When I saw rhubarb at my local grocery store I cleared out the shelves immediately. Sorry to anyone who may have been looking for some! I’m so done with apples, oranges and pears. I love them. But, I’m ready to move on… until fall when I’ll be craving them again.

If you’re able to find rhubarb in your area, and if some greedy booger hasn’t stolen them all already (again, sorry!), then please make this drink ASAP. It would be such a fun drink to serve guests in celebration of spring or Easter. The refreshing flavour of lemonade with the added oomph and fruity-tart flavour from rhubarb, mellowed out with vanilla bean – it’s spring in a glass. And, it’s such a pretty pink hue, it would fit right in at a little girl’s b-day party or baby shower. Just double, triple or quadruple the recipe for a crowd.

Now, on to what I know some of you are waiting for… the winner of The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from my Frontier is Ashley who said, “Strawberries are my favourite!” Congratulations Ashley! I’ll be e-mailing you shortly for your mailing address! :)

Thanks so much for all your entries. I loved reading what all of your favourite spring produce is and the clever ways you serve them up!

Sparkling Rhubarb-Vanilla Lemonade

If you don’t like the look of vanilla beans in this drink you can substitute it with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, stirred in after it’s been removed from the heat.

Rhubarb-Vanilla Lemon Syrup

• 4 cups chopped rhubarb
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 strips of lemon peel
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeded

Place all ingredients in a medium-size saucepan. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely before straining through a fine mesh sieve. Store, covered, in the fridge until serving.

To Serve

• 1 part rhubarb-vanilla lemon syrup
• 2 parts sparkling water, chilled

Stir together syrup and water. Serve over ice.

I ended up with 1 1/3 cups syrup so I added 2 2/3 cup sparkling water which is equal to 4 (1 cup) servings.

Makes: 4 servings

Inspired by: Donna Hay Magazine, Oct/Nov 2011

But now, with this recipe, I can perfume the house and drink it too. :)

If you want to be the best hostess ever, get a pot of this Hot Mulled Cranberry Juice simmering on the stove just before company arrives and then offer them a warm mug as they walk in the door. They may just set up camp and never want to leave. I know I would.

If you’re in the mood to stir up a batch but you don’t want to drink it all at once you can refrigerate the leftovers and heat up individual servings in the microwave later. It’s a great drink to have on hand around the holidays for unexpected guests or just to warm up after an afternoon in the cold.

If only I took my own advice, because just talking about this is making me crave it – but alas I have no cranberry juice. Learn from my mistakes. Go pick up the ingredients for this right now!

Hot Mulled Cranberry Juice

For an adult version add a splash of rum or brandy just before serving.

• 1 litre cranberry juice
• 2 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 mandarin orange, cut into quarters

Place all ingredients in a saucepan, squeezing oranges to release their juices before placing in pot. Bring to a simmer. Simmer gently, covered, for 20 minutes to infuse spices. Strain before serving.

Serves: 4

And now the giveaway!

****** THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED******

Since I think you guys are pretty awesome for coming here and giving me a part of your day, I really wanted to be able to give you something fun in return for the holidays. To me photos make some of the best gifts and what better than a free canvas print of one of your own photos or artwork?

Easy Canvas Prints is offering one special Kitchen Simplicity reader a free 16×20 inch canvas print. You can keep it for yourself or give it away as a Christmas gift. And, even if you don’t win you get a 50% discount (and free shipping) off your next order when you like Easy Canvas Prints on their Facebook page. Sweet deal, right?

Entry Rules:

1. The print needs to be shipped to a mainland US address so make sure you have one available to you before entering.
2. Leave me ONE comment telling me what foods you look forward to the most at Christmas time.
3. Contest will end on Sunday, December 4th at 23:59 GMT and the winner will be announced on Monday.

Thanks again so much for reading and good luck to all! ;)

I still try to get outside with the kids every day. A three year old boy needs to stretch his legs and dig in the dirt!

Whenever we come in I always crave a nice hot drink to warm me from the inside out. But, I can’t have a crazy calorific drink every day so I’ve been enjoying these options instead. And, we enjoy them so much that if Max isn’t done playing but I’m tired of sitting in the cold all I have to do is ask him if he wants some warm milk and he practically runs to the door. (I promise I’m not always so conniving. But sometimes it’s just so cold out!)

