Orkisious/red_kingdom

FLAVORED TEA RECIPES: These measurements are all for making a...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:56:39 +0300

FLAVORED TEA RECIPES:
These measurements are all for making a full quart of each of the flavors pictured above.

Raspberry Tea—Put tea bags or basket of leaf tea in the jar, add 1/2 cup raspberry preserves to the tea basket, fill jar with water.

Apricot Almond Tea—Pour 1 cup apricot nectar into jar, add 1 teaspoon almond extract, add tea bags or basket of leaf tea, fill jar with water.

Mint Tea—Put tea bags or basket of leaf tea into jar; add a loosely packed 1/2 cup of mint leaves, cutting the mint into the tea basket; fill jar with water.

Apple Spice Tea—Pour 1 cup apple cider into jar; add tea bags or basket of leaf tea; add 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1 tablespoon cinnamon chunks) and 1 teaspoon whole cloves to tea basket; fill jar with water.

Caramel Tea—Put tea bags or basket of leaf tea into jar; add 3-4 tablespoons caramel sauce; fill jar with water.

Pomegranate Tea—Pour 1 cup pomegranate juice into jar, add tea bags or basket of leaf tea, fill jar with water.

Lemonade Tea—Pour 1/2 cup of lemonade concentrate (from frozen can) into jar, add tea bags or basket of leaf tea, fill jar with water. (This is similar to Arnold Palmer Tea.)

Cherry Vanilla Tea—Pour 1 cup cherry juice into jar; add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; add tea bags or basket of leaf tea; fill jar with water.

NOT PICTURED, BUT OTHER COMBINATIONS TO TRY:

Caramel Apple Tea—Put tea bags or basket of leaf tea into jar; add 3-4 tablespoons caramel sauce; add 1 cup apple cider; fill jar with water.

Ginger Tea—Put tea bags or basket of leaf tea into jar; add 1 tablespoon crushed crystallized ginger to tea basket; fill jar with water.

Ginger Peach Tea—Same as Ginger Tea above, plus add 1/2 cup peach preserves to tea basket or 1 cup peach nectar before filling jar with water.

NOTE: My intention was to have these drinks have added flavors but still taste like tea. If you want them fruitier, increase the amounts of the fruit preserves or juices. If you like sweeter teas, increase the sweeteners. In other words, the above quantities are a starting point. Play around with these and find the combo that fits your tastes.

MAKE IT A COCKTAIL!
You can add a shot of rum or flavored liqueur to any of these flavored teas.

MY BASIC FORMULAS FOR 1 QUART OF FLAVORED TEA:

add 1/2 cup fruit preserves to the tea basket
add 1 cup of fruit juice or nectar to the jar
add 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 tablespoon whole cloves, or 2 tablespoons crushed crystallized ginger to the tea basket
add a sprig of a fresh mint or other herb into the tea basket; cut it up for more flavor
add 1 teaspoon of extracts like vanilla and almond flavoring to the jar
sweeteners should be added according to your individual taste; some like tea sweet, some don’t (I like mine in between—just a little bit sweet)
add a shot of rum or flavored liqueur to a glass before adding the flavored tea

originally from here

In this mysteriously leaked DVD commentary for Season 4 of “Game...

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 14:30:48 +0300

In this mysteriously leaked DVD commentary for Season 4 of “Game Of Thrones,” author George R.R. Martin drops some MASSIVE plot bombshells. (x)

Let’s face it, Robb made some very silly mistakes during...

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 14:23:38 +0300

Let’s face it, Robb made some very silly mistakes during the war but still.. look at his mother…
Lost all of her children and his first born right in front of her eyes…

imaducky: the-absolute-funniest-posts: ruinedchildhood: Let’s...

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 14:20:54 +0300

imaducky:

the-absolute-funniest-posts:

ruinedchildhood:

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the fact Tony Stark killed a man over a Dora the Explorer watch.

it’s limited edition

Imagine that being a ben 10 watch…

Photo

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:47:09 +0300

Photo

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:42:01 +0300

happymonsters: Studio Ghibli Bunny Gif Set ♡ how cute is...

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:01:19 +0300

happymonsters:

Studio Ghibli Bunny Gif Set ♡

how cute is that??

Ham and Swiss Muffins 2 cups flour 1 TBSP sugar 1 1/2...

