Frozen Aperol Spritz in the Ninja Slushi Professional Drink Maker

I'm obsessed with this drink.  I've made this at least 4 times this summer.  At first I thought a frozen cocktail could not get any better than the Frozen Club Special, and then I mastered the Frozen Hillstone Crisp Martini.  That was definitely last summer's drink of choice.  This year will go down as the summer of the Frozen Aperol Spritz.  This is so easy to make, I just dump everything into the Ninja Slushi Professional Drink Maker and let it do all of the work.  The bright, bittersweet taste of Aperol is a flavor unlike anything else.  It highlights the orange juice perfectly, for a not-too-sweet cocktail.  When I say you can enjoy these all afternoon I mean it.  You probably shouldn't.  That is on you.  I'm just saying when you see what a bright summery-colorful drink this is, not to mention the refreshing flavor, you might be tempted to have more than one.  I will be having more than one.  All summer long on my patio.

The drink of summer 2026!

My absolute favorite way to use the
Ninja Slushi Professional Drink Maker.

The color is so vibrant and the taste
is even better.

Can you tell I've made these
several times already?

I love a regular Aperol Spritz, but
something about this frozen version
is even better.  Especially on a hot
summer day.

FROZEN APEROL SPRITZ in the
NINJA SLUSHI PROFESSIONAL DRINK MAKER

1 750ml bottle Prosecco wine
1 cup Aperol liqueur
1 cup club soda
1 cup pulp-free orange juice
orange slices for garnish

Combine the liquid ingredients into a large pitcher and carefully pour into the slushi machine.  Select the "spiked slush" setting and allow the drink to freeze.  Once the slushi is frozen, dispense into a glass and garnish with an orange slice and enjoy.

ONE BANANA Banana Bread

A while back we went to visit the Devilish Nephew and family.  There was a lone banana on the counter, getting darker and riper every day.   The Devilish Nephew was about to throw it out when Mr. Devilish Dish stopped him.  "Don't throw that out, it's perfectly ripe, she'll bake something with it." And he was totally correct.  I've heard many pastry chefs say that the blacker and uglier the banana looks, the sweeter, more intense banana flavor is inside.  It's hard to let a banana lay on the counter looking all sad and gross, but trust me, this is prime banana flavor.  This theory about letting the bananas get extremely ripe is totally true.  There is so much delicious banana flavor, you don't need an entire bunch.  Just one (Or two if they're small) will do.  The family was so impressed with how moist, delicious and intensely flavored this bread is.  Now you have a purpose for that lonely black banana that's been haunting you from the counter all week.  No need to waste it, because it's idea for this ONE BANANA Banana Bread!

This is the most delicious, moist and intensely
flavored banana bread.  You won't believe 
there is only one banana in there!

I baked this in Colorado.  I made no adjustments
for the altitude and it still came out delicious.

Save that lone banana, and let it get VERY RIPE
for this recipe.  You won't be disappointed.

ONE BANANA -BANANA BREAD

1 very ripe banana
1 egg
whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a loaf pan generously and set aside.  Mash the banana into a large bowl.  Crack the egg into a measuring cup and add enough whole milk to make 1 cup.  Pour this in with the banana.  Add the butter and vanilla.  Combine together until you  have a slightly-lumpy batter.  In a separate small bowl whisk together the flour, sugar and baking soda.  Stir this into the banana mixture.  Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake approximately 45-60 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow to cool before removing from loaf pan.  Slice and enjoy.

Payday Crunch Bars

June was an absolute whirlwind for us.  As many of you have probably seen on the news, the Oklahoma Sooners Baseball Team won the NCAA Men's College World Series.  This is only their third time to win since 1951 so it was kind of a big deal.  Mr. Devilish Dish is a die-hard baseball fan.  The post season run the team went on to make it to Omaha for the series was nothing less than historic.  I've never seen my husband so fired up.  We had a watch party at least twice weekly for over a month.  If you know anything about baseball you know the schedules and game times are wonky.  As in "Come over Monday at 1:30 pm for a watch party" and "See you again Wednesday at 6:00 pm for game 2."  As I've said many times before when it comes to my husband and Oklahoma sports, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." So I just made side dishes and desserts and delicious frozen beverages while he grilled meat outdoors and cheered on the team.  You also probably know baseball folks are superstitious.  Not a little stitious, SUPER stitious!   So every time we won, we had to do the whole thing over for the next game.  I will say of all of my watch party creations these PAYDAY CRUNCH BARS were the biggest hit.  Something about peanuts always makes me think baseball so these were perfect.  Very crunchy, slightly sweet and salty and easy to eat while cheering.  That's a home run!

Payday Crunch Bars are a definite
HOME RUN!

