Ridiculousness

Is that even a word?  Nonetheless, that's the norm around my house these days. We're now in week five of construction and  I'm doing my damndest to roll with the punches.  It changes on a daily basis.

First, the cable line got inadvertently cut, leaving us with no internet or TV.  Then it was the same thing with the sprinkler system, so I now soak myself  every evening as I try to save what's left of our yard with oscillating sprinklers.  Since we no  longer have a backyard (it's a construction site), we have to leash the dogs and take them out to a small, confined area in the front.  Saber  (our rescue dog) is terrified of the construction noises, so he refuses to "go" out there.  Instead, he finds ways to sneak down to our newly re-carpeted basement to do his business.

Our new back yard

And do you even want to know about the port-a-potty smell at the top of our driveway when they forgot to empty the thing for two weeks???????

I keep trying to make it normal.  I need to quit wasting my time.  It's anything but.

Sometimes, though, I just have to laugh at the absurdity of it all.  Our new dining room is the front porch in 100+ degree temps, unless we want to sit in the construction zone that used to be our dining room.  Diva that I am, I insisted they give me a garbage disposal in the temporary kitchen  (located in our entrance foyer).  The plumber looked at me like I was crazy (don't comment) and drawled, "well ma'am, that ain't gonna be easy."  The solution was to run a line to the basement which dumps out in Andy's toilet. Yep, you guessed it - every time I use the disposal, I have to run downstairs and flush!

Our lovely dining room

You can't make this stuff up.


At the end of the day, it comes down to what to do when life gives you lemons.  DRINK, I say!  That's why I whipped up a batch of what I call Liz's Limoncello.  I'm counting on it to get me through the next few months.....

LIZ'S LIMONCELLO  (adapted from The New York Times)

12 lemons, preferably Meyer lemons
4 cups granulated sugar
4 cups filtered or spring water
1 quart (4 cups) vodka

Sterilize 2 glass quart jars with rings and lids by immersing them in boiling water for 10 minutes.  Using tongs, remove to a clean towel to drain.

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the rind from 6 of the lemons.  Make sure that you do not remove any of the white pith, as it is bitter.  Divide the rind between the two sterilized jars.

Juice the lemons to yield about 1 1/2 cups of liquid.  Strain to remove pulp and seeds.  You should end up with about 1 cup of juice.

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil.  Stir in the reserved lemon juice, then bring the mixture back to a boil, stirring frequently.  Divide the mixture between the jars.  Let cool completely.

When jars have cooled, pour 2 cups of vodka into each one.  Cover and shake the jars well, then place them into a cool, dark space (I stored mine in a living room cabinet, since there are no cabinets left in my kitchen).  Leave them alone for a month, then strain the liquid.  Pour the liqueur into bottles with caps or corks.  It will be ready to drink, but it will be even better if you let it steep for another month.

Yield:  1 1/2 quarts

*  I used Meyer lemons for this, but you could use anything you can think of.  Oranges would also be lovely or you could even pulverize and strain blueberries, strawberries or anything else that floats your boat.

*  I happen to love the combination of lemon and blueberries, so I am likely to pour a little of this over some fresh blueberries and enjoy it for dessert.  That is, unless I drink it all in the next couple of days.

Cheers!

Passed Out After Passover

Sorry I've been absent from the blogosphere.

 Between a baby shower I hosted the other day and the laborious cooking for Passover, I am pretty much passed out right now.  I think I may be getting too old for this kind of intensity, especially given my crappy kitchen.  With no counter space, I might add.

Maybe my new blog should be about how to cook in a cramped kitchen. With no counter space (yeah, I'm repeating myself).  I'm just sayin'..... (listen up, Henry).  

Despite that, I have lots to post about and lots of recipes to share with you.  Things like Pimiento Cheese and Deviled Eggs with Capers.  Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Oh, and Cheese Straws!  I made all of these for that baby shower, but I just don't have the energy to post it right now.  Bear with me, okay?

I am not going to give you any Passover recipes.  Been there, done that last year, and I don't want to go there again.  Next year in NYC where I can order out!

http://nevertrustaskinnycook1.blogspot.com/2010/03/passover-hell.html

For now I will just leave you with a "recipe" (if you can call it that) for a lovely beverage concoction I served the other day at that baby shower.  It lends itself to both children and adults and it works well for a party because it's remarkably versatile.  Just don't give the vodka version to the kids.

