I traded in a fabulous family vacation to Hilton Head to move into our new New Jersey digs. I'm learning a lot after an adulthood of solely city living. Not only have I figured out how to use a non commercial washer dryer and central air correctly, but there are a few other things I learned in my first week in my new home that I would love to share. 1) If your kids shit in the middle of the night and you can't walk to the dumpster, don't leave the bag on the back patio. Raccoons will come. 2) Learn how to properly use your car because it sucks if you are driving on a sunny 90 degree day and you can't get your windshield and rear windshield wipers to stop! 3) If you think you are a natural at organic gardening... rabbits are coming. 4) There are huge cockroaches outside of NYC except they're outdoor insects (not indoor pests) that climb into your car if you can't put your shit and kids in quick enough at night. 5) Take advise from #4 and consider not going out at night. 6) Detours are a real pain in the ass. 7) If you forget to turn the valve of an outdoor hose off pressure blows it up. Boom! 8) If you don't put your hose away before lawn care people come they cut it with your lawn. 9) If you can properly install a car seat without cursing you deserve a tech degree. 10) Spraying babies and toddlers with "Off" and repellents to go out at night is weird to me and Alex suffers from eczema too so it's not even an option. Mosquitos are the state bird in Jersey, you know. Making a concoction of orange peels simmered in water for 10-15 minutes, cooled, and put into a spray bottle will repel probably any insect biter. Score!
Years ago I went through a faze of infusing liquor. I use quart size mason jars and/or little glass corked bottles. Besides gardening (which is so addicting) I've rekindled my love for infusing liquors. Luckily it's to serve others and not me since I don't like drinking liquor. So far I've got 4 bottles ready and strained. My menu is:
1) Cucumber and mint infused gin
2) Habanero infused vodka
3) Cherry infused vodka
4) Cherry infused bourbon
5) Coffee Bean infused bourbon
They are freaking delicious and if my husband doesn't devour them all I will have a few bottles on hand to serve and make cocktails for guests on hand all summer!!! They are so easy and all natural. The trick is experimenting and tasting. Example: habanero's infuse for 3 hours, cherry's 3-4 days, cucumber's 4-6 days. Some batches I like smaller than others, but what a great project! I am dedicating my recipe this blog to liquor infusions. I did use the habanero vodka as a base for Bloody Mary's on Sunday and they were crazy good.
Wild Cherry Infused Vodka or Bourbon
Take any airtight canister, jar, bottle and fill it 1/4 with pitted and chopped fresh, ripe, and washed in-season cherries. Fill almost to full with desired liquor. A cleaner liquor but not too fancy tastes best. I use Stoli for Vodka and Jim Beam for bourbon. Shake and store in a cool dark place for 4 days. Shake well 3-4x a day. Strain and pour back. Serve straight or with mixers. Enjoy.
