Month: January 2021

Make the smoothest Pina Colada of all time

The Pina Colada is one of those drinks that by itself can make you feel like it’s summer time when it’s not, or like your on a beach in Caribbean. We owe thanks for this simple drink Puerto Rico. Specifically, most people believe that it was invented in 1954 at the Caribe Hilton. The debate on who created it usually comes down to bartender Ramon “Monchito” Marrero or Ricardo Gracia.

While there is not much of a story to the drink being invented by Ramon Marrero there is a unique story around Ricardo Gracia. According to an interview that Gracia gave to Coastal Living magazine in 2005 the he created the drink due to a strike by coconut cutters in Puerto Rico. According to his story the bar served a mixed drink of rum, cream of coconut, and crushed ice in a cut coconut. Due to the shortage in coconuts he started to pour the drink into a cut pineapple. Bar goers liked the drink in a pineapple so he decided to add strained pineapple juice to the rum and cream of coconut and thus the birth of the Pina Colada.

I have a recipe I like for smooth and creamy Pina Coladas that I will share with you now. Most people will put 2 cups of ice into their Pina Colada but I like to use 1 cup of ice and 1 cup of frozen pineapple instead. The reason is that as the ice melts it usually dilutes the drink, however, by substituting one of the cups of ice with frozen pineapple you create a smooth and creamy drink that doesn’t get diluted as the ice melts.

Ingredients:

3 oz. rum
4 oz. cream of coconut (coco Lopez)
4 oz. pineapple juice
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup ice

Directions:

  1. Pour all ingredients into a blender.
  2. Mix on high until the ice is all blended and the drink is the consistency of a smoothie.
  3. Pour into a tulip shaped cup (also called a hurricane cup), garnish with a slice of pineapple and cherry.
  4. Enjoy!

Instead of using Coco Lopez you can make your own cream of coconut by clicking on this link. https://mylowcountryliving.net/home-made-coconut-cream-diy-version-of-coco-lopez/

The smoothest and best Pina Colada

Home made coconut cream DIY version of Coco Lopez

One of my favorite drinks is a Pina Colada and everyone knows that you need Coco Lopez to make a Pina Colada. Wrong! You can make your own DIY version of Coco Lopez coconut cream at home in less than 5 minutes because Coco Lopez and all other Coconut Creams are just coconut simple syrups. Join me in making this quick coconut cream for a fraction of the price of buying Coco Lopez. You can use your savings to buy a better quality of rum for your Pina Coladas.

Ingredients:

14 ounce can of coconut cream

1 and 3/4 cup of white sugar

Directions:

  1. Mix coconut cream and white sugar in a small pot.
  2. Bring to simmer and stir until all sugar is dissolved. About 3-4 minutes.
  3. remove from heat and place into a storage container until you are ready to use.

Since this is a simple syrup it can last in our refrigerator for up to one month.

Home made coconut cream DYI version of Coco Lopz

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus is a great snack and one of my favorite flavors is roasted red pepper hummus. It is so simple and easy to make and you can make this in about 5 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 can chick peas
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
3 tbsp. water
paprika (as garnish)
1 red bell pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to the Broil setting.
  2. On a cookie sheet split a red bell pepper and remove the seeds. Add the garlic clove to the cookie sheet.
  3. Place cookie sheet in the oven until the red pepper has light smoldering brown spots and is cooked from its own steam.
  4. While the red pepper is cooking in the oven mix lemon juice and tahini in a blender or food processor until it is “whipped”.   It is important to mix this first to get a smooth and creamy hummus. 
  5. Combine the remaining ingredients (except red pepper and garlic) and mix.
  6. If needed, add additional tablespoons of water until hummus reaches the desired consistency.
  7. Remove the red pepper and garlic from the oven before they get burned and add them to the food processor and mix with hummus mixture.
  8. Pour into a bowl and serve. You can sprinkle paprika on top or garnish with zaatar, or sesame seeds, and a small drizzle of olive oil.

I have omitted salt from this recipe because I feel it doesn’t need it, but you can add salt if you like to your taste. You can also get creative and add other flavors into your hummus such as avocado, black beans, or even ranch flavoring.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Better than Baileys Home Made Irish Cream

One of the best ways to enjoy coffee is with Irish Cream. Instead of buying Irish Cream you can make your own “Better than Baileys Irish Cream”. After making this you will never buy Irish Cream from the store again. This Irish Cream goes fantastic with your coffee, as an after dinner drink, or even poured over ice cream for a decadent dessert.

Yields: 4 Cups

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 3/4 cup Irish Whiskey
1 tsp instant expresso
2 tsp chocolate syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

Directions:

  1. Mix all the ingredients into a blender.
  2. Blend on low speed for 30 seconds. Don’t over blend or the cream will clump. Blend on low for a maximum of 30 seconds. If you over blend don’t worry your Irish Cream is not ruined. You can strain the lumps through a nut bag, cheesecloth or sieve.
  3. Pour you Irish Cream into an airtight storage container or bottle. You can use a mason jar or bottles with a seal. I purchased my bottles from Amazon. The type I purchased were Giara Swing Top Bottles 33 ¾ Ounce/1 Liter (4 Pack) ROUND Clear Glass Grolsch Flip Top Bottle With Stopper, for Beverages, Smoothies, Kefir, Beer, Soda, Juicing, Kombucha, Water, Milk, Oil and Vinegar. You can click on this link to see the bottles. AmazonSmile: Giara Swing Top Bottles 33 ¾ Ounce/1 Liter (4 Pack) ROUND Clear Glass Grolsch Flip Top Bottle With Stopper, for Beverages, Smoothies, Kefir, Beer, Soda, Juicing, Kombucha, Water, Milk, Oil and Vinegar: Kitchen & Dining

After making this you will want to store it in the refrigerator. It can store up to two months, but mine usually gets drank much sooner than that!

Better Than Baileys Home Made Irish Cream