Guest Post: Stan’s All-Natural Strawberry Lemonade

Guest — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 23:25:14 +0000

Hi readers! Remember me from the couponing post? I’m Sami’s boyfriend Stan and I’m back with a recipe for strawberry lemonade! Traditionally, Fall isn’t the proper season for delicious cold beverages, but we common folk don’t get to choose when lemons go on sale! On our shoestring budgets, Sami and I have developed quite a taste for anything healthy and inexpensive, so when I found lemons for about $.30 apiece the other day, I couldn’t resist picking some up. One brainstorm later, it was decided that the frozen strawberries we keep in the freezer for smoothies also needed to be a part of this.

Here’s what you need:

4 large lemons. Pick some good-looking ones! You want them to be a bright, vivid yellow color, not dull or faded. Millions of years of evolution have given you an eye for what looks “good” – use it!
3 cups of frozen strawberries. Frozen strawberries are flash-frozen right after they’re picked, and as such are more nutritious than “fresh” strawberries from the store. They’re also less expensive and last a long time in the freezer, so save money over time by purchasing a large bag!
water {about 5-6 cups}
2/3 cup of sugar {or more, to taste}. It’s okay to use cane or other coarse-grained sugar – this will be going in the blender.
1 large liquid container. Should be able to hold at least a liter and a half of liquid. We recycled an orange juice container with a wide neck to make filling it easier, and a cap so we could shake it before serving.
1 lemon juicer – optional. You can always use your hands!

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze them, by hand or juicer, into a bowl, cup, or other container. Sami and I chose to leave the pulp and seeds in, so that the beverage feels more natural. Occasionally spitting out seeds adds to the experience for us, but if it seems like a bother, you can filter or strain them out.

2. Put the frozen strawberries in a blender and add cold water up to the 1.25 liter {a little over 5 cups} line. Alternate blending and mixing until the mixture is smooth.

3. Add the sugar to the blended mixture and blend it in thoroughly.

4. Pour the mixture from the blender into the large liquid container, pour in the lemon juice {with pulp/seeds if you left them in!} and mix thoroughly, preferably by shaking.

5. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

The resulting beverage is delicious, nutritious, and all-natural, so enjoy it within a few days after you make it {don’t worry, it’s so good it won’t last long enough to go bad!} The next time life gives you lemons {indirectly, through a great sale}, we strongly encourage you to try out this recipe.

-Stan

Tisane: Drinks, Food, Music & Art

Sami — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:38:21 +0000

One of the biggest challenges of not living in or near a big city like New York, Boston, or Los Angeles, is the lack of nightlife. In New York, you can walk a block or two anywhere and find a thumping dance club or low key jazz bar —there are tons of unique places to chill out or dance the night away. Not so here in Connecticut. But, located in Hartford, Tisane stands out not only as a cool place to hang out at night but also a relaxing tea oasis during the day.

Tisane has been around for 9 years, but I only recently discovered them. Personally, I’m not much of a partier, but when I heard that Tisane had an extensive list of teas, {and why wouldn’t they, with a name like Tisane?} I was in. I can’t say that I’ve tried every different tea {nearly impossible!}, but I love their green, oolong, and white teas. In addition to their fabulous tea infusions, Tisane also carries a variety of brews, cocktails and foods from both the East and the West, lending to the second part of their name, Euro Asian Cafe. They have cheese and chocolate fondue, edamame, sweet n sour tofu, sandwiches like the caprese flatbread or cheese steak, and so much more — truly something for everyone, whether you have a sweet tooth, are craving buffalo wings, or if you want a tasty vegan meal.

Okay, so they have great drinks and food, but what about community? Well, they have gay night {also called “Boys Night”} on Tuesday with DJ John Rzasa, Wednesday is Service Industry Night {“Live in S.I.N.”} with live music by Kenny Mehler, Karaoke on Thursday, and DJ Sobi One on Saturday nights. They also act as an exhibition for local artists, like my longtime friend {and Mish’s boyfriend} Pawel, who is also the person responsible for my Tisane love. An incredibly gifted artist, Pawel exhibited several of his paintings a few years ago at Tisane, shown above.

So, if you want a place to relax and hang out with friends in the morning or late afternoon, forget Starbucks, check out Tisane. Want to do karaoke or experience a DJ or some live music? Check out Tisane! You don’t have an excuse not to go! :)

Read more about Tisane, and view their hours of operation, on their website or like them on Facebook.

Poor & Pretty » drinks

Guest Post: Stan’s All-Natural Strawberry Lemonade

Tisane: Drinks, Food, Music & Art