Cherry Limeade

Hi, my name is Memoria, and I am addicted to Sonic's Cherry Limeade.

In fact, this drink is the only item I like there, so if I'm looking for a quick meal and a limeade, I have to either go to Sonic (for the limeade) plus another fast-food place (for the meal), just buy a drink and make something at home, or just settle for a Route 44oz drink with nothing else. Acquiring the drink is a bit of a hassle, but worth it.

So, in order to remedy my problem, I decided to look for a copycat recipe for this addicting drink, and I found two viable ones that came from former Sonic employees. I had every ingredient but the soda and the limes. It was weird to buy soda at the store since I haven't done that in a very long time, so I just bought a 2 liter since it was the cheapest out of the other options (Man! Soda has gotten really expensive!! I'm so glad I don't buy the stuff on a regular basis!)

I started assembling the drink and decided to move all the ingredients to my "photo studio" (hah! I laugh at that. I so don't have a studio. If you all only knew...) to make some decent process photos. As I picked up the grenadine (a syrup made from pomegranate) to transport it to the living room, I dropped it on the kitchen floor, and the thick, red, liquid splattered everywhere! I cleaned up quickly and proceeded with the photo-taking.

I love how this recipe requires only a few ingredients to become something great. Make sure you stir the mixture for the full effect. Also, you may need to adjust the amount of lime juice or cherry syrup or grenadine to get the right ratio. When I used the amounts on the original recipes (the slightly modified version is below), I was pleased with the taste of the drink, but it wasn't quite spot on. I added more lime juice and grenadine, stirred the mixture again, and it tasted almost exactly like Sonic's limeade.

The flavor is definitely close enough to the real thing and will definitely assuage any cravings. Since it contains soda (which I didn't know it had until I found the recipes), I still won't be able to make it whenever because I promised myself that I wouldn't buy soda for the house (I broke the rule this time hehe). If you're not opposed to soda and are addicted to Cherry Limeade (or you could make other flavors like strawberry limeade!) or are just curious as to how this drink tastes, I highly suggest making it. If you have children, they would have fun making this on their own, too. It is a lovely-looking drink. I love the two shades of colors.

Unstirred (left); stirred (right)

Cherry Limeade

adapted by the comment on copykat.com and aldenteblog
Yield: medium-sized Cherry Limeade (20 oz.)

1- 1 1/2 cup(s) ice
2-4 tbsp of flavored syrup (use cherry snow cone syrup or grenadine)
1 lime, squeezed
1 maraschino cherry (or as many as you like!! I love cherries!)

Crush the ice, and place it in the glass. Add 2 Tbsp of syrup or grenadine. Squeeze an entire lime (if you like a more tart taste) on top of the grenadine. Pour in about 12-16 ounces of Sprite until the glass has been filled.

For a more cherry taste, add more syrup and for a more tart taste, add more lime. Play around with the ingredients to suit your personal taste.

SUGAR-FREE: You can also make this drink sugar-free with a sugar-free cherry syrup (if you can find it) and Diet Sprite.

AMOUNTS FOR OTHER SIZED DRINKS:

• 20 oz gets 2 limes and 1/2 oz syrup or grenadine
• 32oz gets 3 limes and 3/4 oz syrup or grenadine
• 44oz gets 4 limes and 1 oz syrup or grenadine

Want a sip?

Iced Green Tea

In 2008, I decided to stop drinking soda for good. I upheld that promise for over a year and then started drinking soda again. I don't know why really. It may because of the mistake someone made at Wendy's when I ordered a tea and received a Coke instead.

Anyway, even though I've started drinking soda again, I never buy soda for the house. I drink it only if I go out to eat. I haven't purchased cans or bottles of soda for myself in over 3 years. Instead of drinking soda, I rely on water, skim milk, juice, and iced tea as my beverages at home.

Out of those abovementioned drinks, my favorite has got to be this iced greeen tea. I make big quantities of it 1-2 times a week. The recipe is very simple. I'm sure you could use another type of tea, but I love using green tea. You could also use agave syrup, Splenda, or some other sweetener aside from granulated sugar to make it healthier.

Iced Green Tea

8 cups of cold water
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar (or Splenda or about 3/4 c of agave syrup)
6-8 bags of green tea (I use Lipton, but I'm sure there are better brands out there. Any suggestions welcomed!)

In a big pot, pour in cold water and sugar. Turn on the heat, and stir the sugar until the water becomes translucent again. Cover the pot of sugar water, and allow the mixture to boil. Meanwhile, place the green tea bags in a large container (with a lid) that can handle hot water and quick temperature changes. Once the water boils, turn off the heat, and immediately pour the sugar water into the large container. Cover the container (with the lid or foil), and allow the tea to sit or steep and cool for 10 minutes. Then place the container in the refrigerator, or pour yourself a glass with a bunch of ice!