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE

2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled
1 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 6-oz. cans frozen lemonade, thawed
Chilled sparkling water, Prosecco or vodka

In a blender or food processor, combine strawberries, water and sugar until blended and smooth.  Remove to a pitcher and add lemonade.  Stir well to blend.

This is the base.  I served it in pitchers, alongside opened bottles of chilled sparkling water and Prosecco, next to a bucket filled with crushed ice.  Instruct your guests to fill a glass halfway with crushed ice and sparkling water, Prosecco or vodka, then top off with a very generous helping of the strawberry lemonade.  

 

Now really, how could anyone NOT like this????

I Need a Drink

Remember the recent post about my little dinner party?  What I forgot to tell you about was the Vodka Lemonade we inhaled sipped while devouring savoring those radishes and that popcorn. 

It's been a day.  One I would rather not repeat, and it didn't even involve electrical things gone awry.  It was made even more difficult by the fact that I stayed up last night until the wee hours watching the miraculous rescue of those Chilean miners.  If that doesn't make you believe anything is possible, well then, probably nothing will.  Anyway.....

I stumbled in the door this evening, marveled at the fact that my dogs had been captives in the kitchen all day without a single accident (another miracle) and remembered that container of Vodka Lemonade in my freezer. 

Suffice it to say, my day got better.

VODKA LEMONADE

1 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves, torn
1 cup granulated (preferably superfine) sugar
8 large lemons, zested and juiced
1 1/2 cups vodka

Combine mint, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a large bowl and stir to combine.  Add vodka and refrigerate at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight.

Strain mixture.  Pour into martini glasses and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint, if desired. 

Serves one six

Any leftovers can be placed in the freezer for one of "those days."  Of course, there won't be any leftovers, so who are we really kidding here?

Recipes From Home

I can't count the number of times people have said to me, "Liz, you should write a cookbook."  Usually I will just smile and nod and say something along the lines of "well, maybe one of these days" but the truth is, I have already published a cookbook.  Well, sort of.

Sometimes it takes a major event to shake you out of your lethargy and get your ass in gear to tackle those projects you keep procrastinating over.  For me it was a second bout with breast cancer (no worries, I am fine now) and that compilation of recipes I kept meaning to assemble for my kids.  No drama intended, but when you wonder if your days are numbered, you think about what you want to leave behind.  For me, that meant my favorite recipes.

So, I did it.  I gathered up all of my favorites,  typed them into my computer, made up a table of contents, wrote an introduction and (voila!) Recipes From Home was produced.  I even managed to compile an extensive index of which I am quite proud, particularly since it was done without the assistance of a computer (I couldn't figure out how) and laboriously created by hand, much of it accomplished on a very long flight to California. 

Now in case you are thinking you can go to Amazon.com and order the thing, let me give you the bad news.  You can't.  Oh no, this is just about the most homespun book you will ever encounter, only slightly more professional that the stuff your six-year-old brings home from school.  I print it out here at home and slide it into a looseleaf binder.  It's as basic as you can get.

That said, it is a work of love and a gift from my heart.  Initially it was intended only for Andy and Eric, however I quickly realized that it makes a great gift for those who mean the most to me.  As I wrote in 2004, "if you have received a copy of this book, it really does mean that you are a part of our family."  That still holds true today.

The genesis of Recipes From Home began on a boat in Crystal River, Florida.  We were there with our dear friends, Stephen and Mark, for a weekend visit.  Stephen decided we should do a sunset "cruise" so we loaded up the boat with wine and cheese and hit the river.  In the middle of the solitude on the water, my cell phone rang.  It was Andy.  "Hey Mom, how do I roast brussels sprouts?"

Hence, the book.  You may not be able to obtain a copy of it, but I am happy to share some recipes with you on this blog.  Here is one of my favorites.

LIME VODKA (adapted from Nikolai's Roof in Atlanta)

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup spring water
2 cups freshly squeezed lime juice
1 quart good vodka

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over high heat.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved.  Remove heat and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl or container, combine sugar mixture, lime juice and vodka.  Stir well, then pour into a container large enough to hold the mixture with room for expansion.  Freeze.

Yield:  a little more than 1 quart (or enough to make a lot of people quite tipsy)  Go Henry.

Due to the alcohol content, it will not freeze completely.  When ready to imbibe, pour into shot glasses and shout "NASTROVIA!" then either chug it or sip it slowly.  Either way works.  Just don't imbibe too much of the stuff or you will seriously regret it the next day!

