Ugh. It has been so nasty gross out. A four day heat wave, and no, not just hot hot days, but those gross, hot hot with all the humidity in the world, kind of days. My body has rebelled and turned into a slug and my hair… well let’s not talk about my hair.
Yup, it’s been way to freaking hot to do anything, especially cook. And eating food is’t even especially appealing either (living off raw kale and, yes, lots of tomatoes at the moment) . What we all want is to drink something nice and cold and refreshing (and boozy). And what do I do when I want this, and have a lot of that? I turn that into this. That being tomatoes, and this, being a cold drink. Did that confuse you?
What I am trying to say is that I have a butt load of cherry tomatoes to eat but what I really want is a cold drink. So I took the tomatoes and make them into a lemonade. And it is amazing. It hits all the end of summer, super gross heatwave, I don’t want to move, spots that needed to be hit. And just in time for the weekend sow e get to add a little splash or two of something hard, cause we all know that after this past week, we all deserve it.
Think that combination sounds weird? Well don’t cause lemons and tomatoes are perfectly paired together. Tart and tangy, but still with a bit of sweetness from the tomatoes ( especially if using a sweeter variety like the sun-gold). It really is a great, refreshing drink, with or without the booze. A perfect match!
Tomato lemonade here we go!
The stuff. Tomatoes ( I used sun-gold cherry cause I have a buttload, but you can sure use whatever tomato you have to many of), lemons, water, and if your into it vodka.
Note. The mr. and I are not big on sweet drinks, so I didn’t add any sweetener, the tomatoes being sweet enough. But feel free to add a little sugar or honey to yours.
Start by dumping tomatoes into a pot with water. Stick on high heat and bring to boil, then turn heat to medium low,stick a lid on pot, and let tomatoes simmer for a little while.
About 30 ish minutes later, the tomatoes have reduced to about 1/3 of what you started with and have turned into a a chunky like syrup.
Strain the juice from the solids into a big pitcher.
Tomato juice! and it’s so pretty bright gold. Now let it cool far a little bit.
And while juice is cooling, juice your lemons
When the tomato juice is cooled off, add the lemon juice to the tomato.
Add water and stir
Taste, and if you think it need sweetener, by all means, add a drizzle or two of some honey or spoonful of sugar.
A couple of glasses of ice, and if you shall,, a shot of vodka (add the shot to the glass, not the pitcher)
Me being so fancy added a garnish/snack. Basil leaf and cherry tomato skewer looks so nice.
And sit back, put your feet up. and take it all in.
Weekend here we come!
-C
2 cups cherry tomatoes (can use 2 cups of any tomato)
1 cup fresh lemon juice (4-5 lemons)
1 cup water plus 3 1/2 -4 cups water
a few basil leaves and extra tomatoes for garnish (optional)
Note. I did not add any sweetener to my lemonade but you could totally add in a few tablespoons honey or sugar. Do what floats your boat.
Dump tomatoes into a pot with 1 cup of water. Bring to boil then cover and turn heat to a medium low heat. Cook tomatoes down for about 30 minutes or until the tomatoes have reduced about 1/3 and is almost sauce like.
Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the tomato mixture into pitcher or jug that you can serve your drinks from. Use a wood spoon or spatula to scrap the tomato around strainer to really make sure you get all the juicy goodness. Let tomato juice cool.
While cooling, juice lemons until you get a cup of fresh lemon juice. Add lemon juice to cool tomato juice along with 3 1/2 cups water. Mix and taste. If you think it needs a little sweetener, add a little in. If you think it tastes to strong, add in more water.
Good stir, ice in cups, a 2-3oz shot of vodka per 8-12oz cup of lemonade (the ratio is up to you my friend)… and your sitting pretty. Feeling a little fancy, take a basil leaf and wrap around a cherry tomato. Stab it with a tooth pick and garnish your drink. It ames for anise snack too.
Sit back, sip and enjoy.