Just a few ingredients too.

Combine the syrup, peanut butter
and sugar over medium heat.

Boil this mixture together
for one minute.  Then add vanilla.

Combine the peanuts and 
Chex cereal in a large bowl.

Pour the boiled mixture over the
cereal mixture.  Stir lightly to coat.

Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with a piece
of foil and lightly grease the foil.  This will make
cutting into bars much easier.  These are very
crisp and crunchy.

Allow to cool completely 
before cutting into bars.

Enjoy.  Preferably while winning a 
National Championship.

PAYDAY CRUNCH BARS

1 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 cups rice Chex cereal
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups cocktail peanuts

Combine cereal and peanuts in a large bowl and set aside.  Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil and lightly grease the foil.  Don't skip the foil step as it makes these bars MUCH easier to cut later.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine Karo syrup, peanut butter and sugar.  Bring to a boil and boil together for one minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Pour this mixture over the cereal and peanuts.  Stir to coat and lightly press into greased pan.  Allow to cool completely.

When ready to cut, lift the foil out of the pan, and peel off the slab of crunch bars.  Cut evenly into squares and enjoy.

Dairy-Free Patriotic Flag Dessert - Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July.  I'm really excited about this recipe.  So I've told you that the Devilish Nephew has two tiny devils.  They are the absolute center of our universe.  I finally have some tiny helpers in the kitchen again.  The oldest has a dairy allergy so we are very careful with whatever we prepare.  I've done a lot of gluten-free cooking, but I don't have a ton a dairy-free recipes on hand.  I'm certainly not very familiar with trying to go dairy-free with desserts.  We were visiting them for Memorial Day weekend, and I wanted to come up with something fun that everyone could enjoy.  For sure the Sweet Loren's Refrigerated Cookie Dough is on the list of things they boys enjoy.  My vision was a good ol' Flag Cake made with strawberries and blueberries.  Instead of cake, I opted for more of a "fruit pizza" with a cookie dough base.  But how do you make whipped cream without cream?  As it turns out you can whip the heck out of coconut cream and get a whipped topping.  I know there are ready-made substitutes for everything, but I wanted to do just a little bit of cooking with the boys.  Not only did this turn out to be the sweetest dessert made by the sweetest little boys, the adults loved it too.  Whipped coconut cream makes an excellent topping.  The boys and I will definitely be making this again.

The boys were super happy with this.
The grown-ups found it pretty tasty too.

Sweet Loren's saved the day with
the pre-made cookie dough.  
It's dairy-free and safe for the boys to eat.

*Remember to consult your doctor if you have any
concerns with food allergies.  I trust their parents
to tell me what they can and cannot have.*

Press the cookie dough pieces into a baking
dish and bake to create a crisp cookie base
for the dessert.

The "whipped cream" is created from 
chilled coconut cream.  You'll need to
refrigerate the can for at least 24 hours
before you create this dessert to plan 
accordingly.

Adding a little bit of sugar was the 
most important part.  The boys made
sure I did not miss this step.

Decorate the top with sliced fresh strawberries
and blueberries to create a flag look.

Let your baking partner
show off their proud work.

This was actually pretty tasty for 
everyone, and being dairy-free made no
difference flavor wise.  The Sweet Loren's
Cookies make a really tasty base and the whipped
coconut cream is something I will definitely try
more often in desserts.

Happy 250th Birthday America!

DAIRY-FREE PATRIOTIC DESSERT

1 package Sweet Loren's refrigerated cookie dough (I couldn't find the sugar cookie flavor so I went for the chocolate chunk) slightly softened

1 can unsweetened coconut cream *SEE NOTE

1/4 cup granulated sugar

strawberries and blueberries


*NOTE*The first thing you want to do if refrigerate the coconut cream (in the can) at least 24 hours.  This will help it stiffen up and become fluffy.

Preheat the oven to the temperature recommended on the cookie dough package.  Lightly grease a baking dish (Ours was smaller than 9x13" possibly 8x10") Place the softened cookie dough pieces in the bottom of the greased dish.  Use a small rolling pin or glass to evenly press all of the cookie dough together to create the cookie base.  Bake according to package directions.  (The time may need to be adjusted - you just want the base done.  Slightly crispy and golden brown.)  Set the baked cookie base aside and allow to cool completely.  To make the "whipped cream" open the can of chilled coconut cream and drain off any excess liquid.  Place the remaining solids into the bowl of a mixer and whip until it gets light a fluffy.  Sweeten with 1/4 granulated sugar if desired.  Spread the whipped coconut cream onto the cooled cookie base and use sliced fresh strawberries and blueberries to create a flag design. 

Even better if you make this with someone you love,