What could be better than a cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day? Every one loves a refreshing drink on a warm summer day, by far, lemonade is a favorite!

We have downed this puckerery thirst quencher for more than a 1,000 years.

From ancient Egyptians to today. People all over the world have been making lemonade, whether, tart, sweet, pink or yellow, clear or cloudy, carbonated or just straight up, as long as life as been handing out lemons, we have been making lemonade. Yet like apple pie, the lemonade stand is far older than America itself.

The drawing said it all, as I’m sure you’ve seen it once in your lifetime, Norman Rockwell put it in the best words, or picture or representation as he so often did.

The lemonade stand, which has symbolized American childhood and values for more than a century, shown in his 1950s drawing of children getting their first taste of the little known free enterprise, with the help of a little sugar and lemon has gone down in history as a charming reminiscent classic art form.

It was said that Samuel Pepys, was one of many Londoners who, by the 1660s, was enjoying the new beverage of sweet, lemon juice, mixed with honey and water, imported from France, but did you know, it dates backs thousands of years in Egypt? Lemons were also used to make wine with sugar and sweetened with honey. Lemonade in America is what we have come to love for hot days and summer parties. When sugar cane became a cheap commodity in America in the US. during the colonial era, it became an American specialty. Lemonade hasn’t changed much in the last few thousand years. It’s still simple to make and still delicious.

The origin of the lemon itself has not been easy to determined, but new research has clearly identified its lineage as a sour orange and a citron hybrid. This goes down to an ornamental plant to many hybridization processes. That’s another subject matter to be researched, and I promise!

Have you ever set up a lemonade stand when you were a kid? It was a way of getting you out of your mothers hair for a few hours during the heat of summer, some for fun or a child’s first business adventure, (if you had those kind of parents), or just a brainstorming idea to earn some extra money for that penny candy at the store, or a paper airplane, or just an afternoon out having fun, just regaling in your project. The stand was a common activity for all youngsters all over the country as early as 1898. Back then, Edward Bok at the age of 10 years, began selling ice water for a penny to passengers in horse drawn carts who stopped to allow their horses water. Eventually other boys noticed the fad and began copying his idea, when he then began to make lemonade and sold it for 3 cents a glass. (Here again, Economics 102)!

There are plenty ways to flavor lemonade, from rhubarb and strawberry to watermelon and mint, orange and blueberries, ginger, pineapple, rhubarb, vanilla, vodka to almost any thing you can think of, below is a recipe of lemonade that would certainty quench your thirst, (Miss Jo loves it, she raises her eyebrows and gives me a “Hmmmm!” and I know I’ve done my job right!)

In the heat of summer, this with a slice of lemon will serve up fast and fill 5 tall glasses with ice and a straw.

The Recipes:

Of course, you can buy a frozen can of concentrate lemonade. Either way, try it! Your taste buds will be filled with amazement and most pleasantly surprised.

Homemade Fresh Lemonade

Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

5 fresh lemon chunks

2.5 cups of ice cold water

Directions:

1. Make the sugar-syrup mix. Simply put the sugar and cup of water in a saucepan. Put the pan on med. Heat. Bring too simmer, whisking, dissolving the sugar. Remove and let cool.

2. Squeeze lemons to fill 1 full cup

3. Pour sugar syrup in a bowl. Add lemon juice, add 2 to 3 cups of ice water. Stir until blended.

4. Add sugar to taste, squeeze more lemon in to taste, stir with ice and garnish with lemon slices.

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A very easy and tasty combination of flavors, delicious light lemony chicken flavor, marinating the chicken for 45 minutes or overnight and baked until crispy, or grilled on your grill.

Grilled Lemonade Chicken Serves 8 (Adjust to your menu)

Ingredients:

2 (3 lb.) chickens, cut into pieces, or 2 ½ # of chicken thighs or boneless breast

1 (6 oz.) can frozen lemon concentrate, thawed

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 tsp. seasoning salt

½ tsp. celery salt

½ tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

1. Combine lemonade concentrate, soy sauce, salt, celery salt, and garlic powder. Stir to blend.

2. Dip chicken in the mixture, or let marinade for “bestest” flavor.

3. Place chicken bone side down over med. heat. And grill for about 25 minutes.

4. Turn chicken over, and grill another 25 minutes, (No flip flopping, as with any meat cooked on the grill, this leads to dry, tough, chewy and overcooked meat Gi! (ie.) the shrimp on Mother’s day.)

5. Brush with the lemonade mixture during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Happy Fooding! Happy Lemonading!! Continue sending your comments, love and the recipes we can share with our readers that are always welcomed and appreciated. You all are the most loyal readers. Much love…Scrappychef@yahoo.com . And the last words…~We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons.”~Alfred E. Newman~

Ref: The Lemonade Stand as a Symbol of Capitalism

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