Brazilian Lemonade

I know green is not the most appropriate color for the season yet. But I like my limes all year around. That refreshing flavor that instantly reminds you of warm weather. Mmm..So good.

Limeade or lemonade, whatever you want to call it is not a pretty pink drink that is appropriate for Valentine's day which is tomorrow. But we already had our fair share of homemade strawberry milk as we had little guests this week. Blend milk, strawberries and a little honey if you prefer sweetened. Strain it if you want smoother texture. My tot and I indulge it time to time.

Anyway, back to the Brazilian lemonade, one thing I don't understand is, why is it called Brazilian lemonade not limeade?? Except Chef Bobby Flay's recipe, everyone else seems to call it Brazilian lemonade. But whatever it is called, I liked the look of it, sound of it and when I actually tried it, I fell in love with it! This is definitely going to be served a lot once the weather gets warm and we have guests outside. 

If you're familiar with Asian drinks, you'd know what Yakult is. It's probiotic drink that is sweet and tangy. I used to love it growing up. This drink reminds me of Yakult as it has this refreshing fruity flavor yet, sweet and creamy with condensed milk. As I am writing this post, I hear the roofing guys cleaning the ice and the frozen snow due to so much snow and freezing temperature this winter, I am dreaming of sipping this refreshing drink sitting out in the patio on a perfectly sunny day. Can't wait for spring to come!

Brazilian lemonade

Ingredients :

4 limes, washed thoroughly

6 cups water

1 cup sugar

6 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk

Directions :

1. Mix water and sugar until sugar's dissolved. Chill in the fridge.

2. Cut the ends of limes and cut each lime into 8 pieces. 

3. Add 2 limes and half the sugar water to a blender and pulse 5-6 times. Pour it out through a cheesecloth or a fine mesh over a pitcher. And do the same for the rest of the sugar water and limes. 

4. Add condensed milk and stir well. Serve over ice. 

*Recipe by Playz with food

Sparkling mint limeade

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The other day, Steve stepped out to get a haircut. And...over two hours later, he was still not home. Then he came home with a fresh haircut and a full on manual citrus juicer. You know the one with the heavy handle? Uh..what?! Right? Haha. That is so Steve. Even back in the apartment in Manhattan, our little kitchen was filled with all kinds of kitchen gadgets. Apparently there was a little wait at the hair salon as he didn't make an appointment and while he's waiting he just decided to go to a store next door and ended up with a citrus juicer. I laughed and called him silly but I guess it wasn't a bad decision after all. I used this thing every single day this week. So..good job hun!

 With mint from our herb garden, I made mint simple syrup. I love mint simple syrup. It has such refreshing taste to it and gives nice summery hint to anything. I thought this drink would be too sour for kids but my tot and my niece loved it. Well my tot has been drinking my virgin mojito(Just sparkling water with lime and mint)-which became his favorite drink later on- since he was 14 months old or so. I knew he would love this but my picky niece? I was surprised. I watered theirs down though, because we didn't need two sugar high 2-year-olds running around the house as they're not used to drinking sugary drinks. Anyway, looks like I will be using the result of Steve's accidental and rather impulsive shopping pretty often. =)

Sparkling mint limeade

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice(10-13 limes)

5-6 cups sparkling water(depending on how strong you want it)

Mint simple syrup

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 packed cup mint

Directions :

1. In a small sauce pot, add mint simple syrup ingredients and heat until sugar's dissolved. Let it cool to room temperature and discard mint. 

2. Juice the lime and add mint simple syrup. Add sparkling water. Serve it over plenty of ice.

 

 

Peach & mint sparkling sangria

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As 4th of July weather was party hosts' worst nightmare where we are, we pushed back the party one day and wow, what a great decision. What a beautiful weather and fortunately a lot of our friends could still make it despite the last minute change of the date. Thanks everyone who came and made the party so much fun!

