Before I “punch” you,  😉 I want to say thank you to so many of you who have joined me on Facebook.   I have a new page there for my cooking segment series on Good Morning East Texas; I’ll be posting recipes and videos and pictures along the way as I work for KLTV7.  If you’d like to follow along there, here’s the easy link to click on: In the Kitchen with Mama Steph  I would love for you to join me and “like” the page to get my updates! 

Ok, on with the punch story and recipe.  My mother-in-law, Susan, is the marketing director for the Azalea Trails Assisted Living Center in Tyler.  She also loves to help arrange social events for the residents so they can have lots of fun.  In honor of Prince William and Kate’s wedding, she arranged a royal wedding celebration and asked me to do a cooking demonstration before the appearance of “The Queen,” a very good Queen Elizabeth I impersonator. She was really wonderful!

 

She spoke beautifully about her life as the queen, told lots of stories, and had a lovely accent. The folks asked her questions and told her she was wonderful and to please come back.

I had lots of fun that day, too. I was honored to do a cooking demonstration for the residents; even two or three of the gentlemen joined me! I showed them how I make my simple jam tarts, which I’ll share with you on Good Morning East Texas soon; they are a delicious little treat that take little skill to make, really. The only way to ruin them would be to burn them.  But they look so special that your guests will think you are super-gifted in the kitchen!  🙂  

I also made some simple summer punch for the serving table.  The specialty drink at Buckingham Palace is a sparkling lemonade drink made with Epsom salt. I didn’t want to make that, necessarily, but wanted to have something similar, sort of a nod to the royals.   Here’s what I came up with:

Mama Steph’s Strawberry-Lemonade Punch

3-4 bottles of ginger ale, chilled

2 frozen containers of Bacardi brand strawberry daiquiri mix 

2 frozen containers of Minute Maid lemonade

one pint of strawberries, washed, leaves removed, and cut in half

One or two lemons, thinly sliced

Method:

Flash freeze the strawberry halves on a cookie sheet.  Keep frozen until just about to serve punch.

In punch bowl, combine the frozen strawberry daiquiri mix (in case you don’t know, there’s no alcohol in it), ginger ales, and frozen lemonades. 

Stir.  Add the frozen strawberries, and float the lemon slices on top.  Serve immediately.

 It’s light, sweet and a tad tart, and delicious….enjoy!