The drinks pictured above are Quick Blackberry Thyme Lemonade, Sweet Summer Cooler, Pineapple Grapefruit Spritzer and Cherry Cucumber Melon Cocktail. Get the last two recipes here and get sipping!

So, I’m planning to bombard you with a whole bunch of drink recipes this week. Is that cool? I had some time without the kids and I got carried away with my experimentation (it looked like the produce section of the grocery store blew up in my kitchen). All of the drinks turned out to be pretty tasty, so I’ve got to share. I hope you’re thirsty.

I call this “quick” lemonade because you don’t have to worry with making simple syrup on the stove and waiting for it to cool before you can take a drink. I just juiced some lemons, whisked some honey in with the juice and then added that to a glass of crushed blackberries and thyme. Cover that with cold water (and/or some vodka) and you’ve got a quick, refreshing something-to-sip.

These are really low maintenance- I would put a few caps on those Mason jars and take them out on a picnic.. probably with this salad. Summer heat, I am ready for you!

PS- Try a raspberry or strawberry version to mix it up.

Quick Blackberry Thyme Lemonade

 

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Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Drinks

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• ½ cup blackberries, divided
• fresh juice of two lemons
• 1 tablespoon honey
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme, removed from the stem
• 2 shots vodka (optional)
• water

Instructions

1. Split ¼ cup of between two glasses. Muddle (smash) them up in the bottom of the glasses.
2. In a small glass or bowl, whisk lemon juice and honey. Split the juice between the two glasses and add the thyme leaves.
3. If you’re adding the vodka, add one shot to each glass. Add ice and then top with water and stir. Top the glasses with the rest of the blackberries.

#version#

I’d like to introduce you to your new favorite drink of Summer 2013: the Sweet Sunset Cooler.

I am all about this drink! It really surprised me. I typically don’t buy apricots or nectarines (I have a love/forget-to-love relationship with stone fruit), but I picked some up on a whim and I am glad I did. I don’t know what my deal is with stone fruit.. I always forget how good it is.

Here’s what’s inside the glass: oranges, pineapple, apricots and nectarine. If you want to keep it simple, just add a little ice and water. If you want to step it up a bit, add some ginger ale or seltzer. If you’ve had a long day or you want a fun party drink, add some rum or vodka.

I used my juicer for this, but you can still make it if you don’t have a juicer. You can run the fruit through a blender and then press it through a strainer to remove all of the juices. You could also buy pre-packaged juices, though I’m not sure you can readily find apricot and nectarine juice at your local grocery store. (If you can, lucky you!)

Take advantage of the fresh summer produce and make these coolers for yourself and someone you love this season. Right now, I’m imagining packing them up in Mason jars for a sunset picnic, or just escaping to the backyard for a few sips with my mister. Whenever or wherever, this is going to be my summer go-to drink. Cheers!

Sweet Sunset Cooler

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Drink

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 oranges, peeled
• ¼ pineapple, tough skin removed
• 1 nectarine or peach, pitted
• 2 apricots, pitted
• 1 shot vodka or rum (optional)
• ginger ale, club soda, seltzer water or water

Instructions

1. Run oranges, pineapple, nectarine and apricots through a juicer. (If you don’t have a juicer, you can blend the fruit and then strain it to get the juice). Pour the juice into two tall glasses with ice.
2. For an alcoholic drink, add a shot of vodka or rum. Then top the juice (and alcohol, if using) with ginger ale, club soda, seltzer water or water to fill the glass. Give it a quick stir and enjoy.

3.1.09

As you probably know, I’ve been working on healing some stomach problems (are you tired of hearing about it yet? haha). The first time I read about the healing power of bone broth was through the Weston A. Price Foundation. It made a lot of sense to me- finally I understood why homemade chicken soup was said to be such a good remedy! Then I did more research and found the GAPS diet, which is big on bone broth and affirmed everything else I had read. I won’t go into detail about all of the benefits here (check out the links at the end of the post), but I did want to explain my broth routine and what I’ve learned along the way.

