4th of July, 5th of July, and 6th of July....
Yes it is true. For three days straight, I made these delicious crowd pleasing creamy margarita popsicles. They are tart yet sweet due to the condensed milk. It literally took me 2 minutes to complete the recipe (minus the effort squeezing the limes). In 8 hours flat, you have a delicious adult popsicle.
If you use a plastic cup or dixie cup, they un-mold really easily. With a lime at the base, they have a great presentation. A regular popsicle mold would be a tad bit overwhelming. You can find the popsicle sticks at most craft stores.
It is much more fun to make multiple flavors. We also made pina colada, grapefruit basil and vodka, and... the grand finale... boozy red white and blueberry cheesecake pops.
Although you might desire to add more booze to your popsicles, you can only have 20% alcohol in your recipe. Otherwise they won't be able to freeze.

Ingredients
1¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 8 limes), plus 4 limes for stabilizing the popsicle sticks
1 (14oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup water
¼ cup tequila
2 tablespoons tangerine juice (orange juice works as well)
Kosher salt or margarita salt

You will also need:
12 (3oz) Dixie cups (I couldn't find dixie cups so used plastic ones)
Small popsicle sticks or craft spoons
A pitcher or large cocktail shaker

1. In a pitcher or large cocktail shaker, combine the lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, water, tequila, and orange juice. It is important to combine the ingredients in a container that has a spout because it will make it much easier to pour the mix into cups.
   
2. Line out the Dixie cups on a baking sheet, so it will be easy to transport them to the freezer. Fill each Dixie cup 90% of the way with the tequila mixture.
3. Slice the limes into ¼ inch thick rounds. Push a craft spoon through the center of each lime round, so that half of the stick pokes out from each side. Top the mixture with the lime sticks. Make sure the lime is resting directly on top of the tequila mixture.
4. Freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight. When ready to remove the popsicles from the Dixie cups, simply snip a small cut in the rim of each cup and peel them away from the popsicle. Place the popsicles onto a dish with crushed ice to keep them from melting too quickly, Sprinkle the tops generously with kosher salt, and serve.

It's all about Peggy's Gazpacho.
My mother was a fabulous cook and periodically, you may see a recipe of hers pop in on the blog. 
It is very important to get really red local tomatoes to make gazpacho. It's also good to make it a day in advance so the flavors can mix well together. This is a delicious, lo-cal, refreshing chilled soup that you can keep in your refrigerator up to three days. It is great to have on hand during these hot summer months!
The recipe below fills ten 8 oz cups... but leave room up top for the condiments!

You are probably wondering how you peel these tomatoes. Fill a pot with water and bring it to a rolling boil. In the meantime, make a small X on the bottom of the tomato with a sharp knife piercing the skins. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water until you see the skins starting to crinkle around the X. Quickly remove the tomatoes and place them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Using your fingers, the skin will easily peel right off. Cut the tomato in half and squeeze gently to help remove all of the seeds.

Talk about a crowd pleaser.  I decided to make my famous sliders for a gathering I had with my healthy bar method girlfriends. However they had no reservations about chowing down on these delectable appetizers. 
The secret behind their incredible flavor is the caramelized onions.    

This sauce recipe is so easy. Use a mandolin slicer to thinly slice the onions. Cook in butter on medium until the onions start to turn brown and get really soft.  Add a hint of salt and brown sugar and continue cooking until flavors mix.  This can be made in advance and can be reheated before you serve them. Cook patties normally, set up your sliders, and place the caramelized onions on top before topping them off with a bun.

I served this crowd pleaser at my recent Bar Method Party and decided it would be great to share this delicious and easy recipe. They can be made early in the day, kept in the refrigerator, and served on a decorative platter.

2 Whole Chicken Breasts (4 Halves), skinned and boned
2 Cups Half and Half
1 1/2 Cups Hellman's Mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons Mango Chutney
2 Tablespoons Dry Sherry
1 Tablespoon Sherry Vinegar
2 Tablespoons plus 1 Teaspoon Curry Powder
1 Teaspoon Tumeric
2 Cups Salted Roasted Peanuts, finely chopped
Chopped Fresh Coriander (garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken breasts in a shallow baking dish just large enough to hold them.
Pour the half and half over them and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool and cut into 1 inch cubes.
Process the mayonnaise, chutney, sherry, vinegar, curry powder, and turmeric in a blender or food processor fitted with a steel blade until blended.
Dip the chicken pieces into the curry mayonnaise and then roll in the chopped peanuts. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Serve each piece on a skewer (you could do huge skewers like I did and later have a sword fight with them) and garnish with coriander.