When life gives you 80 degree temps, make lemonade

Our Southern California Autumn came and went with barely a sweater in sight.

Winter wandered in, and I longed for cold nights, a blazing fire, a hearty stew and a glass of Zin, but that moment never materialized. When the temperature dipped to 75 degrees a couple of weeks ago, I forged ahead and slow cooked beef stew in my new enamel cast iron pot.

It tasted great, but it just didn't seem right to be eating stew while fan blades whirled.

I was beginning to feel like one of those women with curly hair who spends hours with a flat iron to make it lie straight. Or the woman with perfectly straight hair who spends big bucks and countless hours to add curl. Why couldn't I work with what I have?

And what I have is a tree full of Meyers lemons and temperatures in the 80s. I gave up my dreams of stew by the fire and gave in to the sunny reality of home-made iced lemonade on our patio.

Now what was I complaining about?

Meyer's Lemonade

• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
• 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.

While the sugar is dissolving, squeeze the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.

Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. If the lemonade too sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.

Serve with ice and sliced lemons.