Absinthe Adventure--coming soon

I know that in the USA, the allowed about of thujone is very little, however, since this bottle was bought abroad, I wonder if the amount is increased?  If anyone knows, I am curious about this.

What I've learned so far about the contents of this bottle:

The armoise (Artemisia Vulgaris) infusion gives Absente its structure.
The alcoholate and essences add subtile flavors of anise, mint and spices, giving Absente its balance, elegance, freshness and surprising length of flavor.

 Drinking Absente:
 You can pour the Absente onto crushed ice or ice cubes.—
 If you like strong drinks then you can drink it neat.—
 If you prefer it slightly bitter and less sweet, simply add fresh water to your Absente.—
— Those nostalgic for the past can practice the ritual of bygone days by placing a sugar cube onto an absinthe spoon placed on the rim of the glass and slowing pour in the water until it melts the sugar and turns the Absente an opalescent green.
Absente can also be flambéed and added to cocktails.

Organoleptic profile:
The color: a beautiful light green with clear shiny glints of yellow.
The nose: a subtile aroma of absinthe blended with anise, mint and spices.
The mouth: round aniseed attack moving onto a well-structured feel thanks to the presence of the amoise, finishing with the fresh, spicy notes (absinthe, lemon balm and mint) which give Absente its length of flavor
Storage: at room temperature, not above 25°C or keep chilled. Store the bottle upright. No use-by date.

- See more at: http://www.distilleries-provence.com/en/produits/absente-55-alcvol-70-cl#sthash.NeFXiZaO.dpuf

 More on ingredients:
Absinthe is traditionally prepared from a distillation of neutral alcohol, various herbs, spices and water. Traditional absinthes were redistilled from a white grape spirit, while lesser absinthes were more commonly made from alcohol from grain, beets, or potatoes. The principal botanicals are grande wormwood, green anise, and florence fennel, which are often called "the holy trinity."   Many other herbs may be used as well, such as petite wormwood (Artemisia pontica or Roman wormwood), hyssop, melissa, star anise, angelica, peppermint, coriander, and veronica.   ---This according to Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe

Tasting notes will follow once I figure out how to make sugar cubes!!  Watch for that post coming soon!

 

The armoise (Artemisia Vulgaris) infusion gives Absente its structure.
The alcoholate and essences add subtile flavors of anise, mint and spices, giving Absente its balance, elegance, freshness and surprising length of flavor.
For drinking Absente there are no rules (or very few):
 You can pour the Absente onto crushed ice or ice cubes.
 If you like strong drinks then you can drink it neat.
 If you prefer it slightly bitter and less sweet, simply add fresh water to your Absente.
 Those nostalgic for the past can practice the ritual of bygone days by placing a sugar cube onto an absinthe spoon placed on the rim of the glass and slowing pour in the water until it melts the sugar and turns the Absente an opalescent green.
Absente can also be flambéed and added to cocktails.
Organoleptic profile
The color: a beautiful light green with clear shiny glints of yellow.
The nose: a subtile aroma of absinthe blended with anise, mint and spices.
The mouth: round aniseed attack moving onto a well-structured feel thanks to the presence of the amoise, finishing with the fresh, spicy notes (absinthe, lemon balm and mint) which give Absente its length of flavor
Storage: at room temperature, not above 25°C or keep chilled. Store the bottle upright. No use-by date.
- See more at: http://www.distilleries-provence.com/en/produits/absente-55-alcvol-70-cl#sthash.NeFXiZaO.dpuf

My Kind of Chicken Soup

I know I won't be popular if I say that I just don't like chicken soup.  I never have.  I know I won't be high on your list, but it is what it is.  So, the task at hand for me tonight was to create a chicken soup that I do like, and, well, I've done just that by adding a simple twist in flavor.

