I’m going to try to keep my posts short through these next few months. Now that Spring/Summer is here, I know that we all have a lot less drive to be on the computer for an extended length of time. The sun taunts us through the windows and the birds seem to be calling our name. No more hibernating. Time to go outside and live life!

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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Company arrived yesterday for a four day stay. It always feel nice to have visitors from home because it helps bring our two worlds together. We haven’t made many plans yet and are keeping things pretty relaxed.

Growing up we always had a house full of visitors, especially around special occasions. So, for me to have a houseful over Valentines and to play the hostess, makes me a happy woman.

My mom was always very good at creating a relaxing and welcoming environment in our home. A place where people could come as a reprieve and just be themselves. She instilled in me the want to provide a peaceful space for people to escape to. I don’t know if I have succeeded at all, but it is something I strive to do.

If there’s one thing about being a hostess that I have learnt from my mother it would be that it’s not as important how perfect your house looks but how people feel when they enter it. There’s no point in having friends over if your going to be running around getting stressed out. And, nobody likes it if the hostess is stuck in the kitchen all day. It’s always best to keep things simple and prepare ahead.

In my preparation, I have been baking cookies, whipping up bisquick mix and stocking my fridge and pantry so that if we decide to stay in all day we will have something to eat. My son’s stroller has been very weighed down and I have been getting strange looks as I struggle to push it onto the train with bags dangling from my arms and protruding from the bottom of the stroller.

I highly doubt that we will every actually stay in all day. As the museums and ski hills will be calling our names. And, when we come home to seek shelter from the bitter wind, this Barcelona Hot Chocolate with Strawberry Marshmallows will be calling our names.

Barcelona Hot Chocolate is a very “adult” way to enjoy the beverage we all love so much. Dark chocolate and coffee are the stars of the the show with just a hint of orange bringing up the rear. And, because it’s only sweetened slightly with a bit of brown sugar, the result is rich, velvety and soothing, but not cloyingly sweet as so many hot chocolates are. Perfect as an indulgent pick-me-up to keep you going for the rest of the day.

The Strawberry Marshmallows are as cute as buttons and taste amazingly like, Strawberry Marshmallows! Imagine that. If I had known that marshmallows were so easy to make, I would have made them ages ago. A great project to make with kids. And, dipped in chocolate they would make some pretty spectacular homemade valentines gifts. (I have included photos of the marshmallow-making process at the bottom of the post.)

I hope you all have a great weekend and are able to spend some quality time with the ones you love. xo

Strawberry Heart Marshmallows

adapted from Martha Stewart

• 1/2 cup water
• 2.5 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup strawberry jam, preferably seedless
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• dash salt
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 envelopes gelatin
• red food coloring
• icing sugar, for dusting

1. Add first 5 ingredients to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer.
2. Meanwhile add 2/3 cup water to mixing bowl and sprinkle all of gelatin over top to soften (at least 5 min.).
3. Once the boiling liquid has reached 238ºF on a thermometer. Remove from heat and pour over softened gelatin.
4. With the whisk attachment, beat on low for approximately 5 min. Gradually bring the speed up to high, beating on each speed for 5-8 min. until mixture has cooled and peaks form when beater is lifted (30-40 min. total).
5. In the last 10 min of beating prepare jelly roll pan (15×11 inch). Spray with cooking spray (or grease canola oil) and place a piece of parchment over top, pressing down to stick to the oil. Grease the top of the parchment.
6. Once done mixing add red food coloring bit by bit and mix in until the pink color you desire is achieved.
7. Pour marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan and smooth top. Let sit, uncovered, for 3 hours or overnight until dry.
8. Dust work surface with icing sugar and flip pan over to release the dried marshmallow. Peel off the parchment paper.
9. Grease a 1.5 inch heart shaped cutter with cooking spray or wipe down with oiled paper towel. Cut out heart shapes, alternating direction to have less waste. Make sure to keep cutter well oiled. Toss heart cutouts in icing sugar to coat.

Makes: 86 hearts + scraps

* these will last for up to one week in an airtight container at room temp.

* dip in chocolate for a little added fun.

* I chop up the scraps and use them as “mini marshmallows”.

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Barcelona Hot Chocolate

adapted from myrecipes

• 2/3 cup boiling water
• 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1 cup strong coffee or espresso
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 brown sugar, packed
• 1- 2inch strip orange peel

1. Combine chocolate and water in a saucepan set over medium-low heat. Stir until chocolate is melted.
2. Add remaining ingredients. Heat for 5 min, or until tiny bubbles form around the edges, stirring frequently. Do not boil.
3. Discard orange peel and poor into mugs to serve.

Serves: 4

* I subbed 1 cup water plus 2 Tbsp. instant coffee for the espresso

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The Making of Strawberry Marshmallows

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(click to enlarge)

I have joined the 10in10 challenge, “10 weeks to healthy in 2010″. I may be two weeks late in posting about it, but I do have a good reason. I’m sure you’re not interested in the minuscule details of my goals so I’ll keep this brief. I haven’t been able to settle in one spot for very long this past year and it’s made a routine very hard to come by. Now that the future is looking a little more settled I thought 10in10 was the perfect way to help me start that routine. My goals are to exercise more and eat healthier. It’s all about being healthy people! Although I do consider myself a fairly healthy person, I know I could do a little better, and educate myself a little more. Especially when it comes to snacks.

