If you have anyone under 20 in your household you have probably heard about the tasty lime drink from Tik Tok which is called Brazilian lemonade (Limonada).  My daughter has made it a few times over the past couple of months and it  is really quite delicious. This Brazilian lemonade recipe went viral on Tik Tok and after trying it, I can see why! It is really refreshing, sweet, tart, and filled with delicious lime flavor! This Brazilian lemonade (limonada) is terrific on its own and it’s also really tasty when made into an adult beverage using some vodka.

How to Make a Brazilian Lemonade (Limonada)

Quarter the limes and remove and discard as much of the exposed skin/pith as possible then place the lime pieces into the blender. Add the water and blend for 1-2 minutes, or until the lime is in really small bits.

Strain the mixture through a very fine sieve or strainer then rinse the blender. Side Note: Rinse the blender really well to remove any bits of lime so it doesn’t end up in your limonada. 

Return the strained mixture to the rinsed blender and add ice, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk. Blend until slushy. Serve immediately over ice. Enjoy!

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Brazilian Lemonade (Limonada)

Course Cocktail / Beverage

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Original Tik Tok

Equipment

• Blender

Ingredients

• 4 limes, quartered **Remove & discard as much exposed pith/skin as possible.
• 6 cups water
• 2½ cups ice cubes
• 1 cup white sugar
• 6 tbsp sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

• Quarter the limes and remove and discard as much of the exposed skin/pith as possible then place the lime pieces into the blender.
• Add the water and blend for 1-2 minutes, or until the lime is in really small bits. 
• Strain the mixture through a very fine sieve or strainer then rinse the blender. Side Note: Rinse the blender really well to remove any bits of lime so it doesn't end up in your limonada. 
• Return the strained mixture to the rinsed blender and add ice, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk. Blend until slushy. Serve immediately over ice. Enjoy!

We recently had some tart raspberries in the refrigerator that weren’t getting eaten so I made some simple syrup with them. Flavored simple syrup is a wonderful way to make a normal drink a little more special. It’s great for giving a flavor boost to sparkling water, margaritas, Italian sodas, and all sorts of cocktails & mocktails.

How to Make Raspberry Simple Syrup

Combine the raspberries, water, sugar, and lemon juice together in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and mash the berries with a spoon or potato masher. Turn the stove off and allow the flavors to mingle for 10 minutes.

Pour the mixture through a very fine strainer into a glass jar or bottle. Store sealed in the refrigerator. Enjoy.

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Raspberry Simple Syrup

Course Cocktail / Beverage

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Steeping the berries 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Small Saucepan
• Glass jar or bottle

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh raspberries **Frozen berries will work too
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ tsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

• Combine the raspberries, water, sugar, and lemon juice together in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Bring to a boil and mash the berries with a spoon or potato masher. Turn the stove off and allow the flavors to mingle for 10 minutes.
• Pour the mixture through a very fine strainer into a glass jar or bottle. Store sealed in the refrigerator. Enjoy.

Our strawberry patch did so well this year I had to freeze a bunch to keep up! I found a big bag of our home grown strawberries in the freezer this afternoon and decided to use some to make a strawberry simple syrup. It’s been so hot here lately, I figured my kids could make themselves a cream soda or lemonade with it to help cool down. I think I might use some for a strawberry margarita at the end of the week. YUM!

How to Make Strawberry Simple Syrup

Combine the strawberries, water, sugar, and lemon juice together in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

Bring to a boil and mash the berries with a potato masher. Turn the stove off and allow the flavors to mingle for 10 minutes.

Pour the mixture through a very fine strainer into a glass jar. Store sealed in the refrigerator. Enjoy.

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Strawberry Simple Syrup

Course Cocktail / Beverage

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 1 1/2 cups

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Large saucepan
• Fine Sieve Strainer
• Glass Jar with Lid

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• Zest from 1/2 small lemon

Instructions

• Combine the strawberries, water, sugar, and lemon juice together in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Mash the berries with a potato masher. Turn the stove off and allow the flavors to mingle for 10 minutes.
• Pour the mixture through a very fine strainer into a glass jar. Store sealed in the refrigerator. Enjoy.

Years ago when we went to a blog event in California and the hotel that we stayed in had this beautiful big jug of cucumber, lemon, and mint water in the lobby for all the guests to enjoy. My children drank more water that weekend than they ever had before! I’ve noticed recently that my son and I are the biggest water drinkers in the family but still probably don’t drink as much as we should while my daughter & husband admittedly don’t drink enough.  I decided to try making my own version of the infused water from that wonderful hotel and boy did it work! We all really enjoy the crisp flavors from the cucumber, lemon, and mint and we all drink SO much more water when I have a pitcher of this infused water in the refrigerator. This isn’t really a recipe but it is so delicious and I think it’s worth sharing with you.

How to Make Cucumber, Lemon, and Mint Infused Water

Combine some ice, cucumber slices, lemon slices, and mint leaves in a large glass pitcher. Fill with ice-cold water and stir well to help the lemon, cucumber, and mint release their flavor. Store in the refrigerator and refill throughout the day, as needed. Enjoy!!