Enjoy!

Churros con chocolate caliente al estilo español

Let me first tell you that I hesitated on making these churros because of the source of the recipe. My photos cannot even come close to her photos. I don't aspire to get to her level, but the caliber of her photos makes my photos look more like they did when I first started blogging LOL! But you know, I had to get over the intimidation and just make these. In fact, I thought about making these churros for so long that I'd memorized the recipe!

When doing research on different churro recipes, I found many variations. Some did not call for eggs while others did. Also, some Spanish churros do not have a cinnamon/sugar topping because of its dependence on the thick, hot chocolate drink that serves as a sugary accompaniment. Although these doughnut-like pastries originated in Spain, one can find many churros and variations (e.g., filled with dulce de leche) in México, Argentina, Perú, and other places as well. The recipe for the churros is very easy and is like making a pâte à choux.

If you're planning to make this just for yourself and/or one other person, please half this recipe. I had so much dough leftover that I ended up throwing it all away because I am not crazy about a lot of fried foods (except for French Fries!! hehe). However, you could use the rest for éclairs or gourgères, which I forgot to do!

For the chocolate caliente, I had to look for a recipe from another source because I didn't want to make a bisque or an egg custard. I wanted my hot chocolate to be similar to the hot drink found in Spain that normally accompanies and coats the churros. Sadly, my chocolate didn't get as thick as the drinks in Spain, but it was thick enough to coat my churros fairly well. Next time, I will use either another recipe or add more cornstarch. Nevertheless, this drink was so rich and delicious. I absolutely loved it. I'm glad I have another cup's worth left. I think I'll end this post and drink it right now.

Churros

from the honorable Cannelle et Vanille

125 ml (1/2 cup) water
125 ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
110 grams (about 1 stick) of butter
1 Tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
150 grams (about 1 cup + 2 Tbsp) AP flour
3 large eggs, room temperature
canola oil, for frying
cinnamon and sugar, for coating

Instructions:

Pour water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan, and heat just up to boiling point. Turn off heat, and immediately add all of the flour (español: en un golpe). Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it becomes a moist ball of dough (It will smell sort of like buttery, mashed potatoes YUM!).

Pour the oil in a cast-iron skillet or a deep fryer, and heat it up on medium heat until it reaches 365 degrees Farenheit.

Meanwile, transfer this flour/butter mixture to a stand mixer (or mix by hand), and mix the dough for a few minutes to cool it down.

Add the eggs one at a time. Once the dough is uniform, turn off the mixer, and transfer some of the dough to a pastry bag with a #5 tip (I used #21 b/c I didn't have the other tip) or churrera.

Once the oil is hot, squeeze portions of the dough into the hot oil, and use a knife, scissors, or your finger to break off the pieces. Fry for about 2-3 minutes each side. Remove with a slotted spoon, and place churros on a paper towel. Add cinnamon or sugar to the hot churros, if using.

Chocolate caliente al estilo español

adapted from Spanish.about.com

16 oz (2 cups) whole milk
1/2 tsp cornstarch (I suggest adding more)
pinch of salt
4 oz milk chocolate (I used Callebaut)

Pour in the milk and cornstarch into a small or medium saucepan, and stir well with a whisk. Turn on the heat and heat just to boiling point. Once the milk boils, take it off of the heat, and add the chocolate. Stir well with a whisk or wooden spoon. Once the chocolate has melted, return the mixture to low heat until it thickens. If it doesn't thicken, add more cornstarch to a small amount of cold milk. Stir the cornstarch mixture well and then add it to the chocolate mixture. Continue to heat on low heat until it thickens more.

Enjoy!

Not-White Hot Chocolate & My First Award!!

This recipe comes from Paula Deen, and it doesn't involve butter *gasp*. However, to make up for its absence, this drink does carry a lot of fat in the form of heavy cream and half-n-half.
I made a halved version of this recipe, and it was just enough for two yummy mugs of this stuff. I will be making this for Thanksgiving for my family since it's such a simple, yet decadent recipe. Top it with homemade whipped cream.
Even though I have white chocolate chips, I used the milk chocolate variety from Guittard (my favorite store-bought chocolate), but you could use white chocolate chips as stated in the original version of the recipe or a combination of milk and white chocolate chips. I'm sure it would also taste fantastic with mint chocolate chips or any other flavored chips. YUM!

