End of Summer Treats

Behold a sassy jalapeño margarita, padrone peppers with pancetta, and an heirloom tomato salad with figs, arugula and feta. Thanks, Healdsburg Bar and Grill!

What are your favorite foods to eat during Indian summer?

Another Vintage Picnic at Daisy's

Sometimes I wish I could buy a magazine company just so my friend, Daisy, could organize all the shoots, spreads, creative content and distribution of it. She just makes everything pretty.

To kickoff an especially great weekend, she hosted a gal party at the pond down the road from her house. I laughed and bonded in great company, with sunshine, music, food, and an invigorating swim across the pond to make me feel like an Olympian (with a floating noodle assist).

A preparty shot from Daisy

It really doesn't matter how pretty the place is, how classy the drinks or how artfully prepared the food is. Despite matching linens and handmade decor sewed fresh for the occasion, I know that at Daisy's place, I will always feel welcome and special.

Meyer lemon finished campagne from Della Fattoria with local cheeses.

Fresh cherries, apricots and raspberries with St. Germain cocktails.

And that was only the beginning of the weekend ...

Nordic Kiss

My good friends know that I have trouble transitioning into summer drinks, given my passion for porters, stouts and whiskeys during the cooler months. Don't get me wrong, I love a cosmo or a gin and tonic as much as a gal can, but finding my "summer drink" is tricky. 

I drink Lillet on ice or Campari sodas when I'm with friends or in the garden, but I like having a regular stock of something more versatile in the home. And one should never drink Lillet alone, really.

I've made a couple Ikea runs since my move and I found a bottle of elderflower syrup. I was curious, and drawn to something that is sweet and feminine, but also recommended for flavoring water. How practical! I got a bottle, hoping I could get creative.

This is a lovely variation of a drink my godmother made me, only hers uses St. Germain, an elderflower liqueur in the most beautiful bottle you've ever seen. This is my take, a little twist on the French Gimlet.

 -2 oz. citrus vodka
-1 Tablespoon of elderflower syrup or St. Germain
-4 oz. grapefruit soda (you can use juice, but I like the bubbles for summer)
-slice or twist of lime

Serve up or on the rocks.

Great for a party, or just to celebrate you!

A Box of Young Coconuts

Last weekend I made my first trip to the Asian grocery store in town. It's time I get away from my Euro-American cooking comfort zone and explore some new terrain. I asked my friend Chuck if she needed me to pick up anything.

"Maybe just a box of young coconuts."

A box? I looked all over the store, moving in slow motion along the aisles as I scanned every product. Thank goodness almost everything had a picture on the package. So many totally unfamiliar ingredients! I had a time just finding the basics to getting my feet wet, like soy sauce, nori, miso and soba noodles.

I finally went to the counter and asked the clerk. "How many boxes?" she asked. "We'll bring to your car."

"Just one." I had no idea what Chuck would even do with these.

Drink them! If you're on board with the coconut water craze, this is the source. They do wonders for getting you hydrated and are a cheaper way to go than the fancy water bottles in stores. Chuck's boyfriend showed me how to hack them open.

Just give them a couple hits with a hatchet, grab a straw and drink!

As to what to do with the rest of the meat inside, I have no idea. Any suggestions? Young coconuts have their own fan page, so that's my first stop in navigating their mystery.

It's Fun to Be Fancy

I never imagined there was something better than champagne. There is. It's called champagne with a wild hibiscus flower.

For special nights with special people (and that can include just lovely old you), I highly recommend dropping one of these wild hibiscus flowers in a glass of bubbles. Don't worry, they're edible and come in a lovely syrup to add a blush of color and sweetness to your glass.

Your friends will be amazed and think you're real fancy. Don't worry. It's okay to be fancy sometimes.

Limoncello for Slackers

There are few ingredients that delight me as much as Meyer lemons. Their zest has a more pungent aroma, but the juice is less acidic. Their sweet, fragrant quality makes them versatile for recipes both on the hot and cold side- and let's not forget, the bar side.

Tasting limoncello was my first vivid experience with a grown-up drink. Perhaps my most. It was my first time in Italy. I was 16. At the end of an intimate dinner in Sorrento, our inn keeper hosts pulled out a long, thin bottle filled with a mysterious pale yellow liqueur. My friends and I were presented with stemmed shot glasses of the lemony drink as a gift. We saluted, clinked glasses while looking each other in the eye, and took a cautious sip as it is intended. All except for me. I threw the shot back so fast I barely tasted it until the piercing burn of alcohol slapped my throat. The others stared at me and kept sipping.

I give you a very easy way to thoroughly enjoy an excess of lemons.

Zest as many lemons as you have. It should take ten or twelve for a liter of alcohol, but this is the shortcut version. Then juice them. Pour zest and juice into a bottle of vodka (you may have to drink some of it first to make more room). Let the zest and juice marinate for 1-2 weeks. I tasted mine every few days to understand its journey. When ready, strain out the zest (it will start to make it bitter if it isn't strained). I don't add water or sugar because meyer lemons will make a sweeter limoncello, but it also works well as a mixer.

