Post by MJ of Pars Caeli

Hi friends! Happy summer to you. I’m MJ from the site Pars Caeli, back with an easy and really tasty recipe that you can make with your kids. Fresh strawberry lemonade is the kind of drink that makes me think of long porch swings or poolside evenings. And the flavors are so good that even when we’re stuck inside during a summer thunderstorm, my taste buds take me to the best days of summer.

My three children are big lemonade fans, too. Whenever we’re out to eat, lemonade is their go-to; however, they’ll often choose flavors like strawberry, kiwi, and watermelon to add some more interest to the usual flavor. It turns out, making your own natural versions of these drinks is a simple alternative. And now that I have these perfect summer party mason jars (Fun in the Summer with You from Shutterfly), I’m eager to fill them a cute straw with delicious summer refreshment.

1. In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup water and 1 cup granulated sugar. Bring that to a boil and remove from heat.
2. Quarter and hull 2 cups of fresh strawberries. Put the cut berries in a food processor or blender. Mix until you have a puree.
3. Add the strawberry juice to the sugar water and add in lemon juice. If you are using a fresh squeeze, you’ll need 5-6 lemons for this recipe. To make lemonade from lemon juice, add in 1½ cups of lemon juice. Pour into a pitcher and add 6 cups of water.

For the fancy feel, we added a lemon slice and cut strawberry for garnish. The red color is brilliant, and this strawberry lemonade would make a great addition to any red-white-and-blue party!! Serving this next to a blueberry lemonade (made the same way, just switching 2 cups of strawberries for blueberries) would be so fun for the fourth of July!

Summer is flying by!! I’m looking forward to many mason jars full of fresh strawberry lemonade. I hope your summer weeks are glorious. Cheers!!

Xoxo, MJ

MJ is a graphic and product designer, wife, and proud momma to three. She founded Pars Caeli (meaning a piece of heaven), a delightful blog and shop, to add more creative to the everyday. MJ worked with our team to bring her lunchbox jokes to life in our product Lunchtime LOL Notes, now available at The Land of Nod to bring on a case of the giggles!