Non-White (or Milk) Hot Chocolate

adapted by Paula Deen at Food Network

• 1 cup white chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips)
  
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Vanilla whipped topping, for garnish
• Mint leaf, for garnish (very optional haha)
  

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine white chocolate chips and heavy cream. Stir continuously until white chocolate chips have completely melted. Stir in the half-and-half, and vanilla extract. Stir occasionally until heated through. Pour into mugs and top with a dollop of vanilla whipped topping and garnish with mint leaf.

MY FIRST AWARD!!

Barbara from Barbara Bakes just granted me this lovely award! I feel so honored to be one of the five chosen ones haha. I would also like to thank Barbara for being the first non-relative to visit and comment on my blog on almost every post. She always leaves such nice, heartfelt comments and works hard to leave nice comments on many other blogs as well. More importantly, she always posts yummy dishes and desserts and is a dedicated Daring Baker. I like how she shows a variety of her challenge work and some process photos. Thanks again for nominating me, Barbara!!

According to the rules of the award, I must provide my readers the answers to the below 35 questions. I also must grant SOME of my FAVORITE BLOGGERS this award as well. Let's see if I can answer all the questions in ONE WORD …

1. Where is your cell phone? Table
2. Your hair? Black
3. Your mother? Cute :)
4. Your father? Sick :(
5. Your favorite food? Cheeseburgers
6. Your dream last night? Forgotten
7. Your favorite drink? Juice
8. Your dream/goal? PhD
9. What room are you in? Living
10. Your hobby? Blogging
11. Your fear? Animals
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Europe
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren’t? Skinny
15. Muffins? Blueberry
16. Wish list item? CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
17. Where did you grow up? Texas
18. Last thing you did? Blog
19. What are you wearing? Jeans
20. Your TV? Flatscreen
21. Your pets? Nonexistent
22. Friends? Few
23. Your life? Lonely
24. Your mood? Sad
25. Missing someone? Ex-girlfriend
26. Vehicle? Altima
27. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes
28. Your favorite store? None
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Yesterday
32. Your best friend? Mom
33. One place that I go to over and over? Wal-Mart :(
34. One person who emails me regularly? Student
35. Favorite place to eat? Home

Now, it is my turn to pick five....hmmm. Forgive me if you have already been picked.

1. Ingrid at 3 Bs
2. Marina de Cabeças de alho choco
3. Nadia at BakeFresh
4. msmeanie at Chocolate Chip Trips (from one grad student to another)
5. Laura at The Cooking Photographer

Thanks, Barbara!

Chocolate Milk

I thought that my cravings for chocolate were waning, but I was pining chocolate milk for the longest time. After a depressing and disappointing weekend, I decided to work on a chocolate milk recipe I had found on Yahoo Answers.

The "by the glass" version is really good, even with skim milk. It looks like dirty water with the skim milk, but it tasted really good and satisfying. You could make it even healthier by adding Splenda or any other sugar substitute (or Equal, which my mother loves...a little too much)!

The dry mix version, however, left something to be desired, so I had to modify it. After looking over the two recipes, I realized what was wrong. The cocoa to sugar ratio was different than that of the "by the glass" version. Consequently, I increased the amount of sugar in the mix version and reduced the amount of non-fat dry milk because I think there's too much in this recipe. As you can see in the photo below, most of the mix just collects at the top of the glass, so I decided to microwave the mixture with 1 ounce of liquid as is done in the "by the glass" version. Lastly, it tasted better with 7 oz of milk instead of water. I'm sure it would be even richer with whole milk.

Well, the changes worked! I think I'm satisfied with this version. I could have made chocolate milk with chocolate chips or bars, but I wanted a cheaper version that didn't require melting chocolate. Enjoy!

Homemade Chocolate Milk
heavily adapted from Yahoo Answers

By the glass... (double or triple the recipe to your liking):
1 ounce water
1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa
2 tablespoons sugar (Splenda, Equal, or half sugar or half substitute)
dash of salt
11 ounces milk (skim, reduced, or whole)

Put sugar, cocoa, and water in microwavable 12 oz glass. Microwave for 30 seconds. Add cold milk and stir.

Dry mix (8 ounces per serving) you could easily half this recipe, especially if you're using a sugar substitute:
1 c. cocoa
2 c. sugar (or 1 cup of Splenda, Equal, or half sugar and half substitute)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. non-fat dry milk

Combine ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Put mix in jar and store for handy use.
Use 2-3 tablespoons of mix with 1 ounce of cold water. Microwave for 30 seconds or until sugar and cocoa dissolve. Add 7 ounces of cold water or milk (I prefer to use milk) and stir. For hot chocolate, add 8 ounces of hot milk to the mixture.