Sopapillas

-Fried Pastries kinda like donuts-

4 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons shortening
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 quart of oil for frying

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening. Mix in water until smooth. Cover and let stand 30-40 minutes.

2. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3-inch squares. Heat oil to 375 degrees F. and fry until golden brown. Serve hot with cinnamon sugar & honey.

They are often served with Honey Butter - makes about 24 small sopapillas

Tip: If you dont have a fryer, you can buy an inexpensive candy thermometer to measure the tempeature of the oil.

~Our Best Bites~

Strawberry Sauce

1 pint Strawberries, washed, hulled & roughly chopped
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla

1. Combine berries, sugar, and vanilla in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly & breaking strawberries up with a wooden spoon.

2. After 5 minutes, remove from heat and allmow to cool before blending. When cool enough, transfer the mixture to blender and pulse until desired consistancy is reached. Refrigerate unused for up to one week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Makes about 2 cups of sauce ~Our Best Bites~

Tip: Add a few spoonfuls to a glass of Fresh squeezed lemonad for Strawberry Lemonade

Frozen Pudding Pops

Blueberry-Lemon Cheesecake pudding pops

1 (1-ounce) box sugar-free cheesecake instant pudding mix
1 3/4 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cup blueberries

In a blender, mix cheesecake pudding mix & half-and-half until smooth. Add in lemon zest and blueberries and pulse a couple times to break up the blueberries. Spoon into molds & freeze.

~Our Best Bites~ Each makes about 8

Sweetened Whipped Cream

1 Cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanill, optional

Combine whipping cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl. With an electric hand mixer, beat until soft peaks form. Serve immediately.

~Our Best Bites~ page 252

Caramel Apple Cider

1 (64-ounce) bottle of apple juice or cider
1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed or a high-quality brand such as Simply Orange
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 orange
8 cloves
1/3 cup bottled caramel sauce (plus more to tast if desired)
Sweetened whipped cream (p.252 or from a can)
Ground cinnamon

1. Pour the apple cider into a large stockpot on the stove. Set heat to medium-high. Add orange juice, cinnamon sticks & allspice.

2. Thoughly wash your orange & then gently stab the while cloves into it. If you find it hard to do that with out destroying the cloves, use a toothpick to poke little holes first and then insert the cloves.

3. Gently drop the whole orange into the pot. Bring the cider to a boil and then reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer on low for 60 minutes or longer if you wish. If at any time the orange splits open, remove it from the pot.

4. After the cider has simmered for an hour, add caramel sauce & stir to combind and dissolve. Add more caramel to tast if needed.

5. When ready to serve, ladle the cider into mugs, top with whipped cream, and give it a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Serves 8-10 ~Our Best Bites~ page 27

Tropical Punch - from Our Best Bites

4 Cups Peach-Mango juice (found with the refrigerated juices), divided
1 (15-ounch) can cream of coconut
5 Cups pineapple Juice
1/2 Cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 3-4 limes)
1 (1-liter) bottle of Sprite (or other lemon-lime soda)

1. Combind 3 cups of peach-mango juice with the can of cream of coconut in the blender. Blend until completely smooth.
2. Combine blended mixture with all other ingredients, except for the Sprite, in a serving bowl or pitcher. When ready to serve, add Sprite & serve over ice. Garnish with slices of lime, coconut and/or pineapple if desired.

Serves about 16 ~Our Best Bites cookbook~