strawberry lemonade slushie

On a hot summer day, when I was a kid, I'd line up at the local variety store with throngs of others and wait for a Slush Puppy. The counter person would turn back the handle and out would pour a sticky, icy, day-glo concoction. It was happiness in a cup and I'd always get blue (what flavour was blue??) and it would stain my tongue and give me a brain freeze. It was perfect.

Summer has come to Vancouver with a vengance and all I've been wanting is a bit of cooling off. A slushie would hit the spot, so I looked into my freezer to see what kind of makings I had. A can of frozen lemonade leftover from a party? Check? Frozen strawberries? Ice? Check and check. The result? Holy brain freeze territory! It was sweet, it was icy and it was the easiest and tastiest way to beat the heat of summer. Want a more grown-up drink? Add in 6 oz of white rum and you've got yourself a pretty simple & tasty daqueri.

strawberry lemonade slushie
1/2 a container of frozen lemonade concentrate
juice of 1 lemon or lime
1 1/2 c frozen strawberries
ice water
ice cubes

Spoon out half the lemonade into a tall pitcher. Add in the strawberries and lemon juice. Top with water. Use an immersion blender to blend it all into slush, adding more water if necessary. Add in a few ice cubes and crush those up too (and rum, if that's the way you roll). Pour into 4 glasses. Let the brain freeze begin!

summer refresher: raspberry limeade

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain. I'm not going to get too down on this weather since after weeks and weeks of blissful sunshine, I'm sure the tinder dry forests and thirsty crops could use a bit of moisture. But back when it was hot outside, my friends and I took a little roadtrip to Westham Island for a little berry picking. You can read all about our trip on Hag's blog, The Urban Repast. My own version will come out next week on the Food Network blog. I'll keep you posted for when it makes it's debut.

But, oh the berries! We picked lots of them: raspberries, boysenberries, tayberries and black currants. While picking, I had dreams of berry pies, baked goods studded with ruby goodness, and even just the thought of tossing them into some granola and yogurt made me giddy. But the very first thing I made from the raspberries when I got home was some raspberry-limeade. Judging by colour alone, the ruby red liquid is truly stunning. Taste-wise? Oh boy, it's good. Really, really good. Refreshing and not too sweet (but if you prefer a sweeter -ade, please add more sugar syrup!), it's the perfect refresher for a hot day.


raspberry limeade
1 c fresh or frozen raspberries
1/3 - 1/2 c simple syrup*
3 juicy limes, juiced
5 c cold water

Puree the raspberries and put juice into a pitcher. Discard seeds. Add in lime juice and simple syrup and cold water. Stir and taste making any adjustments to sweetener or lime juice. Serve over ice.

* Simple syrup is an equal mixture of water and white sugar combined over heat to make a syrup. It's simple! I usually take 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar and mix them over medium-high heat until it just starts to boil. Once it completely melted, remove from heat and cool. I store it in a jar in the fridge to use for all kinds of drinks.

the powerful quench: rooiboos & lime iced tea

Let's face it. I'm a coffee person. When I wake up I drink at least one cup but most likely two. Iced coffee? Yes please, with cream and no sugar, thank you very much! But when it comes down to brass tacks, I was a tea drinker way before I even started to like coffee (well, I was prone to taking sips from my parents hot mugs of Sanka).

Growing up, we had a downstairs tenant and she loved to throw tea parties. She was really big into British culture and she made sure that I attended them. I didn't mind one bit. After all, there were cookies and I was drinking tea....English tea. It made me feel all grown up and lady-like. I drank my tea with milk and a bit of sugar back then. For years, my tea was always "regular"...orange pekoe – unless I was sick and then it was something served up from my dad's tea shelf, something herbal and bland that he purchased at tiny Eastern European grocers. It just wasn't my cup of tea.

