Lemonade With a Twist ~ Blueberry Lemonade ~ Making It From Scratch!

Summer for me is the time to indulge in cool delights and cool drinks tops my list. One of the most frequently made drink in my house is Indian Lemonade or Sikanji. Infact, it is one of the few simple things I had learned to make as a child. But, sometimes making the same drink every time you have an urge for a cool drink is monotonous. So, I look forward to trying out new things. Blueberry Lemonade is one such creation. It is simple lemonade with homemade blueberry syrup stirred into it, giving a merrier, berrier, lemony cool drink.

Sometimes, when I run out of the homemade bluberry syrup, I mix little blueberry jam with water and strain and use it in instead. I know that sounds weird, but it also tastes good! I am not sure how good it is nutritionally, so I won't encourage you to do the same. But, at times this trick has served my purpose ;-)!

The blueberry syrup can be made in advance and can be refrigerated for 1-2 months. We can also substitute blueberries with other berries to get a variety of flavoured lemonade. But, personally blueberry is my favorite.

Blueberries are very good for health.

~ They are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are understood to help neutralise the harmful free radicals that can cause cancer and other serious dieseases. They also help reduce cholesterol.

~ Blueberries are rich in potassium, which is known to regulate blood pressure.

~ Having a bowl of blueberries will keep your stomach happy and bowels clear.

These berries can be easily frozen and can be kept frozen for 5-6 months in zip lock bags.

How to freeze bluberries or any other berries?

Wash the berries and pat dry. Pick any over ripe or rotten berries from the lot. Make sure the berries are completely dry. Spread them in a single layer on a plate and cover it with a cling film and freeze over night. Take them out next day and fill them in a zip lock bag. Squeeze out any air and lock the bag and freeze again. Use as needed.

Coming back to the recipe, lets first prepare the blueberry syrup:

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries.

5-6 tbsp sugar.

75ml water.

2 tbsp lemon juice.

Process:

1. In a saucepan all the berries, sugar and water and bring it to boil. The berries will start to burst. Turn the heat to medium and add lemon juice.

2. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the gas.

3. Let it cool completely. When cooled churn it in a blender and seive the mixture to get rid of any residue.

4. Store in a sterilized jar and keep it in the fridge. Use as needed.

For the blueberry lemonade:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

450ml of water
Juice of 1 lemon (3-4 tbsp, adjust to taste).
5-6 tbsp sugar (Adjust to taste).
A good pinch of black salt.
7-8 ice cubes (optional).

4 tbsp blueberry syrup.

Process:

Mix everything together and stir till the sugar dissolves. Keep aside.

For blueberry lemonade stir in 4 tbsp of bluberry syrup into it and serve!

Enjoy this delicious cool treat this summer! One last peek!

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Mistress by Anita Nair

When I borrowed this book from my friend, I wasn't really sure what to expect from it. I just wanted to read a different kind book and was really attracted towards the cover page of this book. The cover page here is the picture of the face of a Kathakali dancer. Kathakali is an integral part of the book with each chapters beginning with an explanation of the one of the navarassas (nine emotions/expressions) and then the author goes on to draw an analogy from life for all of them. The story is set in Kerala and which is the mother land of this form of dance.

Kathakali  is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion. It originated in the country's present day state of Kerala, India during the 17th century and has developed over the years with improved looks, refined gestures and added themes besides more ornate singing and precise drumming.(Source:Wikipedia).

The story is about 4 people, a famous Kathakali dancer-Koman, her neice, Radha and her husband Shyam and about Christopher, who is a travel writer and has come to Kerala to interview Koman.

For the plot of the book, I am quoting the snyopsis from the back of the book:

When travel writer Christopher Stewart arrives at a riverside resort in Kerala to meet Koman, Radha's uncle and a famous kathakali dancer, he enters a world of masks and repressed emotions. From their first meeting, both Radha and her uncle are drawn to the enigmatic young man with his cello and his incessant questions about the past. The triangle quickly excludes Shyam, Radha's husband, who can only watch helplessly as she embraces Chris with a passion that he has never been able to draw from her. Also playing the role of observer-participant is Koman; his life story, as it unfolds, captures all the nuances and contradictions of the relationships being made--and unmade--in front of his eyes.

When I first started reading the book, I felt it was going to be a difficult read but soon I let go all my apprehensions and then I started enjoying the book. I won't say it was a light read but it was definately enlightening. It is an intense novel full of deep, mysterious, complex emotions that are so true to life. The story of each character unravels slowly and in the end culminates into a passionate story of life. Each of the character in this novel has a passion in life and in some way or other it decides the course of their life, and hence it becomes a demanding mistress. That is what the title of the book signifies.

It is a kind of book that can be re-read and there will still be new things to discover. I will definately recommend it to anyone looking for a serious read by an Indian author. To know more about the author and her work visit http://www.anitanair.net/home.php.

Thank you for stopping by. Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday - Fort Kumbhalgarh

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger

Does it happen with you?

A book that gets mass accolades fails to make a mark on you? A book that you are so-looking- forward- to- read dissappoints you?

It has happened with me again. Last time when I had said this, it was about Eat Pray and Love.

Yes, I am saying I did not like The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger. It is the first book of the author I have read. Most of you may differ from me in your opinion about this book. But, let me tell you why it did not work for me and I abondened reading it after 150 pages.                                   The novel chronicles the love story of Henry and Clare. Henry has a rare genetic disorder, which comes to be known as Chrono-Displacement, that causes him to involuntarily travel through time. He does not have control over where he travels, why he travels, when he travels and he does not take any thing from the present to which ever time he travels, not even his clothes.                                                                         Actually, I found the whole premises of the story very confusing. The story is being told by both Henry and Clare alternately in first person. Henry would pop up in certain time before or after his present and meet Clare who would either be a child or much older. He would talk about their future or his past and then again he would vanish in thin air. What I found rather funny was he could travels in time and meet his other self, younger or older. That is why I felt the story was not growing and it seemed to me very flat and stagnant (till the point I read).

Another probable reason I think for not liking this book is perhaps I was  reading this book very slowly in bits and gave more time and attention to the other books I had been reading. By the time I reached a length in the story, I almost forgot what I had read before.

I had brought the book from the library and it had been with me for at least 3 months. I kept hoping that at some point I might find it interesting. But, give it to my lazy reading, I finally returned it without even completing it. For the rest of the story I read this article on Wikipedia and some reviews on GoodReads and realised there are a whole lot of people who felt the same about the novel.

To know more about the author and her works visit http://audreyniffenegger.com/

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers

Wordless Wednesday - Tranquility