Blushin’ Russian {Cocktail & Kid-friendly Mocktail}

Celebrate with a Blushin’ Russian Soda – a sweet, refreshing cranberry and ginger infused libation that everyone can enjoy!

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. – Edith Lovejoy Pierce

A perfectly refreshing cocktail for wintertime or any time, this Blushin’ Russian is a beautiful, delicious twist on a traditional Italian Soda. You can easily mix it as a cocktail or a an alcohol-free mocktail, so it makes a great option for imbibers and teetotalers alike.

^{This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.}

Blushing Russian Soda {Cocktail & Kid-friendly Mocktail}

Blushing Russian Soda {Includes Non-alcoholic Version}

Course Beverages

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings 1

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

6 oz Cranberry Ginger Ale**
1 1/2 oz Spiced Simple Syrup
1 1/2 oz half-and-half***
1 1/2 oz vodka [optional]

Instructions

Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour cranberry ginger ale and simple syrup into glass. If you are using vodka, add it also. Stir gently, and then pour in half-and-half.
Garnish with mint leaves and sugared cranberries.

Recipe Notes

**If you can't find cranberry ginger ale, you can use regular ginger ale and 1 ounce of cranberry juice.

*** You can use heavy cream, but I prefer to use half-and-half for a lighter drink.

Spiced Simple Syrup

Course Beverages

Prep Time 15 minutes

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
3-4 slices fresh ginger
4-5 cinnamon sticks
3 whole star anise
15 whole allspice

Instructions

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, sliced ginger, star anise, and heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil and allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool completely.
Using a slotted spoon, remove spices from liquid and pour into bottle or jar. Mixture can be refrigerated for at least two weeks.

Thank you so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of The Good Hearted Woman. ❤ Be sure to Pin and Print this recipe!

P.S. I’m sharing this recipe on the Weekend Potluck Recipe Linkup. Check it out for more great recipes!

^{Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!}

Spiced Cranberry Mule {Recipe}

December 16 By Mr. B 16 Comments

Warm spices pair perfectly with crisp cranberry vodka to create this festive, refreshing Spiced Cranberry Mule.

From Mr B’s Man Cave

The house is decorated, the tree is up, the gifts are wrapped, and the Christmas music is playing. Now all that’s left to do is kick back in the big chair with Renée and watch my favorite holiday movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Yep – life is good.

And it’s even better when you have a delicious adult beverage to enjoy in the process. I’m loving these Spiced Cranberry Mules, a combination that Renée and I stirred up while we were experimenting with her Spiced Simple Syrup. Warm spices like ginger and cinnamon pair perfectly with crisp cranberry vodka to create a festive and truly refreshing holiday treat.

^{This post may contain affiliate links, but don’t worry – they won’t bite.}

One of the reasons I love a good mule – besides the obvious fact that they are delicious – is that I get to use our Moscow Mule Mugs and not just because they make for a great presentation either.

There are a couple of bonafide benefits to drinking your mule from a good copper mug. Not only do copper mugs keep drinks colder, but the copper seems to enhance to the flavor of the drinks as well. The difference isn’t something you can really put your finger on per-say, but in my experience the copper mugs seem to complement and heighten the flavors of the ginger and vodka, as well as whatever else you add.

If you are the kind of person who can perceive the subtle differences between drinking soda or beer from a glass bottle versus aluminum can, you will likely notice a similar difference when you drink a mule in a copper mug. Drinking from copper vessels may also carry some impressive health benefits too, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties.

If you don’t have your own mule mugs, consider making this the year that you give yourself a set.

The mugs Renée and I have are very well-made of hammered solid copper, and have a nice, heavy feel in your hand. My only advice is that if you are going to get yourself some, don’t go cheap! Quality makes a big difference when it comes to mule mugs. Plus, if you get good ones, they’ll last forever.

Spiced Cranberry Mule

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

2 large mint leaves
2 oz. Cranberry Vodka
2 oz. Spiced Simple Syrup
6 oz. "Craft" Ginger Ale**
Garnish: Sugar & Spice Cranberries & Fresh Mint Leaves

Instructions

Muddle two large mint leaves int he bottom of a Moscow Mule mug or tumbler.
Fill mug with ice. Pour in vodka, spiced simple syrup, and ginger ale. Stir gently.
Garnish with Sugar & Spice Cranberries and mint leaves.

