Saturday, April 12, 2008

When life gives you lemons...


...make lemonade. Here's an old Southern Living recipe I have in my personal recipe book of favorites. It's great for get togethers, showers, etc. After having a sour week, we need something sweet around here!
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Homemade Lemonade
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (About 8 lemons)
5 cups of cold water
Garnish: lemon slices (cut like above on rim of glass)
Stir together sugar and 1/2 cup boiling water until sugar dissolves.
Stir in lemon rind, lemon juice, and 5 cups cold water. Chill 8 hours.
Add lemon slices. Yield: 8 cups. Prep: 20 min., Chill 8 hours.

That just reminded me of going to a wedding shower years ago where the bride's mother gave her daughter a handmade recipe book containing their family favorite recipes she enjoyed from childhood. Isn't that such a neat idea for children to cherish for years? I plan to do that for my boys and give it to them when they marry or go off to college. I also want to teach both how to cook the basics so they can attempt some of the recipes when they're out on their own. Right now their books are relatively empty, since no "favorites" have been established at Chez White. It's not that I'm a terrible cook; they're terrible eaters. I don't think I can get the recipe for McDonald's cheeseburgers. Frankly, don't think I want that one...

4 comments:

Southern Fried Mom said...

I love homemade lemonade...especially in a pretty glass pitcher with lemon, orange & lime slices floating. Makes me want to have a party.

I started collecting family recipes when I got married, then about seven years later finally put them all together, and made a family cookbook. I included holiday favorites, funny stories, and memories. I had the book copied & bound, and gave it to family members as a Christmas gift. I was blown away by their responses! It has been such a hit--all my girlfriends have gotten copies, and I still get requests for it all the time. I am currently working on volume 2, for new ideas & those things that family members said, "you should've put in..." It's also nice to always know where to find the recipe when you want to make something.

What a great thing to do for your boys!

Tippy said...

Yum. I love lemonade and drink tons of it in summer. I really like it mixed with tea. Is that called an Arnold Palmer? Anyway, I have never made homemade lemonade so I will definitely try it.

My cousin got married a couple of years ago and my aunt mailed all of us ladies 2-3 recipe cards and asked us to submit our favorites. She put them in a recipe binder for my cousin and gave it to her at her shower. My cousin is NOT a cook, however, so I only submitted recipes like salad dressings and simple desserts. Still, it's a great tradition!

Pink in a sea of blue said...

Southern fried: like your idea, too! That's a nice gift. I should ask relatives to contribute for my book.

Momx 2: Yes, tea/lemonade is Arnold Palmer. I like your aunt's idea, too. I'll need to remember that for future.

Last summer some girls in neighborhood and I would meet maybe once a month for recipe swaps and wine to relieve a little stress from our day. It was so much fun. I got some yummy recipes. Children even liked some. That was the goal, to provide recipes kids like and to give us moms different options for our families.

Belle said...

That's such a great idea! I bought a beautiful, blank recipe book to fill with my Mother's recipes. As far as my boys go, chili, chicken enchiladas and my meat loaf are the only meals I cook that make them excited. I hope that changes... I, too, am a good cook, just not as good as McDonalds. ;)