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Course Cocktail / Beverage

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Inspired by W Hollywood

Ingredients

• ½ English cucumber, sliced thinly
• 1-2 Lemons, sliced
• Mint leaves
• Ice
• Water

Instructions

• Combine some ice, cucumber slices, lemon slices, and mint leaves in a large glass pitcher. Fill with ice-cold water and stir well to help the lemon, cucumber, and mint release their flavor. Store in the refrigerator and refill throughout the day, as needed. Enjoy!!

I recently whipped this raspberry peach smoothie up for my kids’ breakfast. I figured it’s a great way to give them a big dose of fruit while they think it’s just a nice treat. The combination of raspberry and peach paired nicely together and my kids both loved it.

How to Make a Raspberry Peach Smoothie

Combine the raspberries, peaches, ice, Greek yogurt, almond milk, and agave together in a blender.

Blend on high until smooth. Serve immediately and enjoy.

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Raspberry Peach Smoothie

Course Cocktail / Beverage

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Blender

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 3 peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• ½ cup ice cubes (less needed if using frozen fruit)
• ¼ cup almond milk
• Agave or honey, to taste (depends on the sweetness of the fruit)

Instructions

• Combine the raspberries, peaches, Greek yogurt, ice, almond milk, and agave together in a blender.
  
• Blend on high until smooth.
  
• Serve immediately and enjoy.

Making the hot mulled cider had me wanting to make another holiday beverage. One of my very favorite drinks this time of year is definitely eggnog! My mom and dad would buy it during the holidays when I was growing up and I would savor every single sip. I decided to try making a small batch myself and found one online at Simply Recipes that sounded wonderful. I stayed close to the original recipe but kept this eggnog kid-friendly by leaving out the whipped egg whites and alcohol that her recipe called for and I also used fewer egg yolks to cut the richness a bit. It was fun to make and this eggnog tastes SO MUCH BETTER than any store-bought version I’ve ever had. It’s rich, sweet, spicy, and decadent! My son doesn’t care for eggnog so he wasn’t very impressed with it, but my daughter and I both think it’s really delicious and loved it. I am looking forward to surprising my husband with some when he gets home from work – I know he’ll love it.

How to Make Eggnog

Beat the egg yolks with a hand mixer until they become a bit lighter in color, 1 minute. Add the sugar a little bit at a time while beating with the hand mixer until creamy and fluffy and well combined.

Heat the milk with the cloves and cinnamon over medium heat in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Slowly heat the milk mixture until it is steamy hot, but not boiling.

Temper the eggs by slowly adding half of the hot milk mixture into the eggs while whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Cook the eggnog mixture until it thickens over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, and coats the back of the spoon. Use a candy thermometer if you have it and heat it until 160 degrees F. Do not allow the mixture to boil, or it will curdle.

Remove from the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl; set aside to cool.

Add the nutmeg and vanilla then mix. Cover and place into the refrigerator to cool completely.

Serve with whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg. Enjoy!

Side Note: Add a bit of rum, bourbon, or whiskey to make it an adult cocktail.

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Eggnog

Course Cocktail / Beverage

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Original by Simply Recipes

Equipment

• Hand mixer
• Saucepan
• Candy Thermometer
• Fine Sieve

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks (the original recipe called for 6 but said to use 4 for less rich version)
• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 2 whole cloves
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated (lightly packed)
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• Beat the egg yolks with a hand mixer until they become a bit lighter in color, 1 minute. 
• Add the sugar a little bit at a time while beating with the hand mixer until creamy and fluffy and well combined.
• Heat the milk with the cloves and cinnamon over medium heat in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Slowly heat the milk mixture until it is steamy hot, but not boiling.
• Temper the eggs by slowly adding half of the hot milk mixture into the eggs while whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
• Cook the eggnog mixture until it thickens over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, and coats the back of the spoon. Use a candy thermometer if you have it and heat it until 160 degrees F. Do not allow the mixture to boil, or it will curdle.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the heavy cream. 
• Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl; set aside to cool.
• Add the nutmeg and vanilla extract then mix.
• Cover and place into the refrigerator to cool completely.
• Serve with whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg. Enjoy!
• Side Note: Add a bit of rum, bourbon, or whiskey to make it an adult cocktail!!! 

The weather has been hot for the last several days and my strawberry patch continues to pump out berries. So far, I’ve made a strawberry crisp, a skillet cobbler, a batch of strawberry freezer jam, and a batch of strawberry sauce. That doesn’t even include all the raw berries we’ve been eating too! It’s been our best year yet and we couldn’t be happier. My son had a few buddies over on the afternoon of the last day of school and they had a lot of fun with water balloons on the trampoline while eating loads of junk food and playing video games. I surprised them with these strawberry lemonade slush drinks to help cool them down and keep them hydrated plus I was able to use some of our homegrown strawberries. The boys all deemed these drinks delicious and VERY blog-worthy. I had a sip of the remaining bit in the blender and it was really tasty and super refreshing! I have a feeling making myself an adult slush this weekend is going to happen!

