Yummy drinks for summer

My husband occasionally goes on a "Lemon Cleanse". With his great metabolism he loses weight easily. I have tried this twice: once after surgery because I had a hard time eating solid foods, and another time to challenge myself to see how long I could do it. After two weeks I found out that I didn't really care if I ever had food again; I love drinks.

Anytime I go out to eat at a Mexican-style restaurant I usually end up getting a virgin daiquiri or virgin margarita. At other restaurants I will get a mixture of lemonades such as mango-peach. Yum! I love fun and inventive drinks and I love to mix and match flavors! Whenever I get the chance I try new recipes at home. This being said, over the last six years my creativity has been challenged - and sometimes beaten - due to food allergies. Ugh! That's another story for another day.

Because we are in the middle of May I thought some yummy drink recipes were in order! The first recipe is one of my favorite and it is SO easy. I hope you enjoy!

Old Fashioned Pink Lemonade Recipe
1 1/4 cup sugar (1 cup if using sweetened cranberry juice)
4 cups water (divided)
1 cup cranberry juice (use any kind of cranberry juices)
1 cup lemon juice

Make a simple syrup by heating sugar and 1 cup of the water in a small saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Remove from heat.

Stir together the remaining water, cranberry juice, lemon juice and simple syrup. Make adjustments to your taste. Chill for one hour or add ice to cool. Serves 6.

Reading an LDS Living edition the other day I ran across this article. It's from May 2014, so be forewarned:  it could be outdated. If you question any of the beverage choices ask the barista at your local "Starbucks":  

"The Mormon Guide to Starbucks"

If for some reason the link doesn't work, here is the web address:
http://lds.net/blog/life/life-hacks/food/starbucks-for-mormons/

For an easy drink you could try this recipe:

Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri
1 oz fresh lime juice (yes, fresh tastes different!)
3 oz frozen sliced strawberries in syrup (or fresh-frozen)
1-3 tsp sugar (your taste)
cracked ice

Fill a blender with cracked ice. Add lime juice, strawberries and sugar. Blend until smooth. You can add a little water if it is too thick. Pour into a chilled glass. If you want to make it look pretty you can garnish with extra strawberries or whip cream on top! Yum!