Afternoon Delight

Ha! Made you look twice, didn't I? Are you thinking of the song w/ the not so hidden message? Even Glee dedicated a spoof in this past season alluding that it could mean a snack in the middle part of the day! Lol But in my case, I truly am talking about a little mid-day pick me up :) As a stay at home mom, w/ Alex now in school, I try to spread out my daily chores and "to-do" list so at no point am I looking for something to do. It's really never a hard thing to do.....always too much to do, not enough hours in the day. But a lot of days, around 2pm or so, I find my butt dragging and in desperate need of a little sugar and/or caffeine. In the winter months, this is usually when I reach for the afternoon cup of coffee. In the summer it's a big tall glass of iced tea. But sometimes that seems a little mundane since I drink SO much tea when it's hot outside. So why not something juicy, creamy, and new! Brought to me by the amazing Ree Drummond--The Pioneer Woman. It was Saturday morning. The boys were out running errands and I was enjoying her debut episode on Food Network. During the segment about breakfast, she made this beautiful Sunrise Punch and I knew it would totally fit the bill for my afternoon energy boost. I couldn't write fast enough, so I didn't catch the recipe, but no worries. Between my fantastic fans on Facebook who reported back to me, and Ree herself, who within about an hour had posted the recipe, I was ready to go! One ingredient, meringue powder, was something I had never heard of, but Ree explained it gives the drink a "frothiness". And then my smart fans told me it's used in icing a lot and can be found at Walmart in the cake decorating section. Well, to be honest, I was thinking of doing this as a non blended drink instead anyway. I have very sensitive teeth and sometimes frozen drinks and I don't get a long. So I thought why not mix the ingredients and then serve over ice. Still refreshing, still yummy, just not quite as shocking to the system. I will share Ree's original recipe w/ you, and then my interpretation. Thank goodness for the Pioneer Woman and afternoon pick me ups!


Citrus Punch Adapted from Pioneer Woman
2 c. orange juice
2 c. pineapple juice
2 c. 2% milk
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Combine all in a pitcher. Mix well w/ a wooden spoon to make sure powdered sugar is dissolved. In individual glasses, add ice and pour punch over.  Add an extra splash of pineapple juice on top. Serve w/ an iced tea spoon to stir.

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