When I drink broth:

• With most meals, to help with digestion.
• In the morning before breakfast (if I’m not ready to eat yet).
• When I go out and I’m not sure if there will be any food that I can eat, but don’t have time to pack food.
• When I have stomach pain.

Really, I could drink it anytime. I usually sip it from a mug like I would drink tea. I drink it plain, with sea salt, or sometimes I stir in a spoonful of coconut oil or grass-fed butter (sounds weird, but it tastes really good and helps keep me feeling full. Just stir it around with a spoon as you’re drinking it so your lips don’t get oily!)

How I make broth:

• For chicken: I typically cook a whole chicken (roast or boil), pick off most of the meat and then put the bones and skin in the crockpot. I cover the bones with filtered water and cook on low for a day or two. Sometimes I add salt, sometimes I forget. Sometimes I add peppercorns or a few bay leaves or vegetable peelings, but usually I keep it simple. Sometimes I add a tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar, as well (to help get even more nutrients out of the bones). Don’t be alarmed if the vinegar makes the broth a bit cloudy.
• For beef: I usually get beef bones that are meant specifically for broth/soup, so I’ll just throw them in the slow cooker or a pot, remove any meat and add it to a soup (since it’s not a a lot of meat) and then return the bones and continue cooking the broth.
• For fish: I can’t get sustainable whole fish around here, so I haven’t done this myself, but if I did, I would stick the bones and the head in a pot/crock pot with the same method. (I don’t think I would really drink this one on it’s own- probably just use it for soups).

My Broth Tips:

• I never throw away bones- I store them in the freezer along with vegetable clippings (onions, carrot and celery) if I’m not making broth right away or if I only have a few bones.
• Try to include some skin (for the fat) and the joints of the animal if you can- the joints help to create gelatin (especially wing tips/knuckle bones, etc).
• Don’t be afraid if your broth looks like jelly after it cools down. That’s a good thing! Gelatin is very nourishing and it will return to liquid state when you heat it.
• You can roast the bones before you use them for stock if you want deeper flavor or a darker broth.
• Store broth in the refrigerator (it will keep for a few weeks) or freezer. I like to use glass jars.
• Reheat broth on the stove so you don’t kill the nutrients (as opposed to the microwave). It’s a pain when you’re in a hurry, but I do it in a small saucepan or in a tea kettle.
• There will be a layer of fat at the top of your broth (see above)- this is a good thing! It is full of good nutrition, don’t throw it away! It will melt down into the broth when you heat it up.
• Be careful not to burn your mouth on hot broth. Broth smells so good cooking in my house and I like to scoop cups of it right out of the slow cooker, but it is REALLY HOT. Wait for fresh broth to cool down a bit.

Anyone else out there drinking broth? I can’t be the only one! Are you intimidated by the process! Please feel free to comment with your questions and I’ll gladly answer. If you’re interested in learning more about bone broth, here are some links I’ve found helpful:

Bone Broth: 12 Days of Gelatin

Perpetual Soup: The Easiest Bone Broth You’ll Make

Traditional Foods 101: Bone broth, Broth and Stocks

How to Make Health Boosting Bone Broth

Top 5 Reasons Bone Broth is The Bomb

The Wonders of Gelatin and How to Get More in Your Stock

Kölsch (4% ABV)
via Brooklyn Brew Shop‘s Beer Making Book

60 Minute Mash at 152 degrees(all grains should be milled)

• 2 quarts water, plus one gallon for sparging
• 1.5 pounds German Pilsner malt
• 0.25 pound Munich malt
• 0.2 pound Pale Wheat malt

60 Minute Boil

• 0.3 ounce Hallertau hops, divided into thirds
• 0.1 ounce Tettnanger hops

Ferment

•  1/2 packet German ale yeast, such as White Labs German Ale
• 3 tablespoons honey, for bottling

Mash:
In a medium stockpot, heat the 2 quarts water over high heat to 160 degrees F. Add all the malts and stir gently. The temperature should reduce to 150 F within one minute. Turn off the heat. Steep the grains for 60 minutes between 144 and 152 F. Every 10 minutes, stir and take the temperature. If the grains get too cold, turn on the heat to high while stirring until the temperature rises to that range, then turn off the heat. With 10 minutes left, in a second medium stockpot heat the 1 gallon water to 170 F. After the grains have steeped for 60 minutes, raise the heat of the grains-and-water mixture to high and stir until the temperature reaches 170 F. Turn off the heat.