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:19:18 +0300

Ham and Swiss Muffins

2 cups flour

1 TBSP sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 1/4 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 cup melted butter

1 1/2 cups grated swiss cheese

1 1/2 cups of ham cut into 2cm cubes

Preheat the oven to 375 and line two muffin tins with papers

1. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and thyme in a medium bowl.

2. In a separate bowl combine the milk, egg, and melted butter.

3. Stir milk mixture into the flour mixture until barely combined. Fold in the ham and swiss. Divide the batter up between 17 muffin cups.

4. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Mine were always done at 17 minutes but it will depend on your oven.

Allow to cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm! If you plan on freezing some, allow to cool completely and then freeze in a ziplock freezer bag as soon as possible. The fresher they are when they go in the freezer, the fresher they will be when they come out.

Mini tortillia pizzas The estimated total time to make this...

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:14:24 +0300

Mini tortillia pizzas

The estimated total time to make this recipe is 20 Minutes.
Ingredients

3-4 Whole wheat wraps1
1 (15 oz) Can pizza sauce
3/4 cup Shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
48 Mini turkey pepperonis (or 12 whole turkey pepperonis each cut into 4 even pieces)
1 tsp Basil/oregano mix or Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
Pinch Sweetener (sugar/stevia/splenda)
Pinch Black pepper
*Note* Put your own spin on these by adding anything that you would normally like on a pizza just before popping them in the oven

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12 count muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

Start by laying each tortilla out individually on a flat surface, and use an empty can, cup, or cookie cutter to cut 3-4 medium circles out of each wrap. I used the empty pizza sauce can, which worked well! Press firmly enough, using a rocking motion, until it cuts through the wrap.

Press each wrap circle into muffin tin using your fingers. Note: it doesn’t have to cover the entire side of the tin, it should just fit snuggly!

Meanwhile, pour pizza sauce, parmesan cheese, and the spices into a medium sized bowl. Stir until everything is well combined.

Drop about 1-2 tbs of sauce in each wrap, this really varies according to how much sauce you like!

Divide mozzarella cheese evenly over each mini pizza.

Place 4 mini pepperoni’s on top of each pizza.

Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Wait for pizzas to cool, and remove from muffin tin using a fork or knife. Pizza’s should pop out with ease!

Serve warm and enjoy!

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Nutrition Breakdown
12 Servings
66 Calories Per Serving
1.5 g Fat
7 g Carbohydrate
3 g Fiber
2 g Sugar
6 g Protein

Blue Diamond Almonds Cheddar Pinecone Ingredients 2 (8-ounce)...

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:07:22 +0300

Blue Diamond Almonds Cheddar Pinecone

Ingredients
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 Tablespoons port wine
pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 cups Blue Diamond® Whole Natural Almonds, toasted
rosemary sprigs

Instructions
Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add port and cayenne. Beat until smooth. Add cheese. Add green onion, mix until everything is combined.
Wrap cream cheese mixture in plastic wrap or parchment and chill for at least one hour. You could do this the day before even.
Once chilled, mold the cream cheese into a pinecone shape. Place the cheese on a serving plate and start to add almonds. Start at the bottom and add in rows overlapping until the cheese is covered.
Add rosemary sprigs. Serve with a nice glass of wine and crackers.

Broccoli Cheese Bites 16 oz. package of frozen chopped...

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:03:41 +0300

Broccoli Cheese Bites

16 oz. package of frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained of liquid (I used fresh steamed broccoli)
1 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
3 eggs
salt & pepper
1 cup of seasoned Italian breadcrumbs

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.

With your hands, form small patties and lay on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 375F for 25 minutes, turning the patties after the first 15 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy!

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Guilt-free banana ice-cream Ingredients: 4 large very ripe...

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:46:48 +0300

Guilt-free banana ice-cream
Ingredients:

4 large very ripe bananas
2 tablespoons peanut butter
Directions:

1. Peel bananas and slice into 1/2 inch discs. Arrange banana slices in a single layer on a large plate or baking sheet. Freeze for 1-2 hours.

2. Place the banana slices in a food processor or powerful blender. Puree banana slices, scraping down the bowl as needed. Puree until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Add the peanut butter and puree to combine. Serve immediately for soft-serve ice cream consistency. If you prefer harder ice cream, place in the freezer for a few hours and then serve.

*Note-if you have a hard time creating a creamy consistency, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to help puree the banana slices. Make sure you use a powerful food processor or blender!
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White chocolate with strawberry and pistachios Ingredients 1...

