Blueberry Spritzer - Easiest Mocktail Ever!

So, I have this collection of about 8 books that are all about fancy drinks. Most of the books I have contain recipes that are completely alcohol free. Lyle and I have been loving figuring out ways to make awesome drinks without the booze that are super yummy. While a lot of the drinks are really good, some of them are very, very complicated. We have been trying to figure out shortcuts and create our own recipes. So far, our favorite is the blueberry spritzer.

Here is our shopping list:

1 to 2 cups of Blueberries fresh or frozen

1 cup granulated sugar

Lemon/Lime Soda (Sprite, 7up, whatever kind you want) about 1/2 can for 8 oz serving

raw sugar or large sugar crystal (enough to coat the rim of a glass)

lime juice (again, enough to wet the rim of your glass)

Instructions: 

Put the blueberries in a pot with the granulated sugar. Add about 3 tablespoons of water (if they are frozen, don't worry about the water). Let the mixture come to a gentle boil, then let it simmer until it becomes a thick syrup. It should take about 15 minutes. 

After it is thick (there will still be blueberry chunks), use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree the mixture. You can also use a fine sieve to separate the juice from the skins. I did that method here because I couldn't find my immersion blender. Use something, like a wooden spoon or ladle, to push as much juice as possible through the sieve. 

Let the mixture cool down for a little bit. I usually put it in a tupperware and put it in the fridge until it is cold. At this point you should make sure your pop is chilling too. :)

The rest is really simple, but I'm also going to show you how to dress it up. Lyle and I like to make things look fancy. First you pick the glasses you will be using. Lyle and I got these at Kohl's a box of 4 for $5 (Sometimes they have great deals!).

Put some lime juice on a plate. Put some sugar on another plate. 

Turn the glass upside and swirl the rim in the lime juice. 

Then swirl it in the sugar. We are not using salt here because this isn't a real margarita and I like sugar better. :)

Pour some of the blueberry syrup into the glass. A couple of tablespoons will do, no really, it can be strong stuff.

My glass is the one on the left, Lyle's is the one on the right..... he likes a lot of blueberry flavor. 

Pour the Sprite into the glasses and stir the until the drinks are blended.

Then go kick back and relax, or give these to party guests to really impress the pants off of them. :) 

Wait, you mean I cooked something today?!

Hi everyone! I am so sorry that I haven't blogged in a little while, but life has been crazy. I have a sneaky suspicion that I will be blogging very little over the next few months. With the holiday season around the corner, though, hopefully I can squeeze in some posts of my family's favorites. :)

Today I made Lemon cupcakes filled with lemon curd topped with Meringue. YUM! I have been wanting to fill a cupcake with lemon meringue for a while, and finally decided I had put the homework down and  do it today. The meringue was Lyle's idea. He found a recipe on this website (the bake cakery) and I thought, "I can do that." :)

So, I dumbed it down because of my busy schedule. I made the cake from a lemon cake mix (easy right?), and made the lemon curd from Alton Brown's recipe (my all time favorite), and I used the recipe for marshmallow meringue frosting from the first link. The frosting is AMAZING and the cupcakes turned out wonderfully. It would probably taste better to make the cake from scratch, but if you are looking for an impressive treat that is fairly quick, give these a try. :)