Fast forward to being all grown up and trying all kinds of teas and even liking the ones that my dad used to force on me when I was sick. What can I say, tastes change. When we were in Europe last fall, I tried a Rooiboos tea for the first time. Our couch surfing hosts served us some on ice and it was so delicious and refreshing. I drank a few glasses and when we came back to Canada I purchased some for myself. Drinking it hot was alright but it wasn't like I had remembered. So the other day I decided to brew some up especially for iced tea. I added a bit of sugar syrup and some fresh lime juice to add a bit of extra zing. It's perfect on ice. It's delicate and fragrant and totally thirst quenching. And hey, it's full of antioxidents, low in tannins and is even rumoured to fight cancer. Not bad for a glass of delicious.

rooiboos & lime iced tea
4 bags of rooiboos (red bush) tea
4 c boiling water
4 c cold water
1/3 c (more or less depending on taste) simple syrup
juice of 1 lime

In a large pitcher, add the 4 tea bags to the 4 cups of boiling water. Steep for several minutes until all the flavour has been sucked out of those bags. Remove tea bags and add cold water, simple syrup and lime juice. Stir and refrigerate. Serve with lots of ice and slices of lime or sprigs of mint.

toast me: the working girl's lowball

A little while ago, I spent a fews days doing graphic design work in an office. When Friday came around, I was ready for a good, strong drink. I mixed up these babies and it was like pouring heaven into a glass. At the time I didn't have a martini glass (I've since rectified this error), so I just used a short glass which I nicknamed a lowball. This drink is juicy, tart and provides just the right amount of kick. The rest of the evening was beyond pleasant...listening to music and reading books. TGIF, indeed. This drink is also pink so it makes for a lovely drink to have on Valentine's Day. So go ahead, toast yourself, toast your loved one or toast your cat. C'mon get happy!


the working girl's lowball
juice from 1/2 an orange
juice from 1/2 a lime
cranberry juice (I eyeballed this...but I'll guess 1/2 - 3/4 c)
1/2 t sugar syrup
1 oz Grand Marnier
3 oz Vodka
ice

Mix everything in a pretty silver cocktail shaker and then shake, shake, shake. Pour into 2 glasses and drink up at your leisure.

pull up a lusty vegan mug: peppermint hot chocolate

The other night, we cozied up on the couch and watched some TV on DVD from the library. This time around it's season 1 of The Wire, an HBO cop show that I'm totally hooked on (despite hating the 1st episode). It's gritty with great characters and there's something kinda romantic about hunkering down with your sweetie under a woolly afghan watching drug busts on TV. Cue the mother-flippin' violins! But cozier still is the above scene and a mug each of hot, sweet peppermint hot chocolate. I made the hot chocolate with almond milk cuz I love almond milk and it's available cheap at my local grocer. As for the peppermint, I added the full amount cuz I like things minty fresh, but if you're not down with all that mint, start with an eighth of a teaspoon before going whole hog.

Nights of cozy TV watching aren't necessarily great for photo taking so I decided to quickly illustrate a lusty mug o' hot chocolate. If you want to see great illustrators and their food blog drawings, check out Cakespy and Lobstersquad.

peppermint hot chocolate
3 c plain almond milk
3 T sugar
2 T dark, good quality cocoa
1/8 - 1/4 t peppermint extract

In a medium sized pot, whisk all ingredients together over medium heat until hot & frothy. Pour into 2 large mugs. Decorate with candy canes, marshmallows or whipped cream if you feel festive n' fancy.

wait, there's a flower in my drink

I love summer! It's hot enough to get that nice sweaty feeling (something my high school gym teacher referred to as a "glow") and when all the windows are open, the drapes billow and swoon in the most pleasing way. Amazing things happen in the summer. People seem to smile more and even when they complain about just how goddamn hot it is, you know that it's all part of the friendly summer conversation. Right now, my windows are open, the drapes are billowing and a block away there is a Chinese marching band doing it's thing. Cymbals crashing, trumpets blaring and a constant staccato drumbeat to keep everyone in line. Man, what's not to love? Got an icy beverage in hand? Well, you should! Yesterday I wanted an ice-cold lemonade so I went out to my container garden, snipped some mint leaves and a few sprigs of lavender and decided that not only would my drink be refreshing and herbal, but it would be extra pretty to boot. It was.

