The Lemonade Project (includes a bonus treat)

A 1/2 Gallon of Lemonade in 15 Minutes! (plus a bonus treat)

I hope you are sittung down. I just figured out how to make delicious lemonade from scratch. It was amazing. And then, there is a bonus!! Read on...

The Lemonade Project
You will need:
6 to 8 lemons, depending on size
Tea strainer or cheesecloth
Blender
Sieve
Boiled water that is room temperature
Large pitcher or bowl
Funnel
3-4 cups sugar plus 2 cups sugar for next project
Storage pitcher with lid
1 quart glass jar with lid

First slice lemons in half, then pick out the seeds. Save all of the seeds and put them in a tea strainer if you have one. The other option is to put them in cheesecloth and tie them with string.
Put half of the lemons in a blender and cover with 4 cups for water. Blend on medium until the lemon rind is in chunks no larger than a lemon seed. Pour blended lemon mixture through the sieve into the large pitcher or bowl.
Empty the remaining lemon rind mixture into a large sauce pan.

Repeat this one more time or until you have blended all of the lemons and put that rind mixture into the large sauce pan. Add 3/4 cup water and 2 cups sugar. Add the tea strainer or bag of lemon seeds. Turn the heat on high and start your lemon marmalade!







Add sugar to taste and stir. Sample with a small spoon until it tastes a little too sweet. That will be just right. Next, use the funnel to transfer the lemonade into your serving container or storage container. When serving, add several ice  cubes or crushed ice to dilute to the proper strength. Serves 6 to 8.

For the marmalade, cook on high for ten minutes, then turn heat down to low and simmer. Stir once. Start a kettle of boiling water. After the marmalade has boiled and is a sunny yellow and there is a few spoonfuls of thick liquid. Turn the heat off. Quickly rinse out your clean glass jar and lid with the boiling water over a small saucepan. Pour the marmalade inside, twist the lid shut and turn the jar upside down into the hot water until the lid is covered with about an extra inch of water. This will seal it in about 20 minutes. Serve with fruit, croissants, cake or swirl into ice cream. 

Enjoy your lemonade project!

Icebox ice cream treat

Need a quick throwback desert? Here is an idea for Memorial Day and warm months that is quick and super easy. Make sure you have a rectangular container a little larger than an ice cream carton which you can freeze, a large cold plate to decorate and flip and maybe a knife.

First take a carton of ice cream. Run the carton in some warm water, enough to release it from the carton. Turn the ice cream onto the large chilled plate. Then take about 20-24 of your favorite crunchy cookies. Save 8-10 to crush at the end.
If you like, use a knife to slice into the ice cream and insert a few cookies. Place the cookies in rows on each visible side of ice cream. Work quickly to avoid melting. If you have sandwich cookies like Oreos, you only need 15-18 total; twist them open and stick one half at a time on the ice cream.
Using the plate to position, flip the ice cream into the container. You may need to scoop the last part of the ice cream into the container. Arrange more cookies on the top or crush them and put them on the top and pat them down. Freeze for at least four hours or overnight. Slice to serve with fruit and/or drizzle with chocolate or berries or caramel sauce.

This is the best picture I could find that captured the idea. Mmmmm

Ideas: 

Salted caramel ice cream with shortbread. Serve with caramel popcorn.
Chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cookies or nutter butter cookies and crushed peanuts.
Butter pecan ice cream with pecan sandies.
Coffee ice cream with sliced cinnamon-covered bananas 

Variation: use sorbet and sliced fruit. Strawberry ice cream or sorbet covered with sliced strawberries. 

Lemon sorbet with sliced berries.

This came as an idea after reading some magazine icebox pie recipes. I haven't made this yet and hope to try it soon.

Quick Cooked Carrots with Butter and Parsley

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients

* 1 pound medium carrots , peeled, ends trimmed, and sliced on the diagonal 1/4-inch thick or 1 bag baby carrots or sliced carrots

* 2 tablespoons water

* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

* 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

* 1/2 teaspoon table salt

* Ground black pepper

* 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

* A sprinkle dried or a few leaves minced fresh tarragon

Instructions

In 10-inch skillet, bring carrots, water, butter, sugar, and salt to boil over medium-high heat. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover skillet; continue to cook over medium-high heat until remaining water evaporates, about 1 minute. Sauté carrots until tender, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Season to taste with pepper, sprinkle with fresh parsley leaves and tarragon, and serve.

Ribs Redux

Succulent ribs fast!  

I know how to make ribs, but I don't always have the time to grill them. So this is my fastest way to get ribs with my flavors on the table in the warmer months or any time. Buy some refrigerated precooked ribs with barbecue sauce.  Tony Roma's is what they sell at Costco. They are on sale now too, $3 off.

Next, and I know this will sound strange, rinse off all of the barbecue sauce in the sink. They add a lot of sugar and strange ingredients that make it taste anything but homemade. Pat the ribs dry with a paper towel, then pat the dry rub onto the ribs until the ribs are well coated.  

Cook them at 325 for about 20 minutes, then crank up the heat to 450 for 6 minutes to get a nice crust.

Mix 1/2 ketchup, 1/4 soy sauce and 1/4 mustard if you want a quick sauce for the ribs and apply before you turn up the heat. Let them rest 8-10 minutes before serving. 

By the way, you can bake some cornbread at the same time!