Vacation Lemonade

Last week we went on our annual vacation to southern California where my parents live. It truly is paradise there. Sunshine, palm trees, ocean breeze. One can see why so many people move there (or dream of moving there) someday. The weather was amazing, unseasonably warm and even a touch too hot a few of the days when it reached the high 90s.  Great for the beach or the pool but not the best for walking around Legoland for a few hours with little ones. Still, it’s tough to find complaints about a warm and sunny vacation now that we are facing the cold and dark pre-winter season here in Chicago.  Paul and I didn’t even realize that it was SO cold in Chicago until we got on the plane home and the pilot said “the weather in Chicago is partly cloudy with a temperature of 38 degrees”.  What? 38 degrees? It was about 70 when we left, but I guess that’s Chicago, especially around Halloween.

Pizza Port in Solana Beach.  One of Emmett's restaurant recommendations. 

Our vacation diet consisted of lots of baked goods, fried chicken, pizza, steaks on the grill, fish tacos, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, in-and-out burger, ice cream and one acai bowl thrown in there for good measure. So no, we didn’t cook. But we did make something. I’ll let you guess what it was.

Emmett.  The boy who ALWAYS has chocolate on his face. 

My parents have a bunch of fruit trees in their backyard including fig trees, citrus trees, and a persimmon tree.  Their lemon tree is seemingly always loaded with lemons which my dad uses to make amazing lemon marmalade based on a recipe shared with him by one of my aunts in Japan.  The kids don’t have the attention span for marmalade but they were very excited about the prospect of making lemonade with the lemons they gathered from the backyard.   

The kids picked lemons while my dad sliced them in half and juiced them.  Then we mixed them with sugar and water, heated in the microwave until the sugar melted. To that we added a whole bunch of ice and more water until we got the taste right. From now on, the taste of homemade lemonade will remind me of vacation and my parent’s lemon tree.

Splash pad! 

Here is the lemonade recipe we based ours on.   It comes from Ina Garten who I’m sure makes a perfect glass of lemonade for dear Jeffrey whenever he gets overheated and thirsty.

Lemonade

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (5 to 6 lemons)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup superfine sugar, to taste
• 1 cup crushed ice
• 4 cups water

Ina puts all of the ingredients in a blender and serves the lemonade over ice but we did it as explained above and that worked perfectly, with no grainy sugar slush left at the bottom of the pitcher. It also saved us from having to wash another appliance.

Mint Julep with Irish Whiskey

Every year when the Kentucky derby rolls around, I wish I had planned ahead and thrown a derby party, or better yet, planned a trip to Louisville. But it always sneaks up on me. This year the Kentucky Derby falls on my birthday, which also snuck up on me. How does that keep happening? I’ve always wanted to go to the Derby and I hope that someday I do.  But this year I am just going to hang out around here and probably catch up with some friends.  Keep it low key. Nothing very Derby related except for this…

A mint julep. Though I’m not sure you can still call it that when the whiskey is Irish, not Bourbon. I’m no spirits sommelier, but I would venture to guess that since mint juleps involve sugar, soda water and mint, it probably doesn’t matter too much what whiskey you use.  When we have whiskey around, for obvious reasons, it is always Irish whiskey.  

Paul’s cousin’s husband works for Cooley distillery, in County Louth, Ireland. The distillery  was converted in 1987 from an older potato alcohol plant by John Teeling and within a decade it began to earn an impressive reputation for outstanding quality.  In 2011, the distillery was bought by Beam Inc. which was purchased by Suntory Holdings in 2014.  Despite the changes in ownership, the product line remains very Irish. Popular for its Kilbeggan blended whiskey, Greenore single grain whiskey, Connemara peated single malt whiskey, and Tyrconnell double distilled single malt whiskey, the Cooley distillery is proud of its heritage as the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland. And it is definitely on my must-see list for our next trip to Ireland.

I wonder what the Irish would think of the mint julep? I remember the first time I tasted one, sometime in my early twenties,  I thought that the combination of mint and Bourbon was so weird. But now, now I love it.  I love the smell of a mint julep and the way it’s strong and sweet at the same time.  The way it conjures up images of seersucker suits, big hats and deviled eggs - three of my favorite things.

This recipe involves just a tiny bit of advance planning but it’s great because you can make just one or a whole pitcher of them, in case you are having a Derby party (show-off).  And also because mint simple syrup is delicious and can be used for a number of different things. Like for mojitos, dressing up a fruit salad or brushing on cake layers.  Here’s how you do it.

To make Mint Simple Syrup

1 cup water

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup mint leaves

Heat water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off heat and add mint leaves, pushing them down gently with a spoon so that they are totally immersed in liquid but not getting torn or muddled.  Remove from heat and let the mixture infuse for one hour. Strain, discarding mint leaves and store in a jar with a tight fitting lid.

To make 1 Mint Julep with Irish Whiskey

Ice

2.5 oz Irish Whiskey

2 splashes soda water

1 tbs mint simple syrup

Mint leaves for garnish

Add ice to a rocks glass. Pour in whiskey, mint simple syrup and about two splashes of soda water. Stir and garnish with mint leaves.

A Cup of Tea

Grandpa and (baby) Isla

Just the other day we were at my father-in-law, Paddy’s house, he was making dinner for us as he always does (we are very well-fed at grandpa’s) when Emmett ran into the kitchen and told him “YOU are the Mammy of this house!” I was in the other room when Emmett said this but my father-in-law proudly relayed it to me and I couldn’t help but feel such a pang of love and happiness as well as a kind of awe at how this man has tirelessly supported, guarded, guided and set the BEST example for his children and grandchildren.

I know his late-wife, Linda, looks down on him with such pride at how he honors her memory and the family that they built together. I feel confident that Paul would do the same if he had to. I know it isn’t easy, no matter how readily one can be lulled into believing it might be - because of the grace and humility with which my father-in-law accomplishes it all.  I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to turn into a single parent when your children are any age, much less young adults who in their way, need you more than ever. Fortunately for Paddy, Linda has always remained a grounding presence in the lives of all of her loved ones and a great motivator even, perhaps especially, now.  I wish I had known her and find myself wondering what she would do in so many situations.

I would be lying if I didn’t admit that when Emmett made that comment I wondered if he thought that moms did all of the cooking. But only for a second.  I think he meant that moms take care of everybody.  Make sure they’re all ok. With tea and kindness.  Like Paddy does. I'm so grateful that he has his Grandpa to show him what that looks like and to prove that men do it too. 

Today I’m making the most basic of all basics. A simple cup of tea. I don’t exactly know where I picked up this technique, I’m guessing it was from Paddy as I don’t think it’s something I would have ever stumbled upon myself.

Special equipment:

1 ½ quart saucepan

Ingredients:

3 bags of Barry’s tea

½ cup cold water

1 liter boiling water

Place the tea bags and ½ cup cold water in the bottom of a 1 ½ quart saucepan set over medium-high heat.

Bring to a boil and turn the heat off.

Add about 1 liter boiling water (I use an electric kettle for this) to saucepan and cover with lid for 3 minutes.

Remove teabags, pour and serve. Yes, I pour straight from the pan.  If you want to use a teapot you can boil the 1/2 cup of water with the teabags (step one) in the microwave.