I'm new to gardening and I'm already in love with it all. I've definitely got the gardening bug! My garden may only be in containers on my small balcony but I'm making the most of it. Read about my container gardening adventures on the Food Network Canada blog, Food for Thought and give me your opinions, tips and share your own small garden experiences!

lavender-mint lemonade
1 c sugar
1 c water
1/2 c mint leaves
1 large handful of lavender stems (leaves & flowers)
1 - 2 T dried lavender flowers
1 c fresh lemon juice
1/4 c fresh lime juice

1. Create a sugar syrup by bringing water and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and add in the mint and lavender. When the syrup is cool, add the lemon and lime juice.

2. Strain syrup and pour into a pitcher along with 5 - 8 cups of cold water. Add enough water to suit your tastes. I like a lot of water, so I usually fill up my pitcher with the full amount. Serve over lots of ice and decorate with fresh mint and a few extra springs of lavender.

drink it up!

Alright, I swear, this is my last beverage post for a little while. 3 drink posts in a row? Well, I guess it's time to bottoms up!

For anyone who has been reading this blog for a while knows that I'm not a big fan of bananas. Sure, I do love a slice of banana bread once in awhile, but I certainly can't stomach one outta the peel, caramelized with butter or popped into a smoothie. No way, not this girl! But, my husband is smitten with the fruit and because I'm smitten with him, I'll go ahead and caramelize some bananas as a topping to his waffle and I'll blend up a frozen banana into his smoothie. He's definitely a lucky man and he knows it!

This morning I decided to surprise him with a special seasonal smoothie....and I used another ingredient that he loves and I hate: eggnog. I remember my mom making eggnog from scratch around the holidays and loving it. It wasn't sickly sweet or gag-inducingly thick but ever since those long ago days, I've stayed away from the stuff. Commercial varieties - even the organic stuff in a bottle from Avalon - still makes me gag. But Cornelius loves eggnog and my special breakfast smoothie didn't disappoint.

banana eggnog smoothie
1 1/2 frozen banana
1/2 c eggnog (from a carton)
skim milk
1 pinch nutmeg
1/2 t cinnamon

Add frozen banana and eggnog into a blender and add enough milk to cover. Blend on high. Add in the nutmeg and cinnamon adding more milk if necessary. Blend again to combine.

hot toddy

Last night was the first in a small batch of holiday parties that we'll be attending throughout the Christmas season. Cornelius and I dolled ourselves up, put on the sparkle and made up a batch of hot buttered rum for friends stopping by, before heading out on our bikes into the cold. I had never made hot buttered rum before but it was always something that I couldn't wait to try when I was younger. It was a very delicious drink, so I'm not sure what took me so long! It's true that adding butter to a beverage seems a bit strange but at the same time I was curiously attracted to that kind of naughtyness. And naughty it is! It's a rich, hot, sweet drink with complex flavours and a definite kick thanks to the rum. It was delicious and it warmed our insides completely. And it made the chilly bike ride to the ball a little less frigid. And yes, in case you were wondering, a girl can definitely ride a bike in heels!

hot buttered rum
1/4 c butter, softened
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1 T brown sugar

4 c water
2 c apple cider
1 large cinnamon stick, broken in 3
4 cardamom pods, slightly crushed
6 cloves
1 T brown sugar

1 t lemon juice per mug
1 1/2 oz amber rum per mug

1. Prepare the butter. Add spices and sugar to butter and mix until well combined. Put in fridge to firm up.

2. In a medium sized pot, add water, cider, spices and sugar and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. In 4 mugs, add in 1 teaspoon for lemon juice and one and a half ounces of rum to each mug. Add in 1 rounded teaspoon of the cold spiced butter and then ladle the hot spiced cider to fill each mug. Cheers!

