Summer Sunday... (Pineapple Slush)

It's been a crazy kind of first week back to school! Monday and Tuesday are full classroom days, and the rest of the week we're out in the hospitals with real patients, doing real things. I think that my favorite rotation is going to be the maternity clinical - babies! I'm a little baby crazy right now, as a married 26 year old woman living in a house with two empty bedrooms. I read through the maternity textbook and alternate between a teary eyed "awwwww" and a horrified "what happens to you?!?" My other favorite rotation is going to be the mental health clinical. I'm at a mental health facility for children and adolescents. One of the kids there is autistic, and I'm looking forward to spending some time with him again next week and seeing if I can make a connection. In any case, the whole experience is going to be interesting!

It's also been in the 90s here all week - summer has officially begun! Summer for me marks the beginning of frozen treat season. My favorite frozen treat is pineapple slush. My mom made this all the time when I was a kid, in the rectangular, beige tupperware container with the with the puffed up opaque lid. Every time we saw her get out that plastic container, we knew what was coming - slush!! Now that I have my own plastic containers, it's time to start our own summertime traditions. So, without further ado...

Pineapple Slush!
(I usually halve this recipe, since there are only two of us and we have limited freezer space, but you can make as much or as little as you want.)
4 cups water
4 cups white sugar
46 oz pineapple juice
6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best)

In a large saucepan over the stove, completely dissolve the sugar into the water over med-low heat. Add the remaining ingredients, whisk until mixed and the frozen OJ melts. Remove from heat, allow to cool. Transfer to a wide mouthed freezer safe container, freeze until solid (usually 8 hours or overnight). Remove from freezer, scrape the mixture and spoon into a glass. Top with grapefruit soda. As kids, we always used Squirt, but I haven't been able to find that recently, so I go with the Wegman's brand. 7Up/Sierra Mist works too, but isn't as special. This is definitely a straw and spoon treat!

(Helps you pretend you're in Hawaii...)