Saturday, July 7, 2012

SUMMER REFRESHMENT

I love lemonade and it is always a great drink for summer.  The other day I stopped at Quizno's and they had something called Honey Lemonade.  The girl behind the counter said to taste it before I purchase, so I did.  YUMMY!!!! 
It got me to thinking about recipes to make it myself. This is from the food editor of HGTV.
Honey Lemonade
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 1/2 cups steaming hot water
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • Ice cubes for serving 
 In a heatproof 1-quart pitcher or bowl, combine the honey and hot water and stir until the honey is dissolved. Stir in the lemon juice. Let cool for at least 10 minutes or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Pour into ice-filled glasses.  Serves 2-4.
Obviously you would probably at least triple recipe for more people.

Then I decided to search for other lemonades.  I found Blueberry Lemonade:
  • 3 cups blueberries
  • 3/4 cups sugar
  • 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 cups cold water
  • Ice cubes
Place the blueberries and sugar in a blender and puree. Place the lemon juice and water in a pitcher and strain the pureed blueberries through a mediummesh sieve into the pitcher. Stir well and pour into tall ice-filled glasses.  Serves 4.

And Bing Cherry Lemonade!

Bing Cherry Lemonade

A new version of an old favorite.
Ingredients 1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 pound fresh bing cherries, washed and pitted (about 2 cups)
1 cup fresh lemon juice
6 cups cold water
Mint sprigs for garnish
Directions

Heat sugar and 1 cup water in a small pot until sugar dissolves. Add 1 cup bing cherries, bring to a boil and boil until the cherries begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Strain cooled bing cherry syrup into a large pitcher, pressing on the cherries to release their juice. Add lemon juice and cold water. Stir in remaining cherries. Pour over ice and garnish with fresh mint.
Makes 2 quarts

Then one really different:
 Banana Lemonade
  • 6 medium ripe banana, peeled and quartered
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (chilled)
  • 2 cups chilled water
  • 18 -24 tablespoons superfine sugar
  • 18 ice cubes
  • 6 slices lemon
  1. Add the first 4 ingredients to the container of an electric blender.
  2. Cover and process on high speed until mixture is smooth.
  3. Pour into chilled glass; add ice cubes (as many as you want or will fit into your glass) Garnish with lemon slice.  Serves 6.
I am looking forward to trying these this summer!!  Have any of you made any of these recipes?

3 comments:

  1. Rose these are terrific, especially for the summers we experience over here too, so they're going in my kitchen folder!! Thank you! :)

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  2. Who knew there were so many different lemonades. All sound refreshing and I will have to give them a try.
    Hugs,
    Jann

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  3. These sound so delicious! Perfect for these hot days!

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