Ginger lemonade, I made ginger lemonade from a recipe from Melody Jones and after modifying it substantially I like it a lot!

 I had only five lemons so I made a half small batch.

 squeezed them.

Sliced the ginger real fine 

 And then chopped it up.

 I poured 1 cup of water,

Not quite a quarter cup of honey, I was being cheap and regretted it later when I tasted it. And then had to add the rest later.

1/4 cup sugar.

a cup of lemon juice

and the ginger. I boiled this for 5 minutes or something like that. I actually got a little distracted  and hurried back just i time.

Then I let it sit for 15 minutes exactly! Sure.

Strain mixture. Add to remaining cups water. And if you just don't have the patience to refrigerate and let it chill, add lots of ice and serve.

But you have to cut a few slices of lemon for garnish.
It's part of the recipe.

Adjust with more water and or honey to taste.

Ginger Lemonade 
modified from Melody Jones

• 3 cups water, divided
• 1 inches fresh ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 honey
• 1 cups fresh lemon juice (about 4 - 5 lemons)

In saucepan, bring one cup water, ginger root, and sugar and honey to boil. Boil five minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice, cover pan, and let steep fifteen minutes. Strain mixture.  Add to large pitcher with remaining cups water. Refrigerate two hours or until chilled.

Slice zucchini 

Slice onion

Combine zucchini, bell pepper, black pepper and onion in a large bowl

 drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil.

 Toss.

 Arrange vegetables on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 500° for 15 minutes.

Slice up mozzarella  

Roll dough out, cover with a teaspoon of olive oil and Spread tomato sauce. 

  Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella over sauce

 top with vegetables. 


 Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella and red pepper over zucchini mixture. Dollop with ricotta



 Bake at 500° for 11 minutes or until crust is golden.

Sprinkle with basil.

And serve!

I did a test, a taste test. Does it taste better with a fork 

or in hand?
Results: dead even tie.

Roasted Vegetable and Cottage Cheese Pizza

• 1 pound refrigerated fresh pizza dough
• 1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/4 medium red onion, cut into thick slices
• 5 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
• 1/3 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/3 cup cottage cheese
• 2 tablespoons small fresh basil leaves

• 1. Position an oven rack in the lowest setting. Preheat oven to 500°.
• 2. Remove dough from refrigerator. Let stand, covered, for 30 minutes.
• 3. Combine zucchini and next 3 ingredients (through onion) in a large bowl; drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Toss. Arrange vegetables on a cookie sheet. Bake at 500° for 15 minutes.
• 4. Punch dough down. Sprinkle a lightly floured baking sheet with cornmeal; roll dough out to 15-inch circle on prepared baking sheet. Brush dough with 1 teaspoon oil. Spread sauce over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella over sauce; top with vegetables. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella and red pepper over zucchini mixture. Dollop with ricotta. Bake at 500° for 11 minutes or until crust is golden. Let cool a little then sprinkle with basil and serve.

Strawberry spinach salad with toasted almonds. Goes great with pizza  -just sayin'.


Pick some strawberries.

slice up toasted almonds and sharp cheddar cheese

toss in spinach

Parsley, and cheese

Toss on avocado and toasted almonds


 and serve immediately.

Strawberry Spinach salad

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 1/2 cups spinach
• 1/8 cup sliced toasted almonds
• 1/8 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/2 avocado

Chicken tacos with Pineapple avocado pico de gallo modified from A taste of home's recipe
These are going to me one of my favorites!

chop cooked chicken up and season with cumin salt, powdered garlic and herbs.

Oh cilantro you stink! the smell of this stuff is so strong but it does add a flavor that cannot be imitated.

chop tomatoes

onions.


then mix together with a pinch of salt.

Time to assemble!

sprinkle cheese on warm tortlla

spoon on some warm chicken

fold sides over.

top with pico de gallo.

And eat.


Chicken tacos with pineapple Avocado pico de gallo

• 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
• 1/4 cup avocado chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon  garlic seasoning blend
• 4 corn tortillas (6 inches), warmed

• For pico de gallo, in a small bowl, combine the pineapple, avocado, cilantro, onion, lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
• In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook and stir the chicken, cumin, seasoning blend and remaining salt until heated through. Spoon 1/4 cup onto each tortilla. Fold in sides. Serve with pico de gallo. Yield: 4 servings.