Juice, tea and tervis?

I know I haven't posted in while. It's been touch and go with me in the kitchen. Haven't had a chance to really dig my hands into some good ingredients. I did receive some packages during that time though. Thanks to the Tastemaker program from Foodbuzz, I got to try out this really cool tumbler.

Tervis is a brand of tumbler cups. As their description say that it's "virtually indestructible". A lifetime guarantee that it won't crack, melt, shatter, or chip. -- "Interesting?" as I said aloud.

I did drop it on my kitchen floor as I was about to pour me a drink. Totally unintentional, I promise. I just had butterfingers at the moment. No really, I did.

I'm big on iced tea. I've got no preference on flavor or variety. As long as it's some form of iced tea, I'm good to go. Since the weather here in Los Angeles has been a bite of the summery side, even when it's supposed to be fall, it was a good time to sip some cold ones and give this nifty looking tumbler a try. I will admit that the design of it is really cool. And they had the Foodbuzz Tastemaker logo on it. Neat, eh? It looks like a cup within a cup. Ooooooo...

It did keep my drink cold. Another part of the their description was that it kept hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. The couple times I've used it, I haven't been disappointed. It does what it says. Also, there wasn't any condensation on the outer part of the glass which made for grabbing the tumbler a little easy and not having to wipe away any moisture that normally form around it leaving those rings on the table. I think that's an added plus.

I'd say give it a try if you see one. They've got a nice selection on their website. 

Watermelon Shake

One more day!!! :) Final preparations have begun. I've managed to clean out the fridge of any and most perishables. So that's one thing I don't have to worry about when I'm gone. Constantly checking that list to make sure I've done everything I needed to do.

I sort of had a craving for some kind of shake. But I was also craving for some kind of shaved ice. Last week, the weather in LA was very summery. The last couple days has been on the slight dreary side. Don't get me wrong. I love those cloudy days. I figured I'd bring a little summer into my home with a slightly shake-shaved ice hybrid. All you need is watermelon, evaporated milk, sugar, and...of course, ice. All you have to do is blend it all together. I put about 1 tablespoon of sugar as I don't want it to be too sweet. But you can adjust it to your liking. The consistency of a milk shake, but with shaved ice.

Serves 2

Watermelon Shake


1 5oz can evaporated milk
1 c watermelon - seeded
1 dozen ice cubes
2 Tbsp sugar


Combine everything together until blended.

Pineapple POM Smoothie

Summer's not going to be here for another couple of months or so and I figured I'd give my self a taste of what I'll be having during that time. To get the party -- sort of -- started, I made myself a smoothie.  Smoothies are good, tasty and healthy.  I guess from having that fresh fruit smoothie on the set of Hawthorne, a craving kicked in and I had to make me one. This one is simple. I have a bunch of those canned pineapple tidbits. I popped one open. Had some POM juice in the fridge and used that as well.

I had minimal ice, but that didn't matter. Does ice evaporate in the freezer? I've noticed that over time ice trays that were once full have dwindled down to near nubs. But luckily, whatever was left had enough to make two glasses worth. I just stock piled the fresh fruit which I like anyway. Smoothies are probaby the easiest drinks one can make.

Serves 2-3

Pineapple POM Smoothie

2 c pineapple chunk or tidbits plus some juice
1/2 c POM juice
1 c ice

Combine everything in the blender until smooth.

Pomegranate Lemonade

It's been a while since I've posted a drink. I recently received a whole bunch lemons. I knew I wouldn't be a able to use them all and I definitely don't want them to spoil. My only choice was to squeeze the living juice out of them. I need one of those hand held juicer things because squeezing lemons when you've got a tiny cut on your hand is not fun. Oh, what fun that was. I got about 2 cups worth. They were the plumpest lemons I've ever gotten. That would make quite a lot of lemonade and wouldn't you know, I made some.

