The Collins Clan

Hello lover...

At a lovely backyard evening with the girls, complete with fantastic food, I tried something for the first time that could get me in lots of trouble.  I had my first vodka collins.  A pint-sized vodka collins.

Now, I typically prefer gin to vodka, but I'm not one to turn my nose up at a refreshing beverage lovingly prepared by a dear friend that is complete with fresh-squeezed lemon.  Here is why I think I'm completely screwed - 1. I prefer gin to vodka, 2. I just had a fantastic vodka drink, and 3. It's standard to make said drink with gin.

I don't intend to abandon my summertime staple, Saphire and Tonic, or the close second, Hendricks and Lemonade, and we know how I'm looking forward to homemade blueberry vodka, but something tells me I've just made a good new friend named Tom.

What other summertime beverages belong on the list?

Fingers crossed...

I got a ton of work done in the yard this weekend.  Of course there is still a ton to do.  I've learned that I really like cutting shit down.  I've had some serious bonding time with my limb clippers and god do I enjoy the satisfaction that comes with excising dead, overgrown, or superfluous vegetation.  It might be a bit of a metaphor, but it's fun and surprisingly good stress relief.

But more exciting - I got a bunch of plants in the garden.  I'm pretty thrilled about my bed this year.  It's loaded with tomatoes and I added some space by using pots and an old milk box (or something) which made a great home for basil and cilantro.  In my effort to scare away critters, I potted a bunch of marigolds around the raised bed.  I don't love marigolds and the flat I bought was certainly too many, but they do stink and with any luck it will help protect the rest of my swiss chard.  I've already lost two plants.  I wisely kept my mint to pots to try to avoid complete invasion.  I'm growing kentucky mint, which somehow I think will go GREAT with bourbon and black peppermint which I'm hoping to try for tea.

I don't have a lot of space in the yard that gets enough sun to grow veggies, so I'm learning to be creative and maximize it the best I can.  I snuck in a second small raised bed that is housing cukes and jalapenos.  I even stuck squash in what will someday be a perennial garden.

So far, so good I think.

A wee bit much

There are some combinations of words in the English language you will not often hear me utter.  Examples include "Coors light, please" "The lovely state of Michigan" and "well done."

And, high on that list, "Too much cheese."

This evening, however, we needed those words.  A fine local establishment serves homemade mozzarella "logs."  Somehow in transit from one hops purveyor to another, we'd gotten chatting about mozzarella sticks so it was natural that we'd place an order upon arrival.  Homemade sounds good.  We were four women.  The order was five, maybe six logs (which, by the way, is not the most appetizing word).  We could not finish the cheese.  It was just that giant and that heavy.  Yes, we had a belly full of beer, but even the drivers among us couldn't conquer the cheese.

You know what you can never have too much of though?  Sweet, snuggly Boxers.  If you need a smile, do yourself a favor and take a peek at this week's Friday Puppy and scroll to the last picture. (heck, look every week, you can't go wrong with cute pup pics)  I don't even need to suggest that folks vote for the boxers because I know you guys have taste.  I'll stick with my one guy who is cuddled up next to me as I write, but this picture made my week.

This recipie arrived in my inbox today.  Mmmmmmm.  I so wish I hadn't burned my rhubarb.   You know, with all that baking I've been doing lately.  I suppose I'll just have to visit the farmer's market this weekend, and liquor store to find an appropriate bitter base, and try all my ideas before the season passes.

Spicy Soba

I came home from work and working out absolutely dying of hunger.  I guess rabbit food all day will do that to ya.  No food in the house and no energy or patience for something out of the house, so I went for a quick meal of soba noodles.  I know I've discussed this here before - this is a flavor mosaic that I am still trying to learn.  I'd picked up wasabi powder at Penzey's when I was out in Columbus recently so I made a quick sauce with soy sauce, a touch of toasted sesame oil, a healthy dose of wasabi, a dollop of ginger paste and a few drops of lime.  Meh.  I think I don't like the ginger paste, but I'll keep trying to hit the right combo.

