Now with all this creative energy flowing through me, I just have to find the time each day to dedicate towards completing the task in front of me. My ultimate goal and dream is the creation of a Culinary Arts Center...a kind of school where anyone can come to learn. It doesn't matter if it is the mom/dad at home or a seasoned kitchen pro. I want it to be inviting and open to everyone. The picture I have inside my head is simple and includes a show kitchen for teaching, a library area with comfortable seating, tables to spread out on and rows upon rows of cookbooks. A small dining area where we can host cooking parties, meetings, wine tastings and fundraisers. The entire operation would be non-profit and focused on building a family relationship within the community. Looks like that sandman from the car commercial paid me a visit while sleeping last night!!
Now here is the tricky part for me...in order to make this happen as a legit non-profit and to make my dreams a reality, I need money and possibly lots of it. So I began doing some research into grants and grant writing. Talk about lots of red tape and such, I am going blind as I type!! That is also my excuse for any typos that occur inside of the paragraphs. So seeing as how this is going to take a little longer then expected, I decided to toss out a quick Lemonade recipe along with a pair of its good friends. These next couple of weeks are going to be tough and the support of a tangy/tart beverage seems perfect for the upcoming weather and any headaches this extra work may cause!!
Lemonade-3/4 to 1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Water
(these are combined to make a simple syrup)
1 Cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
3 to 4 Cups Cold Water
Start by heating the sugar together with the water in a small sauce pan. Make sure the sugar is dissolved completely. While this is happening, squeeze out the juice from 4 to 6 lemons. Make sure to remove any seeds that may have fallen into the liquid, you need at least 1 full cup of juice. Add the simple syrup and the lemon juice into a pitcher, pour in the cold water and stir. Taste to check on the desired sweetness. Add a small amount of lemon juice if it is to sweet or add a small amount of sugar if it is to tart.
Cherry-Lime Ricky-
This recipe uses Gin, however if you want a non-alcoholic version then switch the gin out to soda water for a refreshing treat
6 Fresh Sweet Cherries, Pitted
1/2 Lime, cut into 3 pieces
2 tsp Sugar
3 Ounces Gin
1 Cup Crushed Ice
Place cherries, limes and sugar into a glass. Crush together using the back of a spoon. Add the gin and ice. Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Now shake!! Pour back into the glass and enjoy!!
Raspberry Lemonade
3/4 Cup Fresh Raspberries
9 Cups Water
2 Cups Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Cups Super Fine Sugar
Puree the raspberries in a blender and pour through a mesh sieve into a pitcher. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk together until the sugar dissolves. Serve over ice.
