Tag Archives | summer

Happy Birthday America!

July 4, 2014

Happy Birthday America!

The sights and sounds of fireworks on the 4th of July never get old ….. from the anticipation of it to start, to the loud “boom” sounds, then the amazing display of lights in the sky. The picture above is a little sample of what we saw last year and looking forward to another great firework display on the 4th of July!

A beautiful sight of the US flag flying high in the sky with the rainbow in the background. The day I took this picture, the weather was interesting with a mixture of wind, rain, and partial sunshine. I was sitting in the bleachers watching my son play flag football down on the field. There was a slight opening in sky for the sun to come out and within a few minutes a rainbow appeared near the flag pole. Glad I was able to capture that moment and share it with you.

Lee Greenwood, “God Bless the USA”
{video not playing, click Here}

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.”
-United States Declaration of Independence, July 4th 1776

Information about the signers of the Declaration of Independence , click Here

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

posted by: Kay

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Summer Drinks {sparkling lemonade & sparkling strawberry lemonade}

July 2, 2014

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.

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.

* These recipes calls for seltzer/sparkling water, you could always substitute it with cold water.

{print Lemonade recipes, Here}

posted by: Kay

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Simple Syrup

July 2, 2014

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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.

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.

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

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Jell-O with strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream

June 28, 2014

Jell-O layered with berries, whipped cream and a little bit of chocolate sprinkles is a simple sweet dessert. The theme is red, white and blue for the 4th of July. This is something I haven’t made in a long time as evident from the expressions and comments made by my kids and Bill. I have always enjoyed Jell-O especially when it has been mixed, layered, or combined with other things. This recipe is basic and straight forward, the only decision you have to make is how to layer the four ingredients then top it off with chocolate sprinkles.

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The End of Summer Harvest

September 14, 2013

Every summer I look forward to the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables locally grown or shipped from nearby cities. The kids love them and it becomes a regular item on the dinner table to enjoy.

I wanted to capture the beauty of the last bit of summer harvest before they disappear and a new season begins.

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Pears picked from our neighbor’s pear tree to be made into poached pears, simply delicious. We’ll be sharing the recipe in a future post.