Posted by Keelin Hollenbeck on July 2, 2013

Although I love a chilled glass of rosé in the summer and the occasional icy cocktail, sometimes I love a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade. My favorite summer drink is to mix lemonade with iced tea and make what I call a half ‘n half, but it is also known as an Arnold Palmer.

When I was in high school, I worked at the New York State Fair for the two weeks it ran every year in Syracuse. It was a great way to make extra cash to buy my back‐to‐school clothes. I worked for a fried dough place that also owned lemonade stands. The lemonade stands were in the shape of a lemon sliced in half and then propped open. I would always work in the lemon which was fun because I got to people‐watch and drink lemonades. The occasional fried dough also helped. Whenever I drink fresh lemonades, it reminds me of when I worked in the lemon.

The recipe for lemonade is pretty basic; lemon juice, sugar, water and ice. In this recipe I use super fine sugar because it dissolves easier than regular granulated sugar. This sugar is found in most grocery stores. If you can’t find it you can use regular sugar…you may just have to stir it a little longer. I give a range for the amount of sugar because it is based on personal preference. My lemons were very tart so I used the full 3/4 cups of sugar. I used my hand lemon squeezer which works very well for juicing. This recipe can be halved or double based on your crowd size.

Serve a pitcher this week at your Fourth of July party with a pitcher of ice tea! You could also use this recipe to make Arnold Palmer popsicles or basil lemonade.

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

Author: 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Ingredients

1 cup of lemon juice, from 4-5 lemons
½-3/4 cup of super fine sugar
4 cups cold water
1 cup ice
lemon slices, for garnish

Instructions

In a large pitcher add all ingredients and stir vigorously until all the sugar is dissolved. Serve with additional ice if needed.

Source- Adapted from Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Posted by Keelin Hollenbeck on June 23, 2013

The other week, my boyfriend and I were craving the Chicago-style hot dogs that we experienced on our first trip to Chicago a few months ago. We were reading recipes online and I found a recipe for homemade hot dog buns. I got really excited about this because I have been wanting to make my own hot dog roll for some time now. Also, I could easily make these homemade buns into some poppy seed buns that are required for Chicago hot dogs.

Although the hot dog bun recipe has poppy seeds on them, you can make these plain by skipping the topping instructions. Bread-making wise, these are really easy to make and you won’t believe how good they taste! Make them now and put them in the freezer for your Fourth of July party. Your friends and family will be super impressed when you say “ Yeah I made these, no biggy!” (yes I totally just made up this scenario, but it could happen!)

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

Author: 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
1 cups warm milk
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
3 cups (plus more if needed) all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 tbsp. of cold water
2 tbsp. poppy seeds (optional)

Instructions

In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together sugar, yeast, and warm water. Let the yeast mixture sit for 5 minutes. It should get foamy.
Add in warm milk, vegetable oil, salt and 1 &1/2 cup of the flour to the yeast mixture. Mix on medium-high for about 2 minutes. Switch to the dough hook attachment and turn mixer onto low. Work in additional flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the dough come together and pulls away from sides of the bowl.
Let the mixer go to 8-10 minutes on low to knead the dough.
Oil a large bowl. Form dough into a ball and place into the oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour. It should double in size.
Ones the dough has risen, punch out the dough on to slightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 8-10 equal sized balls. (I used my kitchen scale and measured the dough to divide it. I also made 8 rolls and they were a little big for normal sized hot dogs.)
Roll the dough balls into long rolls in your hands. You will want them to be about 4 and ½ inches long, then flatten each slightly with your palm.
If using topping, sprinkle baking sheet with poppy seeds and lightly roll each dough piece in poppy seeds.
Place the rolls on baking sheet so that they are equally spread out. Cover with towel and let rest for about 45 minutes.
When there is 15 minutes left to the dough resting, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Whisk together the egg and water in a small bowl to prepare egg wash. Brush the top of each roll with the egg wash and sprinkle each with poppy seeds (if using.)
Place the roll in the oven and bake the rolls for 20 minutes. The roll will be lightly golden brown when done. Remove from baking sheet and let cool on wire rack
When ready to serve rolls, slice lengthwise pulling the knife only ⅔ the way through, leaving other side closed. Store in airtight bag or container.

Source– Adapted slightly from Curvy Carrot

Recipe for Chicago-style hot dogs to come!

Mmmmmm….

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on June 28, 2012

We’ve been trying so many great sumer recipes lately and I wanted to pull together some Fourth of July menu ideas in case you are still looking for something for the upcoming holiday. Since the 4th falls on a Wednesday this year, why not kick off your patriotic festivities this weekend and continue it for the next week? Cook up some hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill and add some of these additional summer menu items:

15 Fourth Of July Menu Ideas

Breakfast:

Appetizers & Cocktails:

Sides:

Desserts:

Also, if you need more Fourth of July Menu inspiration, be sure to check out our Memorial Day Menu Ideas post as well! Check back in to 2S2C soon…K has some more Fourth of July ideas up her sleeve!