There are countless fabulous summer drinks to enjoy, it was hard to decide on the signature cocktail. I knew many of us liked sparkling drink that is fruity. So I went out to the herb garden, got some mint and started working on it. Hardest part of this is waiting, right? As I used moscato, I didn't need to add any extra sugar which made me feel better. Or..is it basically the same thing as moscato is very sweet? I don't know, I just want to believe it's better for you. Try this easy to make, easy to drink sangria this summer, your summer will be extra fruity! =)

Peach & mint sparkling sangria

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1 bottle moscato(750ml)

1 bottle prosecco (750ml)

1 white or yellow peach, sliced

1 1/2 cup sliced grapes

2 large sprigs of mint 

Directions :

1. In a pitcher, add mint, peach, half of grapes and moscato. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours or over night.

2. While it's chilling, freeze rest of the sliced grapes for extra chill when you serve. Add frozen grapes and prosecco right before serving. 

*I use the "take out container cover method" when slicing large quantity of grapes. Put one cover right side, fill it up with grapes, cover it with another cover upside down, run a knife through in between covers while holding the top down, you'll be left with perfectly sliced grapes in no time!

 

Sparkling very berry tea

 

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As Memorial day weekend BBQ had a theme 'Don't mess with Texas', we wanted little hints of south here and there. And our version of sweet tea was served. 

 This can be a refreshing drink for kids who want something different than water as very berry tea is no caffeine tea, and for adults, it tastes fabulous with dry prosecco in it. Great cocktail. Color goes perfectly with Memorial day too! =)

 

Sparkling very berry tea

Printable recipe

Ingredients : 

6 teabags of very berry tea

5 cups water

2 Tbsp agave syrup

1/4 cup mint leaves

1 large bottle of sparkling water(750ml) or sparkling wine

Mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Direction :

1. Place all the teabags and mint leaves in a large pot and pour 5 cups of boiling water.

2. Add agave syrup, carefully stir and let it sit for 30minutes.

3. Chill in the fridge and add sparkling water or wine.

4. Garnish with mint if desired and serve over ice.

 

Watermelon mint slush

 

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OK, this should have been posted over a week ago. Disney vacation is still affecting me which is crazy. I need to get fit!

Anyway, Mother's day 2014, we just had a simple BBQ lunch at home with my in laws, followed by dessert with more family members. Nothing fancy. When my nieces and nephew asked if the desserts were homemade, it hurt me to say they're store bought. Haha I am the baker in the family so a lot of times, they expect homemade treats. But guys, it's mother's day after all and I deserve to take it easy too, you know.=P

Oh, look at these beautiful flowers. My husband Steve, after so many years, finally got me peonies(my favorite flower) this year!! Yay! All these years for any occasion, he said he couldn't find them. Are peonies really that hard to find? I guess depending on the season but anyway, these are just so elegant and adorable. Thank you my love!

It was an unusually hot day for this time of the year, I think about 80degrees? Fantastic. We just opened the pool before mother's day, kids could hang out there and adults could actually sit at the table and have a conversation sipping on this delicious and refreshing drink. What a luxury to stay seated for a big chunk of time! But my tot of course wanted what mommy's drinking so I made a batch without rum. Delicious either way but..I think I like a little kick of rum. It's so simple, I can't even call it a recipe but here we go. 
Oh, if you don't have watermelon frozen already, use fresh and add some ice instead. Though, I personally prefer the texture and consistency with frozen fruit rather than with ice. We had frozen watermelon as Steve bought a gigantic watermelon and we could not have possibly finished it fresh. Enjoy the refreshing treat!

 

Watermelon mint slush

Printable recipe

Ingredients :

1 1/2 cup frozen watermelon

4-6 mint leaves

1 cup water

1 Tbsp agave syrup

shot of rum(optional but totally recommended) 

Direction :

1. Blend frozen watermelon and half a cup of water in the blender.

2. When watermelon is ground into small particles, add rest of the water, agave syrup, mint leaves and rum(if using) and blend away.

3. Drink up!