This is the first of several lavender recipes I will add to my blog this Summer.  I LOVE lavender, it’s probably my favorite herb.  It’s purple (my favorite color as you know), it smells great, it has soothing and relaxing properties and old herb lore lists many “magical” attributes for this fragrant herb.  For me it’s definitely magical as it reminds me of the Summer I spent in Provence.  I’m very lucky because the house we bought in Fort Collins has an amazing set of Lavender plants in the front yard.  There are about 10 plants, 9 are English Lavender varieties, probably Sachet, and one is a darker flower, probably Spanish Lavender.    This year I have started harvesting the blooms and making little bunches to hang upside down to dry.  The whole house smells yummy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of water for the syrup
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 20 fresh lavender sprigs, stems and all and 1 tbsp lavender leaves OR  1-2 tbsp of dry lavender buds (which tend to be stronger than fresh if you buy them at a gourmet store).
• 1 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 2-4 cups of water
• Ice
• Fresh lavender sprigs for decorating
• Thin slices of lemon for decorating

Process:

Boil 2 cups of water and dissolve the honey and sugar in it.  Put the lavender sprigs and leaves, cover and let it sit for at least half an hour and up to 24 hours (you can put it in the fridge).

When the syrup is ready, strain the syrup into a glass pitcher and remove all the lavender sprigs and leaves.  Add the lemon juice, more water and ice.  Stir well and add a few sprigs of fresh lavender blooms and a few slices of lemon as decoration.

This is the prettiest summer drink EVER!!!

This is delicious!  You will notice I used the same recipe for making the simple syrup in this recipe as in the pineapple sorbet.  It really depends on how much sweetness you need, though.  It’s really a matter of taste.  Trust your instincts.  This recipe is much better when it’s watermelon season.  The goal is to get a puree with almost no syrup, and just use the natural sweetness of the fruit.  If you absolutely must cheat to impress the neighbors, add a couple drops of red food coloring to the puree to make it pop out even more.

Ingredients:

• 1 small seedless watermelon (about 4 cups of cubed watermelon)
• 1 cup of simple syrup
• 1 lime, juiced

Process:

Make the simple syrup by boiling the water and adding the sugar, stirring until it dissolves.  Let it cool to room temperature.

Puree the watermelon, lime juice and the syrup in a blender or food processor.  Freeze using an ice cream maker according to their instructions (or put in a pyrex and freeze until desired consistency, which should be a bit slushy). I have a Cuisinart and it’s great and super easy to use.  If using a food processor, place in a container in the freezer for a little while to get the perfect scoopable consistency.  Serve in pretty glasses and enjoy!

Note:

You can put a squirt of vodka on it when you serve for a little extra kick.

Ok, just because this one KICKS ASS!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 shots Godiva® chocolate liqueur
1 1/2 shots creme de cacao
1/2 shot vodka
2 1/2 shots half-and-half

Process: