Week in Photos

Happy Friday!

Everyone’s talking about it, so I will too: it’s hot! I hope that you are finding ways to enjoy it (or tolerate it) and that some cool-ness finds us all soon. 🙂 I’m trying to keep it cool around here with endless glasses of this refreshing lemonade. 🙂

Please enjoy a couple of photos from my week and please enjoy whatever it is that you do this weekend!

{Ivy. Will never get over the cuteness. :)}

{This ice cream. There is no better treat than ice cream, especially during a week like this one.}

{These flowers. I can’t get over how beautiful they are. I’ve really enjoyed them this week.}

{This market. Where I’ll be working Thursdays. I’m slowly but surely finding opportunity in Philly. :)}

Talk to you Monday!

Peach + Cucumber Fresh Lemonade

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I’ve got a fresh, summery drink for you today!

Oh, this lemonade is just so good.

I’ve been drinking it non-stop. I really need to control myself.

The inspiration for this started at market when I got a cucumber-basil fresh squeezed lemonade. It was so refreshing and delicious and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Fresh squeezed lemonade is always good, just as is. Lemons, water and a touch of sugar = the perfect refresher. But, when I tasted cucumber in my lemonade? It was next level good. Cucumber took the goodness of fresh squeezed lemonade to a new level of good.

I knew I wanted to create a version at home so that I could enjoy this amazing drink anytime.

I knew that I wanted to do lemons + cucumber, but when I thought of adding peaches, I could barely contain myself. I had to make this, asap!

And let me tell you, the peaches take this to an even higher level of amazing! (Especially peaches from here :)).

Remember pink lemonade? I used to drink it when I was little, and now that I think about it, what was the pink part of that lemonade? What made it pink and what flavor was that supposed to be representing? The peaches in this lemonade make it pink. But, something tells me that fresh peaches were not the pink in the pink lemonade from my youth. 🙂

Now, cucumber in a drink does sound a bit strange. It’s not commonplace. But trust me, you will like it. I would bet that you will like it. Even traditional lemonade lovers. It tastes like fresh. It does not taste like vegetables. And, if you have any reservations at all, try scaling the amount of cucumber back. I do suggest using a whole cucumber, but if it scares you at all, try half a cucumber at first. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

I made this lemonade on Monday and have been enjoying since. I could see this being made for a family get-together or a little party and it being the perfect beverage option. Especially with this hot weather, it is the perfect refresher!

Ingredients
I based the lemonade part of this on this recipe, from The Faux Martha
1 cup of fresh lemon juice (I used 6 lemons)
1 cup of water
1/2 cup sugar
For the peach + cucumber part:
3 ripe peaches, sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup water
+ An additional 4 cups of water
Optional, but recommended, for serving:
Ice cubes
Sliced peaches
Sliced cucumbers

Start by juicing the lemons. You will need one cup of lemon juice and I used six lemons to get that. Set aside.

Add once cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.

Add the sliced peaches and cucumbers to a blender with 1/2 cup of water. Blend on high until the mixture is liquidy and no chunks remain.

Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the peach/cucumber mixture into the strainer. Let the liquid drain into the bowl. A small amount of peach/cucumber pulp will remain. (Discard the pulp or save it for smoothies).

Add the cucumber/peach liquid, lemon juice, sugar/water combination and the additional 4 cups of water to a blender and blend for several seconds, just to combine everything well.

Serve the lemonade with ice cubes, additional sliced peaches and cucumbers, if desired.

Enjoy!

Cherry Bars

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Let’s talk about seasonal foods.

I love eating seasonally. Like I said yesterday, I look forward to sweet corn in the summer all year long. Same with peaches. Brussels sprouts in the fall, oranges in the winter, beans in the spring.

But what happens when I just want corn in the winter and don’t want to settle for the canned/frozen variety. What happens when I just want a juicy ripe peach in the spring and the ones in the grocery store leave very little to be desired?

That is the down part. Missing these wonderful fruits and veggies when they are not in season. But, it is the way of the world and I guess I can settle on enjoying each and every moment I do have with my beloved fruits and veggies each season, knowing that there will be a new one to enjoy soon. And the cycle will go on and on and on.

These cherries. Two weeks ago at market, we’d thought it’d be the last for the red gems. Well, they were back this past Sunday. Those disappointed about the last cherries of the season got another week out of Three Springs Fruit Farm. Another week to enjoy this awesome little fruit.

If you are someone who still has some cherries around, maybe try these bars.

Yes, cherries are awesome as is. Pop one into your mouth, eat around the pit, spit it out and repeat. I really enjoy cherries like that. But they are also good in breakfast-y and dessert-y things.

I have been on a roll with cherry recipes the last couple of weeks. A crumble version for two, here, and a breakfast version, here.

Now this one, inspired by this recipe from White on Rice Couple. I wanted something that was portable and sweet. Could be counted as dessert, a snack or breakfast. The original apricot version looks delightful, but I thought it would be just as good with cherries subbed in, too.

I did love these. They are a great snack and just perfectly sweet. They are also a good breakfast. 🙂

If you’re looking for something to do with the last cherries of this season, click here for this wonderful recipe. I subbed cherries for the apricots and white wine for the Grand Marnier. Otherwise, I did everything the same.

And, if cherries are done where you are, I’m sure you are now enjoying the next best thing and already looking forward to the next cherry season. 🙂

Enjoy!

Roasted Corn + Pepper + Bean Sliders

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I’m reminded once again how much I love making veggie burgers.

I just love making a big batch to enjoy with Greg for dinner, and then having enough to make lunch for each of us for days.

I usually keep it uncooked in a container, and then cook the burgers when I’m readying lunch.

These particular ones were sliders for us, but could totally be bigger if that’s what you want. We went with sliders because we received some awesome challah sliders from Wild Flour Bakery at market. They were so good, and made these burgers even better. The sliders didn’t last long.

These veggie burgers are utilizing the first sweet corn of the summer. I think about ears of sweet corn all year long, but when I eat it for the first time each summer, it’s like I forgot how amazing it really is. The corn in these burgers was my first this year and I just could not get enough. I never want veggie burgers without sweet corn again.

We topped these sliders simply. Just some cheese. That is not typical around here. We usually have more toppings on burgers than actual ingredients in the burgers. But, for this one, I wanted the patty to be the star. With a slice of melty cheese, it was, in such a great way.

This is a great, simple summer recipe. It utilizes fresh veggies and really has very few extras. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

Ingredients
Olive oil
2 ears of corn
1 red bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
1 medium onion
3 medium celery stalks
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can white beans
1 can black beans
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 egg
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
Slider rolls
Cheddar cheese, for topping

Start with the corn. If you have a grill, I suggest grilling the corn. I don’t have a grill, so I broiled my corn. I lightly brushed each ear with olive oil, set it on a baking sheet and put it under the broiler for several minutes, until slightly charred. Once the corn is done, let it cool and then remove the kernels.

Finely chop the peppers, onion and celery. Place about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced garlic and stir. Add the peppers, onion and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until veggies are just soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mash the black and white beans with a potato masher or a fork. Add the onion powder, egg, breadcrumbs, cooked veggies and corn. Stir well, to combine everything.

To make sliders or burgers, shape bean/veggie mixture into patties and cook in a pan over medium heat until crispy on each side and heated through. I used olive oil to cook mine. Serve on rolls with cheese or go bunless!

Enjoy!