Recipe Notes

We like to use spearmint leaves for this.

Renée’s Spiced Simple Syrup is a key ingredient in this cocktail. You can use a plain simple syrup if you have to, but the spiced syrup really does bring a special kick to this mule. If at all possible, set aside the extra five or ten extra minutes it takes to cook some up. One batch should last you all holiday season.

Spiced Simple Syrup

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
3-4 slices fresh ginger
4-5 cinnamon sticks
3 whole star anise
15 whole allspice

Instructions

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, sliced ginger, star anise, and heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil and allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool completely.
Using a slotted spoon, remove spices from liquid and pour into bottle or jar. Mixture can be refrigerated for at least two weeks.

Thank you so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of The Good Hearted Woman. ❤ Be sure to Pin and print this recipe!

Mowcow Mule Mugs

How to Make Sugar & Spice Cranberries

December 2 By Renée ♥ 9 Comments

Sugar & Spice Cranberries are a tart, sweet treat – made with a deliciously spiced simple syrup.

The older I get, the more I come to appreciate the simple things, and at no time of the year do I feel this more intensely than during the holiday season. Call me boring (and some of you will!) but one of my favorite things to do this time of year is curl up with my sweetheart in our big, comfy chair and watch “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Not because I love the movie so much – honestly it isn’t my favorite. But it is his favorite.

To see the man I fell in love with three decades and more ago still tear up when George Bailey stands on those stairs, the whole town gathered around, and that little bell on the Christmas tree rings – that singular moment is the reason I love it.

It is in that moment when Jimmy Stewart, standing there on the stairs holding Juju and her petals, manages across seven decades to communicate to us on a level so deep that the first recognition comes not in cerebral cognizance, but through the base reactions of our own bodies. Our eyes well and our cheeks flush and our hearts grow – and we know to our marrow that life really is wonderful.

And then, inevitably, a single heavy tear falls down my sweetheart’s face, and he pulls me close and looks into me with wide-open eyes and wraps my soul in his smile.

That. That right there. I would watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” a thousand times from beginning to end for that.

Believe me; I didn’t intend to go this direction at all when I started typing, but here I am. And now, here you are reading it. I guess that’s the thing about being your own editor: sometimes you keep the sentences [even the ridiculously long fragments] you love – not because they are particularly good, but simply because you love what they mean to you.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program….

This post grew from the need to make a Spiced Simple Syrup for an amazing Spiced Cranberry Mule that Mr B will be sharing in an upcoming post. I started thinking about garnishes for his latest concoction and remembered seeing a recipe for Sugared Cranberries that I’d always wanted to try. Then, as usual, I decided to take it a step further, and Voilà! Sugar & Spice Cranberries!

Sugar & Spice Cranberries are a tart, sweet treat, made with a deliciously spiced simple syrup; perfect for holiday snacking, creating beautiful garnishes, or decking out everything from salads to desserts.

Sugar & Spice Cranberries

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1/4 cup Spiced Simple Syrup Recipe Below
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

Line a baking pan with a silicone mat, aluminum foil or plastic wrap and set a wire cooling rack on top.
In a small bowl, toss one cup of cranberries in ¼ cup of the spiced simple syrup. Remove with slotted spoon and place on wire rack. Let cranberries set on the wire rack for at least an hour.
Place the granulated sugar in a medium bowl or Ziploc bag, and toss the sticky cranberries until well coated. Refrigerate prepared cranberries for at least an hour before using. Cranberries can be refrigerated for up to a week.

Spiced Simple Syrup

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
3-4 slices fresh ginger
4-5 cinnamon sticks
3 whole star anise
15 whole allspice

Instructions

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, sliced ginger, star anise, and heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil and allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool completely.
Using a slotted spoon, remove spices from liquid and pour into bottle or jar. Mixture can be refrigerated for at least two weeks.

You should probably make a batch this weekend – you may be needing a little Spiced Simple Syrup and some Sugar & Spice Cranberries sooner than you think!

