Hurricane Party

Living in the gulf coast in the summer is prime time for hurricanes. Thankfully, we have not had to evacuate or a direct hit. In the days of a hurricanes landfall, we have been getting together with our neighbors for a hurricane watch party. We made hurricanes at our last one.

Hurricane Punch
4 cups pineapple juice
4 cups orange juice
1 1/4 cup white rum
3/4 cup dark rum
1/8 cup sweet and sour
1/8 cup grenadine syrup

Combine and enjoy!

Darn Good Shrimp

We barbecued all weekend. Tired of eating only salad, I decided to cook up some shrimp.

BBQ Shrimp
2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deviened
Baja Chipotle marinade

Marinate shrimp for 30 minutes. Thread on skewers. Place over hot coals for 3-4 minutes per side.

Super Refreshing!

We made this for our last garage party... it was quite good! We saved what fruit was left over and used for our mimosas the next day.

Super White Sangria
1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry white wine, such as Chardonnay
1 (6-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate
1/2 cup light rum
1/2 cup orange-flavored liqueur, such as a triple sec
1 (15.25-ounce) can pineapple tidbits packed in natural juices
1 orange, thinly sliced
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 (20-ounce) bottle or 2 cups chilled sierra mist

In a 1-gallon pitcher, combine wine, frozen lemonade concentrate, rum, orange liqueur and pineapple with the juice. Stir well and refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours.

Refreshing Cool Down

Every now and again, I crave a tropical drink. This weekend, the temperature was in the mid-90s and it seemed like a perfect time to recreate a favorite beverage of mine - the MJB. I'm really not sure what MJB stands for... someone suggested that it is short for More Jamaican Babies. Whatever the acronym means, the drink is a great way to cool down.

MJB
2 cups ice
1 cup pineapple juice
1 shot glass coconut rum
1/2 shot glass peach schnapps
1/2 frozen banana

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Vindaloo Shortcut

I'm always looking for new products to try when I'm at the grocery store. Recently, I was at Super Target and found a jarred Vindaloo sauce. I decided to pick it up and try it... good decision, it was very good and so quick and easy.

Shrimp Vindaloo

Oil for pan
1 onion, halved and sliced
2 tbs garlic

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deviened
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (place in microwave for 5 minutes with 2 TBS of water)
1 jar Archer Farms Vindaloo Sauce

Saute onion and garlic in pan with oil until tender. Add shrimp and cook until turn pink. Add potatoes and sauce and cook until heated through. Serve with jasmine rice and naan.

Dirty Bananas

Mark and I were married in Jamaica... one of our favorite drinks we had at the resort was the Dirty Banana. We made these recently to take the edge off the heat of the day.

Dirty Banana
In blender combine:
4 oz rum cream
3 oz dark creme de cocoa
1 banana (I use frozen)
3 cups ice
1 oz simple syrup
1 oz dark rum
Blend until smooth. Makes 4 servings.