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strawberry ice cubes in a ginger soda

8/27/2014

We are in the countdown to the end of summer, so now is the time to enjoy warm weather drinks. An easy way to dress up your summer drink is with flavored ice cubes. Freezing a flower or herb leaf in an ice cube is another popular option, but the downside is that it eventually waters down your drink. To avoid this, you can make ice cubes out of your drink of choice, such as lemonade ice cubes for your glass of lemonade. However, I like to make things a little more exciting so I created strawberry ice cubes to pair with homemade ginger soda. As the ice cubes melt, the flavors mix and each sip you take is slightly different.

Making these ice cubes is incredibly easy. You will only need:

-1 cup water
-1/4-1/3 cup sugar (to taste)
-12 strawberries
-small saucepan
-ice cube tray

First, cut all the strawberries into quarters. Place one strawberry quarter in each compartment of the ice cube tray and put what is leftover into the saucepan. Sprinkle the sugar over the strawberries and then add the water. If you have time, let the strawberries and sugar "rest" together for a little while before adding the water so that the juices are drawn out. You will notice that the proportion of sugar to water is NOT the same as making a simple syrup. These ice cubes will not be particularly sweet because I made them specifically to go into a sweetened ginger soda.

Cook over low heat, stirring regularly until the strawberries have released their juices. The fruit in the saucepan will begin to look white and limp. Pour the liquid into a separate container. You can use a strainer, but I found that the fruit was in large enough pieces that I could use a spoon to keep them from falling into my bowl.

Pour the juice into the ice cube tray and put into the freezer. I have always found that my non-water ice cubes take a long time to freeze, but that may be because in my excitement, I spend a lot of time opening the freezer to check on them.

As I mentioned above, I added these strawberry ice cubes to a super easy ginger soda. The ginger simple syrup is made by combining 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, and chopped up ginger in a saucepan. Then heat on low until the water turns golden. The amount of ginger you should add depends on how much you enjoy the taste. Remember that the syrup will be diluted, so it is better to make it stronger because you can always add more seltzer water.

I served the drink in stemless wineglasses, but any lowball glass will be fine. Fill the glass about 2/3 full with seltzer water and then add 1-2 fingers of ginger syrup. Then sit back and enjoy your colorful and refreshing drink!

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book review: the vacationers

8/21/2014

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So, quick show of hands--who actually has completed their summer reading list? I never had an official (or unofficial, for that matter) summer reading list for school, so for me the idea of one is not tainted with bad memories of middle school. My lists have always come in the form of a stack of books waiting to be devoured and instead of crossing a title off on a piece of paper, a finished book just returned to its correct shelf. At the beginning of summer the vacation days seem to stretch out in front of you and it seems impossible to believe that there wouldn't be time to read thousands of pages, so it seems logical to take advantage of that time. Perhaps that is why some people eschew the lighter beach reads and instead use their time by the pool to dive into weightier volumes, like the attractive neighbor in the 1962 film Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation who spent her days on the beach in a skimpy bikini reading War and Peace. However, if I am spending the day out in the sunshine with a nice breeze, I want to read something that feels congruent with that atmosphere.

One the first books on my stack this summer (yes, this is a very belated post--I had to reread it before writing this) was Emma Straub's new novel, The Vacationers*. While I didn't get to sprawl out on a white sand beach to enjoy it, I did enjoy a lovely afternoon in a deserted bar drinking Moscow Mules and imagining I was in Mallorca with the characters from the book. As you can probably guess from the title, the setup for the novel is a summer trip and this one involves a large rented house filled with family and close friends for two weeks. The characters are at various crossroads--going to college, dealing with infidelity, trying to adopt a child--but like in real life, not everything is shared with the rest of household. The result is a fascinating microchosm that allows the reader to peer into the minds of people at many stages of life and see not only their inner thoughts, but also how their own issues affect their interactions with each other.

There is no single main character so if you don't relate to one personality, there is a good chance that another character is more your style, which I think makes The Vacationers ideal for a book club. I can imagine that just the conversation about which character everyone likes best could send your meeting into overtime. Plus, at only about 300 pages it is a length that most people can commit to finishing, no matter how busy their lives get. There are also quite a few descriptions of the food that is cooked, so if you want to create a snack menu that is linked to the book, you won't have to struggle to come up with ideas.

This novel is set during summer vacation, but you should not let the arrival of fall here in the real world dissuade you from picking it up. This is a book that would be equally enjoyable to read in the middle of winter, when you have only the memory of sunburns and sand in your toes. While the backdrop is beautiful and warm, it is really about the relationships and how life and age can change them. Some of the issues that plague the characters are resolved, but the ending doesn't solve all the problems and wrap up the result in a big bow. Rather the resounding feeling after you turn the last page is one of hope for the possibilities of the future.

Are you excited to discuss this book with your fellow readers? Plan your next book club meeting and then check out my new post on practically stylish for tips on what to wear to it.

*I received a free review copy of The Vacationers through Riverhead Books and Birchbloggers. All opinions are my own.

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one pot pasta

8/17/2014

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If you have spent any time at all browsing through recipes on Pinterest, then you have likely seen many iterations of the one pot pasta recipe. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can check out a few variations from Martha Stewart, Damn Delicious, and The Wholesome Dish.) The basic idea is that you throw all the ingredients in a stock pot, wait for it to boil, and then you magically have dinner prepared and only one dirty dish to wash! Doesn't that sound too good to be true?

I had put off trying the recipe for awhile because the large stock pot I would need to cook it in is a pain to wash in my rather shallow sink and also because I was skeptical that it would be as easy as it seemed. I thought it was very likely that I'd end up with disintegrated vegetables and brittle pasta. But last night I was not in the mood to cook and throwing everything in a pot seemed like the easiest way to make dinner.

Ingredients:

6 cups water
1 lb pasta
1 lb grape tomatoes, halved
1 lb fresh baby spinach
1 lb chicken andouille sausage
3 sprigs basil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 onion, sliced
salt and pepper
grated Parmesan cheese

I realized after I had already started prepping that I was out of onion, so I skipped it rather than make another run to the grocery store. Although it was not necessary, I think it would be a nice addition if you have one around. Also, I went light on the salt and pepper because when making pasta I like to use the Pasta Sprinkle from Penzey's Spices for flavor.

Once you have assembled your ingredients, combine everything (except the Parmesan cheese) in a large stock pot. Since my pasta was so long, I cracked some of it so that it didn't exceed the height of the pot. First bring the water to a boil and then let it simmer for about 10 minutes. When the pasta is cooked through and there is only a little bit of water left in the pot, add grated Parmesan cheese to taste. I love cheese so I was a bit heavy handed, but your desires may vary. After serving myself a portion, I also added some of the leftover basil leaves and uncooked tomatoes as garnish. As a side note, if you don't like the look of limp spinach, you might want to wait until you turn the water down to a simmer before throwing it in.

While this is not a dish that is going to win you praise and adoration at a dinner party, it is a solid recipe for a night when you'd rather not cook and it can easily be adapted to work with whatever you have in the fridge.

What is your favorite variation of one pot pasta? Leave your recipes and suggestions in the comments!

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strawberry ice cubes in a ginger soda

book review: the vacationers

one pot pasta

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