Lemonade is simplest drink to make. Everyone has their own preference on how they make it. I like mine not too tart and not too sweet. It just so happens that I also had one last bottle of POM.*sniff. sigh*  I've been saving it. But I only need a little for color and slight taste as the drink is already tart as it was with the lemon juice. To make this into an adult drink, spike it with a little vodka and turn it into a cocktail. Doesn't it scream summer? I can't wait for the season to change. I've got summer on my mind.

Makes 2 glasses

Pomegranate Lemonade

2 Tbsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp Pom juice
2 tsp sugar
1 c water
2-4 Tbsp vodka (optional)

Combine the water and lemon in a small container. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. You may also mix in the vodka ad this point. Pour into two drinking glasses and drizzle in some of the POM juice.

Homemade Grenadine

Grenadine is most know for it's use in beverages like the Shirley Temple or Roy Rogers. There have been many times when I went to the store to try and find a bottle of the stuff, when there's none to be found. I finally figured that it was time that I made my own. It's pretty easy to make. Just like making simple syrup. All you'll need is fresh pomegranate seeds with water or pomegranate juice mixed with sugar. The syrup will keep for about a month in the fridge. Just keep it in a clean, tight-sealed bottle or container.

The first thing I made with my new batch of grenadine was, of course, a Shirley Temple. Brought back memories of my childhood when I pretended I was drinking alcohol. That was me trying to be "cool" back then.  The only thing missing in my glass was a nice cherry. I knew I forgot to get something when I went shopping at the grocery. Now I have to think of something clever with what I can make with the rest of the grenadine. Don't want to make drinks out of the whole thing. The wheels in my head are turning.

Makes roughly 2 cups

Homemade Grenadine
1 lb pomegranate
1 c water
     (or 2 1/2 c POM juice)
1 1/2c sugar

--
For using fresh pomegranate follow this section, if using POM juice, see next section:
Remove the seeds from the pomegranate and on medium to low heat bring to a simmer until the juices are released from the seeds. Place the mixture in a blender, food processor for to break the seedlings from the inner seed. You may use a hand blender as well. Strain through a wire mesh strainer or cheese cloth to extract all the liquids and back into the pot.
 --
For using POM juice:
Bring the POM juice to a slight boil, then simmer on medium to low heat to reduce the liquid.
--

Bring the heat back to medium, add the sugar to the pomegranate mixture. Stir occasionally until dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until slightly thick.

Cool the mixture, then pour into a decorative bottle or container.

Shirley Temple

sprite or 7-up
1-2 Tbsp grenadine
ice
cherry (optional)
splash of vodka (optional)

Pour sprite or 7-up on a glass with ice. Add the grenadine and stir to blend. Top with a cherry.

Melon

You can't really see much from the first photo, but this is a simple classic Filipino drink that any one can make. A perfect summer drink with the most generic name you can think go. Hey, hey, it's simple and to the point. It consists of only three ingredients: cantaloupe, water, and sugar. I remember my little cousins drinking it all up. You would definitely find this on many street food vendors. You'd sometimes see this in many Filipino parties too.

The cantaloupe is shaved into spaghetti strips using a little do-dad thingy-ma-jig. I can't think of the name, but it's a double ended contraption that has a melon baller on one end and a five-ringed looking thing on the other. You just drag it from one end to the other and it will shave the melon in thin noodle strips. It's really cool. I think that the appeal of this drink. You can slurp up the melon. It's really refreshing especially now.




This is definitely a punch bowl type of drink. You can make this in big batches or a small glass. You can also make this drink with honeydew or any melon for that matter.

This recipe serve 3.



Melon

1/2 Cantaloupe (seeded & shredded)
12 oz Cold Water
1-2 Tbsp granulated sugar or brown sugar

Combine all three ingredients together. You may add more sugar if needed.

You can make this in advance and let it chill in the fridge or have it with lots of ice (cubes, crushed, shaved, etc)

Edited to add: (Thanks to Tangled Noodle and my mom) don't discard the smooshy part with the seeds! Instead, spoon it into a small mesh strainer, which is then placed over an empty pitcher. As you slowly pour the cold water over the pulp, use a spoon to mash it so that the juice is squeezed. This way, you get even more cantaloupe flavor!

