Sparkling Strawberry Mint Limeade

This Sparkling Strawberry Mint Limeade is a refreshing, family- and party- friendly drink to get you through hot summer days. Fresh ingredients and some bubble from the club soda make an ultra-cooling and delicious treat. Looking for something boozy instead? Add a shot of vodka or rum and you're set.

Strawberry Daiquiris

It's almost always strawberry season here in California... but I rarely go strawberry picking.  It's about an hour to the nearest you-pick place, and with an awesome farmers' market (or two, or three) each week, I usually don't even think about it.   But a friend at work was telling me about picking over 60 pounds of strawberries (and blackberries and ollalieberries) and I got the itch.  This weekend we went to the coast and picked the morning away.  Afterward, back at home while I thumbed through cookbooks for galette, pie, ice cream and short cake recipes, my boyfriend, Bill, got right to work in the kitchen.  He came up with this luscious cocktail in no time -- and it is fabulous.  It's not too strong, nor too sweet, and the fresh strawberry taste and aroma is unbelievable.  (If you haven't been in on Bill's other cocktails, I recommend checking them out!)

Straight-forward Strawberry Jam

It's true, in California you can get fresh strawberries year round.  However, this time of year they just taste better.  It feels like this is strawberry season.  Maybe it's the east-coaster in me.  Maybe it's just really good strawberries.  Whatever it is, I eat a ton of them this time of year.  And I hoard them.  I freeze them for smoothies and preserve them in silky, sweet jams.  I just can't get enough.

I love a straight-forward homemade strawberry jam.  It's perfect on a warm biscuit, over vanilla ice cream,  on toast or french toast or a fresh bran muffin, on oatmeal, mixed in yogurt.  Or savored (once in a while) by the spoonful.