How to Make a Strawberry Lemonade Slush

Place the ice, hulled berries, water, lemon juice, and sugar in a blender. Blend for a couple of minutes or until well blended and super slushy. Serve immediately with lemon slices. Enjoy.

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Strawberry Lemonade Slush

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients

• 4 cups of ice
• 2 cups of fresh strawberries hulled & washed
• 1 ½ cups of water
• ¾ cup fresh lemon juice about 4 lemons
• ½ cup sugar more to taste if needed depending on the sweetness of berries

Instructions

• Place the ice, hulled berries, water, lemon juice, and sugar in a blender.
• Blend for 1-2 minutes or until well blended and super slushy.
• Serve immediately with lemon slices. Enjoy.

Since the blackberries I recently bought were much too tart to eat plain, I decided to use some of them to make this blackberry simple syrup. You can use this simple syrup to make Italian sodas, flavored lemonade, and adult beverages. It’s super simple to make and is great to have on hand.

How to Make Blackberry Simple Syrup

Combine the blackberries, water, sugar, and lemon juice together in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and mash the berries with a potato masher. Turn the stove off and allow the flavors to mingle for 10 minutes.

Pour the mixture through a very fine strainer into a glass jar. Store sealed with an airtight lid in the refrigerator. Enjoy.

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Blackberry Simple Syrup

Course Cocktail / Beverage

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1 ½ cups

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Large saucepan
• Fine Strainer or Sieve
• Glass Jar with Lid

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh blackberries
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

• Combine the blackberries, water, sugar, and lemon juice together in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Bring to a boil and mash the berries with a potato masher.
• Turn the stove off and allow the flavors to mingle for 10 minutes.
• Pour the mixture through a very fine strainer into a glass jar.
• Store sealed with an airtight lid in the refrigerator. Enjoy.

We had a very warm and sunny 76-degree day today here in Oregon! To most people that may not be a big deal but to us Oregonians we appreciate and enjoy every single warm & sunny day. My dog and I went on two walks it was so beautiful outside – we were both loving it! My son had his buddy over today for an after-school hangout and my daughter had a rock climbing workout after school which she came home from very hot, thirsty, and tired. I decided to surprise the kids with a pitcher of this strawberry lemonade. It turned out tart/sweet and full of strawberry flavor. All three of the kids raved about the lemonade and not a drop was left in the pitcher by the end of the afternoon… I’d say they liked it.

How to Make Strawberry Lemonade

Blend the strawberries in a blender on high until well pureed. Pour the pureed strawberries through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher.

Add the water and fresh lemon juice. Taste and add sugar as needed depending on the sweetness of the strawberries. Pour over ice and serve with lemon slices in the glass and a strawberry on the edge. Enjoy!

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Strawberry Lemonade

Course Cocktail / Beverage

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6

Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients

• 1½ cups strawberries hulled & halved
• 5 cups water divided
• ¾ cup fresh lemon juice 3-4 lemons + lemon slices for serving
• ½ cup of sugar more or less depending on the sweetness of the strawberries

Instructions

• Blend the strawberries with 1/2 cup of water in a blender on high until well pureed.
• Pour the pureed strawberries through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher.
• Add the remaining water and fresh lemon juice.
• Taste and add sugar as needed depending on the sweetness of the strawberries.
• Pour over ice and serve with lemon slices in the glass and a strawberry on the edge. Enjoy!

We have been hunkered down at home for the last few days due to stormy cold weather. It’s been really nice being mellow, watching lots of Christmas movies, and eating a lot of comfort food like pot roast, quiche, and spaghetti. We’ve also done a lot of game playing! We bought a super fun new board game called Above and Below that takes a bit of time to figure out but once you do it is so much fun! Any board game is so much better with hot chocolate so I decided to make us a batch but instead of regular hot chocolate, I made a coconut version. This hot chocolate was a huge hit with my kids who both said it was amazing.

How to Make Coconut Hot Chocolate

Place the coconut in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Toast, tossing often, until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn.

Combine the milk, coconut milk, semi-sweet chocolate chips, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and coconut extract to a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk occasionally until thoroughly heated through. Pour the hot chocolate into mugs then top with whipped cream and toasted coconut. Serve immediately. Enjoy.

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Coconut Hot Chocolate

Course Cocktail / Beverage

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Pam / For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients

• 2 cups of milk
• 1 can of coconut milk
• ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ¼ cup sugar more if desired
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp coconut extract
• Whipped cream

Instructions

• Place the coconut in a small skillet over medium-low heat.
• Toast, tossing often, until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.
• Combine the milk, coconut milk, semi-sweet chocolate chips, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and coconut extract to a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Whisk occasionally until thoroughly heated through.
• Pour the hot chocolate into mugs then top with whipped cream and toasted coconut.
• Serve immediately. Enjoy.