National Piña Colada Day is July 10th, celebrating one of our personal favorite cocktails.

It may be a few weeks past that date, but this delicious recipe has arrived, just in time for a weekend indulgence.

You can see from the photo that this isn’t your ordinary Piña Colada.

Preparing the coconut cream and pineapple into two different layers gives it more eye appeal than any Piña Colada we’ve ever seen.

The recipe was developed by Shanna of Pineapple & Coconut, and shared with us by Kōloa Rum, a dazzling line of artisan rums from Hawaii (here’s our review).

Koloa rums are made in small batches, with pure sugar cane instead of the cheaper molasses used by most rums. It’s a great gift for a rum connoisseur.

Next step: Pick up the ingredients, and get ready to kick back this weekend with a glassful of rum yum.
 
 
RECIPE: GOLDEN PIÑA COLADA

Instead of cutting and freezing fresh fruit, buy frozen fruit, already cut. It saves time and money.

In a perfect world you’d have Hurricane glasses for your Piña Colada (photo #1), but any large glass (ideally 20 ounces) will do.

Select the garnishes that call out to you. One garnish is fine, as are two. Go overboard by combining them all.

Trivia: Piña Colada means strained (colada) pineapple (piña).

Ingredients For 2 Drinks

For The Golden Purée Layer
 
Preparation

 
For The Coconut Purée Layer

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the pineapple, mango, rum and pineapple juice in a blender. Blend until smooth but still very thick and frozen.

2. POUR into a large jar or other container and keep in the freezer until you’re ready to assemble the drink. Then…

3. RINSE the blender then make the coconut layer. Combine all the coconut layer ingredients in the blender and purée until smooth but still thick and frozen. Add more ice if needed.

4. ADD the golden purée to the glass and tilt as shown in photo #1. Then top with the coconut purée. Leave it as is for a layered look; stir it slightly for a swirled look.

5. GARNISH as desired. Shanna recommends whipped cream sprinkled with a little ground allspice and some freshly shredded coconut. We used a bit of whipped cream as a base for Dang Toasted Coconut Chips.
 
 
> Piña Colada History

[1] A Piña Colada, garnished with whipped cream, allspice and two pineapple leaves (all photos © Pineapple & Coconut).

[2] Tilt the glass to add the mango layer.

[3] Koloa Coconut Rum with an Island Dreamsicle cocktail. Here’s the recipe from Coconut And Pineapple.

[1] Individual chocolate mint cheesecakes (photo © Jennie-O).

[2] Ashlee Marie made her own version of Andes Mints. Here’s her recipe (photo © Ashlee Marie).

[3] Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers (photo © Nabisco).

July 30th is National Cheesecake Day. How about something cool and minty for a hot summer day?

In these mini cheesecakes, chocolate wafers, chocolate chips and mint candy wafers combine for a rich, minty, chocolaty treat.

Prep time for is 20 minutes, bake time is 20 minutes plus cooling in the fridge.

The number of portions will depend on the size of your dishes. It will make 24 small ramekins.
 
 
RECIPE: MINT CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. In small bowl, combine the crushed cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press the cookie crumb mixture into bottom of individual small tart dishes, custard cups or ramekins.

2. BEAT the cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl, until blended. Add the egg. Blend in the melted chocolate, chopped candy, sour cream and vanilla. Pour evenly over crumbs. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. COOL and refrigerate until serving. Garnish with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.
 
 
> The History Of Cheesecake

THE HISTORY OF FROSÉ

A Frosé, a frozen rosé cocktail (more technically, a winetail) can be as simple as a mixture of chilled rosé wine with a scoop of strawberry or lemon sorbet.

It’s easy to make at home. You can:

 
Want it really frozen?

 
But the original Frosé was quite different.

It was made in a frozen drink machine and had the texture of a frozen Margarita.

The frozen wine cocktail was created in the summer of 2016, at Bar Primi, a bar and restaurant in New York City. Rosé was the wine of choice.

The venue had a frozen drink machine, which led to curiosity about what would happen if rosé were poured into it.

After working on the recipe, Bar Primi created a version that included sweet vermouth and strawberries. It was a huge hit.

Word spread and other mixologists created their own versions.

No sorbet was used. Sorbet came later, as a technique to get a slushy drink at home.
 
Use The Right Rosé

The following recipe (photo #1) from Discover California Wines, adds raspberries for a Raspberry Frosé. We have additional Frosé recipes below.

There are many delicious California rosés, but don’t use a bone-dry rosé. Ask the wine store clerk for something with a hint of sweetness. It will go better with the fruit and sorbet.
 
 
RECIPE: RASPBERRY FROSÉ

Ingredients For 5 Drinks

 
Preparation With An Ice Cream Machine

1a. ADD the berries, peach, sugar, and lemon juice to a blender; pour in the rosé. Process the ingredients until smooth. Taste for sweetness; if more sweetness is desired, add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar and blend again.