These all start with the same base, a cup of milk heated in the microwave and topped off with a sprinkling of cinnamon. (I make mine with rice milk. You could use soy or another milk substitute as well.) It’s amazing how different a few key ingredients can affect the outcome of one cup of milk.

All three of these can be made by heating milk in the microwave for dead simple results. But, if you want to make a larger batch (or don’t have a microwave) feel free to cook them on the stovetop. Top any of these with a spoonful of whipped cream for an extra special (calorific) touch.

You probably have most of these ingredients on hand most of the time, which means you can make them whenever you need to thaw out. When your family comes in from the cold you can set up a station where everyone can make their own how they like.

The cold weather might be biting but I never mind when I know I have things like this to cozy up with my kids and have a few giggles over warm milk. :)

Nutella Hot Cocoa

Stirring in a scoop of nutella transforms hot milk into a hot cup of chocolatey goodness. You get all the flavour with none of the work and no packages that contain way to much sugar. I’ve grown tired of the prepackaged hot chocolate, but this allows you to have a quick fix any time.

Nutella Hot Cocoa

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon nutella
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

Place milk in a mug and microwave until desired temperature (2-3 minutes). Stir in nutella, until melted. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Sleepy-Time Milk

If you like rice pudding you will love this. Perfect for a warm drink before bed, especially for the kiddos. Although, I drink this any and all times of day. This is a great warm drink that I’m happy to give my son when we come in from the cold. It’s completely guilt free, plus it helps him get his daily dose milk (not that he needs any help doing that).

Sleepy-Time Milk

• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon honey
• splash of vanilla
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

Place milk in a mug and microwave until desired temperature (2-3 minutes). Stir in honey and vanilla. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Spiced Vanilla Latte

 This is a simplified version of a latte. It won’t be the frothy stuff you get at the store but it does have the same great flavour with minimal effort. Get a pick me up part way through the day or stir in some caffeine-free instant coffee and enjoy it with dessert in the evening.

Spiced Vanilla Latte

• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

Place milk in a mug and microwave until desired temperature (2-3 minutes). Stir in instant coffee and vanilla until coffee is dissolved. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

What quick fix hot drinks you like to whip up when you’re chilled to the bone?

Nutella Hot Cocoa adapted from Miss in the kitchen. Sleepy-Time Milk Adapted from Allrecipes.

This Blueberry Banana Smoothie is the simplest of the simple and also happens to be my absolute favourite. It contains no dairy and no ice, which means the flavour is nothing but fruit, fruit, fruit. I can’t handle too much dairy, so I was looking to make some smoothies without, and discovered that a banana does a lot in lending smoothness and creaminess (much like in the Five Minute Chunky Monkey Ice Cream). It also has no added sugar because the apple juice has enough natural sweetness. The only non-fruit going in here is vanilla, which I think is a must – it gives that creamy taste and brings all the flavours together.

Me and Max drank this pretty much every day in the summer. We wanted a light snack that would cool us down and help us get our intake of fruit. You can swap out the frozen blueberries for other berries as well, which is also delicious, but the blueberry is my personal fave. It has so much flavour and is such a gorgeous colour. I make sure to always have the ingredients on hand so I can whiz one up at any time.

If you’re like me and like your smoothies to be all-fruit flavour while still being creamy and smooth then I encourage you to give this a try. And, if you want to add a scoop of yogurt nobody with judge you for it. ;)

I’ve had this idea rattling around in my head for quite a while now. I love making my own drinks and was inspired by this article to try and make some homemade sodas. My first attempts, following the article, were less than satisfactory so I decided to give the idea a break.

When I saw these gorgeous flavoured syrups on Annie’s Eats, I knew I had to give it another go – this time with a slightly different adaptation. It turned out just like I’d been hoping for. Lot’s of fruity flavour while still maintaining that soda feel.

The concept is so simple – an easy sugar syrup mixed with carbonated water. You can head in whichever direction you like with flavourings. Try different fruits and extracts to make your own dream soda.

If you pour the liquids over ice they will stay separate (which I think is rather pretty). This is because the syrup is denser than the carbonated water and when you pour it over ice it slows down the mixing process and the lighter layer sits on top. If you want a mixed look, you can pour the liquids in first and then add ice.

I can’t wait to try this with ice cream. Doesn’t a strawberries & cream float sound amazing?

What would be your dream soda flavour?

