Welcome summer with sweetness

photo credit: Style Me Pretty

Doesn't this picture just make you smile a little? It makes me want to walk in that field barefoot, find a place to lie down, and spend some time in dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing). In t-minus 3 and counting my life will no longer revolve around spreadsheets, textbooks, accounting, finance, or HBR. I hope to take a simple approach to refreshing and recharging this summer, and use the time to plan and enjoy my wedding. I am told that for once in my life I should stop worrying about being efficient and practical. This is difficult to do when you're a grad student on a budget like I am! But they say if there's a will there's a way.

Maybe you're not getting married this summer, but you still want to refresh, recharge, and find ways to infuse these sweet sunshiney days with a little bit of my favorite thing of all time, la dolce vita, preferably peppered with some dolce far niente! Here's a recipe for a signature drink to get you there in no time:

La Dolce Vita

1.0 fl. oz. of Vodka

4 seedless grapes

1 teaspoon of Honey

Prosecco

Suggested Garnish

Twist of Lemon

Mixing Procedure

Place seedless grapes into a cocktail shaker, crush with a spoon, add vodka and honey, shake, strain into a champagne flute, top with prosecco, stir, garnish with a twist of lemon.

For those who don't want libations, try the Lavender Lemonade:

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup (a generous handful) fresh or 1 tablespoon dried lavender blooms stripped from stems (preferably one that doesn't smell piney, such as spike.
  

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained

• Ice cubes

• Lavender sprigs for garnish

1. Combine sugar with 2 1/2 cups water in a medium pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add the lavender blooms to the sugar water, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand at least 20 minutes (and up to several hours).
3. Strain mixture and discard lavender. Pour infusion into a glass pitcher. Add lemon juice and another 2 1/2 cups water. Stir well and watch lemonade change color.

4. Pour into tall glasses half-filled with ice or refrigerate until ready to use.