Last week, the Austin Breakfast Club had a breakfast picnic in the park.  Naturally, most attendees took care of the food. So, I decided to put a twist on a traditional orange juice-based breakfast drink, the Mimosa, and put together pitchers of…Mango-mosas! The toughest part was cutting the mango (thank you to Gary for passing on this mango-cutting trick of the trade) and opening the champagne and once you learn the tricks listed below, you can make this fun summer refreshment in minutes! 

Mango-mosa Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 container of Simply Orange Orange Juice with Mango (this is a new product that isn’t even featured on their main website yet!)
• 1 bottle of champagne
• 2 large mangos that are not too firm, or too soft when light pressure is applied to the outside.

Instructions

1. Hold one mango on a cutting board with the flat sides standing upright, so the tapered ends are slightly above the cutting board. 
2. Cut vertically about 1/4 inch from the center (where the long, thin pit is).  See photos below.
3. Cut 1/4 inch from the center on the other side of the mango.
4. Make a grid with your knife on both round sides of the mango you have cut off.
5. Use a spoon to scoop out the mango cubes.
6. Add mango to a serving pitcher
7. Take the label off the top of your champagne bottle.
8. Untwist the wire net laying over the top of the cork.
9. Hold the cork in place with one hand, and twist the bottle slowly with the other hand.  The cork will come out seamlessly, and no explosion will occur! (this was a trick I learned from watching Emeril Lagassi on the Food Network!)
10. Add champagne to 1/4-1/2 of the pitcher.
11. Add orange-mango juice to the pitcher until almost full.
12. Refrigerate, and serve over ice, allowing small mango cubes to be poured through your pitcher’s spout or add the mango to each serving glass and pour the orange-mango juice and champagne mixture into them.
13. Enjoy! 

Cutting a mango is easy if you know this method!

Last night, I met a group of friends at the Hartman Foundation Concerts in the Park in front of the Long Center for Performing Arts.  This concert series holds these events every Sunday night in the summer time, and it’s a great time to share fun food and drinks with friends while enjoying the nice Austin summer weather as the sun goes down! I decided to bring chocolate-covered cherries! They were a hit!  See the recipe below!

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups of ripe cherries on the stem
• 1 cup of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Wash the cherries and dry well (this way the chocolate will stick when dipped)
2. Melt the chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave with the 2 tablespoons of oil.  Do not over-heat, or the chocolate will burn.  (The oil helps the chocolate stick to the cherries)
3. Dip cherries in the melted chocolate with oil bowl.
4. Place dipped cherries on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet.
5. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
6. Serve, and enjoy! Don’t forget to spit out the pits!

*This recipe can be made with almost any fruit–the chocolate mixture can be made and used the same way!

Chocolate-covered cherries are easy to make and are a refreshing and sweet summer treat!

Easy 3-ingredient recipes for outdoor (and even indoor) summer entertaining: Mango-mosas and chocolate-covered cherries!

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1. Roll into Summer
2. It's Called Orange Roughy, but I Make it with Lemon
3. Slice, Stir, Sip…Ahhh
4. One Fruit, Two Fruit, Red Fruit, Skew Fruit
5. Grilled 'dillas and Salsas Frescas