Moonshine: Vodka, Lemons, and Bubble Gum.

Not actually MOONSHINE, so to speak. Who needs to buy from the store when you can make it in your own back yard?!

I was needing some encouragement and inspiration for some new ideas in the kitchen, whether technique or recipe. I came across a great blog about unique, new, and exciting recipes. I stumbled across two recipes: Bubblegum Vodka and Homemade Lemoncello. I wanted to try to make them! I'm not a huge alcohol drinker, but I was intrigued by the two combinations.

I went to the store and bought lemons, bubblegum, and jolly ranchers (just to throw in there to try a new flavor).

-------------------------------Lemoncello----------------------------

10 lemons

3 cups vodka

3 1/2 cups water

2 1/4 cups sugar

Tightly Closing Container / Jar

Peel lemons to get just the yellow skin, try not to get the white stuff!!!!

Pour vodka and lemon shavings into a jar. Shut lid tightly.

Let sit for four days.

Melt sugar in water. Let cool.

Add sugar-water to lemon-vodka. Let sit for at least one day.

Let it sit longer to make a deeper flavor, or enjoy after one day.

TADA. Lemoncello.

Note: I made two jars of lemoncello. One strictly with lemons, another with mandarin orange peelings from 1 orange just to add a different tone.

---------------------------------Bubblegum Vodka------------------------------

Vodka

Bubblegum (I used double bubble)

Tightly Closing Container / Jar

Though clear measurements are not given, I suppose one could just play around with flavor--- more bubblegum = more bubblegum flavor.

I used 3/4 of a mason jar full of vodka, and about 10-14 pieces of bubblegum, chopped into fourths or less.

Mix the two together and cover in a jar, tightly shut. It should be done within a day but for a more deep flavor, leave longer.

TADA. Bubblegum Vodka.

-------------------------------Jolly Rancher Vodka-------------------------------

Vodka

Jolly Ranchers

Tightly Closing Container / Jar

I filled a mason jar 3/4 full of vodka. I also added 4 watermelon Jolly Ranchers and 3 Apple Jolly Ranchers. Shut lid tightly and let sit. I would imagine this one would be done soon, as in, one day. Let sit for longer for a stronger flavor.

We'll see how they turn out. Hopefully they develop a good flavor! I'll have to have a friend try it who enjoys vodka!

On another note, a gentleman came into the restaurant today who was friends with Lynn, from Federal Foods (our food distributor). This gentleman distributed meat. Anyway-- He tried a piece of my cheesecake and thought it was excellent but had one complaint. I, being the criticism loving person I am (ha!) asked "Pray tell, gentle-sir, what dost thou have in complaint against my delicacy?" Or something like that....His complaint was that the crust tasted too much like a pastry crust and that it needed to be a graham cracker crust. I plainly told him that I didn't prefer graham cracker crusts because they taste too processed, and he persisted that my crust lacked a texture or consistency difference needed to complete the cheesecake. *sigh* I work with oreo crusts for some chocolate cheesecakes, shortbread crusts for everything else, and want to work with crushed up pretzels or nuts for more tropical cheesecakes (key lime cheesecake with a salty pretzel crust? YUM!)

Today was spent thinking over cheesecake crusts, thanks to the gentle-sir who doubted the greatness of my shortbread crust. I also made cheesecake pops (cut up my cheesecake into bite size chunks, stuck a lollipop stick inside, and dipped them in chocolate) for the ladies to hand out for samples to get some business. Hopefully they attract customers like bugs to a light.

Also, a friend mentioned to me that he knows of a friend of his who is opening a bakery and asked if he could pass my name on to them. I hurriedly agreed!

Have a fantastic and wonderful day!

Pie Pops

I apologize-- no pictures today. My hands were too far into crisco and flour to snap photos. I like my camera flour free, thank you.

Pie Pops. These are pies on a stick...or at least bite size pieces of pie. I make filling, wrap it with a pie crust round (about the size of your palm) and then seal the edges together and around a lollipop stick. Speaking of the devil....

