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Summer Drink Recipe

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There must be a rule somewhere that states when summertime is here, delicious, colorful drinks must be had, and we don’t mind that rule one bit. When summer cocktails came to mind, a few of us immediately thought of sangria—with its red and white varieties that include endless fruit combinations, there’s simply no reason not to enjoy it all summer long.

However, we were surprised to discover that there was one type of sangria that we’ve never even considered before—frozen! Naturally, when we found this happy delight from lemon tree dwelling, we couldn’t hold back from sharing it with you. So, without further ado, please print and enjoy this free recipe card for Tropical Frozen Sangria, and come along with us to savor the flavors of summer!

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Easter Recipe Roundup

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Easter is a time for rejoicing and celebrating the resurrection. It’s also a time for enjoying loved ones gathered around the family table in renewed hope and spirit. What could possibly be better than that?

To make your Easter this year a bit more fun, colorful, and perhaps even exciting, the editors of Blue Mountain have assembled some creative treats to liven things up. Fancy eggs? Yes. Cute cakes? Oh, yes. Adorable desserts? Of course!

Grace an elegant table or delight your grandchildren. Whatever your pleasure, we hope you’ll try at least one of these sweet ideas this joyous Easter season! Try out some of these delicious Easter Recipes!

03262015_Easter_Recipe_Roundup_BLG_BMA1. Speckled Egg Cake via The Cake Blog
2. Golden Marbled Easter Eggs via She Knows
3. Chocolate Easter Bunny Cake via The Cake Blog
4. No-Bake Chocolate Egg Nest via Chef in Training
5. Bunny Cream Puffs via Land O’ Lakes
6. Easter Chick Cupcakes via Recipe By Photo

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Recipes for the Big Game – Plus Free Printable!

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As the big game of the football season approaches, it’s time to start planning a party. But not just any party. A party that takes place primarily in front of a TV.  Yikes! What’s a hostess to do?

The first thing to remember about hosting a game-day party is to make sure there’s plenty of seating for everyone. Decorations are optional. Beverages are important. But food, well that’s what this post is all about.

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1 Individual 7-Layer Dip Cups via Spend With Pennies
2 Crab Cake Sliders via Jessica Burns
3 BBQ Crockpot Meatballs via Sweet C’s Designs
4 Stuffed Mushrooms via Beans
5 Crockpot Asian BBQ Chicken Wings via Stephanie Cooks
6 Stout Cupcakes via All Parenting

If truth be told, half the fun of watching “the big game” is the feast. You can do it up in grand fashion (think catered affair) or in a low-key way (think chips and dips). But what we wanted to share with you today are ways to make your spread colorful, interesting, and delicious, too!

The secret tip for hosting the perfect big-game party is to make all your food available in individual, easy-to-pick-up portions. No cutting. No scooping. No slicing. No dicing. To help make your menu planning easier, our editors have assembled some of their favorite recipes to share with you today. Included is a nice variety of choices, from fairly traditional to crockpot/slow cooker friendly and even vegetarian. As for the fun cupcake dessert, add your own cute flag by clicking here for a free printable. Then just cut out each entire two-sided flag, fold on the dotted line, wrap around a toothpick, and either glue or tape together.

Choose which dishes work best for your crowd—and may your favorite team win!

 

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Fall Recipes with Printable Recipe Cards

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Now that the air is turning chillier, leaves are turning color, and autumn is officially here, it’s time to finally start shifting our menus to new recipes. No more light salads, chilled soups, and berry sorbets. Instead, we’re invited to turn our focus to comfort foods, heartier fares, and more substantial desserts using today’s fresh, seasonal ingredients: pumpkin, sweet potatoes, broccoli, beets, winter squash, kale, parsnips, chestnuts, apples, pears, cranberries, and more.For a nice variety of recipes incorporating some of these fall-weather fruits and vegetables, take a look at the delicious dishes we’ve gathered for you.

