When life gives you lemons…

I’ve had a bowl of fresh lemons on the table for weeks now as a constant reminder to myself, and my family, that it must be lemonade season by now. Those lemons have been used for salad dressings, baking and chicken recipes, and of course, decoration, but lemonade did not make it onto the menu for a while. With the fluctuating May weather, toques and mittens one day, sunhats and sunscreen the next, I was beginning to worry that lemonade weather would never arrive. Well, it finally did this long-weekend and a fresh bowl of lemons finally became lemonade on Monday night!

There are so many variations on this summer classic that involve multi-step processes or complex mixtures. Being a new mom, who loves to bake and cook but often has to do these things during naps or with a toddler pulling on my apron strings, I’ve learned to keep things simple. So for all of you who like to keep things kinda sweet and very simple, this light lemonade recipe is for you.

LIGHT LEMONADE

INGREDIENTS

Simple Syrup

1-cup water

1 ¼ cup sugar

Lemonade

¾ cup of lemon juice (strained)

6 Cups cold water

6 Ice cubes

1 lemon (sliced)

4 sprigs of mint

 

DIRECTIONS

 Simple Syrup

1. Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil until sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool.

Lemonade

2. While you’re waiting for the syrup to cool, squeeze lemons (you will need approximately 6-7 small lemons to make ¾ of a cup). Strain lemon juice into a jug.
3. Add ice.
4. Pour simple syrup over lemon juice and ice and add cold water (one cup at a time as you can make the lemonade more or less tart based on how much water you add, so taste test as you go).
5. Add sliced lemon and sprigs of mint to jug for garnish and flavour. You can save some for individual glasses as well.

 Happy Lemonade Season!