Sunday Recipe: homemade pineapple juice

We are finally starting to enjoy some warm spring weather here in the Pacific Northwest (also known to be colder than Siberia in the spring), it really felt like winter would never end – and just reading about the nice warm weather in other cities was making me insanely jealous- ,but now, finally there are daffodils, tulips and cherry blossoms everywhere. The kids are more excited about playing outside than about watching cartoons (yeah!); of course, after they are done playing they are thirsty and ready for something refreshing, which is exactly what they get with this fresh jugo de piña or pineapple juice. I grew up drinking fresh homemade fruit juices as a kid and really it doesn’t compare to store bought juice, you also have complete control over the amount of sugar, which you can adjust based on the sweetness of the fruit and also your personal preference. I highly recommend saving the skins and core of the pineapple to make chicha de piña – a spiced pineapple drink that is also very good. For a grownup version of this drink you can add some cachaca (Brazilian sugar cane alcohol), aguardiente (Colombian/Ecuadorian sugar cane alcohol) or some rum. Ingredients:1 whole pineapple, peeled, cored and cut in medium size chunks6 cups of water¼ cup to ½ cup sugar, adjust based on preference and sweetness of the pineappleJuice from 1 lime Preparation:Working in batches place the pineapple chunks with the water, sugar and lime juice in the blender, and blend well.Strain the juice and serve with ice.Remember to save the pineapple skins and core to make chicha de piña. Ends