Raspberry Balsamic Martinis

So, at my favorite foo foo restaurant, Cafe Firenze in Moorpark (yes, Chef Fabio from Top Chef!)....they make a Martini that is very different & interesting... a Strawberry Balsamic.

I've enjoyed one on several occasions, an the other night, I thought I'd try to replicate it. After all, I went to bar tending school (who cares that it was 15 yrs ago!) I should be able to conquer this!

So I made a reduction of Balsamic Vinegar & Organic Sugar. Let that cool, it was too thick, so I added a little water & reheated, it was still very thick, but better...I was thirsty! No more waiting!

I put in into an old Agave Nectar bottle so I could decorate the frosty martini glass with it.

Ah! Purty!

Then into the shaker went ice, a handful of frozen Organic Raspberries, 360 Vodka, Citronge & a squeeze of Lemon. Shake Shake Shake!

Pour out into the chilled purty glasses & garnish...Voila!

Girls in the Kitchen

Well.....another fun & successful Girls in the Kitchen Night (sans one girl)....we did homemade Limoncello:

My sister, Kirstin, zested 69 lemmons!

We divvied it up between 4 bottles of vodka, some were 100 proof!

She didn't draw blood until lemon #61! So, after applying a Bacon Bandage to her finger, I finished the job. ;)

We (myself & Anna, below) also made a Sprouted Grain (mixture of Soft White Wheat & Kamut) Pasta:

The pasta had a really nice texture & was SUPER easy! We jsu used Sprouted Flour instead & it was great - didn't even taste "healthy"! Honest.

Lemon Verbena

So, not sure if you were up on that Kombucha Challenge I somehow roped myself & Anais (from Urban Homestead, Pasadena) into a couple weeks ago... it was quite comical. She had pans to make a Lemon Verbena Flavored Kombucha, and since I had vague plans to go to their monthly potluck/movie screening a couple weeks later, I suggested a friendly competition... The comical part is that I couldn't find Lemon Verbena ANYWHERE in my county. Anais kept offering some of hers, but Pasadena is about 40 minutes away & I just felt that was not an eco-responsible thing to do... (I had already done a special trip down there for figs recently...)

Surely it would turn up somewhere...I kept looking....

But my window of opportunity finally ran out, so I sheepishly told Anais that I had not been able to locate the LV... and she graciously let me off the hook, saying to come down anyway & bring whatever Kombucha I had on hand & we'd just taste them... no big deal.

So, I went to the screening & during dinner, Anais found me & we tasted, and shared with other folks at the table & talked Kombucha until the movie started. It really surprises me that so few people really know about it.

Anyhoo, after the movie, I bought some figs & Anais clipped some fresh lemon Verbena sprigs off the enormous bush in the front yard. The scent filled my car, making the car smell wonderful! I WISH smell-a-vision was a real thing because unless you've sniffed this gift of GOD, you cannot truly grasp what a wonder it is! It's herby & lemony & fresh. (wow, great description!) Words simply cannot describe it. Gonna hafta get some for yourself!

Go. Now. DO IT! GO!

So, what does a person do with it?, you might be asking.... well, it was past my bedtime already, so I did the obvious and dried it. Then I crushed it (the smell was intense!) and found a jar to keep it in. Every now & then, I just open the jar & sniff. **guilty look** What?! It's cheap therapy!

Today I decided to make simple syrup from it to flavor a future batch of Kombucha or ice cream or (fill in the blank).... It's pretty simple:

1 cup filtered water

1 cup organic cane sugar

1/4 cup dried Lemon Verbena leaves

Bring to a boil, lower heat & simmer for 10 minutes. Cool. Strain into a jar & store in fridge for up to 2 months. I am looking at this site to find some more ideas..