Thank you so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of The Good Hearted Woman. ❤ Be sure to Pin and Print this recipe!

Emerald Sunrise {Cocktail}

March 14 By Mr. B 18 Comments

Forget the green beer! Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style with this beautiful spin on a Tequila Sunrise.

An original cocktail from Mr B
One day last spring, I was mixing myself up a Tequila Sunrise and decided to use Blue Curaçao in place of the traditional grenadine, which turned the whole drink a bright green. (Curaçao is a liqueur flavored with the dried peel of the laraha citrus fruit, similar in flavor to an orange, and is grown on the island of Curaçao, hence the name.)

Anyway, all this happened just after St Patrick’s Day, which thanks to my wife is a very big deal around our house, and when I saw that tall glass of green, I had a flash of inspiration! I garnished it with a mandarin slice, and there I had the Irish flag! Renée even added a shamrock to make it official.

So here it is: my contribution to what my lovely wife calls the “perpetuation of negative cultural stereotypes” – and what I like to call my Emerald Sunrise. Enjoy!

St Patrick's Day Emerald Sunrise | The Good Hearted Woman

Emerald Sunrise {Cocktail}

Course Beverage

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Author Mr. B

Ingredients

For each drink:

1 1/5 ounces 1800 Tequila
1 1/2 ounces Blue Curaçao
4-6 ounces Orange Juice

Instructions

Fill an 8-10 ounce glass half full of ice. Add Blue Curaçao and tequila and mix. Stir in orange juice. Garnish with a mandarin orange slice and a shamrock. (A mint leaf or sorrel will work fine too.)

Tip:
No Alcohol for you? Mix up a kid-friendly St Pat’s Day beverage by combining three parts orange juice with one part lemon-lime soda, and then stir in a few drops of blue food coloring.

A Few Thoughts from Mrs B
First things first. YES! Shamrocks are edible, and they make a lovely garnish. (I just felt like we needed to get that out of the way.) So are false shamrocks, better known as sorrel.

Shamrocks have three leaves (not four) and were used by St Patrick to teach the concept of the Holy Trinity to the Irish people. Like the Irish people themselves, shamrocks are one of those plants that survive under very difficult circumstances, which is why there is a pot of them (shamrocks, not Irish people) thriving on my kitchen windowsill year-round.

Next, if you are going to perpetuate this St Patrick’s Day green beverage tradition, I do think Mr B’s Emerald Sunrise is a far better choice than green beer. Plus, I love the name. (If you know us, you’ll know that it’s a little nod to our birthstone too!)

Finally, if you are at all interested in an actual Irish person’s perspective on US traditions visa-vie St. Patrick’s Day, I encourage you to check out this post – Surviving St. Patrick’s Day in America [Sass & Shamrocks]. Highlights include meeting Patrick’s forgotten sister Patty, and learning the proper response to the traditional Irish greeting, “Ciúnas bothar cailín bainne!” Check it out!

THANK YOU so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of The Good Hearted Woman. ❤ Be sure to PIN and PRINT this recipe!

I’m sharing this recipe on the Weekend Potluck Recipe Linkup. Check it out for more great recipes!

Curl Up with a Cup of Russian Tea {Recipe}

November 23 By Renée ♥ 9 Comments

WARNING: Consuming Russian Tea may lead to intense feelings of coziness and an uncontrollable desire to curl up with a good book.

As I get older, I find myself remembering more and more about the women in my mother’s circle who influenced my life. Remember Mrs. Houston? I’ve written about her a couple of times. She was my mother’s super-talented, perpetually cranky friend who taught me to embroider and made my family Nuts-n-Bolts for Christmas every year.

Mrs Houston also introduced me to Russian Tea – a warm, incredibly cozy concoction that has ties to both the 1960’s penchant for convenience foods and NASA’s space program.

Tang, the primary ingredient in Russian Tea, was known in my childhood as the drink “the astronauts took to the moon.” It first made its appearance in the late 1950’s, but didn’t sell well until it got a super-powered boost from NASA in the early 60’s when it was included in the food-stores of John Glenn’s Mercury spaceflight, and later on the Gemini missions.