I used plain vanilla ice cream for each layer but for added flavour you could do a corresponding ice cream flavour/color. And, if you want to get true blues and reds then just add a few drops of food coloring before processing. You can also feel free to use any red berry, such as strawberries, or any blue berry, such as blackberries, in place of the berries here. And, if you’re Canadian and want to create this for Canada Day you can substitute the “blue” layer for another raspberry layer.

It’s important to work quickly because you don’t want the bottom layers to melt too much while you’re making the next layer or it will simply sink to the bottom and you won’t be able to see it. If you feel that your bottom layers may have warmed up too much, add more milk to the next layer, to thin it out, before pouring on top. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect, that just adds character and means it’s homemade. :)

Will you be making any 3 color foods for Independence Day?

We’re really trying to cut back on our pop (a.k.a. soda) consumption (Pepsi, how I love you) so floats don’t happen as much in our house anymore. I remember being so excited when we had them as kids (Root Beer and Orange were my favourite). So when I saw the idea for lemonade floats in one of my favourite cookbooks. I got so excited. What a great idea for all these warm days we’ve been having!

This recipe is quite flexible. Feel free to just go with the idea and adapt it to your preference. You could use your favourite lemonade recipe or purchased brand (although I love the double dose of lemon imparted by the lemon peel in this recipe). You could try switching it up with Strawberry Lemonade or dressing it up with sparkling wine instead of club soda. Whatever you choose it is a refreshing (not low cal) beverage for those hot summer days approaching.

Lemonade recipe adapted from Taste of Home. Floats inspired by Sugar.

Since brunch is such a passion of mine I’ve gathered my three best tips to help you host a holiday brunch, big or small, stress-free.

“Brunch is one of my favorite meals. Why? Probably because most mornings we don’t have time to make a big fuss over breakfast.  The times we do make the effort and linger over breakfast or stretch it into brunch, it automatically feels special and the food somehow just tastes that much better. Although the lingering is fun, it doesn’t mean we want to slave away all morning and be tired out before the day has begun.

There are many ways to have a spectacular brunch without the stress so that you can enjoy your time with your guests and get some relaxing time yourself. Today I’m sharing three of my favorite tips that will help things go a bit smoother.”

Read more and get the recipe for a delicious Cran-Raspberry Smoothie on Simple Bites.

That being said I think there’s plenty to be done without things going over the top with scariness. Today on Smithfield.com I’m sharing some simple ways to add Halloween touches, including this delicious Pumpkin-Spiced Hot Chocolate. I don’t know if I will ever be able to go back to regular old hot chocolate.

“After coming in from the cold this Pumpkin-Spiced Hot Chocolate is the perfect way to warm up, while the kids sort their candy. You can make it extra festive by tinting the whipped cream orange and maybe add some black or chocolate sprinkles. The flavour is mostly hot chocolate with just a hint of pumpkin and spice making it a great beverage for adults and children alike.”

Head over to Smithfield.com to get the recipe and tips.

There’s not much in this world that is more rejuvenating to me on a Summer day then to have some quiet time to myself with the sun shining on my face and a cool drink in my hand. Having this concentrate stored away in my freezer makes that a lot more apt to happen.

This Strawberry Lemonade tastes like you’re drinking in a little bit of the sun and life around you. Bright. Fresh. Tangy. Fruity. Just how I imagine summer would taste, if you could bottle it up in beverage form.

Do you have any favourite summer sips?

Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

inspired by Martha Stewart

• 3/4 cup strawberry puree (below)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup lemon juice (approximately 4 lemons)

1. Mix ingredients together and use immediately or freeze in a small storage container.
2. To serve: Add 5 cups cold water and stir to combine. Add additional sugar if needed.*

Makes: 6 cups juice

Tips

*Every fruit has a different level of sugar and every person has a different personal preference. That is why you may need to add more sugar. It’s better to not have enough the first time and have to add more then to have too much and not be able to take any out.

*I like to use sparkling water for an even more refreshing taste.

* To store flat: line a large mug with a resealable plastic bag and pour in concentrate, remove excess air and seal tightly. This way you can stack them on top of each other in the freezer and they don’t take up as much space.

* You may need to thaw it a bit before using. To do this quickly, place under hot running tap water.

Strawberry puree

• 2 cups strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
• 2 tsp. sugar

1. Blend until smooth. Strain through sieve to remove seeds.

*This makes a little more then needed in the above recipe. Any extra puree can be frozen, in tablespoon portions, in ice cube trays, for later use.

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