A Perfect Afternoon

Yesterday I was afforded the rare treat of an afternoon to myself (and here's the clencher) IN MY OWN HOUSE.  Some of you will understand the magnitude of this gift.  Mr. Veen packed up the kids, the dog and himself and went off to the lake leaving me to enjoy probably the last quiet afternoon I will have this summer.  Mr. Veen earned himself some serious bonus points yesterday!

I loved having the day to putz lazily around my house and ended up spending a good chunk of the afternoon reading in the backyard.  I am officially "hooked" by the Harry Potter series and am almost done with book two.  But my blissful day of rest would not have been nearly as fun without the following little concoction I came up with.  I've dubbed it "Spiked Watermelon Lime Granita" and it is delightful indeed!

Here's a very loose recipe - adapt to suit your fancy.  Of course the granita is wonderful without the alcohol as well, but since you're dealing with me  - you get the alcohol version....

Ingredients:

Watermelon (seedless cut in chunks)

Lime Juice ( a few limes will do!)

Sugar (I used around 1/3 cup for 1/2 a large watermelon)

Splash of Vodka

Blend melon, lime juice and sugar in batches.  Pour this mixture into a baking pan, cover with saran wrap and freeze to your liking...(I was impatient and didn't really freeze mine for long!).  As the mixture freezes, take a fork and stir and scrape to create the granita mixture.  This process will take a few hours.  Add vodka at the end, shake it all up and serve.  Delicious for a hot summer day!





A Special Treat

I had a wonderful weekend full of fun things!  Thursday and Friday were sunny and warm and  reminded me of being a kid those first warm days of summer  - excited butterflies in anticipation of the endless possibilities waiting to be had.  I kicked off the weekend doing one of my favorite things - visiting with my dear friend Carol while sipping on her latest concoction.  You see, Carol is a master drink mixer.  I had never really tasted a proper martini before she made me one and after that I was done for!

On Friday she tested out a new recipe on me involving lemon and strawberry and let me tell you it is my new favorite drink!  In fact it was so delicious that on my way home from her house I had to make a quick stop at the liquor store because I knew I would want to make myself another one in the near future!  And before you start judging me or calling me a lush maybe you should try one of Carol's drinks yourself.  I predict you will be hooked.  She has lot's of fun recipes on her blog and she promises to share the lemon/strawberry drink very soon - right Carol?  Until then I will enjoy my top secret recipe and my vip access to a drink mixing goddess!