Cocktail Hour

Good Morning Friends; I hope you had a lovely weekend.  Here in the U.S., we had an extra day added to our weekend in honor of Memorial Day.  At first, Brian and I thought we would do something adventurous, but we ended up staying close to home, enjoying our yard and being domestic.  I baked a rhubarb pie, and I also tried out a special "new" drink recipe.  A few weeks ago, I was spending a nice girl's weekend in Portland and I had the opportunity to try a Gimlet; a cocktail that has, for some reason, become less popular in modern day.  It was delicious, and I set about doing some research so that I could re-create it at home. A Gimlet is made with equal parts Gin and lime cordial, shaken with ice and served either in a Martini glass, or in a rock glass over more ice.  At first, I didn't know what lime cordial was, and I used Rose's lime juice that I bought in the grocery.  That was satisfying enough, but of course I had to do a little research into the lime cordial part. I found this article, written by Toby Cecchini in the FOOD section of the New York Times.  Toby is a great writer, and I found his whole article entertaining and informative.  After reading his statement, "Rose's Lime Cordial is to limes as Spam is to steak," I was completely inspired to try my hand at a homemade cordial.  It was a lot of work, but I can say with confidence that it was worth it!  I went with Toby's recipe for a raw cordial using no water, but there are others out there.

LIME CORDIAL RECIPE:

18 limes, zested and juiced*

1 lb of fresh ginger root, whirred in a food processor, or grated

1 1/2 cups sugar.

*I recommend that you use organic limes.  Citrus peel is known to concentrate pesticides, and that would spoil an otherwise wonderful concoction, don't you think? 

Step 1: zest or thinly peel all 18 limes, reserving the peels in a non-reactive bowl (ceramic or glass).  I used a vegetable peeler, and it worked handily.  While you're working, be sure to stop on occasion and breathe deeply.  Your house begins to smell divine! Bruise the peels with a wooden spoon to bring out the oils.

 Step 2: Cut your limes in half, and juice them using a citrus reemer.  Don't worry about the pulp.

Step 3: Add the sugar to the juice, stirring to dissolve, and then add the juice to the peel.

 



This is what 1 lb of ginger looks like.



Step 4:  Finely chop, grate, or whir together in a food processor 1 pound of fresh ginger root.  There's no need to peel the ginger.  Everything gets strained later on. Add the ginger to the peel/juice mixture.  Cover, refrigerate and let stand 12-24 hours.



Strained cordial and cocktail shaker

Step 5: After the 24 hour soak, Strain the mix, reserving the liquid and composting the peels.  This recipe yields 1 generous liter of cordial.  I used cheesecloth, but you could use a sieve or something else.  Let your cordial "cure" in the refrigerator for a day or two before consuming; it really does improve after the flavors have mingled and gotten to understand each other for a little while.




To make a Gimlet, I really recommend using Bombay Gin.  It is more expensive, but in my opinion, the flavor is better.  Not that less expensive gin tastes bad, the flavor is just not as specific.  Plus, the Bombay bottle is stunning!  Most recipes call for equal parts gin and cordial, but my preference is 1TB of Gin, and 2TB cordial.  Add the gin and cordial to a cocktail shaker with about 4 cubes of ice.  Wrap the shaker with a dish towel and shake that mix until you are sick of shaking.  Strain into a martini glass (or into a rock glass over more ice) and sip while feeling glamorous.  The flavor is sublime; a rich combination of earthy-ness (from the ginger), brightness from the limes, and hints of rosemary from the gin. These are especially wonderful on a hot day with good friends.

Resting and Creating

My Dear Friends, I hope you're still out there!  I have been taking a lot of time away from my blog; not because I don't have lots to write about, but because I haven't had much energy to write.  I've spent the past few weeks concentrating on things of core importance to me; mainly my emotional well being after Bronwyn's death.  I'm starting to feel stronger (feeling "better" doesn't really seem correct), and I have spent some nice time in the studio cutting and sewing, and also in the garden.  It is spring here, and it feels good to go outside. 