Any mother knows that when you are on the go with your little ones you eat whatever is in front of you so you can keep on trucking. You don’t have time to even think about what you’re eating. Part of my goal is to find healthier grab and go snacks to keep on hand partly because fruit just doesn’t fill me up when I spend the afternoon chasing a toddler around the house. I plan to share with you some of my best findings.

To kick start this new endeavour I wanted to share with you one of my favourite, of all time, smoothies. It’s every bit as good as Orange Julius or other such smoothie shop. Smooth, creamy, tangy and filling. The perfect afternoon snack to slosh around the house while chasing your little ones or to jump in the car with and rush to the office. And, the great thing is, you can swap out the raspberries with whatever fruit suites your fancy. Add some wheat germ and you have yourself one healthy breakfast.

If you are interested in joining the 10in10 challenge visit this page (it is never too late to join). Or, if you are interested in what the other participants are up to check out the blog list here.

What are your favourite healthy snacks?

Tangy Raspberry Smoothie

adapted from Giada at Home

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup natural yogurt
• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups ice

1. Make a simple syrup by combing the sugar and water in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Cool for 20 minutes.
2. Pour the simple syrup along with the remaining ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Serve immediately.

Makes: 4 small servings or 2 large servings

* It may seem like a lot of work to make a simple syrup for a smoothie. But really the only work is remembering to make it ahead of time in order to allow it to cool. It’s worth that extra effort to not have those granules of gritty sugar in your smooth-ie. The simple syrup can be stored in the fridge and should last for a couple of weeks. If you would like you could make a larger batch to store in the fridge. This recipes makes 1/2 cup simple syrup. So, if you cut the recipe in half use 1/4 cup simple syrup.

* If you would prefer not to use a simple syrup you could always substitute it with honey, by taste preference.

* The natural (unsweetened) yogurt is what gives this smoothie most of it’s tanginess. For a creamier smoothie use a thick full fat yogurt such as Greek yogurt.

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I am not one to usually make juice from scratch. For some reason in my mind it always seemed like a lot of work and I didn’t understand the reasoning behind it, when it is so readily available to purchase. But, after making homemade Cranberry Juice I have been converted. It is pure. It is tasty. And, you can control the ingredients. No more overly sweet fruit juice for me!

This juice is a cranberry lovers dream (just ask my mother). The tart flavour cleanses the palate and lends itself to avoiding becoming overly sweet. The ruby red color has an elegant translucent sparkle, which makes it perfect for entertaining. There are awesome health benefits too. Of the many, it helps in the fight against cancer, gives you better cholesterol, and helps you loose weight. It takes no work at all to make. You just let it do it’s thing and you get amazing juice as a result. A divine drink all around!

This is the last instalment in my countdown to Thanksgiving. For those of you who are celebrating, enjoy your time with family and friends! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Cranberry Juice

adapted from Tartelette

• 600g pckg. frozen cranberries, thawed (or fresh if you prefer)
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup sugar

1. Place the cranberries and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to med. heat and cover loosely. Simmer 10 min. until the cranberries have burst.
2. Strain through a colander lined with cheesecloth. Resist the urge to press on the fruit to extract more juices.
3. Pour the strained juice back into the sauce pan and add sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 min.
4. Let cool to room temperature before cooling the the fridge.

* I did not have cheesecloth at the time so I used a sturdy paper towel.. just don’t use too much as it soaks up the juices and you do not want any juice to go to waste. :)

** The amount of sugar needed may vary depending on your taste and the sweetness of the berries. If you think you may prefer it more tart start with 1/2 cup and work your way up.

*** A great way to make this juice stretch further is to serve it half and half with ginger-ale.

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When I was a kid one of my favorite things to do was to walk up town to get slushies. I think even then I would have preferred this over those cloyingly sweet, convenience store ones. It may not give you an excuse to walk up town, but if your like me you wouldn’t mind putting your feet up in the back yard with one of these instead. And, since it makes such an enormous batch you can drink it all day long. Now that makes for one relaxing summer day!

I made this yummy slush while I was still at home. “Home” being the place I grew up. I find myself referring to both there and here as home. And, they both are, in there own way. This is one of my all time favorite drinks. Unfortunately I can’t make it while I am here in Norway because I have yet to find frozen fruit juice concentrate. Perhaps one day when I am feeling adventurous I will try to come up with my own version. Do any of you have a good slush recipe that does not use concentrate or other “american” ingredients? In the mean time make this one, for me, and enjoy it!

Tropical Slush

adapted from Taste of Home

• 6 cups water, divided
• 5 medium sized, ripe bananas
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cans orange juice concentrate
• 1 can lemonade concentrate
• 1 liter unsweetened pineapple juice
• 3 (2 liter) bottles lemon lime flavored soda

1. Place 1 cup water, bananas and sugar into blender. Process until smooth. Pour into very large container and mix in the rest of the ingredients except soda. Separate equally into 3 container (aprox. 6 cups each) and freeze
2. Remove one container from freezer and let thaw 1.5 hours. Stir and mash to break up, poor into large pitcher and add 1 (2L) bottle of soda.

Individual containers serve 12. The entire recipe serves 40.

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