lemonade

Sparkling Rhubarb-Vanilla Lemonade

By in Beverages, Cold, Easter 7 Comments Tags: , , ,

rhubarb vanilla lemonade

I started thinking and planning for Easter a couple weeks ago. I love scheming up new and fun ideas for holidays and always start way to early. I do try to hold off on the blog though because even though it’s fun for me to plan, it always irks me a bit when one holiday is just over and you immediately see the next holiday popping up all over the place. Give me a little bit of breathing room first, if you please. But, now that Easter’s only two weeks away I thought it would be fun to start posting some Easter/Spring themed treats in case there are any planners out there like me.

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

Sparkling Lemonade Floats

By in Beverages, Cold 6 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

Sparkling Lemonade Floats

My very first date with my husband we decided to go out for floats. But when we got to the restaurant they told us they didn”t serve floats. My husband (who was not yet my boyfriend) said “Do you have pop?” “Yes.” “Do you have ice cream?” “Yes.” And, magically floats appeared before us. I knew I had to nab him up quick. If the man can get me what I want, when I want it, what more do I need? :) That was the day that we started down this merry path together and I”m so glad we did.

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.

Sparkling Lemonade Floats

  • 1/2-3/4 cup sugar (1/2 for tart, 3/4 for sweet)*

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1/4 cup lemon peel strips (from 2 lemons)

  • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

  • 1 cup cold water

  • vanilla ice cream

  • club soda or sparkling wine, chilled

  1. Stir together sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir in lemon strips. Simmer for five minutes. Allow to cool. Stir in lemon juice. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove strips and pulp. Stir in 1 cup cold water. Refrigerate to cool completely.

  2. To make floats: Scoop ice cream into glasses. Pour lemonade 1/2 to 3/4 full. Top with club soda. Garnish with lemon slices if desired. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4-6 (depending on glass size)

*For this recipe I definitely prefer the lemonade on the tarter side because you”ll be adding more sweetness with the ice cream. But it really depends on your personal preference.

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

Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

By in Beverages, Cold, Featured 19 Comments Tags: , ,

Strawberry Lemonade Banner

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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