This is not your ordinary chicken soup, but it is not a highly active recipe, I assure you.  It has many of the traditional ingredients, and is an all-round healthy soup too.  What sets my little soup (experiment) apart?  Three little ingredients, that when combined give it an entirely different level of flavor: ginger, fresh basil, and yellow curry.  (Of course there is garlic and onion in there too, can't make a thing without them!).

This recipe is scaled for two, having two bowls each.  Pair it with bread and you are all set to combat the cold and flu season (I've heard ginger and garlic are both really good for colds).

Yeah, the picture does not do this soup justice.  But the flavor will keep you coming back for more!

Ingredients List:
2 carrots, peeled
3 stalks of celery
1/2 medium onion
5 cloves of garlic
3/4" (squared) ginger, peeled
1 C fresh basil
1/2 C slow cooking (not instant or fast cooking) brown rice
1 chicken breast, cubed into half inch pieces
1-32 oz box PLUS 1-14.5 oz can of chicken broth
1 t black pepper
3/4 t yellow curry powder
1 1/2 T cooking oil

Making the Soup:
This can be done in either a stock pot or a skillet with high sides, so long as it gives you at least 3 quarts of room to work with.
         Prep work:  cube the chicken into half inch pieces
                           chop the celery and carrots every 1/4 inch
                           rough chop the onion and same to the basil
                           press the garlic
                           mince the ginger
In your pan or pot, heat oil (1/2 T), and saute the carrot and celery pieces until carrot is softened (approx 5 mins on med. heat), transfer to a bowl

Add remaining oil (1T), and saute the chicken, garlic, onion and ginger until the chicken is just cooked and slightly browned

Return the carrot and celery that was set aside, add the black pepper and stir until heated on medium heat

Add the basil and the curry powder and stir to coat, simmering for a minute or so to release the flavors

Add the chicken broth, stirring, and bring to a boil

Add the brown rice, stirring a bit, until it boils again

Cover, and reduce heat to a simmer for 50 minutes to an hour.  At this time, take a taste, adjust seasoning if necessary, and make sure rice is done to your liking (the rice I used required 50 minutes of dimmer time).

You can cover and simmer away until dinnertime, though your rice may start to fall apart if it's a while off, or serve now with a nice crusty bread.


And since the mister is down with a cold right now-a real nasty one-he has attested that this is one dish he can actually taste.  Being the traditionalist he is when it comes to chicken soups-insisting that they have butter and dill in them-he did give this one the thumbs up too, so I guess I'd better post it so I can remember what I did right...for next time.

McCalls M6571, Boatneck knit shirt

Guess I'm looking forward to autumn.  Really looking forward to it, in fact, because I am so done with these days in the upper 90's with humidity through the roof.  No rain, no breeze.  Just mosquitoes.

I had a bit of a mishap today, when I was out watering the front plants in the "cooler" morning.  I had just filled up my first watering can full of water when I felt something poking me on my foot.  Because the grass is hard and pokey and now quite stiff and dry I didn't give it another thought, beyond that initial split second, that is, for when I took another step I noticed it got worse, and glanced down, sure enough, a wasp was having it's nasty fun stinging my foot.  I peeled it off and finished it with a trowel.  (Yeah, I'm really a peaceful person who enjoys rescuing geckos and anoles that wander inside, but this creature had it coming.)  Then of course was the swelling, the pain, blah blah blah.  It hurts.  So, I decided I needed a project that I can do a portion of sitting down, something that will give me a feeling of accomplishment without too much effort or frustration.  Some way to be productive.

Enter the McCalls pattern M6571.  I had been eyeing up this pattern for quite a while, in anticipation... 

Misses pull over knit tops with neckline variations.

I made view B, with the boat neck and the long sleeves.

I cut a size 10, and used a fabric that was on clearance about a year ago at Hancock Fabrics (pretty sure it was here and not Joannes).

 I really like the cut of this pattern, and surprisingly I didn’t have to take it in anywhere, which is surprising for my luck with tops.  I was looking for a boat neck pattern and this was the only one I could find that is sold in my area.