a nice hot cup of tea

I love chai tea. The first time I tried it about 10 years ago, I declared it was like having cake in a cup! Oh my, it was sweet and rich and full of spice, instantly comforting and wonderfully cozy. While popping a commercially prepared chai tea bag into a mug of hot water can be just what you need, making your own tea from scratch is a whole new experience in itself. It's simple to make and I get to use my mortar and pestle to crunch on down those green cardamom pods (totally satisfying!) It smells great while it simmers away on the stove and it tastes even better. The best part about making it yourself is that you can control the sweetness and richness. I use skim milk and a big dollop of honey and found it perfect. Enjoy this nice hot cup of tea!

chai tea
4 c water
1 3" chunk of ginger, peeled & sliced
8 cloves
1/2 t black peppercorns
10 cardamon pods, slightly crushed
1 large cinnamon stick, broken in two
3 bags orange pekoe tea
1 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 T honey

In a medium sized pot, bring water, ginger, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom and cinnamon stick to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. Strain liquid and return to pot. Add tea bags and let steep for 5 - 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and add milk and honey. Return to heat and simmer for a few minutes until steamy. Serve in big mugs.

sunday freshness

After we finished dinner this evening, Cornelius turned to me and said, "We ate really well this weekend". So true. Everything we ate was fresh and didn't require extensive cooking or baking or heating. Our morning started off right with light and crispy waffles topped with fresh and juicy peaches. Since we had a relatively late breakfast, lunch wasn't necessary. Dinner was tomato and red onion and feta sandwiches (because everybody likes sandwiches, right?!) served with fresh refrigerator pickles and accompanied by some icy cold homemade lemonade. As for dessert, the previous night we worked up a sweat the old fashioned way as we whipped up a batch of homemade coffee ice cream with a touch of cinnamon, some roasted pecans and some dark chocolate shavings. Oh my!

I'm not sure if I'll post the ice cream recipe because I found it was a bit too sweet for my tastes, but the rest of my Sunday cooking adventure can be found below. Enjoy.

crispy waffles
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c cornstarch
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
3/4 c milk
1/4 c vanilla yogurt
2 T vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1 envelope of vanilla sugar

1. In a batter bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

2. Measure yogurt, milk and vegetable oil in a 2-cup measuring cup.

3. Whip up egg whites into soft peaks.

4. Beat egg white in a small bowl with an electric hand mixer to almost soft peaks. Sprinkle in sugar and continue to beat until white and glossy.

5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed. Fold in egg white to batter in dollops. Fold in with a spatula until just incorporated.

6. Add batter to waffle irons and cook as usual. Serve with syrup or fresh peaches.

lemonade
1 c sugar
1 c water
1 1/4 c lemon juice (use fresh only! approximately 6-8 large lemons)

1. Create a sugar syrup by bringing water and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and add in lemon juice.

2. Pour into pitcher along with 4-5-6 cups of cold water. Add enough water to suit your tastes. I like a lot of water, so I usually fill up my pitcher with about 6 cups of water. Serve over lots of ice. Decorate with fresh mint, if desired.

refrigerator pickles
I spotted these refreshing pickles over at Kitchen Parade and decided that I'd start making some right away. It seemed like the most perfect summertime snack. Tangy and sweet and crispy fresh. I made these in the morning and ate almost a whole jar by the afternoon! What can I say, I love pickles! I made one batch according to Alanna's recipe (subbing the mustard & celery seeds and tumeric with dill, garlic and hot peppers since its' what I had on hand), but then decided to make a second version with different vegetables and different spices altogether. Both versions tasted great and I'll post my version here.

1 c white vinegar
1 c water
1 c white sugar
2 t pickling salt
1 long stick of cinnamon, broken into 3 peices
1 t hot peppers
3 cloves garlic
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1/2 small red onion, cut into quarters
baby carrots

1. In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, salt, water and sugar to the boiling point. Remove from heat. Add carrots to simmer in the hot liquid for 5 minutes.

