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Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade

4-6 lemons, enough to equal 1 cup of lemon juice
1-1 1/2 c. simple syrup (recipe follows)
16 oz. container of strawberries, cleaned and hulled
1 quart sparkling water
Mint to garnish (I just used small strawberries for garnish.)

Juice the lemons to get 1 cup of lemon juice. Blend the strawberries and 1/2 c. of the simple syrup in a blender or with an immersion blender, until smooth. Strain to remove the seeds. Pour lemon juice, strawberry puree, 1/2 c. simple syrup, and sparkling water into a pitcher. Add more simple syrup if needed to achieve the sweetness you like. Add ice and chill.

Recipe: Simple Syrup

(I only used 1 c. of simple syrup for my pitcher of lemonade. If you want it more sweet than tart, use 3/4 c. sugar to 3/4 c. water and add it all.)

1 part sugar to 1 part water

Combine sugar and warm water. Stir to dissolve sugar. (This can also be done on the stovetop, but I found this was faster and easier.)

• Visit Michelle's blog: One Ordinary Day

Thank you Michelle

(Image: Michelle)