Lemon Ginger Apple Tonic

• 64 oz apple juice
• 1 average size chunk of ginger (more ginger=spicier flavor)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 6 oz lemon or pineapple sorbet

Finely grate the ginger and let it sit in the lemon juice over night. Then strain out the ginger and pour the juice into the apple juice. Just before serving add a small scoop of the sorbet in the cup and pout the lemon ginger apple juice over top. 

Holiday Punch

• 1/2  46 oz can of pineapple juice 
• 1/2 gallon of pineapple sherbet
• 1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream
• 1 tsp coconut extract
• 3/4 of a 2-liter bottle of lemon-lime soda

Mix together all but the soda using a potato masher in a large bowl. Once it is mostly not lumpy, slowly add in the soda mixing with the masher. 

This soda was created by my grandmother for my parent's wedding and has become a holiday tradition in our family. It is delicious and we usually have to make at least 2 batches if not more to satisfy everyone. 

Lavender Lemonade

Lavender Lemonade:

After having this Lemonade at Frost Me Sweet I just had to make some on my own. Check out my post about Frost me Sweet’s other foods earlier this week. I made this for proposing my thesis project and I credit the delicious lemonade for part of the reason it went as smoothly as it did. 

¼ cup lavender blossoms (food grade)

1 cup sugar

8 lemons

Water & Ice

Start by making a simple syrup. Put the lavender blossoms, sugar and 1-2 cups of water in a small pot and bring it to a boil, stirring often. Once the sugar is dissolved, lower the heat and let the lavender steep for 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and chill the lavender simple syrup for at least half an hour. Squeeze the lemon juice into the mixture. Then strain the blossoms and seeds out and pour the liquid into a pitcher. Add more water (to taste) and a little ice.  If you like sweeter lemonade use more sugar for  the simple syrup. If you like tarter lemonade you can add more lemons and water or use less sugar.

The best way to find food grade lavender is to grow it yourself. Many stores offer lavender plants during the spring planting season. Once the plant has bloomed and the buds have started to dry out you can start to harvest. Snip just below the first set of leaves and set the stems to dry for a few days. Then pick the dried buds off the stems and catch them in a bag or jar. If this doesn't work for you though, you can find some lavender online for purchase. Just be careful you get food grade lavender. Lavender for perfumes and scents has often been treated with chemical you don’t want to ingest. Also, there are many varieties of lavender and each one tastes a little different so experiment a little and find your favorite.


Alternatives: Replace lavender with mint, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, or your favorite herb.