I had a bit of trouble debating whether or not to stick the lollipop sticks in to the oven when I baked my pie pops. I figured...worse that could happen would be the oven would explode and we all would die. I didn't think that would happen, so I went for it and stuck the lollipop sticks into the pie filling, wrapped crust around it, and threw in the oven. HA!

They turned out okay. I found out that the typical shape of two rounds with filling inside, seal the edges, and stick a lollipop stick in the middle (stick was horizontally placed in the pie pop)--- didn't work out. The stick came right out. But if I put filling in a large piece of dough, then wrapped the dough up and around the filling and up onto the stick in a vertical manner, the lollipop stick didn't come out of the pie pop when it was done. It stuck and I could wave the pie pop around in the air without it being flung into my coworker's face. No pie in the face here!

I think I'll retry making pie pops--- I just want a different option than dipping my pie filling in chocolate. Sure it's easy and looks nice, but I want something that stands apart from the rest. We'll see.

I gave Sam some of my tri-layer chocolate mousse cake today to take to share at work. He took it there and offered some to one of his friends. The cake was placed in the fridge for a while, untouched. Another friend came in and asked if he could have a piece. Sam said "SURE!" and that friend grabbed the to-go box full of four pieces of mousse cake, and proceeded to eat ALL FOUR PIECES. Mind you, those four pieces accounted for a fourth of a cake from work. Later, when Sam and his friend went back to get some cake, and saw it was all gone, all they could say was "DUDE. DUDE." HA! I guess they like my cake?

Dave also told me about how a fireman, originally from New York, was raving about my cheesecake, saying it was better than what they had up in New York and it was so creamy and dense that "you could lift weights with that cake!" Whatever that means... :) I was pretty proud. That makes the second New Yorkian (New Yorkan? New Yorker?) to rave about my cheesecake. *toots own horn!*

Alright. More pictures to come soon.

Why I have not baked anything this weekend.

ArenaCross, Denver Coliseum, March 26-27, 2010

That is the reason.

Sam had an Honor Guard event at the Arenacross event! We got free tickets! They were posting colors for the National Anthem. It was a really great weekend! Here's pictures!

Just chillin'

Fresh out of the gate

Use caution!

This guy was so easy to photograph, I had to.

I enjoyed this guy. He was just so easy to photograph---he stood still!

Directing traffic

I found this to be funny. The riders, hard at work, and the monster energy girls sitting down doing their makeup. I guess it takes all types to make the world turn. :)

Making the turn

They did really well.

Performing during the National Anthem!

Sgt Richardson and Sam, chatting before the event.

The boys on the first night of the event, practicing and posing.

Waiting for the go.

Makin' the turn.

These were the kid riders. They were very spunky and lively out on the dirt---cutthroat as well!

Caution!

Go that way!

Directing traffic.

Just hangin' out.

Riding.

Hey there, cutie pants!

Sam and I backstage!

The arenacross staff would hold out the flags for specific circumstances---this yellow flag means something is wrong on the track, to take caution. I believe this was when a rider fell over on the turn around back into the arena.

These guys were awesome about cheering their rider on.

This is where the riders would start. It got very loud once they started revving their engines. Then they released and all raced out just to get to a corner to turn---if you weren't first out this gate and around the corner, you weren't first place.

The Monster Energy ladies giving the riders the heat numbers and time left. The camera man was airing all the backstage stuff for the people in the arena. We had a front row seat!

The riders would come down that hill and race towards us and hit the breaks to make a quick left turn to go around the corner and back out into the arena. The teammates and mechanics were standing by.

These were the first place and second place riders after the race, shaking hands and laughing. It was really awesome to see that.

The riders again

.

It takes two! It was amazing standing backstage. It's a totally different ball game, or arenacross game, than what you see in the stands. There were the teammates cheering the riders on and the mechanics standing by for repairs. It was great.