Our summer treat...

My husband knows it's summer when nearly every trip to BJ's includes purchasing the double pack of large bottles of lemon juice. What do I do with it? I make lemonade... Lots and lots of lemonade!

I actually stopped making lemonade for a while because I didn't like the amount of granulated sugar I had to use in it to get the right tartness to sweetness ratio. The calories were outrageous and I felt guilty when my father in-law who is diabetic would drink glass after glass of it. I refuse to use "fake sugar" and I tried honey but that just didn't taste quite right. Then BJ's started selling 100% pure agave in large jugs so I figured I'd give it a whirl. It's WONDERFUL! The agave has a low glycemic index and only 60 calories per tablespoon so each glass must only have 20-30 calories at most.

I don't actually measure the ingredients when I'm making it so just test as you go. Start with a gentle mix and add more of whatever is missing until you hit what pleasures your taste buds.

Ingredients:
Lemon juice
100% pure agave (which, I've recently learned, is also the essential ingredient in smooth tequila)
Water

I use a 1.75 gallon jug and fill it nearly full leaving enough room for additional ingredients to adjust to taste. If I've got some lemons or limes, I wash the outside of them well and then slice and squeeze them into the lemonade as well for a little zingy pulp addition. They are pretty too.

From now until the end of September you'll find a jug of lemonade in our fridge at all times. For someone that drinks water almost exclusively, this is such a nice treat!