A Less Sugary Lemonade

By Katie Barreira

I love lemonade, but have you ever looked at the label? Sugar usually comes before lemon juice! How to enjoy my favorite summer refresher without sucking down my weight in sucrose?

Well, if I could somehow make the lemonade less tart then I wouldn’t need as much sugar to balance it out. Solution: the orange-hued Meyer lemon, a hybrid between a lemon and a tangerine, which has a natural floral-like sweetness and lower acidity than a traditional lip-puckering lemon.

Now that I was using less sugar, I had to consider its form. Typically, I make lemonade with simple syrup (a combination of sugar and water that’s been heated until the sugar dissolves) because this combines effortlessly into the cold water and lemon juice. But in a moment of food science inspiration, I recalled this tidbit from a cocktail class: when heated, sucrose turns into higher viscosity fructose, from which our palates don’t register flavor as well. So, by keeping all the ingredients cold and using a little elbow grease, I could make the lemonade taste sweeter with less sugar.

Finally, top the lemonade off with a splash of sparkling water; there’s nothing like a little effervescence to make a person feel refreshed.

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Grilled Fish with Pineapple Salsa

By Sandy Hu

Congratulations to our two sweepstakes winners: Peggy B from Oroville CA who won our Charcoal Companion grill tools giveaway, and Rita A from Westminster CA who won our secret prize: the Picnic Time English-style willow basket. Stay tuned for our next sweepstakes.

We grill pretty much year-round in San Francisco, except on the coldest, wettest days. Mostly in our house, we go for the standards: burgers, ribs and steaks. But recently, we’ve been trying to eat more fish. I love fish and often order it at restaurants. But home cooking? No so much.

We pay attention to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch for recommendations about which seafood are ocean-friendly and which to avoid because they are overfished or caught or farmed in ways that are harmful to other marine life or to the environment.

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Cool BBQ Tools for Labor Day Grilling and Beyond

By David Hu

Even though Labor Day is almost upon us, there’s no reason to stop grilling until well into the fall. For die-hard grillers, even winter snows aren’t a deterrent.

So we’ve partnered with Companion Group to give away grill tools (estimated retail value: $120) that are going to make you want to run outside and fire up the grill!

For Video Friday, I’m showing you the great tools you’ll win. And even if you don’t win, we think you’ll want to preview some of the hottest tools for barbecuing. Sweepstakes ends this Sunday, 9 p.m. PST.

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A Parcel of Pralines

By Marilyn Hunter

My great aunt’s recipe box, which I inherited, is filled with many treasures but there is only one recipe that tells an unforgettable story.

The year was 1942. The Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbor and World War II was in full swing. Aunt Lucile and Uncle Harry had been married only a short while before he was swiftly swept up in the draft and shipped off to war.

Letters from homesick soldiers were pouring in to American women on the home front. Their men were in need of basic items in short supply like blankets, socks, soap, aspirin and toothpaste. But Harry’s letters to Lucile were very different. He was a steadfast sort who worried less about blankets and socks and more about the saintly pleasures of home. He begged for something near and dear to his heart…her homemade pralines.

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Volunteering at the Hurley Corn Festival

By Lori Powell

Every year on the third weekend of August, I volunteer to help run the food stand at the Hurley Corn Festival from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. The festival is held down the road from my house in Upstate New York.

This was the 32nd annual festival and each year, it helps to support the Heritage Society. (I was a board member until I moved to Pennsylvania.) I used to also process the vendor applications, find new vendors and then place them at the festival. Not an easy task. I was happy to give up those duties, along with my seat on the board, to Mr. Eric as he is known to his students (he teaches seventh grade history at a local school in Ulster Country).

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