2. Add green pepper, red onion and garlic and spices into a glass jar. Add carrots to the jar and pour in the hot liquid. Cap off jar and let cool before putting into the fridge.

Once you are finished the jar (and I've already polished off one), you can add more vegetables into the liquid. I've added in some radishes and yellow peppers for my next batch. This should keep for about 1 month in the fridge.

tomato sandwich with lemony-feta spread
I like my sandwiches with a bit of a bite. If you want a fresher taste, then you can skip marinating the tomatoes and onion in the vinegar and just add them fresh to the sandwich.

Please note Cornelius' lovely handmodeling duties!

2 red + ripe tomatoes
1/2 red onion
2 T red wine vinegar
handful of fresh basil, torn
1/2 avocado, sliced
romaine lettuce
1 small block of feta cheese
1 T olive oil
1/2 c parsley
1/2 lemon, juiced & zested
salt + pepper
good bread, toasted

1. Cut tomatoes and onions into slices. Place in a shallow bowl and drizzle with vinegar and add some salt & pepper over top. Tear some fresh basil over top and marinate for 30 minutes. You can skip this step if you don't like a tangy sandwich!

2. In a small bowl, mash together the feta, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and parsley together.

3. Toast the bread. Add feta mixture to one slice and mash avocado on the other slice. Add tomatoes and red onions and lettuce to the feta side and cover with the avocado side. Add salt & pepper if necessary.

Serve with fresh refrigerator pickles.

southern hospitality

Last night I felt inspired enough to make an entire meal with drinks, a main course, a couple of sides and a dessert. It even had a Southern theme! Unfortunately, my camera died before I could take a photo of everything plated, but rest assured, it was a sight to behold. Truely.

The first undertaking was drinks and since it was a southern meal, I decided to make some lemon iced tea. I don't like to add a lot of sugar, so please adjust to your own taste buds.

lemon ice tea

• I set my kettle to boil
• put 2 orange pekoe tea bags in my pitcher
• added the juice of 2 lemons and the hollowed out lemon carcasses (for extra lemony flavour, dontcha know)
• dumped in a 1/4 c of white sugar and poured the boiling water over the whole lot. I topped up the pitcher with cold water and stirred everything around. When the tea bags had finished their steep, I removed them from the pitcher and just let the mixture cool on the counter before refrigerating

...

With my drinks taken care of, I was onto part two of this southern feast:

pulled pork sandwiches
I didn't really know what I was doing since I came up with this one on the fly, but it turned out nicely. Cornelius commented that this tasted like real barbeque, so I think I did good.

I took a pork loin and marinated it with a lot of crushed garlic, some chipotle powder, cumin, mexican chili powder, dried thyme and a bit of salt. After a couple hours of fridge-sitting, I popped the entire thing into a small covered roasting pan and into the oven for about an hour at 450 degrees. I then mixed together some ketchup, yellow mustard, honey, brown sugar, worchestershire sauce, cider vinegar and some xxx hot sauce and poured it over the pork. I dropped the oven temperature to 350 degrees and cooked it for half an hour before taking it out of the oven and shredding it all together into one big shredded porky mess of tasty goodness. Back in the oven for another half hour before we served this on whole wheat hot dogs buns (seriously, it was all we had & the meal didn't suffer from it one bit).
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I figured a potato salad was in order and I wanted something nice and light tasting. I had bought a whole wack of lemons (14 for $2) earlier in the day, so I figured I'd make up a lemon vinegrette and see what would come of that. The results? So fresh and tasty that the world "incredible" came up more than once.

incredible lemony potato salad
6 small yukon gold potatoes in their skins
2 stalks of celery with leaves, diced and leaves roughly chopped
1 large lemon, juiced and zested
1/4 c olive oil
1 t honey (or white sugar, if vegan)
1 t dijon mustard
1 small bunch of basil, torn
1 T capers
pepper and rock salt

1. Boil potatoes whole in their skins until done. Cool slightly and cut into large cubes. Place in bowl. Add chopped celery.