My flowers are coming up, I have packed away my winter jacket, and I haven’t worn anything but sandals for the past week. Plus yesterday I made the first batch of sun tea and saw my first hot air balloon of the season (which lead to a heated discussion with the mister about how hot air balloons take flight. We were both kinda right, but me more than him)So yeah, it’s for real… Winter is gone and spring has sprung, or more like spring sprung then bounced cause now it’s basically summer weather. Not complaining, but I hope we get a least a few more weeks of pleasant, not hot and humid weather.
Anyway. Sun tea, one of my favorite summer time drinks. Made by infusing regular old teas with water by using the almighty power of sun.
Why do we want to make iced tea this way instead of just using boiling water? Well you can still do that, but sun tea makes a more mellow, lovely, and I find, more sweeter tea. It brings out more complex flavors that you don’t get with the boiling water method. And it’s nice to know that it took zero effort on my part to make the drink (not that boiling water takes that much effort, but still)
It can be made with any variety of teas, infused with other fresh herbs, dried spices, or even chunks of fruit. You can also make the teas and add flavors after the infusing is over. Have fun and play with flavor combos.
A few of my favorite sun tea combinations
Any mellow black tea like orange pekoe or english breakfast with a few springs of mint
Chamomile and mint
Green with a fruity tea, like blueberry or pomegranate
Lemon Zinger with a few springs of Rosemary
These are just a few of the endless possible flavors. And you don’t have to get fancy with it either, you can totally use plain old lipton tea bags (I still do that too)
Now harness the sunshine and feel awesome and fancy by making some tea!
Woo Hoo Wednesday!
-C
SUN TEA
What you’ll need
Tea- Either bags or loose leaf
Water- Preferably Filtered
A glass jar with a lid
Sunshine
I use a ratio of 1 tea bag or 1 tablespoon loose leaf tea per 2 cups of water. And I usually make my teas in half gallon ball jars so I use 4-5 teabags or tablespoons of tea. (makes just enough tea for 4-6 tall glasses, depending on you glass size) If it’s a mint tea, I usually use a little less because I find that mint teas can become to strong and bitter so I use 3 teas bags or tablespoons of loose.
Directions
Place tea loose or bags into jar. Fill with water, leaving about an inch for tea expansion, place lid on tight, and stick in the sun for anywhere between 3-5 hours (depending on how strong you like your tea). When tea is infused to your liking, remove teabags or strain the loose tea and stick into the fridge to chill. Serve as is in a drinking vessel with a few ice cubes and add sweetener if that’s what you do.
Drink within a day or two, then rinse jar and make a new batch!
First off.. Happy Saturday and Happy Valantines Day!
Once again, it is so F-ing cold out and I don’t want to leave my house! And because of the cold we decided to forgoing the traditional V day hike(kinda sad) but instead are going to just hang at home and watch movies. (which is actually kind of nice because now I get to stay all frumpy and warm , hanging out in my baggy old sweats and oversized sweater (so sexy right?)
Anyways.. being all cozy usually entails something warm and yummy to drink. Neither of us are really big on hot chocolate, (plus we don’t have the stuff to make it) and sure we could crack open the fancy bottle of wine we bought for dinner (4.99 Trader Joes Special!!!!) or we can save that and I can whip up something a little spicy sweet.
Warm winter lemonade!! We are both big on lemon in everything and I just bought a bunch of sweet meyers lemons, so I think it’s meant to be.
Sweet, a little spicy, and warning….Perfect for a day of cuddling on the couch or for something to warm you after being outside. Great for anyone who wants a little something tasty that isn’t chocolate or booze, even good for those that might be feeling a little under the weather. Kids and adults alike…. this winter lemonade works for it all.
So whip some up and stay warm!
And have a fantastic day!!!
-C
Warm Winter Lemonade
Serves 2
1 Meyer lemon (can use regular lemon too)
3 cups water
2 tablespoon of honey (use sweetener of choice if vegan)
A few sprinkles of cinnamon(optional but recommended!)
Slice lemon and place into a pot with water, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two. Transfer to a blender (or use a emulsifier) and blend until frothy. Place a tablespoon of the honey or whatever sweeter into each cup. (add more if you like) Strain lemon mixture in equal amounts into mugs. Stir and sprinkle with cinnamon.
