Cherryade

Baby it's HOT outside!

I think we finally caught up to the rest of the country and joined the heat wave party!  We've been in triple digits for well over a week straight and there is no end in site.

Time for some refreshments!  

How would you like to cool off with a homemade drink made from one of the season's best fruits...cherries?   Sounds good, doesn't it.

Yesterday, we had a pool party and a grill night to keep cool in the scorching 107 degree heat.  The Cherryade was the most refreshing drink to have sitting around the pool.  It was fruity and sweet, with a splash of sparkling water.  I'm in love with this drink.

I first tried this drink a week ago during a cooking class at Williams-Sonoma where we were creating recipes with fruit.  This was a huge hit with me and I immediately put it on my "to make" list for the following weekend.  Do you have a "to make" list?  Mine is getting kinda big....I guess I need to either cook more often, or just stop eating...not sure which!

The recipe may seem a little involved, but it's really rather easy to make.   TIP #1:  Make a big batch and use what you need, by the glass.  The cherry concentrate will stay fresh in the frig for a few days.  TIP #2:  Blend the entire concentrate with ice cubes in the blender until they are crushed and you have a slushy consistency.  Then add the sparkling water just before serving.  

This is soooo refreshing, you will never want to buy store bought cherry juice again!  So buy some of this season's wonderful cherries as cherry season is almost over. Both Red and  Rainer cherries will work perfectly in this drink.  You might also want to invest in a cherry pitter.  They are handy little gadgets and make pitting cherries an easy and quick task.  Oxo make a  good one and you can purchase it here.  It's great as an olive pitter too!

Relax with your Cherryade, on the porch, trying to catch a breeze in this heat...and savor the summer...and the cherries!

Cherryade

source: Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Bing or Rainier cherries, pitted

1/4 cup sugar

1 fresh thyme sprig

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Ice as needed

Splash of club soda (soda water) (I used sparkling water)

Directions:

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cherries, sugar, thyme and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries have softened, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Discard the thyme, then transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher. Stir in the lime juice and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Fill individual Collins glasses with ice. Fill each glass one-third full with the cherry mixture and top with club soda. Serves 6 to 8.  

shared with:
The Weekend Potluck

Southern Sundays

Welcome to Southern Sundays!

I wanted to share some of  LA's beauty with you this week.  A reminder to take a moment for yourself  and enjoy the beauty around you.  It seems that we get so wrapped up in a hurried life, that's it nice to slow down and take a look around you.  You never know what you may discover!

How majestic is this beauty?   Just look at his colors...beautiful!

How tranquil is this spot?

Wouldn't you just like to sit and reflect here....just peaceful!

So take a moment to look around and see nature's beauty.  Stop and smell the roses, as they say.

Have a wonderful week!

On to last week's party...

We had a wonderful large party last week, with such a variety of dishes!  Thank you all for joining.  I love seeing all the creativeness you bring each week.  I also can't wait to make some of these recipes, my "to make" list is overflowing!

We had several dishes that were very popular!  Take a look and stop by the creator's site and say "Hi!"

Congratulations on your featured recipe!

Butter Roll

by Call Me PMc

Roasted Cheese Filled Banana Peppers
by Ms. enPlace



Coffee Creamer Tart
by With a Blast

Congratulations again!  

So let's party!  I can't wait to see what you all bring this week.  Make sure to tell all your friends so they can join the party as well!

Guidelines:

Please become a follower by joining my site with Google Friends Connect in the right side bar.
Link back to your specific recipe and not to your main site.
Link back to Southern Sundays either in your post, or grab my Southern Sundays Button located in the right side bar.
Please visit a few of the links in the post and say hello to your fellow bloggers!
Enjoy, have fun, cook lots of food, and relish your Southern Sunday!

Rosti

Breakfast time!

You know how I love my breakfast...

I was going through my old recipes the other day and came across one from a dear friend of mine, Erika.  Erika was a strong German lady who loved life, and loved to cook.  She was the life of a party, and could tell a story in such away that she would have you rolling on the floor dying of laughter! (Don't you love people like that?)  Her food was home cooked German food that was delisous and hearty.  Big dishes, family style... just wonderful, simple food.

We lost Erika several years back and just seeing her recipes brought back all kinds of fond memories of the times we spent together.  So, to honor Erika and to have her food live on I re-created her wonderful dish called Rosti.

Rosti is a dish from the German speaking side of Switzerland.  Erika said that she got the recipe from a distant cousin.  It is typically served as a main dish for lunch or dinner, but today we are making it our breakfast...and it is just perfect!  Erika said she liked it best that way as well.  It is a dish of crispy, golden, pan-fried potatoes (shredded or cubed) formed into a wide, flat cake.  Usually topped with toppings.  Today we are using cheese, bacon, tomatoes and herbs as our toppings..YUM!

It's easy to make and hearty enough to stand alone, or add a nice piece of toasted wheat bread along side.  You will need an oven proof skillet for this recipe as you will be using both the stove top and the broiler.  I used a cast iron skillet and it worked perfectly.  

I amended her recipe just a tad taking some help from the market with frozen cubed potatoes with onions and peppers, and using an egg white to lighten things up a bit.  Oh, and a low-fat chesse helps cut down the calories as well, but you still get that cheesy goodness we all crave.   If you want to keep this original, feel free to cube up your own potatoes, throw in some onions and bell pepper and you will have the same result.  

What is your favorite way to cook breakfast potatoes?

Enjoy your breakfast!

Rosti

adapted from Erika B.

Serves 4

1 egg

1 egg white

1 medium zucchini, shredded

2 sliced of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 t fresh oregano

¼ t salt

¼ t pepper

4 c frozen cubed breakfast potatoes with onions and peppers

3 t canola oil

½ c reduced fat cheddar cheese

1 c cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat broiler.

In a large bowl beat together egg and egg white.  Stir in zucchini, bacon, regano, salt & pepper, and potatoes. 

In a large oven proof skillet heat your oil of medium high heat.  Spread the potato mixture in the skillet evenly.  Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until bottom is browned.   Place the skillet under the broiler about 5 inches from the heat and broil 2-3 minutes until the top becomes firm and browned.   Top with cheese and broil for 1-2 minutes more or until cheese melts.

Top with tomatoes and extra oregano.  Cut into 4 sections and serve immediately.

Shared on the following parties:  
Weekend Potluck