A cool drink on a hot summer day

A cool refreshing beverage tastes good on a hot, humid July day. Even in the morning, it is already hot, and you may want a cold smoothie to start your day. Fresh fruit juice along with fresh fruit and lots of ice make a perfect treat on a hot day.

I noticed the Hallmark channel is running Christmas in July movies, so I included a frozen hot chocolate drink for those of you who enjoy watching Christmas movies in July.

Have fun creating your own cold drink and be sure to share it with a friend.

Homemade Limeade

Homemade limeade is refreshing, sweet, and slightly tart. It only takes three ingredients to make amazing fresh squeezed limeade.

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups lime juice
• 4 cups water

In a large pitcher, stir together lemon juice and sugar until completely dissolved.

Stir in water until combined. Serve chilled, poured over ice.

If you want to get fancy, dip the rims of the chilled glasses in lime juice, then in sugar. Pour in chilled limeade. Garnish with a lime slice and add a fancy straw.

Note: Add more lime juice or more sugar to suit your tastes. Wait to add ice until you're ready to serve.

Source: www.yellowblissroad.com/homemade-limeade/?fbclid=IwAR0LYnULQsiL9xys4kVyvKXDjz9IpDREjT_mmuQdnwROh9I_R1hxZegiLto#recipe

Banana-Berry Smoothie

• 1 cup frozen blueberries strawberries or raspberries
• 1 banana frozen
• 2 cups milk
• Sugar or sweetener, optional

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Can add ice to thicken.

Source: icl.coop/banana-berry-smoothie/

Strawberry Lemon Water

This homemade infused-water recipe is delicious, refreshing and so easy to make. Try out this strawberry lemon water recipe for a hydrating treat everyone will love!

• 4 cups of water
• 1 large lemon, cut into slices
• 1 pint of fresh strawberries

To make this recipe you'll want to have:

• Large spoon
• Large pitcher
• Long spoon or muddler

Place lemon slices and strawberries in a pitcher. Gently muddle the fruit with the back of a spoon or muddler to release the natural flavors into the water.

Cover with the fresh water and place in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

Serve in a glass filled with ice, garnish with a slice of lemon and a strawberry and enjoy.

Source: www.cookcleanrepeat.com/strawberry-lemon-water/?fbclid=IwAR2uMk5tzpDFS36TQoLmOYXv1n5SxJwa389BwPfBCoFCm9Buy_CRZmAryvw

Melon Smoothie

• 1/2 cantaloupe, rind and seeds removed
• 1 apple peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 2-5 tablespoons honey according to taste
• 2-3 cups ice

Into a blender, add everything except the ice. Blend until mixture is smooth. Add ice and blend until smooth. A high-powered blender is recommended.

Courtesy of: The Best of Alabama Living and icl.coop/melon-smoothie/

Peach Sangria

Peach Sangria is the perfect drink to keep your whole family refreshed this summer, with non-alcoholic and adult versions and tons of bold peach flavor.

• 1 liter peach nectar
• 1 liter peach sparkling water
• 1 pound frozen peaches
• White grape juice for non-alcoholic or White Moscato

Mix peach nectar, peach sparkling water, and frozen peaches in a large pitcher.

Pour half of the peach mixture and half of your choice of either white wine or white grape juice over ice, stir, and enjoy!

Source: www.yellowblissroad.com/peach-sangria/

Purple Cow

• 6 ounces frozen grape juice concentrate, do not dilute or thaw
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream

Add all ingredients to blender and process until smooth.

Source: Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative and icl.coop/31099-2/

Frosted Animal Cracker Milkshake

• 1 cup frosted animal crackers
• 3 cups vanilla ice cream, about 8 scoops
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup vanilla frosting
• 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
• Red food coloring optional

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Add a few drops of red food coloring and process for pink color, if desired. Garnish with whipped cream, nonpareils rainbow sprinkles and a few frosted animal crackers.

Source: icl.coop/frosted-animal-cracker-milkshake/

Southern Strawberry Sweet Tea

Southern Strawberry Sweet Tea recipe is just what you need on a hot day. It uses easy ingredients and fresh strawberries to create an amazing sweet drink.

Strawberry Simple Syrup:

• 3 cups fresh strawberries, washed and stems removed, then sliced (should measure three cups after they are sliced)
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar

Sweet Tea:

• 3 family sized tea bags (or 9 regular sized tea bags)
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 cups cold water
• 1 whole lemon juiced
• Strawberry and lemon slices for garnish

In a medium saucepan add 2 cups water, 1 cup sugar, and sliced strawberries. Cook over medium-high and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes, or until strawberries are soft and the liquid is a deep red color.

Strain the strawberries using a mesh strainer into your pitcher. Press down on the strawberries gently, but make sure to not press too hard. You don't want any strawberry chunks in your sweet tea.

While the strawberry simple syrup is cooling in the pitcher add 3 cups of hot water to a large bowl. Place 3 family sized tea bags into the hot water and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags from the bowl and throw away. Add 1 cup of sugar into the bowl with the tea and stir well. Dump the sweet tea from the bowl to the pitcher. Add 8 cups cold water to the pitcher and stir well. Add the juice from 1 large lemon to your sweet tea and mix well. Cover the pitcher and refrigerate 2-3 hours, or until very cold. Serve over ice and enjoy!

Notes: For the most intense strawberry flavor, this recipe works best with very ripe strawberries. This recipe makes quite a lot of tea, so you'll need either a very large pitcher or two medium-sized ones.