 






Recently I got a nice order from one of the boutiques that regularly sells my work.  It's Bella Boutique, and they can be found in Anchorage Alaska.  Here is the stack of wallets in progress, and one of them as it looks finished.  I made extra of each print because I find that it's more efficient to make multiples; especially when I'm already working on a production of many.

Thank-You for being patient with my journey; I appreciate everyone's support.  In closing I am showing you a picture of a special project that I've started working on; it's a memorial garden for Bronwyn.  Right now, it's quite spare, but over time it will grow and change, just like my feelings for her.  The wreath was made by our neighbor and friend, who gathered lichens from her yard.  Bronwyn used to spend a lot of time underneath the oak tree in her yard, so it was especially meaningful.

I hope everyone has a happy and Safe Memorial Day Weekend.

The Gift of Friendship

I am increasingly aware of how lucky I am to be surrounded by high quality friendships.  This is something that has kept me upright during the most difficult times.

Something that I'm realizing in this modern day of computing is that I have friendships that are deep and meaningful with people all over the world that I've never met in person.  One such friend is Flavia, a fellow crafty Mama who lives in Brazil.  We have always felt a connection through our love of fiber arts and the mothering of children with special needs.  But since Bronwyn died, she has been a rock for me.  Yesterday, just as I was feeling a little blue, a special package arrived from her.  It was a bright and sunny pair of fabric prints; one with tea cups, the other with a retro red blossom.  I was immediately reminded of my bond with her and felt that everything was going to be allright. Today it was sunny enough to hang the laundry outside and, of course, the first thing I was inspired to wash was my new fabric.  Doesn't it look wonderful soaking up the breeze? 

I can't wait to start sewing with it (but I must; too many projects in the queue at the moment to start another)!

May this day find your uplifted by your own special friendships.

Teacup fabric designed by Suzy Ultman for Robert Kaufman.  The line is called "Metro Cafe"  Blossom fabric is designed by Alice Kennedy for Timeless Treasures and is called, "Poppy"



Montana Spring Harvest

My husband and I just returned from a trip to Montana, where my husband's family lives.  His beloved Grandmother recently passed away, and we decided to make the trip to be together as a family and support each other.  Death is a transition for more than just the person who has passed. 

I have never been in Montana in the spring, and I was startled by how wintery it still felt.  We were scraping ice off of our car's widshield, and it snowed almost every day that we were there.  Still, the birds knew that it was spring time even if the weather seemed ambiguous.

While we were there, I was able to visit a women's quilting group that my Mother-in-law is a part of. The home that we visited was on a small farm and we were able to bring home a lovely bunch of fresh eggs, including two turkey eggs; proof of spring right there.  Back home now, the season is obvious in the velvet green of our lawns and by the sound of people out and about.  I treasured the time that we were visiting family, but it's good to be back in my familiar landscape!

Budding Out

There's no doubt about it; it's spring at last.  The temperatures are warming and we've even had a few moments of sun breaking through!  The flowers are all starting to bloom, and the Rufous hummingbirds are finally back. 


This is a busy time of balancing creative work and home chores; both of which I love.  I turned over the garden yesterday and discovered billions of earthworms in a rich black loam.  Such promise for future green! 


Pictured here are the first buds from my neighbor's Star Magnolia; one of my favorite flowers. And below is the hummingbird's favorite: Red Flowering Currant.  I hope everyone is enjoying the season's transition.

A Little POW of Color

 

Remember that little birdie bag that I made for my friend a little while ago?  Well, she also wanted some wallets to coordinate with the bag, so I made these up for her.  She is now in the midst of feeling horrible from her chemotherapy, so my hope is that she can remember how much she is loved when she sees her bag and wallets.

And there's more new in my crafty world: come over to my Mercy Me blog to see what I've been cooking up.


 

A Lazy Start

It's official: spring has arrived.  When I go out, it's a little warmer, a little lighter, but still pretty grey.  We're having quite a lot of rain and cloud cover still, but the birds are singing, nesting, flirting.  The rufous hummingbirds are back, and the Red Flowering Currants are blooming.  I was out at Capitol Lake the other day and managed to have a nice moment with a Great Blue Heron.  He graciously allowed me a couple of pictures.  And, if you're interested, there's a new post on Blackwater Shoal today.

Happy Spring, Everyone!