Casa Flamingo Sauce/Marinade

Place in a blender:
1 cup each: Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Soy Sauce (I use low sodium)

2 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons fresh ginger
Juice of one small lime
3 cups loosely packed basil
Blend on high speed until thoroughly blended.
I have found this to have a long shelf-life due to the vinegar. If you store this, shake well before
using.
Great to use with fish, chicken, veggies. Can also mix some in with some mayo for a
topping/sauce/spread.

*** We use this on grilled salmon a LOT. We like to cook up a bit extra to make a sandwich:
Spread pesto on one slice of bread. Spread mayo on the other. Top with a slice of
tomato, with salt and pepper to taste.

Cranberry-Pomegranate Martini

Maine Mud Pie

First, design your pie: Choose the ice cream flavor that you want – as well as the crust to go with it. Options might include a brownie crust with sea salt caramel ice cream. Or an Oreo cookie crust with mint chocolate chip ice cream. The options are endless. And for the crust,
you could use any cookies, cake, or brownie.

1. Make your crust. I use a springform pan but you can also use a pie plate
    – If using brownie or cake mix, prepare according to directions and put into a
springform pan lined with parchment paper and bake as directed.
     – If using a cookie crust, place cookies (do not remove the filling) in food processor and zap until completely crumbled. For Oreos, I use 30 35 cookies. Then mix together with 5 Tablespoons of melted butter. Put the mixture into a springform pan lined with parchment. Press the mixture in. I use the bottom of a drinking glass to get it nice and solid.

2. Add ½ gallon of softened ice cream on top of your crust.
3. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and freeze for several hours.
4. Add your favorite topping on top of the ice cream and spread til you’ve covered the top.
You can also add crumbled cookies on top or pieces of candy.
5. Cover again and freeze several more hours.
6. When ready to serve, pull from the freezer and let stand about 10-15 minutes.
7. If using a springform pan, remove the sides and you’re ready to serve.
8. Top with whip cream if desired.

Roasted Beet Salad with Pesto

For the Beets:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Clean your beets and remove any stems
Wrap each one in a piece of aluminum foil
Drizzle with a bit of olive oil
Bring the sides of the foil up to form a “purse” and tighten it at the top
Put on baking sheet
Place in preheated oven

The time it takes to cook the beets totally depends upon the size of them. Generally it’s a minimum of 45 minutes. Larger ones take longer. Check for doneness after 45 minutes with a fork. If it does not go into the center easily, cook for 15 minutes longer and check again with your fork. Keep checking every 15 minutes to see if they are done.

Once done, take out of the oven and open up your foil purses. Be careful not to burn yourself with the steam that comes out of the foil. Let cool on a dish or rack. Once cool, cut as desired for your salad. I like to do large chunks.

For the Pesto:
Place all into a blender:
2 cups of fresh basil
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 Tbsp. of pine nuts (I love it with pistachios)
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. salt

Mix at high speed til all is well blended. Pour into a bowl and beat in:
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated. Mix in by hand.
Add:
3 Tbsp. of butter, finely chopped up and at room temperature.
You can freeze this in muffin tins or ice cube trays and then put in a zip lock bag to use as
needed.

To Assemble the Salad:
Place your greens on a plate
Add beets and any other toppings you might like. Suggestions include avocado, carrots, etc.
Spoon the pesto on the beets as desired.
Top with cheese – e.g. Goat, shaved Parmesan, Feta, etc.