What is summertime without a cold glass of homemade lemonade?  A couple years ago through a kind of funny event, I decided that my favorite lemonade was made with blueberries.  I was on my way to a celebration of life event and I had my 10 year old granddaughter with me.  We stopped at Houlihan's Restaurant to grab a bite before heading out of town.  It was one of those hot days!  I mean the kind of hot where you got all dressed up and felt like a wilted, sweaty flower the minute that you walked out the door!  As we walked in to the restaurant, I was anticipating the cold air that was about to slap me in the face when my eyes fell on a large sign outside their door that was advertising a cold, frosty blueberry lemonade.  I glanced at the picture and although I don't usually order lemonade at restaurants, I decided that today was my day and one of those cold luscious looking drinks had my name on it.  My granddaughter and I placed our orders and it wasn't but a minute that that beautiful glass of blueberry lemonade was sitting right in front of me!  Now, I have to say that often things don't look as good when you get them as they do in the pictures, but this frosty glass looked even better than advertised!  I slurped down a few sips and no, I was not disappointed at all!  I offered my sweet little granddaughter some and told her that it was the best ever!  The sweet taste of lemons and blueberries filled my mouth!  Now this was a summertime drink that I would need to incorporate into my recipe file at home, I thought.  Our waitress quickly brought our food and after a few bites, I didn't feel so well.  I told my granddaughter that something was really wrong with my head.  Now, I guess I forgot to tell you that I don't drink alcoholic drinks.  I haven't for about 27 years now.   As I sat there and my head got cloudier and cloudier, I wondered whether or not I would be able to go to the celebration of life service at all.  The waitress brought the bill and when I saw the price of the blueberry lemonade, the mystery became clear.  The drink was made with blueberry vodka and I hadn't even read the menu.  I was so naive and thought that it was just blueberry lemonade.  The spike part had never occurred to me!  Well, I sat there until I felt better and felt a bit embarrassed.  My 10 year old granddaughter chuckled and asked if she should drive us home.  Although I still don't use the alcohol, I have incorporated blueberry lemonade into my list of favorite summertime drinks.  You can add what you want but I have included a recipe and list of my favorite add-ins. 

5 Lemons

1 1/4 Cups White Sugar

1 1/4 Quarts Water

Desired Fruit 

 

Summertime Lemonade

1. Peel the rinds from the 5 lemons and cut them into 1/2 inch slices. Set the lemons aside.
2. Place the rinds in a bowl and sprinkle the sugar over them. Let this stand for about one hour, so that the sugar begins to soak up the oils from the lemons.
3. Bring water to a boil in a covered saucepan and then pour the hot water over the sugared lemon rinds. Allow this mixture to cool for 20 minutes and then remove the rinds.  This is a good time to add any additional fruit for flavoring that you desire.  I even throw the fruit and water mixture into the blender at this point.
4. Squeeze the lemons into another bowl. Pour the juice through a strainer into the sugar mixture. Stir well, pour into pitcher and refrigerate!  Serve over ice and enjoy!

Some of my favorite add-ins are:

       Blueberries, oranges, cucumbers, mint, raspberries, and it is always          wonderful to add lemon wedges and whole berries for garnish!

Hey, guys!  Ever wonder what to do with so many zucchini? I always plant one plant and then watch out!  It's like the attack of the zucchini!  I mean surely there are some ways of using them that would cut back on fuel consumption or block UV rays from the sun, saving the whales or something.  Well, so far, all I ever find are more recipes for zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, zucchini cookies, and plain ole zucchini.  My family would rather not have these green alligator-like vegetables stuffed into their cookies and baked goods!  When I was a kid my mom used to make something that she called "zucchini casserole."  It didn't really make its home in a casserole dish but was made in a skillet.  It takes few ingredients and was actually delicious!  After making it this week, I decided to try to save the world from zucchini bread and share my recipe.  This can be used as a side dish or as a main vegetarian course. I hope that you will try it and I'll bet that your family will enjoy it as much as mine has over the years.  It is buttery, cheesy and just plain delicious!

1. 3 small zucchini
2. 1 stick of butter
3. Small bag of croutons (keep it small, they tend to grow)
4. 1 tablespoon of fresh garlic, pressed
5. 1 large onion
6. 1 container of parmesan cheese 

Melt butter in large skillet, add diced zucchini, diced onion, and saute until zucchini starts to become transparent. Remove from heat.   Add croutons and stir.   Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Cover with lid until the cheese melts.  Enjoy!

You don't have to travel to the most remote places to enjoy a camp out with your kids!  Take advantage of the lazy days of summer by planning a camp out in your own back yard. 

When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to plan fun activities with me and tell me that she was "making memories."  While I didn't really have a real grasp on what she was talking about at the time, many years later, my mind often wandered back to those lazy days of summer drinking a cold coke in a glass bottle on the old fashioned front porch rocking back and forth on the glider just talking with her until the wee hours of the morning.  Air conditioning was not so common in those days and I can still shut my eyes and remember the warm breeze that blew through the windows clothed in ruffly white curtains.   Then there were the nights at 10:00 that we would jump in the car in our pajamas and run down to George's drive-in for a cheeseburger.  It seems to be the small things that she did that will just make me chuckle to myself.  I tried to use the same template that she did when caring for my grandchildren several years ago.  It wasn't the big, grandeur activities that made the best memories, it was the small things.  

Taking a short camping trip to the backyard can be an easy way to capture the best of memories with your little ones.  There are lightening bugs to light the warm air and there is no better way to observe the stars than laying on your back in the grass and looking up into the night sky.  Dinner can be as simple as hot dogs cooked on sticks over a fire or on the grill.  These are the best times to share a short story about your childhood with your young ones and discuss issues of the heart.

We live in an age where we tend to think every plan has to be well thought out and elaborate but the best memories are made when we are spontaneous and keep it simple!  It eliminates the stress and allows for relaxation, fun and lots of laughs!  So, pickup some hot dogs next time that you are at the store and put them in your freezer, grab a jar for lightening bugs and take those kids camping!

Enjoy this article to help you plan for your Easter dinner!

(Milkweed Farms is in no way  affiliated with Women's Day Publications)

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