A whack of great summer recipes

It’s been a looooonnnng time since I’ve posted on Recipes That Worked.

  That’s because things have been so hectic at my day job that I’ve had no time for any outside writing projects.

   I’ve come to the realization that I’m going to have to change the way I update Recipes That Worked.

   I will likely not have much time any more to write full blog entries about the recipes.

   I’m going to have to start making weekly updates, telling you about new recipes I tried in the week before (the ones that worked, anyway!) with a short note describing them and any changes or substitutions I made in the recipes (which is quite rare).

   Already this summer I’ve tried a whack of new recipes that I haven’t written about. I’m going to tell you about them this week in a series of large blog entries. Here’s the first, updating on you on some drinks and frosty treats I’ve made that worked terrifically. Click on the links to get the recipes.

Drinks

Vodka Lavender Thyme Lemonade (alcoholic): Don’t let the lavender freak you out – it simply gives a slightly unusual, but incredibly delicious, edge to the drink. Have fun getting people to guess what the secret ingredient is. Dried lavender can be found at health-food stores.

Frozen Limeade Margarita (alcoholic): This killer recipe is officially my new go-to margarita recipe. You will be stunned, and so will your guests, at how good these are. The secret? Canned frozen limeade concentrate!

Blackberry Blast (alcoholic): This recipe uses rhum agricole, a type of rum made directly from sugarcane, rather than sugarcane by-product such as molasses as is the case with many other types of rums. It actually tastes more like whiskey than rum, which contributes a slightly unsual but very welcome taste to this cooling cocktail.

Berry Rose Sangria (alcoholic): This is the easiest and least time-consuming sangria recipe I’ve ever seen. Forget all the chopping of fruit and letting it sit for hours to blend the flavours – this delicious sangria is ready almost instantly by comparison to other recipes. And it’s delicious!

Salted Meyer Lemon and Sage Presse (non-alcoholic): Got a guest in a crowd who prefers a non-alcoholic drink? This is going to be a big treat for them. It’s got a the appeal of a well-made cocktail without any booze. I used regular lemons instead of Meyer lemons.

Ice pops and sorbet

Last fall, my mother-in-law bought me a Zoku instant ice pop maker for a birthday gift. It's an adorable little contraption that makes ice pops in seven to nine minutes. I cracked the thing open in the middle of July and have been making delicious ice pops since. Here are the successful recipes I’ve tried:

-          Honeydew-Lime Pops

-          Gingery Watermelon Paletas

-          Blueberry-Lime Ice Pops

-          Cherry Paletas

I wouldn’t feel that my summer was complete without making a sorbet or ice cream, and I finally got around to making one recently. It was Cucumber, Celery and Gin Sorbet, an absolute frosty winner.