Freshly-Squeezed Lemonade

If you have ever had freshly-squeezed lemonade, I don't have to tell you how good it is. If you haven't, take it from me, it is amazing. We had a nice summertime meal outside on our deck last night (grilled steaks, grilled zucchini, and grilled sweet potatoes), and I thought nothing would go better with it than homemade lemonade. I got this recipe from The Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, which I have borrowed from the library. (Yes, I sit around reading cookbooks I have borrowed from the library!)

Freshly-Squeezed Lemonade

Ingredients:

3 cups cold water

1 cup lemon juice (5 large lemons)

½ cup – ¾ cup sugar

Ice cubes

Lemon slices

Directions:

In a pitcher stir together the water, lemon juice, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. (Start with ½ cup sugar and then taste to see if it needs more.) Chill in the refrigerator. Serve in glasses over ice. Garnish with lemon slices.

Makes 1 quart.

The original recipe called for ¾ cup sugar, but I like my lemonade a bit tart, so I started with ½ cup and tasted it . I then added another 2 tbsp. Always easier to add more; quite difficult to remove some! That amount was just perfect, but I'm sure it will vary depending on the lemons. The lemons I used were quite large and it took five.

The only thing I didn't like about this recipe is that it didn't make enough! Jim and I easily could have gone through another quart, it was so good. But I had no interest in juicing another five lemons!

This is the perfect beverage for these last few weeks of summer. Enjoy!