Cantaberry Smoothie

Well...here's that smoothie I mentioned I was tinkering with, when my mom made that caramelized plantains in shaved ice. Two fruits I thought that wouldn't taste good together in a smoothie. Strawberries and cantaloupe. I had that big question mark on my shoulder. Have you seen that commercial where the person enters a hardware store with a small question mark that gets bigger and bigger as they go through, not finding what they need? I felt kind of like that.

So I blend this concotion together. I added a tiny bit of sugar to give a bit of sweetness, but not too much and a lot of ice. It was particularly hot that day. To my surprise, I was worried about nothing. Oh boy, was I wrong. This was so good and refreshing that I had two tall glasses of it back to back. I felt like a water balloon was inside me.

Sometimes I make too much and I put the rest in a glass in the freezer that way I can have it later It's even better frozen. If it frozen solid, let it defrost in the fridge in the morning and by the afternoon I have myself a slushy.



Canteberry Smoothie

1 dozen strawberries
2 c cantaloupe
3 tsp sugar
lots of ice

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

Watermelon Smoothie

Yep, another smoothie to cool down from the summer heat. This one is really refreshing. Fresh watermelon with a couple splashes of apple juice and a ton of ice blended together. You can use real apples too. I'd suggest the green variety would be best. It just so happened that I had the juice on hand, so I felt it perfect to go well with the watermelon.

Subtle fruit flavor that makes you want lounge in a chair all day and simply relax. I'll let the smoothie speak for itself. Doesn't it look inviting? Come lounge with me on this fine summer day.





Watermelon Smoothie

2 c watermelon (deseeded)
1/4 c apple juice
3-4 c Ice

Blend all three ingredients together.

Banana Cherry Smoothie

Hot weather calls for a cold drink. Here's a simple easy smoothie that's healthy and good for you, but also refreshing. Take a couple of bananas, some cherries, a couple splashes of pomegranate juice and some ice. Blend the whole thing and in within minutes you've got yourself a delicious drink. Can you say Jamba-what? Save me a couple of bucks right there. Though, I'll have to attempt to recreate my fave smoothie ever. The Mango-a-go-go. More on that next time.

I don't have a cherry pitter. I just quartered and halved them to take the seed out. This left me with slightly red fingers. Don't worry it washes off, unlike beets. I was going to puree the whole thing any way, so it didn't matter if I had them whole or not. That's another thing to add to my every-growing list of kitchen do-dads to have.

Look at the little cherry swimming a pool of fruity goodness. Grab yourself a glass and sit back, relax and enjoy each sip. It'll satisfy your thirst.

Serves 2-3.





Banana Cherry Smoothie

2 ripe bananas
1 dozen cherries (stemed and pitted)
a couple splashes of pomegranate juice.
2 c Ice

Blend all three ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Blend into a smooth texture.

Enjoy!

Sago at Gulaman

I'm in a Filipino mood. Been somewhat craving summer treats from the motherland. Summer days equals air conditioning and ice cold refreshing drinks. I'm digging deep down into my roots and sharing with you a classic treat. This is a common drink served by street vendors with their homemade foods. Sold for less than P5 per cup. Pesos. That's like a few US cents. I'm horrible with exchange rates, but I know it's considerably really cheap. You'd also find this at any, if not most, Filipino gatherings.

Every time I visit The Peach Kitchen, a fantastic blog that is run by Peachkins, I'm always reminded of the foods I grew up on. I did grow up in Los Angeles, I'm fortunate that there's so many stores and restaurants and parties that serve and make foods from the Philippines. On one of her recent posts (here) I saw a picture of a large container of this delicious drink and took it upon myself to make some. Actually, it's been on my agenda of things to make, but I've just finally had to push myself to make it. Besides, this is a "hot weather" drink.

Sago at Gulaman, which in English is translated to tapioca pearls and agar jelly, is served in a simple syrup as a shaved ice dessert or as a refreshing drink.


