Finally! We moved, but it’s not all smooth sailing yet. We’re living out of boxes and we don’t have a kitchen yet. While our perfect kitchen is being built (which we will be talking about soon), I’m going to have to get crafty. I do have many plug-in appliances (rice cooker, toaster oven, panini press, waffle maker, microwave, etc.) so we’re still going to have a ball here. I think we’re going to be pleasantly surprised with how much I (or you) can do without a kitchen. (Gulp) Determined to eat well every single day without exceptions, here goes…

Whenever I got sick as a kid, I got handed Ginger Ale and Saltines. By force of habit, that’s still what I crave when I’m sick. But, many commercial ginger ales don’t even have real ginger in them any more. Even the ones that do, or claim to, don’t really taste like ginger. You have to drink it, hold some in your mouth, close your eyes, and think real hard. Oh, there’s the ginger….I think.

That kind of defeats the purpose. Ginger is good for you, and helps with nausea and upset stomachs, plus a handful or other health benefits.

Last time Lon got sick, I went searching for some real ginger, ginger ales. I found a few good ones at Whole Foods (sorry forgot which brands) and I’ve tried a few good ginger beers as well. They have that real ginger spice but most end up being too sweet for me, and rather expensive.

This time, while I was sick, Lon tried making me some ginger ale. After a few attempts, we came up with this Ginger Ale, which is made to my preference. Lon would take it a little sweeter. I find this one very refreshing, being lighter than the standard, and the lemon ginger combo really does help with the nausea. Use it as a guideline to help make your own preferred ginger ale.

The reason I give this as a one serving recipe is because if you make a lot and don’t drink it immediately, it will go flat. Plus, ultra fresh lemon and ginger has a zing that just can’t be beat. But, if you are going to be drinking several cups in a span of one to two days, it would make sense to make a ginger mix (which is also below). Then, you can use that ginger mix to make ginger ale per cup as you want.

Homemade Ginger Ale

~for one

1 tablespoon grated ginger (use a microplane)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

1 cup chilled seltzer or club soda

Instructions –

1. Put grated ginger in a bowl and stir in sugar. Set aside for 30 minutes.

2. Place a strainer over a cup. Spoon the ginger/sugar mixture into the strainer and use the back of the spoon to press down on the ginger to extract ginger juice. Discard left over ginger pulp.

3. Stir lemon juice into ginger juice. Stir in brown sugar and dissolve completely.

4. Add seltzer or club soda and drink/serve immediately.

Homemade Ginger Ale Mix

~8 servings

1/2 cup grated ginger (use a box grater)

4 teaspoons sugar

5 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

5 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Instructions –

1. Put grated ginger in a bowl and stir in sugar. Set aside for 1 hour.

2. Place a strainer over a cup or bowl. Spoon the ginger/sugar mixture into the strainer and use the back of the spoon to press down on the ginger to extract ginger juice. Discard left over ginger pulp.

3. Stir lemon juice into ginger juice. Stir in brown sugar and dissolve completely.

4. Store the ginger mix in an airtight container in the fridge. Use a few spoonfuls per cup of seltzer, adjusting to your own preference whenever you want a glass. Try to use within 2 days.

posted by jessica at 11:32 AM

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