A Little Something

Summer Drinks

It can be a bit of a challenge to keep a supply of cold drinks available during the hot summer months. Ice water is always an easy option of course, but in my house people often want something refreshing with a little taste. As with all of the food and drink I prepare for my family my philosophy is to keep it simple and streamlined and 'quick and easy' to fix. This makes it much more likely that we will prepare things from scratch with wholesome ingredients without any temptation to purchase ready made items or mixes.

 I've found it convenient to mix up drinks in the morning when I am making my hot tea. Since I've already boiled water in the kettle, it's easy enough to make up some iced tea concentrate. I just toss three or four teabags in a mug with three or four teaspoons of sugar and fill the cup with boiling water, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  After it has steeped and cooled I pour it into a pitcher and fill it the rest of the way with cold water and stir. Everyone likes my regular Tetley British Blend fixed up this way, but other tea flavors make for nice variety. The girls especially like iced peppermint, or some of the fruity rooibus teas available. These make tasty all natural iced tea drinks that contain far less sugar than anything ready made, and it's very inexpensive as well.

We also like to make homemade lemonade. Fresh squeezed lemons are a tasty treat but for everyday drinking I just buy the bottled Minute Maid 100% real lemon juice found in the frozen juice aisle. I put about 1/3 cup sugar in a mug, fill it about half way with boiling water and stir to dissolve. After it has cooled I put this sugar water into a pitcher, add half a bottle of the Minute Maid lemon juice, and fill the pitcher with cold water. This makes a nice 'everyday strength' lemonade - again it's all natural, less sugar and much less expensive than cartons of lemonade. It's also 'greener' as you aren't buying all those disposable drink packages. (I'm not politically correct but once in a while I am environmentally correct, hee.)

Light Supper

When the days are hot and the nights are busy a simple meal is all that is wanted in the evening. Tonight we enjoyed a simple supper of focaccia and salad, enjoying the fresh greens from the garden. Some hard boiled eggs on the side add a bit more protein and you're set.

For the focaccia I started with this recipe from King Arthur. I cut the Italian herbs down to three spoonfuls in the dough, and I also used white whole wheat for some of the flour. After rolling it out and letting it rise I topped it with a generous drizzle of good olive oil, thinly sliced fresh tomatoes, fresh grated Parmesan, and finished with a heavy handed sprinkle of rosemary. (I sometimes add sliced black olives as well.) At 450 degrees mine was done in just under fifteen minutes. Delicious.