Blueberry Soda

I love Alton Brown. That is all.

Blueberry Soda
Courtesy of Alton Brown

20 ounces fresh blueberries, approximately 4 cups, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
7 ounces sugar, approximately 3/4 cup
1 lime, juiced
Carbonated water

Place the blueberries and the water into a medium saucepan, set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture into a colander lined with cheesecloth that is set in a large bowl. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Gather up the edges of the cheesecloth and squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible. Discard the skin and pulp.

Return the blueberry juice to the saucepan along with the sugar and lime juice. Place over medium high heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof glass container and place in the refrigerator, uncovered, until completely cooled.

To serve: Combine 1/4 cup of the liquid with 8-ounces of carbonated water and serve over ice.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

This is awesome. And I can make it sugar-free, which makes my sister, who is currently on a sugar-free diet, extremely happy. Suck it, Starbucks.

Pumpkin Spice Latte
Courtesy of crockpot365.blogspot.com

2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a teeny tiny pinch of ground ginger)
1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee
Garnish with whipped cream and/or additional cinnamon (optional)

Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crockpot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours (if everything is cold), about an hour if you're working with hot coffee/espresso. Whisk again.

Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon, if desired.

Lavender Tea Lemonade

If you can find dried lavender, or if you have some lavender in your garden and want to dry it, this tea lemonade is awesome. It smells fantastic and tastes really good.

And I don't know if this is totally psychosomatic, but I also feel noticeably calmer whenever I drink it... Well, except when I'm dealing with two small children who are more than ready for school to start. Only 3 more weeks...

Lavender Tea Lemonade
Courtesy of Carole Braden

2 tablespoons organic lavender buds
1/2 cup sugar
Juice of 3 lemons
Ice

In a large saucepan, bring 7 cups water to a low boil. In a bowl, carefully pour 4 cups of the water over the lavender and let steep for 10 minutes before straining. Pour the remaining 3 cups water over the sugar and stir until dissolved.

Combine the lavender and sugar mixtures in a pitcher and stir in the lemon juice. Serve over the ice.

Virgin Pomegranate and Cranberry Bellinis

This is a perfect addition to any summer picnic.

Virgin Pomegranate and Cranberry Bellinis
A variation on this recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

Bellini:
1 cup ice
1 1/2 cups simple syrup, recipe follows
1 1/4 cups unsweetened pomegranate juice, chilled
1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice, chilled
1 large bottle sparkling water, chilled
2 limes, thinly sliced

Simple syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

In a saucepan, combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Take the pan off the heat and allow the syrup to cool.

Place the ice in a punch bowl or large pitcher. Add the simple syrup, pomegranate juice, and cranberry juice. Stir well. Slowly pour in the sparkling water. Garnish with lime slices and serve.