In Celebration of Spring: Sgroppino al Limon! - Blogger CLUE

The hills are alive!  The rains have brought wildflowers, buzzing bees, whispering breezes, blue skies and sunshine!  This scene brings music to my heart.  It has been at least four years since I have been able to enjoy this kind of landscape profuse with wildflowers!  It is truly a celebration of spring!

In celebration of spring, hill after hill of wildflowers and the over abundance of lemons on our trees this year, I am serving Sgroppino al Limon!  And, just what is a Sgroppino?  Quite simply, it is an Italian Cocktail.  It is a slushy cocktail that combines lemon sorbet, vodka and prosecco.  In Italy it is used as a palate cleanser, a pre-dinner drink or a dessert.  I say cheers to any of the three reasons to partake of Sgroppino al Limon!  And, I add my own reason....in celebration of spring!

I had never heard of a Sgroppino al Limon until I had an opportunity to visit Amy's Cooking Adventures.  Her photos immediately said spring, refreshing, and celebration!  I had to make this drink, so my adventure began.  Amy said that she thought regular vodka was too overpowering in the drink, so she made a Lemon Infused Vodka.  I immediately marched to the lemon tree and began the harvest.  One pint of Lemon Infused Vodka coming up!

Of course, I had to add the Vodka Marinated Blackberries which led me to the store.  (Do you think this is starting to sound like Numeroff's If You Give A Mouse A Cookie?)  While at the store I realized that I needed to pick up some lemon gelatto.  Sounds easy enough....but, no lemon gelatto. Four grocery stores and two ice cream shops later I contemplated making lemon ice cream but settled for lemon sorbet.  Good thing the weather was nice I had spent most of the day driving around town!

Was it worth it?  You bet!  I intend to serve this at our next opportunity for a celebration.  It was mighty tasty.

adapted from Amy's Cooking Adventures

1 cup lemon sorbet (Lemon gelatto or lemon ice cream may be substituted.)
4 ice cubes
2 oz (1/4 cup) lemon infused vodka
1 cup dry prosecco (Champagne or any sparkling wine may be substituted.)

Garnish
This slices of lemon
Vodka marinated blackberries
Lemon zest for garnish

Place the first four ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Pour the mixture into frosted party glasses and garnish with any of the items listed.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Today is reveal day for the Blogger Clue Society.  This is a group of bloggers who each month are paired with another food blogger, given a theme, and set off to explore our assigned blog. Our objective is to track down a recipe that matches the month's theme and that we are excited about making. For March the Blogger CLUE theme is Happy Easter and that means Celebration!  Amy's Cooking Adventures my assigned blog is a wonderful blog!  I had so much fun exploring.

Amy grew up appreciating the family sitting down together for a home-cooked meal!  This is a lady after my heart.  While being in the kitchen wasn't always Amy's favorite spot to be, she grew to love the adventures she began having as she prepared healthy, nutritious meals for her family.  She found that taking risks in the kitchen was enjoyable and has shared her adventure with us.

Amy's blog was so much fun to explore!  At first, I found myself focused on St. Patrick's Day which is a favorite holiday of Amy's and I marked a number of recipes to revisit such as her Drunken Irish Stew and Thin Mint Irish Cream Coffee.  I then got distracted....I saw her Mississippi Mudslide! Eventually, I realized that I really needed to focus on lemons...and you know the rest of the story.

Today is Blogger CLUE Society's opportunity to share celebration recipes with you.  I hope that you will enjoy exploring them as much as I enjoyed pursuing Sgroppino al Limon!

• Asparagus Tips with Cucumber Vinaigrette by Anna from annaDishes
• Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Rum Cinnamon Sauce by Rebekah from Making Miracles
• Cloverleaf Rolls by Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Grilled Lamb Chops Dijon by Sue from A Palatable Pastime
• Honey and Thyme Glazed Ham by Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
• Honey Balsamic Carrots by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
• Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits by Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
• Lemon Loaf by Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Maple Bacon Braised Brussels Sprouts by Christiane from Taking on Magazines
• New Potato Salad Tartare by Kate from Kate's Kitchen
• Rosemary Cheddar Cornbread Muffins by Amy from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Sgroppino al Limon by Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme
• Strawberry Shortcakes with Olive Oil Cake by Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Surprise Carrot Cake by Debra from Eliot's Eats
• Sweet Almond Pastry by Kathy from Bakeaway with Me
• The Muddler by Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva