Lavender Lemonade Cocktail

Hello faithful readers and those who have stumbled across my site by chance! Let's lift a glass together and help me celebrate my next journey in life: after seven years at a desk job, I'm off to pursue singing opera! I'm finally taking that next step and throwing myself out there. But first I'll be doing some travelling. Yay!

So look forward to blogs from abroad and blogs from Pittsburgh this summer. They might be sporadic, but they should be interesting!

Lavender Lemonade Cocktail (my own recipe)
Bring 2 cups of water to a simmer and stir in 2 Tablespoons of honey. When honey is mixed into the water, turn off the burner. Add 2+ Tablespoons of lavender and steep for at least 15 minutes (longer for a stronger lavender flavor.) Strain the lavender through a fine mesh and pour the liquid into pre-made lemonade (1/2 gallon or less.) Stir in and cool in refrigerator. Add Jack Daniels or some vodka to the drink or enjoy by itself.

Bake well and prosper!

Cherry Lemonade Bars with Lavender Frosting

I got to use my new mixer to make these bars!

Check out this sleek, vintage model. How great is it?!

Well, my fellow runner who gave me these cute plates also had this amazing mixer that she wasn't using. I know, I know...I already have a vintage blender. (Yes, the one I got my finger stuck in.) It's still groovy, but I must admit that it has it's drawbacks. This new for me metal one covers those disadvantages. While I LOVE both of my blenders, I still wouldn't mind a Kitchenaid mixer!

 

That's why I am entering these Cherry Lemonade Bars with Lavender Frosting in the Creative Recipe Contest hosted by Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and Cookies and Cups! The top prize is a pretty Kitchenaid mixer! (Although I'd be fine with the 2nd and 3rd place prizes, I'm trying to go for the gold!)

The contest is a fun one. Entrants had to look through  recipes on Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and Cookies and Cups and pick one that we like, but thought could be switched up a little bit.

 

Well, I saw these lemonade bars which reminded me that I wanted to make some lavender lemonade and thus my idea was born. I decided to go one step further than making a lavender frosting and added in some delightful cherries.

 

The combination of cherries with lemonade is a win-win. I was a little hesitant to try adding another flavor on top of that, but the subtle lavender flavor in the frosting makes the perfect medley with the tart of the lemon and sweetness of cherries.

 

I personally thought that these were some of the best dessert bars I've made but I couldn't confirm that until my taste testers (aka my coworkers) tried them. They agreed. One said that the flavors were "delicate and yet complex" and another one said that they were "better than monkey bread!" lol

 

You should definitely try making these because it's rather easy and your taste testers will love them! 

Cherry Lemonade Bars with Lavender Frosting (adapted from Cookies and Cups' Lemonade Brownies)

Ingredients for Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/3 cup dry lemonade powder

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, plus 2 yolks

1 tsp vanilla (Erika's Extras: I was tempted to use almond extract but didn't...NEXT time.)

3/4 cup flour, plus 2 Tbsp

1/4 tsp baking powder

6 sweet cherries, diced (add more cherries if desired)

 

Ingredients for Glaze

3/4 cup water

2 teaspoons of honey

1 Tablespoon of dried lavender

2 cups powdered sugar

 

Instructions for Bars

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray or butter an 8x8 pan with cooking spray/butter and set aside.

 

Cream butter, sugar and lemonade powder in mixer on low speed until completely combined. Add in egg, both yolks, and vanilla. Continue mixing until incorporated. Then add in the flour and baking powder.  Once completely combined, add the diced cherries.

 

The batter will be slightly stiff so scoop the batter into prepared pan and then spread it out evenly.

 

Bake 15-20 minutes until edges begin to golden and center is JUST set. Do not over bake.

Remove from oven and cool completely.

 

Instructions for Glaze

In a small pan over medium heat, stir the water and honey until completely combined. Once the water starts steaming, turn off heat, stir in lavender, and then place a lid over the pan and let the lavender seep for 10 minutes.

 

Strain the lavender water through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.

 

Put the powdered sugar in a medium bowl and add a Tablespoon of the lavender water to the powdered sugar. Stir and add a teaspoon of water at a time afterwards and stir in between each teaspoon. Stop adding the water when you get a thick, even, glue-like consistency. If it gets too watery, add more powdered sugar. (You will have lavender water left over.)

 

Pour the glaze on top of the cooled bars and let set for an hour before cutting into squares.

 

(adapted from Cookies and Cups' Lemonade Brownies)

Bake well and prosper!

Brandy Slush (a great summer cocktail)

I had a lovely weekend.! I was busy doing things I wanted to do. Isn't that always nice? Most of my weekend involved hanging out with friends.

 

Friday night involved a birthday party at a beer garden.

 

On Saturday I hosted a poster making party.

I have been waiting for a summer party to be able to make these brandy slushes. When I tried this recipe in April in Texas, I fell in love with the slight tangy flavor created from the lemonade, oj, and tea mixed with the kick of alcohol. I knew my running buddies would enjoy them while making great running posters. I threw in some fun colorful straws and let the good times roll.

The good times ended up involving glitter which is now all over my apt. But it was worth it. Plus, the glitter is a visual reminder of the fun weekend. :)

Saturday night I went to an engagement/album release/going away party (for which I made this cake.)

 

Sunday morning I brought all the posters to Central Park. The other poster makers were running in to the park and I handed out the posters to their owners when they arrived to cheer on the racers.

Why am I dressed at a flapper you ask? Well, it's because after the race I went to Governor's Island for the Jazz Age Lawn Party.

I love Governor's Island and so does my best friend from college who came with me. We had so much fun! Maybe too much fun...

After all that fun, we headed back to my place and quenched our thirst with a brandy slush, naturally!

Miraculously after such a busy weekend, my aptartment was still rather clean. Can you imagine?

Also, since the Brandy Slush recipe yields a large amount, I've still got a container left in my freezer and ready to go for THIS weekend.

Brandy Slush(recipe from a friend of my family)
Make at least 12 hours in advance.

 

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

7 cups water

3 family size ice tea bags (about 9 normal sized teabags)

1 12 oz. can frozen orange juice

1 12 oz. can frozen lemonade

2+ cups brandy 

 

Mix the sugar and 5cups of water over the stove until the sugar is dissolved. Then cool.

 

Bring 2 cups of water to boil and add teabags. Steep covered until cool. Then add sugar water to tea along with the frozen OJ, frozen lemonade, and the brandy.

Stir until dissolved. Pour into plastic freezer containers (any size or shape will do), cover and freeze for at least 12 hours. 

 

When ready to serve, fill glass 2/3 full of slush and add ginger ale (or 7-Up) to fill glass. Stir a little with a fork and add a stemmed cherry (optional) and serve. Can also be served as a punch in a punch bowl.

Bake well and prosper!