G+ delightfulness

E L Weems4:03 PM

Love is most definitely a choice. It is an action, not an emotion. You love someone by making a series of decisions to place that person and that person's needs as paramount in your life. You may feel a connection emotionally to them, you may identify with them, you may feel lust... and these feelings may wane from time to time and then come back. It is the decision to love that sustains a relationship. This is why people run and get divorced the second they stop lusting after someone. Fairy tales are for children.

 

I really enjoyed that quote. 

Bitters: Thoughts and Speculations

Making your own bitters!

This is an absolutely fantastic guide, but I decided to also do some further research:
http://www.adventures-in-cooking.com/2012/11/diy-bitters-part-i.html

An even more comprehensive guide:
http://spiritsandcocktails.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/how-to-make-bitters/


Agnostura bitters are evidently primarily flavored with gentian, a bitter herb I have never heard of before.

Lists from old timey times have listed wormwood leaves, goldenseal rhizome, blesses thistle leaves, yarrow flowers, angelica, and bitter orange peel as other common bitters ingredients.

As I have learned, there are three basic components: the bitter herb, the flavor, the base. Or, as Mountain Rose puts it: Essentially, bitters contain three flavor components: a dried bitter root or bark, dried fruits or vegetables, and dried spices or herbs.


List of bitter herbs:

Wormwood, quassia bark, gentian root, fenugreek, yarrow flowers, orris root, dandelion leaves,

Mildly bitter:
Chamomile, mint, chicory, horehound, rue.

List from website of bitter blend for cherry bitters: rose petal, burdock, milk thistle, dandelion, apple, barberry, fennel, fringe tree.

Fruit stuffs:
Lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, pear, apple,  blueberry, cranberry, celery, chiles, 

Some nice spices:
Clove, cinnamon, vanilla, allspice, star anise, peppercorn, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom,

Winter Lips Sugar Scrub

                                                               Cat computer: unrelated

This isn't an eating type recipe, but since it is made with edible ingredients, I figured it was appropriate. My skin gets terribly, terribly dry in the winter months, and it is especially taxing on my large lips.

I don't know how it happened, but I woke up one morning with very chapped lips. All day long, I felt like I was slathering them with balm every 5 minutes, but they wouldn't stop being terribly dry! I pounded water over the next few days, and continued lubing them regularly, but it was already too late. They were getting snake skin levels of annoying. Then I remembered a delicious sugar scrub I had made for a friend a few winters ago and decided to try to whip some up. And improve upon it!

The original recipe called for sugar, grapeseed oil, vitamin e, and red food coloring. I added grapefruit essential oil, and it was absolutely heavenly. I used a little bit before I sent it away, but then forgot all about it. Until now.

So this time, I had some Almond oil on hand, and also honey! I messed around with proportions for a while, but I think this one is the winner. I like to make them in small batches that I will use up in a few weeks, so as to not worry about mold or going bad, what with the lack of preservatives and all.

Winter Lips Sugar Scrub
2 tsp white sugar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp almond oil (or grapeseed, which has a lot of vitamin e also, or even olive oil)
1 vitamin e capsule (or just skip, it's fine)
3 drops essential oil of your choice (I like grapefruit, lemon, orange, lavender, or vanilla)

Mix all these together in a small container: a baby food jar works well, or even a bowl with cling wrap over the top! If you so desire, add a drop of food coloring. Red was nice, and added to the grapefruity effect, but blue or green would be kinda cool too. Ooooo, or purple!

Green Goddess Pasta Salad with chicken! ***

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream                  *basil, oregano, chives, parsley
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup basil leaves
3-4 scallions
4 cloves garlic

2 TB lime juice
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp worcestershire
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


1/2 lb chicken
4-8 oz pasta

1 stalk celery, minced
1 poblano, minced
1/2 cup sweet peppers, minced
1/4 cup tomatoes, diced
1 /4 cup carrot, shredded or finely minced
3 scallions, sliced
more garlic, always more garlic


Working on recipe via iPad. It's a bitch.

Blueberry Greyhounds: Drank of the Gods

It's no secret that my all time, most beloved, very favorite drink is the Greyhound (unless I'm seriously needing to feel like I'm on vaca in the tropics and then it's Dark and Stormy ftw) and I didn't think you could ever improve on such greatness. Until my boyfriend made me a blueberry Greyhound. It's ridiculously good.

So let's start by soaking about 1/2 a container of blueberries in about 4 cups of vodka. Squeeze the blueberries with your fingers as you drop them into whatever container you might be inclined to use, and let them soak for a few days to a week.

If you want it RIGHT NOW, then just muddle-squish the blueberries into a glass with 2 oz of vodka, add some ice, then pour in your grapefruit juice to fill a pint glass. I like to use a ratio of 2/8 oz vodka/juice or even stronger, but then I am a problem drinker, so there's that.

As you can see, the blueberries color the juice a gorgeous magenta, and make it unbelievably yummy!