The perfect summer drink

Summer is here in full force...our lives are filled with sun, bathing suits, pools, sunscreen, parks, picnics, outdoor movies, kites, bike rides, and barbecues galore. I love entertaining at my house, especially now that all of our patio and backyard projects are finished. Finding great new summer recipes is wonderful, especially with all the barbecues we've been having. When I saw this recipe for Strawberry Lemonade on the Annie's Eats website, I knew it would be a perfect complement to a barbecue dinner or the perfect drink for a hot, summer day! It's light, fruity and so refreshing...yum!

Strawberry Lemonade

ingredients:

3/4 c. sugar

1 c. very hot water

1 c. fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)

4 1/2 c. cold water

fresh strawberry sauce (recipe below)

sugar, lemon slices, fresh strawberries for garnish

In a pitcher, stir sugar and hot water together until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and cold water until mixed. Stir in the fresh strawberry sauce and refrigerate until serving. Lemonade will keep for 3 days in the fridge.

Can rim glasses with sugar and add lemon slices or strawberries for garnish.

strawberry sauce:

1 dry pint fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp. cold water

In a blender, puree strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and cold water until smooth. Strain sauce into a bowl and discard seeds. Stir in additional sugar if needed.

Enjoy!

Rianne