recipe: basil lemonade

My parents have a Meyer lemon tree. I am a very lucky lady, I know. They always give me bags of lemons whenever I see them (which is frequently, due to me possessing their only grandchild), since I love to start the day with hot water and lemon juice. However, this recent hot weather has turned me off to hot drinks, so I decided to try something new with my recent batch of lemons. My basil lemonade experiment was a resounding success - the basil makes it extra refreshing. Here's the recipe. The basil lemon syrup recipe can be found after the jump.

Basil Lemonade

Makes 6 cups

2 cups basil-lemon syrup (recipe after the jump)

2 cups squeezed lemon juice (retain lemon rinds for syrup recipe)

2 cups cold water

Sugar to taste (if using lemons other than Meyer)

Combine ingredients except sugar in pitcher with ice. Adjust proportions to taste. If using regular lemons, stir in additional sugar to taste if desired. 

Basil Lemon Syrup

2 cups water*

1 cup white sugar

1.5 cups firmly packed basil sprigs

3+ lemons rinds, after juice squeezed out for lemonade

Combine all ingredients in saucepan over medium heat. Stir until water is simmering and sugar is fully dissolved. Turn off heat and let contents sit for at least one hour. Strain solids, squeezing liquid through mesh strainer. Chill throughly. 

*for thicker, traditional simple syrup, use 1 cup water.

oh hey there.

My goodness, it's been a while since I even thought about this blog. Since my last update, Claire went back to the hospital, I went on a severely restricted diet to help her, she got better, we traveled to the great state of Ohio and survived to tell the tale, we celebrated Claire's first holiday season out of the hospital, I turned 29, and oh yeah we found out we are having another baby. nbd.

I have conquered this most recent bout of morning sickness and feel like I can do anything! Including resurrecting this blog. We shall see how things go. Stay tuned for some family photos, a little bit about Claire's first weeks of life, and more. 

just a typical afternoon

The three of us, watching the ceiling fan.

claire loves the ceiling fan

We did this for almost an hour today. I probably should have cleaned or folded laundry while she was occupied, but she was being so cute that all I could do was lay down next to her on the floor and watch her dance. Then she got overwhelmed and screamed until she fell asleep on me. Oh the glamorous life of a mother. I love every second of it.

PS. The Husband gave me some major grief for filming this in portrait. Rookie mistake, apparently.

my lap isn't big enough for the two of them

Don't worry, I moved Fiona away from Claire right after taking this photo.

evening (almost) giggles

Claire is about to start laughing. I am so excited! Words cannot describe how much joy this little girl brings to my life. It is so fun to watch her personality emerge. So far she's mellow, sensitive, joyful, and perceptive. 

drunk

Claire, after a very large meal. 

Me: She looks like she's drunk. 

The Husband: She looks like she's drunk and ate a giant burrito. 

So glad this girl is finally nursing!

posing like claire

It's cuter when she does it, but I couldn't help myself. Note my attempt to look like I'm sucking on a pacifier - I am truly dedicated to my craft. 

numbers

Yesterday, Claire spat two pacifiers onto the floor within three minutes of each other. A new personal best. 

Fiona spooked herself and launched all fifteen pounds of her obese body at my face. I also caught her licking one of the aforementioned pacifiers before I could pick it up off the floor. 

If these two ever join forces, I'm screwed. 

back in the saddle

I'm back. I have been avoiding posting here. Mostly because having a little baby is a ton of work. But partly because I didn't want to write about my illness, Claire's birth, and her hospital stay.

So let's not talk about that stuff just yet. Or ever. We will see. 

Instead, let's celebrate this little girl going from this:

To this: