Fresh Beverage Idea: Contest

Win a copy of Fresh, Fast and Fabulous on the
Ann Arbor  Mom Blog!

Last week, I was offered an opportunity sponsored by Sam's Club called the "Fruit Cooler" Challenge, and YOU all get to benefit from it. My challenge was to create a refreshing fruit cooler recipe to share with my family and friends. Of course all of you know that as an Ann Arbor blogger, I like deals and discounts, so it was important to me to create a quick and easy recipe that anyone can make.

I went to our local Sam's Club (5450 Carpenter Road, Ypsilanti Township) armed with my copy of Fresh, Fast and Fabulous to be inspired by whatever I ran into. There were beautiful peaches, watermelon, blueberries and more. Everything looked juicy and smelled so fresh that it was hard to make my selection, but ultimately the fresh raspberries caught my eye. Then the challenge began. What in the store could I add to the raspberries to make my fast, family friendly beverage cooler? And that's when I saw the end cap display with large containers of Country Time Lemonade! Some may say it's cheating, however when I present a beautifully made cocktail that looks like I spent hours preparing, I consider it a win for me AND my guests!

So here is my Kid Friendly "Homemade" Raspberry Lemonade.

Ingredients:

Lemaid mix
fresh berries (I used raspberries, however any fresh summer berry like blueberries, strawberries, or blackberries would be amazing)
a fresh lemon
ice
garnish with fresh berries or sprigs of mint

Directions:

Place 1 pint of the berries into a bowl, reserving a few for garnish later. Next mash the berries to break them up into smaller chunks. Add powdered lemonade mix and water - I did not make the recipe as directed on the can, and instead made it a little weaker initially. I then let the lemonade and berry mix sit overnight in the refrigerator, however letting it sit for a few hours would also be sufficient to mix the flavors.

Getting kids to prepare recipes
is a great learning experience!

The next day, strain the berries out of the mix - This is a great step for the kids to help with.  Cut the fresh lemons in half and add a little freshly squeezed lemon juice. This step is why I did not mix the lemonade mix to full strength initially. Then pour your beverages into glasses with ice, and add a fresh berry or two and a spring of mint for garnish. Then enjoy! Your friends and family will be surprised at how tasty the recipe is and will swear you took a lot of time (and lemons) to make hand squeezed lemonade!

Since this recipe was for my friend and her children who were coming to visit, I made this without alcohol, however I can imagine adding some vodka would make it a wonderfully simple adult beverage!

Do you have a simple summer cooler you have created for friends and family? Would you be inspired by the fresh fruit available at Sam's Club? I offer you the readers your own summer cooler challenge and post it in one of three ways. Create a quick and easy mock-tail or adult cocktail to share with fellow Ann Arbor Mom readers - Either in the comments of this post, on the Ann Arbor Mom Facebook Wall or by blogging about it on your own blog and sending a Tweeting your #FruitCooler to @tammayrendA2Mom and @samsclub. One winner will be chosen from all of the entries to receive their own copy of Fresh, Fast and Fabulous for their own cooking inspiration!

All entries must be received by midnight on Labor Day - So take your time and create a fabulous beverage for your holiday weekend.