If you don’t want to use the blender method, you can juice 1 lemon, split into two mugs , add sweetener and top with hot water.. Don’t forget the cinnamon!
I have been meaning do a post on seltzer and syrups for a while now and this one is perfect… Everyone around me has been getting sick and I am trying my hardest to not get anything.
Citrus and ginger…. Two of my favorite things, combined into one super refreshing, light and crisp, thirst quenching drink. Tasty and packed full of vitamin C from the citrus and blood warming, tummy healing ginger. Its kind of a feel better elixir, a good for you drink, a sparkler pop. A drink everyone can get into (the mister even liked it), And it has no added sugars or nasty coloring, it can’t get much better.
Feeling Happy, feeling crappy, or just plain feeling, this drink is a good for it all.
I made the ginger date simple syrup ahead of time.. All I did what chop 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger and about 3 tablespoons pitted dates and added to a pot with a cup of water. Simmered the stuff until the dates were mostly dissolved, about 15 minutes, took off the heat and pureed it. I let it steep for another 5 minutes and strained….no biggy. This is a milder sweet simple syrup. If you like sweeter add more dates or even add a bit of honey… Do what tastes the best to you.
Juice the lime and blood orange…..so much pretty!
I ended up with about 12 tablespoons of juice from a the lime and the orange.. If you need or want to, juice an additional orange and lime.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of the fresh juice per 12oz glass and add about 2-3 tablespoons of the ginger date syrup…(adjust amounts to you taste) Top off with cold plain seltzer water and maybe an ice-cube or two. ( I would have if I had thought to make ice)
So lovely…. so nice. I really got into these flavors. This drink has the ability to make you feel warm and cozy while being cold and fresh. It makes me happy.
Double thumbs up here!
Stay un-sick!
-C
Blood Orange Ginger Lime Sparkler Pop
Ingredients
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped ginger
3 tablespoons chopped dates (more if you want sweeter)
1 cup water
1 lime
1 blood orange
Plain Seltzer water
Ice (optional)
For the ginger date syrup
In a small pot on low heat, add chopped dates and ginger to a cup of water. Simmer until dates have mostly dissolved, about 15 minutes. remove from heat and puree with either a blender to a hand emulsifier. Let steep for another 5 minutes and strain, reserving the pulp (add it to soup or salad dressing). Let completely cool.
To assemble drink, juice blood orange, and lime. Add about 3 tablespoons of the ginger syrup and 2-3 tablespoons of the citrus juice per 12 0z cup. Top with plain seltzer water, give it a light swirl with a spoon or straw and add ice cube if you want. Now have at it!
THE LOVELY CRAZY
September 19, 2015 by maximios • Blog
Ugh. It has been so nasty gross out. A four day heat wave, and no, not just hot hot days, but those gross, hot hot with all the humidity in the world, kind of days. My body has rebelled and turned into a slug and my hair… well let’s not talk about my hair.
Yup, it’s been way to freaking hot to do anything, especially cook. And eating food is’t even especially appealing either (living off raw kale and, yes, lots of tomatoes at the moment) . What we all want is to drink something nice and cold and refreshing (and boozy). And what do I do when I want this, and have a lot of that? I turn that into this. That being tomatoes, and this, being a cold drink. Did that confuse you?
What I am trying to say is that I have a butt load of cherry tomatoes to eat but what I really want is a cold drink. So I took the tomatoes and make them into a lemonade. And it is amazing. It hits all the end of summer, super gross heatwave, I don’t want to move, spots that needed to be hit. And just in time for the weekend sow e get to add a little splash or two of something hard, cause we all know that after this past week, we all deserve it.
Think that combination sounds weird? Well don’t cause lemons and tomatoes are perfectly paired together. Tart and tangy, but still with a bit of sweetness from the tomatoes ( especially if using a sweeter variety like the sun-gold). It really is a great, refreshing drink, with or without the booze. A perfect match!
Tomato lemonade here we go!
The stuff. Tomatoes ( I used sun-gold cherry cause I have a buttload, but you can sure use whatever tomato you have to many of), lemons, water, and if your into it vodka.
