REFRESHING HOMEMADE LEMONADE

Sometimes, tea just doesn't do it, a soda just leaves you even thirstier than before, and a water is just so bleh!

But Lemonade...a big glass of icy, sweet, tangy lemonade...now that's what I'm talking about!

For the next couple of weeks, my daughter Holly and her husband, Daniel, will be living with us while their home is being finished.  So, when I came home today and Holly was squeezing lemons to make some of that yummy lemonade, I thought to myself first..."Well this is pretty nice! second..."I cannot wait to get a big glass of that" and third... "I've got to grab my camera and blog this!"  

Now, I have gadgets coming out of my ears and so that means I have about 4 or 5 different gadgets to get the juice out of lemons. (I probably should've taken a picture of my gadget drawers...they are crazy full).  Anyway, she had found a wooden lemon reamer and was using it to juice the lemons.

And that works pretty good except that she had a small cut on her finger and the reamer was allowing the juice to get on her finger and sting.  So, I thought of the hand held lemon squeezer.  I actually have two of them because I forgot I had already bought one and bought another one...ugh!  

This worked like a charm and really fast too!  It squeezes every bit of juice that there is out of a lemon halve.

Now all you have to do is add a little sugar (or a lot) and some warm water and then a lot of ice...
and you have a thirst quencher.....and a healthy one at that.

So, needless to say, I was very excited to come home to find Holly making some good ole-fashioned lemonade...makes my mouth water just thinking about it! 

You could add strawberries or raspberries to this and it would be wonderful.  Or you could add some pomegranate juice or syrups and change the flavor entirely.  This recipe is super easy to make and definitely worth giving a shot.

So, here is Holly's recipe for Refreshing Homemade  Lemonade...hope you get to make and enjoy some soon!

REFRESHING HOMEMADE LEMONADE

Juice of 6 large lemons

1 cup of sugar

6 cups of warm water (warm water allows the sugar to melt)

Combine juice with sugar and add water.  Stir and pour over ice.

ENJOY!!

This is not the best picture of a really tasty sandwich but I wanted to share it with you all since I decided to make them tonight.  We went to Destin, Florida for a family vacation a couple of weeks ago and my sister in law Judy made these yummy little chicken croquettes for her grandchildren.  The entire beach house smelled divine and so I snuck a bite!  Oh my goodness...they were soooo good!!!  The onion and garlic smell amazing when they were cooking!  I've been thinking about making these little babies ever since I got back.  I literally threw these together, cooked, and had them on the table in less than 30 minutes.

The drink you see is pomegranate lemonade with a splash of sugar-free raspberry syrup.  It is a wonderful thirst quencher and pomegranate juice is loaded with nutrients and antioxidants....I feel healthier just talking about it!

JUDY'S CHICKEN CROQUETTES

1/4 of a medium onion

   2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 large egg

1-7ounce package of Premium Chunk White Chicken, shredded

Panko Bread Crumbs

In a food processor, process egg, onion, garlic, and parmesan cheese until liquified.  Pour into a bowl and add the chicken (I put the chicken in the food processor and pulsed it a few times to mince) and enough Panko bread crumbs to make it the consistency of a crab cake.  I would say start with 1/4 cup and add more, if needed.  Mix all ingredients well and form into 3 croquettes.  Coat each croquette with panko bread crumbs.  They tend to be a little fragile before cooking so use a light hand when transferring them into the frying pan.

In a medium fry pan, heat olive oil or coconut oil (whatever your preference) and fry the patties until golden brown on both sides.  Serve while hot!

POMEGRANATE LEMONADE

Crystal Light Lemonade

2 cups of Pomegranate Juice

Sugar-Free Raspberry Syrup (like is used with coffees and teas)

Mix a 2 quart lemonade pouch with 1-3/4 quarts (7 cups) of water.  Add pomegranate juice and stir well in a pitcher. 

Pour a couple of tablespoons of Sugar-Free Raspberry Syrup to a glass, add ice, pour in some of the lemonade mixture and stir.  Add a pretty straw and enjoy!