With wonderful sunny weather becoming a daily reality, I am itching for all things summer. I want sandy toes, sun kissed kid cheeks, and long walks in the grass. And then I want to come home and have a great BBQ on the patio with my favorite people. My kids love having dinner outside in the summer. We often make pizza on the grill, and give them a fun drink to make it extra special. This Strawberry Lemonade is one of their favorites, with my Cherry Limeade as a close second.
Kid Friend Summer Dinners
As I mentioned, our favorite summer dinner is pizza on the grill with my fool proof pizza dough. But here are some other great summer recipes my kids love.
Strawberries: You can use either fresh or frozen in this recipe.Lemon Juice: You can’t have lemonade without lemon juice!Granulated Sugar: Read more about why we add sugar, and why we add so much below.
With a little bit of water this is an easy recipe that even the kids can help you with. I’ve made this drink recipe both ways: with fresh and with frozen strawberries. Honestly, it tastes the same either way.
The pros to using frozen strawberries are:
you can keep them on hand all of the time. they are picked at peek ripeness, so you know you will get good taste. they are a more affordable option.
If you use frozen strawberries, thaw them first and make sure to include all their juice when you go to blend them.
But, if your family just went strawberry picking and you are itching for a recipe to make with them, you have come to the right place!
Trick 1: Roll the lemons between the palm of your hand and the counter top. Trick 2: Pop the lemons (one at a time) in the microwave for 30 seconds. This is the method I always use. After doing one (or both) of those tricks, I use this type of tool to juice my lemons. It seems to allow me to get the most juice out of them. Then I strain the juice to make sure no seeds get in before moving on to the next step. I would not suggest that you cut back on the sugar. Lemons are incredibly acidic and tart. As you know from my spaghetti sauce, we want to balance acid with a little sugar so it isn’t overwhelming. In this recipe, the drink is meant to be sweet, so we are balancing with a lot of sugar. If you were to cut back, I don’t think you will be satisfied with the results. Though we haven’t tested this with a sugar replacement, there are some great ones on the market. Monkfruit would be the first one that I would reach for to make this recipe, being very careful that I check the bag for how much I should use to replace the sugar. The ratios aren’t always one for one.
My kids are obsessed with this Hamburger Seasoning right now. We make burgers with it all.the.time.Our kids love these Steak Fajita Kabobs! And not just because they are eating something off a big skewer.Everyone in my family loves these Grilled Chicken Legs!
If you make any of my recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