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:38:04 +0300

White chocolate with strawberry and pistachios

Ingredients
1 bar White Chocolate (100 gr)
Freeze-Dried Strawberries (10 gr)
Pistachios (30 gr, weight in shell)

Directions
Chop pistachios and strawberries (if necessary).
Break chocolate into small square or cut into chunks and melt in double-boiler or microwave.
Stir in pistachios and strawberries (reserving some) and pour mixture into a lined pan. Spread out and flatten with a spatula. Sprinkle remaining pistachios and strawberries on top.
Keep in fridge until thoroughly chilled, then break or cut into pieces.

You can easily modify this recipe to taste or with whatever you have on hand. For example, replace the strawberries with dried cranberries, raisins or candied fruit. Or replace the pistachios with any type of other nuts. Salted kinds work just as well, as they help to cut the sweetness of the white chocolate.

Ingredients 1 Pound Strawberries 8 Ounces Cream Cheese 1...

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:06:50 +0300

Ingredients
1 Pound Strawberries
8 Ounces Cream Cheese
1 Tablespoon Lavender
2 Tablespoons Honey

Yield: about 25 stuffed strawberries
Total Time 15 minutes
Prep time 15 minutes
Recipe Type: Dessert
Main Ingredients: Honey, Lavender, Strawberry
Diet: Vegetarian

1. Let the cream cheese soften by placing it at room temperature for a few hours. I suggest lightly whipping it in a stand mixer or with beaters, but you can also just mix it up with a spoon.
2. Grind one tablespoon of dried lavender and stir it into the softened cream cheese. Please make sure you are using culinary lavender. While all lavender is edible, culinary lavender is light and sweet. Other forms are higher in camphor which is bitter but also treated as a toxin by the body
3. Mix in two tablespoons of honey to the cream cheese mixture
4. Cut the tops off the strawberries so that they sit flat and upright.
5. Crown the strawberries or just slice them, whatever you prefer. There are many ways to make these fancy and fun.
6. Add the cream cheese mixture to a pastry bag. You can also just spoon them on.
7. Stuff the strawberries with the cream cheese mixture and serve!
source

What my notebook at university looks like… (Instead of...

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:01:01 +0300

What my notebook at university looks like… (Instead of keeping notes…)

Jello Watermelon 1. I got a small watermelon and a few boxes...

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:56:18 +0300

Jello Watermelon

1. I got a small watermelon and a few boxes of cherry jello (the larger 6oz size).
2. Scoop out the watermelon until just the rind remains.
3. Prepare your jello liquid. You’ll basically be using the recipe for Jello jigglers, so use 1 1/4 cups boiling water for every 6oz package of Jello. I was only able to fill one half of my small watermelon with my 3 boxes.. To figure out how many boxes you’ll need, you can pour regular water into your watermelon shell to see how much it holds, then divide by 1.25. (So, for example, if your large watermelon holds 10 cups of water, divide 10 by 1.25 and you’ll need 8 boxes of Jello)
I placed my watermelon shell in an empty bowl to hold it steady, then poured in the liquid
4. Refrigerate for several hours until the Jello sets. The total time will depend on the size of your watermelon, my small one took about 4 hours.
5. Slice just like you would a regular watermelon and serve!
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Kit Kat Cake Ingredients: favorite chocolate cake recipe (I...

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:47:06 +0300

Kit Kat Cake

Ingredients:

favorite chocolate cake recipe (I used a really easy one but I actually thought it came out a little dry so I’m not going to include the cake recipe I used here)
2 packs of fresh strawberries
3-4 cups of heavy cream
1/2 cup of sugar
4 tbsp of high quality cocoa powder
Kit Kats (17 extra large ones needed for a 6 inch cake, likely you will need about 30 regular ones, or more for an 8 inch cake)
1/2 cup apricot preserves

Directions:

