The joy of gardening…
from nurturing tiny seedlings at spring time, to caring for them throughout the summer, then finally reaping the harvest of fresh vine-ripened tomatoes. They are juicy, sweet, delicious, and full of fiber, vitamin C and vitamin A.
Puff pastry is the ingredient that makes the simple and/or ordinary dishes, such as ham and cheese sandwiches, a little more special. It’s a light, buttery, and flaky dough used in making croissants, palmiers, turnovers, beef Wellington, and tarts. It is also known as Pâté feuilletée, in France. Puff pastry is readily available in the frozen section at the grocery store and specialty stores. The three main brands I’ve used are Dufour, Trader Joe’s, and Pepperidge Farm. I like to keep puff pastry on hand in the freezer for whenever it is needed.
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It was a busy Sunday morning at my house preparing for brunch with friends after church. I decided to assemble the puff pastry sandwiches first thing in the morning, and have them ready in the refrigerator to be baked later in the afternoon. All that was needed when I got back home was to give them a quick brush of egg wash over the top and placed into the oven to bake.
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Mixed greens and strawberries drizzled with tangy-sweet homemade balsamic vinaigrette make for an ideal fresh and light summer salad. This is a nice side dish to accompany almost any entree {chicken, beef, pork, and salmon}.
Lemonade is the official summer drink at our house!
Summer afternoon breaks ….. oftentimes I would find my kids and their friends gathering in the kitchen eating and making all kinds of drink concoctions or maybe more like a science experiment. When it was over and done with, the unanimous drink of choice was always lemonade. After their thirst was quenched, they went back outside to play. I was often left with wet & sticky counter tops and trails of sugar on the floor. Over the years, they’ve learned to clean up their mess and have become experts at making lemonade. It’s a wonderful sight to see all the kids mingling together, talking and having fun in the kitchen, making lemonade and making memories.
To simplify the process of making lemonade, I introduced the kids to,”simple syrup” as a way to sweeten drinks instead of just adding granulated sugar. Sometimes I would have sparkling/seltzer water available to add a little bit of fizz to their drinks. A large supply of lemons was always on hand. I have to set a limit on the amount of lemonade they can consume or else they will make it to the last lemon.
Sparkling Lemonade
{1 serving, 12 oz glass}
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice {1 large/2 small lemons}
1/4 – 1/3 cup simple syrup {recipe, here }
1/2 cup seltzer/sparkling water
ice
Combine all the ingredients in a 12 oz glass, stir, and serve.
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Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade is a twist on the classic lemonade with strawberry flavor infused into the simple syrup.
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Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade
{1 serving, 12 oz glass}
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice {1 large/2 small lemons}
1/4 – 1/3 cup strawberry-simple syrup, {recipe, here}
seltzer/sparkling water
ice
Combine all the ingredients in an 12 oz glass, stir, and serve.
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To make a big batch of Lemonade
{6-8 servings}
1 cups fresh-squeezed lemon juice {6-8 lemons}
1 1/2 cups simple syrup or strawberry-simple syrup, {recipe, here}
4 cups seltzer/sparkling water
ice
Combine lemon juice, simple syrup and sparkling water in a pitcher/container,
stir, and serve over ice.
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* These recipes calls for seltzer/sparkling water, you could always substitute it with cold water.
{print Lemonade recipes, Here}
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posted by: Kay
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Simple Syrup is an essential ingredient for summer drinks {lemonade, ice tea, cocktails…}. It’s a mixture of equal parts sugar and water heated up in a pot to dissolve the sugar. This is an easy way to sweeten drinks without having to wait for sugar granules to dissolve. It’s also great to have it on hand in the refrigerator to use whenever needed. Simple syrup will keep for one month and about two weeks for the strawberry-simple syrup.
Recently I made sparkling lemonade and strawberry lemonade using simple syrup, click here to see it.
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Simple Syrup
{makes about 3 cups}
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir the mixture over medium-high heat until sugar has dissolved {3-5minutes}. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Transfer to a glass container and refrigerate. The syrup will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 month.
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Strawberry-Simple Syrup
{makes about 3 cups}
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
16 ounces fresh/frozen strawberries
Add strawberries to water and sugar mixture, bring to a broil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes and skim foam from top if necessary. Strain and discard strawberries. Let cool completely. Pour into glass container and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
{Simple Syrup recipes, print Here}
posted by: Kay