2. Mix together lemon juice, olive oil, honey and dijon into a dressing and pour over potatoes.

3. Tear basil leaves over top of salad. Add capers, lemon zest, freshly ground pepper and rock salt. Mix. Cool in fridge until ready to serve.
...

I've posted this recipe before, but it's so good that I have to post it again. An Everybody Likes Sandwiches first. It's that good. Actually, this time I used less lemons (last time I used 2), but even with just 1 fat lemon it was all good. It's the perfect snack or side dish for hot weather because these beans are eaten icy cold so it's the perfect foil for the heat of summertime.

Lemony-Garlicy Green Beans
1 lb of fresh green beans, trimmed
2 cloves of garlic, minced (1 clove if you aren't among friends)
1 fat lemon, juiced
2-3 T of olive oil
rock salt

1. Steam the green beans until bright green and crisp. You don't want to over cook these. Crisp = delicous! Drain and rinse in cold-cold water. At this point, I put the beans in the freezer just to get extra cold while I mixed the dressing.

2. For the dressing, mix the garlic, lemon juice and olive oil together. Transfer beans into a nice serving dish and pour dressing over top. Return to the fridge for extra coldness. Sprinkle generously with rock salt and serve. It's better than chips. Seriously.
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Okay, I lied about making dessert. I was fully planning on making a rhubarb and strawberry cobbler but after such a feast, Cornelius and I decided that adding dessert would be way too much. So we played board games and sipped homemade ice tea instead. I think we made the smart choice. The rhubarb can wait another day.

summer licks

First off, may I direct you to the mp3 blog, Shake Your Fist, where I was asked by the lovely Amy to write a guest post about music. I LOVE music but haven't written about it in ages, so it was a bit nerve-wracking and I was sure the moment that I finished the post I'd be hit with regret for not including this song or that song. But it was a fun post to write and thank you to Amy for asking!

iced coffee
It's summertime and the living is easy. I may drink my coffee hot in the morning, but by the afternoon, I take any leftover coffee out of the fridge and serve it up right. A little simple syrup (which is just equal parts water & sugar that have been boiled together), some milk and lots of ice and I've got a drink that Mr. Brown would be proud of.

strawberry-pineapple popsicles
Another thing I can't get enough of are popsicles. At all times, our fridge is stocked up with these homemade icy treats. I wrote about these last summer and I feel it's time again for a refresher, because they are beyond simple to make and so refreshing. Last time I added some vanilla yogurt for creaminess, this time I just blended up some frozen strawberries, pineapple juice and fresh lime juice, poured the mix into molds and into the freezer they went. Yum.

the giving is good.

Cornelius found a small grocer near the library where he works that sells bottles of pop shoppe pop (an old beloved soda company from my childhood). We downed the pop (mmmm, black cherry!) and I decided to fill up the bottles with something of my own making. So part of my Christmas giving included bottles of ginger syrup. I made some labels with directions on how to make your own tasty gingerale or ginger beer and found the very necessary corks to stop the bottles. Yummers!

ps. Love the photo? It's taken with my very new digital camera, a Canon Powershot SD300! Cornelius gave me the best Christmas gift ever. Actually, I say that every year.

ginger syrup
3 c water
2 c sugar
1 large piece of ginger (just larger than the palm of your hand), cut into matchsticks
2 large lemons, juiced
rind from 2 lemons
a few cardamon pods
salt & pepper

Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and stir until sugar dissolves. Add ginger, lemon juice, rind, cardamon, salt & pepper. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep overnight. Strain and chill. To serve, add 1/4 cup of syrup to a pretty glass and top with soda water and ice. It should keep for about a month in the fridge.