No Wine-ing Allowed

Here are some facts about Cambodia:

1. Sixty percent of the Cambodian population is under the age of 20.
2. Cambodia is approximately 95% Buddhist.
3. Angkor Wat is one of the 7 wonders of the world.  The temples are made from carved stone and are around 1,000 years old.  The word "magnificent" doesn't even begin to describe them.
4. There are 3 - 6 million land mines still buried in Cambodia.  An average of 2 to 3 people step on them each day and are killed or severely injured.  It costs over $500 to locate and remove one land mine.
5. The number of AIDS cases in Cambodia has reached epidemic levels and is the highest in Asia.
6. 10,000 - 20,000 children live on the streets in Cambodia.  60% or more sniff glue which curbs their hunger (and causes brain damage).
7. Cows in Cambodia are super-skinny and almost skeletal.  They are used solely for bartering or pulling carts.  Dairy and beef are not prevalent in the Cambodian diet.
8. A favorite snack to go along with Angkor Beer is a big plate of fried, salted crickets or tarantulas. 
9. Wine as we know it is not consumed frequently in Cambodia.  Instead, they prefer wine made from palm sugar (I tried it - it makes Gallo look like fine wine).

I've just returned from my journey and  am dragging my jet-lagged self around, trying to be functional.  Guess that explains why, when I went to the grocery store this morning, I found myself pushing someone else's cart into which I had actually loaded a few items of my own.  Oops!  By the time I realized it, no one was around and I had no idea who it belonged to so I just left it in the aisle and slunk away.  Shame, shame!

I will have a lot to say and a lot of pictures to post as soon as I recover from the 26-hours of travel.  In the meantime though, let me introduce you to my favorite drink in Cambodia.  That would be "Lime Juice."  In the absence of decent wine, this became my beverage of choice and it isn't even alcoholic!

For you jaded readers out there, I know this is basically what we know as limeade.  But it is so much more exotic than that when you make it with sugar syrup and keep it on the tart side the way the Cambodians do!

LIME JUICE

For the syrup:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water

Place sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Stir then bring to a boil.  Let boil for 30 seconds then turn off heat.  Let cool slightly, then chill in refrigerator until cold.  Place in a small pitcher.

To assemble the drink:
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Thin lime slices for garnish

Fill a tall glass with ice.  Add lime juice.  Place a straw and a long thin spoon in glass (in lieu of this, you can use an iced tea spoon if you have one).  Serve with the pitcher of chilled syrup.  Add syrup as desired to the lime juce and stir well.  Garnish with lime slices.

Serves 1

Try to mend your evil western ways and add less syrup than you usually would.  You don't want this to be overly sweet or it ceases to be refreshing.

And of course, this could always benefit from a splash or two of vodka.  You could even serve it up with some fried crickets, in which case the vodka would be crucial.

5,000 Miles

Henry (that old, bald guy) and I are clearly crazy. I'm sure my kids will agree with that, but we're not asking them to weigh in on this. Why are we crazy? Because we take long, ridiculous walks on most Sundays here in Atlanta. Get me here, folks. I'm talking LONG walks - like 12 to 15 miles.

It started back in 2001. Or maybe before, but I can't remember back that far. Anyway, we had a big debate about whether we should bike or walk. I voted for walking. I won.

But we're not talking about a normal walk in the park. Oh no, we are crazy (see, my kids were right). We do bizarre things, like taking MARTA (for those of you who don't live here, it's our rapid transit system) to the airport and then walking home. Or, taking it to the furthest station east (where in the hell are we anyway?) and walking home from there.

And along the way, we have had some amazing conversations and some amazing experiences. You can't walk with someone for five or six hours and NOT talk. No, mostly what you do is throw up on each other's shoes. It's the best form of communication. I highly recommend it.

We did the math today (as we were walking, of course). It kind of translates into 40 walks per year times 8 years times 15 miles per walk. Okay, that's only 4,800 miles, but let's not quibble. How many miles have you walked recently?

At the end of the day, we have walked and talked and we are exhausted.

And then we have to hike up that long hill to get to our (new) house. Oy veh, what were we thinking when we bought the place?

So after the walk and after the shower, we are happy to kick back and relax on our front porch. Moscow Mules, anyone?

Moscow Mules

A shot of vodka (or more, if you are so inclined)

Ginger beer (you can find this in your local liquor store)

Lime wedges

This is a no-brainer. Put as much vodka as you like into a copper mug (sorry if you don't have one, but you need it for this drink). Add ice, then top off with ginger beer. Squeeze in some fresh lime juice and garnish with a lime wedge.

Sit on your porch (or whatever is comparable), sigh, and allow that life is good.