A Big Glass Of Agua Fresca

With the warm weather coming you need somethign refreshing to quench your thirst.Water may be too bland. Soda is too sweet. Why not make a pitcher of agua fresca?It's perfect for those steamy days ahead.

What is agua fresca or fresh water. It's a combination of water, fresh fruit or even veggies and a sweetener. They originated in Mexico and the drink spread rapidly thorogh Latin America. Taquerias served them along with their tacos and tortillas.The drink is now all over the Americas, North and South.  You can even buy large cups of it at Panera.

Is it easy to recreate? Yes/

Recipe for agua fresca

4 cups of any fruit.Try pineapple or melon for a refreshing flavor but you can use strawberries too.

1/4 cup white sugar

4 cups water

Blend fruit , water and sugar. Strain through a strainer and then served chilled with sprigs of fresh mint.

A Summer Taco Spread

 Everyone loves a good taco. Imagine a taco party then instead of a barbecue. Guests can have fun creating their own. It just starts with a few basics nd goes from there.

Genevieve Ko wrote about this along with giving  the basics in yesterday's New York Times Food section, Her inspiration was Alejandra Graf who threw a taco party for her son's soccer team. Thye loved it thanks to the variety and the joy of customizing their tacos. This also gives the host time to mingle while guests are creating their own meals. There should be big flavors, spicy , fresh and savory . Chef Ko also looks to Esteban Castillo author of the cookbook Chicano Eats  and the upcoming Chicano Bakes  aand his family's experiences. The family would throw carne asada on the grill but to also vary the taco fillings there would be Cornish game hens, chicken, chorizos , cebollitas or scallions and white onions. Theere would be tables groaning with guacamole, arroz rojo, red rice, pico de gallo and salsa molacito  along with frijoles charros and tortillas that his aunt made. It also pays to get everyone involved too. There should be extra handsin the kitchen to help witht eh chopping and prep.Prepare before time.Some dishes like chicken tinga, chicken with adobo sauce  and lamb birria, a kind of spicy lamb braise takes days to creare as do frijoles de olla.

Another important aspect is the tortilla.Make sure they're warmed before serving You could do what Ms Graf did, heating them on a comal or griddle (even a crepe plate works), They 're then wrapped in a warm towel to retain their tenderness.For a really big party CHef Ko suggests buying a tortiellero a large basket that retains their warmth. (you can buy this on Amazon or at a Mexican grocery).  Lightly char them as Mr. Castillo does or make your own,  She includes a carne asada recipe that has a spicy steak sauce and red rice.  The steak seasoning is a fiery one  full of  dried chilis and  spices such as cumin and  coriander. Black pepper gives it extra kick. There is also a marinade that features  orange and limes juices along with Worcester sauce. The red rice has tomato sauce and a host of spices too.Make sure there are plenty of drinks. You could have buckets of iced Corona  but agua fresca is  also good. Have large pitchers of this refreshing Mexican drink on the table. You can create them in a variety of such flavors as cucumber and watermelon. Make sure there's good music too for a relaxing time too.

A fun summer party involves tacos with fresh ingredients. Throw one that's full of delicious fillings followed by tasty drinks. There's nothing like a night full of good Mexican party food.

Refreshing Ades

The temps are up. The humidity is crushing. It's time to make refreshing thirst quenching ades that cool you down. They're easy to recreate and wonderful to sip, especially on a hot night.

One of the most refreshing and popular is agua fresca. This can be made with any fresh fruit and even veggies such as cucumber. It goes back to Aztec times when it was made to appease the gods' thirst. Now it can satisfy ours.It's simply fresh chopped fruit, water, and sugar. They can be made in a blender or using an immersion blender. A fun one is the watermelon  flavored, made with about four cups of watermelon chunks  , muddled with three cups of water, two tablespoons of sugar and the juice of one lime. It's a quick blitz and then serve over ice. Another fun and tropical twist is using pineapple. You may not need as much sugar for this one. For a truly refreshing agua fresca, think cucumbers.  You will need more sugar - about half a cup for two cucumbers and one half cup of lime juice.Mint leaves can be added for more refreshment.Another great cooler from Mexico is horchata. Again, this is another easy mix. It's taking long grained white rice that's been cooked, along with almonds and cinnamon sticks and blitzing them in a blender or with an immersion blender.It;'s then adding water and vanilla. Milk is added when it's ready to be chilled for a few hours.