1. Bake cake according to instructions in a round springform pan or 2 round cake pans. Let cake cool completely. If you used one springform pan you will need to slice the cake to make two round cakes. If you baked in 2 round cake pans, gently slice uneven top surface so that you are working with two level round cakes.
2. Make whipped cream by combining cream, sugar, and cocoa powder on high speed until stiff peaks form. You may want to add more sugar or cocoa powder, depending on your preference. I chose to use a less sweet whipped cream to balance out the kit kats and cake.
3. Using a spatula, spread a thin layer of whipped cream across the surface of one of the cake rounds. Slice up 6-7 strawberries and place on top of the whipped cream layer, scattering evenly across the cake surface. Spread another layer of whipped cream on top of the strawberries. Place the untouched cake round on top of the whipped cream layer.
4. Using remaining whipped cream, spread across exterior of cake, until every part of the cake has a thin layer of whipped cream. Unwrap kit kats and press onto outside rim of cake until entire outside is lined with kit kats. The kit kats should hold their place with the help of the whipped cream. Fill the top of the cake with fresh strawberries (you can use other fruit as well).
5. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup apricot preserves with 2 tbsp of water until it begins to thicken and bubble. Strain out the apricot pieces. Brush strawberries with glaze.
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Open faced enchiladas To make these, you will need: flour...

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:32:00 +0300

Open faced enchiladas

To make these, you will need: flour tortillas, olive oil, onion, salt, pepper, bell peppers, enchilada sauce, black olives, Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, and sour cream.

Ingredients
4 whole Flour Tortillas
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Onion, Thinly Sliced
¼ teaspoons Salt To Taste
⅛ teaspoons Black Pepper To Taste
½ cups Green Bell Pepper, Diced
½ cups Yellow Bell Pepper, Diced
½ cups Red Bell Pepper, Diced
¼ cups Enchilada Sauce
½ cups Black Olives, Chopped
1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
¼ cups Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
¼ cups Sour Cream For Garnish

1) Preheat oven to 400ºF. On an ungreased baking sheet lightly sprayed with oil, place the tortillas and pierce all over with the tines of a fork.
2) Bake for 5-6 minutes. You want them to puff up and begin to turn golden brown. Remove and let cool but keep the oven on.
3) Grab a large skillet. Drizzle in the olive oil and heat over medium heat.
4) Add the onions, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat to medium-low
5) Cook over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, until onions turn translucent and begin to caramelize. Stir occasionally.
6) When the onions are almost done, add the peppers.
7) Cook just until peppers begin to soften, then remove from heat.
8) Spoon enchilada sauce over the tortillas.
9) Spread the sauce evenly over the tortillas.
10) Top with the onions and veggies.
11)Add the olives.
12) Sprinkle on the cheese.
13) Place back in the oven for 5-6 more minutes, until the cheese has melted.
14)Remove from oven. Garnish with fresh cilantro and sour cream.
Serve the quesadillas warm.
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Baked Salmon with Garlic and Dijon Prep time 10 mins Cook...

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:18:00 +0300

Baked Salmon with Garlic and Dijon

Prep time
10 mins

Cook time
15 mins

Total time
25 mins

Ingredients for Baked Salmon
1.5 lbs salmon (this was wild sockeye salmon)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 large OR 3 small cloves of garlic, pressed
1.5 teaspoons Dijon mustard (grey poupon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 cup mild olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Lemon slices (mostly for effect

How to Make the Best Baked Salmon:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
1. Line a rimmed baking dish with foil. I didn’t line the dish and I regretted it; I scrubbed fiercely for a day and a half.
2. In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley, 2-3 cloves pressed garlic, 1.5 tsp dijon, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/8 cup olive oil and 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice. Mix well. Smell it; it’s amazing!
3. Cut salmon into even portions: I made 4 generous cuts of salmon. Lay them onto your lined baking dish skin side down.
4. Generously brush all sides of your salmon with the marinade and top with fresh lemon slices.
5. Bake at 450 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until just cooked through. Don’t over-cook or your fish will be dry. Voila! Easy, excellent dish.
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Four cheese stuffed shells 1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees...

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:08:00 +0300

Four cheese stuffed shells

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2) Cook a 12-oz. box of jumbo shells in boiling water, 2 to 3 minutes short of the package directions. Drain, rinse and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine:

15-oz. container ricotta cheese

1 cup Muenster cheese, shredded

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Asiago medium cheese, shredded

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3) Mix well.

4) Stuff a spoonful of the cheese mixture into each cooked shell.

5) Place the stuffed shells cheese-side-up into the prepared baking dish.

6) Pour a 28-oz. jar of spaghetti sauce evenly over the stuffed shells.

7) Top that with 1 cup of shredded Muenster cheese and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

8) Bake in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 50 minutes.

9) Serve warm with garlic bread and a green salad!
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