Brittany's PantryStrawberry Lemonade
Brittany wrote this on 17 June 2012
gluten-free, lemon, strawberries
Man, oh man. I am one happy camper. I am sitting here typing this at my kitchen peninsula and eating a snack and drinking the Strawberry Lemonade you see in this picture. Although my beverage is not in my favorite tall glasses from World Market but instead is in a plastic cup we brought home from a restaurant last February when we took a vacation to the water park. There is a picture of a dog on it wearing a spotted party hat and it is making a water ring on the counter dangerously close to the cookbook I was reading. The cookbook is The Joy of Cheesecake and I was trying to choose a recipe to experiment with for Father’s Day. But anyway….
The title of this post is how I was going to start explaining this recipe to you and then a thought kind of occurred to me: I use those adjectives a lot. I bet I say something along those lines about almost every recipe. And truthfully, I hear the gentle, teasing voice of my very good friend (Yes, it is you, Dede!) every time I say the word fabulous (which means you are on my mind a lot!). But in this case, it works. How else am I supposed to convey to you the absolutely refreshing, clean, heavenly drink that is this lemonade? Delightful? Crisp and sweet, yet tangy? Addictive-because the four of us (Lane didn’t participate) chugged an entire pitcher in a less than an hour? I am at a loss. When I set out to create this, I honestly didn’t think it would be very successful. Or nearly this good! I figured it would take me forever to figure out the right combination, but thankfully, it didn’t. I have tweaked and adjusted and poked at the ingredients until I got what I am quite certain is going to be your new favorite summer drink! It certainly is at our house.
This lemonade is made with simple syrup, something I always have in my fridge. I have mentioned it before in a previous post or two but it is definitely worth mentioning again. Please do not let that extra step deter you from making this! The flavor is so quintessentially summer, you won’t want to stop drinking it! Sipping it while swinging in a hammock is recommended but not essential. Truly fabulous!
One Year Ago: Chocolate Chip Blonde Brownies & Pan Fried Tilapia
Strawberry Lemonade
Straining the strawberry puree is an optional, but I think necessary, step. It is the most labor intensive part of the whole recipe. Except maybe cleaning the strainer.
3 c quartered and hulled strawberries
1/2 c sugar
2 c cold water
Puree above ingredients in a blender and strain into a large pitcher through a fine mesh strainer.
Add:
1 1/4 c freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 4-5 lemons)
1 c simple syrup, recipe below
3 c cold water
Mix everything together and taste. Add another cup or two of water if the mixture is too thick. Serve cold over ice.
Hint: A simple, inexpensive hand reamer will make it much easier to juice the lemons!
Simple Syrup
This is barely a recipe but I will post it anyway. This will last nearly indefinitely in your fridge so make a big batch and use it for everything! I use it mainly for sweetening iced tea but it can be added to anything you want to sweeten without the fuss of trying to dissolve sugar in it. Mix it into drinks, drizzle it over fresh fruit, brush it on the layers of a cake to keep it moist-endless possibilities!
3 c water
3 c sugar
Mix in a small saucepan and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Cool and store in the fridge. You can use any amount of sugar and water as long as it is equal parts.
Far Eastern Salad
Brittany wrote this on 11 June 2012 bacon, eggs, gluten-free, spinach
In the last post, I mentioned that this salad was requested by my sister as a ‘must eat’ when she was here with me. The funny thing was that even though I used to eat this about once a month myself, the past few years, I kinda forgot about it. When she brought it up, I nearly fell off my chair! Oh yeah! This used to be one of my favorites so I immediately pulled out the recipe for the dressing-the only actual ‘recipe’ part of it-and then proceeded to drool over the scribbled card of ingredients until we had it at dinner.
I get excited about recipes like this because this is a prime example of why I started this blog in the first place. This is a simple recipe that with a little prep, can be thrown together in a matter of minutes. It tastes fantastic and is just different enough that it keeps dinner menus, and entertaining your friends and family, interesting. And that is what we are all looking for, right? I recipe that we know is a proven winner that we can add to our regular recipe rotation? Absolutely.
I must say that it is the dressing that makes this salad. It is great on any kind of lettuce with any combination of things, but these particular ingredients are quite spectacular. The recipe is from my days working in the 4-H building at the MN State Fair and to my knowledge, they still serve it in the cafeteria there today. Their version will have bean sprouts in it, an ingredient that I have eliminated but will help you understand its name a bit better: Far Eastern Salad. I still call it that, even though it bears little or no resemblance to anything of eastern origin. That’s OK, though. One bite and you won’t care what it is called, only that you will want to eat it again and again. You can bet I won’t be forgetting about it any time soon!
One Year Ago: Strawberry Sauce-This is great on pound cake, angel food cake, ice cream, or waffles!
