Strawberry Lemonade

It is the beginning of strawberry season and the end of lemon season. What better time to make strawberry lemonade? I made enough concentrate for 3 gallons of strawberry lemonade and I'm sure it is not nearly enough to get me through the summer! Seriously, I'm a sucker for strawberry lemonade. And it is so deliciously tasty made fresh. Addictingly delicious. No joke.



Ingredients
3 cups lemon juice (About 8 lemons)
3 lbs strawberries
1 cup sugar
Water (about 9 cups)



1. In a small saucepan over medium heat create a simple syrup by dissolving 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water. Remove from heat as soon as it turns clear.

2. In a blender combine lemon juice, strawberries and syrup. At this point it is strawberry lemonade concentrate. You can freeze it for later use or use it immediately.

3. Put strawberry lemonade concentrate mixture in a large pitcher. Add water to taste. About 8 cups.

Fruit Leather

I've been overwhelmed by peaches and nectarines lately that all come ripe at once and mold quickly. Instead of letting all that ripe food go bad, I've been trying to utilize preserving methods. Fruit leather has been one of the answers that my family loves. Fruit leather is one of those things where you don't need are a recipe, just a how-to. I used peaches for this batch of leather, but you can use almost any fruit, or combination of fruit using the same basic steps.

First, I pitted the peaches and threw them in a big pot skins and all. You could skin the peaches for a smoother texture if you are willing to take the time.



I put on the lid and boiled them down in their own juices, stirring occasionally. You can add sugar if you want, but I chose not to. Once the fruit is soft you can use a stick blender to puree it, or puree it in a blender or food processor in batches.



Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to its lowest setting. Mine is 200 degrees.

Spread out the pureed fruit on the prepared parchment paper very thinly. If it is too thick it will take forever to dry. Also, if you spread it terribly uneven then you are going to be kicking yourself during the drying process because the thinnest spots will get crispy waiting for the thick spots to dry making for a weird fruit roll up.



Pop them in the oven and TURN OFF THE OVEN. Walk away and leave it for an hour. Come back and turn on the oven again, then turn it off immediately when it reaches temperature (the lowest setting). Walk away for another hour. Check it this time to see how it is drying. It is done when it just sticky to the touch instead of wet. It may take 2 hours it may take upwards of 6 or 8 hours. It all depends on the humidity that day. Just keep turning the oven on and off every hour until it dries.

Then, just cut it into strips, roll it if you'd like, and store it in an air tight container. It should stay good for about a month.

Cheese Rolls

Once again, my sister over at The Craft Patch has given me another tasty recipe. These are like cinnamon rolls, but cheese instead. The recipe is pretty vague, but it shouldn't be too hard to turn out something good.


1 recipe roll dough
cheese, cheese cheese
garlic powder, onion powder, parsley

Make roll dough in bread machine or however you make roll dough.

Roll it out into a big rectangle, just like you would for cinnamon rolls. Sprinkle with cheese. I used cheddar and mozzarella, but any cheese would be good. Sprinkle with onion/garlic/parsley, as little or as much as you'd like. I went light on the seasonings and heavy on the cheese (yeah, baby). Starting at the long end of the rectangle, roll tightly just like when you make cinnamon rolls. Cut into slices and raise for 20 minutes or so. Bake at 350 until golden brown and bubbly.

Cheese Crackers

Why make your own crackers? #1 It is ridiculously easy. #2 It is cheaper. #3 You control what goes in: no preservatives, no unknown chemicals, you can make them truly whole grain. #4 They taste pretty darn good. Tip: If you roll them nice and thin you'll really get a nice crisp cracker, but I suggest trying them on the thicker, softer side sometime. It is almost like eating a cheesy pie crust.

1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup flour (you could use white or fresh ground wheat for whole grain)
4 Tbl butter or margarine
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to sprinkle on top
1/4 tsp paprika
1 dash cayenne pepper
1/4 c water


1. Grate cheese in food processor. Switch food processor from the grate to the blade.
2. Add flour, butter, salt, paprika, cayenne to cheese in food processor. Process until everything is mixed/crumbled (maybe 10 seconds?)
3. Add water and process for another 10 seconds.
4. Roll the mixture out onto a greased cookie sheet. Get it as flat as possible.
5. Sprinkle on your desired *seasonings and then cut into your desired shape. You can just use a pizza roller or a knife. I used a pastry wheel for mine.
6. Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes, watching carefully.
7. Cool and enjoy. Once entirely cooled, store in an airtight container (if there are any left to store).


Seasoning Ideas
- sea salt
- garlic salt
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- cajun seasoning
- italian seasoning
- rosemary
- curry powder
- get creative! almost any spice will work!