Amys Lavender Lemonade Food

AMY'S LAVENDER LEMONADE

Steps:

• Place ice cubes into a 2 quart pitcher. Place the lavender into a bowl, and pour boiling water over it. Allow to steep for about 10 minutes, then strain out the lavender and discard. Mix the sugar into the hot lavender water, then pour into the pitcher with the ice.
• Squeeze the juice from the lemons into the pitcher, getting as much juice as you can. Top off the pitcher with cold water, and stir. Taste, and adjust lemon juice or sugar if desired. Pour into tall glasses, pull up a lawn chair and a good book, and relax!

LAVENDER AND LEMON COOKIES

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a food processor, pulse together the flours, arrowroot, sugar, lavender, salt and baking soda.
• Add the butter and lemon zest. Pulse until the mixture forms a coarse meal. Add the honey and lemon juice. Pulse until the mixture forms a soft dough. Form the dough into 1-inch round balls and press into discs, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light brown around the edges, 9 to 11 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely, about 15 minutes.

LAVENDER CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F, and grease a 9-inch springform pan. Whisk graham cracker crumbs, margarine, salt and 1/4 cup of the sugar together in a medium bowl until combined. Press firmly onto bottom of the pan (or up the sides, if desired). Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool. Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees F.
• Once the pan reaches room temperature, carefully wrap the outside of the pan in 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil, being sure that there are NO gaps where water could seep through. Place the pan in a large roasting dish (or any pan larger than the springform), and bring a tea kettle or pot of water to boil in preparation for the water bath. Set aside.
• Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium speed for 3 minutes until smooth. Add the remaining 1-1/4 cup sugar and beat for an additional minute until well blended. Add Greek yogurt, vanilla and lavender (and earl grey tea, if using), and beat for an additional minute, stopping partway to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended. Do not overbeat! Pour into crust.
• Place the double pans in the oven on a shelf on the bottom third of the oven. Very carefully use a tea kettle (or large measuring cup) to pour the boiling water in the larger pan to form a water bath around the springform, so that it comes up about 1-inch around the springform.
• Close the oven door, and bake about 1 hour 40 min, or until center is almost set. (The center of the cake should still jiggle ever so slightly.) Turn oven off, and open oven door slightly. Let cheesecake set in oven 1 hour. Then remove cheesecake from oven, carefully run a knife around the edges of the cake, and then let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove springform rim, and top cheesecake with whipped cream just before serving. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.
• To make earl grey homemade whipped cream, first bring the heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add a tea bag and steep for 4 minutes, then remove the tea bag. Refrigerate cream until cool. Then follow these simple instructions for how to make homemade whipped cream.

AMY'S LAVENDER LEMONADE

Steps:

• Place ice cubes into a 2 quart pitcher. Place the lavender into a bowl, and pour boiling water over it. Allow to steep for about 10 minutes, then strain out the lavender and discard. Mix the sugar into the hot lavender water, then pour into the pitcher with the ice.
• Squeeze the juice from the lemons into the pitcher, getting as much juice as you can. Top off the pitcher with cold water, and stir. Taste, and adjust lemon juice or sugar if desired.
• Pour into tall glasses, pull up a lawn chair and a good book, and relax!

PINK LAVENDER LEMONADE

Steps:

• Place 2 cups water, the lavender, sugar, and strawberries in a saucepan; bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.
• Decrease heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Cover, remove from heat, and let steep for 10 minutes.
• Strain mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a 2-quart container; stir in the lemon juice and remaining 2 ½ cups water.
• Chill until very cold; serve over ice, garnished with sliced strawberries.