The Last of Summer's Glory

Sorry I've been a little absent lately.....

But I've been a bit preoccupied......

I had babies in my house!

Two of them!!!

Some of the cutest babies you will ever see!

And they're twins!

Our good friends Aimee and Chris were down for a quick visit and for Chris to pick up his degree - oh, I mean become a DOCTOR! :) We've been calling him Dr. Chris all week.

We kept talking them into staying a little longer and a little longer, and before you know it, they were supposed to leave on Monday, and I convinced them to stay until Friday!! :) It made me happy.

Is this not the sweetest picture you've ever seen!!

We had so much fun, Who knew sitting around, watching youtube videos, cooking dinners together, watching babies do funny things, playing a card game, and just enjoying each other's company could result in such a heartfelt time? Oh yeah, we had a graduation, and a graduation party in there too! :) (I'll share some fun pictures from the party/decor soon) So please indulge me while I share a few baby pictures!

While they were here, the temperatures soared up into the mid 90's, and then by the end of the week, fall appeared in the Bay Area (at least for a few days), and it's been high of 69 degrees during the day, and down in the low 50's at night. So we decided to soak up the last little bits of summer, and then officially take on fall!

This lemonade is made from fresh raspberries, fresh squeezed lemons, and a little bit of love. It's sweet and tart at the same time, and the best way to enjoy those lovely little berries that are popping up just a bit less at the stores right now. Savor them while you can! Then it's on to pumpkins!!

Oh, don't worry, I've already moved on... you know how I love the fall.

Fresh Raspberry Lemonade (By:Me)

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

6-8 lemons, juiced (depending on how sour you want it - I did 6)

zest of 4 lemons

2 cups raspberries

additional 5-6 cups water

Garnish:

lemon slices

raspberries

ice

Preparation:

1. In a microwave-safe container, place the 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water. Heat for approximately 2 1/2 minutes or until all sugar is dissolved. Pour into a pitcher

2. Juice lemons and place juice into pitcher with sugar water.

3. In a food processor or blender, place raspberries and lemon zest and pulse on high until completely pureed. Strain raspberries through a fine sieve or strainer to remove seeds. Place strained raspberry juice into the same pitcher with the juice and sugar water. Whisk all ingredients together.

4. Add additional cold water to taste preference and refrigerate until chilled. Serve with garnish.

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A New Twist

I did it... I finished my second half marathon. But not without a fight!

This time around was not easy! Not that the first one was a piece of cake, but it felt like it compared to this race. I had a really hard time.

There were a lot of factors going against me this time, including the fact that I had gotten the flu just 3 weeks before race day. Or that it was really windy that day. Or that I was stupid and ran the first seven miles WAY faster than my pace should have allowed. Or that I have a hamstring pull/issue thing going on and I had to stop at a few of the water stations and stretch it out.

I promise these aren't excuses! :) But it did make for an altogether bad run.

On one good note - I beat my time from the last half by 10 minutes! I only wish it had felt good.

Crossing the finish line After the race...yes we look nasty!

You may remember last summer that I posted about some delicious blackberry lemonade. I loved it... it was amazing... it tasted sooo good. And then I made it better.

This time, I made Blackberry Limeade. It is amazing! I have to say even more amazing than the lemonade. It's tart without being too much so. Limes have a great sweetness to them, and the mixture is perfect. So go on, go ahead and make yourself some.

Refreshing Blackberry Limeade (Adapted from Love and Olive Oil):

Ingredients:

3/4 cup raw or cane sugar

3 cups water (divided)

2 cups blackberries

3 limes, juiced

Ice

Directions:

In a microwave safe container, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Heat on high for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir until sugar is dissolved. (You can do this on the stove by bringing the water to a boil and dissolving the sugar over medium heat - but microwave method is much quicker!) Set aside and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, juice the lemons, and in a large bowl or pitcher, muddle the blackberries with the lemon juice until very smooshed! :)

Pour in sugar syrup, remaining 2 cups water, and a few ice cubes and stir. I used my awesome Pampered Chef pitcher that has a mixer built in!

Pour over a glass of ice (you can strain the blackberry pulp - my pitcher got most of it, but I liked having a little in there). Garnish with a sprig of mint or lemon!

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Refreshing Blackberry Lemonade

The lazy days of summer are slowly dwindling, and it's definitely starting to show signs of cooler weather here in Northern California.

Who am I kidding - it's perfect weather here all the time, and it never really got over 90 degrees with no humidity this summer! :) I LOVE the weather here.

This lemonade takes me back to my summer's in high school when I spent 8 weeks doing a mission's trip in Mexico, and I would get Agua Fresca from the street vendor's and my favorite restaurant "The Hill" - so aptly nicknamed because it was in fact, on a hill.

Agua Fresca is just fresh fruit juice mixed with sugar and water - and they have awesome flavors like mango, watermelon, strawberry, and even cinnamon.

This lemonade is so super refreshing, and perfect for an afternoon get together with friends, serving at a barbecue, or at a fancy evening dinner party.

It's easy enough to not overwhelm you, but good enough for people to think you did something amazing - which you did! :)

It's a great way to use up those awesome summer berries that are starting to be on sale since it's getting close to the end of the summer. i.e. I got my blackberries on sale for buy one get one free!!

** Don't forget to enter the CSN giveaway. Tomorrow's the LAST DAY!!! **

FRESH BLACKBERRY LEMONADE (From: Love and Olive Oil)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup raw or cane sugar

3 cups water (divided)

2 cups blackberries

3 lemons, juiced

Ice

Directions:

In a microwave safe container, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Heat on high for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir until sugar is dissolved. (You can do this on the stove by bringing the water to a boil and dissolving the sugar over medium heat - but microwave method is much quicker!) Set aside and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, juice the lemons, and in a large bowl or pitcher, muddle the blackberries with the lemon juice until very smooshed! :)

**Don't laugh at me using a garlic press to muddle my berries - I don't really have a "muddler" - so in other words - use whatever you got!**

Pour in sugar syrup, remaining 2 cups water, and a few ice cubes and stir. I used my awesome Pampered Chef pitcher that has a mixer built in!

Pour over a glass of ice (you can strain the blackberry pulp - my pitcher got most of it, but I liked having a little in there). Garnish with a sprig of mint or lemon!

Read more...