1. Apple Cinnamon Crepes: Julia’s Album
2. Individual Chicken Pot Pies:  The Yellow Table
3. Pot Roast, Potatoes & Root Vegetables:Fox News Magazine
4. Chicken Stew, Butternut Squash & Quinoa:  Cookin’ Canuck
5.  Cranberry Orange Cheesecake: Gimme Some Oven

We’ve also included a few extra recipes you can print out: One for Cream of Broccoli Soup and one for a delicious Pumpkin Roll. We created these cards exclusively for our Blue Mountain friends from our editors’ family favorites. (To print out the recipe card, simple click on “Cream of Broccoli Soup” and/or “Pumpkin Roll” in the above sentence.) Happy eating!

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Printable Mother’s Day Recipe Poems

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Printable Mother's Day Recipe Poems Motherhood is unquestionably a life-changing journey of love—and most likely the greatest and proudest accomplishment of your life. Most days, you’ve got everything pretty much under control. Things are going smoothly. Everyone’s happy. And all is good. Then there are those occasional days when it seems like absolutely nothing’s going right, and it’s all just a bit too much to handle. It’s for these challenging days of motherhood that we want to pass along some sage advice in the form of uplifting, inspiring recipes.

Click here to print

Feel free to print and pass along the following recipes and words of wisdom to a sleep-deprived mom who’s struggling with her newborn’s colic…or a frazzled mom who’s going through her toddler’s “Terrible Twos”…or an exasperated mom who’s dealing with her teenager’s raging hormones. Click here to print

Choose one of the two recipes we’ve created, or, come up with a recipe of your own and write it on one of the two beautiful card designs we’ve left blank, also below. Tuck the recipe into a card and mail it to her. Leave it on her desk at work. Or hand it to her over a girls’ lunch. Any way you share it, she’ll love you for it! Printable Mother's Day Recipe PoemsClick here to print Printable Mother's Day Recipe PoemsClick here to print  

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4th of July Recipe Roundup

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She’s a grand old flag! Ahh, that she is, and summertime couldn’t be grander than it is when we celebrate our nation’s independence. The 4th of July immediately summons memories of hot summer sun, parades, sparklers and fireworks, and bbq grills filling the air with all kinds of delicious goodness. It’s the epitome of summer celebrations, and America loves to do it proud.

Our editors at Blue Mountain wanted to give you some fun and different ideas for your holiday gathering this year, and we didn’t hold back on the red, white, and blue! Festive and delicious with a “wow” factor, these recipes spark fireworks all their own. Happy Fourth!

06292015_July_Fourth_Roundup_BLG_BMA 1. Fourth of July Firecracker Dogs via Handmade in the Heartland
2. American Flag Layer Cake via Sugarhero
3. Cheesy BBQ Bacon Jalapenos via Forgiving Martha
4. 50 Stars Barbecue Chicken via In Honor of Design
5. July 4th Layered Drinks via In Katrina’s Kitchen
6. Tortellini Kabobs via Real Women & Homes

 

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Fun Food Holidays (with FREE recipe card!)

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07012014_Fondue_BLOG_BMA                There are few things in life that are forever immortalized as being incredibly sweet and utterly irresistible. Among them are babies, puppies…and desserts. Yes, decadent, luscious, oh-so-delicious and wonderful desserts that bring joy and happiness to everyone’s lips.

It just so happens that July is chock-full of fun and fascinating food holidays. Why not take a moment to look at the list below and celebrate the only way that makes the most perfect sense: by baking a special treat or making a frozen delight! (For your convenience, we’ve included a link to each and every mouth-watering recipe.)

And to kick off what happens to be today’s featured holiday—Chocolate Day—the folks at Blue Mountain are sharing our very own personal favorite recipe for Chocolate Fondue that you’re sure to love. Just download the fondue recipe card designed exclusively for you, print, and enjoy! (To print the recipe card, simply click “fondue” in the above sentence!)

