taste of tuesday: mint lemonade

Last week, some girlfriends and I went out to eat at a new neighborhood restaurant. If you are local you must check it out. Delicious food. Beautiful presentation. Great service. Modern. Fresh. I told Aaron I want to go back for my birthday. I have been craving the resfreshing mint lemonade I hade that night. Finally a recipe to use all the lemons and limes that I had stocked in my refrigerator. It takes a little longer to make than powdered lemonade, but well worth it. Cheers!

Fresh-Squeezed Mint Lemonade
(Our Best Bites)
Ingredients:

• 2 c. sugar
• 1 c. fresh lemon juice (about 5-6 large lemons)
• 1/4 c. fresh lime juice
• 1/2 c. loosely packed fresh mint leaves (optional)
• 8 1/2-10 1/2 c. water

Directions:

1. Combine 2 1/2 c. water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved and then simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool about 20 minutes.

2. Add lemon and lime juices to the sugar syrup. If desired, place mint leaves in a lidded pitcher or large, lidded storage bowl. Pour lemon-lime mixture into container (If not using mint, refrigerate. If using mint, allow to stand 1 hour and then strain mixture and store until ready to serve)

3. When ready to serve, mix lemonade base with 6-8 c. cold water. Start with 6 c. and then adjust according to your taste (6 c. will be very sweet, 8 c. will border on watery)

taste of tuesday: blueberry lemonade (& an embarrassing story)

I dread this time of year...summer is coming to an end, the cool weather is rolling in, and I have no husband...baseball, NFL and college football consume every waking moment. of the 3 sports, I like to watch collage football. the season officially started this weekend (and my Alma Mater pulled out a big win). I attended 3 universities (UofU, USU, BYU) so my loyalty doesn't really lie with any. I grew up in a family who only cheered for the U. but I, myself graduated from BYU. some of my favorite memories from my college days were going to the games with friends.

I do have one memory about college football I'd like to forget. I was 15 or 16 and was dating a boy from Olympus High School (b/c us PC girls tho't we were too good for our own kind or something). He had asked me on a date to a BYU football game one Saturday. At the time, my cousin was a cheerleader for BYU. During half-time I started to make my way down to the field to chat it up with my cousin. I tho't I was soooooooo cool until I tumbled down the stairs in front of my date and the rest of the large crowd. no injury was sustained but my ego was bruised. my typical, clumsy self in action.

for the big game on Saturday, I tho't I'd make it a little festive and create an all blue menu. we had bleu burgers with chipotle mayo, blue tortilla chips, blue monster cookies, and blueberry lemonade. it was a hit! and the game was pretty good too.Blueberry Lemonade
(Bobby Flay)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of blueberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 cups cold water

Directions:

puree blueberries and sugar in blender. mix lemon juice and water in pitch. place mesh strainer over pitcher and stain pureed blueberries. stir well. garnish with lemon wedge and frozen blueberries.

taste of tuesday: clove lemonade

This may just be my favorite drink. As said before, I tried clove lemonade for the first time at the Roasted Artichoke restaurant in Provo (sadly, it has closed since our days at BYU). Try this lemonade on a cold winter day. It will whisk you away and make you feel like you are at a summer BBQ with your family and friends.

Clove Lemonade
Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Kool-Aid Lemonade mix
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/4-1/2 tsp of ground cloves (start small and add to desired taste)
• 2 quarts cold water

{clove goodness}

mix all ingredients together and enjoy! the cloves will have people guessing what the secret ingredient is and have them wanting more.