Sparge:
Place a fine mesh strainer over a pot, and pour the grains into the strainer, reserving the liquid. Pour the 1 gallon of 170 F water over the grains. Recirculate the collected liquid through the grains once.

Boil:
Return the pot with the liquid to the stove on high heat and bring to a boil. When it starts to foam, reduce the heat to a slow rolling boil and add one third of the Hallertau hops. Add a third of the Hallertau hops after 15 minutes, another third after 40 minutes and the Tettnanger hops after 58 minutes. Prepare an ice bath by stopping the sink and filling it with 5 inches of water and ice. At the 60-minute mark, turn off the heat. Place the pot in the ice bath and cool to 70 F, about 30 minutes.

Ferment:
Using a sanitized funnel and strainer, pour the liquid into a sanitized fermenter. Add any water needed to fill the jug to the 1-gallon mark. Add the yeast, sanitize your hands, cover the mouth of the jug with one hand, and shake to distribute evenly. ttanch a sanitized stopper and tubing to the fermenter and insert the other end of the tubing into a small bowl of sanitzing solution. Place the fermenter in a storage area that is 54F, such as a mini fridge or cellar. The solution will begin to bubble as the yeast activates, pushing gas through the tube. Wat 2-3 days untl the bubbling has slowed, then replace the tubing system with an airlock. Wait 3 weeks, then siphon the beer into a second sanitized fermenter (or into a sanitized pot, then back into the cleaned fermenter). Store for 3 weeks at 35F to 40 F (your regular refrigerator should work). fter 6 weeks total, bottle, using the honey. Store the bottles in your refrigerator, unless you decide to drink it all right away.

1. Trying to eat whole foods as much as possible.
2. Trying not to eat sugar or drink juice. Eating honey/maple syrup in moderation.
3. Eating plenty of fruit. I couldn’t hack it without fruit (and a little bit of dark chocolate).
4. Not drinking any Pineapple Orange Juliuses. Boo!

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Ingredients

• 6 ounces pineapple orange juice concentrate (you can make the rest of the can into juice or save for later)
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon orange extract (optional)
• 2 tablespoons honey (use a light-colored honey if possible)

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in your blender. Add ice to fill and blend until frothy. Serve immediately and enjoy!

3.1.09

Procedure for Freezing Fresh Fruit:
Wash fruit well and pat dry. Cut off any unwanted skins or stems. Chop into small slices or pieces and place on a baking sheet. Do not allow the fruit pieces to touch each other. Freeze until firm. Remove from the baking sheet and place in a freezer-safe plastic bag and store in the freezer.
 
Procedure for Freezing Yogurt:
Spoon or pour yogurt into a mini-muffin tin, ice cube tray or flexible silicone mold. Freeze until firm. Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes and remove from the mold (try to avoid running hot water over the mold, it can melt the yogurt). Place in a freezer-safe plastic bag and store in the freezer.

Green Smoothie Cubes
by Oven Love

Ingredients:

• leafy greens of your choice- spinach, kale, swiss chard, etc
• liquid of your choice- yogurt, milk, juice or water

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the greens and liquid. Process until smooth, adding extra yogurt or liquid as needed. Spoon or pour the green mixture into a mini-muffin tin, ice cube tray or flexible silicone mold. Freeze until firm. Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes and remove from the mold (try to avoid running hot water over the mold, it can melt the mixture). Place in a freezer-safe plastic bag and store in the freezer.