, but every now and then you just gotta splurge and have a little taste.

There’s nothing like Bailey’s Irish Cream. But I tell you, this more affordable homemade version rivals the real thing. The key to making a good batch is using a good Irish whiskey. Remember that when you go to the store to buy your ingredients!

If giving as a gift, make up 2-3 weeks ahead of time and chill in the refrigerator. Since this is so rich, use smaller size bottles vs. a regular size wine bottle. (A little bit goes a long way.) And finally, be sure to cork the top securely to prevent leaking. (You can buy bags of corks, with varying sizes, at most stores that carry kitchen gadgets.)