Summertime, and the Livin' is Easy!

It's sunny and beautiful here today. The perfect early summer day. Just a hit of a breeze. The windows are open. Since I had some lemons left over from the cookies that I made on Friday, I made Lemonade. Peaceful looking,  isn't it?  Makes you think about how beautiful and serene my life must be, doesn't it?!

I sat outside on the patio for awhile. Enjoying listening to the birds sing and watching the butterflies on the flowers.

And pretending to be COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS to the fact that, a mere 10 feet away,  my kitchen table looks like THIS:

 and my dining room table looks like THIS:

 Just keepin' it real for ya, people! We now return you to images chirping birds and gentle breezes (and the recipe for the perfect lemonade).
  

I found that the secret to perfect lemonade is to start by making sugar syrup, also known as "simple syrup". Dissolving the sugar in hot water disperses the sugar in the lemonade more effectively, instead of having the sugar sink to the bottom.

Perfect Lemonade Recipe 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

Directions:

1 Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.
2 While the sugar is dissolving, juice 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.
3 Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, (more or less) to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. (I generally skip this step because I'm too impatient thirsty.) If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more lemon juice to it.
Serve over ice with sliced lemons.

xo,

S

All About Lavender and My Favorite Cookie Recipe

I LOVE lavender!  The color, the look, the smell, and yes, the taste of it.  Lavender and I are "buds" (yeah, I know...sometimes I can't help myself).  I also love to cook. And bake. I suppose that I should admit that there are times when there's a full-on cooking extravaganza that goes on in my kitchen involving all of my small appliances, several bowls and ingredients that need to be hauled in by truck...okay, maybe it's not THAT bad.

  

 

This is culinary lavender. Specifically, French lavender. It's mild and it makes WONDERFUL cookies. Like these.

 

Don't be afraid. I only had about ten minutes for lunch today (which is when I mixed the dough) so this is NOT an extravaganza. The photo above is ALL of the ingredients. Yep, that's right, all SIX of them. Had I not been trying to make things "beautiful" to show them to you, I would have made the entire recipe using one bowl. The longest part of the process is the time that they spent in the refrigerator while I went back to work.

Lemon and Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine June, 2002

• MAKES ABOUT 1 1/2 DOZEN COOKIES 

Ingredients: 

1. 1/3 cup sugar
2. 1 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms, finely chopped
3. 1 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
4. 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
5. 1 cup all-purpose flour
6. 1/2 teaspoon salt 

Directions: 

• In a medium bowl, mix the sugar with the chopped lavender and grated lemon zest. Using an electric mixer, beat in the butter at moderate speed. At low speed, beat in the flour and salt until a soft dough forms. Transfer the dough to a sheet of wax paper and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Form the dough into a 4-inch log and chill for at least 45 minutes longer.
• Preheat the oven to 350°. Slice the dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and place the rounds on ungreased baking sheets. Freeze the rounds for 10 minutes until the butter chills.
• Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer the baked shortbread to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make Ahead The cookie dough log can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw slightly before slicing. The baked shortbread  cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

This recipe makes a tiny batch of cookies. About a dozen and a half. Around my house, this is a good thing because the men that I live with think that these cookies are way too "girly". Of course, they eat them anyway.  But there's grumbling. And some not-so-subtle references to chocolate chips.

xo,

S

P.S. The flowers tucked into the napkin are from my garden:  Hidcote Lavender and Nigella, "Love in a Mist."  How adorable is THAT for a  flower name?!

Linking to:

Between Naps on The Porch 

Coastal Charm 

Country Momma Cooks 

Home Stories A to Z 

I gotta try that 

Not Just a Housewife 

Simply Klassic Home 

Six Sisters 

Under The Table and Dreaming 

You're Talking Too Much 

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