Ades are an old fashioned way to quench your thirst when the temps go high. One of the most popular is lemonade. Keep in mind that the recipe starts with simple syrup and not sugar tossed in. Sugar will sink to the pitcher's bottom and you'll be left with a sour drink. Simple syrup is just that, a cooked syrup made with only a cup of sugar and  a cup of water boiled together. It;s then stirring them together over a low flame until a syrup is created.  You can add fresh lemon juice if you want a more lemony flavor. It's then adding one cup of fresh or bottled lemon juice and two to three cups of ice cold water. Mix and chill. You can add a few to a 1/3 cup crushed fresh mint leaves if you want.Limeade is another refreshing summer cooler. It takes seven large limes and five cups of water. Add simple syrup to sweeten it and served, iced with sliced limes. You can also do the same with oranges for a refreshing hot afternoon treat.  You'll need seven to eight medium sized oranges along with  a third of a cup of lemon juice to balance the flavor. Again use about a  half cup of the simple syrup to sweeten the drink.

This is the time of year for thirst quenching drinks. Make up an icy pitcher of any of them to cool off.They're the perfect sip for a hot , steamy day.

Too Hot To Cook

We are in the middle of a heat wave. Temps will raise in the upcoming weeks. Cooking will be impossible. What to do? Not cook.

In this day and age, it's easy to get take out food. Despite all the uproar about eating burgers and fries,  they're handy and they are filling. What can be done is careful choosing. Luckily all chains list their calories on their online menus. You can choose wisely and have a low calorie, no fuss meal. Burger King offers the Morningstar Farms veggie burger which is only 390 calories. Have their onion rings which are only 150 calories for a small serving. Panera is another chain that delivers and they have healthy choices for the whole family. You can customize  salads with ingredients you like. Try their Caesar salad which is only 390 calories or their garden salad. Toss in some avocado and almonds for more flavor and protein. Panera's sandwiches are also light - perfect for these steamy days. Order a few of their Mediterranean veggie sandwiches. Tasty tomato basil bread holds hummus, and a slew of veggies like tomato , cucumber and onions. A plus is that Panera also has low calorie drinks too. Their iced teas are zero calorie while their prickly pear hibiscus agua fresca is 90 calories for a 20 fluid ounce glass.

Of course you can make no cook dishes. One of the easiest is hummus. It should be made with chickpeas, tahini sauce , garlic and a squirt of lemon juice. It's then mashing it or using an immersion blender to get a creamy texture. Hummus is one of those recipes that can be varied. Since I don't I usually add cannellini beans. Garlic is kept to a minimum and I usually nix the tahini. The flavor is actually milder without all the seasoning and to me more palatable. Cut pita into triangles, and serve with the hummus. If you can stand a little heat , place the pita triangles in a 350 degree F toaster oven for five minutes. Brush both sides with olive oil for a crispy ,crunchy  chip. Other spreads like cream cheese salad can make for a tasty and satisfying dip or sandwich filler. Add chopped green olives and pimentos for color and flavor or minced garlic for tang. Scallions and chives would also make for a colorful addition. The cream cheese spreads would also be perfect for Sunday morning bagels too.Another easy to make spread is bruschetta. Cut up Roma tomatoes and mix with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.Garlic and fresh basil are also added for spice and zest. Serve on slices of Italian bread.

It's hot . It's a chore to cook. Go for the no cooking option for a cool way to eat.