Far Eastern Salad
This recipe makes enough dressing for several salads, but it lasts for a few weeks in the fridge. If you like, add a handful of bean sprouts.
Spring Mix, 50/50 (spring mix/spinach), or all baby spinach
cooked, crumbled bacon
hard boiled eggs, diced
diced green onions
bean sprouts, optional
Dressing:
1/2 c oil (I use half extra virgin and half canola)
1/3 c sugar
3 T ketchup
2 T red wine vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
pinch of red pepper flakes
Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or shake in a sealed jar. Toss salad just before serving.
Flank Steak W/Tangy Sauce & Sisters
Brittany wrote this on 7 June 2012 beef, chives, dijon mustard, horseradish, lemon, mayo, sour cream
“I think this is my favorite meal,” said my sister, Hannah, as she inhaled the plate you see above.
I mentioned earlier that my youngest sister was here to run a half-marathon, but she also came back through here on her way to the east coast for work. She stayed a few days, helped celebrate Evelyn’s 6th birthday, ran around with Eli, smooched on baby Lane, and I fed her. That is usually my main goal with people who come to visit us: food. It is how I show my love, people! Some shower others with gifts. I make them creme brulee. A friend waters our plants while we are away on vacation? Chinese chicken salad. Last day of Kindergarten? Congrats to you! How about Honey Waffles with Strawberry Sauce and whipped cream, bacon, and fresh Hot Chocolate for breakfast?! So when Hannah came for a visit, I of course asked her the same question I ask all my guests: “What can I make you?”
Unfortunately, she is one of those easy to please people-sheesh-and her answer, accompanied by a half shrug, was, “Whatever.” *sigh* I hate that answer. I really like to make people something that they maybe haven’t had for awhile or have just really been craving. I am not a short order cook and I always plan menus based on my freezer, my pantry, my workable time frame, my budget, and my energy level-all those previously mentioned are subject to change. But wouldn’t it be more fun if you ate something a little bit different? And since my sister has a really crazy schedule and a rather unconventional job (it is too hard explain, but she is like a Title Nine or Athleta kind of woman) her meals aren’t always regular or all that balanced. She did request the salad we had that night and I will include it in the next post, but “any kind of meat” was at the top of her list. Perfect. I had this dinner menu already planned and since it is extremely easy, quick, and the essence of summer, it totally hit the spot. And in case you are wondering, the potatoes I made that night are Good Lookin’ Man Potatoes and they are darn near the best side dish you can make for grilled food.
I know what you are thinking. Yes, that steak above has a sauce with it and I have confessed before that I am kind of a purest when it comes to beef. Salt and pepper on a steak-that’s it! I was taught well, and my sister said the same thing. But sometimes, a certain cut of meat needs a little something. Flank steak, also called a skirt steak, looks kind of like licorice. It is very ropey and kind of needs to be cut perpendicular to the grain in order to eat it. What does this mean? It means that sliced thin, it makes for great fajitas. It also happens to be an inexpensive way to grill in the summer. The meat responds well to marinades and a quick grill is all it needs. In this case, you don’t even need to marinate it! Just whip up a sauce on the side. Such a simple thing, but it is so flavorful it will easily become your favorite weeknight summer supper or an easy dish for you to entertain with. It took a few tries, but I got the sauce just right; not too spicy, just enough tang, and so wonderfully refreshing. I implore you to give it a try! Eat it with your sister, your brother, a neighbor, or anyone else that you want to show a little love.
One Year Ago: How To: Freeze Berries & Cheeze-It Chicken
Flank Steak W/Tangy Sauce
Adapted from Cooking Light
This sauce can easily be doubled if you are feeding more people. And don’t let the horseradish scare you, even if you aren’t a fan. It gives it a subtle heat and just a bit of a bite. Nothing overpowering. Promise.
1 flank steak, about 1-1 1/2 pounds
Drizzle the steak with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over direct medium-high heat, searing one side for about 5 minutes, then flipping for a total of 8-10 minutes. You just want to sear each side, leaving the middle nice and rare. Remove steak to a cutting board to rest. Meanwhile, make the sauce.
In a small bowl, combine:
1/4 c sour cream
2 tsp prepared horseradish
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T mayo
zest of one lemon
juice of half a lemon
2 T snipped chives
salt and pepper to taste
Mix well. Slice the steak thinly across the grain. Serve with the sauce. Leftovers make a stellar sandwich or panini!
Love a Good Recipe?
Then you’ve come to the right place! I’m Brittany, and I share tested, trusted recipes you’ll love. I prepare & photograph food, obsess over the perfect recipe, and enjoy grins of delight when I serve up something awesome. Enjoy!
