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Corner Of My House

Summer Corner #2

Peony
I have been thinking all week how I can make each day this summer special. It does not have to be a big all day thing. But just one special thing a day. A treat. Really all it is, is appreciating the small things. Like what we drink! How can I make it different? So I decide to come up with different lemonades. My favorite of course is lavender. But just a simple little twist can make something feel new and special !!
 
Also do not forget how you serve it. Maybe pull out those special wine glasses. I always buy pretty ones at goodwill for the girls. So if they break no big deal. Or buy some fun cheap plastic ones. Fun straws or stirers. You can add fruit, colored sugar rim, coco rim, ect!!
Clarice1 
 
I am very excited to hear everyone else's ideas for Summer Corner. My good friend Mary (who I have know since I was 20) sent a couple of pictures of their garden. If you could only have seen the dirt lot it was before. I do not even think there was weeds before. It is just amazing. Now people drive by just to look at their house. Maybe Mary can send more pictures (hint, hint).
                                                                         Clarice3
 
And Jody sent some wonderful pictures of bouquets from her garden. Having flowers around the house is a great way to bring the outdoors in. Unfortunately I am allergic to most flowers (although not roses!!) and can not have bouquets sitting around. So I can enjoy Jody's !! 
 
                                                            Flowers_002 
Lavender Lemonaid

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup dried lavender
  • 2 cups sugar
  • fresh lemon juice
  • water
To make the Lavender Syrup, boil 1/2 cup dried lavender with 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. Strain and save in a squeeze bottle.

Next, boil equal amounts of sugar and water (i.e., 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water) to create a simple syrup.

To  Lemonade, combine one part simple syrup, one part fresh lemon juice and four parts water. Stir thoroughly.

 

Minty Green Tea Lemonade

4 cups freshly brewed green tea
2 1/2 cups water
1 (12 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate (or fresh lemon aid)
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher. Chill, strain and serve

 

Honey-Vanilla Lemonade

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 cups water, plus more as needed
1 vanilla bean
2 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 24 lemons)
Lemon wheels or wedges, for garnish

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, honey, and 2 cups water and place over medium-high heat. Cut the vanilla bean in 1/2 lengthwise, then, using the back of the knife, scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod and add to the saucepan, along with the pod. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 4 or 5 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Put the lemon juice into a gallon jug or pitcher. Pour the sugar syrup through a strainer into the pitcher and discard the pod. Add water to equal 1 gallon and stir well.

Serve over ice with lemon wheels or wedges

 

Blackberry Lemonade

6-8 lemons
water
sugar
1/2 cup blackberries (or any fruit really)

Juice the lemons into a pitcher and add water and sugar until it tastes right (depending on how many lemons you use and how much of a sweet tooth you have!). Chill, then add blackberries

 

Sangria Lemonade (for the adults)

Fill a pitcher half way with sliced ripe peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines. Add some fresh berries to. Then our in 1/2 cup simple syrup, juice form about 10 lemons, 1 cup water and a bottle of dry rose wine. Adjust from there to your taste.

The Sangria is best made a day or two before. it helps the fruit to macerate and give the sangria more flavor !!

 

Comments

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auberne'

I LOVE YOU MOM!!!! I love the lemonade post, and the post about summer! Love Auberne'!

weirdbunny

I'll definately try the blackberrie on when they are in season. I love flowers from the garden in the house, that's summer for me.

Gina

What a wonderful bunny you have on the porch table. Looks like a wonderful spot to sip on that lemonade! Thanks for the recipes, I will giving them a try.

Debbie

The lemonade recipes sound wonderful and the sangria~yum! I made the oatmeal gingerbread muffins this morning and had one with some fruit for breakfast. They are delicious! and nice and moist too. Thanks Clarice!
Debbie

Rebecca Mielke

I have lots of lavendar, but have never really done much with it. This is lovely.

I do need to go shopping for wine glasses. (I broke the next to the last one last week.) Somehow I always end up using all my shopping energy in the clothing section of the thrift store and buying wine glasses at the $1 store.

ms*robyn

Hi Clarice! oh those lemonade recipes sound delish - I am going to save them til summer time down here. Love the photos too!

Joanne

Beautiful photos!
Great Recipes!
Now to get inspired...

Jody

Clarice, I'm filing those lemonade recipes away so I can get to them anytime. I'll be having tea party at my house next week and I'll serve one of your special lemonades. Thanks for the recipes.

What a surprise to see my bouquets on your site. They're only memories now.
~Jody

Joy

Yum! I can't wait to try a new lemonade! Thanks for all your great ideas!

Mrs.Staggs

Dear Clarice,
The sun finally came out this afternoon, so I was able to take a couple of pictures of my piano decorated for June and put them on my site for you.

Mrs Blythe

What beautiful pictures! Thank you for your kind comment on my blog, I was replying to other comments when your comment popped up! I've seen your web address on other blogs and have meant to stop by before. You are now bookmarked! Blessings.

OR Tina

Oooh, love the statue/fountain with ferns photo! Your lemonade recipes sound delightful, Clarice. I'm going to try them with Stevia (trying to lay off the sugar). :-P

carla

Mmmm, the lemonade recipes sound delish...I've copied them and will be trying them soon...and I've passed the recipes on to my daughters, as well. Thanks for sharing, Clarice!

Mrs.Staggs

P.S.
Jody, I especially love that bouquet of yellow irises!

Mrs.Staggs

What lovely photos everyone shared. That was very nice of your friends to take the time to share them.
The lemonade recipes will be fun to experiment with. I had mint in lemonade at at a friend's home for the first time and it was delicious!

Mary

God is so good! He knew that I needed a special lemonade recipe for a send off party we are having for one of our girlfriends here. She is going back to school for her Masters Degree this summer and will be gone from her family (and us) for 6 weeks this summer.

Your timing is perfect with these recipes! And I promise to send more garden photos as the blooms start to happen.

Hugs, Mary

Rebecca

What beautiful ideas! My little guy and I are going to make a batch of sun tea this afternoon. We have lots of summer plans, but they're more of the messy variety!

Rosa

How lovely everything is!! Just found you through Merryville! Love your blog!! May I add it to my favorites?

Lilli

What a great idea about the lemonades! A few weeks ago I was looking for a way to make myself drink more water, so I started adding vanilla and stevia to it. It works, because now I'm drinking water all day :)

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