Summertime Sweetness

 Summer is here and that means wonderful things for food. It means fresh vegetables, the best fruits, better local produce and ... lemonade. Lemonade doesn't have to be the powder from your grocery store - don't get me wrong, I grew up on the stuff and love it. But it's so simple to make fresh lemonade! It is, at its core, a simple sugar syrup with lemon juice. To create a more interesting version of a classic drink, why not mix it with another, lighter juice...say, watermelon juice? I first had watermelon juice in India and was stunned by the subtle sweetness of the thick, smooth juice. Lemonade mixed with other fruit juices is apparently an "in" thing (see: McDonald's Frozen Strawberry Lemonade, Dunkin Donuts anything, etc), but I think combining it with watermelon juice is great because the subtle flavor and high water content cuts the sweetness and tart flavor of lemonade.

What You'll Need:
- 1 Watermelon, cubed so you have about 4 cups of watermelon
- About 2-3 Lemons (amount depends on how tart you like your lemonade; remember 1 lemon = 1/4 cup of juice)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water

What to Do:
1. Cube the melon, so you have about 4 cups. Blend it, strain it (bye, bye, seeds!), and put it aside for now.
2. In a sauce pan, boil the water and sugar together, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and the water is something of a thin sugary syrup.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice - about 1/2 cup in total, a little more if you like your juice on the tart side...mix it and you have just made homemade lemonade.
4. Pour that fresh lemonade into that fresh watermelon juice and mix it up. Voila!

There you have. I would give a yield (as in, makes "x" number of glasses) but I don't remember because my friends and I drank it so quickly! It is so refreshing - not as tart or sweet as lemonade but not as watery or subtle as watermelon juice. It's going to be an instant classic for my summertime recipes! 

Fruit for Dinner?

Fruit for dinner? Ever consider it?

It never ceases to intrigue me that Americans don’t cook with fruit more. Fruit is reserved for breakfast (anyone want some strawberries with their cereal?) or after dinner (think fruit salad on a summer night). There are some notable exceptions: Hawaiian pizza glorifies the ham and pineapple combo. Or what about some good old-fashioned pork chops and apple sauce? Though there are times and places in American food for a fruit-meets-meat meal, it is much rarer here than in other places of the world. What would South and South East Asia cuisine be without fruit in its meals? 

Never fear! Fruit for dinner is an interesting and quick way to bring a new flavor to your kitchen. Busy people – especially budgeted college students – get into a routine: cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, chicken/pasta/salad for dinner. Fruit brings different tastes, textures, and nutrients to your cuisine.

Some Examples of How to Welcome Fruit into Your Meals

Peanut butter and jelly, with bananas and strawberries on toasted wheat bread

• Sweet and salty, with a chance to vary the texture of the typical sandwich

Cardamom-infused rice with nuts, grapes, diced apples and raisins

Simple staple food made even better

• Heat some oil in a pot, heat the cardamom and any herbs, then cook the rice in the same pot. As the rice is nearly done cooking, add in your fruits: sliced grapes, diced apple, and raisins and nuts are a good choices. Play around, use what you have. 

Chicken with Green Apples Baked in a Brown Sugar-Apple Juice Sauce

• I just made and ate this for dinner, and it was a success. I browsed through a bunch of recipes and, with some ideas and inspiration, got cracking on my own adaptation on the chicken-apple combo. I’ve included an abbreviated version of my recipe below (for one whole chicken breast).

What you need:

• Chicken breast
• Butter or oil
• Sliced Granny Smith apple (or other tart apple) – about 1/2 will suffice
• Teaspoon of brown sugar
• Quarter cup of apple juice
• Quarter cup of plain yogurt, sour cream, or heavy cream (whatever you have on hand!)