Summer Cocktail

My friend Stephanie made a comment on Twitter a few weeks ago that she had made "Freshie Ice."  I was fascinated and asked her about it.  Turns out it's just her cute way of saying that she cleared out the ice maker and that all the ice would be fresh for cocktails.  Well, it inspired me.  

I put a fresh, peeled cucumber in a food processor and pushed it through a sieve.  Then poured the juice into my cute little candy-making mold.  I filled some of the other hearts with lime juice.  I froze them.

After they were hard, I put two cucumber cubes and one lime cube in a pretty glass.

Then added two ounces of shaken gin*.  And I named it after its Muse. The ice melts and flavors the gin so loverly. 

 Ladies and gentlemen, I give you

  The Freshie Tart.

*I recommend you use Hendrick's, but I'm slumming it with Tanquery.

Not sure I can bring myself to believe it's Spring.

We've had the longest winter ever here in Minnesota.  I've put away and gotten back out my family's winter coats more times than I can count, and really more times than I'd like to admit.  Because it makes me feel gullible or something.  Once I get passed the outrage that it has snowed twice in in May and we had a lovely March day yesterday for Cinco de Mayo, I feel sad that the sky outside my window can look like this

and I still hold a knot in my stomach, because I don't really believe that Spring is here.  At this rate, it will be Summer before it's Spring.

I will not give up, though!  Today, I'm going to clean my house with music on and the windows open.  And I'm going to grill something delicious for dinner.  And I'm going to make this salad.  Because that's what you do in the Spring.  And if I don't start believing that Spring is here, it's all of a sudden going to be June - and I'll have missed it.

**Side note - FIVE DAYS TILL I PICK UP MY FIRST CSA!!!! If today's plan doesn't work, I'll at least believe in spring when I pick up that box.**

More Cookies

Last week I went to go see my friends Paul and Storm and Jonathan Coulton do a show at the Guthrie.  It was, of course, awesome.

I brought them these cookies to munch on in the green room.  I saved out two from the batch I made for my children. (I gave half to the boys and half to my friends Bill and Sharon in exchange for some honey.)  They keep asking if we have any more.  We don't, but it doesn't seem like we're eating the bananas on the counter as quickly as we might, and so a Corbett-only batch might be in our near future.

I used chunky peanut butter - and might add peanut butter chips next time for even more PB taste.  The banana taste is perfect and the texture is between muffin and cookie.  It's kind of like baking muffin tops.  YUM!

Haystacks

About to settle in to watch Game of Thrones (are you watching? So
good. And Comcast is offering free HBO for three months, so there's
really no reason not to), and needed s little snack/dessert to go with
my cocktail*.

1cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 6oz bag Chow Mein Noodles

Melt chocolate. Combine all ingredients. Scoop out in tablespoon piles
on wax paper. Refrigerate (or stick in freezer like me for faster
gratification) to harden up.

*cocktail blog to come next...

Spicy Chocolate

Oh. My. Goodness. Y'all.
This is ab amazing bar I picked up at William Sonoma today.
72% dark chocolate. Cadies almonds (lots of them). Aleppo pepper (LOTS
of it!!). Maldonado sea salt.

So spicy.

So good.

Today's Lunch

Steaming some big, fat, squeaky artichokes to be done for lunch by the
time my half-day Kindergartener gets home. We usually eat them with
melted butter and a little lemon juice. I've heard of balsamic dipping
sauces and mayo-based sauces and am intrigued (even though butter will
always be my BFF). How do you eat your artichokes? What should we try
today?

Graham Crackers and Warm Milk

Ever dipped Graham Crackers in warm milk? Super good, right? Take it
a step farther as my Grandmother used to do for my Mom, and now she
has done for my kids and me. Break up the crackers in a bowl and pour
the warm milk over them. They get all mushy and hot-cerealy and amazing.
I recommend one honey and one cinnamon cracker and I bet it would be
even better with warm half and half or (gasp!) cream. I also recommend
this for any time of day or night. This is seriously happy food.
Thanks, Nana. Thanks, Mom.