Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri

The summer of 2008, the boys made plans to open "Strobelt Smoothie Shop" when they were adults and ready to go into business for themselves. They spent the summer testing a variety of fruit drink recipes and we all enjoyed the results.

6 cups ice
1/2 cup sugar
6-8 ozs fresh strawberries

1/8 cup lime juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Sprite (diet is fine)

Combine ice, sugar and strawberries in a blender. Add juice and soda. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

When we lived in San Mateo, it was always a treat to go over to Grandma Nelson's house and pick lemons off her tree. Then, bring the lemons home and make lemonade. The kids all pitched in to help juice the lemons. We were especially thrilled to make lemonade with the lemons from our own tree once before we moved away.

1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sugar
5 cups cold water
ice cubes

Combine sugar, lemon juice and 2 cups water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add remaining water and stir well. Serve with ice. Garnish with fresh lemon slices, if desired.
Everything here is "to taste" for a sweeter or tarter lemonade, just adjust the amount of lemon juice or sugar. Be sure to taste test before serving. Sparkling water, 7-up or Sprite can be substituted for some or all of the cold water to make a sparkling lemonade.

Sherbet Punch

This punch has long been an LDS party favorite. We served a version of this punch at our wedding in August 1987. We brought it back for Casey's Eagle Court of Honor in August 2009.

2 Liters Sprite/7-Up/Gingerale
1 Gallon Juice (limeade, lemonade, cranberry juice, etc)
1/2 Gallon Sherbet (in flavor of choice that blends well with juice flavor)

Mix soda and juice together in punch bowl. Add scoops of sherbet. Stir and serve immediately.

Strawberry Aqua Fresca

This is a popular drink at Pancho Villa, our favorite burrito place in downtown San Mateo.

4 cups water
1/3 cups sugar
6 cups hulled strawberries
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

Combine water and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Place strawberries in a blender and process until smooth. Combine sugar-water, strawberry puree and lime juice. Stir well.
Yield: 8 cups
71 calories in 1 1/3 cups

Pineapple Lassi

This is a popular beverage at Indian restaurants and we were thrilled when we found the following recipe.

2 cups vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 cup canned crushed pineapple, undrained
1/4 cup light coconut milk
1/8-1/4 tsp ground ginger
6 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in blender. Process until well blended. Serve immediately.
Yield: 3-1 1/2 cup servings
177 Calories

For a more traditional Indian beverage, substitute mango (fresh or frozen) for the pineapple.