A Snake Bite

It's that time again....peak orange season

 This year the orange orchard is incredible....

the fruit is literally pulling the branches to the ground 

and every tree is in full blossom....what an incredible smell

crazy wonderful

so what to do with all of that orange juice?

I'm not much of a mixologist 

but I love tea and especially tea with lemonade

not long ago I ordered an "Arnold Palmer"

from a little cafe and the server said:

"do ya see any golf courses around here?...it's called a snake bite up this a way"

oops

really

?

So here is my version of a 

Snake Bite

using 

OJ

Mix together:

a nice large pitcher of your favorite ice tea 

(make about 4 quarts)

Add:

4 or 5 tea bags of 

Coconut Chai Tea

(I use Zhena's Gypsy Tea which you can find at Trader Joe's

or use a tea that has a lot of spices like Constant Comment)

let this sit overnight in the fridge

When ready to serve/drink:

add 4 cups of freshly squeezed orange juice 

to your pitcher of ice tea

 fill some nice large glasses 

about half full with ice

now you can drink this

"as is"

but to add some 

BITE

to your drink

I like to top it off with a shot of 

Captain Morgans Spiced Rum

I stick a big slice of lime on a wood fork

(you can find these bamboo disposable forks at Target and most grocery stores)

float the shot of rum on the top of the tea

and swizzle with the lime slice

ENJOY

POT-FEY-YOU-TAY and other good stuff

My new best friend:  frozen puff pastry
Asparagus Gruyere tart

1 sheet frozen puff pastry

2 cups (approx. 5 1/2 oz) Gruyere, Emmental or Swiss cheese shredded

1 1/2 lbs medium asparagus

1 tbl olive oil

salt and pepper

Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees.  On a lightly floured surface roll out the puff pastry sheet into a 16x10 inch rectangle.  Trim the edges if necessary and place on a baking sheet.  Using a sharp knife score the edges of the pastry 1 inch from the edge on all 4 sides.  Pierce the pastry sheet with a fork inside the markings at 1 inch intervals.  Bake until golden, approx 15 minutes.

Remove the pastry from the oven and sprinkle over top with the shredded cheese.  Trim the asparagus to fit in the tart and alternate tip and stem ends to cover the tart in a single layer.  Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Bake until spears are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.  Serves 4-6 for lunch or appetizers

From Great Food Fast;  from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living

This is such a great little recipe.  I found it on The Perfect Pantry blog.  Be sure to alternate the asparagus tips and tail ends so that when it is sliced you don't have pieces with just asparagus bottoms, which is what I did.  Soooo yummy