Mocktails and Easy Recipes

Plan your party or event so that the focus is on something other than drinking alcoholic beverages.
Try the following recipes for non-alcoholic drinks and party food.

Mock Pink Champagne

1 cup sugar
1 6-oz. can frozen grapefruit juice
1 cup water
1 28-oz. bottle chilled ginger ale
1 6-oz. can frozen orange juice
1/3 cup grenadine syrup

Early in the day, mix sugar and water in a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. Add frozen juices. Refrigerate. At serving time, add ginger ale and grenadine syrup. Stir lightly. Makes 10 servings.

Crock Pot Wassail Punch

2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1 orange studded with whole cloves
2 quarts apple cider
2 three-inch cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and simmer for about one hour on high or two hours or more on low. Serve in warmed mugs, garnished with orange slices or extra cinnamon sticks.

Sangria

4 oz. orange juice
4 oz. cranberry juice
2 slices each of lime, lemon, orange
4-6 fresh cranberries (optional)
Crushed or cubed ice
1 bottle sparkling apple cider

Place orange juice, cranberry juice and fruit slices into a pitcher. Add ice and pour whole bottle of sparkling apple cider over the rest of the ingredients. Stir with a spoon and serve in wine glasses. Makes four servings.

Hot Buttered Asian Cider

16 oz. unfiltered apple cider
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Put cider in a saucepan with honey and Chinese 5 spice and bring to a boil. Simmer for one minute. Take off the heat and put in the unsalted butter. Stir until the butter melts and serve. Makes two servings.

Citrus Collins

2 oz. fresh-squeezed orange or grapefruit juice
1 oz. simple syrup
1 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Club soda

Fill a 12 oz. glass with ice cubes. In another glass, combine orange/grapefruit juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Pour over ice. Top off with club soda. Garnish with orange slice and cherry.

Tomato Bull

Lemon & lime wedges
Salt, ice cubes
Bloody Mary mix
Celery sticks

Salt the rim of a 10 oz. glass. Fill with ice cubes. Squeeze the juice of a lemon and lime wedge into the glass. Top off with Bloody Mary mix. Garnish with a celery stick.

Easy Recipes

Barbecued Chicken Wings

20 Chicken Wings
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 cup honey

Mix all ingredients except chicken in a two-quart bowl. Add chicken wings and marinate overnight. Place wings on a baking sheet sprayed with oil spray. Bake at 400° F for 1/2 hour. Turn chicken occasionally during baking.

Fresh Fruit & Cheese Kabobs

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped nuts
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 fresh oranges/tangerines, peeled, segmented
1 grated orange peel
2 bananas, cut in chunks
1 apple, cored, sliced
1/2 cup grapes

Combine cheeses and orange peel. Form into sixteen 1-inch balls; roll in chopped nuts. Chill 30 minutes until firm. To serve, on 6-inch wooden skewers arrange one cheese ball and an assortment of fruit. Makes 16 appetizers.

Mexican Layer Dip

2 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese
1 pkg. dry taco seasoning
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon salsa
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 can refried beans
1 cup shredded lettuce, chopped green onions,
chopped tomato, shredded cheese, tortilla chips

Mix together the first five ingredients. Spread mixture on serving tray. Top with remaining ingredients. Chill and serve with tortilla chips.

Sassy Salmon Dip

1 can (about 7 oz.) salmon, drained, flaked
Grated peel of lemon half, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 /4 cup chopped ripe olives
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Serve with assorted raw vegetables or chips

Combine main ingredients, chill. Serve as dip.

Zesty Cheese & Chicken

Grated peel and juice of half of fresh lemon
1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 1 /2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 /3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 /4 cup chopped green onions
Optional fixings: celery, cherry tomatoes, tart
shells, mini cream puffs, rye or wheat sliced bread,
avocado, lettuce and sliced tomato.

Combine lemon peel, juice and cream cheese. Add chicken, blue cheese and green onions, stirring until blended. For appetizers, spoon filling into celery or cherry tomato shells, miniature cream puffs or tart shells, as desired. Makes 1 1 /2 cups filling.
Sandwich variation: spread mixture on sliced rye or wheat bread. Top with lettuce, tomato, avocado and additional slices bread. Makes four sandwiches.