PINK LEMONADE & SUCH
By Lee Ann Flemming Article
Last week, I was reading a magazine article about a birthday party a grandmother had given for her granddaughter’s second birthday. She chose to have a “high tea” for her birthday party theme. The young ladies wore their best Sunday dresses as their attire. When they arrived, they were treated to feather boas, long strings of pearls, and crowns. The table for twelve was set with beautiful white linens, silver and china. Finger sandwiches, petit fours and fruit were served to the young ladies. Pink lemonade was poured into Mississippi mint julep cups – I love pink lemonade! What a perfect drink to enjoy as the spring and summer seasons arrive. I immediately added pink lemonade concentrate to my grocery list.
I tell you that story to tell you this one. While reading a book on trivia and facts about food, I learned how pink lemonade was discovered. In 1857, Pete Conklin was working the concession stand for the circus. He unwittingly used a bucket of water in which a circus performer had soaked his red tights. That just took all my enjoyment and love for pink lemonade – I removed it from my grocery list. The thought just kept lingering and I couldn’t help but feel badly for those first few customers who got a glass of the “new and improved lemonade.”
Here are a few more appetizing food facts:
*Life Savers are the most popular candy in the world. They were invented the same year the Titanic sank – thus the name.
*The average American eats more lettuce than any other vegetable, an average of 27.4 pounds per year – that’s a lot of lettuce. If you are trying to eat healthy and watch those calories, it probably seems like more.
*The average American eats 3 hamburgers a week. There is a Hamburger Hall of Fame and it is located in Seymour, Wisconsin.
*You can burn 2.3 calories by melting an average size ice cube in your mouth. That’s good to know when the average temperature around here reaches into the high nineties.
*Boxes of animal crackers were imported here from England in the late 1800’s. If you have ever wondered why they have the string handle, it is because in England they were hung on the Christmas tree to be used as ornaments. I always thought it was to make it easier for children to carry the box of cookies.
*Coca Cola was banned from India in 1977 for refusing to disclose its secret formula.
*Lima beans do come from Lima. They were brought here from Peru by U.S. Navy Captain John Harris in 1824.
*When Oreo cookies were first made, they were mound-shaped. The name comes from the Greek word “Oreo”, which means “Hill”.
A woman can talk with less effort than a man because her vocal chords are shorter. This has absolutely nothing to do with food. I just added it for my husband because he found it SO amusing when I read it to him!
Hope you enjoy this week’s recipes. Thanks for reading!
CHERRY LIMEADE
3 cups water
1 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup sugar
¾ cup maraschino cherry juice
4 cups Sprite or 7-Up, chilled
In a large pitcher (about ½ gallon), combine water, lime juice, sugar and cherry juice. Stir until sugar dissolves. Chill until ready to serve. Slowly add Sprite or 7-Up to pitcher, stirring gently to combine. Serve over ice.
CHICKEN PARMESAN PIZZA
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen garlic bread loaf
½ cup canned pizza sauce
6 chicken strips, grilled or fried
1 cup shredded Italian three-cheese blend
Arrange garlic bread halves, butter sides up, on a baking sheet; bake at 400 degrees for 8 – 9 minutes or until bread is lightly browned. Spread pizza sauce over garlic bread. Cut prepared chicken strips into ½ inch pieces, and arrange over pizza sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve immediately.
*I use Cole’s garlic bread (which I could make a meal in itself) and the grilled chicken strips found at the meat counter with cold cuts and bacon. What could be easier and more delicious?
**Kids love this and can easily help you to prepare.
WEDDING COOKIES
1 cup butter, room temperature
½ cup powdered sugar, plus more for coating baked cookies
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¾ cup flour, plus additional for rolling cookies
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Cream butter and sugar; beat in vanilla and gradually add flour. Mix in pecans. With floured hands, take 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into balls. Continue to dust hands with flour as you continue to make cookies. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle, but still warm, roll in addition powdered sugar. Cool on wire racks.
