Lemon Blueberry Sweet Tea

Lemon Blueberry Sweet Tea

12 oz. pkg. frozen blueberries

1/2 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1 gallon Sun Tea

for garnish:

Lemon Slices

Fresh Blueberries

I like to make my iced tea using the energy of the sun.

But, you can make the tea using your favorite method.

Place frozen blueberries and lemon juice in a medium saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Cook, Stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.

Pour through a wire-mesh strainer into a bowl.

Use the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much juice as possible.

Discard the solids.

Pour tea, lemon blueberry juice, and sugar into a serving pitcher.

Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Serve over ice.

Garnish with fresh blueberries 

and a lemon slice.

Tuesday Tip of the Day - Zesting

Loads of recipes call for the juice of lemons, limes and oranges, but what about the zest? Whenever a recipe call for just the juice of the fruit, I always zest the peel first. 

Using your microplaner or other zesting tool, zest the peel of the fruit over a clean paper towel. Be careful not to zest the white pithy part which can be quite bitter.

Allow the zest to dry completely on the paper towel. Once dry, place in a marked container in a cool, dry place. You are now ready to add zest to your favorite recipes without having to purchase the zest in the store, which can be very costly.

Lemonade Dessert

So cool & refreshing for summer.

Ritz Cracker Crust

100 Ritz Crackers

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, melted

My food processor makes the best cracker crumbs...

or you can crush them in a bag with your rolling pin.

Mix in the powdered sugar.

Melt the butter.

Don't forget to cover your glass container 

to prevent spatters inside your microwave.

The butter wrapper is perfect for this task!

With the processor running, pour in the melted butter through the feeder tube.

Mix thoroughly. You can mix this by hand, as well.

Scoop about 1/8 cup crust mixture into your lined muffin tin cups.

Reserve some crumb topping for the garnish.

Using your tart maker, or the backside of a spoon,

form a crust on the bottom and up the sides of your muffin cups.

Now you are ready to make the filling.

Lemonade Filling

12 ounces frozen lemonade

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

16 oz. container whipped topping

Mix lemonade and condensed milk. 

Fold in the whipped topping.

Fill Ritz crusts with Lemonade Filling.

Sprinkle reserved crumbs on top.

So perfect for these hot summer days, 

as you don't need to heat your oven!

And the lemon is a fabulous contrast 

with the rich chocolate cheesecake cups.

Tuesday Tip of the Day!

Tip #1 - Want to get the most juice out of your lemons or limes? Simply roll it hard under the palm of your hand on your table or counter top. You can even microwave it for a few seconds. This will get the juices flowing!!!

Tip #2 - When squeezing your lemons or limes, cut in half, hold in your palm cut side up and squeeze. This will prevent the seeds from falling into your bowl. Or, squeeze the cut half into your palm with fingers closed to catch the seeds that fall out.

Tip #3 - To remove the smell of onions from your hands, rub lemon juice into your hands for a couple of minutes and then rinse off.

Tip #4 - If recipe calls for a small amount of lemon juice, don't waste your lemon! Cut into quarters and wedges and freeze in freezer bags until ready to use. Then take out what you need. ***

Tip #5 - For fruits that brown due to oxidation, such as apples and bananas, drizzle a little lemon juice on the fruit. This will help to preserve the fruit a little longer.

Lemons are super versatile. They can be used for lots more than just cooking. Consider using them in the laundry, as cleaning products, wound care, hair care and a whole lot more!


***How to freeze lemons. Quarter or slice your lemons. Place in single layer on cookie sheet and place in freezer. Once frozen, put into zip lock freezer bags.