Note. The mr. and I are not big on sweet drinks, so I didn’t add any sweetener, the tomatoes being sweet enough. But feel free to add a little sugar or honey to yours.
Start by dumping tomatoes into a pot with water. Stick on high heat and bring to boil, then turn heat to medium low,stick a lid on pot, and let tomatoes simmer for a little while.
About 30 ish minutes later, the tomatoes have reduced to about 1/3 of what you started with and have turned into a a chunky like syrup.
Strain the juice from the solids into a big pitcher.
Tomato juice! and it’s so pretty bright gold. Now let it cool far a little bit.
And while juice is cooling, juice your lemons
When the tomato juice is cooled off, add the lemon juice to the tomato.
Add water and stir
Taste, and if you think it need sweetener, by all means, add a drizzle or two of some honey or spoonful of sugar.
A couple of glasses of ice, and if you shall,, a shot of vodka (add the shot to the glass, not the pitcher)
Me being so fancy added a garnish/snack. Basil leaf and cherry tomato skewer looks so nice.
And sit back, put your feet up. and take it all in.
Weekend here we come!
-C
Note. I did not add any sweetener to my lemonade but you could totally add in a few tablespoons honey or sugar. Do what floats your boat.
Dump tomatoes into a pot with 1 cup of water. Bring to boil then cover and turn heat to a medium low heat. Cook tomatoes down for about 30 minutes or until the tomatoes have reduced about 1/3 and is almost sauce like.
Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the tomato mixture into pitcher or jug that you can serve your drinks from. Use a wood spoon or spatula to scrap the tomato around strainer to really make sure you get all the juicy goodness. Let tomato juice cool.
While cooling, juice lemons until you get a cup of fresh lemon juice. Add lemon juice to cool tomato juice along with 3 1/2 cups water. Mix and taste. If you think it needs a little sweetener, add a little in. If you think it tastes to strong, add in more water.
Good stir, ice in cups, a 2-3oz shot of vodka per 8-12oz cup of lemonade (the ratio is up to you my friend)… and your sitting pretty. Feeling a little fancy, take a basil leaf and wrap around a cherry tomato. Stab it with a tooth pick and garnish your drink. It ames for anise snack too.
Sit back, sip and enjoy.
My flowers are coming up, I have packed away my winter jacket, and I haven’t worn anything but sandals for the past week. Plus yesterday I made the first batch of sun tea and saw my first hot air balloon of the season (which lead to a heated discussion with the mister about how hot air balloons take flight. We were both kinda right, but me more than him)So yeah, it’s for real… Winter is gone and spring has sprung, or more like spring sprung then bounced cause now it’s basically summer weather. Not complaining, but I hope we get a least a few more weeks of pleasant, not hot and humid weather.
Anyway. Sun tea, one of my favorite summer time drinks. Made by infusing regular old teas with water by using the almighty power of sun.
Why do we want to make iced tea this way instead of just using boiling water? Well you can still do that, but sun tea makes a more mellow, lovely, and I find, more sweeter tea. It brings out more complex flavors that you don’t get with the boiling water method. And it’s nice to know that it took zero effort on my part to make the drink (not that boiling water takes that much effort, but still)
It can be made with any variety of teas, infused with other fresh herbs, dried spices, or even chunks of fruit. You can also make the teas and add flavors after the infusing is over. Have fun and play with flavor combos.
A few of my favorite sun tea combinations
These are just a few of the endless possible flavors. And you don’t have to get fancy with it either, you can totally use plain old lipton tea bags (I still do that too)
Now harness the sunshine and feel awesome and fancy by making some tea!
Woo Hoo Wednesday!
-C
SUN TEA
What you’ll need
I use a ratio of 1 tea bag or 1 tablespoon loose leaf tea per 2 cups of water. And I usually make my teas in half gallon ball jars so I use 4-5 teabags or tablespoons of tea. (makes just enough tea for 4-6 tall glasses, depending on you glass size) If it’s a mint tea, I usually use a little less because I find that mint teas can become to strong and bitter so I use 3 teas bags or tablespoons of loose.