My mom was suspicious of, and therefore rarely bought, anything unfamiliar to her Midwest Depression Era upbringing (i.e., yogurt, pizza, Swiss cheese, etc.); however, if it was good enough for John Glenn, it was good enough for her. Hence, as a child I luxuriated with a glass of ice-cold Tang on a regular basis.

Fun Fact: The creator of Tang, William Mitchell, also invented (among other things) Pop Rocks & Cool Whip. Click To Tweet

That’s enough Tang history for now though: back to Russian Tea. I have no idea why it’s called Russian Tea. I can conjecture that perhaps it has something to do the US-Russian Space Race and the Tang connection, but I really have no solid evidence to support that theory. (If you know, please tell me!) But whatever its origins, Russian Tea is just about the coziest non-alcoholic beverage I know of. It tastes a lot like mulled cider, with a decidedly citrus kick.

Russian Tea is extremely easy to whip together, and makes a lovely housewarming, hostess, or holiday gift. (I’ve included a free printable below just for this purpose.) Now all you need is a good book, a toasty fire, and maybe a warm snuggle-buddy.

Nah zdarovhyeh! (That’s [phonetic] Russian for Cheers!)

Russian Tea Mix

Course Beverage

Cuisine Retro-American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

2 cups dry orange drink mix i.e. Tang
1 cup instant tea
2 cups sugar
1 .23 oz. package unsweetened package lemonade mix e.g. unsweetened Kool-Aid mix
2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container.

To make one cup of Russian Tea:

Add one heaping tablespoon of mix (or to taste) to a cup of hot water and stir.

MOCK Russian Tea:

If black tea is something you choose to avoid, you can make Mock Russian Tea by simply leaving out the instant tea. It still tastes warm and cozy.

Click for “Russian Tea” Labels (8 per page)

Thank you so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of The Good Hearted Woman. ❤ Be sure to Pin and Print this recipe!

It’s Soda Time! {How to Make an Old-fashioned Chocolate Ice Cream Soda}

October 19 By Renée ♥ 19 Comments

You need just three ingredients to make a delicious old-fashioned chocolate ice cream soda – and a glass full of wonderful, bubbly memories to share.

^{Disclosure: We teamed up with Canada Dry for this post. All images and opinions are my own.}

My brother LA is sixteen years older than me and left for college when I was just two, so the only time I ever saw him when I was little was when he came home for holidays or spring break. Because of our age difference, it would have been easy for us to never have had any kind of real relationship, but LA didn’t let that happen. From the time I can remember, he has always made an effort to make a place for me in his life.

One way he did that was to establish a few simple traditions between us, the most enduring and dear to me being our Soda Time.

Whenever he came home, LA would always make us chocolate ice cream sodas. It was our thing. Soda Time was the one time I had my big brother all to myself, and as I grew up, it became a tradition that – to this day – I look forward to with great anticipation.

I’m pretty sure I drove my mom and dad nuts back when I was a kid, because whenever I caught wind that LA was on his way home, I’d make one of them go up to Freddy’s to get the Canada Dry, chocolate syrup, and ice cream so that we had everything we needed when he arrived.

LA always made a big, fun production of making our sodas, what with his special soda-mixing skills and spoon flourishes and all. He also taught me that you can’t just dump everything into a tall glass and call it good: making a perfect old-fashioned ice cream soda requires some finesse.

How to Make an Old-fashioned Ice Cream Soda

For each soda, you will need:

2-3 scoops vanilla ice cream
6-8 ounces Canada Dry Club Soda or Seltzer Water [Original flavor] (We prefer Club Soda)
2-3 tablespoons chocolate syrup

First, find a suitable vessel. A soda glass is perfect, of course, but if you’re short on those, you can use any large, tall glass. (You can even do what my brother and I do when we’re feeling lazy and make a soda-in-a-bowl.)
Next, drop one scoop of ice cream into the bottom of the glass and pour about 2-3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup on top.
Use a soda spoon to squish and mash and mix everything around until the ice cream and the chocolate syrup become a sort of chocolate ice cream slurry.
Now comes the tricky part: you need to take a soda spoon in your dominate hand and stir constantly while you very slowly pour club soda or seltzer water into the glass with your other hand. Continue adding seltzer until the glass is about three-fourths full.
Taste the soda to make sure it’s chocolaty enough for you. (If not, just stir in a little additional chocolate syrup.)
Finish it off by adding a scoop of ice cream to the soda glass, and mount an additional scoop to the rim, sidecar style.

