Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Rosemary Infused Lemonade

Well hello there! Enough of all those travel pictures - I'm back, mostly recovered, and ready for some "normal" blogging. Jacob and I have been working on a few house projects this past weekend/week, I've got some awesome pictures to share with you soon!

But, for now - rosemary lemonade. I recently planted a rosemary bush in our garden area, and thank goodness it hasn't died yet. I have a history of killing rosemary plats, so I'm crossing my fingers that I can keep this one alive and healthy for a while. Since the plant was doing so well, I decided to harvest some of it's bounty and create a refreshing summer drink. This drink was created without any alcohol additions, but it could easily be spiked to make it "adult friendly".

First, get yourself some fresh rosemary and add it to a small saucepan with equal parts sugar and water. Turn the heat to medium/low and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.


Once the sugar is dissolved, let the mixture sit (with the rosemary still in it) until cooled. While the mixture is cooling, juice 5-6 large lemons.


Discard the rosemary from the simple syrup mixture, and pour it into a pitcher. Add the lemon juice. I added a coupe small chunks of lemon for presentation.


Next, add 2-4 cups of cold water to the pitcher. Taste the lemonade as you add water until you reach the desired sweetness/tartness. Don't forget, you'll be adding lots of ice which will make the mixture a little more water-ey than it is in the pitcher.


Pour lemonade over ice and garnish with fresh rosemary and a lemon slice. So refreshing, and a fun twist on a summertime favorite for your next gathering!

Rosemary Infused Lemonade Recipe:
- 4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cups water
- 5-6 large lemons
- 2 to 4 cups water
- Ice
- Extra rosemary and lemon for garnish

Directions:
- Make rosemary infused simple syrup by adding sugar, rosemary sprigs, and 1 cup water to a small saucepan.
- Heat the sugar mixture over low/medium heat and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Let simple syrup cool, leave the rosemary in the pan for this.
- Juice lemons, discarding seeds.
- Once simple syrup is cooled, discard the rosemary.
- Pour simple syrup and lemon juice into a pitcher, add desired amount of water.
- Serve over ice with rosemary and lemon slices as garnish!

* To make this lemonade "adult friendly", I would add 4-5 ounces vodka, depending on how many plan on sharing the pitcher. Lemoncello would also make a good addition. 

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Caprese Pizza Bread

There aren't many things more delicious than a freshly prepared caprese (pronounced "ka-prey-say") salad - vine ripened tomato topped with a big slice of fresh mozzarella, a drizzle of good olive oil, fresh basil, and sea salt. I had this craving for a fresh summer meal a few nights ago, but wanted a warmed version that was a little more substantial than the typical caprese salad.


So, I took a nice loaf of fresh bread, sliced it in half, and topped each side with all the typical caprese salad ingredients (replacing the fresh basil for basil pesto). Then, I tossed it in the oven so the mozzarella could melt and the bread could get all toasty and crisp. 




The end result?



Served with a big green salad and a nice glass of red wine - it almost felt like summer!

Caprese Pizza Bread Recipe
- 1 loaf french bread
- 1 large vine ripened or heirloom tomato (I got an heirloom from the grocery store and it was surprisingly good, for a winter tomato)
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 1/2 lb fresh mozzarella
- A generous drizzle of olive oil
- A few pinches of sea salt (regular salt would work fine)
- Fresh or dried basil for garnish

Directions:
- Slice the loaf of bread long ways and divide into desired sized sections.
- Place bread pieces open side up onto a cookie sheet or into a baking dish.
- Spread pesto on bread pieces and top with thick slices of tomato and mozzarella.
- Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the bread is crispy on the bottom.
- Drizzle with olive oil and top with fresh or dried basil for garnish.