It served its purpose though - I settled in to inhale carbohydrates, in the form of noodles and a cold beer, to enjoy my newest netflix obsession SportsNight. (Thanks H!)  I mean, really, Aaron Sorkin and Peter Krause? Plus the guy from Dead Poets Society? My not so inner geek is elated.

I didn't bother taking a picture of dinner... it's brown soba noodles tossed in a brown sauce.  I didn't even take the time to chop up carrots, or anything else.  See how I pretended I had veggies in the house?  Really, the meal was like the food snob's version of spaghetti and butter.

Exhaustion Diet

Knowing I was facing a tough day thanks to a monumental lack of sleep (note the mid-day break from attemped productivity to clear the decks and start over), I swung by the grocery store on my way into work this morning for some good, healthy, energy-boosting snacks. I knew that living off the monthly birthday cake upstairs and whatever greasy grub I really wanted from the park vendors would not help my cause. Plus, I'm trying to get back on track and start bringing healthy meals to work anyway.

I've spent the day munching on greek yogurt, nuts, berries, a big 'ole plate of lettuce and a healthy dose of pepper jack cheese. Although I've walked by the giant tray of sugar known as the store-bought birthday cake about six times, I've resisted, choosing instead to get my sweet fix from blueberries. The plan seems to be working so far - despite the quick mental respite I'm taking now, I'm holding my own suprisingly well, considering.

As I am facing a few more weeks of exhasuting days, even without the insomnia, I found myself wondering what other vittles might pack a good energy punch and stave off the 3pm crash. Who better to ask than my well informed readership.... ideas anyone?

This post is brought to you by a healthy dose of insomnia. I wish I could say that I was just so excited that it's June that I simply couldn't wait to write my first entry of the month, but that would be disingenuous.

I got through this Memorial Day weekend without cooking one single thing. I didn't flip a burger. I didn't whip up a salad. It's actually pretty sad for someone who loves to cook, but it was just not meant to be. I snuck away to the lake for the start of the weekend and as it was my first trip up I just was not prepared to, um, prepare anything. This is not to say that I did not eat well. My father is still working on that deer so we had a very North Country spread for dinner one night. Wonder pup is typically not permitted to eat people food - except for

cheese and peanut butter, of course - but as his kibble is venison-based and it was a holiday, he was spoiled.

The next day I was attending a picnic at my neighbor and fellow foodie's place, an event that would typically inspire me to come up with something creative and fantastic, but camp constraints were still in place and the fruits of someone's else's labor (read, locally-made blueberry pie) would have to suffice. I did very much enjoy everyone else's culinary talents though, from the cheesecake martini (which should be a new memorial day tradition, I think) to the mac and cheese and smoked brisket. It's good to have friends who like food.

Monday's impromptu pool party called for a quick chips and dip grab. And this...because I couldn't help myself. I did not partake, but I contributed:

The yummy jar of black bean dip I picked up did inspire me though, and I sense a post about my first attempt to make it myself in the near future.

Peppered in with the food-based events for which I did not cook were a few outings with dear friends. All in all it was a lovely weekend full of friends and family and it actually got me thinking quite a lot about family. There is the family we are given and the family we get to choose. You know the latter, those folks who know all sorts of sides of you and love you anyway. The people with whom you can talk about ten years ago and those who you know for certain you'll be doing that with in ten years. I'm so thankful to be surrounded by many such people from different phases of my life.

And, lest I get too sentimental in the wee hours ... Wonder pup met some new family this weekend, cousin Percy the baby Maine Coon. Many of you know my feelings on cats in general, but it is hard for even me to resist a teeny tiny kitten, especially one as cute as Percy. I'm not sure how thankful the little furball was to meet his newest

canine buddy, but he's just going to have to deal, they're family whether they like it or not!!