Pucker Up And Celebrate Something!

In a minute you're going to tell me that I'm being silly. And maybe you're right. But there's no harm in celebrating a minor event, because really, it's all part of my outlook on life - that we need to find the joy in the all small things life throws our way. Maybe circumstances are a little tough these days, what with the recession and all the nasty realities that go along with it, but we can't let that derail us completely folks. I'm a natural-born worrier, and even I understand that! We've simply got to keep our minds and hearts open, have a sense of humor, and not let those moments of laughter and happiness slip by unnoticed. For instance, yesterday, my Ozzy took his very first steps in the big, bad world of outside - all by himself! And it was hilarious! We got Ozzy when we were living in the NY apartment, and he was always an indoor cat. The most exposure he got to the outside world was through our big windows, or on the way to the vet once a year. Now, in our new CT apartment on the second floor, we have a sizable balcony. So after much debate between DH and I, we finally let Ozzy take his first tentative steps onto the balcony, while his proud Papa and nervous-nelly Mama watched from the sidelines. Ozzy's adventure lasted all of 10 mins, during which he had a close encounter with a bee, and scared me shitless by leaning over the balcony rails.

Ozzy: "WTF is going on?! The place outside my window is REAL? Am I in the freakin' Twilight Zone?!"

But I'm happy that he seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience. I know because now he cries to be let out once a day - big baby! So yes, I'll take this small event and drink to it. Since it's summer, I thought I could try some home-made pink lemonade? Why pink? Because it's pretty, and I know that DH is secretly fascinated with colorful drinks as much as I am. So pucker up with a glass of this citrusy delight, dear readers, and toast to making lemonade out of whatever lemons life has handed to you recently. Cheers!

Me thinks I'll submit this shot to Jugalband's "Click: Bi-Color" event - it's not my favorite, but I like the event!

Pink Raspberry Lemonade (got this recipe from Joy The Baker - genius woman!)
Serves 6-8

Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
4-5 cups cold water
2 tbsp or more of raspberry sauce

Raspberry Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 of a 12oz bag frozen raspberries, thawed
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp water

Method:
1. To make the raspberry sauce: Puree the raspberries with the sugar and water in a food processor till smooth. Then strain through a fine mesh strainer to get rid of the seeds. Keep smooth raspberry sauce aside. Can be refrigerated for a few days.

2. Make a simple syrup by heating together the 1 cup sugar and 1 cup of water, till the sugar dissolves.

3. Add the lemon juice, sugar syrup and cold water to a pitcher. Add 2 tbsp of the prepared raspberry sauce. Stir around and taste. You can add more sauce if you want. Then refrigerate for about an hour before serving. Garnish with whatever strikes your fancy!

Verdict: An easy recipe that's perfect for a scorcher of day. DH thought that it was too lemony, so maybe next time I'll cut the lemon juice down to 3/4 cup or add more sugar syrup. I liked it just fine though - and it was so darn pretty! Better than any of the bottled lemonades from the grocery store, and budget friendly to boot.

I had half the bag of frozen raspberries left over after this recipe, so to give myself the satisfaction of using up something completely (nothing bugs me more than seeing a half or quarter of something lying forlornly in my fridge - I make it my mission to use it up as soon as I can!), I thought I'd use them to make a quick Raspberry Crumble. You see, I also happened to have some extra crumble topping left over from a Strawberry Crumble I had made recently.

Raspberry Crumble

Ingredients:
Frozen raspberries, thawed
Cornstarch
Sugar
Crumble Topping

Method:
The half bag of raspberries I had, was enough for about 2-3 small ramekins. I added a 1/4 tsp of cornstarch and 1 tsp of sugar to each ramekin, and mixed it in with the raspberries.
Top each ramekin with a 1/4 cup or so of the crumble mixture. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15-20 mins, or till the crumbled are bubbly from the sides and golden on top. The enjoy on a rainy day (which have been pretty common this summer) with a scoop of your favorite ice-cream.