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Cooking with Myra: Quench summertime thirsts with mint lemonade slushes

Lemonade Slush
  • Originally published May 3, 2010 at midnight, updated May 4, 2010 at 4:25 p.m.

  • CREME DE MENTHE BROWNIES1 box brownie mix

    2/3 cup pecans, chopped

    3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

    Topping:

    2 cups powdered sugar

    1/2 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces

    3 Tbsp. green creme de menthe or 2 tsp. ...

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    • CREME DE MENTHE BROWNIES1 box brownie mix

    2/3 cup pecans, chopped

    3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

    Topping:

    2 cups powdered sugar

    1/2 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces

    3 Tbsp. green creme de menthe or 2 tsp. peppermint, plus 2 Tbsp. milk

    Glaze:

    1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

    6 Tbsp. butter

    Prepare brownies according to package, but add the pecans and chocolate chips to the batter. Place in a 9x13-inch pan and bake according to directions. Allow to cool.

    Cream the powdered sugar and butter with a mixer until smooth. The icing should be light and fluffy. Add the crème de menthe and beat until blended. (If using peppermint extract add more or less milk to obtain the desired spreading consistency.) Spread the icing over the cooled brownie layer and refrigerate.

    Combine chocolate chips and butter in a double boiler over medium to low heat. Stir until the chocolate is melted. The mixture should be very smooth. Remove and allow to thicken slightly, about 15 minutes. Pour glaze over the brownies and refrigerate for 1 hour. Cut into 2 inch squares and serve.

    LEMONADE SLUSH

    1 can frozen lemonade

    1/4 cup mint leaves, cleaned

    Ice

    Prepare lemonade according to directions. Pour prepared lemonade in blender filling half of container; add ice and some mint leaves. Blend until thoroughly mixed. There will be small flecks of green leaves in slush. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

By Myra Starkey

The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.

I look down at my arms and hands. I am covered with a mixture of peat moss, potting soil and regular dirt.

Wet clumps of weed parts and other organic matter cling to my legs below my shorts.

I stop to wash my hands and feet several times, but there is always more to do.

The dry dirt has mixed with the moisture and my toes look like stubby roots. I am becoming part of the garden.

The phone rings in my pocket, but I am too dirty to answer it.

A wet dishcloth is tied around my neck to shield it and to offer some relief from the blistering sun. My knees are red from kneeling in the grass. I haven't looked in a mirror, so I am unaware of the smears of dirt on my face.

My broad-brimmed hat shields me from the direct rays, still I feel the heat rising from my cheeks. I am in paradise.

Taylor is out of town this weekend, and, therefore, he has escaped the springtime "clean up the yard" weekend.

He does not like this type of gardening. His idea of landscaping is to rev up his chainsaw and start hacking down trees.

He also loves to get on a tractor and shred stuff, and the taller the brush or grass the more he enjoys mowing it.

There are those who are delicate and refined gardeners and I would put Taylor on the opposite end of that spectrum.

In fact, I would think that if money were no object, he would most like to do his "gardening" from the seat of a large bulldozer.

I have been working in the yard since early morning. Janet, my good friend, happens to be a master gardener, so she is a great consultant. She offered to help me get the flower beds and containers in shape before my daughter's wedding.

I have neglected our landscape for the winter months and the dead branches are standing tall above the new green growth and are begging to be cut away.

I have also hired two men to help me haul the dead foliage, and they both seem quite surprised two see such dirty women on their hands and knees digging in the dirt.

One of bushes I planted at least three years ago died during our prolonged winter. I contemplate the removal and finally start up the chain saw.

Janet cautions me to not saw my leg off. I attempt the removal of the stump by alternately digging around the stump and chain sawing, but finally give up and call the guys to use hatchets.

We have been in the yard for about four hours and are finally to the point of seeing what new plants need to be purchased. Unfortunately, both Janet and I are covered in dirt. Precious time would be wasted if we took the time to totally clean up, so I suggested we simply wash off with the water hose and head to the plant nursery. Janet is not convinced this is a good idea. She tells me that I probably don't realize how dirty I am.

I tell her that if she is embarrassed by how we look that she can just sit in the car while I go in.

I secretly hope that the nursery will be deserted and no one will see us. This is not likely since it is a sunny, Saturday spring day.

We arrive at our destination and enter plant paradise. There are hanging baskets, shade plants, ivy and blooming zinnias.

Beautiful blue pottery containers beckon me, but I restrain myself and stick to the list. Janet heads off in the direction of shrubs and I concentrate on plants for the pots. I fill the bed of the pick up truck, and we head home to complete our task.

As we plant the front beds and the small garden, I am so grateful to have Janet helping me. We laugh, we dig, we haul pruned limbs and simply experience the joys of gardening and old friendship.

Both of us realize that we are getting older. I comment that "in the old days" I could do the entire yard in a Sunday afternoon, without having sore hands or an aching back the next day.

We both agree that having a smaller yard and fewer flower beds might be a good goal as one gets older.

Despite the soreness, I wake up on Sunday morning and go outside. The birds are singing the new songs they have created for that day. The cloudless sky is rosy blue, then light blue, then blue as the shadows begin to shorten.

The grass is slightly wet with dew. I unroll the water hose and allow the new plants to quench their thirst as I sip my morning coffee.

The yard looks wonderful and with a few weeks of water and sunshine, nature will work its magic. I love spring.

Summertime thirsts need to be quenched. Mint lemonade slush cools the palate. Add a mint brownie and it is time to relax and enjoy an evening on the porch.

I prepared the base of the brownie from a packaged mix saving valuable time, which I will spend in the garden. The powdered sugar icing can be made using Creme de menthe or peppermint extract and 2 tablespoons of milk.

The secret to the icing layer is "spreadability." The icing should have body, but not be so thick one cannot spread it.

The chocolate glaze can harden in the refrigerator for an hour, but if you leave it too long the glaze will "crack" when it is cut into squares. Garnish with mint sprigs and serve.

Myra Starkey lives in Victoria. Write her in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901, or e-mail myra@vicad.com.