You can adjust the number of tea bags to vary the strength of your tea. For stronger tea, add an extra tea bag and steep for an extra five minutes. For a lighter-colored tea, use only two tea bags and add extra water.

Source: www.thebestblogrecipes.com/strawberry-southern-sweet-tea/?fbclid=IwAR0FZyUm8ejAwqtcEob6fk5UEpTLws7-B-ysu0DazT6MBmNvO2TwH814C6s

Blackberry Lemonade

Blackberry Lemonade is a refreshing summer drink that celebrates the flavors or the season!

Simple Syrup:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Blackberry Puree:

• 12 ounces fresh blackberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Lemonade:

• 1 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed or from a bottle
• 8 cups cold water
• Thinly sliced lemons for garnish (if desired)

For the Simple Syrup: Pour the sugar and water into a medium saucepan. Heat over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is just dissolved.

Remove from heat and set aside to cool while you make the puree.

Blackberry Puree: Place the blackberries and sugar in a food processor. Puree until the fruit is completely broken down.

Transfer the puree to a fine mesh sieve placed over a bowl. Use a rubber spatula to press the puree through the sieve so the juice goes into the bowl and all the fruit pulp and seeds are left in the sieve. There should be almost 3/4 cup of blackberry juice. Discard the pulp and seeds

Lemonade: To a 2.5 quart pitcher, add the lemon juice, water, simple syrup, and blackberry puree. Stir together until evenly combined.

Serve over ice or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note: If you like your lemonade more sweet than tart, increase the amount of sugar to 1 cup.

For days when you're short on time, you can skip making the simple syrup. Pour the lemon juice, water, sugar, and blackberry puree into the pitcher and stir really well. Sugar doesn't like to dissolve in cold water.

Source: www.yellowblissroad.com/blackberry-lemonade/

Pina Colada Smoothie

• 2 cups pineapple sherbet
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth. Garnish with wedge of pineapple and a cherry.

Source: icl.coop/pina-colada-smoothie/

Very Berry Smoothie

• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 3/4 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
• 3/4 cup cranberry juice
• 1 tablespoon honey

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Any cranberry juice blends work just as well.

Courtesy of: The Best of Alabama Living and icl.coop/very-berry-smoothie/

Slush Punch

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 large cherry Jell-O
• 1 ounce almond extract
• 46 ounces pineapple juice
• 9 cups cold water

Boil 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Add rest of ingredients and mix well. Put in freezer until slushy, then serve.

Source: icl.coop/slush-punch/

Mocha Malted Coffee Cooler

• 1 cup cold water
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons instant chocolate malted milk powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee crystals
• 1 cup Ice cubes
• Whipped cream, optional

In a blender container, combine all ingredients except ice. Cover and blend until smooth.

With the blender running, add ice cubes through the hole in the lid, one at a time, blending until crushed.

Pour into chilled glasses. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

Source: icl.coop/mocha-malted-coffee-cooler/

Raspberry Sweet Tea

• 1-1/2 cups boiling water
• 4 family sized Lipton tea bags
• Ice
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons DaVinci's raspberry syrup
• Cold water

Brew tea in boiling water. Fill gallon pitcher about 1/4 full of ice. Add sugar. Pour brewed tea over sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add water, ice and raspberry syrup to fill pitcher and stir well. Serve over ice.

Source: icl.coop/raspberry-sweet-tea/

Summer Fruit Smoothie

• 1 cup frozen fruit blend (strawberries, pineapple, peaches, etc.)
• 1/2 banana
• 1/3 cup Vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup fruit juice (apple, pineapple or orange)

Load ingredients in blender and pulse until smooth. You may add a combination of fruit, chia seeds, etc. as you like for the flavor of your choice.

Source: icl.coop/summer-fruit-smoothie/

Versatile Punch

Adjust the flavor of gelatin powder for the color of punch you desire or flavor.

• 46 ounces pineapple juice
• 12 ounce can lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 (4-serving size) Jell-O, flavor of your choice
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• Cold water

Dissolve Jell-O in hot water. In a one-gallon jar, combine all ingredients. Add enough cold water to fill jar. Stir and serve with ice.

Option: Instead of water, use 7UP to fill jar.

Source: Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative and icl.coop/versatile-punch/

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

• 2 cups frozen strawberries
• 2 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate
• 1 can Sprite or 7UP
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend thoroughly.

Source: Norris Electric Cooperative and icl.coop/frozen-strawberry-lemonade/

Raspberry-Strawberry Smoothie

• 1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup frozen raspberries, unsweetened
• 1 cup frozen strawberries, unsweetened
• 3/4 cup low-fat milk
• 1 cup ice, about 12 cubes

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve immediately.

Source: icl.coop/raspberry-strawberry-smoothie/

Frozen Hot Chocolate

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup chocolate milk
• 4 individual packets hot chocolate mix
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespon chocolate sauce
• Whipped cream
• 3 cups ice

Combine milks, hot cocoa packets, vanilla and chocolate sauce in a blender and pulse to blend. Add ice and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses or canning jars and top with whipped cream.

Source: icl.coop/frozen-hot-chocolate/

Fruit Smoothie

• 3/4 cup quick oats
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 1 banana
• 3/4 cup mixed frozen blueberries, strawberries and raspberries
• 1 tablespoon whey protein powder
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed

Add oats, protein powder and flax seed to a blender. Next add milk and banana. Blend until smooth. Add frozen berries and blend with previous ingredients until it reaches desired consistency.

Source: icl.coop/fruit-smoothie/

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.