Tag Archives: Sugar

Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade and Iced Tea Lemonade

Lemonade always sounds good on a hot day, and I think the fresh-squeezed kind is always the best! I don’t know why I don’t make this more often, because it tastes so good! And it’s not that much work to use fresh-squeezed lemon juice. This is a variation of a recipe from Domino Sugar. Sadly, there’s only about a month left of summer! I’m not sure where the time has gone, but we might as well enjoy what’s left of the season with some lemonade! Or try some Iced Tea Lemonade…see instructions at the end of the recipe below.

Before you make your lemonade, check out these helpful tips:

1. To extract the most juice from lemons, soften them by rolling and pressing them on your counter top before juicing them.

2. To keep your lemonade from becoming too diluted from ice cubes, make your ice cubes out of lemonade–you can make some lemonade ahead of time for that purpose and keep them in the freezer so they’re ready when you need them!

FRESH-SQUEEZED LEMONADE by NancyC, adapted from Domino Sugar

Makes 2 to 4 servings

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (about 3 medium-to-large lemons)

2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you like your lemonade

Fresh mint for garnish (optional)

Lemon slices for garnish (optional)

Combine water and lemon juice in a pitcher, then add sugar. Mix well, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour into ice-filled glasses, and garnish with mint leaves and lemon slices if desired. You can double the recipe and use a larger pitcher if you need more servings.

ICED TEA LEMONADE: I like to mix iced tea and lemonade together–it’s a nice variation if you like a lemony flavor in your tea. To make it, all you need to do is combine equal amounts of your favorite iced tea with this lemonade recipe. Add additional sugar if desired, to taste.

Do you make lemonade often? Fresh-squeezed or from a mix or concentrate?

Orange Julius

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It is hot outside today…the type of day you think about having an Orange Julius. I had found a recipe at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe that I wanted to try, and I thought it was really good! I added a little more sugar to mine, but if you don’t want a sweeter Julius, then stick with the lower amount of sugar in the recipe (see below). I especially love the frothy, creamy foaminess of this drink…I’m sure it partly has to do with the powdered sugar in it. It’s a real treat, and great to have any time of day…for breakfast, brunch, or as an afternoon refreshment. Super easy to make, too!

ORANGE JULIUS slightly adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Makes 3-4 servings

6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk (can use lowfat or whole milk)
1 cup water
1/4 to 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 to 12 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients, except the ice cubes, in a blender and process until smooth and frothy. Add ice cubes and blend until smooth (I used the “ice crush” setting on my blender and that worked out great).

Then sit in a shady spot and enjoy your Julius!

Have you had very hot weather where you live? What types of things do you like to make on hot days?

Linked to Inspire Me Monday.

Jumbo Hot Chocolate Cookies

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Lately, I’ve been in this jumbo cooking-making mode. I think it’s because jumbo cookies look so much like bakery cookies. They’re nice and thick and chewy…a cookie you can really sink your teeth into! So when I saw a recipe for Hot Chocolate Cookies at Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees, I decided to give them a try. I just used milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips, leaving out the white chocolate chips from the original recipe; but even without the white chocolate chips, these cookies are still stuffed with plenty of chocolate! The batter is very thick, too, so your arms will get a good workout when you’re stirring these up! 🙂 This recipe makes 22-24 good-sized cookies. I think they’re a great winter treat…with a big mug of hot cocoa, of course!

JUMBO HOT CHOCOLATE COOKES (adapted from Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/4 cup flour
1/2 to 2/3 cup of your favorite hot cocoa mix (don’t use sugar-free)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, hot chocolate mix, salt and baking soda. Add to wet ingredients slowly, making sure it is all incorporated. Then fold in the milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Like I mentioned earlier, this batter is really thick, so you may need to work the chocolate chips into the batter with your hands.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring scoop, place the dough on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet (I baked 6 cookies at a time on the sheet because of their bigger size).

Bake for 11-15 minutes (the original recipe says 9-11 minutes, but my baking time was longer). Let the cookies cool slightly before removing from the pans. Cool on wire racks or eat them hot and gooey from the oven–they’re great both ways!

NOTE: If you like marshmallows in your hot cocoa, you may want to make these cookies with a hot cocoa mix that has those tiny marshmallow bits in it!

Linked to Sweets for a Saturday, Sunday Showcase, Sweet Tooth Friday, Potluck Sunday, Tasty Tuesday, Show and Tell, Sundae Scoop.

Eileen’s Cranberry Almond Breakfast Scones

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My artistic friend Eileen made these delicious scones and gave me the recipe (and this wonderful photo she took of them!) so I could share them with you, too! Eileen adapted her recipe from a cranberry scone recipe she found in a cookbook called Scones, Muffins, and Tea Cakes: Breakfast Breads and Teatime Spreads. These are buttermilk scones made without eggs, flavored with dried cranberries, almonds, and almond extract, and topped with a sweet touch-of-cinnamon glaze–doesn’t that sound yummy? Here is Eileen’s recipe…it makes 16 scones.

CRANBERRY ALMOND BREAKFAST SCONES

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 6 to 8 pieces
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup buttermilk

GLAZE

1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and beat with an electric mixer until well blended. Add the dried cranberries and almond slivers. Pour in the buttermilk and almond extract and mix with spatula until blended.

Gather the dough into a ball and divide in half. On a lightly floured board, roll into 2 circles, approximately ½ to ¾ inch thick. Cut each circle into 8 wedges.

To make the glaze, combine the cream, cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl; set aside.

Bake the scones on the prepared baking sheet for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are golden. Remove scones from the oven and brush with glaze. Makes 16 scones.

Not only is Eileen a very good baker, she is also a talented artist! Here’s a still life she painted…