Recipe for the summer heat

I made a mess of food last night. This is the first weekend that I'll be home in a couple weeks and the fridge was looking a little bare. That and a stressful week and a bbq and picnic this weekend kept me in the kitchen listening to NPR and chopping away. I made mac and cheese, tabbouleh with quinoa, cucumber salad, roasted brussels sprouts and the best of all a ginger sugar syrup.

I made a simple syrup by heating 1 cup sugar in a 1/2 cup water until it turned clear. Then while it was hot I added grated ginger (about 2-3 inches of pre-grated ginger).

Since last night I've poured it over ice and added water for a sweet ginger drink and over ice with rum and a wedge of squeezed lime for a yummy summer adult beverage. If I had any seltzer in the house I would be drinking it with that to make a homemade ginger ale. And I'm thinking about making lemonade with it for that picnic tomorrow.