July 7 – National Strawberry Sundae Day
Strawberry:: Lemon and Vanilla Ice Cream Parfait

July 8 – National Chocolate with Almonds Day
July 8

July 9 – National Sugar Cookie Day
July 9

July 11 – National Blueberry Muffin Day
July 11

July 12 – Pecan Pie Day
July 12

July 15 – Tapioca Pudding Day
July 17

July 19 – National Raspberry Cake Day
July 19

July 21 – National Ice Cream Day
July 21

July 27 – National Crème Brulee Day
July 27

July 30 – National Cheesecake Day
July 30

July 31 – National Cotton Candy Day
July 31

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day (FREE downloadable recipe!)

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It’s the day to don green clothing, get ye’ eyes smilin’, and put a bit of a jig in your step!

It doesn’t matter if you’re Irish for the day or Irish all the way—St. Patrick’s Day
is the day for song, lilting laughter, and spending time with family and friends.
For a wee bit o’ fun, we thought you might enjoy discovering how our Blue Mountain family likes to celebrate this festive day. From favorite foods to timeless traditions,
here’s how our “resident leprechauns” celebrate the wearin’ o’ the green!

“I’ll get together with a group of friends and cook some traditional St. Pat food               like corned beef and cabbage, or colcannon sometimes. The best part is we’ll make     black and tans and use the spoon to actually separate the 2 ingredients, preferably    Harp and Murphy’s.” —Tom Page; Art Director

“I always spend St. Patrick’s Day with my family and friends.  All the men wear kilts,    we drink green beer, and we all go watch the parade.” —Jess Buse; Designer

“I don’t make food, but I do eat it. The green I wear is the green frosting on my lips     from eating green cookies. I’ll listen to lots of Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly, and I always like to see the parade.” —Matt Friske; Designer

“We always go to my brother-in-law’s house and then walk over to the Irish bars, enjoy some Guinness and some Irish music, and then walk back for a corned beef and cabbage dinner made in the crock pot. What I’ve loved about St. Pat’s in recent years is that the weather has been so nice. It’s like the first taste of spring; something to look forward to.” —Kristin Thorne; Manager

“Even though we’re Italian, we like to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day each year in the same manner we would any special holiday: with food, of course! In honor of the Irish, we always make the same special annual dinner: corned beef, potatoes, and cabbage. And then for dessert, we have home-baked Irish soda bread that I think is the best I’ve tasted anywhere!” —Maria Isabella; Editor

“I’ll definitely play some Irish music, including Tommy Sands, and also The McNulty Family’s ‘O’Hara from Tara, McNamara from Mayo,’ which my father would play every St. Patrick’s Day. I’ll also be on the phone a good bit with calls to my family. Wherever we are, we always raise a pint to my father, who has been gone from us now much too long. (Just like the Irish to end with a twinkle and tear in ye’ eye!)”                                           —Liza McNamara; Sr. Editor

B’gosh ‘n Begorrah!  As the luck of the Irish would have it, Maria agreed to share her     Irish Soda Bread recipe with us!
Irish Soda Bread Recipe from BlueMountain.com

Warm up the oven and join us in baking this tasty treat for St. Paddy’s Day.  Either click the image above to download your very own recipe card or CLICK HERE!

Sláinte!

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IT’S NATIONAL HOT DOG DAY! (7.23)

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Whet Your Wienie Appetite and Celebrate Hot Dog Day!

Now that you’ve gotten some nice naptime in from yesterday’s National Hammock Day, you’re probably famished. So, satisfy your appetite and start celebrating all over again, for July 23 is National Hot Dog Day!  It’s estimated that Americans eat roughly 20 billion hot dogs a year. That’s a lot of wienies!

Beef up your hot dog history and tantalize your taste buds with these mouth-watering recipes and suggestions for some hot dog dining!

A Little Hot Dog History

Although the origin of the hot dog is as widespread as there are toppings to put on it, some believe the frankfurter got its start from some enterprising butchers in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany and Vienna, Austria. Many migrated to America, bringing their delicacies with them.

In 1904, Bavarian proprietor Anton Feuchtwanger started running out of the gloves he gave customers to handle the hot sausage he sold. He reportedly procured the services of his brother-in-law baker who concocted soft rolls long enough to fit the meat, and the hot dog bun was born.