Directions
Place tea loose or bags into jar. Fill with water, leaving about an inch for tea expansion, place lid on tight, and stick in the sun for anywhere between 3-5 hours (depending on how strong you like your tea). When tea is infused to your liking, remove teabags or strain the loose tea and stick into the fridge to chill. Serve as is in a drinking vessel with a few ice cubes and add sweetener if that’s what you do.
Drink within a day or two, then rinse jar and make a new batch!
First off.. Happy Saturday and Happy Valantines Day!
Once again, it is so F-ing cold out and I don’t want to leave my house! And because of the cold we decided to forgoing the traditional V day hike(kinda sad) but instead are going to just hang at home and watch movies. (which is actually kind of nice because now I get to stay all frumpy and warm , hanging out in my baggy old sweats and oversized sweater (so sexy right?)
Anyways.. being all cozy usually entails something warm and yummy to drink. Neither of us are really big on hot chocolate, (plus we don’t have the stuff to make it) and sure we could crack open the fancy bottle of wine we bought for dinner (4.99 Trader Joes Special!!!!) or we can save that and I can whip up something a little spicy sweet.
Warm winter lemonade!! We are both big on lemon in everything and I just bought a bunch of sweet meyers lemons, so I think it’s meant to be.
Sweet, a little spicy, and warning….Perfect for a day of cuddling on the couch or for something to warm you after being outside. Great for anyone who wants a little something tasty that isn’t chocolate or booze, even good for those that might be feeling a little under the weather. Kids and adults alike…. this winter lemonade works for it all.
So whip some up and stay warm!
And have a fantastic day!!!
-C
Warm Winter Lemonade
Serves 2
Slice lemon and place into a pot with water, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two. Transfer to a blender (or use a emulsifier) and blend until frothy. Place a tablespoon of the honey or whatever sweeter into each cup. (add more if you like) Strain lemon mixture in equal amounts into mugs. Stir and sprinkle with cinnamon.
If you don’t want to use the blender method, you can juice 1 lemon, split into two mugs , add sweetener and top with hot water.. Don’t forget the cinnamon!
Citrus and ginger…. Two of my favorite things, combined into one super refreshing, light and crisp, thirst quenching drink. Tasty and packed full of vitamin C from the citrus and blood warming, tummy healing ginger. Its kind of a feel better elixir, a good for you drink, a sparkler pop. A drink everyone can get into (the mister even liked it), And it has no added sugars or nasty coloring, it can’t get much better.
Feeling Happy, feeling crappy, or just plain feeling, this drink is a good for it all.
I made the ginger date simple syrup ahead of time.. All I did what chop 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger and about 3 tablespoons pitted dates and added to a pot with a cup of water. Simmered the stuff until the dates were mostly dissolved, about 15 minutes, took off the heat and pureed it. I let it steep for another 5 minutes and strained….no biggy. This is a milder sweet simple syrup. If you like sweeter add more dates or even add a bit of honey… Do what tastes the best to you.
Juice the lime and blood orange…..so much pretty!
I ended up with about 12 tablespoons of juice from a the lime and the orange.. If you need or want to, juice an additional orange and lime.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of the fresh juice per 12oz glass and add about 2-3 tablespoons of the ginger date syrup…(adjust amounts to you taste) Top off with cold plain seltzer water and maybe an ice-cube or two. ( I would have if I had thought to make ice)
Double thumbs up here!
Stay un-sick!
-C
Blood Orange Ginger Lime Sparkler Pop
Ingredients
For the ginger date syrup
In a small pot on low heat, add chopped dates and ginger to a cup of water. Simmer until dates have mostly dissolved, about 15 minutes. remove from heat and puree with either a blender to a hand emulsifier. Let steep for another 5 minutes and strain, reserving the pulp (add it to soup or salad dressing). Let completely cool.
To assemble drink, juice blood orange, and lime. Add about 3 tablespoons of the ginger syrup and 2-3 tablespoons of the citrus juice per 12 0z cup. Top with plain seltzer water, give it a light swirl with a spoon or straw and add ice cube if you want. Now have at it!