Summer is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with one’s clothes,
and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit.A few of those days and you can become drunk
with the belief that all’s right with the world.-Ada Louise Huxtable
Every year, during the same week in August, we stay at our family beach house. It’s a summertime tradition that after more than a decade borders on hallowed ritual. Throughout the week, a parade of family and friends come to join us; some that we see often, some that we see only during this week, this standing date.
It’s a time of catching up on each other’s lives, of reminiscing about shared memories and making new ones at a frantic pace, to remember next year. We play in the sand and water, we stay up entirely too late at night laughing together, and we contentedly sit on the wraparound deck together, lounging on Adirondack chairs, happy to read or nap or people-watch quietly during the hot afternoon. Grateful just to be together.
It’s also a time to cook together; it’s funny how we all learned to cook over the years. We’re all grown up, we are. The fruits and vegetables of backyard bounties come with us; we stop at farmer’s markets along the ride down; we run out for seafood and chowda. We eat like kings.
The drinks are important too. There really isn’t anything better than eating with friends and washing it down with summer lemonade or tea poured from a sweating carafe. Each summer week has always had its “it” drink- I remember vividly the summer we only made gin & tonics to sip on the porch; there was a year of Irish Car Bombs (I don’t remember that one as well, if I am being honest); the summer of White Russians. There was a series of summers dedicated to drinks made from ice cream- Strawberry Shortcakes, Oreo Mudslides, Orange Creamsicles.
Now, of course, we all have kids (not just me!) and as I’ve grown older I can’t take the dairy anymore. Which makes me oh so sad (the dairy intolerance, not the kids). But I’ve discovered the perfect drink for Summer Retreat 2012. It’s got kid-appeal, tastes like a creamy orange dream, and contains zero dairy for the intolerant (me) and the vegans (not me). Hooray!
It’s called a Citrus Fizz, and it’s one of a bunch of yummy summer drinks you can find over on the Silkology Facebook page(Silkology: combining the art of mixology with the delicious flavors of Silk). This recipe uses the soymilk I already buy, but there are concoctions using Silk’s Fruit & Protein drinks too. I would have loved to try one of those, but our little beach grocery doesn’t stock them!
Why Silk? I like it a lot:
- non-GMO; made from 100% North American-grown soybeans which can be traced by consumers down to the county level
- soy- a complete protein, containing all your amino acids (I’m not a vegetarian, but I’ve cut way back on meat and protein intake is something I think about)
- soymilk contains as much calcium & vitamin D as milk
- Silk works with Conservation International on a Responsible Soybean Sourcing and Production Program, a non-profit dedicated to responsibility and sustainability
- electricity used in production of Silk products is offset through the Bonnevills Environmental Foundation
The recipe called for orange water, which we didn’t have, so we subbed in San Pellegrino soda in Blood Orange for the soda water listed in the ingredients. Result: refreshing orange creamsicle perfection that the kids gulped down.
And for when the kids go to bed… well, I tried adding some vanilla vodka I found in the kitchen cabinet and let me tell you something. Ahem. I’m going to have to keep an eye on the bottle because it would be very easy to drink too much of this. Dangerous.
All this to say: I’m ready, friends.
I can’t wait for you to get here, to watch our kids play together, to laugh too loudly and sleep too late. This is the year of the Citrus Fizz.
Let’s cook something delicious and make some memories.
Silk inspired me to think outside of the bowl with their new Silkology-inspired drink recipes. How can you reinvent YOUR favorite summertime gathering?
Let me know in the comments to be entered into a Sweepstakes for a chance to win a Silkology Prize Package, including ‘Silk for a Year’ (24 certificates for a free half gallon) and an entertaining drink set (pitcher, stirrer, shaker, tray and glassware).
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.