Best when sipped. You can save the shots for that bottle of Old Crow lying around.

Summit Brewery

What trip to the Midwest would be complete without sampling some local brew? Ever the organization pro that she is, Mitch scheduled a tour of Summit brewery for her husband and me while she put in a few hours of work in the morning. We were sad to leave her behind, but happy to drink at 10:30 in the morning. To Summit Brewery we go!

These machines fill the kegs, a little over one per second.

This is the giant fridge where all the beer is stored. It's about the size of a large barn, and they trusted us enough to let us wander around for a few minutes.

Can I have just a few extra minutes? Check on me in an hour.

The conveyer belt that leads to labels and packaging.

They don't bottle during the tours, so we didn't get the chance to do our Laverne and Shirley bit.

Our terrific volunteer tour guide, who said he works for beer.

The copper vats where every batch begins.

In the fermentation room.

In front of the mash vats.

On to tasting! My fave was the oatmeal stout, of course. (Do check out their website, it's terrific! www.summitbrewing.com)

Prost!

Cider Speakeasy

It's not often that I get to find the super secret drinking spots in the area, but sometimes you're with the right person with the intel. Unfortunately, no names or photos, since my big mouth and I don't want to be the ones to spoil it. But I still have to share in the excitement.

The evening started with dinner at Barley and Hops, where I enjoyed the lovely Le Merle, a Belgian style with tropical fruit notes. Not my usual pick, but I thought I'd go out of the box a bit from my favorite Death and Taxes, which will one day have a post all of its own.

Next was ice skating, and with no falls! I want to say I'm improving on my technique, but I still seem to prioritize going fast over looking graceful. Is it weird that I found satisfaction in skating faster than all the little kids there? Or just a sign that I'm ridiculously competitive?

On to the speakeasy. This secret spot is by invite only, and involves knowing the top secret code to a gated entry (which I hope I never learn because I would immediately shout it from the rooftops so all my friends could go). I was lucky enough to be in the company of one of the invited friends, so we rolled in for a pint as things were winding down.

The owner let us in, poured us some ciders and we chatted with his buddies beside a charming backdrop of fermenting tanks. Ever notice how the problems of the world manage to easily be solved over a few pints? We sat in a heated tent under the stars, debating if we should play Boggle, pool or backgammon. We chose stars.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not fancy, and I'm the last person in the world to keep secrets. But for one night, it was nice to do both.

A Friend Surprise

This week has been a whirlwind of celebrating birthdays, love, new projects and inspiration. Yesterday, I had my first session of physical therapy. Success! In one five minute exercise of resistance and deep tissue massage, I recovered 10% of lost range of motion in my arm. It was exhausting, but very encouraging- it means I only have 10% to go! My stiff broken wing is on its way to healing and with a little patience, it will get there.

One does get a little blue with injury or sickness. As minor an injury as it may be, being limited can get ya down in the dumps at times no matter how positive you keep your outlook. The good news is that returning to yoga can come before climbing, and with the okay from my doctor, I can return to one of my other "physical therapies" and get back into my regular routine. Just a couple more weeks if all goes well!

As I drove home, I got a text from long-time friend Amber, asking if I was around. I wrote back, half-thinking she had sent it to my by accident, since she lives an hour away and was unlikely to have business at the coast. I turned onto my road, just as she was turning around to find me in town. Surprise!

It had been close to 5 or 6 months since I'd last seen her, but we picked up like it had only been days. We sorted through months of relationship, professional and emotional clutter. We swapped books and laughed. We went to a dive bar and drank beers out of cans while discussing exercise routines and quotes from Portlandia. We filled up on friendship.

Amber is the no-nonsense best friend who calls it like she sees it and respects people enough to give them all honesty, all the time. She will let you know when you have something stuck in your teeth or when you need to be told something you don't want to hear. She gives the best hugs that only a big sister knows how to give. Everyone deserves an Amber in their life.

I'm so lucky I've already got one.

Rockin' the 'Tinis

I just got back from a couple days seeing my dad in the Bay Area. We usually hike or go on a silly adventure when we get together, but our options were limited while I'm still slingin' it. 

At least you don't need two hands to drink. So we did. My dad got martini glasses (actually, they're gigantic and better suited for margaritas) and mise en place for cocktails, so I showed him how to do a proper martini. Here's a refresher course for those seasoned drinkers.

First, chill the glass. Ice water will chill in it faster than ice alone. To an ice-filled cocktail shaker, pour a double shot of gin (a four count pour works best for me), and a splash of dry vermouth. For an extra dry martini, reduce the vermouth, or eliminate it altogether. For a dirty martini, add olive juice. Shake hard for 20 seconds until the outside of the shaker is frosty. Dump the ice water in the glass just before straining. There should be a thin layer of ice over the martini's surface as you serve it.

I'm not a huge clear martini gal, so I made mine with gin and homemade limoncello in place of the vermouth for a sweeter, more refreshing drink.

It made a weeknight watching Malcolm in the Middle feel way classier.