The Most Refreshing Lemonade

As summer around here begins to turn the corner into fall, I share with you perhaps one of the most refreshing drinks I've ever had. Concocted when it was 92 degrees outside (which for us Seattleites translates into approximately the surface of the sun... seriously, we start complaining about heat when it hits about 83 or so) and when I desperately needed something cold and refreshing, this hit the spot. It's Strawberry-Mint-Watermelon-Lemonade, and boy does it hit the spot when it's hot outside.

Measurements are approximate — this is lemonade, after all — so feel free to change ratios however you see fit. And yes, I'm using store-bought lemonade, because hey, when it's hot outside, muddling the watermelons and strawberries is hard enough. Also, I really like Newman's Own Lemonade.

Ginger-Vanilla Roasted Strawberries

It's here. I wait all year for this. It's berry season in the northwest. And if the strawberries you are used to are big, mild, and white in the middle, then that's a pale shadow of what a strawberry could be. Here, our strawberry season is short lived, but glorious: small crimson berries that are red all the way through, and once picked, they only last a couple days tops.

I become rather greedy during this season, buying pints frequently and often eating them in just a day or two. Sometimes in one sitting. I have no shame, and my obsession for summer fruits like this only extends to maybe Rainier cherries (I'll have to post on those soon, too) and of course heirloom tomatoes (ditto).

But though they are nearly perfect, after a couple pounds of strawberries all to myself, I start to wonder what else I can do with them. And so we have roasted strawberries: strawberries cooked until barely holding together, giving off their concentrated juices into a thick syrup, laced with vanilla and ginger. Is it possible to improve on perfection? Maybe. Try these berries and let me know.