Spiced diospyros

Ingredients

• ¼ ripe hachiya persimmon
• 1-1/2 ounces vodka
• ½ ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ ounce Dolin Blanc vermouth
• 1 barspoon St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
• 1 dash orange bitters

Instructions

1. Place persimmon in a cocktail shaker and muddle.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and fill shaker with ice.
3. Shake and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
4. Garnish with a dried persimmon slice if you happen to have one. Otherwise, just sip back and enjoy your drink.

The hurricane cocktail

Ingredients

• 2 oz light rum
• 2 oz dark rum
• 2 oz passion fruit juice
• 1 oz orange juice
• ½ oz fresh lime juice
• 1 Tablespoon simple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon grenadine
• orange slice and cherry

Instructions

1. Shake all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice
2. Strain into a Hurricane glass filled with ice
3. Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice

Cranberry thyme gin and tonic

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• Splash of orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Fresh English Thyme leaves
• Gin of choice
• Tonic of choice

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, mix together the cranberries, sugar, water, splash of orange juice and vanilla extract. 
2. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, pressing the cranberries with the back of your spoon until they pop. 
3. Add the fresh thyme and smash with the back of your spoon--this will release its aromatics.
4. To assemble the cocktail, add about 1 fluid ounces of syrup to each glass. 
5. Top with a few cubes of ice, 2 fluid ounces of gin and then top with tonic. Mix and garnish with fresh sprigs of thyme.

Carrot & orange juice

Ingredients

• 4 large carrots
• 1 orange, peeled

Instructions

1. Pass the carrots and orange through the juicer and pour over ice

Tropical sunshine smoothie

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen mango cubes
• 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth. 
2. Add more orange juice and/or water if too thick to blend. 
3. Different blenders may require more or less liquid.

Pan-seared salmon with orange-coconut sauce

Ingredients

Sweet and spicy orange-coconut sauce

• ½ cup fresh orange juice, from one large juicy orange
• ½ cup mirin
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup orange marmalade
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce
• 2 tsp lemongrass, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• ½ cup shredded coconut
• 1 Tbsp red bell pepper
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh chives

Pan-seared salmon

• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 4 fillets salmon
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Sauce

1. Combine first 9 ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a stead simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until sauce is reduced to a about ⅔ cup.
2. Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Push on solids with the back of a spoon to extract all of the delicious sauce. Rinse out pan and add sauce. Cover and set aside.

Salmon

1. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and generously with freshly ground black pepper.
2. Heat a large non-stick sauté pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until hot. Add oil to pan and swirl to coat. When you see the oil shimmer just a bit, carefully add salmon and cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown. 
3. Gently flip with a flat bladed spatula and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until salmon feels fairly firm to the touch. If it's still a bit soft, remove from burner and cover for a few minutes to finish cooking. Don't overcook or it will be dry.
4. Transfer to serving plates. Heat sauce for a minute or until bubbly. Add red pepper, cilantro, and chives. Drizzle salmon with sauce and serve immediately.

Pudding Jello Fruit Fluff

Ingredients

• 16 oz fat-free whipped topping, thawed
• 1 ounce fat-free sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/3 ounce sugar-free raspberry gelatin mix
• 20 ounce no sugar added pineapple
• 16 ounce no sugar added fruit cocktail
• 16 ounce no sugar added mandarin orange

Directions

1. Drain pineapple, fruit cocktail, and mandarin oranges.
2. Mix gelatin and pudding mixes into thawed whipped topping.
3. Gently fold drained fruit into whipped topping mixture.
4. Chill until ready to serve.

Spicy Watermelon Margaritas

INGREDIENTS

Watermelon juice

• 1 small seedless watermelon, or half of a larger watermelon

Chili-salt rims

• 1 part kosher salt
• 1 part ancho chili powder or regular chili powder
• Lime wedges

Ingredients per margarita

• 2 ounces fresh watermelon juice
• 1½ ounces tequila, preferably 100% agave silver or blanco tequila
• ¾ ounce fresh lime juice
• ½ ounce fresh orange juice
• ½ teaspoon agave nectar or simple syrup, more to taste
• 1 thinly sliced jalapeño round

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make the watermelon juice, scoop the watermelon flesh into your blender and blend until it has turned into a smooth juice. Depending on your watermelon, you may or may not need to strain out the pulp.
2. To prepare your margarita glasses: On a small, rimmed plate, mix together equal parts salt and chili powder. I like to use my fingers to rub the chili powder into the salt. Run a wedge of lime around the top of each glass. Dip the top of the glass into the salt blend at a 45-degree angle and roll it from side to side to catch the salt. Add ice cubes to your glass and set it aside.
3. To make margaritas. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the watermelon juice, tequila, lime juice, orange juice, agave nectar and top with a jalapeño slice.
4. Secure the lid to the shaker and shake for 30 seconds. Taste and add additional sweetener if necessary. Strain the liquid into your prepared glass.

Baked Orange Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 
1/4 cup milk

• 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 
2 Tablespoons minced scallions

• 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Sauce

• 
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 3/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce

Directions

Meatballs

1. Preheat the oven to 500ºF. Spray a mini-muffin pan or baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and Panko breadcrumbs and let sit for 5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, salt, pepper and soaked breadcrumbs. Use your hands to thoroughly combine the meat mixture and then shape it into balls using 2 to 3 tablespoons of meat per meatball.
4. Place the shaped meatballs into the prepared pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked. While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce.

Sauce

1. Add the sesame oil and olive oil to a small saucepot over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes until golden brown.
2. Add the red pepper flakes, orange marmalade and hoisin sauce, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
3. Remove the meatballs from the oven and transfer them into a large bowl. Pour the sauce on top and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Creamy Fruit Salad

Ingredients

• 1 can pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 medium apple, cored and chopped
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 cup grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
• 1 cup mini marshmallows

Instructions

1. Add apple to a large bowl and toss in lemon juice to keep from browning. Add the pineapple, mandarin oranges, grapes, coconut, and marshmallows and toss to combine. Stir in Greek yogurt, gently tossing to coat.
2. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve chilled.

RUM PUNCH

Ingredients

• 3 ounces of pineapple juice
• 2 ounces of orange juice
• 1 ounce dark rum, plus 1/2 ounce to splash on top
• 1 ounce coconut rum
• splash of grenadine
• lime slice for garnish

Instructions

1. In a glass, pour in the pineapple juice, orange juice, 1 ounce dark rum, and 1 ounce coconut rum. 
2. Gently stir. 
3. Then slowly pour in a splash of grenadine. 
4. The grenadine will sink to the bottom giving you that gorgeous coloring. Then, add 1/2 ounce of the dark rum to the top.
5.  Garnish with a slice of lime and float away into a tropical paradise. A cute straw helps, too.

Orange Mango Iced Tea

Ingredients

• 4 cups cold water
• 4 regular tea bags
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 (11.5 fluid ounce) cans Mango Nectar (I used Kern’s brand)
• 1 large orange – cut in half, sliced

Method

In tea pot bring water to a boil over high heat. remove from heat. pour into heat safe pourable pitcher, add tea bags and sugar and let steep 3 minutes. squeeze and remove tea bags. stir sugar until dissolved. let cool.
meanwhile: in medium – large pitcher add mango nectar and orange slices. set aside.
pour sweetened tea into the pitcher with the mango nectar and oranges. stir well. refrigerate until chilled. fill glasses with ice and pour orange mango ice tea into each glass.