When Life Gives You Lemons…Make Lemonade!

Ahh, the dog days of summer…the sun is blazing, the sprinklers are sprinkling, and the kids don’t have a care in the world.  A cold and icy  glass of lemonade comes to mind. And I don’t mean the store-bought, fructose-laden, preservative-filled, sickeningly sweet, syrupy, neon yellow lemonade.  I’m talking real lemonade! Make it from scratch.  All you need are lemons, sugar, water and ice!

Joe, Heather and I were shooting at my house one summer day.  I made a fresh batch of lemonade.  We all agreed to take advantage of the beautiful perennials in my backyard and use them as a backdrop to shoot it.  It was a great day. And afterwards, we all sat on my deck and relaxed with refreshing  glass of lemonade.

Here is my recipe.  You can control the sweetness, and you will not believe how much better it is than anything you can buy.  Add a sprig of mint from your garden and you are good to go!!!

as photographed by our team, à la Carte Partners

Cathy’s Fresh Lemonade

Makes  about 7 cups

7 lemons
1 cup sugar
6 cups cold water
ice
fresh mint

– Cut  6 lemons in half and squeeze out juice  to make about 1 cup of juice. Remove any seeds.

– Pour fresh lemon juice and sugar into a large pitcher, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add water, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

– Just before serving, slice remaining lemon.  Add to pitcher with ice and mint.

Tips

– To maximize the amount of juice you get from a lemon,  roll the lemon firmly on counter top before cutting in half .

– Avoid using bottled lemon juice.  The flavor will just not be the same.

– Adjust the sugar to your palate.

– Adding fresh fruit, such as strawberries or raspberries, will add another whole dimension to your lemonade!

– For an adult version, try adding a splash of  flavored vodka!!

Cathy