Top it off with one last splash of club soda or seltzer water (I prefer club soda), pop in a straw and enjoy! We usually serve ours with extra club soda on the side so that we can make our sodas last as long as possible.)

For the record, LA has lived in Iowa for decades now and sometimes years pass without us getting together. However, whenever he visits, you can bet that I will have the chocolate syrup, ice cream and Canada Dry waiting for him.

Who will you share SODA TIME with?

Mango Pina Colada Smoothie {Recipe}

July 14 By Renée ♥ 10 Comments

Yesterday, I told you all about my new sun-brella, so today I thought I would share an umbrella of a different kind! One of the things I loved most about our Hawaiian holiday was all the fresh fruit, and this island-inspired smoothie is deliciously refreshing, no matter where you are.

This recipe makes enough for at least 4 servings.

5 from 1 vote

Mango Pina Colada Smoothie

Course Beverage

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
2 mangoes peeled, seeded and cubed
1/2 ripe banana frozen
1 1/2 cups ice cubes
2-3 tablespoons sugar to taste
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Beginning with pineapple juice, layer ingredients in blender in order. Puree until smooth. Serve in chilled glasses, and garnish with fresh mint (and a little umbrella if you want to get fancy).

Tip: When your bananas get a little too ripe, peel them and put them in the freezer. Great for just about any smoothie, they both add flavor and cut down on the need for additional sweeteners.

Classic Whiskey Ginger with Lime {Made with Homemade Ginger Syrup}

June 13 By Mr. B 10 Comments

Made with a delicious homebrewed ginger syrup and finished with fresh mint and a lime wedge, our Whiskey Ginger elevates this classic warm-weather cocktail to a whole new level.

My sweetheart Mr. B is pretty handy around the kitchen and an excellent cook in his own right: he’s always been very supportive of me and the work I do here on the blog. However, I didn’t know he had any interest in contributing himself until last winter when he made our holiday scalloped potatoes. As he took them out of the oven – perfect and golden and smelling like heaven – he asked if I would like him to write down the recipe. He even had me take pictures of them… “you know, for our blog.”

“Our blog“… Hmmm. I sensed the tide was changing. Then this spring, when we got an invitation to attend the opening of a new steak house here in Portland, he helped me write up the review. As we sorted images and recalled the details of the evening, he commented, “I’m really liking this blogging thing.” That may have just been the Brazilian barbecue talking, but whatever it was, he’s hooked now.

With that in mind, and with Father’s Day just around the corner, it seems like the perfect time to launch a new feature here on The Good Hearted Woman – a little corner of the blog where Mr. B can occasionally share his grilling and mixology skills and flex his culinary muscles.

So, without further ado, welcome to the first installment of “Mr B’s Man Cave.”

Hi everyone! This is my first blog post, and I’m keeping it short and sweet. When Renée made her Homemade Ginger Syrup for the first time awhile back, I immediately thought of how great it would be in a Whiskey Ginger, and WOW was I right! Enjoy!

(For all our non-drinking friends out there, this recipe includes a non-alcoholic option)

Whiskey Ginger with Lime

Made with a delicious homebrewed ginger syrup and finished with fresh mint and a lime wedge, our Whiskey Ginger elevates this classic warm-weather cocktail to a whole new level.

Course Beverages

Prep Time 2 minutes

Author Mr B.

Ingredients

2-3 Tbs Homemade Ginger Syrup
2-3 Tbs Whiskey*
3-4 ounces club soda or seltzer water
1 small lime wedge
1 mint leaf

Instructions

Fill a tumble (or other “short glass”) three-quarters full with cubed ice. Over the ice, pour 3 tablespoons of ginger syrup, 4 ounces club soda, and a shot of whiskey. Rub the glass rim with a lime slice, and garnish with lime and a mint leaf. Adjust amounts to be as strong as you like.