Sago (sa-go) are practically the same stuff you'd find in boba. Cooking tapioca pearls is a bit of a process. Not hard. It just takes a bit of time. There are three ways you can to do them:

1. Boiling the pearls the day before waiting 12 hours, boiling them again and wait another three hours or more before serving.
2. Boiling the pearls for 2 hours straight (constantly stirring)
3. Buy the "ready made in syrup" kind.

Option 2 and 3 are for those who can't wait that long and don't have much time. But you can still do the first one even if you have a time limit. Knowing me, I'll take option 1 and 2. For some reason, I feel like I'm cheating if I use option #3. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just how I roll. I've got some time anyway. Besides, this drink isn't hard to make. You just want the tapioca pearls for be really soft ad slightly firm and tender at the center.

Gulaman (gu-la-man) is a type of firm jelly made from agar-agar, which is process seaweed. Many Asian countries use them as well. You can use jello, but the consistency won't be the same. Or you can omit it all together. It's up to you. You can find them in three varieties:

1. The canned version, which is the jelly already made and preserved in syrup. The other side had an the English name of it. It didn't occur to me to picture the other side until I threw the can away. I think it had "ai jar jelly" written on it. I spiked it with a couple drops of banana extract.


2. A dry seaweed block. Similar to the consistency of nori sheets, but in different colors.

3. The boxed version like jello.

I took option 1. It's what I'm used to using. It's also has to be unflavored. You can these two items in many Asian markets.

There's really no special way to serve this. Put the tapioca pearls and agar jelly in a cup. Mix it with some simple syrup (brown sugar and water) and have it as a shaved ice dessert or as a iced drink. Eat it the tapioca pearls with a spoon or if you can get your hands on one of those jumbo straws.

I have one of those manual hand crank ice shavers. That thing it probably close to 20-years-old and still works like a charm. *knock on wood* It's like a workout just getting a cup-worth of ice shavings, but I'm happy to put the effort into it. Burn a calorie or two and add it back on with a sweet drink. The ice melts when I drizzle the syrup over creating instant liquid.

You can make a large batch for a party, too. I guess you can call it the Filipino version of the punch bowl because it's usually served in large containers. I've put the instruction for those who are adventurous to try the making the tapioca pearls the old fashioned way.

Easy-peasy and minutes to make that will satisfy the sweet tooth. It's a refreshing drink that beats the heat any day.



Sago at Gulaman

Sago (Tapioca Pearls):
8oz tapioca pearls
2 1/2 liters water

Gulaman (Agar Jelly):
12 oz agar jelly or jello (unflavored)
a couple drops of Banana extract

Simple Syrup:
1 c Brown sugar
1 1/2 water


(Note: you can also speed up the process by boiling the tapioca balls for 2 hours straight or until all or most of the white starch has disappeared. Be sure to stir occasionally to keep them from sticking. Make sure to replenish the water to prevent them from burning. Put into a container filled with water to cool them before serving.)


Bring the 2 1/2 liters of water to a boil. Add in the tapioca pearls and let them cook for 15 min. Stir constantly to keep them from sticking.

It will look like this after the first cooking. Still small, but a bit plump.

Drain and remove from pot. Rinse them in cold water to cool them down, then put them in a container full of water and let it rest for at least 12 hours or over night.

Slightly plumper.

Then boil them again with another 2 1/2 liters of water for 10 min. Rinse them in cold water to cool and then put them in a container full of water and let it rest for 3 hours in the fridge or until all the white parts have disappeared.

Fully grown. Doubled in size.

Putting it all together:
Cut the jelly into square chunks. Size is your choice. Add a couple drops of banana extract and gently mix. Set aside.

Make the simple syrup by bringing the 1 1/2 c water to a boil. Add the brown sugar and stir occasionally. You want all the granules to dissolve. Let it cool completely before using.

Take a large cup or drinking glass and place some of the tapioca pearls and agar jelly. Top with some shaved ice or or regular ice and drizzle in some of the simple syrup. Add water, if needed

Note: If not using all the cooked tapioca pearls, keep them soaked in water in the fridge or they will harden and stick to each other.