Summer Lemonade

I love lemonade.  Who doesn't?  But I don't like lemonade that's too tart or too sweet or too...fake.  I adapted this recipe from one I found on allrecipes.com.  It's great plain, or if you're feeling like giving it something extra, go ahead and put it in the blender with some strawberries or peaches or even both.  Just make sure that if you are going to add fruit of some kind that you use less sugar to begin with (since the natural sugar in the fruit may overpower the tartness of the lemon).  So go ahead and invite summer a little early with some delicious lemonade.

Summer Lemonade

1 1/4 cups sugar (remember, less if you're adding fruit for strawberry or peach lemonade)
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups lemon juice

1. Combine sugar and one cup water in a small saucepan.  Bring just to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar completely.  As soon as the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.  Once cool, refrigerate until chilled.
2. In a pitcher, combine sugar water, lemon juice, and remaining 7 cups of water.  When serving your lemonade iced, be sure to include the volume of the ice in that 7 cups or it could end up tasting diluted. 
3. If adding fruit, blend fruit and a cup or so of the lemonade in a blender.  Then add the fruit to the lemonade pitcher, stirring until well blended.  If the fruit sweetens it too much for your taste, just add a little bit more water and a tiny bit more lemon juice.
4. Sit on the porch and sip away.