Monday Munchies: Spicy Summer Punch

Many families are still celebrating our country’s independence today, and many people are relaxing on the last day of a four-day weekend.  Most of us would agree that we drink far too much carbonated soda, so let’s make a big batch of Spicy Summer Punch!  It’s good for us, and it’s delicious.  This recipe makes a large batch, perfect for a punch bowl or for several pitchers.  Spicy Summer Punch freezes well, too.

The day before you make the punch, make special ice cubes by using lemonade, orange juice, pineapple juice, or all three – or any kind of fruit juice – in ice cube trays or in any kind of mold you wish.

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar (I use Splenda)

4 cups water

2 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen)

6 cans (the 6-oz size) frozen lemonade (do not dilute)

2 cans (the 6-oz size) frozen orange juice (do not dilute)

5 cups pineapple juice

4 cups pineapple chunks

2 cups Texas Pineapple Habanero pepper jelly

1 gallon water (Yes, this is another “helping” of water)

2 quarts of dry ginger ale

What to do:

Boil the sugar and water (the 4-cup batch) for about 10 minutes, or until it forms a syrup.  Add the juices and pepper jelly, and chill for 2 or 3 hours.  Add the remaining ingredients, and pour over the ice you made or molded yesterday.

Freeze half (or more) of the punch if you don’t need a large amount right away.

I like to float all kinds of fruit on top of the punch; I usually use thinly sliced limes, lemons, and oranges.  The pineapple chunks are floaters, too.  If I have berries, those are good, too.  In fact, if I have berries, I usually freeze them into the ice cubes the day before.

This is a lovely tart punch with a spicy kick, not the foamy creamy sweet kind.  It does a perfect job of quenching the thirst of a hot and humid summer day.  Put some toothpicks on the table so people can stab and eat the pieces of fruit.

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