adult apricot cherry beverage

I was reading the blog Tartelette the other day and she described a cocktail that sound incredibly refreshing.  It has been very hot here.  We have had two weeks of 99, 100, 101,....  Yes, the humidity is down but when it is that hot, it is just hot.  In the shade, with a cool beverage and a bit of breeze, it is not bad.  Not in the shade, no breeze, a cold beverage is vital.  We finally went grocery shopping so I got the makings for a lovely cold beverage.  I am not sure it is the same as Tarelette's because I did not look up the recipe.  It may be close.  It may be not.  But it is lovely.

Adult Apricot Cherry Beverage

1 apricot

6 cherries, pitted

1/4 cup rum

1/4 cup simple syrup (plus or minus depending on your taste)

soda water

ice

Put the apricots and pitted cherries in a bowl or blender.  Mush them up together.  Add the simply syrup and mush some more.  Add the rum, and mush some more.  I mixed in the soda water at this time to make the beverage eaiser to strain.  Strain over ice.  Add more soda water until the glass is full.

We used a blender, so the beverage was cloudy.  If you just mulled, it would be clear.  Feel free to change anything you wish but it is really lovely sitting and chatting during the heat of the day.

a cherry dress for the tall short person

My Tall Short Person had picked out cherry fabric a while back that has been sitting in my fabric pile.  We have been looking for a pattern to make with it and she found on that appealed to her from Simplicity.  It has been an amazingly long time since I made a dress from Simplicity (or with a true pattern for that matter).  I do not know if it was me or the pattern, but I am not sure I would use a Simplicity pattern again.  It is why I am not giving you the number.  Find a similar but different pattern to try.

I added some fullness in the front and back to cover the Pixie coming in November.  I had a few issues zipping her up but my Beloved did not so I figure it was just my fingers, and that I needed to secure the zipper better.  The dress fit well, but she did not like the ruffles on the straps.  I did not either.

So I took them off.  I think if I were to make this pattern again, I would not follow the directions for putting together the bodice and putting in the zipper.  I would the bodice lining to be a true lining so the zipper worked better and more of the seams were finished.  It is why I sewed it down.  

With all the difficulties of sewing, it is actually a very cute dress.

more progress on the baby quilt

My Beloved was leaving as I was coming home from work tonight.  After I took a bit of rest from riding my bicycle home in 102 degree heat and getting some simple food, I sewed all evening.  The baby quilt I posted about a couple weeks back is a priority as well as getting 100 more nine squares stitched.  I have a baby shower that I must go to the beginning of September for my first grandbaby.  For some reason, I thought I would have more time.

All the strips ae done for the last baby quilt.  I have to put the top together which means ten more seams.  Then the quilting.  I have 30 nine squares done for the next quilt.  Then there will only be two more baby quilts to make.  There are always nine squares to make.

gardening in a permaculture fashion

We spent time in the garden this weekend.  It is very hot and breaking heat records.  But it is time for fall/winter planting.  I decided to try something different.  I watched videos about Sepp Holzer, a Swiss permaculturist.  I am trying something very different with my garden.  Probably at the worst time since it is a drought but if you do not try, you do not learn.  I mixed all my seeds together:  vegetable, fruit, and flower, and then sowed them.  We will see what happens.  Hopefully, we will have vegetables, fruits, and flowers.  If not, I am still going to try again.

fig and bacon salad

I normally take salads to work for lunch.  I need something that is not too high in carbs that will not play with my blood sugar otherwise I crash early afternoon no matter what I eat.  Or quantity of what I eat.  It is very frustrating.  It is all related to adrenals that are out of wack because the pituitary is out of wack.  I have found recently that salads work well.  Sometimes yogurt but my favorite sandwich (peanut butter and jam) is really a no go.

I could eat the same salad every day but what I put on it is not seasonal year round.  So I have to change what is on it.  I took the idea of the bagon wrapped fig appetizer and made it into my salad.  I actually made one for my Beloved at the same time.  I got that text message of it was soooooooo good.

Fig and Bacon Salad

1 to 2 figs per person, dependent on size

1 to 2 piece of bacon, dependent on how much you like bacon

romane lettuce

grated asiago chees

pine nuts

honey mustard vinagrette dressing

Put the bacon in a skillet over medium high heat and cook until brown.

While the bacon is cooking, slice the figs and add to the skillet.  You want to saute them and get a few brown bits if you can.

Remove the bacon (keeping cooking the figs), and crumble up.

Put enough lettuce in your lunch container or plate for one person.  Add the figs and bacon.  Sprinkle a bit of grated asiago cheese over.  Sprinkle pine nuts.  Dress with the vinagrette.  I use a light hand but I just do not like a lot of salad dressing ever (yes, I always order it on the side and usually do not even come close to eating half).

I put the lid on this, put it in my bicycle bag, and the refrigerator when I got to work.  It was lovely.  It was so good I could have eaten a whole other salad!