Strawberry Lemonade

It's been awhile! I've been so caught up with other things this week and also with my new obsession... I admit it... I've become completely obsessed with couponing! Thanks to Coupon Mom's book and the show Extreme Couponing, I now eat, drink and sleep coupons! The feeling of getting to the register, handing over your coupons and watching your total go down and down and down and down is the best feeling in the world! I know I will never be as 'Extreme' as the extreme couponers on the show because, well, I just don't have a need for 300 boxes of cereal when it's just my daughter, husband and I who will occassionally have a bowl. But, that doesn't mean I don't like to cut my grocery bill in half!

Anyways, between the printing and the clipping i've done this week, I felt it was time to update with a recipe! Since those hot summer days are just around the corner, I find that a nice, refreshing glass of strawberry lemonade is just what everyone needs to cool down!

Here is the lemonade recipe I use:

8 cups water

1-3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups lemon juice (about 6 large lemons, or 12 small lemons)

In a saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for a few hours.

In pitcher, stir together syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water.

Strawberry Mixture:

2 pounds fresh strawberries

1-1/2 cups sugar (you can adjust this depending on your taste!)

Remove the tops of the strawberries and mash them and mash them until they are very syrupy and there are small pieces of strawberry throughout.

Strawberry Lemonade Recipe:

There are two ways you can do this!

1. Pour some of your lemonade in an 8 ounce cup and add 2-3 tablespoons of strawberry mixture and stir 2-3 times.

2. Pour desired amount of strawberry mixture into the pitcher with the lemonade and mix it all together.