I’m not wild about having facing that can flop around and needs adjusting every time you put on the shirt, and I’m not pleased with how the shoulder area worked out with the facing, it didn’t seem to lay flat for me, like it had too much bulk in that area.

I also omitted the interfacing, steps 1 and 2.

The only issue I had was a cutting issue…I ran out of fabric.  Lucky for me this fabric has a pattern that hides horizontal seams very well.  Can you find it?  It’s in the sleeves.  It would have been fine if I had wanted 3/4 length sleeves, but I really wanted them long for this shirt.

Not sure if I would sew it again.  Though I do love boat neck shirts (as I believe I may have mentioned).  Guess I’ll wear this one a bit and make the call.  For now, I'll be sticking to pavement, cement, etc. until nature can once again get on board with the boundaries I thought we'd agreed on.

Simplicity 1659, The Purple Crinkle Dress

I made view C, with the skirt of view D because I don’t care for the look of hi-low skirts.

The fabric I used was a lightweight crinkled part knit probably poly blend-my best guess.

I cut a size 10, pattern sizing was from 10 to 28W.

Issues I encountered:

The front came out 3 inches longer than the back (?); I accidentally put the zipper in for view D instead of view C so it doesn’t reach the top of the dress and didn’t realize it until much later; I found that the facing was annoying, and created a lot of bulk especially at the back center.

Fit like a big bag before some of these fixes

 Other:

I really didn’t understand the point of having such thin strips of facing for the straps, and could not bear to have them loose, just pressed under and under-stitched, so I tried tacking it down, discreetly, and that showed through as tiny pucker marks.  In the end, I said heck with it, there is a seam on the other edge of the strap, so I might as well match it and permanently have that facing down in place instead of flapping around.

The whole dress had some sort of fitting issues, especially the upper, and I was really worried that I wasn’t going to be able to pull it together. 

Overall:

I feel this dress came out OK, not great, but a good addition to the same old summer staples. The fit is just a half a shade off, the darts in the front seem too low and the bust area seems too loose overall-advice: cut a smaller bust if you are in doubt.

Ooh, Zucchini Flatbread with Jalapeno Kick!

Spicy Zucchini Flatbread Recipe

Looking for a creative way to use up some of those zucchinis?  I’ve got one for you!

But first, does anyone else have a hard time spelling the name of this lovely vegetable?  I always end up butchering it on the shopping list, thank goodness almost no one else sees it-the mister does, but he’s used to my quirks by now…all of them.

I can not remember when I first came across the recipe this is based on, but a few minor tweaks to make it my own, and here it is: a fabulous flatbread, ready to be cut into wedges for snacks, lunches, or as a fun side to dinner.  *For a mildly spicy flatbread, use only one jalapeno.

You will need:

1 8” zucchini (or enough for 1 cup shredded)

2 eggs (using the whites only)

2 jalapenos, large in size

1/4 Cup plain yogurt

2 T grated Parmesan cheese

1 C flour

1/2 t salt

3/4 t ground black pepper

1 t baking powder

To make:

In a larger bowl, mix flour, black pepper, baking powder, and salt

In a smaller bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks are made

In the food processor, process seeded and rough cut jalapenos to about a quarter inch pieces (you can also finely chop them instead), remove and place in larger bowl with flour mixture

In the food processor, process rough cut zucchini just a couple of seconds to acquire a shredded look to the pieces (you can also use a grater for this, more work, but I’ve done it), place this into the large bowl with the flour mixture and jalapenos

With a sturdy spoon, stir the large bowl so that the flour mixture coats the zucchini and pepper.

Add the Parmesan to the large bowl, stir

Add the yogurt to the large bowl, stir, it should be getting a bit moist and sticky here

Finally, add the beaten egg whites to the large bowl, gently, in a folding manner, until just incorporated

Spread evenly into a greased, round 8 inch glass pan and bake at 350-degrees for 45 minutes in the center of the oven.

Enjoy!

By the way, this works great with even a cheap Pinot Grigio...