Non-alcoholic option:

Leave the whiskey out and enjoy a wonderful lime-ginger ale.

Recipe Notes

*I suggest Temperance Trader American Whiskey from Bull Run Distillery, Portland.

Homemade Ginger Syrup

Course Beverages

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

6 cups water
6 cups white sugar
1 lb ginger sliced

Instructions

Put 3 cups of water and all the sliced ginger in a blender and blend until ginger is chunky smooth.
Pour the blended mixture into a large saucepan. Stir in the remaining 3 cups of water and the sugar, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Allow the syrup to cool in the pan.
Line a sieve with two to three layers of cheesecloth and strain syrup. Squeeze the cheesecloth bag tightly to get out all the gingery goodness.
Pour syrup into containers and refrigerate or freeze.

Recipe Notes

Makes about 8 cups of very strong ginger syrup. You can easily scale down the amounts (3 cups/3 cups/1/2 lb) and make less syrup, but you will regret it. This stuff is delicious!

THANK YOU so much for being a faithful reader and supporter of The Good Hearted Woman. ❤ Be sure to PIN and Print this recipe!

Homemade Ginger Syrup

June 12 By Renée ♥ 10 Comments

Spice up your beverages and desserts with Homemade Ginger Syrup!

Mr. B and I love ginger. When we discovered how easy it is to make homemade ginger syrup, and this delicious condiment immediately became a new favorite among our kitchen staples.

Scroll to the bottom of the post for just a few of the ways we enjoy using it. Please let me know in the comments if you come up with any new ideas!

Homemade Ginger Syrup

Course Beverages

Author Renée B. ♥ The Good Hearted Woman

Ingredients

6 cups water
6 cups white sugar
1 lb ginger sliced

Instructions

Put 3 cups of water and all the sliced ginger in a blender and blend until ginger is chunky smooth.
Pour the blended mixture into a large saucepan. Stir in the remaining 3 cups of water and the sugar, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Allow the syrup to cool in the pan.
Line a sieve with two to three layers of cheesecloth and strain syrup. Squeeze the cheesecloth bag tightly to get out all the gingery goodness.
Pour syrup into containers and refrigerate or freeze.

Recipe Notes

Makes about 8 cups of very strong ginger syrup. You can easily scale down the amounts (3 cups/3 cups/1/2 lb) and make less syrup, but you will regret it. This stuff is delicious!

Ginger Frenzy

Here are just a few delicious ways to use Homemade Ginger Syrup:

Ginger ale – add a tablespoon of Ginger syrup to a glass of club soda or seltzer water and make your own ginger ale.
Ginger Lemonade
Ginger Iced Tea
Ginger Apple Juice
Whiskey Ginger
Ginger Ice Cream – just drizzle a couple of tablespoons into the ice cream mix before you freeze it.
Raspberry-Ginger Butterscotch Sundae
Ginger Peaches
Ginger Yogurt – add a teaspoon or two to a cup of yogurt. Vanilla, peach, and raspberry all taste great this way!

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Pumpkin Fall Fantasy Smoothie

October 21 By Renée ♥ Leave a Comment

You can thank Fantasy Basketball for this post. Or Mr. B. Or both. Anyway, tonight while he was deep into the draft for his leventy-seventh fantasy sports team (which are not real, guys, in case you were confused) I got bored, so I started throwing things in the blender and when I was done, I had my first ever Coconut Peach Pumpkin Smoothie!! Super-awesome! So good, in fact, that Mr. B actually came back to reality long enough to tell me so.

(When I read that intro to Mr. B, he told me that it sounded like I may have a bit of an attitude, which wasn’t my intention at all. So just to clarify; I think Mr. B is adorable, and I think his little pretend sport teams are adorable too. I think I’ll keep him. ♥)

Tropical Fall Fantasy Smoothie

Combine the following in a blender:

1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 whole peach, fresh or canned
½ cup crushed ice
1/3 cup powdered sugar
¼ cup sweetened coconut
2 tbs. cooked pumpkin, fresh or canned
1 tsp. vanilla
½ teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

I’m thinking this would make a fantastic ice cream too, but it was all gone before I had a chance to freeze any! Makes about 2 servings.