a peek inside the fishbowl

07 Jun, 2009

Make it: Lemonade in the shade

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy|Recipes and Food

Yesterday’s garage sale was a great success. The weather was perfect. Dovercourt was a hive of activity. It did my heart good to see so many people! I also had the good fortune to meet a handful of Fishbowl readers: Don (Lacoop), Siobhan, Ian, Amy, Susan … who am I forgetting? Thank you for stopping by!

The girls had their own table and made about $50. They’re thrilled. I’m very happy to have gotten rid of some of their our junk. Somehow I feel a bit lighter today. Sadly, I didn’t make enough for my new flash, but every little bit counts, right?

I made some purchases too, but I have to keep them under wraps for now. There’s going to be something in the local paper about my finds.  

I wanted to jot down a very easy and quick recipe for lemonade before I forget.

Isn’t it interesting how all of a sudden a hot sunny day comes along and certain Small People Who Shall Remain Nameless start to hang on to our pantlegs and beg and pleeeeaaaad for lemonade pleaasssse can we have some riiiiigggght noooooow moooooooommmmm?

I am never prepared for these moments, are you? I rarely – if ever – happen to have a dozen lemons on hand. But I DO almost always have a bottle lemon juice concentrate in the fridge.

I go through tons of this stuff. I buy it in the biggest bottles they have. I use it with honey in my tea, in marinades, and cleaning (i.e. boiling some in the microwave to deodorize it and loosen gunk).

But back to lemonade!

This may not the most original lemonade recipe, and I know fresh is undeniably better, but this one is refreshing on a hot day and I’m pleased that it uses ingredients I always have in the fridge.

3 1/4 cups of water
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste, I use a little less)
1/2 cup lemon concentrate

Mix everything until the sugar has dissolved and pour over ice.

Here’s where you can get really creative. You can add special ice cubes, a sprig of fresh mint, or frozen or fresh strawberries. Last time I made this I added some frozen mixed berries (raspberry, blueberry, strawberry) and it made pink lemonade.

Don’t forget, using a curly straw makes it that much more fun to drink.

lemonade

It makes just enough for four glasses. And everyone’s happy.

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13 Responses to "Make it: Lemonade in the shade"

1 | Amy @ Muddy Boots

June 7th, 2009 at 3:05 pm

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It was nice to meet you too! It was definitely a fun day and there was so much going on. I didn’t end up buying anything (that whole pesky save-money-to-pay-off-debt thing), but it was still fun to poke around. Hopefully next year I’ll have my act together enough to have a table myself.

2 | andrea

June 7th, 2009 at 7:09 pm

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Amy – I wish I had had more time to chat. p.s. You threw me off at first … you look nothing like your avatar!

3 | Amy @ Muddy Boots

June 7th, 2009 at 11:52 pm

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I know. My avi is from when my hair was short and cute and I didn’t have A) a chubby pregnant face, or B) a chubby post-pardum face. LOL.

One of my best friends cut my hair when we lived in Calgary and I just haven’t been able to bring myself to find a new hair dresser here. It makes me miss her just to think about it! I figure if I just don’t spend ANYTHING on hair cuts for, like, four years then I’ll be able to justify flying her out to visit me… and cut my hair.

But I guess it is a bit misleading. I need to embrace my not-so-cute hair and put up a new and more current avatar.

4 | Julie

June 8th, 2009 at 6:06 am

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Buy that flash on credit and then pay it off as soon as you do our family photography session on Friday, June 26th! :)

5 | Chantal

June 8th, 2009 at 8:25 am

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Would it sound silly of me if I admit that I never thought of using the concentrate to make lemonade :(

6 | andrea

June 8th, 2009 at 8:50 am

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Julie: I think that could work. :)

Chantal: This is new to me too! Seriously I grabbed it out of desperation and was surprised to find out that it made a decent summer beverage for kiddies.

7 | BeachMama

June 8th, 2009 at 1:03 pm

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Glad you had fun at the sale. Sorry the flash fairies didn’t arrive, soon, hopefully.

8 | Trea

June 9th, 2009 at 11:38 pm

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Oh, yummy lemonade. I will try your recipe, thanks!

Ever made iced tea with cold peppermint tea and lemons, honey, and ice? Also good …

9 | Know More Do More Monday: reading labels >> a peek inside the fishbowl

June 14th, 2010 at 9:10 am

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[…] ingredients. I pointed out all the stuff that didn’t need to be in there, and then reviewed the ingredients of the lemonade I make at home. I think she got the […]

11 | Super straw >> a peek inside the fishbowl

August 22nd, 2011 at 5:06 am

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[…] can whip up a quick batch of lemonade to go with it and voila, they’ve got themselves a project that will burn up a whole 45 […]

12 | Liveblogging the first day of summer 2012 >> a peek inside the fishbowl

June 29th, 2012 at 10:26 am

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[…] 11:30 a.m. – Sarah is making lemonade for later consumption. (Recipe here.) […]

13 | If life hands you lemon liquid… >> a peek inside the fishbowl

January 22nd, 2013 at 4:18 pm

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[…] lemons all the time. I use it in loads of things: my afternoon cup of tea, lemonade (here’s the recipe I use), marinades, salad dressings, pretty much anything that needs a shot of […]

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The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (23) and Sarah (21). During the day I work as a writer at The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

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