July Fourth Drink Recipe: Agua Fresca
By now, we all know (or at least we should know) that soft drinks are terrible for us and especially for children. Those “fruit” punches are only slightly better. Even 100% fruit juice has way more sugar in a single serving than children need.
So what’s a loving mom to do? The Mexican street beverage, Agua Fresca, is the answer. In essence it is just watered down fruit juice. By mixing 2 parts water to 1 part of your favorite fruit juice you can make a refreshing and healthy drink for your kids. Plus by having a cool name like Agua Fresca (aka Aguas de Frutas) your kids may not realize they are drinking something healthy. You can also make it by pureeing fresh fruit with water in your blender (honeydew and cantaloupe are great for this).
Imagine getting a whole week out of one small bottle of juice and it only takes seconds to prepare. Plus you always have fruit juice on hand for gastriques and other fancy reduction sauces.
The Agua Fresca pictured was made by mixing 1 quart orange/pineapple juice and 2 tablespoons raw local honey with 2 quarts water. Some of my other favorites include mango, blueberry/pomegranate and honeydew. Mixing in the raw local honey will add ample sweetness to boost the flavor of the drink without adding unhealthy processed sugar. Honey is remarkably healthy. Agave nectar is another healthy option. Additionally, fresh squeezed juice is better than buying bottled juice but is not always practical.
Be sure to check out my full Easter Brunch Menu HERE.
Recipe: Creamy Creole Potato Salad
Here’s a freebee from Third Coast Cuisine. You’ve heard the phrase “less is more?” Well this potato salad is a prime example of that mantra. It is ridiculously easy to make.
The first time I made this for my mother she looked at it and said, “There’s no onions. It’s not potato salad without onions.”
I said, “Try it first.”
She said, “I just have never liked a potato salad that didn’t include onions.”
Again I suggested, “Try it.”
She continued to protest, “I’ve never understood why people leave onions out of their potato salad. It’s . . .”
As rude as it was I interrupted her, “Stop talking and try it.” I presented a spoonful to her.
“Ooh, wow, that’s good, son. That’s really good. There’s so much garlic!”
Lots of fresh crushed garlic is really the secret. And it is so simple to make. Well, see for yourself:
Creamy Creole Potato Salad
1 pound red skin potatoes, boiled
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Creole whole grain mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup bacon bits
Cut potatoes into 1/2” dice. In a large bowl combine mayonnaise, mustard, garlic and bacon bits. Gently fold in the warm potatoes and coat completely with dressing. Chill for an hour before serving.
Tips: Adding bacon bits is always acceptable. Even some chopped up boiled egg would be OK as well. Garnish with bright colors like diced yellow peppers or cherry tomatoes.
Brunch Recipe: Sriracha Deviled Eggs
When it comes to food I’m one of the more adventurous people you’re likely to ever meet. But there are certain things where I am a purist. PB&J’s should only be made with grape jelly if at 
all possible. Steak sauce only goes on bad steaks. Lemonade should only be made with fresh squeezed lemons and not the crap in the bottle. Miracle whips is not food, mayonnaise is golden. When it comes to Deviled Eggs I only stuff them with mayonnaise, a touch of yellow mustard, salt, pepper and absolutely no sugar ever.
However, gal pal Average Betty recently did a video for her Sriracha Deviled Eggs that I have to admit is hug-worthy. Sriracha, the incredible hot sauce of Thailand, is one of my current obsessions. Since I don’t believe I can improve on her recipe I’ll simply post said video here for you to enjoy. I know after you see it you’re gonna want to try ’em. No problem you can get Betty’s not-so average recipe HERE.
Be sure to check out my full Easter Brunch Menu HERE.