As for how “hot dog” got its name, it’s believed that New York cartoonist Tad Dorgan coined the term after watching vendors advertise their “dachshund sausages” by hollering to bystanders nearby. Uncertain of how to spell “dachshund” while sketching the scene, Dorgan substituted the words “hot dog” and the phrase stuck.

To Grill, or Not to Grill

Whether you’re tying on your grilling apron to cook up some hot dogs or heading to the ballpark to catch a game—and that stadium mustard!—there’s nothing like sinking your teeth into one of America’s favorite foods! If you do plan on firing up the grill to cook your own, or roasting it on a stick over an open flame, here are some finger-licking recipes to liven up any frankfurter:

Finger-Licking Frankfurter Recipes

            Chicago-Style Hot Dog:
            http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicago-style-hot-dog/detail.aspx
            Detroit-Style Coney Dog:
            http://allrecipes.com/recipe/detroit-style-coney-dogs/detail.aspx
            Corn Dogs:
            http://allrecipes.com/recipe/corn-dogs/detail.aspx
            Sloppy Dogs:
            http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sloppy-dogs/detail.aspx
            Pretzel Dogs:
            http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pretzel-dogs/detail.aspx

If you plan to pass on the grill and could use a tip on how to find some hot dog hot spots near you, here are a few sites to point you in the right direction:

Happy Hot Dog Hot Spots

And when you’re just plain dog tired and don’t want to fix your own franks, here’s a list of places that serve up some of the best plain to absolute gourmet dogs around!

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IT’S NATIONAL ICED TEA DAY!

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Summer Is Almost Here!

messagepart-2Even though the official start of summer is still a few days away, don’t be surprised if you’re already craving a cool, refreshing glass of iced tea–after all, it’s National Iced Tea Day! If any beverage should have its own holiday, iced tea is not only one of the tastiest choices but it’s one of the healthiest as well.

So, How Did Iced Tea Come To Be? 

In 1904, English tea plantation owner Richard Blechynden set up a booth to sell hot tea at the St. Louis World Fair. However, it was an extremely hot day and fair visitors wanted something cold. So Blechnyden simply poured the tea over ice and it was an immediate hit!

Health Benefits

Since ancient times, tea has had a wide range of medicinal uses, and modern research gives merit to its benefits. Tea is commonly used to alleviate cold symptoms and, usually with honey, provide instant relief for a sore throat. For stressful situations, certain teas can be very relaxing and even help you drift off to sleep. Tea is also believed to help avoid heart disease. And green tea may even reduce the risk of breast cancer. This is because one glass of tea can contain as many antioxidants as fruits and veggies such as strawberries and spinach!

While even some bottled iced teas can be surprisingly super-powered, brewing your own is the best way to get the maximum health benefits.

Home Brewed

So let’s say you want the best of both worlds—a healthy tea and a great tasting drink. A tea brewed hot and then chilled would logically be your best choice, since hot water releases more of the tea’s antioxidants. But overnight fridge tea has proven to be comparably healthy, so can’t go wrong with either technique.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Iced-Tea
http://www.theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Iced_Tea
http://www.food.com/recipe/sun-tea-110885


Talk about Variety!

While basic black or herbal teas are still popular, often sweetened with sugar, lemon or mint, tea connoisseurs are constantly coming up new and creative concoctions. Even if you’re not a fan of the classic brew, flavors such as peach or raspberry, mango pineapple or Blackberry Mojito Iced Green Tea, make it possible for everyone to enjoy National Iced Tea Day in their own special way.  And with the countless recipes and products now available, you can easily enjoy new Iced Tea flavors all summer long!

http://www.teavana.com/tea-info/how-to-make-iced-tea
http://www.teaforte.com/store/tea-over-ice/
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Drinks/Tea-Drinks/Iced-Tea/Top.aspx
 

Tea for Beginners to Tea Connoisseurs

The following website has a great selection of teas, brewing pots, tins, and gift ideas and is filled with information for the novice at tea to the connoisseur. Also includes some great information on iced tea as well!

http://www.teavana.com/
http://www.teavana.com/tea-info/cool-off-with-iced-tea
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