Recipe: Cheesecake Factory Raspberry Lemonade

The Dr. and I have agreed that we will not go out to eat this year, except for dinner out once a month and our usual, ubiquitous coffee shop visits. Now, for any of you who know me, you know that this presents an almost-insurmountable challenge for me. I LOVE food. I LOVE going out to eat. However, I wanted to be a good sport so I'm using my creative skills to bring some of the restaurant tastes that I love home.

Enter Cheesecake Factory's Raspberry Lemonade. Have you ever had it? It's like crack in a glass. It costs $4.50, and is worth every penny. Whenever we go, I usually suck down at least 3 glasses worth, and then try to talk the server into giving me one to take home (hey, it is $4.50, after all)! Now that we're eating at home, I knew this was one of the restaurant items I would have to try to recreate. And well, I did!

Cheesecake Factory's Raspberry Lemonade
Makes 2 quarts

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• Extra sugar for sugaring the rim of your glass

Directions:

Bring the cup of water to a boil. Add the sugar and stir constantly for one minute until sugar is thoroughly dissolved; remove from heat and add to a blender with raspberries. Puree until smooth. Add puree to 2-quart container with lemon juice and enough water to make 2 quarts. Chill before serving. Serve over ice in sugared glasses. (Or, you know, glass, if you're going to hoard it.)

To sugar your glass, run one of your lemon rinds around the edge of the glass to moisten. Dip rim into dry sugar until coated to your liking.

YUM.

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