A Toast to Summer's End

By the age of 8, I was hooked on little paper umbrellas. My parents would bring them home after an evening out for my sister and me. We liked to collect the umbrellas and use them when we played "house" with our dolls. 

Serve drinks with paper umbrellas and slices of fresh fruit to make life more fun. With the summer heat, these drink recipes might just cool you off.

Peach Pirate 
 

The recipe makes 2 drinks.
Ingredients: 3 oz. spiced rum,1-1/2 oz. peach schnapps, 2-3 oz. orange juice 
Directions: Fill each glass with ice, add rum and peach schnapps, and top the drink off with orange juice.
Garnish with a cherry and peach slice. 

Peach Bellini

The recipe makes 2 drinks. 
Ingredients: 2 medium-sized peaches, peeled and diced, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, pinch of sugar, 1 bottle Prosecco or champagne
Directions: Puree peaches, water, lemon juice, and sugar in a blender. Fill a champagne flute 1/4 full of puree and top with Prosecco or champagne.  

Strawberry Margarita Slurpees

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups strawberry margarita mix
• 1 cup club soda
• 2 cups crushed ice
• tequila (for adults only)

OPTIONAL BUT REALLY MAKES IT A PARTY DRINK

• lime slices and fresh strawberries for garnish
• Sugar sprinkles
• 1 teaspoon corn syrup

Directions: 

• Prepare glasses. Using your finger or a small paintbrush just for food, brush corn syrup along the rim of the glass. Dip the glasses in sprinkles and set aside. 
• Combine margarita mix and crushed ice in a blender and blend until desired consistency. Add club soda and pulse just to combine. 
• Pour into prepared glasses. For adults only, top with a shot of tequila. Garnish with fruit, and enjoy.

 Peach Tomato Bruschetta 

Cook's Notes:

Toasted baguette slices topped with whipped cottage cheese, peaches, tomatoes, basil, and a drizzle of balsamic. This appetizer can be served as a side with grilled chicken, fresh shrimp, or fish. I was skeptical about adding whipped cottage cheese but found it was the perfect topping. The recipe makes 8 crostini and was adapted from twopeasandtheirpod

Ingredients

• 1 pint grape tomatoes, chopped and drained on a paper towel
• 3 medium peaches, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 French baguette, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
• Olive oil for brushing bread
• 2 cloves garlic cloves peeled
• Whipped Cottage Cheese (2 cups) is optional but so good
• Honey or hot honey for drizzling, or you can use a drizzle of dark balsamic

Directions: 

• In a blender, blend the cottage cheese. Place mixture in a bowl and refrigerate for about 1/2 hour until thick. 
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
• Combine the tomatoes, peaches, 1 tablespoon olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Let the mixture sit while you toast the bread. Drain peach mixture before adding it to toasted bread slices. 
• Place the baguette slices on a large baking sheet—you might need to use two sheets. Brush the tops of the baguette slices with olive oil. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake until the bread slices are toasted, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the oven and rub the garlic over the toasted bread, pressing slightly into the bread. Toasting the bread can be done earlier in the day. 
• Spread each piece of bread with whipped cottage cheese (or whipped feta), if using. Top with peach tomato topping, drizzle with honey or balsamic, and serve!

Note: wait to assemble the bruschetta until serving to avoid the bread getting soggy.