2a. POUR the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn until thick and slushy (40-60 minutes).

3a. SCOOP or pour the rose into serving glasses; garnish and serve.
 
Preparation With A Blender & Freezer

1b. FOLLOW steps 1a & 2a above. Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 freezer-safe pan. Cover and freeze until the mixture is mostly solid, at least 6 hours.

2b. REMOVE from the freezer and scoop the mixture into the blender. Blend just until the mixture is smooth.

3b. POUR into glasses and garnish as desired.
 

MORE FROSÉ RECIPES

[1] Lush summer raspberries create a flavor-forward Frosé (photo and recipe © Discover California Wines).

[2] Kindred Restaurant in Davidson, North Carolina adds fresh lemon juice and a garnish of lemon peel (photo © Kindred Restaurant).

[3] Substitute raspberries for blackberries, blueberries or strawberries. Watermelon works, too. Here’s the recipe (photo © U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council).

[4] Bonterra is a California rosé that makes great Frosés (photo © Bonterra).

Also referred to as blush wine, rosé can be made as a still, semi-still, or sparkling wine.

Still rosé wines can be made from almost any red grape varietal, or from a blend of varietals. Sparkling rosé wines, including rosé Champagne, are exceptions because they also can be made with white grapes.

The wines get their rosy color from contact with the red grape skins. Depending on the grape, terroir, and winemaking techniques, the color can range from the palest pink to deep ruby red to hues of orange or violet.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Make gluten-free pancakes with Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix (photos #1, #2, #3 and #4 © Pamela’s Products).

[2] Ready for some homemade banana bread?

[3] America’s favorite cookie, gluten-free.

[4] What are your favorite pizza toppings? For a switch, switch the basil with baby arugula—or use both.

[5] Whatever you want to bake, it’s likely that Pamela’s has a gluten-free mix (photo © The Nibble | Katharine Pollak).

Editor’s Note: We have long found Pamela’s Products to be a delicious gluten-free alternative for pancakes, cookies, cakes and other baked goods. Here, an endorsement from our gluten-free specialist, Georgi Page-Smith.

Even if you don’t avoid gluten, if you have friends who do, buy a box of mix. Then, when you’re planning a visit, you can present them with a plate of just-baked chocolate chip cookies, or other treat.
 
 
GLUTEN-FREE GLORY

My first experiment in gluten-free flour involved a well-known purveyor of grains, whose flour was overwhelmingly bean-y in taste and texture—due, I believe, to the use of garbanzo and fava flour*.

But I prefer my cookies and my falafel to stay in their own appointed lanes, thank you very much. So when I went looking a second time there was a lot more at stake. I was on a quest.

Of course I went to the Internet. I Googled, I read product reviews, and by far the products that were most recommended were Pamela’s.

 
I also had a chance to try Pamela’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. Again, Pamela delivered.

 
They actually inspired me to challenge my sister—a woman who has a multiple stage, 2-day chocolate chip cookie process—to a bake off! They were that delicious, and that easy.

I have also used various combinations of the Bread Flour and the Baking Mix for pie crust, with good results.

Some gluten-free flour brands produce a crust that will not hold together, or is amazingly tough. With Pamela’s, I have achieved mini apple hand pies whose crust had a delightful crumb-y texture, just verging on flaky.

Pamela’s became my new best friend in the kitchen, enabling me to live the gluten-free lifestyle which I was becoming accustomed to.
 
 
EASY TO USE

Substitutions are painless, and they are aided and abetted by the extensive collection of recipes on the Pamela’s site, as well as by the fact that many gluten-free bloggers use Pamela’s in their own experiments.

The prices are a bit high*, but as competition increases we hope that will change. Pamela’s products are also very available: I have seen them in more stores than almost any other brand. And of course…

You can buy them online at PamelasProducts.com, with a smaller selection available on Amazon.
 
 
TRIED & RECOMMENDED

 
 
MORE PAMELA’S PRODUCTS

 
 
Check out our reviews of:

> Pamela’s Figgies & Jammies Fig Bars

> Pamela’s Sprouted Grain Pancake Mixes

*Note: The finest ingredients typically cost more. Some brands may choose to keep the price down by using other ingredients.

July is National Watermelon Month.

Do you like watermelon? We do, and we have a passion for watermelon juice.

We “squeeze” our own in a blender or food processor, because bottled brands can’t come near to the vibrant flavor of fresh-squeezed watermelon juice.

You can feel good about each refreshing glass:

[1] Fresh-squeezed watermelon juice (photo © National Watermelon Promotion Board).

[2] To get the clearest juice, strain twice through a fine strainer. Here, the juice is topped off with soda water (photo © Hyhoon | Dreamstime).

[3] Add watermelon juice to a pitcher of green tea. Here’s the recipe (photo © National Watermelon Promotion Board).

[4] A Watermelon Cosmopolitan. Here’s the recipe (photo © National Watermelon Promotion Board).